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

Hi guys,

I've been using this forum and especially this thread throughout my journey to getting a new laptop.

I finally went for the Samsung Chronos 7 NP700z7C-S01UK, and for the past few days I've been setting it up.

It has not been easy! I'd say even a nightmare. I swapped out the HDD for a Samsung 830 SSD after a bit of work (getting the back off was stressful!).

Then I did a clean install of Windows onto the SSD and this is where the pain began... I firstly tried to install Easy Software Manager, to no avail, so I manually installed all the drivers, and I hit a problem - I installed too many at once, and the Touchpad driver messed up.

I had a problem where I would shut down the system, boot it up and immediately the install window would come back up for the touchpad driver installation. I thought this was just a problem with this single driver installation. So I reinstalled Windows, and somehow managed to get Easy Software Manager to work (now called Software Update), and went through and installed all the drivers.

It's taken a very very long time to get it to this stage. But I've yet again hit another problem. I was going through installing all my software, and came to install Libre Office but it comes up with an error saying that two services are stopping it from installing, they are:

Intel Dynamic Application Loader Host Interface Service
Intel Management and Security Application User Notification Service

I'm certain these are connected to the issue of programs automatically starting up during system start-up.

The fact that I've also installed Steam and Spotify and changed both programs to specifically NOT start-up during system start-up, yet that they still do.


Hopefully someone with this same issue can help me out. And apologies if someone has already posted about this issue - I have read the majority of this 150 page thread, and several others but might have missed something!

Really looking forward to getting this system working properly. It's taken over my life!

Many thanks in advance,
Dan

 

If you run the Sensor Status utility and double-click on any of the sensors, a graph pops up which tracks temps (or whatever) in real time. However, note that on the Sensory Display Config screen, there's an option, "Log all Values for Report" which will store all the sensor values for as long as the app runs -- which means that memory slowly creeps up.

-Matt

 

So I've extensively tried boot logging everything that's going on through msconfig. I've also tried multiple times to go through the start-up process looking at task manager to see what processes are loaded and when...

The problem seems to be about 15-20 seconds after all the main Windows processes have loaded, then the backlight flashes and everything else is loaded - despite putting the options through individual programs to not load the program on startup.

I can't believe I'm still no further forward, hour after wasted hour, it's seriously frustrating. Any clues anyone?

 

Thanks for the kind words. It seems I'm being punished for having lurked for so long without posting. There must be a minimum post count to contribute to the NBR Marketplace.

 

Ah bummer, I didn't know about that one. Sorry. There's always Craigslist/Ebay in that case, or of course you can always start browsing threads of interest and contribute enough to make your own Marketplace post

 

Hello, sorry if this has already been mentioned but I couldn't find anything through the search box.
I have a 700Z5C and I'm a little disappointed considering the specs of this laptop.

The first issue is that lately it has been booting very slowly. Sometimes it shows the Samsung logo for like 2 minutes. Has anyone experienced something like this? Do you have any suggestions on what I should do? At the moment I have the original Windows 7 install and I created a new partition where I installed Ubuntu 12.04. Could this be the reason? I'm not very confident of this being the reason because I have had this partition since July and this only started like a month ago.


The second issue is that the laptop freezes a lot. It happens more frequently right after booting the laptop but it's pretty infuriating to wait like 30 seconds for the system to respond. I haven't manage to understand what the task manager says when this thing happens but I'll try to look into that.


The final issue is more like a request. Can you guys tell me what do you use in order to keep the laptop updated? At the moment I only have Easy Settings and SW update installed.

Thanks for your time

 

Yes. There is a minimum post count because the Marketplace is considered to be a benefit for active members.

1. Slow boot might be caused by searching for a network device which eventually times out. It could also be some nasty searching for its server. Do a full scan and also run spybot S&D. Soluto may reveal what it taking the time during the boot process.
2. SW Update should keep you updated but seems like work in progress.

John

 

Hey

I've noticed you are having issues with the P03AAG BIOS update and that its slowing down your CPU rather than leaving it stuck in turbo mode like other people.

I'm having similar issues with my Chronos 700Z3C-S01UK. After using the SW update software for windows 8 compatibility (which ran the BIOS update), no matter what I change in the Windows 8 power plan settings, or disable power-save mode in the BIOS, the laptop will consistently stay at 1.15GHz, as if its being throttled.

Have you had any luck with this since the post last week?

