Samsung Series 7 Laptops - 14" Model (NP700Z3)

I also almost bought the asus u46sv, it lacks the sleek look of the sammy. Also the sound is just so bad, and that's an understatement. It's slightly heavier when you pick it up and the protrusion at the back due to the battery is a bit annoying. Another thing is the screen doesn't go back a lot.

 

But do you like it?

 

Hello all,
Does anybody know if the 14" will ever become available in the UK? Or am I doomed to costly shipping and import charges from the US? I'm quite sure that this is exactly the laptop I'm looking for (providing the openGL/switchable graphics issues get fixed and the screen isn't too bad).

 

I liked it at first until i saw it in person, although the silver version looks better. I heard about the series 7 and put off buying the asus due to it's low res screen and it being very glossy. Battery life of the laptop is really good though.

If you live in the UK, i think comet still have them on display.

 

Hi all,

does anybody have problems with their battery, mine last 3 hrs from 80%. Just want to know if this is normal. The laptop is 1tb model. I tried battery calibration but no luck with that. Hope someone will help me out. BTW i am also live in UK. sure it will come.

brother0scud

 

It should be a microHDMI port based on tigerdirect's photos.

Also, do you mean Dual Display as in 2 External displays, or 3 (2 External plus laptop display)? Dual Displays works in any combination (HDMI and microHDMI, HDMI plus laptop, microHDMI plus laptop), but all 3 does not work, or at least the drivers won't let you, perhaps there would be a third party app, or is it limited to the actual graphics card?

I actually used a VGA cable and dongle for the 2nd monitor, but I guess there are HDMI to microHDMI cables out there that you would use?

 

Just checked on the site but no joy! I don't get it, are these notebooks just coming or going? I get the impression they're quite new judging from the specs but they (well the 14") are so difficult to find. Also, the 14" doesn't appear on the the UK Samsung website, only on the US... I think that's my answer. Anyone living in the UK with a 14" (hold yourselves) where did you get it from?

 

I was talking about the asus u46sv not the series 7

 

In the US, it was just released in December for the 14". I think the 15" a little before that. So it's pretty new.

 

Use Task Manager to check the CPU utilisation. It should be less than 1 or 2% under light usage conditions which is when you can expect to get a lot more time from the battery. HWiNFO32 will show the battery drain power (you should be looking for less than 10W, preferably more like 7W).

Anything plugged into the USB 3 ports will increase the power consumption as will having Bluetooth enabled or any animated Flash running in the web browser.

John

 

Yes I mean 2 external displays and put the lid on the notebook down. Wanted both of these 24" @ 1920x1200 or at least 22" @ 1920x1080.

I found some close ups of the second display port, not displayport, on the 15.6" version and it looked like Mini-HDMI to me, and Tiger lists it as Micro-HDMI on this one, but either way hopefully that would be a clean setup if I could get one external on HDMI and the other on the Mini/Micro HDMI with an adapter cable to full size HDMI.

I'm just not sure what resolution the computer could put out to 2 external displays.

 

This is the original Samsung dongle. It does not seem to be an HDMI-Connector as it has only 12 Pins whereas HDMI uses 19 Pins.

Samsung AA-AV1N12B/US VGA DONGLE FOR CHRONOS SERIES 7IN - BLT Catalog

 

Double confirm that the connector is NOT a HDMI micro type.

 

So, to clarify (since this is an ongoing question I've had): The only way to get a VGA connection with the series 7 is with the branded Samsung dongle? I've got a couple situations (e.g. presentations) where I may not have access to HDMI (or DVI with an adapter).

 

Ok I'm not sure what has been confirmed here or not, just that Tiger Direct says Micro-HDMI but it definitely does NOT look like a MicroHDMI port.

