Samsung Series 7 Gamer NP700G7C with AMD Radeon HD 7970M/Geforce GTX 675M

yes. with ssd system drive IntelliMemory utility is much better. SW Update can install it.

 

Hi.

His there any problem using an non-Samsung display driver for the GTX 675m? , some other notebooks including some older Samsung models, loose the ability to adjust the screen brightness when not using a certified driver, like if i download one from the nvidia website.

Can somebody give me an answer.

Thanks

John.

 

Nope, just download the latest nvidia drivers from nvidia's site and install. Actually, installing the latest drives ENABLES being able to run the display at 120Hz and ANY brightness settings while on battery or mains. You should have no problems. I'm running version 314.22 right now.

Edit: Make sure you download for the proper OS. Windows 8 or 7.

 

Thanks for your kind advise, i feel better now, it look like the Win7 and Win8 are a single download now, thanks

Drivers | GeForce

John.

 

When did Samsung release the Win8 version of the NP700G7C as their is no Win8 user guide or drivers on the Samsung website only ones for Win7

John.

 

They don't even have the most recent windows 7 drivers on their site. I think they expect it all to be distributed by their SW Update app. There is one for windows 8.

 

It looks like the NP700G7C IS officially supported for Win8:

SAMSUNG PC Windows 8 Upgrade

There is a full upgrade guide on that page. As for drivers, use SW Update like hfm wrote. You can download that using the link below (try later if it fails):

http://orcaservice.samsungmobile.com/SWUpdate.aspx

 

The GTX 675M 256bit get`s such a poor cuda score of only 2.1 , when the GT 650M bit gets a 3.0 , I am a bit disappointed

https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-gpus

John.

 

I'm using it for gaming, the 675M will win out there every time. I suppose if you need cuda you can do better.

 

SO fast forward to the current date and time.. What laptop would you buy today for gaming if you opted to get something other than the Samsung Gamer??

 

There's the new Series 7 with the 8870M GPU. Would that meet your needs?

John

 

I think the capability is for the programing language not the speed, it could also be for assigning parallel threads within the program etc.. One of the reasons I am not disappointed in having the 680m too. I think actual computing power for non gaming is reduced in the 680m over the 675m or prior 580m............

 

I know this isn't to me, but wanted to put my 2-cents in. lol

That 8870m doesn't look too bad, specially in that laptop. (Looks to be of a very thin form.) But it's equal to a GTX 670M from the looks of it:

AMD Radeon HD 8870M - NotebookCheck.net Tech

Which is a downgrade over the 675M, but in real world, for me personally, I probably wouldn't notice, others probably would.

Even today, I still would buy this laptop. Biggest reasons, the screen and keyboard. I love the keyboard! It's not like most laptops out there. It's very comfortable and the screen is ultra bright! Even that newer Series 7, while nice and thin looking. (From what I could see) doesn't have the keyboard. If I had the money, I probably would own both though. (The new one for a little more portability as it does look more portable.) But I am still happy with what I have now. It's still playing all my games really well and everything. Only thing I am paranoid of is the temperatures. I am probably being ultra paranoid, but while I write this, my cores are sitting on average at 42C across the board. (They bottom out at about 40C and max at 44C) GPU is at 37C - 41C. I have 2 tabs open in Chrome and Itunes playing music in the background. So question: what is everyone else's average temps? (I am using coretemp for my cpu, and EVGA Precision X for my gpu temps.)

 

Going by those scores settings unplayable on the 8870 are mostly still unplayable on the 675m. Frame rates almost across the board are better with the 675m but where the cards get tanked they both take somewhat of a bath. It might be somewhat different if 3D were in the 675m systems but it isn't.

 

I would personally buy something with a 680M. At this point if I was looking for a top of the line gaming notebook that's the answer, back when I bought it last year in June it was still the king of the hill. I am not looking to switch out as the 675M is still plenty of power for current games to stay playable at decent details. If you want the best gpu, Samsung does not currently provide it. Like John says, if you don't need the best (680M,7970M) Samsung has options.

