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

Hyperthreading doesn't actually help much most of the time, since 2 threads run in the same core, and if you are doing something CPU intensive then multithreading might even slow things down with poorly written programs who think they have access to true cores instead of virtual cores. And well made programs who actually have good multithreading coded into them ofcourse benefit more from a quad core than a dual core, no matter if it has hyperthreading or not.

The only real benefit of going for and dual core instead of a quad core is the slight improvement when it comes to power and heat, but I would rather have too much than too little cpu as I tend to do alot on my machines.

When it comes to RAM, it's a really bad argument to consider hibernation/resume because of two things. First, it's based on what you actually use, so if you only use 2Gb it doesn't matter if you have 6 or 8 installed. Secondly, with SSDs in various shapes showing up in many notebooks, transfer speed isn't as much of an issue anymore.

And lastly, I really rather have it spend a few more seconds waking up when I have used some of those last 2 Gb than not being able to run the programs I want at all. As stated, it only saves what you use...

All this being said, I got a i7 QM and 8Gb, and they were part of the reason that I got this machine, because I wanted to have more cpu power/memory than I needed so I don't have to buy a new notebook when I do need more.

 

Hi mikeu, i just experienced the same thing today, here in Italy, with the high end model.
Some weeks ago i had a look at this laptop in a big mediastore and the display appeared to me very bad, no saturation, washed, no lightness ( i tinkered a lot on it to change display settings). Also it was "flex" festival...particulary in the plastic over the slot-in....."butter" plastic, like soft rubber.

Today, same mediastore, i tested with the same pics i have in my pen drive...and...wow a completely different display, one of the best in all the mediastore. I had some summer mountain pics, and colors were very very good, i don't dare to use the word "amazing". Also, no flex. It flexed only if i made heavy pressure on chassis.

This is really strange and unbelievable in my opinion. Too much few time to change production on fly, so may be different pieces and quality for the samemodel ??

 

Mine will arrive tomorrow, this gets me excited as I'm hoping it's the panel with the good colors I will post the hardware ID of the screen when it arrives

 

IMO, the most plausible theory is that they have a QA problem with initial production. The screens are nominally the same, but there is way too much variance in the quality of them. So, some are great, some are so-so, and some suck.

Today, I went to the MS store at Lennox Square in Atlanta. (Most people who live in ATL are from somewhere else, so the city is 2/3 empty at holiday time. But it seemed like everybody who didn't leave town was at Lennox Square today.) The MS store had little cards on the display tables advertising the discount, so you didn't even need to ask to get the 25% off.

The Series 7 they had sitting out on a display table looked to me like it had a very washed out screen. After verifying their return policy (14 days), I bought one anyway. It felt like I was playing Screen Roulette. I'm just in town for a week, and figured I could go through 3 or 4 of them, trying to get one that had a good screen, but I got lucky the first time: the screen on the one I got is *great*. (It has the off-axis issue, but I knew about that already and don't really care.)

 

It has to do with the display settings in Easy Settings. The default is a bluish washed out colour tone. If you change to standard, the colours actually become very nice.

In fact, the default colour tone was changed in factory default condition. Note that I had three sets, and found the screen better in the last two sets. However, when I changed the colour tone to the same, all three seem to be similar quality.

 

Anyone know how to fix the youtube fullscreen problem? I tried switching it to html5, but it doesn't really help

 

Does anyone know if there is a way to have the computer connected to an outlet but have the battery not being charged?

 

If you still keep Easy Setting, choose Samsung Battery Life Extension, after battery being charged up to 80% then it won't being charged any more. You can keep the computer connected to outlet as long as you can.

 

that model with the core i5 doesnt seem like a deal...

i'd rather have the core i7
you can easily upgrade the 6gb model to 8gb ram for relatively cheap

if the 14 inch core i5 gpu got upgraded i'd be more excited
i wanted a smaller laptop than the 15.6 model(15inch chassis)

but since the gpu on the 14inch model isnt very good i had to compromise and get a larger laptop

 

its not recommended that you leave it plugged in...

