The NP870Z5G Ativ Book 8 2014 refresh

I was super excited to hear Samsung was releasing a 15" version of their Ativ Book 9 series but I was extremely dissapointed that it does not offer a dedicated graphics card. In that light i am now looking to the Book 8 version as my next purchase.

In that light has there been any info, rumored or otherwise, which talks about an Ativ Book 8 haswell update?

Thanks

 

In the rumour thread there was talk of one later this year. I think a refresh was expected in March, but recently February was hinted at. Apparently the line will shift to Nvidia GPUs.

 

According to some german online stores the 870Z5G (non-touch) and 880Z5G (touch) should be available in 1-2 weeks.
I'm not sure how accurate this information is though...

 

Yes, an update is coming in the next weeks, but don't expect something as special as the previous generation 870Z5E.
Samsung decided to shoot itself on the feet and go for an Nvidia 750m (which, even IF it's a DDR5 version, will still be at least15% slower than the 8870m).

 

SW Update is listing three versions of the NP870Z5G for Germany so maybe there will be some different hardware configurations. However, there's no trace of the NP880Z5G in the database which suggests that it is not yet in production.

John

 

So far it is looking like the next gen is a cost reduced downgrade so you might want to get the current version while you still can...

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

 

Unfortunately, the 8870M version is not offered in the US

 

Here is the link to a german store: http://www.computeruniverse.net/products/90539852/samsung-ativ-book-8-870z5g-x01.asp


Samsung ATIV Book 8 870Z5G

39.6 cm (15.6"), 1920 x 1080 non-glare
Core i7-4702MQ 4x 2.20 GHz (3.20 GHz Turbo), 8 GB RAM, 1.0 TB HDD
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2.0 GB

Here in Germany the "old" NP870Z5E is only available in silver, the new 870Z5G seems to be black, yeah

 

Slower CPU AND GPU...

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Thanks guys, I knew if somebody would know it would be you guys.

I'm not so sure we can compare clock speed as an apples-to-apples comparison considering the CPU's are from two different generations. I don't intend to use the Ativ Book 8 for games, mostly photoshop, lightroom and a bit of CAD stuff so if there is a decrease in GPU performance it will probably be negligible to me between those two. If the price is lower and the battery life is higher, those would be more important to me. The only thing I wish it came with out of the box is Wireless AC. Is swapping out the wifi card for an AC version just as doable as swapping in an SSD?

Thanks

 

100% agreement!


I looked up some benchmarks at Mobile Prozessoren - Benchmarkliste - Notebookcheck.com Technik/FAQ When you look at them, then you will see that those two CPUs are very similar, I made a table for comparison(click on that little picture):

View attachment 107614

One time is the old 3536 faster and one time the new 4702. Over all the new 4702 is perhaps 1 or 2% slower, thats nothing...

And the 4702 has a TDP of 37 Watt, the 3536 has 45W.The 4702 has the better integrated GPU IntelHD 4000 vs. 4600.And Yes the nvidia 750 is slower but i am not a gamer, so thats no problem for me and when I read the problems with the ATI AMD Drivers then i think i will be happy when i hopefully wont have any Driver problems with the nvidia.


Lets see when the new Ativ8 is available...

 

Once software starts using the new haswell instruction set, the new CPU will be faster then the old one.
See [Phoronix] Optimized Binaries Provide Great Benefits For Intel Haswell

BTW.:
They start be be on stock!
870Z5G-X02 is available on amazon.de (by kg-computer)

 

Probably, I put a 7260 in my X3B. I don't have an AC network to connect to, but N has been far more stable than my old 6200. The only issue has been lack of support for bluetooth in Samsung's Settings software, so I have to resort to a workaround.

 

Performance benchmarks demonstrate 4702MQ is slightly slower and I am geting crazy battery life on current gen. Can't argue with a lower price as specs are not that far off for your application...

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Notebook.de is saying 2-3 weeks but is listing the specs for two versions.

If still on Windows 7 did you try Version 2 of Easy Settings? It's in the installer package for Windows 8 Setting 2.0.0.38. And if you are on Windows 8 then there are plenty of other versions of Settings to try. It's meant to be a generic program that works on all recent (2? years) Samsung notebooks.

John

 

Just checked 870z5g de | Geizhals DE
Now there are quite a lot online shops that claim to have them available, that was not the case this morning.
It seems that Samsung planned next week as first shipment or some kind of embargo and some shops are a bit too early.

