Samsung Series 7 Chronos 700Z5C (NP700Z5C-S03SE)

It's F2 to enter the BIOS. However, it's worrying if you are getting nothing on the screen.

There should also be a small hole on the optical drive fascia through which you can poke an a straightened paperclip to do a manual eject.

You may need to disable fast boot. Read http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/697841-guide-how-install-windows-7-8-via-usb-np700z.html for further guidance.

John

 

If you are able to boot into BIOS (F2 as John said) the Eject Fn-key should work in there (on my NP700Z3A it's Fn-Delete).

And you need to follow one of the workarounds in posts #1 or #2 of the thread linked by John if you want to install Windows from USB on this model. It's a an issue with all models that have ExpressCache where Windows Setup incorrectly identifies the ExpressCache drive (iSSD) as the boot disk. If you can install from DVD instead of USB it will be much easier. There is a detailed Windows install guide here later in the same thread.

But of course none of that matters if the screen doesn't work

 

Is the hole for ejecting the dvd on the back? That's the only pinhole I can find, I've seen this suggestion before but mostly it's illustrated by dvd drives with trays... of course, no dvd tray on this one. If I can get it to eject I hope to use the install disc but, again, only IF I can find it...

The screen was actually the reason for all of this --- I've had it permanently hooked up to my tv for months now and you could say I was slightly dissatisfied when I got home a few weeks ago to the tv not receiving any signal through the HDMI-- something that lead to me drunkenly manhandling it a bit too much... I think the "no signal" thing was due to me not powering off the laptop completely as I usually do but instead accidentally putting it in that "sleep" type mode (can't remember the actual name of the mode). So, as it seems to stand now:

I need to either locate the MS install disc and eject the disc currently inside the dvd drive, installing it that way OR I need to replace my screen and utilize the BIOS enabling the laptop to boot from the bootable Win 7 usb I have created. Hmmm... better get to work.

One more thing; is the screen hard to replace? The touchpad is also cracked but seemingly mechanically functional and the keyboard has gotten a bend upwards in the middle but I really do hope that I can get off by replacing just the screen for now...

 

The hole I was talking about is clearly not related to the dvd drive after all --- seems to go to the battery or something. I'm guessing I need to take the cover off to access this emergency eject feature?

 

The release hole, if it exists, would be under the slot. Perhaps it is not provided on drives with a motorised eject mechanism ( this thread suggest not). That's a good reason for preferring tray-loading drives.

So you'll probably have to remove the ODD then either take the cover off to get the disc out or put it in an external ODD enclosure and connect to another computer.

John

 

Or just try a few times to blindly enter BIOS, then press the Fn-Eject key there. If the disc comes out, you know you're in BIOS - otherwise turn off and try again.

My Series 7 (similar style as the NP700Z5C) does not have an eject hole.

 

Thank you once again for your help guys! I will probably try locating the win7 disc and removing the disc that is still in the drive by opening it up tomorrow --- I will keep you posted... fingers crossed!!

 

New screen installed but still nothing. Would I be able to install windows 7 on the newly installed SSD by connecting this laptop to my nc10? I'm also having concerns that the keyboard might be screwed as well --- the power light etc. above the actual keys light up when I boot but there's no reaction or light from the keyboard.

Could my BIOS be messed up somehow and could that possibly be the reason for nothing appearing on the screen (no Windows and no BIOS)? I'm tempted to give up but not just yet ---- hope you guys can assist...

 

Guys... so excited... I just entered BIOS!!! What I did was removing the RAM chip (if that's what it's called) asw per some related advice given by John Ratsey in this thread here http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/700533-boot-bios-problem-chronos-7-after-ssd-upgrade-2.html

Going to try and disable the fast boot now, create a new bootable Win7 usb and see how it goes... so crossing my fingers right now:thumbsup:

 

Creating the bootable usb as I'm writing this --- just want to clarify something that I'm not 100% sure about...;

Am I supposed to set the boot order to 1: Sata HDD (Samsung SSD) and 2: USB HDD ?

I've already disabled fast boot and just need to have this confirmed so that I can continue the process...

But, so far... good news is that the screen and keyboard works --- plus the BIOS after removing the RAM of course..

 

I should have suggested that step months ago.

Anyway, good news that you can see what is happening.

John

 

Well, either way --- thanks, John!