-heat can cause overall battery life loss

yes the batteries do stop charging and you run power off the outlet only but i hear that the heat caused from it being plugged can slowly cause the battery to retain less charge

maybe if you want to keep it plugged in you should buy a "underfan" for the laptop

 

Got mine today and I'm loving it! The screen is very nice, I have no idea why people think it's so bad? Video looks crisp, sure the black levels aren't the best but I bet this can be tweaked somewhat - overall I am happy with it

Trackpad is also good - not 100% perfect, but the best windows trackpad I have ever used

Generally the machine is very quiet and the metal construction feels great - it may replace my macbook pro rather than just being my 'windows machine'

 

Hello,

I would like to ask a question to Chronos owners on the forum :
Is Media Player Classic (HC version) working correctly with stock drivers ?
On my computer it's OK with AVI files, but playing MKV is impossible : screen is black and video gets paused immediatly.
I tried different mode of GPU switching (including High performance) but it doesn't help. It looks like MPC-HC is having a problem with dynamic GPU switching.

So far I rely on VLC which works great, but I'd love to get MPC-HC as my default media player...
Help !

 

well, i have a different problem with MPC. i can get either AVI or MKV files running, but they're choppy. sometimes the image just stop and i can only hear the sound, but after the sound catches up, the image is playing again. this is the case with either Power Saving or High Performance in switchable graphics setting.
so far, i just watch my video collection using Windows Media Player (i know, meh).

hope you'll find a solution to your problem, though!

 

You should try to install the K-Lite Codec Pack.
Download K-Lite Codec Pack

 

Whats about the viewing angles and contras i read is the worst notebook in that price class. This is crazy, cus i like the design matte screen and ofc HD+ resolution and it is cheaper than the W520. I also read about the edge who slice whrist when You use that laptop. Thats strange cus the Samsung make displays for many brands in the pas many times their laptops was consider to the best screens in their class and now they make some... I dont want to say what...

 

The slicing wrist is the most exaggerated bull ever by haters and the screen while not being top of class is better than many other options

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

About the display you can compare it to for example T420 Lenovo?

 

Has anyone experienced same issue? My "fn" buttons stopped working. I installed new MS updates and after restart all buttons except volume have stopped working. The worst part is that i have dvd in dvd rom and I cant even eject that since the fn buttons dont work.

 

Didn't have that problem. You can eject the DVD by right clicking on the drive in the explorer and select the eject option.

 

OK, I've been watching at this Samsung for a long time. Since September. I live in Croatia. Want to order it from amazon.co.uk, so I don't get German or whatever layout. I saw it yesterday in Italy in shop (700Z4) and I love it. I want to get this NP700Z5A-S01UK model, but I'm wondering, if anyone can confirm something for me.

Does the one on sale on Amazon (850 GBP) come with backlight keyboard, expresscache? I can't seem to find that anywhere, and I've seen various reports on internet, would hate to get it to travel 2000km to only see that I have to return it as it's some "crippled" version?

Thanks!

 

I had a stupid filter on it in the settings, amusingly, the sharp one, and it made the screen so bad. Now that I've turned that off it's pretty decent. The viewing angles aren't the best but apart from that I would not say the screen was too bad.

The touch pad is a little annoying, sometimes it registers taps it shouldn't but I suspect that is me just getting used to it.

 

Any series 7 users experiencing some crooked keyboard keys? My F key in particular has about a 15 degree lean to it, really bothering me. Considering making the six hour round trip to the nearest MS store for an exchange. Also just noticed that the right edge of my screen is uniformly dim from top to bottom, very obvious when on windows without a vertical scroll.

 

Mine all have a slight look of not being perfectly centred.

 

Hit or miss. 3 sets, not one was perfectly fine. Actually on my first set, all were slightly tilted to the left, a comical sight indeed.

 

Yes but i would like to use shortcuts. This problem i believe occurred to those who re-installed the OS as did i when i upgraded to SSD.