What is really interesting: There is now a model NP870Z5G-X03DE listed:
Samsung ATIV Book 8 - 870Z5G, Core i7-4700HQ, 8GB RAM, 1TB, Radeon HD 7870M, Windows 8.1, silber (NP870Z5G-X03DE) Preisvergleich | Geizhals EU
Core i7-4700HQ, 8GB RAM, 1TB, Radeon HD 7870M, Windows 8.1

I wonder if this is a fault...

 

Yes, someone has made a mistake. SW Update lists the same Nvidia graphics drivers for the -X03DE as for the -X01DE and -X02DE. There's a small chance that there could be a different Nvidia GPU in the -X03DE but more likely it's other hardware (possibly an SSD) and/or the Pro version of Windows.

John

 

And the CPU is listed at the 47W Core i7-4700HQ

 

So it looks like these notebooks are eminent in the next few weeks. Is it common for Samsung to start shipping out of the US first, Germany in this case? If so, how long after it hits the EU market does it usually hit the US market?

Thanks

 

US getting stock later has numerous precedents. Considerations could be (i) Ramping up production by catering for smaller markets first and (ii) first sell in countries with better profit margins. If the retailer prices are a guide then the margin per unit in the US is significantly lower than in most other countries.

My best guess is 2 - 3 months delay but watch for the model getting listed by the retailers. This can be a month or more ahead of the stock arriving.

John

 

Any idea if the AB8 will be any lighter? I think the current model is 5.5lbs, a bit much compared to an S or XPS15. Also, I assume there is no docking interface (usb3 is not gonna cut it for me)?

I did but it still killed the bluetooth. In W8 I could not find a settings version that supported wake on lid open. My W7 "solution" has been to uninstall easy settings when I rarely need bluetooth and just use it standalone on demand. Seems like easy settings is incompatible with the 7260 bluetooth and settings does not give me wake on lid in W8.

 

I don't think so, there is no reason for beeing lighter...?

actually i dont know how much 5.5lbs is ( <= strange unit ) but here in the german online stores is a weight of 2.4kg listed, the 870Z5E has the same weight so far I know...

 

I agree: There's no sign of any chassis design on the Book 8 so there's no reason for any weight change.

Here's a useful little utility that tells me that 2.4kg is 5.29 lbs.

John

 

Just do a google query for '5.5 lbs in kg' and google will convert it, you can even do complex calculations with different units

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That's what I figured. There was not a docking interface on the ivy model either correct? I really don't understand why these have not become commonplace.

 

One can go a long way with docking solutions using a USB 3.0 dock. These can be more affordable to the end user than the notebook manufacturer docks and avoid the notebook manufacturers having to build in the extra complexity, although there are some convenient aspects such as having an "on" button on the dock so there's no need to open a notebook to get it started.

John

 

Hi,

Just thought I would add my thoughts and ask for advice,

I've had my Ativ book 8 since 20th Dec 2013 a Christmas present to myself. After many many hours of updates and many many hours of refreshes to factory defaults. It seems to get more sluggish by the day, so it's going back to Amazon. I paid £1400 for it and Amazon will not do a replacement as the price is now £1700.

I'm looking for advice for a replacement unit, I use sketchup pro 2013, Photoshop and Lightroom I need something powerful with good graphics and fast. I'm considering Sony Vaio fit multifit 15 but looking on this review sight they seem to have similar problems.

Is it so difficult to buy a good high end laptop with no bugs or glitches.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


Simon

 

1. The high price on Amazon UK is a sign that stock is running out so a few sellers see this as an opportunity for price gouging. An NP870Z5G is about to be released in Germany but is not imminent in the UK.

2. What have you done to try to trace the cause of the sluggishness? Check CPU performance using wPrime? Check temperature and the possible thermal throttling? Check in Task Manager what is using the CPU?

3. Is the GPU in the XPS 15 powerful enough for your needs?

John

 

I'm afraid my laptop diagnostic skills are limited however I did manage to use the windows performance report, That seemed to hint at a hard drive driver issue which strangely enough was first logged in June 2013 unusual since I got the machine Dec 2013.
To be honest I got so fed up with all the issues from day one when I upgraded to 8.1 and the backlit keys wouldn't work. Since rolling it back factory reset a number of times it has got almost unusable. Things like clicking on internet explorer and it just not opening. I uninstalled the Photoshop elements bloatware and it took over 25 minutes.

So back it goes tomorrow, a real shame I'm pretty fed up that it has to go back. So now I'm back to researching something different. I need it for work where I use mainly sketchup pro 2013 Photoshop and Lightfoot

I'm thinking maybe Dell M3800

Simon

 

First thing I thought of was recommending the XPS 15 as well.

