Looking for info on NP700Z3A-S05US

Hello,

So while clicking through TD today I came upon this notebook (NP700Z3A-S05US) for what seemed like an amazing price of under 400 dollars (albeit refurbished).
Samsung Series 7 NP700Z3A-S05US Notebook PC - Intel Core i5-2430M 2.40GHz, 6GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, Slot-Load DVD, 14 Display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Silver (Refurbished) at TigerDirect.com

Can someone help me understand a little more about this? Info on the web on this particular model seems a little scarce but based on whats "out there" right now this seems like its a killer deal...or like there is something I am not realizing about it and its actually a turd. I cant see there being any middle ground

Is there any upgradability with this? Could I add an SSD or get up to 8GB RAM?
Does it have the "instant on" feature I have seen advertised in most series 7 laptops?
Is there any way to remove the optical drive? I suspect not but I didnt really need one and this is a little heavier than I was hoping for in a notebook.

Thanks for any info!

 

I have an NP700Z3A-S03US which I bought at a Walmart.com clearance for $600 last summer (great deal at the time). Before that I had an open box S05US from TigerDirect which I ended up returning. I don't know why it isn't listed on Samsung.com anymore, but I am pretty sure it was that model.

The main reason I returned that S05US was the WiFi being absolutely terrible. It was a Broadcom adapter, whereas the one in my current S03US is Intel 6230 -- and it has FAR better connectivity.

The S05US is quite similar to the original S01US model (that was a link). Compared to the later Z3A models (including mine) the differences are:

- Slightly slower CPU in S05US (2.40gHz vs 2.45GHz -- it's negligible)

- 6GB RAM in S05US vs 8GB RAM (can be upgraded by replacing 2GB SODIMM with 4GB)

- Broadcom Wi-Fi vs Intel 6230

Most models in this series (including the S05US you are looking at) have the larger 5400 RPM 1TB HDD, whereas a few (including my S03US and S01US) have the 7200 RPM 750GB. The speed difference isn't as great as one might think, because the 1TB has greater density which improves transfer speed. I believe the 750GB has slightly faster seek times.

You should be able to replace the HDD with a SDD -- lots of people have done this on various Series 7 units, though mostly on the larger models. Many have then put the HDD in the ODD bay using a caddy. Check member yknyong1's NP700Z5A Disassembly Guide.

I am not sure which "Instant On" feature you are referring to, but these models all have several features to speed up booting:

- ExpressCache speeds up reading of frequently accessed files (including boot files). 8GB on the Z3A.

- Samsung Easy Settings has so-called Boot Optimization (which I personally disable).

- Sleep and Hibernate like any other Win7 PC (NO Intel Rapid Start, though).

I absolutely love this PC, particularly the screen, keyboard and touchpad. It's very compact for a 14" and generally quite elegant. I use it with both Win7 and Win8 and have experienced very few of the compatibility and hardware issues that you see mentioned on this forum.

Again, I did NOT like the Wi-Fi in that S05US I tested. But if you get full warranty and Wi-Fi is bad, maybe you can persuade Samsung to replace the Wi-Fi adapter. Or replace it yourself.

I think $400 is just about right, given this is now a fairly old model, and it's a refurb. If it's less than full warranty I would say $400 may even be a tad high -- in my opinion. I would prefer a manufacturer refurb to a TigerDirect open box.

Let us know what you decide

 

thanks for all the info! very helpful.

So I saw the deal today and was talking to a friend about whether or not it was a good deal when it suddenly sold out. A little while later it was "Available again" so I jumped on it, not having given ti any more thought since I thought the deal was gone. So basically for better or for worse, the decision has been made I own it...thought about cancelling the order tonight since I was wishy washy and the fact that it is still available means the "out of stock" thing may have just been a sales gimmick but its already marked as "shipped".

In terms of what kind of a deal it is I was thinking of it from this perspective...

I currently have an ACER 3810tz-4880...I will save you the trouble of clicking the link, its an old timeline (7 hour battery life before the dawn of the ultrabook). I loved the battery life, the size and the weight as well as the HDMI output...but it is older now with some issues (randomly shuts off, on a second ebay battery so life isnt what it once was etc) and I was never in love with the SU2700 CPU that I was able to live with for the past 4 years.

So anyway I wanted something the same (or better) size/weight as my current POS laptop with HDMI a better processor (preferably i5/i7) and a decent video card (intel4000 would suffice as I just want to play XCom) in the 500-700 dollar price range. Over 700 bucks and I have to also have 8GB RAM.

HAd a surprisingly tough time finding this...even some of the high end ultrabooks I was looking at a few weeks ago when I had talked myself into paying more had bad battery life (due to touch screens and other bells whistles I think) and no onboard HDMIs (just displayports). In the 500-700 price range everything seemed to be bigger and heavier.

My initial thought when I saw this was that it was a little heavier than I wanted, but had pretty good physical dimensions, an i5 processor, a standalone GPU comparable to an intel4000, onboard hdmi, more than 4GB ram, potentially a better screen than my acer, and its the price of a chromebook...

I am going to play the game for the next few days while I await delivery of "whats better than what I bought?" I would welcome any contributions you or anyone else would care to make...I bet I will keep coming back to the price though...~350 is pretty cheap for a laptop thats actually decent...

 

oh yea, meant to add, this is a factory refurbished unit, not a TD open box. I did just look after your comment about the warranty and its only 2 months :-/

 

OK, so it's only $350. I think that is a good price. And I think you will really like this machine.

One thing about the screen I forgot to mention: What's great about it is its high resolution, that it is matte -- VERY matte -- and very bright, allowing you to use it outside and in direct sunlight. What is NOT so great is the contrast and viewing angles. You will find lots of discussion about it on this forum. Calibration helps a lot.

Good that it's Samsung refurb -- except the warranty. When I bought mine, Samsung offered 3 months extra warranty by registering the product on their website. Dunno if they still do, but definitely worth checking -- particularly in your case.

With a little luck, they have replaced the Broadcom WiFi during the refurb

You will find lots on info and many helpful people on this forum. Most of the information about other Series 7 Sandy Bridge models (NP700ZxA) will also apply to your model. And a lot of information about the Ivy Bridge models (NP700ZxC) will apply as well. Once you get to the new Series 7 (NP770ZxE and NP780ZxE) it's very different, though.

So congrats on your new Sammy

 

At $350 I wouldn't hesitate to grab one. Just give it a thorough check to make sure that the whoever did the refurbishing actually fixed the problem(s) and didn't just stick it in a box with a "refurbished" label (I've had several instances in UK during the past 6 months of receiving defective refurbished products).

Check the battery wear using HWiNFO or similar software. If it has lost a lot of capacity then you might be able to negotiate a replacement.

If it's the Broadcom WiFi and performance hasn't been fixed by driver updates then drop in an Intel 6230 (which I would recommend over the newer Intel 6235). Unlike some notebook manufacturers, Samsung don't whitelist the WiFi cards.

John

 

I do have this laptop for some time now. I do like it and I don't intend to change in the short term.

However the HDD is only 5200 rpm and I want to upgrade to a SSD.

I remember seeing a thread some months ago about people having problems in fitting some ssd models inside. Has anyone have any bad experience with that upgrade ?

Any recomendations on an actual SSD around 500 GB ?

Thx in advance,

 

People had problems with the 9.5mm thick SSDs leaving a slight bulge. 7mm thick SSDs fit without any issues.

The Crucial M500 (successor to the m4) is getting good reviews, is competitively priced ($400) and is only 7mm thick.

John