Series 7 Ultra NP730U3E / NP740U3E with AMD HD 8570M and optional 4G LTE

Hello
First post here after reading basically the whole thread, sorry for asking a bunch of questions in my first post.

This Ultrabook is highly interesting for me since I need more than 4 GB of RAM.

1. The SSD is a bit to small for me but if I remove the recovery partition (after backing it up) and insert a SD card (for storage, not installation of programs) it might work. Does a SD card stick out outside the computer or is the entire card inserted in the memory card slot?

2. I have a Samsung 9 Series too that my wife uses, how does the 7 series compare when it comes to the "premium feeling" to the 9 Series? Do they feel the same in material, build quality and so on?

3. I will upgrade the RAM and model I can buy is the one with the dedicated graphics card and 6 GB of RAM. As I understand it I can only replace the 4 GB module. So I guess I will be missing out on the benefits of dual channel memory (is that the correct term?)? Anything to think about except to buy a SODIMM DDR3 1600 MHz module? Do I need to consider voltages, pins and so on? CL10 or CL11?

4. Can the dedicated graphics card be disabled and can I instead use the integrated card? I guess the dedicated card generates more heat and cases the computer to be slightly warmer and because of that noisier?

 

I will answer as many as I can:

1. yes the sdcard sticks out of the slot. You could try the mbp sdcard adapters (they are shorter sdcard adapters that you insert a microsd card inside which sit flush in a MacBook pro/air for this very same reason.

2. I cannot compare to the series 9 as I have not used one. But the laptop feels great, sturdy, no keyboard flex, no creaking when lifting it by a corner etc.

3. Yes you can only upgrade the 4gb sodimm, it still works in dual channel though so you won't notice any difference in performance from say using a matched pair or ram sticks in a different laptop

4. the dedicated gfx card turns itself off automatically to increase battery life and reduce heat. You can also manually assign programs in ccc if it has not picked the correct card. Also even when using the 8570m for gaming the laptop does not get that hot or loud, I have been really impressed (having used many macs, dells or clevos)

 

Thank you, really great to get some help here!

There is another really crucial question that you or someone else might be able to help me with.

My laptop will be used with the lid closed 95% of the time connected to an external monitor. So I'm a bit worried that the lid will block the air vents when the lid is closed. Are there any air vents below the screen that might be blocked when the lid is closed or are all air vents located underneath the laptop?

 

The air intakes are on the bottom. The air outlet when the laptop is open is directed up out past the screen. If the lid is closed it shoots it down below the screen out the back. The air outlet looks reduced though.

If you let me know what your typical usage is I will test and let you know if there is any difference in thermals.

 

I won't be playing any games. The laptop will be used for Photoshop, web, Office and I think the most heavy work will be virtual machines and full HD video editing and exporting. So if you could try I don't think the type of task is important as long as the computer has to sweat a bit

 

Can anyone tell me where I could find purchase date in 730u3e bios? I finally bought it, but couldn't find this information in bios. SysInfo tab shows only current date and time.
Thanks!

 

On most models Purchase Date is displayed on the Advanced tab in BIOS: Press F2 immediately after Power On to get there.

If you're using Win8 and cannot seem to catch F2 before Windows loads, you may have to temporarily disable Fast Startup in Windows Power Options control panel under Change what the power buttons do. Then Shutdown. Now you should be able to press F2 after Power On and load the BIOS Settings.

Remember to change Fast Startup back afterwards, it's a good feature.

 

Options I got in Advanced tab:
CPU Power Saving Mode
Hyperthreading
EDB
Fast BIOS Mode
AHCI Mode Control
Battery Life Cycle Extension
USB Charge In Sleep Mode
USB S3 Wake-up

That's it

 

Hmmm... Of course you checked the other tabs as well, I am sure. Maybe they don't have that anymore. So they rely entirely on the receipt to determine warranty eligibility.

Thanks for the update. Be great if other 2013 model owners can confirm.

 

Yup, checked all of them several times. Maybe BIOS update will enable this date? Version in mine is P04ABW.
I'm swapping disk right now and the sticker inside says my unit was manufactured 03/2013.

