Samsung Series 5 - NP550P5C Thread

Thank you for your reply, Dannemand. I used EASEUS partition manager & found the hard drive partitions as shown below:

Below the C drive, there is one which says SAMSUNG_REC & it has used 843 MB out of 1 GB allocated. Would this perchance be the recovery partition?

 

Yes, I noticed that one already, it's the one containing the Samsung Recovery Software. But you're still missing the one called SAMSUNG_REC2 which contained your Factory Image. It's possible that you are able to start Recovery (by pressing F4 after boot) but there is nothing to restore because that recovery Data partition is gone.

You can read more about the partitions on your disk in this post.

Since you don't have any backup at the moment, I highly recommend that you focus on creating that before anything else. Tools like Paragon and EASEUS make it very easy to do things which ordinary users simply shouldn't do.

 

I own a Series 5 NP500P4C-S02US. It's only about 4 months old and has been running smoothly until last night. I went to turn it on and it won't load into windows. The Samsung logo appears for about 5 minutes and then I get a blue screen saying bad system config info. I restarted and pressed F2 to go into recovery mode. I got into that, but when I select recovery it just brings up a loading screen and nothing happens. I have no idea what's wrong! Please help.

 

I wonder if the HDD is sick (some of them do die young).

I presume this is a Windows 8 machine with no disc so you are relying on Recovery to do a repair so if Recovery won't work you are blocked from that route. Did you happen to make a bootable backup of the disc using Recovery? If so, try that.

If the HDD is accessible then I would remove it, put in an enclosure and test on another computer. This can include trying to read the SMART data (not always easy via USB) and trying to copy the entire disc contents to another drive. This isn't an infallible test since the damage could be where the boot sector and Recovery data are, and you can't easily copy those.

The final course of action is back to Samsung (but first try to copy all your personal files off the disc first since there's a good chance that they will be wiped).

John

 

I recently got a Samsung Series 5 NP550P5C-S03CA laptop, and it's been great so far, but I'd like to replace the 1366x768 screen that it came with, with a 1600x900 screen. Before I pull the trigger on this, I'd just like to confirm that it is possible. I've read online that when replacing screens, the new screen should be of the same resolution, yet I've also read of many people with stories of easy screen upgrades.



I've also found some retailers that carry the 1600x900 screen, yet others, that I believe are well known, like lcds4less, don't seem to have it; leaving me at a loss for what to think.



Hopefully someone more experienced and knowledgeable in this endeavor can help me out by telling me, either one way or the other.



Thanks

-BiN

 

I think it's easier to replace with a full hd screen instead. If the goal is upgrade why only upgrade half way? Anyway, to answer your question, yes it's doable, but IMO, you should get a 1080p screen instead.

Cheers.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk HD

 

These upgrades are not always straightforward. See this thread. Are the panels you are finding "compatible"or genuine Samsung parts (you can find part numbers at www.samsungparts.com).

John

 

If we need a new cable for 1600x900 above screens, not quite sure about that, but, even more strong reason to get 1080p, the price difference is not much but the resolution is (320x180p extra), and if that's too small, you can always scale down resolution.

Cheers.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk HD

 

While I would like to just go the whole way and get a FHD screen, I've only seen the 1600x900 HD+ screen associated with my model. I'd rather play it safe than sorry.

I looked around about the compatibility, and I'm finding these screens on laptopscreen.com that say they are compatible with my exact model, but it still notes to replace the screen with one of the same resolution. Is that just a generic warning, or is it simply ill advised to try and upgrade the native res? Also, I couldn't find the product on samsungparts.com (I don't believe they have LCD laptop screens catalogued on their site). For reference, here is the page I found: https://www.laptopscreen.com/English/model/Samsung/NP550P5C-S03CA/.

 

Thank you for your help. I turned on my computer today and it gave me an error about an update and then went into windows! So I think the SW updater crashed and that is what was causing the problem. When it booted windows the SW Update said the Nvidia driver update failed. Do you think I should download directly from Nvidia's website since SW updater isn't working?

 

Failed updates can have nasty side-effects, especially if something gets stuck in a loop.

I'm not sure if Nvidia's own driver will be 100% compatible (a common problem is that the Samsung display brightness controls don't work). I would first try to debug the updating process by (i) if you are using a wifi connection then get the latest WiFi driver direct from Intel; and (ii) use the stand-alone BIOS update program (link in my first post here) to check if the BIOS is up-to-date. Then try again with the graphics driver through SW Update.

