Samsung Series 7 Laptops - 15.0" and 15.6" Models (NP700Z4 & NP700Z5)

Here's to hoping - competition is always a good thing! I'd rather be spoiled for choice than have to settle. I've had issues with HP's build quality in the past, but we'll see what happens when this one gets released. What makes me nervous about the Samsung is that there's nowhere I can go and play with it (Best Buy Canada doesn't stock it yet) before buying it. I'm going to hold off until 2012 for this one, let them get their issues figured out and let the early adopters have two months of first impressions before I take the plunge.

 

Where did you get the dimensions from?

 

I was already waiting till December before buying a new laptop, so Hp bringing out their refresh of the envy line is nice. I'm highly sceptical of the 9 hours battery life being touted by HP.

I still need to know if you can remove the ODD in the series 7

 

The new 15" Envy also is different from the Samsung Series 7 in these ways:

-Envy has 500gb HD vs. S7 750gb HD
-Envy by default has a lower resolution screen (upgrading it will cost significantly more)
-I am assuming here, but battery life on the Envy probably will not match the S7.

I still think the S7 is a better deal with probably better build quality.

 

Dabs.com have just discontinued the top model (for the second time in 2 weeks)

 

I think the Envy could be a good machine. I really don't like how they rip off the MBP, and Beats Audio is generally horrible--they pump up the bass to make it sound premium or something but it's just branding garbage. (6 speakers, though, could be awesome.)

Also, the lack of a VGA port is a major problem for me. I'm hoping my machine actually comes with a dongle--not a huge fan of Samsung's solution either--but at least it's theoretically possible. The Envy only has HDMI. [Er, nevermind, it does come with a DisplayPort that I think you can use with an adapter.]

 

See my earlier posts. Think it's a "probably", but nobody has tried.

 

From a quick search, it appears that the LENOVO ThinkPad Edge E420s also uses the same model of ODD as the samsung.

 

The envy dimensions are from the Envy website and the Sammy specs are from the Samsung site. Let me go find the envy link. HP Envy15 | HP Envy . Anybody hear anything about the GPU yet?

 

I cannot find this notebook selling anywhere... :/

Maybe Samsung is scaling back? Or maybe they know Apple is going to sue them or something with regards to this notebook?

Anyway, think I am going to give up on this and get a Sony..

 

So I tested the battery performance today.
From 7-10am standby. From 10-11 presentation, so full brightness and full power (vga adapter working well...).
11-1pm automatic brightness. 30mins standby.
1:30-5pm low brightness.
During all time I was doing some programming work and wifi was on all the time.

So the battery lasted my whole working day

 

Just had my Samsung np700z5a-s04us15.6" model from Amazon for about 24 hours now. Used it continuously on battery for browsing, some video, mostly music with screen brightness at 40%. After 6 hours the battery was down to 20%.

Microsoft pushed out a Windows 7 update and the system updated over 40 files and froze up after rebooting. Quick call to Samsung support fixed the problem. No wait on hold, just got through right away to a knowledgeable agent.

The US laptop models do not come with the display port to VGA adapter. I need to do some presentations after Thanksgiving and Samsung does not have this product in stock. The agent informed me that this is not a proprietary port and the Dell display port to VGA adapter should work.

Ganxxta,do you know if the adapter is a mini- display port to VGA?Dell lists two models, one is mini - display port and the other only says display port.Thanks very much.

 

I got this one Samsung Chronos Series 7 VGA Dongle (AA-AV1N12B/US) - Accessories
waiting to be shipped... I was told that this port is Samsung specific and no 3rd party adapters are available. This i was told by Samsung support member.

 

Well i have been waiting for it soooo Long ... and today i saw it in store and it was quite good ... had alot of laptops in Past couple of years have seen alot of them but this one is really nice one ... i will be getting in 5 day as i already booked it 3 weeks ago ... screen is quite good for me and i disagree to people people who were saying screen is not good ....

 

Despite the colors, the screen is actually really really crisp!

 

Maybe the adapter is a mini-USB MHL to VGA... Someone with the S7 could see if a mini USB cable will fit to the connector? Or take a closer photo, allowing the view of the pin disposition...

EDIT: Maybe I've found it! Does this plug match with the VGA port on the S7? Compare pin number and disposition...

 

I've been told today by Dabs, and also by PC World, that the laptop has now been discontinued by Samsung. Is this true?

 

Thanks for the link. They say it will be weeks before the manufacturer delivers.What a bummer! I have a HDMI to VGA converter and will have to use that box in the interim for my presentation.