From this picture, it looks exactly like a Mini-HDMI port to me:


The link to the dongle above doesn't mention what type it is, but then there is also this dongle available for "micro-HDMI" which might not be correct:

Micro HDMI to VGA Adapter 1920X1080
Manufacturer Part Number: AA-AH1NAMB/US
PROVANTAGE: Samsung AA-AH1NAMB/US Micro HDMI to VGA Adapter 1920X1080

 

Looks like another model variation is coming out, an S06 is now available for pre-order on J&R (also note, s01 doesn't appear to be available on J&R any more)

S01
intel i5 2430 2.4ghz
3mb cache
6gb ddr RAM
750gb hd

S05 -- $1149 from J&R
intel i5-2430 2.4ghz
2mb cache
6gb ddr ram
1tb hd

S06 -- $1149 from J&R preorder
intel i5-2450 2.45ghz
3mb cache
8gb ddr ram
1tb hd

Edit: Just want to comment that I think it is unfortunate that they're moving the pricepoint up it seems.

 

Definitely not a HDMI type D port (HDMI Micro) because the port only has 12 pins, not the 19 pins required.

 

Purchase a HDMI to VGA adapter?

 

I really can't order this machine if it's not going to be able to handle two digital external displays, especially from Tiger Direct.

I'm not sure what else to do besides buy a desktop that can function properly.

 

OWNERS: I just pulled off the RAM cover today, and noticed that a big fat instruction sticker was sitting on top of the RAM, blocking the entire vent of the RAM cover. I'm not sure if it blocks enough heat when under high processing to affect anything, but I did blue screen once and wasn't sure if this was the problem. No idea why they would do this, but it's out now.

 

I just saw this 14" Series 7 at Comp USA/Tiger Direct store...it's ok, it actually feels pretty cheap compared to the Ideapad u400 next to it. The bottom is all plastic and has a ton of screws, the keyboard was ok but not as solid as the Lenovo.

Ideapad u400 was much nicer and $250 cheaper, but the glossy 1366x768 killed it for me.

 

It doesn't matter.

 

Get the u400 if you prefer it

 

That u400 looks great, but you might wanna read a few reviews first.

 

I don't, I just said it was built much better

I wouldn't consider it, low res glossy display, wasted space not used for keyboard, not backlit keyboard.

Other than that, it makes the Samsung feel like Kim Jong Il assembled it.

 

I was under the impression that the mystery port is mini-VGA based on the 15" thread here.

 

Mini-VGA doesn't look like that.

 

Right, so is it mini-HDMI not micro-HDMI or is it proprietary

Can the computer output to two external displays via HDMI and also this port? I need 1920x1200 so using VGA doesn't work.

If this isn't a port that can connect mini-HDMI to DVI cable, then I need to use a USB display adapter for DVI

 

It is not HDMI mini or micro. The number of pins don't match.

 

So it's proprietary and only accommodates VGA?

 

If the search function on threads worked... I could find the post that says it's some type of Sammy VGA interface.

 

Is this notebook really quiet?
I'd like to hear more than one opinion about it.

And, how about the "strange" position of the Ventilation Grid. I'm scared about the display to be damaged by the hot air exhausted...

 

Yes it is quiet (and I love it compare to my HP DV6315...)

 

This is what i needed!

I come from a dv6723 (with nvida fautly chip) and the fan really bothers me!

I think that the silence-mode of Samsung Chronos 7 is a good thing.
I was doubting because if Samsung has decided to provide a silent mode, then maybe it means that this notebook is usually noisy. I'm glad to hear that it is not.

Could you please tell me something about the ventilation grid that is placed "in the hinge"? May it generate some problems in your opinion?

Thanks again!

 

The screen (and speakers) become hot, even when web browsing. Maybe because I'm using Chrome.

 

Is is VERY quiet in NON-silent mode. As far as I know based on what I have read, Silent mode locks the CPU to minimum speed and slows the fan to its lowest setting (or possibly disables it, unable to confirm). Normal mode allows the CPU fan to run and increase speed as needed but the fan is very quiet anyway. In fact, I have not even noticed hearing it before. I suspect if you started gaming with the GPU, you would hear it at its highest speed but during normal use I have not even heard the fan before.

If you have it in silent mode and have it laying on a pillow or bed spread while doing heavy use you may get some increased warmth since the main fan is not moving as much air. I suspect this mode will override and the fan will kick on if a certain internal CPU temp is reached.

 

I would say warm, not hot. I had the HP Envy 17 before, and that was hot.

