Series 7 Chronos All Models: Push for SAMSUNG to implement "FIXED MODE" in BIOS

What am I missing here re: Ivy Bridge, exactly? From my (limited) reading, they offer some performance increase (figures seem to vary between 2-8% and 37%, depending on sources), reduced power consumption (i.e. a bit longer battery life), and better integrated graphics (meh).

Is that really worth waiting months for now that the most glaring problem on the current S7 has been resolved?

 

It is just a joke. If you need the system now, you ain't missing anything!

 

hey guys i just got this laptop yesterday and i was trying to see if my ati video card works with the open gl programs. i installed the latest ati drivers from the samsung easy program. i also have gpu-z. Now i just got google earth and i switched it to open gl and switched the application to high performance through the ati drivers. So i turn on gpu-z and it shows the intel is taking gpu load at like 4-8% and shows the ati has loads of 4-22%. My question is why is there gpu load on both cards?

Also i have the 6490m version and when i play League of Legends on max settings i only get like 20-30 fps.. is this normal on the ati card? or is it using the Intel card?

 

Hi gyus, so i just got an update of graphic card, but flash video on youtube is still pixelated, but on Vimeo it looks good

 

Me too. YouTube is still pixelated

 

Is that just on battery or with the adapter too?

 

Also on the adapter

 

Guys im desperate.

I have the spanish version and it showed the update of the VGA in Easy Software. I installed it without unistalling anything.

After i tried to open AMD Catalyst and nothing happened so i decided to unistall both intel and amd vga and reinstall again.

The problem is that once i try to install the new VGA driver from Easy Samsung, it says error. Thats it. But i cant find the driver anywhere and im trying to download it from Iomex in the new server but i cant (it starts but after 10 minutes restart to download again...).

Where Easy Software put the drivers?? Which folder?? Maybe that can help...

 

Well, i found the driver but it gives me the error: "the .inf cant be found" of the amd gpu.

any help?

 

The pixelation issue is discussed here (possible solution on the 4th page)

This and more threads regarding the Samsung 7 series Chronos can be found in the owners lounge.

 

Even with the old driver in samsung website i keep receiveing the missing .INF file.

Any help?

 

Try the program "Driver Sweeper" and see whether the AMD Display and Intel Display drivers are really deleted. Then try installing the new driver again. Hope that helps.

PS:
"Driver Sweeper is a program for driver cleaning, developed by Phyxion.net. It will eradicate any AMD/Intel driver remains, which were left after normal uninstallation.

To clean your system, follow these steps:

1) Download Driver Sweeper and install it.

1.1) If you installed version 3.20 or earlier, download Filters.xml and put it in Driver Sweeper’s root directory. Default one is “C:\Program Files (x86)\Phyxion.net\Driver Sweeper”.

2) Reboot to safe mode by pressing F8 before Windows logo appears, then choosing “Safe mode”. Log-on using an account with administrator rights.

3) Launch Driver Sweeper.

4) Select “AMD - Display” and “Intel HD Graphics”, then click Clean.

5) Press “Ok” when prompted.

6) Press “Ok” again.

7) Go to device manager, “Video adapters” section. If something other than 2 “ Standard VGA Graphics Adapter” is there, right-click that device/devices, choose “Remove” and select “Delete drivers” checkbox if present."

Source: https://docs.google.com/document/pu...y5m1HuuN5RRa_7KKFfGP7tI&pli=1#id.4jup6yq38na5

 

can someone help me?

 

Thank you Energized.

I did use the Driver Sweeper and the problem is still there.

No matter the version i use of samsung website, it install calayst and intel, but not the AMD Display Driver. The same .INF problem.

Any other possible solution?

 

it's located in C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Local\Temp\ESM\Compress .
The archive for the video drivers is BASW-13099A33.ZIP .

@itskkris
Just leave GPU-Z running while you play your game and check if it's showing load on the Radeon. The graph can be checked for some minutes and if it's above 0% the Radeon is active.
Also for the Intel GPU; it's normal that it shows some load as it's used to draw Windows UI etc. the Radeon is only used for specified applications and only actually draws the context of these applications into the framebuffer of the Intel GPU.

 

Thank you Iomex.

I found it yesterday. But it keeps me saying there is no .INF file.

Do you know how to solve it??

 

I think I had this problems some years ago ^^

try the following:
-update the radeon driver using the device manager, then reboot
-start the setup again and un-install everything, again restart
-start setup and install using the normal express-setup

 

Looks like Samsung have finally done something, too bad as I got my money back yesterday.

I am going to sit tight and wait a little while for the next batch of series 7 laptops to see what they come up with, as at the moment, there is only really the mac book pro as a second option.

