Samsung 2012 Series 7 Chronos (NP700Z3, NP700Z4 & NP700Z5 series) Owners Lounge

I have installed 12.1 Leshcat's drivers. I dont see any visible change in Catalyst Control Center (Is that fine ?). In fact some of the applications dont even come up in the list. Why is this the case ?
Also, from the center, if i choose High performance, will it automatically take AMD. and if i choose Power saving, the Intel 3000 ?
Also when I switch from a full screen game to desktop, for about 5 seconds, there is a blue shade on the screen. Similarily when I switch back. How do I fix this ?

 

The blue shade is normal. FYI: Look under Easy settings, display colour option. It is a colour overlay.

 

I have the same question. I'm not sure if there exists a dual-link DVI to HDMI converter that I trust can actually do the resolution. Have you been able to find out?

 

1.yes
2. applications will only appear when launched or recently launch. if they don't come up they haven't asked for dedicated graphics. you can add them manually in case they will eventually.
3.yes
4.I haven't noticed this when playing games myself; but indeed I could imagine it's a delay in the color calibration kicking in. (which you can configure in "Easy settings" as mentioned above)

 

Just seen this on a UK site. I'm quite happy with my S01UK but if this S05 model comes with fixed graphics switching and a 1TB HDD then I'll be on the phone to Samsung demanding a replacement.

 

Hope thats the case, however they have seemed to increase the price, maybe because of the 1TB?

 

..................

 

I haven't found the answer yet. Anyone have access to a super nice display to test this for us?

 

When i wanna play a movie on my laptop with windows media player classic my laptop stutters for a moment. This happens only when I open a videofile. Does anybody know what the problem could be for this?

 

John Lewis have released the Chronos 17 inch laptop. Its got an AMD Radeon 6450 card instead of the 6750 in the 15 inch version, don't know what the difference is tho.

Here's the link: Buy Samsung NP700Z5A-S05UK Laptop, Intel Core i7, 2.2GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB, 17.3", Silver online at JohnLewis.com

 

So John Lewis say it's a 17" and Comet say it's going to be a 15".....

 

Hi,

would like to get this laptop but thinking of ways to reduce the weight of the 15" model to as close to 2kg or around 4.5lb as possible?

here's what i thought
replace HDD with SSD (for performance) approx -25g
take out Optical drive approx -100g

but the problem with taking out the optical drive is i need something to cover the slot opening, any suggestions? and other ideas to reduce weight..

 

Cut a piece of grey/black foam into a strip and tape it on the inside to cover the small slit opening. Should look like the ODD is still there.

 

I just picked up this adapter CentralComputers.com - 3.5MM Stereo To R/L+Microphone Cable Adapter today. The website doesn't have a picture yet. I was in the store to get more RAM and noticed the headset adapter - new item, the cashier hadn't noticed that this item was even in stock. It is very small and white (apple/ipod accessory style). Works great with my logitech dual plug headset in skype.

 

Has anyone tried the 12.1 drivers released 1/25/2012?

 

Amazon UK are showing 16 Feb release date for the new model with 1TB

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Chronos-Laptop-Windows-Premium/dp/B006ZU55Y0/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t

 

I'm not sure if I would call a hard drive change a "new model"...

I couldn't see any other changes to it anyway.

 

I get the same issue. VLC runs as smooth as butter, though I prefer Media Player Classic Home Cinema. Anybody here know the cause and/or solution?

 

We just don't know if Samsung is trying to smoke us.

 

In stock now. Who's gonna be the first to find out if the problems have been fixed............

 

NP700Z5A-S01CA

I bought and returned one of these recently.

The switchable graphics was a factor, but primarily I was dissapointed in the LCD. I could not seem to adjust the tilt to an acceptible viewing angle. My four year old asus is better.

Too bad, because the Samsung is not bad otherwise.

 

I've had a Series 7 for a few months now. I'm very happy. So far no major issues.

Can someone offer advice about a the vga-type port on the left side? Is it a proprietary Samsung port that requires buying their adapter? If so, that's too bad because it isn't in stock where I've looked. If not, what is the port? I've emailed Samsung three times to ask what it is and they refuse to answer my question even when I ask them directly.