Thanks in advance!

 

Hi, well my Samsung ( or Sammy that is how i call it ) is a mystery machine and now is working absolutely fine. After few re-installation of OS ( i was on win 8 too ) i stripped it down and re-paste CPU and GPU, put everything together and just from pure curiosity i have installed the Intel Rapid Storage and everything comes back as normal. My WEI still now showing CPU 7.5, gpu 7.0 and HDD 5.9. The laptop was a 2nd hand, so maybe the previous owner tried some things on the laptop.. now i have ordered Phobya Thermal Pad XT 7W/mk 1mm wich i would like to apply on CPU and GPU instead of Artic Silver 5 because the gap between CPU and GPU is about .5 mm, so i think my problem was just the heat and lot of coincidences, but for now,everything seems ok.

 

P03AAG BIOS is perfectly fine over here, make sure you disabled CPU Power Saving in the BIOS, and make sure your Windows Power Options profile is properly configured (I would delete all of them and make your own, that way you won't get updates resetting your options to stupid values like min 100% max 100% or min 5% max 5%)

Also remember that Turbo is based both on your load and your temperatures, if you're doing nothing (CPU load far below 12.5% usage / 100% of a thread) your CPU may not ramp up to base clock speed. e.g. staring at the Task Manager or just moving the mouse / typing into this post, I might be getting ~1.30 GHz, but if I start doing something like encoding 20 minutes of lossless music into AAC, it'll ramp up to 3.06~3.11 GHz. (and once it's done, it'll fall right back down to 1.27 ~ 1.5 GHz)

 

Can I bump this up a bit, it would be nice to have a safety net!

 

When I meant slow boot I was talking about being stuck on the first samsung logo, before the boot options appear. Thanks for the suggestions though. I ran Spybot but nothing was found. Soluto shows lots of things but I haven't found anything suspicious.

 

Make sure that the Fast BIOS Mode is enabled on the Advanced page in the BIOS. (You can also enable it on the Boot page in Easy Settings).

John

 

In a market for laptop.. Im interested in this Samsung.. and a Mac..

Samsung Series 7 vs Mac Book Pro Retina?

- Both have i7
- Both 8GB
- Both around same size/weight
- Both 15"
- Both nvidia geforce newer cards.

Differences I see.
- 1TB vs SSD
- Samsung screen vs Retina Screen
- Price. (double pretty much 999 vs 2199)

Without reading all 152 pages... If I get the samsung I plan to wipe Windows 8 ( hate it) and load Windows 7. If I get the Mac I plan to bootcamp Windows 7 as well.

Suggestions? Issues with WIndows 7/SSD replacement on Samsung? Wifi samsung problems? (looks like theres headaches)Thanks in advance!

 

Anyone playing LoL having FPS problem?
looks like my chronos is having a problem with video switching. could be drivers, just wanted to see if anyone else had this issue.

edit. fixed by disabling auto brightness in windows general setting.

 

Hey guys, I bought a Series 7 (NP700Z5C-S01US) a few weeks ago, today I got around to updating the bios to the P03A Bios tonight. Now I seem to have a problem, my laptop idles between 20-35% CPU usage at all times. It has never done this before, normally it would idle between 2-5% usage. I haven't installed anything other then the bios, and I've went through every power setting and every bios setting I can find and can't figure out what the hell is going on with it. I open my task manager and its "System Idle Process" and it won't let me shut it down. I'd roll back the bios if I could find a link to download it, but Samsung in their infinite wisdom, has figured out that we are not smart enough to do this and doesn't give the option with the update program. Anyone have any ideas on this? This thing is driving me crazy. Oh I'm running Windows 8 Professional btw.

 

There have been a few reports of the P03AAG BIOS update causing problems, usually with the CPU not using turbo. Here are some suggestions.

You may also want to reinstall the Samsung Easy Settings because that interacts with the BIOS and then check through what settings are offered.

John

 

Added your post to OP as warning of potential problems with new BIOS

 

I just wanted to say I purchased the NP700Z5C-S02UB from Best Buy yesterday (with Win8). I'm really struggling with the screen if not viewed from exactly the perfect angle and I'm even debating returning the laptop because of it. I checked my display hardware ID after reading your post and mine is SEC0006, which is a bummer. I never used the older model so I can't say how it compares.