Can anybody confirm if the new vga driver worked with the 14 inch model?

Oh yeah, big thanks to yknyong1 for all of his effort, much appreaciated.

 

hey guys. just a couple of things.
the file hosted is named images.jpeg , but all you have to do is rename the extension to .zip and it will work just fine.
also remember to re-assign all your applications that need the gpu to ''high performance".

last but not least.
the youtube problem still persists. i dont mind the bad scaling.. but has anyone got around the green screen problem when on battery?

 

Wait first, so if I am wrong, correct me.

Newest driver from Samsung corrects OpenGL GPU usage. But if you install the newest AMD driver over this driver, would the correct GPU still be selected?

The scaling/BSOD still not fixed.

 

Finally I could install it; how dificul for me with the .INF problem... Thank you Iomex.

And games didnt work finally work well with the 6750m...

Thank you Samsung for something is basic; a proper functionality of a high end product. Only the screen is...

 

The version of this driver is 8.940 while the current on the AMD website is still 8.93, so I guess installing the newest AMD driver will do nothing as their installer does not replace a driver with higher version number. I think this is a pre-release of the 12.2 driver which is supposed to be released by AMD in february.

I have yet to experience this bug. After reading about it I watched a couple of youtube videos on battery power without issues ( except a slight pixelation, easily visible on the menu fonts ) which were about 20 minutes each (720p and 1080p). Maybe this is related to some special combination of settings.

 

ok, seems that you only get the BSOD or green screen IF the laptop is running on battery andthe browser is set to "high performance" on the switchable graphics configuration. if it is set to "power saving", all is good in the world. even with hardware acceleration on in the flash settings. i have confirmed this myself. anyhow, the intel HD is more than capable of handling HD videos anyway.

on the bad scaling/pixelated videos, the problem is not with the laptop at all, is just that flash does not support the 1600x900 resolution. if you change your native resolution to 720p, it scales perfectly. i have also confirmed this myself.

I have installed this new drivers over the older ones, and it worked just fine.
i can happily confirm that all the programs RECOGNISE and USE the right GPU, both the "power saving" and the "high performance".
that includes 3d programs like cinema 4d, blender; and post processing like after effects, also photoshop and every game i have.

all in all, all my biggest woes with this amazing laptop have been resolved.
i am one happy costumer now! =)

 

Same here - never experienced this problem apart from slight pixelation.

 

Hey guys!

I need help from you, I don't understand what I should do right now... I have 700Z5A-S07 and I want to play Minecraft... In "Easy Software Manager Agent" it doesn't display an update but sometimes a message comes from it "Software couldn't be installed" or something like that.

Please help me (I speak german, vielleicht wäre es besser mir auf Deutsch zu helfen?)

 

Hi kurtextrem,

German:
Ich hatte das gleiche Problem. Easy Software Manager zeigt mir auch kein Treiberupdate für die Grafik. Lade das hier verlinkte Treiberpaket von lomex runter. Alternativ findest du auch auf der Samsung Seite auch das neuste Grafiktreiberupdate merkwürdigerweise mit einem älteren Datum. Achte auf die Versionsnummer des VGA-Treiberupdates und nicht auf das Datum.
Warum der Easy Software Manager kein Updat anzeigt weiß ich auch nicht. Evtl. weil das Releasedatum des neuen Treibers älter ist.

English:
Load the driver package earlier postet from lomex!

Regards
trash1700

 

Series 7 back in stock at newegg:
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Series 7 700Z5A-S03 Notebook Intel Core i7 2675QM(2.20GHz) 15.6" Non-Gloss, 16:9, 300 nits 8GB Memory DDR3 750GB w/ EC 8GB HDD 7200rpm Slot-Load DVD AMD Radeon HD 6750M

Looks like the exact same specs, no upgrades

 

I just spoke to Samsung USA, and they had no information to give me on any future upgrades for the current S7 line. Is anyone currently in Korea that can call up headquarters and dig a little deeper?

 

A few days ago, I tried installing the new graphics driver from the "Easy Software Manager." I walked away for a bit while it was downloading, and when I came back, realized my computer had gone into sleep mode. Upon "waking," the download continued, but the installation ended up failing. I get an occasional message from the Easy Software Manager (I'll call ESM from now on), saying that the software didn't install completely, and asking me to open the ESM and finish installing the update. But when I open the ESM, I it shows the driver as being "Installed." When I go to "Update History," in the ESM, it says that the installation (a few days ago) failed.

So... I have downloaded the zip file from Iomex to try this way (Thank you!). From what I read, it sounds like I just have to open the "Setup" file after extracting. But I am wondering... Is it absolutely necessary for me to uninstall the previous graphics driver(s) before installing? Will it mess things up if I don't? Also, if yes to the previous questions, then which exact drivers do I uninstall (and how)? In the control panel, in add/remover programs, I only see the AMD Catalyst graphic Install Manager listed. Would that be one to uninstall? Any others, such as Intel related...? (and, if not listed in add/remove programs, how?).