 

Anyone had any experience of swapping the keyboard out on one of these machines? I have a persistently dodgy left "Alt" key which comes off from time to time. Don't want to send the lappy in and think I can get a spare from here Samsung Laptop Keyboard | BuySpares UK

Just want to know how hard it is to do this myself?

 

It's cheaper here (which is a Samsung authorised service agent).

Since that is an old-fashioned single piece keyboard (not one of the separated key units that are integrated with the palm rest) swapping it should be relatively easy. There are usually some screws on the bottom marked "K" or "KBD" (but might be inside the bottom or under covers). Find and remove those, then work around the edge of the keyboard recess back edge and sides for some small plastic latches. Push then away from the centre of the keyboard and lift the keyboard slightly so it is clear of each hook. Once the back and sides are free then lift the back edge enough to be clear of the recess and carefully slide the keyboard away from the touchpad sufficient to release the tabs along the front (the tabs are visible on the photo on the link I have given). Once the front edge of the keyboard is free then rotate about the back edge (probably) sufficient to be able to access the ribbon cable where it is fixed to the main board. Release the latch on the socket (it is usually a toggle action but is difficult to describe in words) and take out the cable. Replace is the above steps in reverse. [The above is based on general experience of Samsung keyboard removal, not specific experience with this model.]

John

 

Does anyone know how to get updated drivers for this one? I'm running with three external monitors (DP, DVI and VGA) with the original drivers. Installing the latest one from ATI made the DVI monitor stop working. It showed up in the software and I could turn it on and off, but I couldn't display anything on it. This was "the latest beta", but I couldn't find a link to a "latest stable".

Any help would be appreciated!

 

The only safe route for the graphics driver updates is using Samsung's SW Update to give you Samsung's version the driver which has tweaked to work with the Samsung hardware. However, Samsung have lost interest in updating the Windows 7 drivers (if that's what you have) since Windows 8 came out. However, it is possible that a Windows 8 driver package might work with Windows 7 and you can get it using SW Update.

John

 

Thanks for the reply.

I'm running Win 8 x64, and even then the Samsung driver is outdated. Have tried some of the official ones with varying degrees of success now - but after cleaning up and going back to Samsung's official I still lost my third display...

 

@tiwas: I am surprised (and impressed) that you were able to run three simultaneous monitors. It was my impression that Series 7 could only run two monitors at a time (either internal+external or two externals). Indeed, that is the limitation on my Z3A and reported by several other Series 7 owners.

But the G7C must be different in this regard; maybe the Z7C as well, as it too has a DisplayPort.

I wonder if Samsung just forgot about this additional 3-monitor feature in their Win8 driver for the G7C. Have you tried disconnecting the DP or the VGA and see if that makes the DVI work? I apologize, that's trivial, I'm sure you tried that

That said, I think your best option is to use the Samsung drivers provided through SW Update -- as John also said. THe NP700G7C is officially supported for Win8, and the 3-monitor feature seems to documented in the manual. So I would say you can rightfully contact Samsung and ask that they release Win8 drivers to support this feature. Assuming, of course, that it's a missing driver feature and not some other snafu...

What is your exact model, and which driver version do you have?

 

Three external monitors was my main demand when buying a new laptop. Processor and memory was a distant second, and I knew that if I couldn't get three monitors I'd rather go for a mini tower. DisplayPort can run a lot of monitors, but there are few monitors able to support it. You can get an adapter from Matrox to convert the DP to two or three monitors (DVI/HDMI), but in order to do that you need two or three exact same monitors - and they will be treated as one. Great for wide screen gaming, but not for desktop use as maximize would fill all three of them.

The key, as far as I've found, is to have an active DP->HDMI/DVI converter, a DVI->DVI/HDMI for the second digital monitor and then run one as analogue from the VGA plug. A passive DP->HDMI/DVI won't work, and that's probably why Sammy says it's not possible - they just don't know

It's now working again with the latest beta of the ATI drivers (13.5).

