Samsung Series 7 NP700Z5B-S01UB Laptop 15.6" 900p i7 2.2GHz 8GB 1TB backlit keyboard DVDRW refurbished (grade 7) Cowboom - $360 + Tax Win 7 OS installed

Wow.. congrats to those who got this. I have the 17.3" version of the series 7 and I have to say I love it. If you like games, I'd definitely recommend the bigger one with better graphics card. My only complaint is that I don't like Windows 8 and the touchpad can be a bit finicky at times.. but I got used to it.

Quote from bigballer : I took your advice and tried to remove all the bloatware but the laptop would hang each time I launch uninstall or any program. I took a desperate measure and did a clean install with the Windows 7 Home Edition disc without all Samsung bloatware. Reinstalled all the drivers and it's working great so far for a couple hours. Will keep you guys posted if there's any other issues coming up. Thanks Nausicaa. I also managed to update the BIOS from 10FD to 15FD. This laptop is not for the faint of heart.

For someone who claims to have built and fixed laptops, I'm surprised the last solution of reinstalling everything didn't come to your mind. Don't ever file for refund of a great deal until you're sure it's some hardware problem.

This laptop is back in stock..... at $812.49

Quote from okinawanmatt : I've had my Samsung for a few days now from Cowboom. These are the tests I ran: Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool 64-bit (from Intel) Memtest 86 Prime 95 CPU-Z - check memory, clock speeds, SMART hard drive check GPU-Z - see when the auto-switch happens for graphics, check clock speeds Furmark - stress-test both GPUs Passmark Benchmark Tool I lef Memtest 86 run through twice without any errors. I allowed Prime 95 to run for 3 hours and everything was A-OK. In fact, Memtest made the laptop hotter than running Prime 95. Intel's own diagnostic tool couldn't find anything wrong with any internal hardware (it runs through hardware checks for almost everything). Passmark showws weird fluctuations between battery-only and AC-only tests. Even when set in "Performance" mode in Windows 7, Samsung's software seems to have priority over any Windows settings and disables certain chips and speeds. Running Passmark on AC power yielded about 5,900 in score (ran four times after separate reboots and updates). Running Passmark on battery power yielded 980 in score, even on "Performance" mode. I also ran a battery test. Set at full screen brightness with WiFi on, keyboard light on, and no dimming/sleeping, the laptop lasted 6 hours and 43 minutes when not in use. On a separate test with the same settings, I downloaded some apps, songs, burned a couple of discs and even ran Passmark, and the battery lasted 5 hours and 25 minutes. If I dim the LCD's brightness, I can see a possibility of the battery lasting about 9 hours on a single charge. There are four issues: For a quad-core laptop, I'm surprised that it seems sluggish for the first 2-3 minutes after boot. I'm especially surprised that the function keys (such as changing screen brightness) doesn't work until about 3 minutes after boot-up. I have not uninstalled any of the bloatware that came pre-installed, but I did update Windows and I did update the Samsung software through Samsung's update utility (pre-installed). I will uninstall bloatware to see if it will reduce start-up time/responsiveness. Also, using Samsung's built-in updater tool takes too darn long - about 3 hours to update everything. I have an odd semi-dark gradient on the right-hand side of my screen (extending about 1.5cm from the right-side-bezel towards the left). It's just a bit dark and cloudy, as though someone had pushed the screen too hard on that right-hand bezel. It wasn't noticeable to anyone in my workplace until I pointed it out and made them look for it. Several people at NotebookReview state that this is a known issue for all Samsung panels used in the Samsung Chronos (Series 7) notebooks, but I will have to confirm it to make sure it's not damaged. The trackpad has an odd change in depth on the bottom-right corner. It's hardly noticeable - it's maybe about a millimeter lower than the rest of the trackpad. I see that a reviewer on Amazon complained about the same issue, but he says he has found that it's the same on all models that were on display at Best Buy at the time of his review (link [amazon.com]). The keyboard doesn't seem to turn on fast enough at boot when the menu-display is set to the default 0-second timeout. I had a hell of a time trying to get to the boot/BIOS menu since it ignored or missed my keystroke over and over during reboots. I finally got into the settings and set a 10-second time-out for the laptop before it boots, and they keyboard now responds in time before moving on to load Windows. My main concern is wondering if this laptop has any warranty left on it. Other users are reporting that they can register their laptop as a "newly purchased" laptop, but their account states that the item has "12 month warranty" - it's unclear if the warranty is gone because most of the 12 months has passed since it was first purchased, or if it's 12 months starting from the time of our current registration. I will call customer support at Samsung and hassle them for a few hours tomorrow to find out the details. By the way, if you get into your BIOS, it will tell you the exact date of first purchase. Mine was back in 2011, and it is clearly past the 1-year manufacturer's warranty date unless they allow warranty to start fresh on a refurbished product. I'd appreciate it if others could chime in on their experience, concerns and insights. Let me know if this post has helped you!