 

I am thinking of getting the one with i5, 128gb ssd, 2+4gb ram and AMD 5570.

Will I be able to play full HD video via a HDMI to a tv without lag with this one? Other than using it for regular surfing and "office work" that's really the only thing I am going to do with it I think

 

Guys,
Do you get any OSD notification when enabling/disabling silent mode (Fn+F11)?

 

In Win7 yes (Easy Settings). Not in Win8 (Settings). You can check the current power profile in the taskbar tray to see if Silent Mode is on. Or open Settings with Fn-F1.

 

Thanks, Dannemand. I'm also experiencing some issues with touchpad - cursor seems to "jump" sometimes a little - I reduced sensitivity, because thought I might accidently hit pad somewhere, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't doing it... Has this happened to you as well?

 

Touchpad is one of those areas where I am not much help: Mine works so great, I haven't had those issues, so I don't have as much help to share. It is by far the best touchpad I've had on any laptop.

When writing texts, I do occasionally find my cursor to be somewhere I didn't expect, because my thumb or palm touched the pad ever so slightly. If I am using a mouse when it happens, I temporarily disable the touchpad with Fn-F5. The Touchpad control panel will let you set this as default when a mouse is connected.

Many users have reported this issue, as you will see in the thread linked below. I suspect some could be related to variations in touchpad quality and sensitivity. I personally also suspect that poor (or no) ground connection and/or high static build-up can affect it as well.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...hronos-np700z5a-trackpad-discussion-only.html

Edit: One tip may be useful: Disable any gestures you don't positively use. For example, I never use the Edge Swipe gestures (not a Metro guy) so I keep them disabled, so they don't accidentally trigger a touchpad action.

But do check that thread I linked. And test various driver versions. Some prefer new drivers, others prefer older ones.

 

Already disabled all those edge gestures. Basically all I left, apart regular touch ofc, is two finger scrolling, two finger middle button emulation and three finger back/forward. After BIOS update and with recent drivers there was some improvement, however still, once-twice in an hour when trying do tap somewhere, cursor goes to the random spot
Will try the older-older ones anyway, thanks! Didn't think that this is such a common issue.

 

At long last, I FOUND WHAT I NEED! I have searched for a laptop that meets these criteria for a few weeks now, and the Series 7 Ultra seems like the one!! I can't believe I just found out about it today!

MUST HAVE!
- 1080p IPS display
- At least 4GB RAM
- At least 6 hours of battery life
- A trackpad that isn't garbage
- A keyboard that isn't garbage
- Below 1.8kg

Preferably
- Upgradable RAM and SSD
- Touch screen
- RJ 45

I wanted the XPS 13 so badly, but the trackpad is garbage from what I have heard... I love the way the laptop looks. If only the trackpad didn't suck.

Going to pick one of the $1000 models up from Best Buy in a week when I am back from my business trip. Can't wait!

 

Hi Comrade, welcome to the Samsung forum

I agree with you, the Series 7 Ultra is a sweet and elegant little machine with a great balance of features. When I first saw it in Best Buy a few months ago, I had that same WOW reaction too.

You will find a lot of helpful members and fellow Samsung owners here. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

 

Forgot to mention - I swapped the stock SSD to Plextor M5M 256GB. Disassembly process in this notebook was the easiest ever (just don't forget to unplug the USB connector before unscrewing the old SSD, otherwise it could pop off and damage the USB connector tape).

List of components I used:
- new mSATA SSD
- mSATA - SATA adapter (something like that)
- SATA - USB adapter (I did try two different, one from the USB 2.0 2,5'' case, second - adapter from Seagate Backup Plus external drive - photo - this one is actually pretty useful and works with USB 3.0)

I've tried Hiren's and his modified Acronis, but the new SSD was not recognized. Tried CloneDisk, but (maybe I omitted something?) it cloned the whole old SSD as it is leaving the unused space at the end. When I resized an old system partition, I get two different unused spaces, separated with recovery partition, that couldn't be merged (google showed some solutions, but didn't want to use them anyway).
What really worked was the Recovery itself. Booted to it, then found an option like clone disk/copy disk (don't exactly remember) in the bottom left corner of its UI. Chose to copy the factory image. That did the trick perfectly - it allows to provide how much space you want to use for your new partitions. Not sure if SATA - USB adapter achieved full USB 3.0 speed (don't know if Recovery is supplied with proper drivers), but it took something like 30-45 minutes to clone the whole disk.