It seems I might be having some problems with the partitions though --- I keep getting a "Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition" error message when clicking "Next" having highlighted the 465,8 gb SSD partition (which is named Disk 0 Partition 1)

 

As I see it right now it seems I have to delete, create new partitions and format --- correct?

Getting too late now anyway, just glad there's finally some hope here --- I will be back tomorrow --- thanks again to everyone that has helped me so far!!

 

It's great that you solved the hardware issue (or at least identified the cause). Well done!

You REALLY don't want to install Windows from a USB stick on this model, since you will get a boot problem caused by Windows Setup being confused by the small SSD used for ExpressCache. There are workarounds, but they're tricky. If you MUST install from USB (say if you took out the optical drive) you have to follow the steps in this guide (post #1 or #2). I highly recommend you install from a DVD instead, it is FAR easier.

In either case can you use this Win7 install guide (post #40).

 

Thanks for the suggestions, Dannemand! However, I would like to at least TRY to install from USB as my Win7 disk is nowhere to be found Actually, I'm not even sure I had one to begin with as I think the OS (Windows 7 Premium) was pre-installed.

So, having done so many things to this machine on my own already I think I may be able to pull this off with, hopefully, some guidance from you guys. The guide written by Hanime is great but I do have some questions even though...

I am now at the early point where I need to deal with which partition to install onto etc. but I keep getting an error message over and over again when trying to click "next" with my ssd partition highlighted... it reads: Setup was unable to create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. See the setup log for more information

This is the partitions showing on the "Where do you want to install Windows" page:


Disk 0 Partition 1........................ 465.8 GB Primary
Disk 1 Unallocated Space............ 0.0 MB
Disk 1 Partition 1..........................7.5 GB Primary

I also tried creating a new partition on Disk 0, as per Hanime's guide, but the "New" button is not active with the SSD partition highlighted...
As I've gathered I need to create a 100 MB partition on Disk 0 for Windows 7 install in addition to the already existing 465.8 GB SSD partition.

Should I delete something here in order to create these partitions needed or will that mess it all up?

 

I finally managed to eject the DVD stuck in the cd/dvd drive so I'm currently trying to burn a Windows 7 Home Premium install disc from an .iso file --- maybe I'll get lucky if not I'll continue on down the USB boot path...

update: currently running a freshly burnt install disc, will update on how it goes --- I did, however, use the complete size SSD partition (465.8 GB) to install on instead of creating a smaller sized partition --- was that unwise?

 

Install is complete and, it would seem, successful! Thanks again to all of you guys for helping me out!!

All I need to do now is to properly ID the full product key on the casing... couldn't get it right at that last step of the install... Also, can I now safely re-insert the ram chip that was removed earlier? Or is it simply faulty in some way?

 

I am sorry I didn't see your posts earlier. I usually usually only check here in the afternoon US Eastern time.

Good job getting that install working! And yes, DVD is indeed a lot easier. Particularly with Win7, since you can freely (and legally) download ISOs from Digital River and burn to a blank DVD.

I am not sure what to do if you cannot read the Product Key on the sticker. I always write them down elsewhere just to be sure, but I realize that's little help to you. You don't HAVE to Activate during the actual Win7 Setup: You can skip it, and Windows will give you 30 days to Activate before it quits working. So if you have a valid Product Key from another Win7 Home Premium, you can temporarily use that to complete the installation, then call Samsung and ask if they can help getting your product Key based on the serial number of the machine. Once you have the Key, use Change Product Key in the System control panel to enter it and Activate.

There are utilities that can extract the Product Key from a running Windows installation (such as RWeverything, Google it). I don't know if it can extract it from a Windows installation on your old HDD without actually running it...

About the RAM chip, I fear it is one of those situations where it just isn't compatible after the latest BIOS update. In any case would I get everything else up and running before trying to re-insert it.

 

Appreciate your input once again

I skipped the activation part as I couldn't get any of my guesses to work/go through. I'm sure I'll get that one fixed soon enough though. But, I am having problems getting online --- seems I am missing drivers for Ethernet Controller, Network Controller, PCI Simple Communications Controller, SM Bus Controller and USB Controller. Also, the Standard VGA Graphics Adapter has a "Code 10" error ("This device cannot start").