Sorry for all the questions and length of this. I can tell that many of you here know much more than me about computers.

 

lomex, the file is no longer posted. Do you know how I can download it?

 

@Nmv
You can try installing it without removing the old catalyst, if it doens't work uninstall it and try again. You should be able to do that in the setup of the new driver.

@l4m3duck
I uploaded it again because my dropbox got suspended, just look some posts after that.

 

Is there a major difference between the models ending number?

As an example, my model is the SAMSUNG NP700Z3A-S01 though I have just started seeing some local retailer selling the SAMSUNG NP700Z3A-S02IT.

Versus my model, the S02 has a larger HD and and an updated CPU, do you think that they have made other revisions including sorting the AMD switching prob?

newer model S02 SAMSUNG NP700Z3A-S02IT Chronos

My model S01 SAMSUNG 700Z3A S01

 

In Sweden there is a big difference between the S01 I Got and the S04 for sale now. To my advantage thou, but the S04 is also quite a bit cheaper because of it.

The S01 is hard to find thou and looks like it might not be available anymore.

 

There can be a big difference. Each country marketing office orders one or more models selected from a list of factory options, based on what they think they can sell. And next time they place an order they may ask for more of the same (so no change in the options) or there can be significant changes resulting from different hardware (usually CPU / HDD) availability or pricing.

The possible updated motherboard for the S7 may not show up in model numbers because it is a motherboard revision which will be applied to all models once it is available and previous stocks used up. Manufacturers would treat is as a minor improvement and not a major change in the product (although some potential purchasers would see it differently).

John

 

Did Samsung state anywhere there will be a revised motherboard? Could you point me to that?

 

I said " possible updated motherboard". Which, if I have understood all these discussions correctly, might be required to enable GPU selection at the BIOS level. However, we don't know if Samsung are planning to implement that facility.

John

 

The problem with pixelation is not related with rsolution, i have also Sony Vaio FW41EH which has the same resolution 1600x900 and there is no problem. So the problem is somewhere between graphic drivers and youtube´s flash player because for example on vimeo i dont have problem with pixelation.

 

Same here. My LG R590 with 1600x900 screen does not exhibit the pixelation at all.

 

interesting....
well, there goes my theory! =)

but in any case, at least no BSOD's here anymore.
i can live with bad scaling on youtube. if i really need things to look great i just have to crank my res down to 720

 

Where can I find the last Bios for the chronos??

 

Owners Lounge first post, BIOS version 10FD.

 

Hi,

I'm a first time poster from Canada. I just got back from taking a look at chronos 7 S01CA which is the Canadian version of the 7 series. I found out that when I right clicked on the desktop there was an option to configure the switchable graphics.

Now as stated in the very first post of this thread, yknyong1 said that HP and Dell said they made a revision to their systems to resolve the OpenGL issue which allowed the user to configure the switchable graphics via the menu pictured in yknyong1's first post.

I haven't bought the computer yet so I haven't been able to do extensive testing but can this be an indication that the issue has been resolved??

 

I don't have any problems with pixelation. I use JMPlayer plugin with Chrome, but before that I used IE Tab for YouTube and Chrome for everything else, and that worked just fine aswell.

 

There are two types of switching. The manual switching menu is the one shown in the OP with High performance GPU and Power Saving GPU. The other, the automatic - used in the Series 7 - also has a configure graphics option, but the interface will look different from what is shown in the OP.

 

He's talking about Samsung's driver.

 

He is talking about video pixelation, and that is browser/viewer dependant, and it works fine with the right "settings" both in old and new AMD drivers.

 

Do you have a link for JMplayer plugin, cant seem to be able to find it

 

Get it here: Post 42 http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...bad-flash-video-scaling-video-crashing-5.html

 

Sorry, my bad, it's JW Player, not JM.

The full extension name is: "YouTube alternative player - JW Player"

And the link should be in the other thread or you could prob google it better now when you have the right name.

 

Hi Guys i'm new here

til yesterday i was sure that i was gona buy the 700Z5A Chronos.....until i saw this forum !


So how are things at the moment?


I love this notebook and i really want to buy it in this version -> "NP-700Z5A-S01DE "


i saw that there is a lot going on in this thread...... What is the deal now?

Is there a fix for the Graphis issue? What is about the WLAN issue ? Anny fixes? i saw that apparently, there were so BIOS Updates that have been released...

By now, can you recomend to buy it?

help me out guys!


BIG THX from switzerland