 

Hey guys,

I will be purchasing this notebook next week. I wanted to know, where can I get the drivers from? On the samsung drivers website it says there are no drivers available at all for the Series 7 ultra. I will be completely reinstalling the OS, and this could potentially be an issue if there are no drivers available for download.

Can someone tell me where I can find the drivers for this unit?

 

I was confused with this at first but it is actually really easy! Just download software update from the website, it recognises your model and shows you all the drivers you need. It is then just a case of installing the drivers/software you want ( This way you can install only necessary drivers and not the bloat.

I did the same and installed Win8 Pro on my ultra, it was a really easy process

 

Wow... That's all it takes for the drivers? The simplicity amazes me. I absolutely love Samsung. This will be my first laptop from them though (been using their phones and TVs for years). Amazing hardware for the price and they just know how to make things work.

Can't wait to pick one of these up. I went to Media Markt today in Sweden and looked at one of them and it was gorgeous. The display was extremely glossy and reflective though but it wasn't any kind of a deal breaker. I'll be using it at college, but like most colleges, we have buildings that have roofs.

I don't understand how I didn't notice this model until yesterday. I'd been looking for weeks at ultrabooks and the only thing that repeatedly showed up was the XPS 13, X1 carbon, ASUS Zenbook, Aspire 7, etc.

 

Yeah, that is the joy of a touchscreen! but it is bright enough that is has been a non issue for me (unlike the stupidly glossy alienware m14x/m17x I have used before).

Still blown away by the performance considering its size, been playing Wargame Airland Battle at 1080p medium settings a lot recently and not only does it play well but it stays cool and the fans do not get that loud! compared to my m14x which sounded like a jet engine it is a breath of fresh air. I actually have to keep loading up MSI afterburner as I keep thinking something is wrong as it is so quiet on load

 

where can i buy this laptop in canada?

thanks!

 

Guys,
One more mystery to be solved... is there anyone else who suffers from glithes/stuttering sound? This happens on onboard Realtek as well as external X-Fi. Tested on two SSD's. I did some research and it looks that Windows 8 high DPC causes this irritating issue. I've tried to disconnect all peripherals I currently use but to no avail. Each 30-60 seconds I get DPC peaks and what comes with that - glithes in sound (slightly reduced in silent mode off, but still..).

I still have several days when I can return this notebook and get full refund as, really, it's just starting to be more and more irritating... why are they selling such a great machine along with Win 8 that does not even work properly...

Tried that, but no luck. Reports show that this !@#$%^& is caused by usbport.sys driver...

 

I am not noticing any stuttering yet. I will run dpc latency checker later and let you know my results.

 

I've noticed that the latency on my Windows 8 X4C is permanently in the 1ms zone (dpc latency checker's yellow zone) plus spikes of up to about 4ms.

I haven't yet tried tracking down the culprit(s).

John

 

@John,
My 730U3E constantly shows something like 2ms with peaks every 30-45 seconds to 8-10ms, however my record was ~326ms...
I will post screenshots when back from work. Will do some testing with second SSD and recovered OS. I wouldn't even bother with all this if there were no audio issues...

 

Is Bestbuy the only place to buy the Touchscreen one ?
Samsung ATIV Book 7 13.3" TouchScreen Laptop 4GB Memory 128GB Solid State Drive NP740U3E-K01UB - Best Buy

 

Saw this unit for $800 in new condition on eBay so I had to buy it. $200 cheaper than Best Buy and no sales tax sounds great to me!

Should receive it next week when I am back from my business trip!

Now all that is left is to sell my Sony Vaio S13A. Hated this laptop, nice to finally buy something else.