Have any idea why if I install an clean windows the battery life is so low? I'm assuming I'm missing something. I used a free tool to download the drivers, and I reinstalled them... but my switchable graphics is gone and so is my great battery life. I was able to get my drivers back but it doesn't help...

My laptop only has 3 or 4 hours, and that was after I formatted the disc. Wow I'm missing out lol. I used easy settings to set it to use the 80% battery to last longer over the years and so I should theoretically get 5-6 but I only get 2-3, usually around 2.

After you remove the bloatware, it is much faster. I have a slight gradient on my side as well, and I can confirm your trackpad is not different, mine is the same. My laptop does not have the key issue, although the FN keys won't work without Easy Settings, but thats in Windows. I had a hard time getting to bios, but not as hard as you, I just did it once more, I think it was more of my fault.

Thanks for your post!

Quote from bigballer : I took your advice and tried to remove all the bloatware but the laptop would hang each time I launch uninstall or any program. I took a desperate measure and did a clean install with the Windows 7 Home Edition disc without all Samsung bloatware. Reinstalled all the drivers and it's working great so far for a couple hours. Will keep you guys posted if there's any other issues coming up. Thanks Nausicaa. I also managed to update the BIOS from 10FD to 15FD. This laptop is not for the faint of heart.

Just don't get rid of the OEM, you may need it. Can you tell me how big it is? Maybe Samsung will give me an OEM disc... I am missing essential files, and now my battery life is just average for a laptop and not exceptional like it is supposed to be. When you reinstalled it did your battery life drop dramatically?
I did the same thing you did and it dropped probably because its missing OEM drivers. I messed around with Driver Genius that got me some difficult to find drivers, but the problem is that your FN keys will not work unless you install Easy Settings... The FN keys are not at all tied to the BIOS for once which I find very odd.

Where/how did you get all the drivers? Can you enable the switchable graphics?
Also, can you download Samsung easy software and tell me if it works? Mine doesn't work because I assume the OEM has special keys that I no longer possess and it checks them and can't find them.

If anyone else can chime in, please lemme know!

Quote from phantaci : This laptop is back in stock..... at $812.49

Quote from Nausicaa : Mine was the same until I deleted the bloatware. Don't delete the samsung ones... try it first...

Quote from Nausicaa : Have any idea why if I install an clean windows the battery life is so low? I'm assuming I'm missing something. I used a free tool to download the drivers, and I reinstalled them... but my switchable graphics is gone and so is my great battery life. I was able to get my drivers back but it doesn't help... My laptop only has 3 or 4 hours, and that was after I formatted the disc. Wow I'm missing out lol. I used easy settings to set it to use the 80% battery to last longer over the years and so I should theoretically get 5-6 but I only get 2-3, usually around 2. After you remove the bloatware, it is much faster. I have a slight gradient on my side as well, and I can confirm your trackpad is not different, mine is the same. My laptop does not have the key issue, although the FN keys won't work without Easy Settings, but thats in Windows. I had a hard time getting to bios, but not as hard as you, I just did it once more, I think it was more of my fault. Thanks for your post! Just don't get rid of the OEM, you may need it. Can you tell me how big it is? Maybe Samsung will give me an OEM disc... I am missing essential files, and now my battery life is just average for a laptop and not exceptional like it is supposed to be. When you reinstalled it did your battery life drop dramatically? I did the same thing you did and it dropped probably because its missing OEM drivers. I messed around with Driver Genius that got me some difficult to find drivers, but the problem is that your FN keys will not work unless you install Easy Settings... The FN keys are not at all tied to the BIOS for once which I find very odd. Where/how did you get all the drivers? Can you enable the switchable graphics? Also, can you download Samsung easy software and tell me if it works? Mine doesn't work because I assume the OEM has special keys that I no longer possess and it checks them and can't find them. If anyone else can chime in, please lemme know!