Also, I apologize for asking this. I've been reading Series 7 threads for a few months and I know this has come up before. But I can't for the life of me find the answers in previous threads.

 

It is a proprietary port.

 

fwiw, The -S01 came with the adapter.

Here is one link for you ge off5, I don't know if the adapter is the correct one.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/627093-vga-dongle-samsung-series-7-chronos-notebook.html

 

In the stickied thread there's a new driver mentioned.

 

Anyone wants to provide a reliable link for the Samsung AMD drivers that allows OpenGL functionality so I can put in the OP?

 

There's no link I think, mine came from Software Update Manager. It can detect dedicated video card but can't fully switch over for some programs. But I prefer Leshcat's version better because it's less buggy for me.

 

Support - Notebooks NP700Z5AH | Samsung Laptops

This page lists version 8.940.0.0 (the same that Software Update Manager says), but the date listed is September 2011. Not sure if that's the right file or not...

 

Actually according to my Samsung Software Update Manager it is 8.940.0.0 either it's the wrong file or that Samsung labeled it with the wrong date.

 

You can not trust the dates on the Samsung website.

 

Dear Chronos users,

I've read in a couple reviews about this laptop's wrist slicing capabilities while typing for extended periods of time. Are these claims exaggerated? Is it that bad?

 

There is no problem with the wrist resting area. I rest my hand on the edge all of the time, I don't even notice it. I actually TRIED to make it hurt by pressing down, but no pain. Who ever is complaining about this must have skin that is a couple nano meters thick or something. Either that, or they are some whiney complainer that likes to complain about neglegable edge tolerances and similar things.....or they are fan boys of another brand. Reminds of a guy I heard complaining that he had to "twist his 'TORSO'" in order to use the keyboard because the qwerty is offset to the left, lol. I laughed my off! Since when does someone need to twist their torso to move their out stretched hands two inches to the left? Needless to say he was an Apple fan.

 

I have a Pioneer KRP-600M and I have watched HD movies and feeds off the chronos through the HDMI. It looks pretty damn good. I noticed a little issues on shadow definition and a couple othe minor artifacts. I'm assuming it's because of the GPU, not the HDMI or the CPU. That being said, I'm a major videophile...so I
notice most things a lot of other people wouldn't notice or even care about if they did, haha. But I would say a laptop is not the choice for a home theater comp. Get a desktop or build one to spec for that specific purpose. That's the onlyway to do it "right". But this laptop still delivers.

 

I just realized I didn't fully answer your question. I don't know if it support your res because my res is 1820x1080. But it looks pretty good. And this monitor is still the best display out there as far as REFERENCE PQ is concerned (which seems is what you are after), and it looks acceptable to me, but not perfect.

 

I use mine about 14 hours a day. I keep my palms away from the edges because of the inconsistent joint/fit between the top and the side. At some points, the joint is perfect but at other points the side edge is higher than the top flat area - those points are uncomfortable.

 

Greetings. I'm a new and so far happy user of Chronos (NP700Z5 S01).

Have any of you tried encrypting the whole laptop? I was going to, but Truecrypt gave me "Your system drive contains a non-standard partition" type of warning. Also, it seems like ExpressCache would not be compatible with Truecrypt ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/637957-debunking-expresscache-myths.html

 

I don't feel the sharp edge while I'm typing. So I don't see how it would become an issue. IMHO the sharp edge could cause problems only if I had to use touchpad extensively e.g. for full-day graphics editing. For that I would use a mouse anyways. Note though that I've been using the laptop for just a couple of days.

 

I have no issues with a sharp edge. Not sure if a particular model had this problem worse than most but I can't imagine mine bothering anyone.

 

The sharp edge is dependent on each machine's build. However, unless you have very thin skin/wrist, it does not cause discomfort at all.

 

Great question! I also use Truecrypt, so this is also very important to me. Anyone? (by the way, it's illegal to bring an encrypted drive into Russia or China, so be aware if you're going there on business)

 

I guess I will be using TrueCrypt the way I did with my previous laptop i.e. mounting and dismounting. After reading for instance, how some HP users ended up with ( Problem to boot after true crypt encryption - HP Support Forum) I'm just not willing to take the risk.