 

Not sure if it is available in the UK, but the Asus N550JV seems to fit your needs. The Toshiba P50 series is also a good contender.

I actually owned the original Series 7 Chronos for about two weeks when it first came out but had so many glitches that I had to return it. Shame that it seems as though Samsung still hasn't figured out all the bugs... I ended up buying a Sony Vaio S 15, which is still going strong two+ years later, but it is time for an upgrade again and the Asus & Toshiba are on the top of my list.

 

I would still prefer to have a dock that powers the notebook, lifts it up to provide better ventilation (or better yet supplemental cooling), has sufficient bandwidth for multiple high resolution displays, reduces desktop clutter.

 

Samsung put a docking port on the X Series (see photo of bottom in this review). However, IIRC, they wanted a lot of money for the dock and/or it was hard to find, so I doubt they sold many. This might have been a factor in dropping the facility on more recent models. There's also the challenge of where to mount the connector on the mainboard without having to shrink the cooling system.

John

 

Finally! I´ve had the Ativ 870Z5E for a while but i sent it back because the screen ghosting/Burn-in on the IPS was too heavy and i didnt like the silver chassis color at all!
Sadly the new one is in all silver again....SAMSUNG Why dont u release a black version like u do in other countries??
Its looks so much better in black. If the keyboard would be black at least but a silver laptop with a silver keyboard is just eyecancer to me.
But still the 870Z5E offered everything i needed. Completly fanless office work+awesome gaming power+good screen(except the ghosting/burn-in which was unacceptable).
I will get the new one and try it out.
Does anyone know if they got new Displays? I stopped reading through the big ATIV BOOK Thread here...
When they got a new ips screen without that ghosting/burn in, i think i will keep it no matter the color.
I´ve tried so much laptops now but the best was still the 870Z5E.
Another try would be the Gigabyte P35K.
I´ve had it for 3weeks but it had too much issus with the fans. But they seem to be fixed now.
Currently im deciding between the new Samsung, Acer V5 and the P35k.
I´ll get the V5 and the new Samsung soon and then we will see.
Pro for the V5 is that it got an amazing IPS and same specs as the Samsung but for 800€ only vs the 1200€ on the Samsung with nearly the same specs. AND the V5 got a sweet black aluminium Design.

 

Yeah, I also wanted a black Ativ Book 8, like it is released in toher countires (I'm from Germany) but here they only sold the silver ones.
Bit the bullet nevertheless and after a time it's not that bad anymore.

The new release Z5 G is available in black here in Germany, so maybe it's also at your place?

It has a different tech spec (Haswell, nVidia GPU) so check the details it it's still okay for you.
The new CPU is about the same processing power but a little bit less power hungry.
The new GPU is weaker, also keep in mind is has no Mantle support which will boost AMD GCN cards. Figures currently in the press: +10%, +30%, +45% and even three times (Oxide's Nitrous Engine) as fast as compared to DirectX.

 

I am from Germany too and the German Versions are again in silver. On some pages it misleads and there is a Black Picture of the Ativ Book but the new G Version is in silver again as far as i researched....
I know that the 750m won´t be as powerful as the 8870 but thats something i can deal with as long as the display has no burn in this time.
Doesn´t the display burn in annoy you?
I am really not one of this IPS boys, but the burn in ghosting was so annoying that i couldnt enjoy the pros of an ips screen.
The P35K ips screen havent had this issues so i still hope this is fixed in the updated series.

 

How did you research?
Some shops write that both X01 and X02 models are silver, but more shops explicitely write "BLACK" or "mineral black" or "anthrazit" in the description of the X01 model whereas the X02 shows "METAL" or "silver".
I'm not sure what to believe, but i tend to believe that X01 will be black and the X02 silver. I won't bet on it though

 

The new german 870Z5G-X01DE with the i7 Haswell and 750GT is black.
The new 870Z5G-X02DE with i5 CPU seems to be silver.

 

Mh...i just called Notebook PC Shop - Notebooks & Laptops günstig bei notebooksbilliger.de and asked for the color.
They said the new 870Z5G-X01DE is silver

GPU: Most dealers say that the GT750 has DDR3 but notebooksbilliger.de says that it is DDR5. He said that they would have a special Dealer Version, with different configuration. But actually I do not trust them. I never heard of special dealer configurations?!

 

Now i called notebook.de

They said that their 870Z5G-X01DE is black.
He said that samsung offers both colors and both have the same name. So there black AND silver 870Z5G-X01DE

Very strange.

GPU: notebook.de has listed GDDR3 for the GPU, i asked him for that and he said that this is a mistake...it has GDDR5, he will correct it in the onlineshop.