Sent from my SGH-I747

 

I gave up... clean Win 8 after recovery, all drivers right from manufacturers' sites and still the same. My unit is incapable of running yotube video and winamp at the same time - running youtube or mkv video file when winamp/internet radio plays in the background causes it to stutter. God, even my mobile phone would do this flawlessly :/

 

Do you mean a clean install with drivers downloaded from various OEM sites? Does it work after a factory restore, before any drivers are updated? What if you only update using SW Update provided drivers (as opposed to OEM ones)?

I don't think that newer, OEM provided drivers are always the way to go. Even if the OEM driver installs alright, there are many tweaks Samsung could have made in these machines that require their tweaked version of drivers.

If it's a factory restore, clean out everything Samsung, except Settings, as described in this post about Samsung bloat. If it's a clean install, try to install only what's listed in this post.

Windows itself can be tricky with latencies. The thread linked below has some info that might help; it was written mostly with Win7 in mind, though it also contains posts with Win8 info. There is also this more recent latencies discussion in the 2013 Sries 7 / AB8 Owners Lounge.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/688064-how-reduce-latencies-samsung-laptops.html

 

@Dannemand,
I've recovered factory image, then unistalled drivers one by one and installed new ones from OEM sites. Option with updating via SW Update already checked - done after purchase. SW Update also uninstalled along with sAgent. Installing updated intel wifi drivers right from their website (16.something vs 15.something in SWU) helped a little, but glitches are still there.
Already visited topic you provided - had nothing to do at work today
I'm just wondering, who let that OS to go public... Also... I might be wrong but I think this laptop should work properly just out of the box without all of that voodoo.
My last opton is to check 8.1 preview, otherwise I'll just take my money back

 

Got it, thanks for the update crosis. Yeah I didn't remember exactly what path you took -- too many discussions here for me to keep them all apart

A few things you can try, off the top of my head, before you throw in the towel. You probably already tried them all, but here we go:

1) Disable Windows System Restore (as mentioned in the latencies thread).

2) Try with and without Intel Rapid Storage -- this can dramatically affect latencies.

3) Uninstall all Intel WiFi, Bluetooth and WiDi drivers and roll back to built-in Win8 WiFi driver (using procedure described in the new WiFi remedies thread).

4) Disable WiFi when testing (to find the culprit).

5) Uninstall Java, Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, Adobe AMR.

6) Disable auto-load of Google Drive.

7) Or even uninstall Google Chrome, Drive, Voice (I use them all, but they're not the cleanest Windows implementations).

What the heck, here is my complete notes file from when I did my Win8 install originally. It's for a clean install, but a lot of it are "disable this or that", including some services. Maybe one of them happens to be your culprit. Note that this is a raw dump of my own internal notes, no guarantees that they are error free.

Spoiler

SAMSUNG NP700Z3A-S03US WIN8 PRO

1) WINDOWS INSTALL
- Install from ISO/DVD not USB (ExpressCache issue)
- Do NOT enable Windows Updates during setup
- Set Problem Reporting disabled during setup
- Do NOT connect to internet until after base trim & tweaks

2) WINDOWS TRIMMING & TWEAKING
- Trim Installed features (.NET 3.5 is NOT default, incl 2.0 & 3.0)
- Trim Metro Apps (right-click, Uninstall)
- Set drive letters (incl external)
- Disable System sounds
- Set pagefile size to 512-6144
- Disable System Restore
- Disable Remote connection
- Disable memory dump on System Failure
- Disable auto-play for all devices
- Set folder view settings
- Disable IE Automatically detect settings (Connection Tab, LAN Settings)
- Disable IE Feed updates (Content tab)
- Cleanup IE add-ons, Set Google Search, run IE to finish first-run wizard
- Set Indexing Options (Data & Start Menu only), Rebuild, Pause
- Add DK keyboard, apply to new users
- Disable Language Hotkeys (Language - Advanced Settings)
- Disable Troubleshooting Auto Maintenance reminders
- Set Defrag Schedule & select disks
- Disable Hibernation (Powercfg -h off)
- Fast startup makes quick boot after Shut Down - Power Options - Button Settings
- Add Data, Docs, TS, Google Drive drive to Explorer favorites

