Samsung Series 7 Lovers - Here's The NP700Z5C Ivy Bridge!

Yeah, I noticed that price-drop too! I'm a little annoyed, as I picked it up last week at $1,100. Since I'm not thrilled with the responsiveness of the right trackpad "button", I'll give Amazon a call on Friday (on the road atm) and discuss sending mine back and buying a replacement at the lower price. My first impressions of the machine are very positive and I'd like to iron out that one issue.

I won't be surprised if someone posts the screenshots before me, but otherwise I'll do it as soon as I get home!

-Matt

 

I did ask for a refund and Amazon did it for me. You can do it as well, unless you need to replace it because of trackpad.

 

Uhoh, why did you return yours to Amazon?

-Matt

 

I just want to mention that I actually returned my first one from amazon for the right click issue, and the second one was the exact same way. Others have pointed this out as well, so I don't know if you are going to get anything different the second time around, it seems to be actually built that way...

Besides this I am loving the laptop so far!

 

Hi Matt,

Would you mind sharing the details of your clean install of Win 7 Pro? I would like to know if you had any issues with drivers and anything else. I just received my laptop the other day and I would like to make sure I have all the correct drivers before continuing the the clean install .

Thank you,
John

 

I did a clean install on mine when I received it and had no issues using the Canadian drivers for everything.

 

Yeah, I figure there's a strong chance the second will be the same. If I hadn't seen a "perfect" trackpad on an S01UB, I probably wouldn't pursue the issue. Plus there's also the $50 price drop -- Amazon no longer corrects after drops so it's another consideration.

John, it was pretty straighforward:

(1) Put in a blank DVD-RW, and first used the built-in backup program to make a copy of all the essential drivers and software.

(2) Put in a copy of Win 7 Pro, deleted the original Windows partition, and installed a new copy -- took about 30 minutes.

(3) After Win 7 install finished , I put in the Samsung disk I made in (1) and restored the drivers/programs one-by-one. Thankfully, it didn't ask for a restart until it was done.

Let me know if any details are missing!

-Matt

 

Where is this notebook fan exhaust? I cant see it in any picture i googled.
Hmm.

 

It's on the rear-facing edge of the keyboard, running with the base of the display. I saw a post yesterday on the 17" version of this thread, bitterly complaining about the design.

-Matt

 

So the heat all comes right up on the face of the display? That cant be too good.

 

I'm not sure about this - I have the laptop and while there is a line of vent holes at the top of the keyboard, there is also, on the bottom, a 3" x 1" square of vent holes as well, which would be more indicative of a fan. To me it seems like it's vented top and bottom, and the bottom vent is directly at the exhaust fan.

 

oh no, I did not return the laptop. I meant I got $50 price difference in refund after price drop on Amazon. (which they usually dont, but did in my case, so why dont you try first instead of going into the hassle of shipping back and forth )

 

I also got the $50 refund from Amazon - I purchased the computer about 3 weeks ago.

 

Strongly starting to consider this over Vizio, because Vizio seems to be unavailable and Samsung just has more performance. Vizio screen is really nice, but I can't buy it if it isn't in stock.

Boot times on this are nice, aren't they? The SSD helps with that, doesn't it, or just resume? (talking about cold start)

Edit: And the price drop, while small in the grand scheme of things, is definitely appreciated.

 

Thanks guys! I'll give Amazon a call ASAP and see what my options are.

-Matt

 

Tried to get refund on Amazon chat, they refused, I will call later and if that doesn't work out, I will return it and buy a new one.

 

Strange! maybe they considered mine because the price dropped the very same day they shipped my order.

 

Cant wireless issue be solved somehow? It looks like a great notebook otherwise.

 

Im getting in game artifacts in diablo 3, even on the lowest settings... AM I missing a driver. BTW, I have the bestbuy verrsion with the gtx630.

 

For the curious, here are GPU-Z screenshots of the integrated (HD 4000) and discrete graphics (640m) specs on the NP700Z5C-S01US. As expected, the 640m is a 28nm Kepler, and matches the description at:

NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

-Matt

 

Very nice Matt. Thanks for posting screenshots.

Please let me know if you have any Wifi, system failure, over heating issues etc with this laptop as people are reporting many issues with 17" one?

I have decided to buy this laptop but I would like to finalize my decision after your review.

Also, one more request, can you upload some video or close snapshots for this model? Thank you

 

I was considering this laptop along with the Sony S series. I was just curious about build quality/heat and battery life with this model. Are there any known issues or problems with this computer? Thanks!

I was looking at getting this one from amazon too.