The computer is a G700C7-T01 with 16GB RAM and Win 8 x64.

 

Thank you for that fast update. Great that you got it working now. I know users of other models have reported issues with brightness control on those Beta 13.5 drivers. But that's not a problem on your external monitors

Again, I looked briefly in the G7C manual, and it DOES indeed document the 3-monitor setup (under MultiView). So it's an official feature, and I would expect Samsung to support it with official drivers. So again, I would report it if I were you. They may not be aware that there is an issue, and this will be further encouragement for them to release newer ATI drivers.

Thanks again. Good job fixing it!

 

Right now I'm having overheating problems with my laptop... bad ones. The keyboard will actually become physically painful to touch for too long, and I'm concerned that if this continues, the heat will end up permanently damaging the computer. I'm aware of the poor positioning of the intake vents and am keeping the laptop elevated and with good air circulation when in use, but am still having problems.

When I originally got the laptop, this was not a problem, so I figure the fans might be clogged by dust/grime buildup. The thing is, after getting out my screwdriver and opening up my laptop, I was unable to figure out how to access the fans! >< Does anyone know of a online video/manual that can show how to access the fans of this model for cleaning? My internet searches this far have come up with nothing. If not, a written description here would be good too.

Thanks!

 

Is this Youtube video for the NP700Z7C any help? - the fans look very accessible.

Note that the fluff normally accumulates where the fans blow the air through the grilles at the end of the heat pipes.

If you are in the USA then you can buy the service manual from samsungparts.com.

John

 

Unfortunately no, my Samsung Series 7 Gamer laptop has an entirely different casing than the one shown in that video. This model. I've only been able to figure out how to take off half the bottom of the casing, and the fans are in the other half.

EDIT: Apparently the website adds an additional $40 shipping fee since I'm Canada, so I'll just keep searching the web for a solution and save that as a last resort...

EDIT: For a look at the bottom of the computer, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpKColxIg9Q&t=4m40s

 

Yes! New version ModeShift 2.0.0.2 is fully compatible with FlashPlayer Update!

 

Where do you get this version? SWUpdate only shows 2.0.0.1 on my list.

 

See if the attached is of assistance.

John

 

Its now availiable for Russian version NP700G7C by SWUpdate. This is exported distributive 2.0.0.2: ModeShiftSetup.msi, SetupW.exe

 

Many thanks! that was exactly what I was looking for. I didn't even consider that I might need to disconnect my hard drives to access the final screws.

 

Take a few photos while you are in there. They may be of help to others with similar problems.

John

 

So if i do the automatic updates everything would work fine? no weird stuff happening to the PC. I really dont want to factory reset again. I would just like some confirmation. Ty

 

Yes, with 2.0.0.2 version everything would work fine. But, today's updates (kb2837385) I am not tested yet!
And factory reset not needed, just uninstall latest flashplayer update.

upd. tested. kb2837385 all ok also!

 

question to ati version owners. do you have video settings tab at catalyst control center?

 

Hi, when i run Latency Mon (i read in a previous post), i got the following result...:



Could someone tell me, what that means, and if there is anything i could do? I have the T01 model win8, and i have made all updates through SW...

Also, i've read in prev posts that the S01 supports SATA3, any ideas if the same applies to T01?

Thank you!

 

See this thread for discussion of latency issues.

John

 

hi,
do you know the fastest cpu this notebook can handle?
3820qm? 3840? any chance to make working a 55W TDP cpu?

thanks in adv!

 

It should handle up to the 3940xm but do not expect to overclock or the +400. Actually the +400 does not work on any CPU...........

 

3940xm has a tdp of 55W,m while the cpu i have actually (3610qm) and all what i see on this notebook so fare have a tdp = 45W...so i'm not conviced the 3940xm can work....do you have any evidence?
What is the +400 you mention...i believe is not possible to oveclock the cpu of this notebook since in the bios everything is fixed (voltage, ratios,...).


Thanks again!

