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

What I did for now is go to System Device Manager and disabled the Sandisk i100 8GB . It seem to work and Windows is ignoring it.

I also had to disable sleep too because when it goes to sleep it never wake up from it. I had to force shutdown to reboot it. It take forever to boot back up and harddrive goes to 100% usages for about 10 minutes after a boot then settles down.

Bill

 

I have found Windows + sleep to be unreliable for as long as Windows has existed. Sometimes a complete reinstallation will get it working again. Probably, graphics drivers failing to wake up properly are the biggest cause of the black screen problem, but I might be wrong.

 

I received the keyboard form China today and popped a couple of keys to see if it interchangeable. The keys are not interchangeable so I will have to open the laptop to see how the keyboard is bonded and if it something I can un-bond to swap the keyboard or not.

I noticed on the new keyboard is many holes which look like either a bendable tab is inserted through or plastic stud then the top part of the plastic stud would be melted forming a bond.

I hope it the bendable tabs so I could unbend it and swap the keyboard then bend it down again.

I have final exam this weekend and next Monday so it won't be at least a week before I go take my laptop apart.

Bill

 

Thanks for the update. That's a shame about the key mechanisms being different. Is there evidence that the keyboard is a genuine component?

I suspect that the melted stud type of fixing is more likely. You may well have to cut off whatever is there in order to release the old keyboard and then use glue to hold the new keyboard in place. If I were doing this I would probably roughen up the top of the remains of each stud and then use a dollop a slow setting (not the 5 minute) epoxy glue on each and leave it somewhere warm to harden. It may also be advisable to temporarily use some adhesive tape to hold the keyboard in place.

John

 

Just got a NP700Z5C-S02UB and im loving it! I would love to update the bios so i can manage the graphic card situation better. Im curious John, TechBill and others: What is the optimal way to keep this great laptop running on windows 10 I did the update and its smooth sailing. But I did not do the samsung update at all and after all the research on the forums my conclusion is "Be Careful". What has anyone done in a windows 10 environment? I plan on cloning the Hard Drive to an ssd, removing the optical slot and adding a second drive, and adding 8gb of ram (total of 12) What are some of things I should do and Shouldn't do.
Thanks

 

Welcome to NBR, and congrats on that NP700Z5C. It was indeed a very popular model, and I can understand why you like it!

I don't use Win10 myself, but from other posts I would say do install any updates from Samsung Update (SW Update). But you will need to scan through this thread as well as our Win10 Update thread (that was a link) for reports specific to your model.

Definitely update the BIOS first if you haven't already. Use the safe approach described by John in this thread: DON'T update from inside Samsung Update; run the BIOS Update utility separately, save the BIOS update file, then run it standalone -- with all other programs closed first.

As for other tips on your model (RAM upgrades, SSD swap etc) you will find tons of tips and information in this thread. But you will have to search for it as most owners have moved on by now.

 

Can you vouch for the bios update you mentioned? seem like a couple people may have bricked there laptops.

 

BIOS updating always carries some risk, which is why we recommend the "conservative" approach described in John's thread. But I would not try updating Windows (or installing a newer Windows) without being on the latest BIOS.

Your model is of the generation that has been prone to bricking caused by corrupt NVRAM (the non-volatile RAM used by BIOS, what used to be CMOS) so extra caution makes sense.

OTOH updating the BIOS will actually clear the NVRAM, which is one of the best ways to flush out the gremlins than can lead to bricking.

I cannot guarantee anything, particularly not without knowing the history of your laptop, since I assume it didn't come straight from Samsung's factory. But if it were mine, I would definitely want to update to the latest BIOS.

Before starting the update process, you could change your BIOS settings as described in this post (which is an unbricking guide). It will make it easier to boot an external boot source in case something should go wrong during the update.

Note: Updating BIOS will reset its settings to default, which can sometimes cause boot problems if Windows has previously been re-installed. What is the current setting of OS Mode Selection under SecureBoot in your BIOS?