John

 

I looked around about the compatibility, and I'm finding these screens on laptopscreen.com that say they are compatible with my exact model, but it still notes to replace the screen with one of the same resolution. Is that just a generic warning, or is it simply ill advised to try and upgrade the native res?

 

I'm not saying it won't work but it's not something I would try doing unless I knew that the computer was also offered with a higher resolution screen in some markets. This thread showed that such upgrades are not straightforward and, if the bezel is glued there is the additional cost of a new bezel.

If you can get a screen from somewhere that accepts returns and are willing to bear the cost of a new bezel whatever the outcome then go ahead and give the upgrade a try.

John

 

Hello, i have the 1600/900 resolition version. I have one question about the screen is it a problem with my model or the LCD response time is bad and its ghosting (especially noticeable when scrolling text).

Can anyone with same LCD check it ? Hardware ID of the LCD is "SEC314B".

 

someone tried to put more of 8gb on this laptop?

 

I have 16GB on mine, but it supports 32Gb if you can afford 16GB sticks.

 

thanks skor78 for your prompt reply!

 

Glad to help. Cheers.

 

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a full hd screen compatible with this laptop, but i can't find anything with bigger resolution than 1600x900. Can anyone help?

Cheers.

 

Guess there isn't one compatible, only 1600x900, wanna order one of those but they don't have glossy screen.

 

Personally, I prefer matte. It's better for both in and outdoor, no light reflecting into my eyes.. It's a shame there's no full hd screens for this laptops, and IMO 1600x900 is not worth the upgrade.

 

It's true that 1080p would be a great upgrade, but 900p it's better than nothing, don't want this tiny resolution, so i guess i'm gonna buy that matte one cause there is no glossy, 16GB RAM and a SSD hopefully the next month.

 

I already have 16GB RAM and a 128GB SSD, and honestly, i feel little difference from before. ATM I'm not using any heavy load SW on it, so i hardly use even 8GB. The SSD is mid-low range, it's a bit faster at boot but other than that i hardly feel the difference. I'd like to buy a fast 256GB SSD, but that's not even on my priority list.

I also bought a DVD to HDD caddy and replaced my DVD drive with the original 1TB HDD drive for storage. I already had an external USB DVD drive to use on my 11 and 13" ultrabooks, to use in case of need, but IMO disc are dead. I have a bunch of 8GB SD cards available since i upgraded my android devices to 32 and a 64GB microSDs, adding 2x16GB and 1x8GB USB sticks and 3TB on 2 external HDDs most times even wonder why do I need an brand new, completely unused external DVD drive.. lol I guess we never know when we might need one and it's better safe than sorry.

Cheers.

 

I bought this laptop, or a newer version of this laptop, recently. The only disadvantage of this laptop is that it get heated up too much while playing games. I updated the BIOS with the help of 3DP CHIP, which helped a bit. But still, the laptop gets heated up. So should I buy a cooling pad? Or are there possible software tweaks to better the situation?

 

Weird you're saying it heats up, even considering it's not a gaming laptop (IMO no laptop is for gaming hehe), this laptop has a considerable bigger sized fan when compared to most laptops..
Here's some hardware pics. Portuguese language.
Review: Notebook Samsung 550p5c-ad1 - YouTube

Are you sure you're using nVIDIA GPU and not intel hd4000 during games? Did you configured the games GPU in nVIDIA CP?
What do you mean with " I updated the BIOS with the help of 3DP CHIP, which helped a bit. "? Is that a custom BIOS? Can you post some links?

Thanks.

 

A custom BIOS could mess up the operating rules for the fan.

John

 

Look, I don't know much about BIOS and all. Someone recommended to download 3DP Chip, to update BIOS. With 3DP Chip, I downloaded and installed something (under the BIOS heading in 3DP Chip). I live in India, so maybe our laptops are different. The temperature of the CPU reached a max of more than 90 deg C, that's why I said it got heated up. But, is it possible that games may be running in Intel HD4000? How do I configure games to use nVidia GPU?
This is the link where I got the update: 3DP Chip [ Intel - Motherboard driver download ]

 

Nevermind that 3rd party driver update SW 3DP.. I see no point in using it when you can do it using Samsung SW Update.

