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

Pretty happy with the system so far, I just put in Cool Laboratory Liquid Ultra TIM. This is one to be very careful with as it is conductive. 3DMark06 though was bumped up another 400 points or so.

 

To those of you who have upgraded to Windows 8 (or 8.1) What are you using to play BluRays?
Cyberlink software no longer works with 8.1 and they want me to pay in order to upgrade.
I hear VLC can play BluRays and is free, but it does not play 3D BluRays (I wanna output to my 3D TV because I sold my PS3)....

 

Actually the same could be true for all users of the S02 and T01 as those were original Windows 8 machines as well.

 

I should specify that the version of Cyberlink Media Suite that came with the laptop when it was running Win7 no longer works with it running Windows 8.1. However a newer version of Cyberlink's software has been released and they want me to pay to upgrade.

 

Yeah, I think the same version was on the S02 and T01. Again these are windows 8.0 systems. IMHO if M$ is forcing the upgrade from 8.0 to 8.1 or 8.1.1 then why should the consumer be burdened with Windows Evolutionary costs?

 

I know this may be late and you may have already decided on a idea. (I've just been going through all the postings updating and seeing where I could help.)

I own the Y510P now and it is a nice portable laptop. Lenovo also allows Windows 7! Which I installed as well as upgraded to a large capacity SSD as the only capacity M.2 SSD there was is 128GB and that's not nearly enough anymore these days. (See sig for all my systems.) I have the version with the 2x GT 755M's. It does get warm, but I have had no issues with mine overheating and I've put it through some punishments including being outside in 80 degree (F) weather. Meaning hotter than normal ambient temps for me. (I left my cooling pad at home that day, so oops on my part.) Again it does get warmer than my old Samsung did, but that's to be expected with the cooling it has. I also suggest that no matter how good the cooling is in a laptop to get a laptop cooling pad as it usually can only help. (You may already have one or know that, but just saying.) I use the Notepal U3 or an Older Tagus Chill hub that has 2x 80MM? fans and a 4-port usb 2.0 hub built in and those work fine.

As for microstutter, I haven't really noticed that, either I am not very sensative to it or the drivers have gotten much better since you last used SLI? Who really knows on that one, as I don't know when you last used sli and this is also just my opinion/ usage evaluation.

I just figured I would chime in even if you did decide as others may be looking at something more portable or what have you.

 

I noticed with out system and 3DMark 2013 that even though the FPS was reading at times 40-50 there was a slight jerkiness to the video. Now my default is set to 120Hz for the screen so I can only think the scenes were being created in bursts of say 20 times per second at 2-3 frames each time at the 120 fps rate (Microrstutter?).

 

Hey people!
I think i will buy an SSD soon.
I am thinking of "Sandisk 256 GB UltraPlus SSD Disk SDSSDHP-256G-G25" i am sure it is compatible?
Do you guys have suggestions, warnings?

Does our laptops support SATA 3?

 

SATA 3 has been standard for several years although some notebook optical drive bays use an SATA 2 interface.

I see that this Sandisk SSD is 7mm thick plus a spacer for 9.5mm bays, so it shouldn't present any difficulties.

John

 

Whats the easiest way to carry windows to ssd after i swap the hdd?
Clean install from the dvd?


Sent from my HTCSensation using Tapatalk

 

I would clone the HDD to the SSD unless the Windows installation is getting cluttered. Some of the SSDs come with cloning software.

If you choose to do a clean installation then I note your computer has the ExpressCache which can cause a few headaches. See the Common Topics section at the bottom of the Sticky List.

If the ExpressCache fix isn't there then Dannemand will be able to tell you where to find it.

John

 

The post here summarizes four different ways to get Windows onto the new SSD -- depending on your needs.

If you want to preserve your existing installation, definitely cloning is the easiest, as John mentioned. Recovery has a built-in cloning feature (assuming yours is a Win8 model and you still have Recovery on the HDD). Otherwise you can use the cloning utility that comes with your SDD or a 3rd party utility. That may lose Recovery in the process, which may or may nor matter to you.

If you want to perform a clean install, just use the guides in the Sticky List (linked by John). But make sure you install from DVD instead of USB to save yourself a lot of hassle with that ExpressCache iSSD. If you MUST install from USB for some reason, there are workaround here in posts #1 and #2. BUT they only cover BIOS/MBR installations. Making UEFI/GPT installations from USB on models with ExpressCache can potentially cause a semi-brick, and I don't recommend it.

 

Actually our bios is a bit different. It is UEFI compatible not true UEFI. This is why we did not have the early bricking issue of Linux and UEFI of Samsung systems. Now you may not have a brick but getting it to properly boot is a pain to say the least.