 

Wow, very interesting. So it looks like there are a mixture of panels on the new S02UB. If you feel up to it, I would take it back to Best Buy and compare with their display model (hopefully with the SEC00007 version of the display) and try a side-by-side comparison. And perhaps also trade yours in for another?

-Matt

 

Looks like you are a Windows person like me. If you are going to stick with Windows no matter what system you get, I would get a machine made for Windows (non-Mac). I never worry too much about the ram and hard drive because those are replaceable most of the time. The NP700Z5C will max out at 12GB ram (tested). You can also replace the DVD drive with a caddy to hold a HDD on there--so you can have a SSD as the main drive and 1TB drive on the caddy. Pretty sure you can also do this with the Macbook too nowadays.

I have the NP700Z5C and love every bit of it including the price tag of $809 shipped (from eBay - used like new), but there are some things I do not like about it. The biggest one is the trackpad. It is very very sensitive! In example, the tap-click on the pad is very sensitive. Sometimes I would just skid the pad with my fingers slightly while browsing and it executes a click out of nowhere. However, you have to modify the settings on the tackpad to get it to work the way you want it. Wish it was set out of the box. The second thing is the screen. I wish it was an IPS display (hence the price tag on this). Viewing angle isn't too bad, and the display is matt finish, making it not as sharp as I would like it on dim setting--unless you put to the brightest level. That's when the sharpness starts to kick in.

I am actually excited about the Asus UX51 (U500) with the IPS display with some crazy specs and thinner. The problem is that it comes with a hefty price of ~$2000. Worth a look.

 

Yeah, I saw that post, but nothing in it seems to be helping me. I've uninstalled and reinstalled nearly all my drivers, including all of the Samsung software programs, this after having a fresh install of Windows 8 Pro on my Samsung 830, just a couple weeks ago. At this point I firmly believe that its the bios doing something it shouldn't be.

Anyone out there have a link to the older bios??

 

On Windows 8, how do we know if the system is using Intel HD Graphics 4000 or GeForce GT 640 M graphics card? Any way to test this?

 

Is there a way to revert back to an old version of the BIOS? If so can someone link me with an old version and how I can go about doing it?

 

i am afraid, there is no known way how to go back to older version of BIOS.. tried to do that same but no success ... even i have tried to re-flash the current BIOS but the system doesn't allow that. Tried to name the BIOS in different ( date, version ) way, no joy at all.

 

I really really hope its memory is upgradable to 16Gb.

 

max is 12GB at the moment... 4GB is SOLDERED!!!! ( OMG ) on to MOBO and there is a 1 slot, where you can put the memory module .. so at this time, the max modul is 8GB... so 12GB max at the moment.. I got 8GB and is enough for me.

 

EHM....OFF TOPIC... just wondering, does anyone know, where i can find or buy the screws for my samsung? or what kind of screws i have to use? i have damaged 1, because i still striped the laptop.

 

I would get a bag-full from ebay. There are new ones here. I'm sure one will fit because the small screws come in a finite number of sizes (or you may be able to figure out what size you need from the photo at that link and then search for just that size of screw).

John

 

Finally I have bought 700Z5C-S07. I'm pretty happy with it. Screen isn't best but much better than on my old vaio and not worst than on latitude i have. Build quality is top and a battery life time is amazing. Does anybody knows how exactly I can check panel ID? On HDD i have found 4 partitions except system one. One is recovery and the rest?

Sent from my HTC Sensation

 

Have Nvidia's Control panel icon display in the system tray. If it's colorful the Nvidia GPU is being used, if it's black it's not being used. You can also use a GPU mnitoring tool like GPU-Z.

 

Over on the HardOCP forums another person got the 0007 display. I returned mine to Best Buy, then drove to another town and re-purchased (hoping maybe they received a different batch). I still got the 0006 screen. I guess I'm going to suck it up and live with it but I'm not too happy.

 

Oddly enough, I was on the Best Buy order page when your message arrived -- I'm ready to plunk down those hard earned $$$s and pick up an S02UB like you. I was thinking about your situation -- I'd love to convince you to go back and *insist* on one with a newer panel. I'm sorry to be pushy/preachy about it -- if the one I order comes with the 0006, I'll take it back to the local store, show them the one on display, and tell them that I want to exchange it for a 0007. FWIW I was at two other Best Buys last week, and both had the newer panel on the display models. I suspect a sharp manager will say "sorry, we can't open every box," and if so, my response will be, "sorry, I don't pay roulette with $1000 bills."

