Samsung Chronos 7 - 700Z3C Review tomorrow

In lack of some solid info on the New Ivy Bridge 700z3C model
(C=Ivy bridge cpu/chipset) (700z3A = Sandy Bridge previous gen. )



The config.
NP700Z3C-S01SE
Intel Core i5 3210M / 2.5 GHz (3.1 GHz at turbo)
6 GB ( 4+2) SDRAM DDR3 1600 MHz
1 TB HDD (8 GB flash-5400 rpm (will be swapped With my 256 Vertex4 SDD)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M - 1 GB GDDR5 SDRAM (With optimus)
14" LED 1600 x 900 ( HD+ )
Bluetooth 4.0
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235

Comments: I did Not want to wait for a 700z3c with a Core i7 (that might come later , but i dont know) (and i guess it would not give me as much battery life as i5 3210 will bring)

As With 6gb ram (i might upgrade later on.. but feels 6gb is enough for me at this time)

Im really excited to see if the nvidia GT 630 chip is of the New 28nm kepler (GF117) and NOT the 40nm - Firstly due to battery longelivity. I will be hugely dissapointed i if it proves that the "old" 40nm kepler is still beeing shipped With Ivy bridge. (22nm cpu With 28nm gpu will give a Nice boost of battery life compared to the fist gen 700z3A series.)
UPDATE - I can confirm that the GPU is indeed the new 28nm Kepler (GF117) - But it has a 64 bit memmory interface (probably to conserve battery life)

Benchmarks: Windows Performance Index - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
7.1 CPU
7.5 RAM
6.7 Wingraphics
6.7 Gamegraphics
7.9 HDD Vertex 4 256

Note I replaced the 1 TB HDD With my Vertex 4 SDD 256

IBatterylife about 4 hours (at 80% charge limit) around 5h30m at 100%

Its quite silent (and there is even an option to set the fans in silent mode, which i dont see the point in... as silent as it is by default.)

Its quite cool and stays that way (even on some lighter gaming tests)

LCD screen is quite good - But as some of you have mentioned it does not give Black/Black .. but more in the lines of charcoal (gray - But it does not bother me - And goes from low light.. all the way to very very Bright.

The Touchpad is excellent - I have configured it to work like a macbook.. Two finger scrolling works smoothly - two finger tap brings up "right button" alternatives.


Be ware - It came preinstalled with all sorts of Bloatware - and it took me some time to get rid of 95% of it - The only software i kept was Samsung easy settings to get the FN keys to work

 

Thanks for the review!

Maybe you could explain how to change the hdd in your review? I ordered the same laptop but i'm not sure about changing it without a little tutorial.

And maybe you could state if theres a way to replace the hdd without losing the warranty

Btw. all GT630M chips are based on Fermi as you can see here.Just relabeled GT540M cards

 

Just don't damage anything and keep the original HDD and replace it if you want warranty service. There are no seals to break to indicate that you have been inside the computer.

John

 

Could you compare the screen with other notebooks? I really want to know if they got the same screen in the ivy bridge model as with sandy bridge. Its contrast really sucks and black is more grey.

 

the 630 can also be a 28nm respin (GF117)

so low power, even if not kepler tech.

 

Removed - Updated the top post instead

 

Are you sure the 630m is 64 bit? According to notebookcheck, as well, all 630m chips should be 128 bit.

 

No im not 100% (nvidia controlpanel system info said 64 bit (in win7 pre installed) - And allthough notebookcheck say 128 bit.. there can allways be variables on some chips (64 Draws less Power, so the manufacturer can choose to Down"clock" the chip a bit.

 

hmmm when will this model come to the US I need an nvidia chipset. The AMD card has caused me nothing but problems with my 3D work.

 

Unforunately you cannot use Nvidia drivers because you need to get drivers directly from Samsung only. Unless something like Leshcat drivers appear.

 

I´m using mine for about a week now. The screen is pretty bright but the contrast is very low too...its alright for me because I can use my notebook even in direct sunlight (no joke this is amazing).
Diablo 3 runs smootly and without any problems.
I have the 8GB version with a 750GB drive and I think this is the only weak point...but I prefer the extra GB over a ssd speeds.
Somehow the drivers for the backlight of the keyboard and the touchpad seem to need some time to load....even if the laptop is already running for some minutes some of the touchpad gestures do not ssem to work...anyone else has the problems?
So far I did use Diablo 3, Rhino 3D, Photoshop, Indesign, Lightroom, Illustrator on this Laptop and everything was fine. AutoCAD is going to be installed tomorrow.
And one more thing: The sound qualityof the speakers does amaze me!
Thats everything I can say till now.

 

ffUPDATE:

Having spent two days with it (back to Win7 - To get Nvidia optimus working)

I have some lessons that i have learned.