Amazon.com: Samsung Series 7 NP700Z5C-S01US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Silver): Computers & Accessories

 

Same boat like your DRCOOL.

Waiting for MATT response. Hope he can help.

 

Unfortunately I only have a few days' use to comment on, but my experience so far is:

- Heat: after wiping and reinstalling Windows, the machine stays very cool during normal use (CPU = 45-48 C and HDD = 35 C). I'll install Steam this weekend, and run a few games (e.g., BF3) so I can comment on GPU temps under stress.

- Wifi: mine connects at 144Mbps, but actual throughput drops to about 8Mbps when I transfer files. The Asus notebook sitting right next to the Samsung maintains ~20Mbps on the same files. So clearly the Samsung could do better -- I'll play with the driver settings and see if it helps.

- Build: on my way home tonight, I stopped in at Micro Center and compared to another unit with the same trackpad -- again, the store unit had a completely flush pad surface, and identical resistance on the left and right sides of the pad. So I'm all but certain I'm sending mine back for a new unit -- if the new one has the same issue, *sigh* I'll keep it! Other than that, build quality is superb.

- Screen: I'm probably one of those not-too-picky-about-screens guys, so keep that in mind. Overall, I think the display is outstanding. It is true that you have to tilt the screen and your head just right to avoid "wash out" and it's true that blacks could be deeper and more intense, but there are some good options re: adjusting color profiles. Coming from a glossy 1366x768 display, it's a great step up for me.

If I get the chance, I'll try and take pictures and post a more extensive review this weekend. In the meantime, I'm very, very happy with the S01US and definitely recommend it. It's currently $1049 at Amazon -- I'd predict we'll see it under $1000 by Aug-Sep, but if you're OK with that, I think it's a fair price right now.

-Matt

 

Okay Great Matt

I am totally confused getting my new laptop.

Nothing is coming in my budget with portability.

I am looking for some slim, stylish, good screen/audio & for normal gaming & will to spend under $1400 for 15"

 

It's worth noting that my NP900X4C with Intel 6235 card has noticeably worse WiFi performance than my slightly older NP900X3B with the Intel 6230 WiFi even when only a few feet from the router. The antennae arrangement (under a plastic cover between the hinges) appears very similar on both so suspicion has to fall on the Intel 6235. I've fiddled with the driver settings without any obvious benefit.

John

 

Thanks John, you gave me an idea: I checked out Intel's latest driver, and it's a bit newer (i.e., 15.1.1.1 vs. Samsung's 15.0.0.75):

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Sea...oductProduct=Intel®+Centrino®+Advanced-N+6235

I downloaded and ran the driver-only install, and it silently updated (needed to check driver version to confirm). When I re-ran the file transfers I tried last night, link speed remained steady above 100Mbps and throughput improved to ~12-15Mbps (over ~8Mbps that I saw yesterday). Still not as good as the Asus (Atheros AR9285) but a step in the right direction.

-Matt

 

guys, i'm thinking over ASUS N56VZ-DS71 .. and got confused taking final decision. Hope someone can help.

here is my comparison over samsung:
Price Difference : $89

+ves:
FullHD (1920x1080) Matte Display
650M 2GB [but DDR3 vs DDR5 on samsung]
2 RAM Slots [also comes with 8GB installed]
1 extra USB
VGA port [no dongles!]
separate Microphone jack [i prefer that]
2YR Warranty
Blu-ray drive - not a huge plus but good to have

-ves:
"heavy" plus Samsung has better build quality[IMO]
HDD 5400 RPM
i7-3610QM [not sure how big of a difference is though]
6Cells Battery
Might have better network card[could not find exact specs]

 

Yeah, I've been debating on returning my Z5C and going for an Inspiron 17R SE instead. You seem to pay a lot for the compact form factor of the Samsung (as well as the 8-cell battery).

 

Just ordered the S04 on the Microsoft Store-- should have it up, running, and testing out Steam Games by the end of next week! I'll be curious to see what the performance of this version is compared to the S01 that most people have tested here since Microsoft Signature gives you a clean Windows install from the get-go.

 

GT650M DDR3 performs the same as 640M DDR5 at high resolutions.

6GB is more than enough for almost anything. 2GB rarely makes the difference between usable and unusable when you already have 6gb. IMO

6cell vs 8 cell is less important, the important thing is samsung gives you 9 hours total battery, that Asus gives around 3-4 hours MAYBE of useful work.

 

What are your CPU temps while gaming? After playing Diablo 3 for about an hour, I noticed by CPU temps are in the 90's. Seems a bit high, as the GPU never doesn't go any higher than 70 C.