- Install Start Menu 8 - avoid adding bloatware
- DISABLE AutoUpdate in Task Scheduler
- Config Start Menu settings - avoid account pic (anamorph)
- Fix Calculator on Start Menu & Ctrl-Alt-P hotkey
- Save IE icon in Start Menu (ProgramData/Microsoft/Windows/Start Menu/Programs)
- If not done by Start Menu 8
- Set Taskbar icon order (NOW delete IE)
- Load WindowMetrics.reg (border width etc)
- Load COmpact 8 theme

- Install SysInternals
- Disable WMP MediaSharing service & Scheduled task (AutoRuns)
- Install CCleaner (see below for INI restore)
- Disable/tweak services - use BlackViper.com safe settings (MOST DON'T RUN IN WIN8)

- Update user folders (Docs, Music, Pics, Vid, Favs, Desktop) (Import ShellFolders.reg)
- Update Windows Libraries, run Media Player
- Maybe wait till after Office install for file type registration
- Restore Favorites (if touched by IE)

- Disable Problem Reporting for all users (WHERE?)
- Disable Customer Experience (WHERE?)

- Disable Action Center notifications (after important settings and updates)
- Metro PC Settings (Charms menu -> Change PC Settings)
LockScreen pic, Account pic (after Activation), Notification, Search, Share

3) DRIVER INSTALL SEQUENCE (before Windows Update)
- Samsung SW Update BEFORE net connection to make it use local SystemSoftware
- Let SW Update install: Chipset, iRST, AMD, Sound, LAN, Touchpad, Airplane, Settings, Color Prof
- DON'T let SW Update install: WiFi, Bluetooth, Intel ME, misc. bloat (see below)
- SW Update wants to install Marker File Path (???)
- Install ExpressCache only after everything else
- WiFi/Bluetooth: Use latest Driver-Only package from downloadcenter.intel.com
- Find: Wireless products -> Centrino -> 6230
- Set Adapter Settings -> Advanced tab: 2.4GHz width=Auto, Bluetooth AMP=Off
- Bluetooth driver NOT needed. Only adds BT On/Off festure in Settings
- BT On/Off in Settings only disables BT Adapter in Device Manager. Do it manually
- Note: Windows Update BT Highspeed driver does NOT give On/Off feature
- Disable Windows Write-cache buffer flushing
- DevMgmt - Disk drives - Policy
- AMD & Intel graphics
- Disable Hot keys in both to allow them in TradeStation
- Disable tray icons for both
- Disable Realtek Audio tray icon
- Control panel, click (i) icon
- Disable S Agent auto loading (part of SW Update)
- Disable in Task Schedulder or AutoRuns
- Create shortcut in Start Menu to run manually before SW Update

4) WINDOWS UPDATES
- Enable Windows Update
- Set manual update notifications!!!
- Disable System Restore AGAIN
- Do NOT install BT driver (not needed and doesn't give On/Off feature)

5) ADJUST POWER PROFILES
- AFTER Samsung Settings install (overrides profiles)
- Disable Hibernation (shut down/resume is faster w/Win8 Fast Startup)
- powercfg /hibernation off (run as Admin)
- Set lid action to Nothing (applies to all profiles)
- Disable password on wakeup (if desired)
- Samsung Optimized (used when Silent Mode OFF)
- Sleep: 15mins/1 hour (Battery/Plugin)
- Wireless Power: Maximum Performance (Battery and Plugin)
- PCI EXpress Link State Power Mgmt: Max/Moderate power savings (Battery/Plugin)
- Min processor state: 5% (Battery and Plugin)
- System cooling policy: Passive/Active (Battery/Plugin)
- Max processor state: 99/100 (Battery/Plugin)
- Display - Enable adaptive brightness: Off (Battery and Plugin)
- Battery - Critical battery action: Shut down/do nothing (Battery/Plugin - assuming hiber off)
- Samsung Optimized (used when Silent Mode ON)
- Sleep: 10/30mins (Battery/Plugin)
- Wireless Power: Medium power saving/Max performance (Battery/Plugin)
- Min processor state: 5% (Battery and Plugin)
- System cooling policy: Passive (Battery and Plugin)
- Max processor state: 99/100 (Battery/Plugin)
- Display - Enable adaptive brightness: Off (Battery and Plugin)
- Battery - Critical battery action: Shut down/do nothing (Battery/Plugin - assuming hiber off)