When you clean install - Install the Touchpad driver early - So that the multitouch features work straigt away after booting to windows (and you dont have to wait for 30 sec at the desktop for these features to kick in (think boot-order).

I have now installed a EFI (UEFI boot=enabled) partition. It works allmost like a dream, with even faster booting "and stuff that is supposed to be better with this kind of softwarebios - Restart works fine (BUT when i Shut down completely - when i then start the pc (powerbutton) .. the screen goes Black and the fan spinns up and nothing happens... When i then press the startbutton 4 sec. for shutdown, I start the computer again and it starts/boots flawlessly.. IF ANYONE HAVE AN IDEA ON HOW TO FIX THIS - Please post it here.

And i dont know how to enter the EFI bios - And as some of you allready know - Easysettings works at boot, but hangs when you try to start it (allready reported by other samsung chronos users on this forum before)

I might reinstall all over useing UEFI Boot = Disable in bios - Cuz i dont really se the point.

Another thing that i have learned - If you, as I, want to/ have swapped the original disk to a SSD a- There is no point in using ExpressCache - BUT you can format the 8 GB iSSD (disk) and put your Swap/pagefile on it.. And conserve diskspace from your main SSD disk.

 

To swap the disk - Just unscrew the "screws"(?") take out the old disk - and in with the new. (you take the bottom cover off - Quite easy )

 

I have some problems with the displaydriver in AutoCAD 2012...the Heidi module doesn´t want to load. Anybody knows a solution? (I did already reinstall the displaydriver and did some 3dconfig stuff but it all doesn´t help very much)

 

does the ivy version also have the express cache?

i just pick a new 700z3a for a great deal. $699
(i was lurking around the samsung part website and saw that us version of 700z3c-s02us is listed. motherboard cause around $400)
guessing us version will be release soon.

 

Can you please give a screenshot of latest GPU-Z for better GPU identification?
It'd be nice to know which 630M version is inside that laptop, and GPU-Z should do the trick.

Thanks

 

Where exactly have you purchased this laptop online? Is it an English version?

 

Hi there,...

I like to know if you experience any heat problems? The previous version of this piece was affected by cpu throttling, e.g. in gaming situations.

How is the performance in Diablo III with the 630m? At which detail levels and resolution are you playing?

Thanks in advance!

 

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

 

Well some cad applications are looking for cad certified drivers - and the geforce 630m is by all standards a consumer gpu - Not proffesional, so that might be the reason -

Alternatively you can try the latest nvidia drivers 300 series at nvidia.com

 

Hi - have used Gpu-z (and nvidia inspector) and the chip is a GF 117 - 28 NM chip- But although it is said that its 128bit on som gpu tech sites - The unit in the 700z3c is 64 bit (memory interface )

As i have understood - The manufacturer can choose to set their Nvidia chip in 128 or 64 bit..

 

Online in Norway (it seems scandinavia was one of the first places it got released)

Komplett.no - Samsung 700Z3C 14" HD+

 

NO you are wrong - Newly built GT 630m's are GF 117 -28nm chips and not relabeled -

 

Yes the Ivy Brdige version 700z3c do have express cache - but i just formated it and use it for the windows page file- as i have a Vertex 4 SSD - And dont need the express cache

 

Hi, with daily standard use this pc is dead silent and cool - When i play games the fan spinns up _a little bit_ but its not what i would call noise at all. I have not played diablo, and i dont intend to - But i can tell you that Civ5 runs smooth as do football manager 2012 (but thats not gpu intensive i know) (i mainly play games on my xbox 360) - If I was in to pc gaiming i would have bougth another laptop with a more powerful GPU .

 

Yeah, I'm looking for a very portable laptop with a matte screen, higher resolution than the damn low standard 1366x768. Gaming is just Diablo III for me, nothing more. As it does not require that much of a GPU I think that the 630m would be enough - as is the 620m in the asus ux32vd. I currently can't decide between the two:

ASUS UX32vd or NP-700Z3c

 

I also was at a point in deciding which to purchase however, while the zenbook may be lighter and at a higher resolution, it should be more expensive than the chronos. Not to mention its graphics card is the 620m. On a 13 inch screen, i believe the resolution of the zenbook is too much. I much prefer the chronos 1600x900. So overall, if you dont mind the weight of the chronos ( which is quite light for the standard laptop category as its not considered an ultrabook ) and want a better gaming experience ( diablo should perform decent as the 630m is better than what i have the amd 5730m), for a lesser cost, i believe it is the better choice. What i am curious about is why this device has not been released for the north america yet (US, Canada) while the 15 and 17 inch has. Just my 2 cents.

EDIT: Also something to note, the UX32VD has the slower ULV processors at 1.7GHz where as the chronos has the standard processors at 2.5Ghz. (both dual core)

 

Thanks for the info.