 

as your are saying all this, for which I am greatful. I updated the way john mentioned and it booted up. Smooth Sailing it seems.
Thanks for the info about the unbricking guide. this may help if something should arise.

 

What about the USB 3.0 eXtensible driver update i would like to update it for specific peripherals. I saw a hack someone shared but it no longer is there. any help? Is there a workaround for the files intel give on there site. because windows 10 does not want to install it.

 

Does this mean that USB 3.0 is broken in Windows 10? I'm preparing to do an upgrade today, and am trying to collect as much info as I can before doing it.

Did you read through the discussion here?: http://www.tenforums.com/drivers-hardware/26372-intel-usb-3-0-extensible-host-controller-driver.html

 

Where can one get drivers for NP700Z5C-S02UB ?

It comes preloaded with windows 8 home. I just reinstalled windows and need to download all the windows 8 drivers. These simply do not exist on this notebooks support driver download page. For some reason they listed XP and a few win 7 drivers (WTF Samsung?). Why everything always has to be this hard?

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/NP700Z5C-S02UB

Any ideas? Thanks!

 

It is true, Samsung doesn't make it easy for owners of older models: They stopped providing updated drivers on their website several years ago, switching to database distribution through their SW Update utility (later renamed to Samsung Update, which is almost impossible to find with Google, as you can imagine).

It actually works very well once you have that utility, but they never bothered to post information about that switch on the individual product support pages, leaving users to think there are no newer drivers than what they see there.

Our Samsung Forum Sticky list (on top of the Samsung forum) has as its very first link a download of SW Update. It also has links to most other relevant Samsung threads and common topics.

 

So I've been using this laptop intensively for about 3 years and a few months now and it seems I need to do some cleaning and repasting for CPU and GPU. My GPU easily reaches 83 Celsius in matter of minutes and begins to throttle even in cold room temp. Can't play Overwatch at low setting past 46fps lock. Has anyone repasted successfully?

This laptop is still running strong with new SSD installed haha. 1 dead pixel and a small circle dent in the screen (like 2 pixels). The CPU seems to be throttling or maybe it's just gone slow. I assume dust in the fans and thermal compound has dried up.

 

I'm sure that the cooling system would benefit from a good service after three years of use. Often the dust collects where the fans blow air through the fins at the end of the heat pipe which can significantly reduce the airflow.

The thermal paste may also be getting tired and will be the second line of attack once you have found out the theremal improvement after a good clean.

John

 

Yea, cleaned it out, repasted. A lot of dust, alot and thermal paste were completely dried. Temps are pretty stable with gelid gc extreme. About 76~77 Celsius GPU with 135mhz overclock and around 85~90 for CPU. Not bad for a 3 year old laptop, performs just like the way when I bought it. I repasted twice to make sure that the CPU temps weren't abnormal and got nearly same results. One thing I am having problem right now is that the computer likes to switch from power supply and battery as the main power source and causes lag during intensive gaming. GPU usage lingers around 90~100% and CPU around 40~50% with Overwatch. I checked my power supply and boom only 60w...searched and saw some postings of GPU and CPU having TDP of 45w each. They recommended 90w or 120w just to be safe, looks like I won't be gaming until new 120w power supply will get here. I initially thought it was the battery, took it out and the computer actually shut down during gaming. That's when I felt this laptop might need more power. I would guess max usage would be around 90w for the np700z5c.

 

Thanks for the update.

I thought these notebooks shipped with a 90W PSU but a few people had found that it needed more than 90W.