6) ELAN TOUCHPAD
- Enable two-finger tap
- Disable one-finger drag-drop
- Set two-finger scroll to Auto-scroll(not Inertia)
- Set Double-click speed faster

7) UTIL INSTALL
- CCleaner
- Restore user setting: Restore INI backup file, open app, THEN disable Save INI
- Save user setting: Enable Save INI, backup INI file, THEN disable Save INI
- NEVER leave Save INI enabled: It overwrites per-user settings (incl cookies)
- EasyBCD
- digestIT MD5 checker (Install/DiskUtil)
- x64 version, NOT x86 vesion
- Adobe
- Flash 11.x (Win8 included)
- Reader 11.x (Win8 app - or set Chrome as default PDF handler)
- Chrome Standalone Installer (use link to get latest)
- Log in to Gmail BEFORE login to Chrome to get App specific password
- Or get saved password from Logs file
- Set Chrome Sync settings (Aotofill, Bookmarks, Settings ONLY)

8) ADD DORTHE ACCOUNT
- Change account Pic
- Add Data drive to Explorer favorites
- Update user folders (Docs, Music, Pics, Vid, Favs, Desktop) (Import ShellFolders.reg - logout/in)
- Load WindowMetrics.reg - logout/in (border width etc)
- Update Windows Libraries, run Media Player
- Restore Favorites (if touched by IE)

- Disable auto-play for all devices
- Set folder view settings
- Disable IE Automatically detect settings (Connection Tab, LAN Settings)
- Disable IE Feed updates (Content tab)
- Cleanup IE add-ons, Set Google Search, run IE to finish first-run wizard
- Set Chrome Sync settings (Aotofill, Bookmarks, Settings ONLY)
- Set Indexing Options (Data & Start Menu only), Rebuild, Pause
- Add DK keyboard (if not already set for new users)
- Disable System sounds
- Touchpad settings

- Config Start Menu settings - avoid account pic (anamorph)
- Pre-populate Start Menu (CCleaner, Media PLayer, ...)
- Set Taskbar icon order (NOW delete IE)
- Set Taskbar notification icons (All)
- AMD & Intel graphics
- Disable Hot keys in both to allow them in TradeStation
- Disable tray icons for both
- Disable Realtek Audio tray icon
- Control panel, click (i) icon

- Disable Action Center notifications (after important settings and updates)
- Metro PC Settings (Charms menu -> Change PC Settings)
LockScreen pic, Account pic (after Activation), Notification, Search, Share


BLACKVIPER SERVICES TO DISABLE/TWEAK (SAFE)

- Application Management: Manual -> Disabled
- Bluetooth Support Service: Manual -> Disabled
- Needed for Bluetooth connectivity
- BranchCache: Manual -> Disabled
- Certificate Propagation: Manual -> Disabled
- Distributed Link Tracking Client: Automatic -> Disabled
- Keep shortcuts to network files updated if file moves
- IP Helper: Automatic -> Disabled
- Microsoft iSCSI Initiator Service: Manual -> Disabled
- Netlogon: Manual -> Disabled
- Network Access Protection Agent: Manual -> Disabled
- Offline Files: Automatic -> Disabled
- Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator: Manual > Disabled
- Remote Registry: Manual -> Disabled (DEF DISABLED IN WIN8)
- Smart Card: Manual -> Disabled (DEF DISABLED IN WIN8)
- Smart Card Removal Policy: Manual -> Disabled
- SNMP Trap: Manual -> Disabled
- Windows Connect Now - Config Registrar: Manual -> Disabled
- Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service: Manual -> Disabled (DEF DISABLED IN WIN8)
- Windows Search: Automatic -> Disabled
- Just uninstall Search (indexing) if not desired

OTHER SERVICES TO DISABLE
- Application Layer Gateway Service: Manual -> Disabled
- Needed for Internet Connection Sharing
- BitLocker Drive Encryption Service: Manual -> Disabled

I just noticed that indentation got lost in these notes (though still there when I edit it) which makes it harder to read. Hope it still makes sense.