 

Thank you for pointing that out. I think you are referring to the "hard bricking" described in the thread linked below, which happened to several Samsung owners in late 2012/early 2013.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/706510-samsung-laptops-bricked-using-uefi.html

In those cases, NVRAM got corrupted during UEFI installation of Windows or Linux (in particular) on Samsung's first "tweaner" models (Win7 models with slapped on UEFI to accommodate Win8) and caused a complete bricking.

However, I was referring to a milder "semi-bricking" of the variety described by member KcKepz in the thread linked below:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/755985-how-boot-bios-when-function-buttons-not-showing.html

This one is also caused by NVRAM corruption, but "merely" prevents the user from accessing BIOS through F2, and changing Boot Priority in BIOS (even when accessed through Win8's firmware settings page). Many users don't even notice this problem, since they can still use their computer normally.

When this symptom is present, temporarily removing the HDD/SSD is how to force booting from an external source, with the goal of re-flashing BIOS so as to clear the NVRAM. However, if Windows is installed in UEFI mode from a USB stick on an ExpressCache model with this symptom, the classic gotcha of Windows Setup placing its boot partition on the ExpressCache iSSD (in this case the EFI System Partition) can have fatal consequences: The system is now locked into trying to boot the iSSD, which cannot be booted, and which cannot be removed to force booting an external source. Result: A computer that is not hard bricked, yet cannot boot anything, and cannot have its boot settings changed.

So far Series 5 models have been prone to this, and a few Series 7 models as well. I don't remember if any G7Cs were among them. We recently had a Series 9 with the same symptom where the user was able to re-flash the BIOS eventually and fix it without Samsung repair. But they don't have that additional complexity introduced by the ExpressCache iSSD.

I just always recommend installing from DVD on ExpressCache models, both for convenience and to minimize risks. And this is even more true with UEFI installs.

 

Yes we have a strange bios with the gamer. You can enable UEFI compatibility and then it allows GPT and also reads the UEFI tables, this is what allows my configuration of the +400mhz as if the CPU had these as the default clocks. Even with compatibility enabled it still posts like a normal bios. Which also means it posts slower than a true UEFI as well.

That is fine though, with the SSD if I restart Windows is back up before I can pour and fix a cup of coffee.

 

had received a request to put up ModeShift 2.0.0.1 again for our systems. I pull these larger files down after a while as they take a lot of room on the server. This one is well over 300 megs but you guys can download from the link below.

http://www.pcambrosia.com/Files/ModeShift_2.0.0.1.zip

 

A bit of a warning here. I have had BiosUpdate.exe installed from SWUpdate since new. This has taken me from the stock bios through 06AAB, 07AAB and to the latest 08AAB. All downloaded as well and are 2.7MB in size.

I just ran the update, as I do about once a week, and it came up with 07xxx but I closed it too fast expecting no change. So I ran it a few more times and got 08AAB as expected but then it popped up 02RBU. I then I ran it a few more times and up popped 08RBG. I downloaded both and respectively they are 4.4MB and then 4.8MB.

I contacted support, Sara V, they took over the computer. The end answer is since SWUpdate no longer offers BiosUpdate as an installable option, they had me deinstalled and reinstalled swupdate, this software is no longer supported and offered for installation.

So please be warned about using the utility if you still have it! We do not want a bunch of bricks out there.

Edit; I should note that SWUpdate does not list BiosUpdate as an install for any NP700G7C models so this may apply to all of them.

 

Thank you for this warning TANWare. I suppose this could apply to other older models as well. If you want to post a pointer in the BIOS Update thread, I think that would be great. Otherwise I'll do it when I get to a PC.

 

Hello people.
Noobie question: They were out of stock on sandisk 256 gb ssd. So i think i will buy a samsung 840 evo 240 gb. I wont have any problem installing right? I am asking this because sandisk one had "type: notebook" in its product info. Samsung doesnt. So it is still ok, right?

 

The Samsung SSD will be fine.

Some manufacturers offer their SSDs with kits such as (a) a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter to put the SSD into a desktop computer and (b) a USB enclosure to plug into a notebook and facilitate cloning the SSD. That might explain the different wording.

Note that if you get a Samsung SSD then you can download a cloning program from Samsung's SSD support site (anyone can download the software but it checks for the presence of a Samsung SSD).

John

 

I saw that there is a feature called rapid mode on 840 evo. It uses 1 gb of ram and cpu resource. My question will this have any impact on games? I mean would it lower fps because rapid consumes some cpu power?

 

Odd question, has anyone who has upgraded to a SSD and reformatted subsequently had issues installing steam? I've tried, in vain, for weeks (going backwards and forwards with steam). Can't even get the steam app installed let alone start installing the games!