John

 

I thought so too, my model is s02ub and it's actually a refurbished model, still amazed of how it's holding up so far. I can probably use it well for another year or so until 120hz gsync ips displays become a widely available option. I will probably get a clevo and use that for couple of years with periodic maintenance. Might have got the 60w by mistake, who knows. I am planning on ordering authentic OEM 120w power supply. I believe the model number is AD-12019G. It looks like Samsung uses their own type of plug which no other companies use, so anyone with Samsung laptop is stuck with OEM charger or aftermarket charger with plug adapter. With plug adapters, problems can arise so I'm just planning on sticking with OEM charger. They are about $50 locally and I assume they are high quality, can't find any measurement on efficiency, lifespan etc. though.

 

My right speaker is broken... it keeps shutting off and on every 5 seconds. Very annoying. I found individual speakers on eBay but I have no idea how to install it. How do you install new speakers?

 

Most likely it is a matter of removing the base of the computer, disconnecting the speaker cable and unscrewing the speaker. It shouldn't be very difficult provided you have a set of suitable tools.

John

 

So I ordered myself a Delta 120w charger, ADP-120ZB BB and some basic tips for compatibility for around $30. You have to be really careful when buying aftermarket chargers because it can say one thing on advertisement and the price will get you. Cheap postings like $20 instead of $30 are all false advertising and will ship you with generic brands that are in fact replacements for the certain advertised charger. They are likely to overheat and fail in a short amount of time and their efficiency is probably low. Here is the link for the Delta charger.
http://www.deltaww.com/Products/CategoryListT1.aspx?CID=0201&PID=348&hl=en-US&Name=ADP-120ZB BB

My 60w charger handles it fine when gpu usage is around 90% average and cpu usage around 50% without gpu overclock. When I overclock, it starts to draw from battery and that's when it lags. Should be using around 45w~50w without overclock and maybe 10~15w for other parts. With 120w charger, it should be able to handle any scenario. 90w charger is also enough, but it might not do for max load scenario.

What's interesting is that the exact same model is used for the Asus 120w charger as OEM is Delta and the model is ADP-120ZB BB and the price is more than two times as much. Here is a test result for the same charger. https://us.hardware.info/product/147210/asus-120w-notebook-adapter/testresults

Samsung kind of messed up by providing a 90w charger, 60w for me (unbelievable)...should have included a 120w one. Well, the laptop is like 4 years old now, so ^^. Just putting it out there for people still rocking the np700z5c. All I'm waiting for is 120hz IPS g-sync capable screens to be widely available.

 

My recent observation with a Dell PSU is that the rated PSU power is the output and the input power from the AC socket is more, so you should get your 120W if needed. The test result you linked to includes a line with "120W Test - 19V at 6.315A 18.38 V". 19 x 6.315 = 120W, but if the voltage was down to 18.38V then the power at 6.315A would be 116W. The test result also gives maximum voltage and current which indicate 155W so maybe the PSU will run at well above the nominal capacity (but probably only for a short period).

John

 

Ah, scratch all that. Now I understand. Looks like you will be getting max of 155w if needed. I thought efficiency meant to do something with output power, but because the charger can draw 1.8A max at 100V and that means 180w, but then 15% is loss during ac/dc conversion, thus giving around 150w output max. Looks like this charger will be plenty enough.

 

Output in excess of the design rating is likely to be for a short period only after which a protection system will probably activate to avoid damage. Anyway, you should be able to get a sustained 120W which is more than you need.

John

 

Yes, should be able to get some more out of this for at least a few more years. As long as diablo 3 and overwatch runs well, I ain't complaining haha. I might as well wait for Volta.

 

So I got my 120w charger, works really well. No more flickering issue, OCed gpu +135/+500, getting around 80 celsius while playing Overwatch and finally can play 95% constant 60fps with lowest setting. Having trouble with the coil whine of the charger though. It makes high pitched noise when it goes from prolonged high load session to low load. No noise during high load. Weird, hopefully the replacement that the seller promised will not have this problem. The coil whine goes away after ~20min though.

 

Does anyone have battlefield 1? Mine is repasted and OCed to 844mhz core clock and 3000mhz memory clock. Was wondering if I can run it at 768 or 900p.

