Samsung Series 7 Laptops

[Brian Stirling]

I'm in the market for a new laptop and want/need a larger screen with higher resolution as I'm a photographer and am willing to lug a bigger box then most. All my software (PS) is in the Windows world so MACS are out. My current laptop for this is an HP dv8t with 18 inch screen and 1920x1080 resolution, but it's acting up and I'm looking to replace.

One of the laptops that looks pretty decent is a Samsung Series 7 laptop with 17.3 inch screen.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+...g!!18463087999

This laptop is a good bit thinner and lighter than my current HP dv8t and has 1920x1080 resolution but it's spec'd as 8GB RAM and I'd prefer more like 16GB -- does anyone know if this beast can be upgraded to 16GB and it so, about how much $$$?

If I buy soon it will come with Win7 and I'm fine with that. There is an upgrade path to Win8 for like $15 but I'm not sure I'd want to go with Win8 anyway at this point.

Any other feedback on this series of Samsung laptops or Samsung laptops in general.


Please, no Samsung/Apple bashing...



Brian

 

[Brian Stirling]

I've done a little more poking around and it looks like the thinner models (non-gamer) of the Series 7 are sealed up like MACS and are limited to 8GB. They are also for this reason not readily upgraded to SSD.

Too bad as it's a nice laptop otherwise.

It looks like these larger laptops are being orphaned by Apple and now WINTEL...


Brian

 

[pelov]

You may want to have a look at the Envy 17t from HP. It features a full 1080p IPS screen. The components are upgradeable and the battery life is pretty decent. The laptops come with a 2-year warranty standard and tend to have very good build quality.

There was an issue with some of the displays showing a bit orange, but I believe that's been corrected. Secondly, if you're doing any sort of Photoshop work and photography you should be calibrating your display anyway.

 

[Phil L]

Given your need, you may also consider a Sager/Clevo which can be cheaper, has good display (big plus for digital photos), and may offer better bang for the buck. If shopping in the US, many resellers also offer free shipping along with a 3% cash discount (if you use money order, certified check, wire, and some other transaction methods, as opposed to credit card).

Typically for Sager/Clevo laptops, the displays are base model 60%/72% gamut in glossy or matte, and upgradeable to 90%/95% gamut in either glossy or matte. For RAM, the different models usually have 2 minimum, and up to 4 SODIMM slots, and all are accessible by the user so you can add or replace RAM modules cheaper yourself.

Similarly the HDD bay or bays are accessible too. Some have 2 bays, while others have 1. But almost all models have the option of removing the Optical Drive and replace it with a HDD caddy for additional drive.

Build quality for Sager/Clevo tends to be solid, though the style is more minimalistic. It isn't as "stylish" as the fancier looking laptops out there, though for some people that's what they prefer.

There is however a build time, so you cant just walk into say BestBuy and buy one off the shelf. Typically 2~3 weeks if you buy from a "reseller", or ~1 if from a "builder". But of course some may be faster/slower depending on your spec (there was a shortage of 7970m for a while) and/or any customization (custom paint job for instance).

Just some thoughts,

 

[Jocelyn84]

I've done a little more poking around and it looks like the thinner models (non-gamer) of the Series 7 are sealed up like MACS and are limited to 8GB. They are also for this reason not readily upgraded to SSD.

Too bad as it's a nice laptop otherwise.

It looks like these larger laptops are being orphaned by Apple and now WINTEL...


Brian

I LOVE this laptop! I picked mine up from Cowboom (grade 8) for $800 a week ago (looks brand new) and they're rather easy to disassemble with a credit card (Currently have a a Samsung 830 256GB & Plextor M3 256GB inside of mine). 4GB is soldered to the board, so you can only upgrade the memory to 12GB maximum (no disassembly required.) As for the laptop, I get 6-8 hours of battery life, the display is very nice (best TN panel I've ever seen), it's smaller then your typical 17.3", and it only weighs ~6lbs. Anyway, I'm so happy with this thing and it does everything I need, so I'm probably going to part out my SFF system.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions and here's a great thread you may want to check out - http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...00z7c-s01us-laptop-i7-3615qm-650m-review.html

 

[Brian Stirling]

I LOVE this laptop! I picked mine up from Cowboom (grade 8) for $800 a week ago (looks brand new) and they're rather easy to disassemble with a credit card (Currently have a a Samsung 830 256GB & Plextor M3 256GB inside of mine). 4GB is soldered to the board, so you can only upgrade the memory to 12GB maximum (no disassembly required.) As for the laptop, I get 6-8 hours of battery life, the display is very nice (best TN panel I've ever seen), it's smaller then your typical 17.3", and it only weighs ~6lbs. Anyway, I'm so happy with this thing and it does everything I need, so I'm probably going to part out my SFF system.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions and here's a great thread you may want to check out - http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...00z7c-s01us-laptop-i7-3615qm-650m-review.html

Thanks for your feedback Jocelyn and also for the pointer to NotebookReview. I ordered one today and will pick it up tonight. I plan to up the RAM to 12GB and replace the 1TB HD with a 256GB SSD.


Brian

 

[Brian Stirling]

OK, picked the laptop up a few days ago and have since installed a 256GB Samsung 830 SSD and upgraded the RAM to 12GB. So far so good...


Brian

 

[RampantAndroid]

Don't get this POS. Got one today...the screen is terrible. And I'm USED to a TN panel with my Alienware 120hz monitor. Also, the touchpad is AWFUL. I honestly think I might just lay down the cash on a macbook and be happy that I have a laptop with an amazing screen.

 

[Jocelyn84]

Don't get this POS. Got one today...the screen is terrible. And I'm USED to a TN panel with my Alienware 120hz monitor. Also, the touchpad is AWFUL. I honestly think I might just lay down the cash on a macbook and be happy that I have a laptop with an amazing screen.

It's not really fair to compare glossy screens to matte. Some people prefer glossy, while others prefer not to constantly see themselves, thus choosing matte. My guess is you're "USED to a glossy panel", and you can even see how good the Samsung's panel is here - Samsung Series 7 LCD: About As Good As TN Gets

In regards to the trackpad, it's better than a Mac's while inside a Windows environment, and the best I've personally ever used inside of Windows. My guess would be that you didn't take advantage both sets of settings, considering one is semi-hidden (Photo below).

Elan control panel program ETDAniConf.exe, which is in the installation package

 

[RampantAndroid]

you can even see how good the Samsung's panel is here - Samsung Series 7 LCD: About As Good As TN Gets

That is the Z7C, not the Z5C. The 15" and smaller displays are NOTICEABLY worse looking.

 

[Jocelyn84]

That is the Z7C, not the Z5C. The 15" and smaller displays are NOTICEABLY worse looking.

While I've owned both and completely agree about the panel of the Z5C, the Z7C is the laptop being discussed in this thread or at least I see no prior mention of the Z5C other than your first post.

 

[crab0]

It's not really fair to compare glossy screens to matte. Some people prefer glossy, while others prefer not to constantly see themselves, thus choosing matte.

Having used both, I think the in between approach like in the MBA/rMBP (and new Amazon Kindle Fires) is the best IMO. Though I'd take matte over a mirror