As for the speakers, I enjoy the clarity and volume very much. Even at maximum volume, there is no distortion. I think it sounds better than the "Beats Audio" in the Envy (which I think is a marketing gimmick anyways), although it lacks a subwoofer, which are mostly only in larger laptops anyways. As expected, there is hardly any bass.

 

To all Series 7 Notebooks Owners

New: A poll has been added for you to indicate your interest for the OpenGL fix. Please do vote as the page has been posted to Samsung's Facebook page.

How to vote:

You may select one or both options.

Select option 1 if you want Samsung to fix.

Select option 2 if you feel you may wish to return the laptop if no solution is implemented.

Select both if you want Samsung to fix AND feel that you may consider returning the laptop if no solution is implemented.

Samsung Series 7 Chronos All Models (NP700Z3, NP700Z4, NP700Z5): Push for SAMSUNG to implement "FIXED MODE" in BIOS
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...a-push-samsung-implement-fixed-mode-bios.html

 

OK, so, I'm really confused.

I'm a game developer. If my OpenGL renderer weren't working, that would be a pretty big deal for me.

But... I haven't run into any problems with it, yet. I can run the Ogre3D demos, for example, and I'm actually getting better FPS in OpenGL than I am in DirectX.

What behavior should I expect to see when I try to run something using an OpenGL renderer? Can you suggest a good test case, to demonstrate the problem?

 

Try running Furmark, which uses OpenGL to render the furry ring. It renders at an exceptionally low FPS.

Depending on the game/app, it may crash, throw an error, not render as intended, or just run slowly.

 

Samsung official word is that there is no plans to release it over here.

You could get it from Germany, but I've also been waiting and luckily have a friend coming from the states...

Honestly though, Samsung are pretty crazy to not bring this beauty out here.

 

I saw this model "in the flesh" for the first time yesterday (retailer SIBA, Sweden). I was impressed by the feel of the build quality, the nonexistent bezel and it look really small compared to photos.

Really tempted right now!

Edit: I will never buy a wide-bezel-laptop ever again after seeing that it's possible to remove so much of it

 

Maybe Samsung UK are waiting until the GPU issues have been fixed. I agree that it's lunacy not to be planning to offer this model in the UK. For some reason, a lot of people seem to think there is 13" for portability and 15" for more functionality, without realising that 14" gives both (when it's get a 900 pixel high screen). Notebook.de ship to most of Europe. However, I see that they don't offer a UK keyboard option, perhaps because the new keyboards are no longer a 5 minute job to swap them.

John

 

Is it difficult to open up this laptop and switch the harddrive to a new one? I noticed that the door on the back is for the ram.

 

there is a disassembly guide for the 15" version in another thread.

its doable, but I wouldn't call it easy

 

Does the 700Z3A-S03 version have a 1tb 7200rpm drive? I live in Sweden and it's listed as a 7200rpm in the stores however I'm suspicious that the information is incorrect and it might be a 5400rpm drive.

 

This comment just made me LMAO

 

I bought a NP700Z3A-S03SE (Chronos 7 14") and returned it at once because of the bad WiFi signal. I took out a new one and this one have the same issue. My old laptop always has perfect signal but this one shows "bad". Also i tried putting 2 laptops right next to this one and they got 20 Mb down speed in speedtest while i only got 1 mb. And this time we put the laptops right next to the router so they all had perfect signal.

Anyone know what thee problem can be? Any solutions avaiable? Do I need to change the network card? i got Broadcom atm

 

Broadcom wifi cards are crap. You can swap it will Intel 6230.
It should improve your speed, but it varies.

 

My findings regarding wifi:

My wifi works flawlessly with some networks, and not others. At my BF's place, he has two wireless networks, and it works GREAT on one of his networks, and HORRIFICALLY on the other. We're STILL trying to figure out what the significant distinction between the two networks is.

You guys will be the first to know, if I can determine the network difference.

Out of curiosity, what router are you using?

The network I'm having problems with is using a pair of Apple Airports. The one that's working is a bog-standard Linksys.

My BF used to have the two Airports overlapping in roaming mode. He said it was configured slightly incorrectly, and he made a recent change that should have fixed it. I will let you know if that seems to have straightened out my problem. (It's possible that this machine was particularly sensitive to the thrashing that the misconfiguration was causing. It may be a canary in a coalmine.)