Too late . I already got rid of the oem backup partition when I format the hard drive. I dont need the restore partition anyway since it contains so much bloatware.

I downloaded all the drivers from http://www.samsung.com/us/support...0Z5B-S01UB

FN keys works fine. I can adjust volume/brightness/eject/settings.

I got Easy Software Manager (ver.1.1.18.13) Windows 7(32bit,64bit) Sep 4, 2011 MULTI LANGUAGE 12.25 installed but it simply crashed every time I opened it. I uninstalled that and upgraded to the newer version Easy Software manager (Software) (ver.1.1.40.25) Windows 7(32bit,64bit) Mar 1, 2012 MULTI LANGUAGE 12.33 which is for NP700Z7C-S01US but it works fine. When you launch Easy Software Manager ver 1.1.40.25, it will ask you to update to the newest version available 2.x.x.x. I upgraded to that. Using SW Update ver 2 to download all the drivers is the way to go. It's so much quicker and easier. I did and google search and samsung support site but couldnt find the direct link to download SW Update 2.x.x.x

I'm still testing switchable graphics and battery life and will get back to you soon.

I picked up the 5 series Ultrabook from their last flash sale for $375 (called them b/c it had a ding on the cover and they gave me another $25 off, stuck a sticker on it).
http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/2...0u4b-a01u/

I've had it about 3 weeks and have put it through its paces. Here's my likes/dislikes. This is my first Samsung laptop. This may vary from OP here as they are different chassis, but probably similar guts/software.

Likes:
Love the all aluminum case. Very solid. And it's always cold to the touch.
Can never hear the fan. Super quiet.
Bright screen, love the matte over gloss.
Webcam is amazing - best I've seen.
Keys are awesome, nice travel for chiclet style.
Trackpad is excellent as well. No issues at all.
Unit wakes up (has two hard drives, one small SSD and one large HD) in about 3 seconds.
A hard start boots up in about 12 seconds.
Streams 1080p, even with HD3000. No lag issues. I don't game, so can't comment otherwise.
14" size is so much better than my 15.6" at the same resolution. Won't compare to OP's though.
Super bright.
Good stereo sound, and very good highs.
Windows 7. Thank God it didn't come with Windows 8.
It's .7" thick. Amazing the technology in such a thin device.
Came preloaded with Windows 7. No bloatware. Someone did my job for me. Everything works.
It was $350
bottom never gets hot.

Dislikes:
Off axis viewing washes out the screen.
Battery life is about 4 hours on high performance mode. I expected this, as the ultra book is a year old, and batteries wear down.
Replacement battery is $100+ (know this going into buying an ultrabook - esp used)
Doesn't close tight or lock, stays open a few millimeters.
Aluminum frame is slick, be careful not to drop it when carrying. Get a case.
Not familiar with Samsung's customer service. Read is horrible.
Lots of so-so ratings for most Samsung laptops on Best Buys site. Probably why so many available here.
Non backlit keyboard. That's a biggie when typing in bed. Hard to see volume/F keys.
No keypad on a 14". I'm a numbers guy, and this is a big loss.
The Sony Vaio 14" I also bought has razor sharp text, even with the same resolution. Even though this build quality is excellent, the Sony is a few steps above it.

Overall, you have to take the good with the bad. You're getting a laptop/ultrabook for half the original price, so some battery life, scuffs, glitches are going to happen. There was a reason these were returned. Hopefully, most can be updated with software. My Sony had a bunch of updates that fixed previous issues. I'm still trying to get the Blu ray player to play recently released movies. The drivers for the blu ray player are massive files.

Quote from bigballer : Too late . I already got rid of the oem backup partition when I format the hard drive. I dont need the restore partition anyway since it contains so much bloatware. I downloaded all the drivers from http://www.samsung.com/us/support...0Z5B-S01UB FN keys works fine. I can adjust volume/brightness/eject/settings. I got Easy Software Manager (ver.1.1.18.13) Windows 7(32bit,64bit) Sep 4, 2011 MULTI LANGUAGE 12.25 installed but it simply crashed every time I opened it. I uninstalled that and upgraded to the newer version Easy Software manager (Software) (ver.1.1.40.25) Windows 7(32bit,64bit) Mar 1, 2012 MULTI LANGUAGE 12.33 which is for NP700Z7C-S01US but it works fine. When you launch Easy Software Manager ver 1.1.40.25, it will ask you to update to the newest version available 2.x.x.x. I upgraded to that. Using SW Update ver 2 to download all the drivers is the way to go. It's so much quicker and easier. I did and google search and samsung support site but couldnt find the direct link to download SW Update 2.x.x.x I'm still testing switchable graphics and battery life and will get back to you soon.