The back of the laptop seems to get a bit hot and difficult to keep on the lap.

Then again, I think my ambient house temperature is around 28 C, which is believe is a bit higher than average room temperature.

 

Just did a bit of gaming today (BFBC2 and Skyrim, med/hi settings) but similar stats for both: around 80C for the GPU and high 70s for the CPU. Not sure it helped, but I capped CPU at 90%. Definitely too hot to keep on the lap!

-Matt

 

Hi Matt,

Thanks for it.

I have a very nice gaming desktop. I think, I cannot get any better laptop with these specs & style. I will purchase this on Monday & lets see.

 

will there be a 1080 p screen released for this soon?

 

99% certain that there will not be, not for the 15inch at least. Samsung keeps all of it's models consistent screen wise, so you're stuck with 1600x900 here. If you bump up to the 17inch model, however, you get 1080p.

 

Hey gadgetrants sorry I'm late to this but I just saw your GPU-Z screenshots of the 640m and I'm wondering something. I was under the impression that Kepler didn't use the shader hot clock, yet GPU-Z is reporting a 405mHz gpu clock and then an 810mHz shader clock. I'm wondering why that is.

Also, if the clock is indeed 810mHz on this 640m, then it nearly is approaching GT 650m performance at that point. NotebookCheck lists the clocks of the 650m as 735mHz to 850mHz, and I doubt that 40mHz is more than 2 frames difference. Also it should be much faster than a DDR3 650M. Other than clocks the GDDR5 650M and GDDR5 640M are the same thing....

(I'm excited for this thing's performance)

 

Does anybody know the return policy on Amazon/Samsung? I would strongly consider going to Amazon, buying the SS7 now, and trying it out. If I can get what I want and love it, I'll keep it, otherwise the Vizio comes out in a few weeks and I could get that, as it seems perfect to me.

 

It´s a bug of gpu-z
you need to put it on monitoring and see what the clocks are
maybe someone could do it?

 

Here's a shot of the GPU-Z Sensor tab after a few minutes of gameplay (BFBC2). Video quality was "medium" at 1600x900. Framerate was around 50fps (see Afterburner screenshot). Let me know if there's anything else I can provide!

EDIT: I've also reposted the specs tab for comparison -- I noted that the PhysX box wasn't checked until after I started playing Steam games, fwiw.

EDIT: I was curious if maybe I had inadvertently sped up the clocks on the 640m (with MSI Afterburner) so I ran the game again for a bit. Seems to be reporting the same data as GPU-Z, and everything was left stock.

-Matt

 

Please keep us posted! I think you're making a great choice.

My reading of Amazon's return policy is "defects/damage only" -- if only they had a 21-day no-questions-asked like Dell or HP. Of course, if you end up getting one that runs "unusually hot" or with a "defective trackpad" I don't see why they wouldn't refund it, say, 12-14 days later.

EDIT: Well...that's one big fat HMMMMMMMMM for me. I took a closer look at Amazon's return policy:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_rel_topic?ie=UTF8&nodeId=901908

And it sure looks like it's 30 days, no questions asked. The product page for the NP700Z5C-S01US made it seem like "defect/damage only" but my second reading suggests the worst that happens if it's returned in perfect shape is you pay return shipping -- no restocking fee under 30 days. I REALLY think that needs to be confirmed by a CSR, though.

I also poked around Best Buy's website but didn't find a definitive answer. I think they are also offering some kind of 30-day no-questions policy (I remember seeing tags and labels in store, but tbh I didn't pay attention).

http://www.tuaw.com/2012/02/27/best-buy-to-simplify-return-policy-30-days-all-products-inclu/

Also worth a call if you're thinking of purchasing there.

-Matt

 

This laptop price is really hard to beat with all that you get.I really wish that it had JBL speakers like the 17.3 version has but oh well.I plan on ordering this laptop Tuesday from bestbuy.Gonna feel real good upgrading from my HP Pavilion 445DX(Got it in october 2009).

 

I don't think I mentioned: last week when I was looking at the 17" S01US and the 15" S01UB at Best Buy, I tried to compare the screens side by side. OK given I have an "everyday" eye, but they were very, very comparable to me. Based on all the ooo's and aaah's I've heard about the 17", I expected the S01UB to be noticeably worse. It wasn't. They were equally bright, equally clear. I flipped through several of the stock desktop backgrounds -- made sure to use the same display settings -- but they looked the same to me. Now maybe that's because the S01UB has an updated panel (it had a different hardware ID from the 17" S01US), but that's what I saw!

You know the Best Buy 15" (S01UB) has a few differences (e.g., lower graphics card) from the Amazon 15" (S01US), right?

-Matt

 

Guys, forgive me for choking the thread today but I just got off the phone with Amazon and wanted to share while it's fresh in my head!

- Told the CSR that I had a defective trackpad (sunken right side and difficulty clicking) and they authorized a return.

- Not sure why, but the CSR recommended UPS pickup instead of dropoff. Either way it goes out late Monday.

- Since I used gift-card points to purchase, I now need to wait for refund to buy the replacement. ARGH!

- The CSR locked in the $1,050 price (original purchase price was $1,100), in case it goes up in the next week or two. Of course, it might also go down. (Can you say "back to school"?)

I was hoping to take some more photos and start a new thread with early-use impressions, but I think instead I'll work on wiping and restoring the machine to stock (probably do it a few times!). If anyone is interested next week, I can still start a thread when I get the replacement (*fingers crossed*).

For those who are already on their second and found the trackpad to be the same as the first: I'm sorry if I seemed to disregard your experience and advice -- in fact I'd give myself a 50-50 chance that the second will be different. The problem for me is that I've now seen two other units in-store that were absolutely perfect -- the right click was as smooth and easy as the left (with no sunken area or dip). So it seems worth a shot.

Otherwise it's a beauty and a beast.

-Matt

 

Hey thanks for posting those screenshots earlier. So I can assume that the 640m runs at around 700mHz then? That's fine with me. Also if you started a thread with a review of some sort that'd be great since I haven't found any reviews on the Ivy Bridge updated model. Also, I'm wondering how battery life compares to the older one which was still awesome.

 

Yeah, I went back to the specsheet on notebookcheck.net and noticed that it's supposed to be clocked at 625MHz. Interesting -- should we assume then that Samsung tuned it a bit higher? There's no sign of an option in the BIOS.

I also tinkered a bit more with Afterburner, and noticed a few things. First, for some reason "Driver Version" is unlisted -- possibly because Samsung tweaked it, I guess. Second, a related issue is that only "Core Clock" and "Memory Clock" show up as tunable -- 405-530 MHz for the first (which is very narrow) and 1000-2600 MHz for the second (which is really wide). When I watch those properties in GPU-Z, the core speed varies much more and the memory speed usually less. So it's probably not the right app for someone interested in overclocking (though with GPU temps already in the 80s I wouldn't go there).

( A nice feature I didn't find anywhere else: if you click on the "i" for system information in Afterburner, one of the things it provides is "Active 3D process", which lists any programs using the 640m. Seems to provide more info than Optimus' system tray utility.)

-Matt

 

Wow cool thanks that actually made me feel better buying the 15inch model.Im coming from 1366 x 768 so 1600 x 900 should be a way better improvement.Also yeah matt I know but im not really a PC gamer so lower graphic card doesnt bother me.

 

Ok I'm pulling the trigger tonight on the SS7 from Amazon... last notes I guess: were there any issues with the series 7 that I should be aware of?

I know of the relatively poor screen.

Potentially worried about:

Driver problems
Keyboard/Trackpad fail
Heat/Noise

Are any of these a problem?

Edit: As I've never done a clean install of windows, how do I go about doing this? (Last comp i had i was really young) and are there any dangers associated with doing it to the samsung? I think some people were saying that drivers didn't work properly?

And there's a subwoofer on this model? Sound improved from old version?

 

OK, let me give it a shot:

- Driver problems: none that I know of

- Keyboard: superb, really love the backlight and the travel/feel of the keys

- Noise: fan turns on during gaming, noticeable but not bothersome; otherwise dead quiet with light use

- Heat: with light use, the coolest palmrest I've ever seen, CPU idles at 40C; with heavy gaming, it gets hot (GPU=80, CPU=90) but no more than I'm seeing on other comparable threads; either way, keyboard/trackpad are still cool

- Subwoofer: not sure, there's an open grating on the bottom (and I can hear sound) but it might be air intake; it does bear a resemblance to the subwoofer grill on the 17" model though

- OS install: total piece of cake -- the catch though is you need a Win 7 installation disk; before installing, you can use the Samsung backup program to create a driver disk (it will copy all the latest drivers off the laptop), then it takes 30 minutes to install Windows and another 15 to pop in the driver disk and reinstall! We can walk you through it if you have any questions.

-Matt

 

What about windows 8? I have the release preview and would be using that. I'm fairly tech-savvy, I've just never bothered doing a completely fresh install before. Creating that driver disk seems to be the most important thing though?

Any throttling issues? Thank you so much!