 

Latency spikes are difficult to avoid completely -- without stripping the computer of a lot of useful software. The thread John linked should give you some ideas. It is mostly based on Win7.

We had some discussion recently in the 2013 Chronos/Ativ 8 Owners Lounge including more Win8 talk. Start readind from this post.

There is also this old post which covers bloatware more generally. Much of it is still relevant.

 

Ah, Computer Upgrade King offered the 3920xm, 55 TDP, when I purchased this unit. The 3940xm was not out yet but there should be no problem with that either. As far as +400, you can search for info as it is all over the place.

Above the stock 3610 and starting with the 3720 there is a mode for +400 MHz accessible through Intel Extreme Tuning Utility. This if the Bios allows it, ours does not. While I have no proof I suspect if Samsung blocked out the +400 in ETU they probably did so for any or all 39**xm's extra features as well...........

 

Thank you for the information. Do you think these latency spikes might be responsible for the slow and "heavy" responsiveness of the laptop, (in browsing might take even more than 5" just to refresh!)... or they are hard to notice in everyday use? and i should look somewhere else for let's say my SLOW browsing speed...?

 

Latency is simply the cumulative slowdown effect of one or several pieces of code running in the background. The kernel latencies we discuss in the latencies thread are particularly ones caused by software that interacts with hardware (triggered by hardware interrupts or at regular intervals). But any background software will cause slowdowns.

Today's software and operating systems are 99% "bureaucracy" in the sense that they consist of layers on top of layers on top of layers, in an attempt to isolate the small percentage of code that performs actual work from future changes in hardware and OS. That heavy bureaucracy alone is what consumes most of your CPU cycles; 90% or more of CPU performance increases over the years are eaten up by it, as more and more layers are being added.

That said, if you are seeing extreme and constant slowness across the board -- not just spikes of sluggishness -- I would first suspect virus or malware of some kind. Test with several different scanners. After checking (and possibly fixing) that would I look into known CPU hogs as described in the latency threads and discussions I linked.

I almost forgot: the VERY first thing I would check is whether I had accidentally switched to Silent Mode. I am sorry, you probably already checked that, but just in case...

 

I would add that latency spikes are typically measured as one or two milliseconds. The user won't notice this length of delay but some programs (most notably audio ones) do.

The next place (after Silent Mode) I would look for troubleshooting generally slow performance is in Task Manager: (i) What is the total RAM in use and (ii) what is the CPU utilisation? And a dying hard disk can be another factor causing sluggish performance. Sometimes, but not always, the SMART data should reveal a problem (two months ago I suspected the Seagate HDD as being the cause of poor performance of a friend's notebook but Seatools said it was fine until about two weeks ago when it changed its advice to get backed up quick).

John

 

Minimal Samsung stuff.................

 

I think my gpu is dying. Just finished playing BF3, and was watching a youtube video when the entire laptop locked up. Restarted it, and saw "$" before Windows booted. Now it won't recognize the card, and trying to install the graphics drivers just gives me a message of "No supported devices found". Going to try to restore to a previous time and see if it happens, if that doesn't fix it will have to try re-installing windows. Any help would be appreciated though.

Link to dropbox shared folder showing issues: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h3ozlkqzqkoqsg0/VrAAnc2GGv

 

Try flashing the latest Samsung bios, the vbios is embedded in it. Might be your vbios got strangely corrupted which doesn't make sense.

Actually that might not be a good idea if there is some other issue. Try at own risk.

 

The entire thing doesn't make sense really. As before, I was dual booting 7 and 8, and 8 would say the gpu was a gtx 675M but said it only had 256MB of memory.Something isn't right. Restore didn't do anything. Going to do a full windows re-install and report back.

Edit: I didn't think to take pictures of 8's stuff and already formatted the hard drives.

 

Full Re-install didn't seem to work either from the looks of it. Someone told me that I may have a Rootkit at the MBR level, if that's the case, wouldn't it be erased when reformatting the drive and/ or all drives?