My main problem locating the right drivers is the number of similar Samsung models out there --- I can't seem to find ones for my exact model number... I remember struggling a bit last time I did this too but I can't remember what I did to finally locate the missing ones. Of course, if I could only get online with my Chronos I'd simply use SW Update (already installed via USB) for the remaining driver and programs.

No worries about the RAM chip, I guess I can always upgrade it... right?

 

Yes, you need WiFi drivers for 6235 from Intel's website. It's explained in that Win7 install guide I linked. If you didn't download the driver before installing Windows, then just use another pc or phone or tablet and save it onto a USB stick or memory card now.

Once you have WiFi and are able to run SW Update, just let it install basic drivers automatically -- starting with Chipset. That guide lists which drivers to install, including a few you DON'T want to let SW Update install.

 

1. You've discovered why we recommend downloading all the drivers and putting onto a flash drive before reinstalling Windows. You should find the drivers here will work until you get on line and see if SW Update offers anything more recent.

2. You can put back the RAM and see if the computer pretends to be dead. Sometimes the RAM issue is caused by dirty contacts which get cleaned by removal / replacement but it's quite likely that the BIOS update is the cause. There's uncertainty about what RAM will keep the BIOS happy so, unless you have modules lying around which you can try then it will be best to buy from somewhere which will take it back if it doesn't work.

John

 

I've managed to update a lot more drivers now thanks to your link!

I am missing drivers for the PCI Simple Communications Controller though --- not sure which one that is on there...? Also, the Intel Centrino Adv. N 6235 cannot start... it has the correct up to date drivers now though, according to the OS. But it still simply says "This device cannot start (Code 10)"

 

If all "obvious" devices are in place, my guess is that PCI Simple Communications Controller is Intel ME (Intel Management Interface, also called HECI). Most likely Windows Update will offer a driver for that, which I recommend you accept.

As for your 6235 WiFi driver, what is the name of the driver file you downloaded from Intel?

You want the latest Driver Only package called Wireless_16.11.0_Ds64.exe. Try this link. That assumes you installed Win7 64-bit, and not 32-bit (which one member accidentally installed).

You want to uninstall previously installed WiFi drivers first, using the Programs and Features control panel. If it still acts up, you can try a thorough rollback as described in the WiFi Remedies thread. Or you can try installing Windows anew. There is never a better time for a do-over than when you're just getting started

 

Thanks! I installed the Heci driver package via Ratsey's link and it seems to have solved that particular problem -- installation was successful and the PCI Simple Comm. listed under "Other Devices" (with a yellow exclamation mark next to it) disappeared from that category.

Curious thing now is that the only thing with visible problems under Device Manager is "Network Controller" but double clicking it shows no further details and I'm guessing that this was where the details for Intel Centrino Adv. N 6235 was yesterday... (?).
Tried re-downloading that very same driver package, even though I already tried this yesterday, removed the existing WIFI drivers (that were supposedly the correct ones when checking yesterday) and re-installed but no change...

So, now I only have "Network Controller" listed as having a problem but no Intel Centrino Adv. N 6235 listed anywhere under Device Manager.

Could this "simply" be a hardware error?

 

Just to be clear: The OS I have installed is indeed 64bit, Windows Home Premium

 

Sounds like you have the correct WiFi driver. Just a thought: Check in Easy Settings that WiFi is enabled (or toggle Fn-F12). Then try and uninstall/re-install the WiFi drivers after that. If it doesn't work, again, then try that rollback procedure in the WiFi Remedies thread I linked.

Uninstalling Easy Settings may be a good idea until you have WiFi (and everything else) working. Easy Setting takes great pride in messing with the loading of critical startup tasks, and has been known to affect the loading of both WiFi and touchpad drivers. When comes the time to re-install Easy Settings (once everything is working) the latest version I have seen is 2.0.0.83, and can be downloaded with Find Model in SW Update under model NP930X5J-K02UK.

 

Connected to the internet just now, although wired... but at least now I'm able to run SW Update and other updater programs. The Intel Manageability Firmware Recovery Agent says there's no new updates to be found ---I have already installed a few of the drivers you recommended using SW Update incl. a few Windows SP1 updates.

I do not have Easy Settings, I'm guessing it's the Samsung software you're referring to? Fn -F12 did nothing (?). Right now it seems to me that the laptop is not recognizing the Intel Centrino Adv. N 6235 as it cannot even find the drivers for it online using the search option under Device Manager... no idea...

 

I wonder if your WiFi adapter was in a disabled state from the beginning, and you need to install Easy Settings to enable it. I have not heard that before though.

Really, it shouldn't be this hard, certainly not on your model.

I would try the installation again, this time just plug in an Ethernet cable once Windows is finished installing, run SW Update and let it automatically install all drivers -- except the ones mentioned in the Win7 install guide.

A security case can be made to have the Windows Critical Patches and Updates (from SW Update) ready to install before going online. But if you have a firewall enabled in your router, you should be fine the few minutes online while SW Update does its thing.

The Intel Management thing you're seeing probably came from the HECI driver you installed. I prefer to avoid such background tasks, which is why I recommend installing the Intel ME driver from Windows Update instead.

 

Tried Easy Settings but that did not work, either way it's enabled on there now too. Tried installing the Intel Pro-Set Wifi software and it came up with an error saying "A physical WIFI adapter is not installed"

Also running the diagnostics tool I get "Wireless Hardware is not present". Considering handing it in for "repair" and possibly an OS upgrade (seems like I'll be having problems activating my Win7 Home Premium OEM as well and I'm pretty fed up)... not sure yet. There's no other way of "enabling" the Intel Centrino Wifi hardware? Maybe I should upen up the case just to check to see if it all looks connected? I had those wires disconnected several times when replacing the screen and heatsink among other things...

 

Just read this in the troubleshooting tips: "If a device is disabled a black arrow is displayed on the device". Not what's displayed in my case...

Furthermore: "When the adapter displays a yellow exclamation point, right-click the adapter and reinstall the driver". Exactly what's going on for me...

So, it's seemingly enabled but not identified and the drivers won't install? Confused...

 

Just got home and another update on my WiFi issue:

Booting up the laptop and checking Device Manager I all of a sudden see the Intel Centrino Wifi device listed under Network Adapters and the Bluetooth devices are also listed again.
The Intel Centrino Wifi device is listed as disabled running the Intel Diagnostics tool and, sure enough, it's got a black exclamation point displayed on it under Device Manager.

So, I enable it from the right-click menu and it flashes once, appearing with no symbols on it and then once again and it's back to the yellow exclamation mark (no drivers installed)...
I try updating the drivers once again but the driver install is unsuccessful, running the Intel Diagnostics tool once more I now get the error message "Wireless Hardware is not bound to transport driver".

It seems to me that this must be caused by some kind of poor physical connection between the device and the system itself... no?

Driver listed as installed for Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 is 15.11.07
Updating to the latest driver always fails---

 

Any and all suggestions as to what might be happening here in light of this new info would be appreciated I'm stumped...

 

I'm sorry I didn't get around to respond yesterday. But frankly, I am not sure what to suggest beyond what we already discussed. Since you had the computer opened, I suppose your could have accidentally loosened the WiFi adapter cables or (lets hope not) shorted something if there was static in the air, or before the battery was disconnected.

As I wrote in an earlier post, it shouldn't be hard at all to install Win7 on this model (when you install from DVD as opposed to from USB).

In your situation, since you already had it open once, I would open it again and make sure everything is tight, then try over from scratch with that Windows installation, following the exact steps in the guide. Many members have used that guide with no hiccups whatsoever (Series 7 in particular, which is my model too).

 

My other recommendation for checking this type of problem is to make a Linux Live CD then boot from it (which doesn't touch whatever is installed on the main storage device). You may need to disable Fast Boot / Fast Start so your computer will recognise the optical drive and then use F10 at the BIOS screen to get a one-time list of boot devices.

Linux is good at configuring itself for the hardware it finds. If it gets the WiFi running then you know the problem lies with the Windows / driver installation. If Linux has problems with the hardware then that's the most likely issue.

John

 

Great tips, guys!

I will first go the Linux Live route, if that doesn't work I'll re-install Windows having opened the case and checked the wiring etc. first, if that's a no go too I'll probably have to exchange the Intel Centrino hardware for something new/or deliever it for repair somewhere. That way I believe I will at least have exhausted all the possible diy ways of fixing this.

I will keep you up to date --- thanks again!

 

So, I've tried the following since my last post:

-Created a Linux Live cd and booted from it. Still no Wifi, something which seems to suggest failing hardware.
-Re-installed Windows 7 HP. Nothing changed, still no Wifi --- same problem.

With this in mind it would seem to me that the Intel Centrino Wifi device itself is having problems and that I will most likely have to exchange it.

Other than this the laptop is now functioning 100%. My only problem, beside the Wifi issue, is now activating Win7. Using the key on the back of the case does not work as it won't even allow me to enter all of the characters as some are supposedly "invalid", such as 0 (zero) and O (the letter). I have no idea why this is as I already activated this version of Windows previously on my old HDD and I got no "invalid character" errors back then... do I really need to buy a new key in order to activate? Seems strange as I've already paid for this version and it'll only be active on this one laptop containing my new SSD...

Oh yeah... would the 8GB ram stick on the following link be suitable for my model?

KINGSTON Valueram/8GB 1600MHz DDR3 CL11 SoDIMM / MULTICOM

 

I would try removing and replacing the WiFi card in case the contacts in the socket have got dirty. It's very rare for the cards themselves to die.

Also check in the BIOS for any enable / disable for the wireless devices.

As for RAM, I recall more than one report of Kingston RAM working after the BIOS updates that made some of the Samsung notebooks very fussy about the RAM they would recognise.

John

 

That suggestion to try a Linux Live CD was spot on, since now we know there is a hardware problem with the WiFi adapter (connection and/or defect). We could have spent an eternity trying new installs and different drivers and it would never have worked.

Once you have that hardware problem solved (using John's advice) I would contact Samsung or Microsoft about the activation problem. If the problem is difficulty reading the Windows Certificate sticker, I would call Samsung first. Maybe they can help you based on the computer's serial number. We've all seen how these stickers fade, and certainly this couldn't be the first time Samsung has had such a case.

I recently had activation problems after a new clean install on an older HP laptop using the original Win7 disc and Product Key. Windows must have been confused about either the HDD (which I replaced two years ago) or the screen (which HP replaced even longer ago) and thought it was a different computer. I tried to use the online activation, then called the Microsoft phone number on the screen. After playing a game with a Microsoft robot involving speaking and entering a long number sequence TWICE, I finally got to a human who validated my Product Key allowing me to activate.

The bottom line here being that you own this Windows License and shouldn't have to buy a new one for the same computer.

 

Bit of a late reply, too much other stuff going on lately----

But... I just activated my Windows7 Home Premium via phone! Took me about 21 minutes and it would seem that the main culprit was a letter posing as an O when it really was a Q.... It would seem that phone activation would have been necessary anyway as the only thing that changed after retyping the code was that I got an error message instead of the "invalid product key" message. Either way, glad that's sorted!

Only thing now, more or less, is to replace the RAM that I had to remove. I will update and let you know how it goes. A huge thanks to you guys again!!!

 

More problems... lately been having a rash of the system freezing leading to BSOD's. Problem seems to be related to the Nvidia video card (NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M).
Among other things, this is what the BSOD screen says:

Attempt to reset the display driver and recover from timeout failed.

Technical information:
STOP:0x00000116 (0xFFFFFA800419D010, 0xFFFFF880043FF93C, 0x000000000000000, 0x00000000000000002)

nvlddmkm,sys - Address FFFFF880043FF93C base at FFFFF880042AC000, Datestamp 53b4446a

Tried the program WhoCrashed and came up with this:

This was probably caused by the following module: dxgkrnl.sys (dxgkrnl+0x5D134)
Error: VIDEO TDR ERROR
filepath:C:\Windows\system32\drivers\dxgkrnl.sys

Tried running Memtest as I found info saying that these BSOD's could also be caused by faulty RAM but got no errors on 4 passes... at this point I'm not sure what to do next. This problem seems mainly connected to gaming and STEAM but I have also been experiencing random BSOD's of this kind when not running STEAM or gaming lately... The Nvidia card is updated and running the correct drivers btw.

Any help appreciated as always!

 

It's kind of a nuclear option, but when was your last clean re-install? I ask because I just finally updated my machine to Win 8.1, which has solved a variety of minor ills. Oddly, I still have one lingering problem -- while two-finger scrolling in a browser, it sometimes lags and then there is an odd beeping sound. Since I've had the same issue across both Win 7 and now 8.1 I'm guessing it's probably hardware. In your case I'd put down a $10 bet that if a complete re-install of your integrated/discrete video drivers doesn't fix it, a clean sweep of Windows will.

EDIT: OK, crap, just scrolled up a few posts and saw that this is a recent install. Well, you can still give the driver reinstall a try.

-Matt

 

Thanks anyway, Matt! The clean install was carried out over a month ago and it's just these very last few days that have been giving me problems regarding the NVIDIA card and the BSOD's. The driver was updated/re-installed a few days ago trying to fix the problem and the fact that the NVIDIA card had a yellow exclamation next to it (device was having problems according to Windows and was therefore disabled).

What I am starting to fear is that the motherboard might have something to do with it --- I guess, either way, if there's a physical problem with the NVIDIA card I guess I'd have to replace the whole thing incl. the motherboard anyway (as I seem to have read that it's soldered on)...

 

Ah, I was afraid that was the case. It takes a bit of digging but maybe you can also poke around with Windows System Diagnostics: Two Minute Drill: System Diagnostics Report - Ask the Performance Team - Site Home - TechNet Blogs.

I hope it's just a bid of bad software!

-Matt

 

Tried that and that too pointed towards the video card. So, as a "last resort" I just uninstalled the Nvidia GeForce card via device manager and am now having "problems" replicating the BSOD's = no BSOD's so far using Steam or gaming --- good or bad?

 

@slados1: Before resigning to the fact that it's a hardware issue, you could try a thorough cleanout of the Graphics drivers, including uninstall in Programs and Features (reboot) AND deleting Display adapter devices in Device Manager (right-click - Uninstall) with the Delete the driver software for this software option. Then Scan for hardware changes and repeat that delete & uninstall until you no longer get the Delete the driver software for this software option. That procedure will rinse out, not ONLY the drivers, but also the device key in the registry (which often has multiple instances).

After this, reboot again and try re-installing Graphics drivers. I would try this with the Nvidia first (drivers & device) and only if it still fails and crashes try both the Nvidia and the Intel.

There are still other possible causes besides hardware defect, including corruption of the Windows files (on the disk or caused by ExpressCache), missing or wrong Chipset drivers, probably others too.

Even though you just recently did a clean install, I would probably try it again, as Matt suggested. The issues you had earlier with network adapters not showing up etc, kind of make that installation seem a bit flaky.

@Matt: Great to see you back

 

Thanks again, Dannemand! I did that moments before you posting and I thought I had "disposed" of it but using the "Scan for hardware changes", like you suggested, keeps adding something called "Standard VGA Graphics Adapter"... does this meant that I have yet to clear all of the Nvidia components? I do not have anything related in the programs list anymore, just for the record...

 

And a lot of good it's doing here! LOL Well, in any case sorry for selling my wares elsewhere for so long (mainly Android forums). Incredibly, almost two years have passed since I bought my trusty NP700Z5C and now my eye has started to wander. It's a wonderful machine but I'm kind of curious what the Haswell and Broadwell siblings might have to offer.

Great to see you and John too!

-Matt

 

That's fine: You want to see that "Standard VGA Graphics Adapter" and for the "Delete the driver software for this software" to no longer appear when you try to delete the device. That means it should be cleaned out (as much as practically doable) and you can try re-installing the drivers.

Making an image backup or Restore point in that clean state (before you start installing drivers again) is often advisable, but in this case I don't know if this installation is solid enough to warrant such efforts

 

Yeah... I know, this installation has been, and still is, plagued by issues. All I can say for now is that BSOD's do not appear to be occurring anymore. So, The culprit, I guess, is the Nvidia card...

Anyway, I will try to re-install and let you all know!

 

Time does indeed fly, faster than I like it to. As popular as the NP700Z?C series was (in its FOUR different sizes), and for all the traffic it generated here, we don't see much activity any longer from those owners. So for that reason (too!) it is great to have you back. Your advice and help is always appreciated.

I forget if you popped an SSD in your Z5C. If NOT, you can certainly get another year of service out of it by doing so. As you know, last year's NP770/780/870/880Z5E, while quite the GPU screamer and with an elegant form factor, isn't a no-brainer replacement for your Z5C. And this year's Haswell refresh (NP870/880Z5G) failed to provide a year's worth of GPU performance jump -- although for work and moderate gaming its Nvidia GT 750M should suffice.

And finally, I am sure you are aware of this:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/760899-samsung-exiting-notebook-market.html