It's a Fermi then, a low-ball one (64bit bus width), but could be worse (a 40nm one).

Should be enough to play Diablo III without hiccups, provided you don't set the graphics on high. It'll also be able to play WoW and GW2 without much trouble, though again you'll have to keep IQ settings low on taxing scenes.

PS: The gaming info isn't for you ofc as you already have the laptop, but some people asked for it so I'm giving my educated guess.

 

About the battery time : just saw in your review that you get around 5 hours at 100%.

A guy at a local store just assured me that, with wifi off, no network (airplane conditions) and using just the hd4000, it should be more than 7 hours !

I do use the laptop for programming and I fly a lot ...

Can any of you lucky owners confirm this ?

Thx,

 

Let's bring this thread back up as people like me are considering this newly released in the US unit

 

Any feedback on how the wireless performs in this unit, especially compared with the np700z3a series? I have one with the 6230 card. It went in for a replacement touchpad first (finally got something useable with a different ELAN than stock) and then the wireless. So I'm on my second 6230 and it has horrible range compared with my other wireless devices (laptops, even phones). I'm guessing because of the BT 4.0, that this one has a different Intel card, but maybe they also revised the lid material or placement of antennas (or have 3 rather than 2)? Thanks.

 

I got the Z3A as well (S03US) with Intel 6230. Although the WiFi is not as strong as my old (monster) HP HDX18, it is about the same as my friend's $2500 MacBook Pro. Before this one, I had two other Z3A units (one S05US and one S03US) both of which I returned because of weak WiFi (one of them also had a wonky touchpad).

I believe Z3C has Intel 6235, but I have still seen comments about weak WiFi on this forum. In some instances it sounded significantly worse than what I get with my 6230.

You probably already did this, but just in case: You need to change Wireless Adapter Settings in your Windows power profiles ( Samsung Optimized and Power Saver). Make sure it's set to Maximum Performance for both On Battery and Plugged in.

Also, on the Advanced tab in Adapter Settings (Windows Network and Sharing Center), make sure Transmit Power is set to Highest.

 

Thanks, Dan..

Yes, I've tried everything with settings and drivers for the 6230, and nothing seems to make a difference. I've got max performance on battery and a/c, transmit power always highest, turned bluetooth on and off in the adapter settings and in easy settings, etc. The real problem with it is it can't even access APs that my phone can sometimes pick up, and never connects to my local free AP (a half-block away) that I've regularly used with other laptops, even when it occasionally reports that it sees that AP. Ah, well. I wonder about Series 9 wifi performance, if Series 7 is a lost cause.

 

The Series 9 WiFi is no better than the Series 7. They share the same basic problem of having the antenna along the back of the chassis between the hinges due, I assume, to lack of space in the thin display while the metal display back will also block the signal. While there is a plastic cover over the antennae there is still a lot of metal in the vicinity. In addition, the WiFi performance in my NP900X4C with the Intel 6235 is worse than the older NP900X3B with the Intel 6230 which raises suspicion that the 6235 has progressed backwards.

John

 

@Jasman: Got it! Yeah I figured you probably already tried those settings. At least it's there now for others to see.

One point I wanted to make was that it's not the entire series 7 that's a lost cause (and as John pointed out, series 9 seems no better). Rather, it varies from one unit to another, even with the same wireless adapter model. One of the Z3As I tested was a Broadcom, and that was REALLY bad. The other was Intel 6230 too, and though better than the Broadcom, it was still not as good as my present unit.

I don't know why there is such difference between seemingly identical models.

 

I've never liked the look of the antennae which on the Series 9 look like metallic paint sprayed onto some plastic. Here's the antennae module in my X4C.



John

 

I was considering replacing the 6235 on my 15" Series 7 thinking the poor performance was due to the 6235 and not the antenna placement. Should I not bother then? I was thinking of getting the Centrino N 2230 or something equivalent.

 

Wow, sadder situation than I thought. I may be looking at a refund.

Off topic, but for any of you who still love your Chronos 7 but hate the TP, Samsung did actually replace mine with a different ELAN that is actually useable. In this case, a hardware swap under warranty was worth it. Wish I could say the same about my two 6230 cards. No difference there.

 

Does anyone know how to buy this model in the US? I want one with an Nvidia GPU...maybe I'll have to pick one up while I'm in the UK?

 

You're right, I couldn't find it anywhere online. Amazon has the older Sandy Bridge model with AMD 6490M (NP700Z3A) for $540. I have that model and love it (though mine has a smaller but faster HDD than the amazon version). But that's pretty old now. Even the NP700Z3C you're looking for is from summer/fall 2012.

You could ask in the NP700Z5C (15.6 inch) owners lounge. More activity there and some very tech- and shopping-savvy members.