 

Thanks for the responses!

This laptop model is #1 on my list for my graduation present

 

Hi folks, I'm looking at getting either a model NP700Z5A-S09US or NP700Z5A-S0AUS this week to replace my aging and dysfunctional Thinkpad. I've been following this thread and others, and hope that those of you that already have been using this machine can help with the following questions:
1. What is your impression of the overall build quality? And in particular, at least one review (notebookcheck) has raised doubts about the sturdiness of the lid, and alleged that it can be warped even under mild pressure. Would be interested to hear other opinions.
2. Are most of the air intake and outlet vents on the sides? I often tend to use laptops on fabric (couch or bed), and although this has never been a problem with my thinkpad (vents on side), I'd be curious about how the NP700Z5A could handle this.

Thanks for all comments!

 

Hello all,

I seem to be having a problem with my Series 7 Chronos and Sleep mode. I just got my Series 7 NP700Z5A-SOA yesterday, and the laptop goes into Sleep mode just fine, but it doesn't seem to want to wake up properly. When I press the On button or open the lid (from Sleep mode) the power light will come one for a second and I can hear a fan start to spin, but after a second the laptop immediately turns off. I have to hit the power button a second time for the laptop to start up properly, at which point I get the "windows did not shut down properly" screen, and proceed with the rest of the start up.

I have Google'd this issue but came up with nothing. Coincidentally I upgraded from Windows Home Premium to Windows Professional this morning to run CAD programs like Solidworks, so I am wondering if the upgrade could have caused an error somewhere? Possibly with the ExpressCache? Any ideas on how to resolve this? Thanks

 

I would look for clues in Event Viewer's System Log.

My Computer > Manage > Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System.

Does hibernation / resume work OK?

John

 

Hello John and thank you for the reply,

Hibernation / resume works fine. It is only Sleep mode that isn't functioning properly. What exactly should I be looking for in this Event Viewer's System Log?

 

Hi guys,

I posted my question in different place but it was a mistake, so I put it here

Which model should I choose:

1. NP700Z5A-S0AUS from TigerDirect for 1150$ + tax or
2. NP700Z5A-S03US from J&R for 1250$ + no tax

Booth have the same i7 -2675QM processor and the same radeon 6750m.

1. has 1TB Hard Drive 5400 rpm
2. has 750GB Hard Drive 7200 rpm

1. Intel WIfi with WIDI
2. Probably weak Brodacom wifi without WIDI

If there are no more differences probably no 2. is better because it's cheaper to replace wifi card than Hard Drive - what do you think? Are there any other NP700Z5 which are also reasonable?

Thanks.

 

NP700Z5A-S0AUS - take this if same price.
1TB HDD speed is covered some by ExpressCache 8GB.
Intel wifi. Newer model.

It is cheaper by $100, but no idea about your tax amount.

Take the cheapest one after tax as performance does not differ by much.

 

@Tazzer - FYI: I called J&R and was able to haggle down the price of the S03US to US$1,175 shipped, no tax. I had ordered it at a time when TigerDirect's S0AUS was out of stock. Then, while waiting for my laptop to ship out, TigerDirect had new stock. I called J&R to cancel unless they could apply their Price Match Policy on my laptop. They said they couldn't since the laptops were not the same but they eventually offered to bring it down to US$1,175. I ended up agreeing.

Although to be honest, I didn't know about the differences in wifi card in the two models at the time of order. I was focused more on the HDD speed. If I had known about the better wifi on the S0AUS, that might have swayed me to TigerDirect.

 

Look for error messages at the time the computer is put to sleep and possibly when it tries to wake up.

Sleep has always been more problematic than hibernation. The latter involves explicitly stopping a lot of services and then restarting them, which is more reliable that sleep which justs suspends them and hopes they wake up again. The graphics used to be one of the trouble-spots.

Make sure that you have the BIOS and drivers up to date and then work through Google's list of "Windows 7 sleep mode problem".

John