-Matt

 

OK, new update... I know this will sound crazy but as I was reading your post, I noticed there was a ton of disk activity on the laptop and suddenly the screen became so much more clear. I decided to go check the hardware ID again and now it's showing 0007!!! It obviously must have downloaded/installed an update or something but I had already checked for updates and there were none.

So, I'll just suggest before anybody else returns theirs, leave it sitting online for a while and see if any magic happens. I will say that I had the original laptop online for about 2 days and the hardware IDs never changed. There was a fuzziness on the screen that has definitely cleared up, and I'm so much happier now!

 

Seriously?!?!?!? WEIRD!!!!! But weird in the right way. Congrats -- that's awesome.

-Matt

 

Try this... it works for my SS9.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/696197-samsung-laptops-roll-back-bios-updates.html

 

Shoot, I have SEC0006 for hardware ID for monitor. I noticed my screen has these waves on specific dark background colors such as gray an dark blue. Anybody know what I'm talking about?

 

I have searched without success, so please excuse if I have somehow misdirected or repeated a question -

Has anyone tried the P04ABJ System BIOS Update yet?

Having read some of the complaints about the prior version, I don't feel the need to be the early adopter, especially as I don't seem to have any particular issues with my 700z5c.

Thanks in advance for any kind advice.

 

According to your signature, you're on the older model of the laptop so I believe its normal to have SEC0006. Were talking about the model NP700Z5C-S02UB having 0007.

 

That's correct -- this thread is crazy-long, but tracking back the discussion to the Z5A model, there was considerable concern with the quality of the display. I think this is the first reference to the SEC0006 on the S01US version of the Z5C: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...heres-np700z5c-ivy-bridge-37.html#post8585907

Here is also a bit of discussion on notebookcheck.net (relevant comments highlighted), in reference to the same panel on the 14" model: Review Update Samsung Series 7 700Z3C-S01 Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

-Matt

 

So I just installed an SSD and performed a clean install of Win8 Pro. I have NP700Z5C-S02UB but it appears samsung doesn't have the software or drivers on their website (unless I'm missing it). Is it safe to use the drivers for NP700Z5C-S01UB?

 

When I run the SW update client (on a different Samsung model), I see an option labeled "Find Model" which allows me to search for basically any laptop model -- in particular, I see the S02UB in the list of results. The only OS choice for Win8, however, is the Standard version (whatever that is!). So you might try installing that first, and seeing if it can pull down the drivers you need.

On the other hand, I would have guessed the S02UB is pretty much the same hardware (driver-wise) as the other NP700Z5C models.

-Matt

 

Thanks for the help (again

None of the other drivers were working so I went on the Live support chat. They confirmed the drivers are not available on the website but the software update utility will install them. The link to get the utility is here: http://orcaservice.samsungmobile.com/SWUpdate.aspx Just posting in case anyone else needs it.

 

I think the number pad is useful. Well, at least for those who do a lot of computing.

 

Just in case reassuring for others - my Best Buy S02UB had 0007 out of the box before any updates,, bought 1 week ago in Florida.

 

Jrcuttz, I was in the same situation as you. I noticed for my model, they have Windows 7 drivers on their website, and some of them may or may not work with Windows 8. No worries though because Samsung have this program called SW Update that you can use to get Windows 8 drivers. Download the program and you should get all the drivers you need. Let us know!

EDIT: spoke too early

 

Im on my 2nd NP700Z5C from Bestbuy. Unfortunately i have had the same issues with both, and i'm beginning to think it's due to the bios upgrade.

When waking from sleep and during normal use the keyboard will stop working and my left mouse click will act like a right mouse click. The only fix is a restart.

I also have constant issues with firefox where web pages start to render strange, for example the google image will disappear from the search page, twitter will be all text no images, and all mushed up, amazon will look strange also. The fix for this seems to be to run ccleaner and then all is well until the next time.

I think this one's gonna have to go back too.

 

I'm having the same issue. Keyboard backlight on Win8 will not stay on in daylight and I can't find a setting to disable the ambient sensor.

 

I just roll backed me bios and it worked a treat for my 14" chronos suffering from high idle cpu usage. Here is the thread where i got the help from BIOS Roll Back

 

Go to advanced energy options under Windows power management and disable adaptive backlight.

Sent from my HTC Sensation