Now..Answer the following questions so we can help.

Are you sure you're using nVIDIA GPU and not intel hd4000 during games? Did you configured the games GPU in nVIDIA control panel? What games are you playing to cause 90ºC heating?

 

More than 90C is hot and HWiNFO will probably show that the CPU is being throttled. It's possible that whoever assembled the computer didn't do a very good job with the thermal pasting. They often put it on too thick. People have reported up to 10C drop in temperature by repasting (but I only managed a 5C drop on my NP900X4C but that got it out of the throttling zone).

John

 

I changed the settings in nVidia control panel now. Earlier it was auto, now I've changed it to nVidia graphics, but still its gets heated up when I play GTA IV. Don't you get this problem while playing games?

Also, right now, I am just using Google Chrome, nothing else, and still the task manager is showing 85% RAM out of 8GB being used!!
Can you please tell what's this use about?

Thank You.

 

I don't play games on laptops, they reduce its life time too much. Also, to me its a better gaming experience using a tablet or a PlayStation.
Anyway... You should try to download latest nVIDIA driver (331.65) from nVIDIA site, and also install nVIDIA GeForce Experience. Use NGE cloud to configure GTA to optimal settings and check if issue persists.

Good luck.

 

I'm experiencing a throttling issue too. As checked from HWiNFO and GPU-Z, both CPU and GPU temperatures would hover at around 90C - 94C when playing games and would begin to throttle a lot when it gets hot. This basically makes all 3D games unplayable on this laptop. Funny thing is that, I don't remember having this problem when I first bought the laptop one year ago. I've made sure to update drivers etc to the latest, changing the settings as recommended in previous replies, but it didn't improve anything.

Is it tricky to do the thermal pasting ? The most I've done to open the laptop was to replace the HDD and add more RAM. Would you have any recommendation on what material to get from amazon to do this ? Also, would a cooling pad help in this kind of situation ?

Many thanks !

 

My idea of gaming is the occasional round of solitaire. so I stick to integrated graphics.

Regarding the RAM usage, check if IntelliMemory is installed. It's a caching program which might provide benefits if you are using an HDD. It should release RAM when other programs are loaded but may also trigger increased use of virtual memory, which is counter-productive.

The fan tends to suck in dust and fluff and this progressively blocks the airflow. See the 6th photo in this post as an example. This article and the related discussion may also help. Removing all the dust should get your temperatures back to the "as new" condition. However, repasting can usually get you cooler than the "as new".

A well known and reliable thermal compound is "Arctic Silver". Once you have got the bottom off the computer, repasting the CPU / GPU involves removing the fixing screws for the heat sink assembly and carefully prising it off. Then you need to scrape off all traces of the thermal compound (use a plastic tool to avoid damaging the metal surfaces) to get them clean and smooth. Then apply a small amount (eg about 1/2 a pea-sized lump) to each of CPU, GPU and any other chips served by the heat sink and roughly spread it over each surface. Then put the heat sink back on but don't fix it yet. Instead move it around while pushing down to help further spread the paste and then lift it off so you can check that the heat sink is touching each chip. If it doesn't then you either need to slightly bend the heat pipes or Google for copper shims. You have to avoid either a gap between heat sink and any chip or a thick layer of paste (which doesn't conduct the heat as well as a thin layer). Once you are satisfied that the heatsink is making good contact with only a very thin layer of paste then screw it down.

John

 

That sounds like a tricky operation ... and it's probably best left to the weekend. I'll go watch some videos in youtube in preparation of this. Thanks !

 

Didn't noticed this before, sorry. That's odd, but similar stuff happened before, i had all 16GB of RAM busy, which was pretty odd.. I checked in task manager that firefox was using 13GB on it's own. Killed it and restarted it and it was running fine again.
Check processes in task manager (ctrl+shift+esc), arrange it by memory, and see what's eating up so much RAM.

 

Just in case anybody else is experiencing the same problem of laptop gradually throttling due to higher temperature, a can of compressed air works wonder. I got a cheap one from Amazon, opened the bottom case of the laptop and blasted all the dust away from the surface and the GPU fan. Everything is a lot cooler now. At least, when playing games using the discrete Nvidia GPU, the temperature hovers at around 75C, which still feels kind of hot but nowhere near the 95+ C range previously. I'd definitely look into repasting the thermal paste, but it sounds pretty tricky, so I'd leave it for the future.