 

Rapid Mode is a form of RAM disk that caches some of the SSD contents. How it affects gaming performance will depend on whether it (i) deprives the game of using some RAM (= bad); (ii) caches some material that the game needs to load so speeds access (= good); or (iii) deprives the game of some CPU resources (= bad if the CPU and not the GPU is the bottleneck to the gaming performance).

The only way you can know what happens is to try it out. After satisfying myself that Rapid Mode achieves impressive performance in some benchmarks but not others I uninstalled it and prefer to keep the RAM spare for other programs.

John

 

I have a 480gb SSD as the primary with the original 750GB as a data drive. All programs, including Steam, run off the SSD with no issues.

 

So i bought the 840 evo now i am trying to dismantle the hdd. I unscrewed the back cover but the hdds are locked in some sort of cage. Are these necessary? Its very hard to unscrew them!

 

At first they are a bit tuff as you have locktite on them. After first removal they get easier.

 

I removed one screw that says HDD1 and now there are 2 tiny screws i managed to unscrew one but i think i damaged the other one and i cant unscrew it. Why do they have to make it so tiny?

 

They should be Philips head #0.

 

Finally unscrewed...
Is the rubber case holding the hdd necessary? Should i cover the ssd with it? I am sorry for asking so many questions. Harder than i expected


Edit: alright, nvm. Its done. But of course i damaged that rubber case and metal protector. It doesnt feel secure when compared to the second hdd

 

Got steam working - had to install it to the old 500gb HDD then once installed and updated, copy & paste the whole directory over to the SSD! So far so good...

 

Done! At least! After hours of trying to install a fresh W8 and battling with countless errors and faults now its 2am and i can finally sleep in peace leaving the computer on with updates

 

Good to hear both of you are off and running.

 

I miss my Sammy it was.. . I still have it, I just wish it was 4lb.

 

Now windows doesnt download updates. It started happening after i installed modeshift. Now i knew game mode would disable windows update so i tweaked its setting, still nothing. Then i uninstalled modeshift, ran windows update ifixit, ran sfc scannow and i still cant update. Its like there is a mine on every step. I tried to make w8 accept my code previously....

 

Is there an error code being thrown?

 

Is there a way to not to stop touchpad working when i type something?

 

If it is the Elan pad (I think it is) then there are fixes in this thread that work for some people.

John

 

also I use a mouse. I have my touchpad disabled while using the mouse.

 

I use mouse too but i also use trackpad when necessary.

 

When you disconnect the mouse the track pad becomes the active pointing device.

 

The registry trick here seemed promising but sadly it failed too.

I can't use my Touchpad while typing - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community

So i will simply delete the driver i dont really use gestures so why do i need it anyway?

 

Hi all,
with Samsung SW Update (SWUpdate_ 2.2.0.7), after some minutes, in the event viewer of Windows 7 I have:
SWMAgent.exe crashed and the service stopped.
Can you check if it's only my problem? Thx.

 

I am seeing that too on NP700Z3A with Win8. I don't particularly mind it, though, since I prefer not to have the agent running anyway. I keep the sAgent task disabled in Task Scheduler for the same reason. SW Update seems to work just fine regardless.

 

While my installation is minimal I do not share your issue. it seems to run fine but also there is nothing upgrading.

 

I forgot to mention, on my system it didn't happen by itself after the update to the new version, but only after a Restart and waiting a while. I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't seen Pipppero's post and specifically looked for it.

 

I tried the same, a reboot and leaving it open for 5 minutes but all was fine. I should note with the minimal install I do not let SW Update Service run on this system through msconfig.

 

To me it's happen after 5 minutes by the boot.
Do you have 2.2.0.7 too?
I noticed that in the event viewer that crash happens only from the day I made the update to 2.2.0.7. In the previous days I did not see that event.
I also noticed that the service (and its folder) remains even if I uninistall SW UPDATE app.

 

I bought diablo 3 and its dlc however dvd drive didnt recognise both. Is it broken? i remember using it a few weeks ago

 

There is some discussion of this and other SW Update phenomena in the thread linked below:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...ls-software-without-consent-won-t-remove.html

Strangely, SW Update's background module exists both in the form of a service (SW Update Service) and a scheduled task (s Agent), depending on the version of SW Update. So even if you disable the sAgent scheduled task (as I always do), you may find a "SW Update Agent" task running in the background after login, if you have since updated to a version that includes the service.

And yes, my version of SW Update is also 2.2.0.7. I updated it in order to test this. I normally only use SW Update for its Find Model feature and rarely bother updating it.

It hasn't logged any crashes today, presumably because I have not restarted my computer (Win8 Shutdown merely hibernates the machine state).

 

To me, it logs the crashes at any reboot, always.
If I would avoid C:\ProgramData\Samsung\SW Update Service\SWMAgent.exe to launch it's service "SW Update Service" what I should do? It's not on my task scheduler utility (but there are many other Samsung tools there).