 

So I have some water damage on my laptop and the keyboard has completely stopped working, Any advice on how to fix this issue?

 

Please don't cross-post. I have answered your question here.

John

 

I am trying to find the latest BIOS for my Z5C before I switch to Linux without bricking my laptop. Anyone knows where can I get that from? Samsung's support website for my model seems to have really old drivers. And SWUpdate doesn't have any BIOS files.

 

See the first post in this thread for a link to the Samsung BIOS Update program.

John

 

Turns out I am on the latest BIOS (P05AAG) for 700Z5C-S04US. Are there changelogs for these updates? How do I know I can run linux without bricking my laptop again? I don't have any CSM options in the BIOS. Just UEFI/legacy, which is set to legacy.

edit: The BIOS update is labelled "ITEM_20130412_1087_WIN_P05AAG" if you were wondering about a release date.

 

Samsung never publish the changelogs. I recall that even their notebook support people didn't have access to the info.

How did you previously brick the notebook? Did you enable UEFI? An AAG BIOS means that it's one of the Windows 7 notebooks with Samsung's first (and not very good) attempt at implementing UEFI. The Windows 8 version of the Z5C will have had an AB? BIOS which was slightly less buggy.

John

 

I did not know that bricking was an issue for my particular laptop and went ahead and launched the Ubuntu Live mode over a USB drive. If I remember correctly, I was on Windows 8 or 8.1. I did not change any settings over at the BIOS except for boot priority. I am not sure whether UEFI mode was enabled or not unfortunately. Would keeping it disabled or in "legacy mode" help with preventing a brick? I really want to try Linux.

 

I think you would be well advised to make sure that UEFI is not enabled. However, if you were on Windows 8/8.1 from the factory then UEFI might have been enabled and also the GPT partition structure which might cause a problem if UEFI is disabled (I don't know for sure as I haven't tried). You might need to reformat and reinstall everything.

John

 

Hi @sabrefresco,

As John said, your laptop is on the cusp between Samsung's original Win7 models and their first Win8 models. The original Win7 models have only a simple UEFI toggle in BIOS (disabled by default) and are factory installed in legacy BIOS mode on MBR disks. The Win8 models have the newer SecureBoot BIOS with a choice of OS Mode Selection being CSM OS (legacy BIOS) or UEFI OS or UEFI and CSM OS (hybrid) and are factory installed in UEFI mode on GPT disks.

The latter ones are the most prone to bricking, although there were some Linux bricking reports from earlier models as well. If your BIOS only has the simple UEFI toggle (i.e. it does NOT have SecureBoot and OS Mode Selection) then you are on safer ground.

But regardless of which BIOS you have, I would repeat John's advice to avoid UEFI mode, even on the older models. The bricking we are talking about here is caused when operating systems (or OS installers) overload the NVRAM (memory used by BIOS) causing a corruption that prevents booting. That cannot happen in legacy BIOS mode (at least to my knowledge).

You can still run into boot problems in legacy BIOS mode, one example being a mismatch with the disk partition layout style, as mentioned by John: Legacy BIOS mode can only boot from MBR disks, UEFI mode can only boot from GPT disks. If one or the other is changed, you won't be able to boot. But that can usually be fixed with changes in BIOS settings.

The problem with NVRAM corruption is that it often prevents access to BIOS settings as well -- which causes the laptop to be "semi-bricked" even if it is still technically working.

 

Thank you both for going in-depth about this issue. I believe I switched to legacy mode after the laptop got a new motherboard from Samsung. I later switched to Legacy mode and re-installed everything to a new drive, which currently shows it's MBR (i.e. not GPT)

The laptop did come with Windows 7 initially and was later upgraded to 8, 8.1 and now at 10 (AU). Is there a way to back-up my NVRAM, and later restore it if I were to "semi-brick" it?