 

you have to re-install easy settings. it handles all the Fn shortcuts.

 

Page 3 of this review specifically mentions the S01-UK model which the review shows has both the cache and the backlit keyboard.

John

 

I already fixed the issue. The problem is in Microsoft keyboard i was using. Infact its the intellitype program that causes fn buttons to stop working. U can find more info on this issue http://support-us.samsung.com/cyber...r.jsp?idx=121883&modelname=NP-NC10&modelcode=

 

How You can compare the screen and angle to the other laptop currently in the market, plz answer. I just found this one maybe it is crazy but im thinking to buy one instead Lenovo Thinkpad W520... If it have better screen and build quaility i will not even think about it a second, but in this situation... Im a architecture student. Not professionalist so i wonder i really need a quadro right now.

 

Hi everyone, been reading for a long time, just thought I would let everyone know that NCIX in Canada just got this laptop:

Samsung NP700Z5A-S03CA Intel Core i7 2675QM 8GB 750GB 15.6IN Radeon 6750M W7HP Notebook

Samsung NP700Z5A-S03CA Intel Core i7 2675QM 8GB 750GB 15.6IN Radeon 6750M W7HP Notebook - Samsung - NP700Z5A-S03CA

I am very tempted, but I am worried about the variability in screens. NCIX has a 15% restocking fee on returns, and I get the feeling they will not accept a screen side by side comparison as a reason to return it. I may wait until they have a demo model out. That price is tempting though..

Sorry if this has been posted already.

 

The wireless is shocking on this laptop. Downstairs I get 30mB/s, upstairs I get 2mB/s. Truely dire, what was the point in even putting a wireless card in it if you have to be next to the router!

Distance selling regulations in England mean that if you return within 7 days the seller cannot charge you restock fees and must accept the item back unless it's something like software, food etc. I would check out your selling regulations in canada if I was you.

 

I've seen that version before and I noted that it had no back-lit keyboard... I also live in canada and checked it out at a local Canada Computers myself and everything is great, except for the fact that it is not backlit. I was wondering if there will be a version with backlit -.-

 

Does everyone else have a terrible wifi range or is my laptop just buggered? I have the S01 UK model.

I take it the search function doesn't work on here? I searched:

wifi
wireless card
signal
chronos

All zero returns when I'm fairly certain all of those words should have multiple hits. I've even used the word wifi in my post.

 

Again some info for Canadian buyers:

I originally bought the Bestbuy.ca version for $1350...though they price matched NCIX ($1100). The best buy version has a backlit keyboard and 7200rpm drive as well express cache. The ncix version does not have either, but, the ncix version has the intel wireless card, the bestbuy has broadcom. The bestbuy model was np700z5a-so1ca, ncix is s03.

The screens on both look great, though the trackpad on the best buy one was defective i think, i sent it back. The main problem with the Canadian version is the FN bilingual keyboard...it is the worst thing ever. The left shift key and enter key are shorter than normal and make it very difficult to reach them. I remapped the / key beside the shift to be shift, and that helps, but it's still a pain.

I don't mind the non-backlit keyboard, it might actually be slightly better to type on.

I'm now having a hell of a time trying to get the radeon card to turn on when I'm running autocad... i installed the leshcat drivers and still nothing.

Hope this helps.

 

Oh, and Canada Computers has it on sale for $999...which Ncix price matched (best buy won't match this price).

 

Thought I would share my experiences with this laptop-

I got the SO1 UK Model from Amazon UK (£850). It comes with the VGA adaptor. Also the keyboard is backlit.

The viewing angles on the screen aren't very good, but for a single user, that's not really an issue for me.

I'm happy with the touch pad- big size, smooth enough feeling, 2 finger scrolling, physically clicks at bottom right and bottom left for the left and right click. No problems here.

It has an older wifi card (same one as my previous laptop), this works fine for me but I can imagine some would need the greater range.

Lightening fast compared to my old HP 6715b.