I just ordered 4 GB of DDR3 memory to upgrade my machine to a full 8 GB. Let's see if that improves performance.

I'm happy with the display, the battery life is great, the fast start is tremendous - the only issue I have so far is with the wireless. When I'm next to my router I get blazing fast speeds (130 Mbps) but when I move to other parts of the home 15 feet away from the router, the signal strength drops significantly. My 5 year old ASUS laptop can do dual band with greater reception over longer distances. What's with that? Such a shame that Samsung would compromise an excellent laptop with such small omissions.

 

wow hard to believe, I just checked with JR here in US and they said they still expecting new stock by next week. No indication that it's discontinued... that would make no sense to me...

 

Okay I have recome to my decision. Unless the Envy has an a graphics card that puts it in an entirely different class I will stick with this. The radiance, while nice, wont be very good in 7xx resolution, and with the upgraded processor and screen we are probably going to be looking at at least an extra 300 dollars over the S7 or so. Only time will tell, but hopefully this is available before xmas and after the E15 details come out. As for them discontinuing I see no reason why, unless they drop a new model with a better screen for sale immediately, then I'd be down.

 

The ENVY15 will use 7690M which is a rehashed 6770M.

 

Where did you hear this information? I think I'll stick with the Series 7 if this is true. Not that much better GPU and a worse processor.

 

HP Notebooks Line-up Sneak Peek: Folio Ultrabook and More - HardwareZone.com

Very expensive overpriced POS at US$1488 which probably does not include the IPS panel.

 

Same problem here, I've just receive mine a few hours ago. Everything on this laptop is superb with the exception of the wireless. In the same spot of the house my old 6715b HP (with an old broadcom 802.11) can do 300 kB/sec meanwhile the card in the samsung barely reaches 60 kB/sec. I wonder if it is a problem with the wifi card or the laptop's antennas. Should be possible replace the Samsung's Broadcom card by a Intel N-6230 to improve this issue??

 

While I probably wouldn't call it a POS that is too much for an i7, that GPU and maybe not even the 1080p screen and I think the samsung is still in my future. Also, the numpad and smaller frame are a plus. The GPU is better but doesn't seem that much. Still I will wait though cause idk how reliable that source is.

 

This is all guess work, but if we were to upgrade the Envy 15 to the full HD display and go from the default i5 to an i7, do you think the price would be around $1,700 instead of the quoted $1488? If so it seems like the S7 is a much better deal and bang for you buck. However the Envy with some discounts/coupons is tempting.

 

Yes with coupons I believe you could get the same specs + a radiance display, but the samsung still has a smaller chassis and larger battery. I personally will wait until the customize page for the Envy comes online then order within a few days probably. Unless someone else pulls a new laptop out, I was super set on the Sammy before I saw this.

 

Not sure if replacing the Broadcom with the Intel card will void the warranty.Another option is buying a USB wireless n adapter. The best I've seen out there is the Trendnet 450 Mbps model for about $59.
TRENDnet | Products | 450Mbps Wireless N Adapters | TEW-684UB

 

I'd like to preface this response with a thanks to those who've been posting info for the past month, it's been much appreciated (yes, I've been lurking around). Anywho, this same thing happened to me while watching 720p or 1080i videos on youtube after I started up the laptop the day I received it. I got this "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered" in the lower right taskbar after the screen would freeze and then the video part of firefox or chrome would turn green. Eventually I got the BSODs after pushing and forcing the error.

I did the same thing you did and then some - Uninstalled the drivers, then reinstalled, fiddled with switchable graphics, talked to samsung online, then did a full restore and tried again to no avail. So the laptop is being shipped for servicing. Sucks and frankly unacceptable for a new laptop, but hopefully the servicing will get to the bottom of it. I'll keep you guys updated.

 

For anyone who having chopping problems on the touch pad
My temp fix that in my opinion makes it little to no chops at all
Go to control Panel
Mouse
Then go to Elan
I set my touchpad to max sensitivity.

For me I barely see any chops at all. But it depends on you.

 

Had the same problem on my xps m1330. Reinstalling drivers and full restore didn't help. But when I had to replace my harddrive because it crashed, the problem disappeared... No idea why. So it's not a problem just on the S7

 

Right click the youtube vid and got o flash player settings. Turn off the Hardware Acceleration box and it might work (too bad you shipped it back already...)

I had this issue on my laptop back when justin.tv's streams weren't working well with my 4650M, and after doing the above fix it worked fine

 

Did you tried that replacement with that Intel Centrino you have? If this possibility works I'm strongly considering purchasing any of the 6300 or the 6200 cards to improve the wireless performance of the laptop.

 

After looking a bit more into it the Envy does seem a bit appealing. Maybe it's a good thing that the Sammy's are not available or scarce so I can take a better look at both before making a purchase.

 

It also doesn't have a number pad.

 

Its just me or the WLAN quality sucks!? Connection getting bad on not wide distance

 

Its not only you, happens same thing to me. I hope is just only a poor performance of the Broadcom chip installed in the laptop. Does anyone knows exactly which model of Broadcom 802.11n card is?

 

possible to upgrade?... i cant live with that poor connection... unbelievable

 

I suppose it would be possible using any of the 6xxx Intel Centrinos models, the problem is that I can't find any information regarding to the Whitelist of the Chronos S7. With this info we should be able to know which alternative chips/cards are directly supported or we need to modify the BIOS instead.

 

Would a new Router help? Or is it a send problem also?

 

I'm a UK customer and typing this on my shiny new S01UK laptop

I gave up on Dabs and PCW, and paid a bit more to get it from Shasonic.co.uk. Apparently they've got 15 in stock for lucky ppl who get in there quick:

Samsung Series 7 Chronos 700Z5A-S01 - Core i7 2675QM 2.2 GHz - 15.6" TFT / NP700Z5A-S01UK / Samsung / Laptops / Computers / Products / shasonic.co.uk | Laptops, Notebooks, Headphones, TV and more

Next day delivery for orders before noon. I was pleased with their customer service.

Mention my name in the order comments... they might give you a small discount!

John Percival

 

Quick question. I read on spec lists that the max RAM is 8GB on the S01 version. However, there were a few members discussing upgrading the RAM further than that. Is it possible to upgrade the non-soldered stick?

 

is it possible to install an ssd drive here? this is what's keeping me from buying.

 

Yes. It's SATA3...

 

My S04US notebook model came with the Broadcom BCM943225HMB single band wireless + Bluetooth 3.0

Here's the link to the specs:
Broadcom.com - BCM943225HMB - Single-Band 802.11n and Bluetooth 3.0 Half MiniCard Reference Design

 

Hi I am new to this forum, but have followed it for a really long time and I would like to share my opinions about the laptop. First about my purchase:

After reading the negatives about the screen I bought one to see it for myself (1 week return policy). It was the 2430 i5 model, 6gb, 6750, 750hd+express cache, backlit keyboard. I did not have high expectations about the screen so when I saw it I was quiet impressed by it. I agree I have seen better ones, but also a lot that are worse. I can live with it - especially considering the price I paid for it.

There are 2 problems that I experienced:

Screen:
- screen went off and on when watching videos on youtube in google chrome, or turned green etc. disabling the hardware acceleration did not work.
- I went to the shop and did a re install - the employee said it is a common problem that i usually solved by a re-install
- Same problems occured one day after it so I returned it and got a new one the day after.
- Since now (3 days) I have seen only one tiny issue (0.5sec flash of green in the video) but with no pop-up or warnings, so to be sure I disabled the hardware acceleration. No issues till now and hopefully also not in the future. I have to say this problem occurs quiet random.

Function keys:
- when adjusting brightness or sound volume, the response of the Fn+F( ) key combination is sometimes very slow, often you have to repeat clicking on the F key to adjust volume/brightness, or move your cursor and then try again. This problem was also on the first laptop.

In the beginning the two problems were really distracting me but now I am kind of used to it. Till now I have not seen the graphic/screen problem when watching youtube movies and as said earlier, for this price I could not find any other laptop that meets my needs. There are many other brands that are maybe better in performance but the overall package (especially build quality, design and express cache) were really decisive for me. Otherwise I would opt for a mb pro with matte screen and that would cost me some 700 euro's more. I still have some days left within the return policy in order to get a refund but chances are big that I will keep mine!

 

I don't think a new router would help as I have no problem with my old pc using wifi. I also hope its possible to upgrade the card to an intel one.

 

Regarding the flash issues..
There a new drivers on Samsungs Support page for america or you can try these drivers (work for me without a problem). Firefox 8 + newest flash.

If this all doesn't help try updating flash or use html5 (atleast for youtube )

 

Yes someone has already done that. They just swapped the 2gb to 4gb giving them 8gb. Normally any laptop ram is fine as long as it's DDR3 1333.

 

Thanks for the info. Let´s see if somebody gets the information regarding to the wireless cards compatible by default in the S7.