 

It is possible that Samsung installed a motherboard from a newer, Win8-style model, which would mean it is more prone to bricking. That would explain why UEFI was enabled by default. OTOH, that doesn't fit with your BIOS having just the simple UEFI toggle (as opposed to a SecureBoot page with sub-settings).

You don't need to backup the NVRAM. The problem with corruption is not that it is lost, but that it's messed up, causing invalid boot tables (preventing boot) and keyboard tables (preventing access to BIOS). If it gets corrupted, the solution is to clear it entirely.

The best you can do to be prepared before doing Linux experiments is disable Fast BIOS/Boot (if your BIOS has that setting) and know your BIOS Platform ID (BIOS "family" code). Samsung's BIOS Update will show you that. So will HWiNFO.

If you really want to prepared, have a WinPE USB stick ready that you are able to boot, ideally with the extracted contents of a BIOS update file for your model. Follow the steps 1-2 in this guide to create these. Follow the remaining steps (and discussion in that entire thread) if lightning should strike. Which it probably won't...

 

When I went through those guides before posting on this thread, I figured they were for a different kind of a brick, not one where the screen doesn't switch on, and keyboard doesn't work after rebooting from Linux/Linux live disk.

I can verify that I do not have anything more than a UEFI toggle (was too clumsy to reboot even with a SSD). I also got my BIOS platform ID from here and will keep a copy of the latest and a copy of the older one to roll back if needed.

I will go through to as many of those 17 pages on that thread as I can before I plan anything just to be safe. It's ironic that the NVRAM seems so volatile. Thank you for your quality input.

 

So, I took the bottom cover off and raised the laptop a bit. Ran games for a week like that and it looks like the fan profile is set to turn on fans above 67 degrees Celsius for GPU. The cool thing is that with the cover on, it struggles to keep with 80 degrees. However, just by letting in adequate airflow you can run the laptop much much cooler (67 Celsius). Now, the bottom cover is mostly blocked (covered) which is really stupid. I decided to make two holes on the bottom cover right below the fans. I believe this will solve any cooling problem + repasting every 6 months or so...

 

I agree that many notebooks appear to have insufficient ventilation panels. However, I would note that sometimes the vents are positioned so that cool air flows over other components (such as the RAM) before it gets to the fans. A further design consideration may be that heat is radiated from the hot components through any ventilation panels and then users complain that it burns their thighs.

One of the cooling pads which has fans blowing air against the bottom of the computer may also help improve the airflow by forcing some extra air into the cooling system.

John

 

Have people had a lot of success with upgrading to Win 10? I have a 700Z5C-S01UK (originally came with Win 7). I was thinking of upgrading but as I'm sure others realised too, Samsung says it's incompatible with this notebook and haven't made any drivers available. I would love to hear how others have fared and if they have any advice, before I try it myself. From what I've read, it seems like ExpressCache won't necessarily work after the upgrade.

Thanks!

 

Late reply, but I recently updated my np700z5c-s02ub to windows 10 anniversary update. Creators update is a mess, do not even try to update to it...Everything is working fine as W10 downloads the latest essential drivers like sound drivers and video drivers. One thing that you should be aware is that there is no option to choose when you want updates. It updates automatically and only W10 pro can modify that via group policy editor. You can hide updates with microsoft's trouble shooter program. You want to hide intel display driver update as well as nvidia updates too. Be aware that samsung settings is not compatible with W10 and you cannot control brightness of screen and keyboard with keys. W10 automatically downloads touchpad driver, so no worries there. I am getting much better performance with W10 without all the needless drivers that samsung likes to install. I only installed myself 1. intel display driver 2. nvidia graphics driver 3. intel wireless adapter driver. Rest were installed by W10. I don't think I can go back 8.1 after 10. It looks stunning. Very modernized.

If anyone wants full steps for easily installing W10 without problem, I am happy to list it here.

 

Thank you so much for that! It's good to hear some positive experience with the upgrade. I might actually get around to updating it now. Did the setup include anything unusual? I'm planning on doing a clean install of the anniversary update.