The VGA adaptor outputs 1920x1200 to my 24" screen fine.

Not too much bloatware to remove, took 1 hour max.

I've been playing skyrim on my external monitor and it looks stunning. The fps are hard to judge as they jump around +_10. Also when the game first starts its a bit slower (only a little) but after a few mins its fine.

1920x1200 with low setting gets 30-40 fps (using fraps) very playable.

1920x1200 with medium setting gets 20-30 fps, playable but would rather stick to low

1440x900 ultra gets ~24 fps. ~45fps when your in a dungeon/house ie not outside. playable.


Over all I'm happy with my purchase, It's a very nice looking laptop with a solid feel to it. It will be quiet enough for library/ lecture use only really getting loud when under load.

EDIT- just noticed price jumped back to £900 on amazon. still £850 at john lewis but out of stock (30 Dec).

 

Anyone should compare this display to the other in the market... Is the most dissapointed thing in this laptop :/. I really have to know... I will try to check it before purchase. If it is such a bad one i will buy w520 ;p.

 

Guys I dont now if I spend too much time behind the computer but I started to noticeing "flickering" especially on white backgrounds. It is actually very slight and when I look at display it is making the whole screen little bit blurry. Anyone experiencing the same?

 

Dont know its a screen problem or high res i read about that with the FHD displays. Maybe You spend too many time front of notebook with small letters etc... Thats why i prefer HD+ than FHD is less damage...

Or its maybe another feauture of the chronos display...

 

Change the frequency of the monitor. It's likely set to 60hz. Change it to 59hz and see if that makes a difference.

 

I've just ordered it from Amazon.co.uk yesterday, now it's the waiting period. BTW, I currently own MBP 15, early 2011 model, but since I use it for Windows only, I decided to get rid of it. It's not really a machine that works well in Windows under heavy load, 4GB ram, slower HDD, glossy screen was killing my eyes (when indoors, I use external monitor anyway). Let's see how these two compare

 

I'm looking forward to this version. Compusource may have the best deal, once they have them in stock: Samsung NP700Z5A-S09US - Np700z5a-s09us - Intel - Core I5 - 2450m - 2.45 Ghz - Ddr3 - Ram: 8 Gb - 500 Gb Np700z5as09us :

 

>>> Samsung NP700Z5A's screen isn't FHD but 1600*900,
so why are you saying that ?
Plus, flickering has nothing to do with screen resolution...

 

I know its HD+. Im mean strobe fekt is when your eyes are tired looking into small text...

 

I can't find the version with back-lit keyboard online at best buy. whoever said they saw it online, can they send me a link?

 

Seriously, is anyone else having problems with the wireless of this laptop? In the room next door to the router and I have 2 bars of signal. My mums cheap laptop has 5 bars. Is my wifi card broken or is it the same for everyone?

 

It's not the number of bars that matter, it's the connection speed. Mine is showing 2 bars, but connecting at 130Mbps. My old laptop used to show more bars but did not connect at that speed.

I'd imagine they changed the scale of the graphic, with newer machines capable of an overall higher connection speed.

If the wireless works and is not giving any delays, it cannot be broken.

 

Nope, I only get 30Mb/s download when in the room. Upstairs I get 1 bar and 2Mb/s download, which is pathetically slow. Download at about ~200kB/s.

I'm not even more than 15m away from this router and down to 2 bars and there isn't even really any walls in the way!

 

Wireless N has limited range.

 

It's true that the 5 GHz band drops off with distance faster than the 2.4 GHz band based on results posted in PC Magazine.

However, it is strange that when you have the Samsung Chronos laptop next to the wireless router and compare signal strength with another laptop with a 2X2 antenna configuration, the Chronos signal strength is at least a few bars lower. I had guests staying over the holidays and did comparisons with two Lenovo laptops and two Asus laptops. Unfortunately the Samsung had the worst signal strength. This is with the upgraded advanced N Intel 6230 wireless card.

The only explanation I can think of is that the wireless antenna configuration in the Samsung is flawed.