 

Now I called samsung4campus
(This shop is in my city and i already was there last week)

They dont have the new 870Z5G right now but they will get it the near future and they probably offer it as Student Version.

I talked with him about the informations that the other dealers gave to me.
He said that it is definitly NOT possible that 870Z5G-X01DE has under the same CODE two different colors. It has definitly only one color with that code. Whether black or silver.

So then I actually trust the guy from notebook.de, so that would mean the X01DE is black (he said it is more a dark blue than black).
That would mean that the guy from notebooksbilliger.de told me nonsense...

 

finally I called cyberport.de

He said that the X01DE is black but he just looked it up at his PC.

 

Thanks for doing the hard work well, if notebook.de say it is a dark blue, I strongly believe that they confuse it with the old ATIV 9.
I dont trust anyone now...

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Samsung's web page for the Swiss version allows the user to select black or silver photos but the specification page says Mineralschwarz which is the very dark blue (same as previously). I agree that a specific version number will be either black or silver, not both.

It's interesting that the model is listed in the Swiss section of Samsung's website but not yet in the German section. Perhaps someone in Switzerland is more prompt in updating web pages.

John

 

Yeah...really crazy...

Now i had contact with the samsung support...but you will laugh...they could not help me because the do not have the new 870Z5G in their system yet.

Thats really cool...at the moment you can buy a product and Samsung has no support for this product. :thumbsup:

 

That is consistent with there being no details on the Samsung Germany website.

Anyway, if any retailer has stock then they should check the label on the box. That has the summary specifications and should include the colour. There's no need to open the box.

John

PS: Scandinavia has the -X-1SE (quad core CPU) and -X02SE (dual core CPU).

 

Haha...it gets even more confusing...

On the swiss samsung Page it is listed with a Intel® Core™ i7 Prozessor 4700HQ (2,4 GHz bis zu 3,4 GHz) TDP 45W

All german dealers have the X01 with the i7 4702 TPD 37W 2.2GHz to 3.2GHz with 37W TDP


And GPU with GDDR3 and not GDDR5.

Thats also new:
Intel® Wireless-AC 7260, 2 x 2 802.11ac

 

The Z5E was available in black in Austria, but not in Germany (the code also had the AT suffix).
However it had a different hawrdware setup, was more expensinve and only would have had the 1 year international warranty so I skipped.

It is important to notice that every country has their own models! They are inherently different, so saying "870Z5E" is utterly meaningless until the full name like "NP870Z5E-X01DE" is given.

Also regarding the image retention mentioned above: I have not detected it yet and I am VERY picky regarding my displays. I only use IPS displays because I can't stand TN. Also I'd like to add that the display technology of the Ativ Book 8 is NOT IPS but some sort of MVA or PVA (I think the nontouch had the AMVA by AOU considering the black level and other specs, but there is much confusion and I never really got a 100% proof source).

 

This is an important point that frequently causes confusion.

The factory offers a range of options and each country marketing office chooses one or more combinations that they think they can sell. These combinations are then given version numbers with the country code at the end (but I haven't figured out if there is a systematic reason for the K, S and X letters in the version number).

Sometimes, more than one country will order the same specification and these may end up with the same version number excluding the country letters). However, that is coincidence, but the likelihood of it happening is greater if the factory options are few.

And, since you mention Austria, I see there is -X01AT and-X02AT (Austria), -X01BE (Belgium) and -X01FR (France) in the SW Update database.

John

PS: And I have just renamed this thread.

 

Exactly! That´s why i think Samsung did it again and Germany again gets the Silver Version.
At that time of the 770Z5E/870Z5E i would have paid a bit more for the Black Version by ordering it from Austria or Switzerland, but the bad Display was the dealbreaker. I am not very picky but when i had this Laptop and i was on Desktop for a while with some tabs of the explorer open and e.g. Firefox, there was definitly a burn in effect which was very annoying. Furthermore in my opinion the response time was very high too.
It is like u can still see the explorer tabs, the frames of the tabs while u already have started a game for example. It took like 5 minutes till they vanished.
Im a casual gamer and i still have a 6year old 24" tn screen which doesnt have this issues.

Edit: Just to be clear. I was one of the first who got the Samsung. At this time i still was called 770Z5E. When they renamed the 770Z5E to the 870Z5E ,I don´t know, if they also used a new display! I also cannot say if the 780/880 Touch version´s have had the same issue!

Edit2: I just looked it up in the big "Ativ Book Owners Thread. Here u can read what i mean:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...0z5e-np780z5e-np870z5e-np880z5e-188.html#1876