 

Wow, thanks - that's a long list you've got...
Indeed, unfortunately I've already tried most of points 1 to 7. Have you ever managed to get green bars in DPC Latency Checker or no "red message" in LatencyMon on Win 8?

EDIT: OK, giving it back anyway - green bad pixel just popped out

 

Oh shoot. Well that takes care of the decision for you. The Series 7 Ultra is a great little machine, I would get a replacement and not give up on it yet.

I am almost certain that I did my latency tests (using LatencyMon) when I first installed Win8, and was able to keep it in the green. But I am not 100% if I am mixing it up with my Win7 tests (where I definitely managed to keep it green). And I have since installed several items on my Win8 partition that wouldn't pass the test (SW Update among others).

I may give it another test if I can find the time, but my current image backup is a couple weeks old, and no messing around planned until next the batch of Microsoft Updates. Every time I boot something other than Win8 I loose my ExpressCache content (an annoying "by design feature" of EC) so I try to avoid that as much as I can.

I'll post it in the latencies thread if I get around to it. About time I update that!

 

@Dannemand,
Replacement will probably "work" exactly the same and I will have only 1 day left (according to Polish law and this particular shop's policy you have 10 days to return/replace if bought online) to return/replace again the replaced one maybe I'll just buy it somewhere else, maybe they have a different batch?
Of course I could install Win 7 on it, but I spent my money on machine with preinstalled OS and I just hate the idea that the whole thing doesn't work the way it's supposed to. Not sure who to blame, M$ or Sammy?
Anyway, I really regret that my adventure with this machine ended up like this

 

@crosis: I understand. That's too bad, having to give up a machine which you otherwise like. And it won't be easy finding another Win8 machine (or Win7 for that matter) that can pass this latency test. Certainly not out of the box.

 

Frankly speaking I wouldn't even mind if bars go up to 5ms, just don't want stuttering and glitches in audio I am thinking right now about any alternative, but nothing comes to my mind, I'll probably wait for something low cost (FullHD will be probably treated this way 3200x1800 is just too much for me...) with Haswell.

 

True, you shouldn't have to endure those audio problems.

For what it's worth, I just did a quickie test on mine (NP700Z3A Sandy Bridge i5-2450M, Win8 Pro) and I can view YouTube videos in 1080p (scaled to my 900p screen) with Pandora playing Shostakovich in the background, and NBR open in a third Chrome window. No problems whatsoever. Heck, that's even with Chrome's Flash plugin enabled (to allow Pandora, I normally keep it disabled).

That's with the following installed -- several of which are notorious latency hogs:



I also ran a LatencyMon test and was NOT able to keep that in the green with my current setup. That would require stripping it down further.

Good luck whatever you choose

 

Hey all, I've had my NP740U3E-K01UB for about 10 days now. I love this thing, only thing I have had problems with is the touchpad. Sometimes it clicks when I don't want it to, like I will move the cursor over whatever I am wanting to click and it will just click. sometimes it clicks and drags a tab from Waterfox off the bar and into it's own window, these things have almost caused me to bring this back to Bestbuy. But everything else I absolutely love, which has kept me from bringing it back.

So anyways, I plan to upgrade memory and SSD eventually, on my box it says msata/PCIe. So do I need to get a PCIe or msata, or are they the same thing? or do they both work? Also, I have an M11x with a Nvidia Graphics card, is there anyway to add a graphics card to this laptop? If not, no biggie as I don't plan to really do any gaming on this. Another thing, memory is expandable to 16GB, is that 1,2 or 4 mem slots? I have looked all over for images of this thing opened up but have found none. Perhaps I will open it up after my 14 days (return policy expires) and check that out myself.

 

@steveninspokane,

Try different Elantech Touchpad drivers - you can find something here.

AFAIK mSATA is mini-PCIE, not sure though. You have to go for mSATA drive then.

Don't think so...

It depends whether yours has Radeon card or not. Version with Radeon has memory soldered to motherboard + one slot, version without it is a little different AFAIK.

 

Thanks crosis, I tried 13.13.3.3 from there and I still have all of the same functions but still having the same problems.

 

Mine worked the best with 11.14.2.7 downloaded from site I provided earlier - here you can find some my posts regarding the same issue. I finally found a solution (editing registry) to enable some featues not available in 11.14.2.7 be default, however I cannot help more now as I returned my 730U3E

 

Just tried this driver version and all my issues seem to be gone. Working very well!

However, I cannot find anyway to activate two finger tap to right click, like the stock Samsung driver had. I can't use the stock Samsung driver though since I get jumping issues.

Any ideas how to get that feature back?

 

Here you go: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...-trackpad-discussion-only-34.html#post9322911 (use HKCU\Software\Elantech\SmartPad key)
this should enable extra feature in regular click tab. Later I found out that Tap_Two_Finger actually corresponds with context menu and number edited in registry is a number of succeeding position in that menu, so you might skip this as well and just choose the appropriate function in UI.
I've successfully enabled three fingher tap and intertia scrolling this way too, but I don't remember exact registry keys

HKCU\Software\Elantech\SmartPadDisplay - contains information about extra tabs in UI, not features themselves
HKCU\Software\Elantech\SmartPad - information about features, some of them will be displayed in already visible tabs (e.g. two finger tap), so it might be needles to enable anything in SmartPadDisplay

 

I received this laptop yesterday and so far it is an amazing laptop. After I fixed the trackpad jumping issue and the fan constantly staying on issue, everything else was perfect.

The display is amazing. Text sure is small but it isn't too bad to read. Absolutely gorgeous colors, and I haven't even calibrated it yet. It is a night and day difference when compared to my Vaio S13's TN panel.

Keyboard is pretty good. Not as bad as people were claiming. Trackpad isn't my favorite but your finger does glide quite smoothly over it. I think I am not "amazed" by it since I am still getting used to it.

Battery life has been great so far as well. I was constantly downloading drivers and reinstalling the OS twice last night, while listening to music on the speakers, and I got over 6 hours of battery life at 50% display brightness.

If anyone has any questions about the unit I'd be glad to answer them.

Oh, and the fan is SILENT now. There was a driver issue I believe that caused the fan to constantly stay on, but after installing the latest drivers the fan is completely silent. I couldn't even hear it at night while sleeping (kept the laptop on about half a meter from my head).

 

Just a few more notes to add. I always crave answers when I am buying a laptop so I like to provide answers to the same questions I ask when I am purchasing a laptop, just to help people out!

THE SPEAKERS! Wow! These are the best laptop speakers I have ever heard. The sound is loud enough to fill my entire living room, and I can even hear the music from downstairs when I am in my room upstairs. The bass and midrange are quite good for an ultrabook. Treble isn't horrible either, but the cymbals in some of the songs I listen to sound a little muddy. You won't notice unless you pay extreme attention like I do.

I don't game too much but I do play League of Legends occasionally. In Summoner's Rift I got 50-60 FPS during a passive lane (or while jungling) and 30-40 FPS in teamfights, occasionally dipping down to 25 FPS if too many ultimates are used at the same time. It is completely playable.

Upgrading drivers was extremely easy. Just download the driver update software and choose what to install. Then you are done!

The SSD in the unit is much faster than my Crucial M4 in my old laptop at SATA II speeds, but slower than my Crucial M4 at SATA III speeds, You can not notice any difference in day to day use though.

Samsung Intellimemory was very buggy, so do not install that (could just be on my unit). It had some serious memory leaking issues. It would use up 6GB of memory and task manager would say I am using 90% of my memory while just sitting idle!

Again let me know if you have any questions at all! I'm very bored sitting here waiting for college to start again so I'd love to answer any questions you guys have!

 

If they refresh this model with Haswell and make it available in black, I'll have to seriously consider it.

 

IntelliMemory is meant to be a clever caching program which uses otherwise unutilised RAM to improve performance. It might give benefits when used with a HDD but can effectively slow down a computer with an SSD because of the need to empty some RAM when the user decides to load a program.

John