 

Just beware these generational notebooks are infamous for botching the NVRAM for the bios going to a UEFI.

 

I'm not sure if my motherboard even supports UEFI. If I installed Windows 10 in Legacy BIOS mode, would that be the safer option? Thanks.

 

So long as the bios selected to non UEFI it should be fine. I know with mine it is listed as a UEFI compatability mode. If it is listed as so on your then let it install in that mode. The fact if it is listed as a compatibility mode it is not TRUE UEFI and these tend not too brick. Remember I said tend not too brick, still be careful.

 

Hey all, I've been dormant/lurking for quite some time and figured I'd drop in.

Anyone still using their NP700Z5C? I've been using it for just over 5 years now, but some minor problems have been popping up over time. I'd still call it the best laptop I've ever owned so far. Most of my issues are likely due to software conflicts (Easy Settings...what a pain) but even some of my hardware seems to be acting up.

Quick and dirty long term review:

• Still running Windows 7
• Battery wear is at 32%, and has been since probably 2015. I get about 3.75-4 hrs of use.
• Some Samsung software functionality no longer works like silent mode. This also seems to affect the fan speed under normal operation, it will pulse quite annoyingly even with CPU temps under 50C.
• After replacing the stock 6235 wifi card with the 7265, Bluetooth no longer starts up due to more Easy Settings conflicts. I've of course tried all kinds of drivers and tweaks, and have found that the solution is to toggle Eco mode in Easy Settings to get BT tray and BT in general working. With Bluetooth enabled, wifi speed crawls to a snail's pace.
• Easy settings renamed itself in my taskbar to "_Samsung Control Center" with the underscore. This has happened on previous installations.
• I've got one row of dead pixels toward the bottom of my screen, probably ince about 2015 as well. It corrected itself for a while, and also disappears with light pressure toward the center of the row.
• My SD card reader has possibly stopped working
• I usually clean up msconfig startup items and that probably conflicts with some of the startup settings of Easy Settings.
• Samsung Update (formerly SW Agent) still occasionally has updates for itself, but nothing for my actual laptop or for Easy Settings.

I'm sure I could fix my issues by reinstalling the OS (again) and replacing some parts, but I'm just running with it for now.

 

Hey @yjgfikl, great to see you around these parts again!

Nice to hear that your Series 7 is still going strong. Samsung certainly did something right with these laptops. My own (even older) NP700Z3A is holding up very well too -- though admittedly not as my main laptop.

As for Easy Settings, my memory is a bit rusty as I moved on from Win7 quite some time ago. You've probably already done this, but if you haven't, and if you decide take a crack at it, you could always try completely uninstalling Easy Settings, reboot, delete all remnants of it (Scheduled Tasks, C:\Program Files (x86)\Samsung folder, Registry etc), reboot, then install Easy Settings anew, reboot.

If you do this, I would use SW Update to download Easy Settings 2.0.0.89, which can be found under model NP930X5J-S02US. As far as I know, it is the latest version that still has support for the ExpressCache and Battery Life Extender features of our Series 7s.

Of course, if you do re-install Easy Settings, there are some tweaks to make and bad feature to disable -- the details of which escape me, but they're documented in the threads linked below:

Settings/Easy Settings - what you need to know
How to reduce latency problems (extreme trimming)

Once again, great to hear from you!

 

@Dannemand
Thanks for the quick response, cool to see you so active on here still. I wasn't even looking for advice!

Since it's there I suppose I'll have try that stuff out this week. I didn't know there was another, newer version of Easy settings for the other laptops. Still use the laptop almost daily, albeit less so since graduation.

They definitely did a great job with this thing, it's just such a bummer I haven't seen a laptop on the market recently that fills this niche so well. The Asus UX501 was nearly perfect, but then they went and updated it to the UX550 and lost the numpad.