Some of those drivers didn't work so well for me.

Oh yeah is the samsung software app crashing? Mine did after I did a restore, and I can't get the home premium key to stick. If its crashing, or if you have poor battery life, check your task manager, I found out that it was bad after it was using 25% of the CPU constantly. It worked once so I'm not sure why its messed up, but I can do without it suggesting me to get a best buy program.

Quote from Buckeyefan 1 : I picked up the 5 series Ultrabook from their last flash sale for $375 (called them b/c it had a ding on the cover and they gave me another $25 off, stuck a sticker on it). http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/2...0u4b-a01u/ I've had it about 3 weeks and have put it through its paces. Here's my likes/dislikes. This is my first Samsung laptop. This may vary from OP here as they are different chassis, but probably similar guts/software. Likes: Love the all aluminum case. Very solid. And it's always cold to the touch. Can never hear the fan. Super quiet. Bright screen, love the matte over gloss. Webcam is amazing - best I've seen. Keys are awesome, nice travel for chiclet style. Trackpad is excellent as well. No issues at all. Unit wakes up (has two hard drives, one small SSD and one large HD) in about 3 seconds. A hard start boots up in about 12 seconds. Streams 1080p, even with HD3000. No lag issues. I don't game, so can't comment otherwise. 14" size is so much better than my 15.6" at the same resolution. Won't compare to OP's though. Super bright. Good stereo sound, and very good highs. Windows 7. Thank God it didn't come with Windows 8. It's .7" thick. Amazing the technology in such a thin device. Came preloaded with Windows 7. No bloatware. Someone did my job for me. Everything works. It was $350 bottom never gets hot. Dislikes: Off axis viewing washes out the screen. Battery life is about 4 hours on high performance mode. I expected this, as the ultra book is a year old, and batteries wear down. Replacement battery is $100+ (know this going into buying an ultrabook - esp used) Doesn't close tight or lock, stays open a few millimeters. Aluminum frame is slick, be careful not to drop it when carrying. Get a case. Not familiar with Samsung's customer service. Read is horrible. Lots of so-so ratings for most Samsung laptops on Best Buys site. Probably why so many available here. Non backlit keyboard. That's a biggie when typing in bed. Hard to see volume/F keys. No keypad on a 14". I'm a numbers guy, and this is a big loss. The Sony Vaio 14" I also bought has razor sharp text, even with the same resolution. Even though this build quality is excellent, the Sony is a few steps above it. Overall, you have to take the good with the bad. You're getting a laptop/ultrabook for half the original price, so some battery life, scuffs, glitches are going to happen. There was a reason these were returned. Hopefully, most can be updated with software. My Sony had a bunch of updates that fixed previous issues. I'm still trying to get the Blu ray player to play recently released movies. The drivers for the blu ray player are massive files.

looks like ur bads really dont count for anything much serious at all.

Besides, I don't know what it is, but most laptops sold by bestbuy usually seems way crappier than the most all other batches, regardless of manufacturer.

Especially those exclusive BB models, almost guarantees you that they are a crap.

Quote from yarnim : looks like ur bads really dont count for anything much serious at all. Besides, I don't know what it is, but most laptops sold by bestbuy usually seems way crappier than the most all other batches, regardless of manufacturer. Especially those exclusive BB models, almost guarantees you that they are a crap.

I think that you have a lot of idiots buying laptops at BB, and don't have a clue how they work.

Quote from Buckeyefan 1 : I think that you have a lot of idiots buying laptops at BB, and don't have a clue how they work.

thats a good point

Quote from redskys :

I think you're looking at a different laptop.. the other one comes with a 3rd gen i7 and much better graphics card.. but probably isnt worth the extra cost to most people.

if I was just an average consumer, I would definately appreciate bunch crapware.
that makes an i7 laptop with express cache seems slow right out of the box.

People are so gung ho on antivirus software. They wonder why their laptop/pc's run so slow, and keep adding more spyware software to speed things up. The very first thing I do is delete any type of Norton/McAffee on all new laptops/desktops. Adobe is another sponge.