 

I guess its a problem with the fan speed. When I compared my laptop's fan speed with that of my friends' laptops, I found that my laptop's fan is almost not working at all. Then, I tried SpeedFan to configure my laptop's fan, but it couldn't find any fan on my laptop. My CPU's temperature at normal usage remains at around 45-50 degrees. Is that okay?

 

Yup, that's the average temp in mine too. IMO, the fan isn't working as much simply because it don't need to.
The only software capable of controlling/regulating your Samsung laptops fan is Samsung Advanced Fan Control, and I'd love to get my hands on it, even posted a thread here without answers, but this software is internal from Samsung and not available to public.. If could find it, please PM me a link.

Good luck.

 

Are Samsung laptops good ?

I am considering to buy NP550-S04IN . Is it worth buying . I mean i dont have any idea about samsung's build quality and after sales services .
Please help . Also please tell me about the throttling problems , if any .

 

IMO Samsung laptops are currently better that Asus/Toshiba/Acer/HP/Sony laptops in build, quality, and after sales services. Notice I say better in after sales services simply because in the last 3 years I've bought 6 Samsung laptops a NOT ONCE i needed them. They are well build and reliable. And I repair laptops for a living, obviously I'm not saying this without reason. Most Samsung laptops i get for repair are broken displays and liquid damaged.

For specs analysis, please post a specs page, instead of a facebook pic. I don't even have facebook, it's a waste of my time.

 

Sorry , i made a mistake while uploading the link to specs , its corrected now .
Anyways thank you for your information .

One more thing i would like to ask to you guys that should i buy i7 model or i5 is enough for gaming casually ?

 

The information in the link provided is not accurate, and IMO that specific i5 model version described is under-spec.
Max RAM is 32GB, not 8, I have 16GB in mine. 6GB stock RAM seems very little to me. I dunno its price in India, but in Portugal and Europe this laptop is in medium-high price range, reason for which doesn't bring less than 8GB stock.

Personally, I never recommend a laptop for gaming, I'd recommend either a desktop or a tablet. With that said, a i7 CPU is definitely better for gaming and everything else. I have the i7 version (see specs bellow), modified with a SSD, and replaced the DVD for a HDD cradle to have the 1TB drive in it. It performs like a beast! Definitely the i7 IMO.

 

I presume that when you refer to an i7, you are thinking about a quad core i7 and not a dual core version (many of which are only slightly faster than an i5).

John

 

Yes , i am referring to quad core . However , the i7 version is not available anywhere online , so i will have to stick with i5 version

BTW you are Indian so do you know whats the current status of samsung laptop's after sales services in India ?
Should i go with this brand in India ?

 

1. My comment about the i7 was aimed at skor78. In my experience the dual core i7 CPUs don't give much performance boost compared to an i5.

2. I'm only visiting India and haven't needed to test the Samsung after sales service in this country. I expect that, as in other countries, Samsung contract out the repair work (there might be a list on the Samsung India website). Surveys in other countries indicate that Samsung hardware reliability is above average. Samsung software support is the same globally.

Your purchasing decision should be guided by whether the computer meets your needs.

John

 

Ok thank you so much .

 

Hi John,

I'm sorry, I didn't even considered the dual core i7.. In what matters to me, there are only i7 quad cores, cuz IMO buying a dual core i7 is, pardon my french , a dumb buy, even on a ultrabook. The price difference from i5 to dual core i7 is simply not worth it.

But you're right! Helping others, I should go above and beyond my personal opinion. Will try to avoid such confusions in the future.

Cheers.

 

Thanks for the clarification.

I think we agree that the dual core i7 CPUs tend to have more impact on the wallet than they have on performance.

John

 

hi guys!! anyone has any tutorial on how to disassemble this model?

 

There's no assembly guide available and it's not very hard to do it, but you should have proper tools to pry the bottom out. I have pry tools and still I broke a couple of plastic piclets.
Step 1- remove the battery, bottom plastic, hdd, ram, dvd, etc and all the screws.
Step 2- Very carefully, pry the bottom plastic, inch by inch until you can free it up and voila!

Good luck.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk