Samsung Series 5 NP535U3C-A01US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver)

I was looking for a very thin and light computer with a second generation AMD A-series APU chip (7000 series graphics). As far as I can tell, the 13.3 and 14 inch Samsung Series 5 computers were my only options. I chose the 13.3 and I'm very happy with it.

The laptop comes with 4 GB of RAM and an open slot into which I installed a second CT51264BC1339 Crucial 4GB 204-PIN Sodimm DDR3 4GB stick of RAM. The computer is noticeably zippier with 8 GB of RAM, so I recommend upgrading (it was pretty easy, but note that the RAM cover is held down with clips as well as a single screw -it doesn't swing open nicely like the manual seems to indicate. You have to pry it open with a screwdriver, which isn't too bad).

The computer boots fast, runs fast, and generally performs as you would expect given its stats, with no extra frustrations. I've played Civilization 5 on it with no lags or other problems (I'm not a hard core gamer). It's a perfectly respectable competitor for Intel ultrabooks.

And it's hard to overstate how nice it is to use a 3.5 pound laptop. The weight difference versus my previous machine makes my commute (by ferry) and travel much more pleasant, not to mention just browsing on the couch. Overall, for the cost, this is a good solid choice.

If you're looking for something small, light, and reasonably powerful, this is a good laptop at a good price.

PROS:

Very small footprint. Box is small, only a few documents and charger included.

Slim profile, sleek, and powerful. Performs just as good as it looks.

Two regular USB ports, One USB 3.0. HDMI and Mini HDMI out. Media card reader (4in1)

Overall I am very happy with everything. I wanted a smaller laptop without losing certain features.

I have this little thing hooked up to my 46" LED via HDMI. I cannot complain at all. I play some games on it with no hiccups.

CONS: 5400RPM Hard Drive...It should have came with a 7200RPM. It got pretty hot. Temperature is OK when not plugged in, but when it is...it is way too hot to touch.

I fixed this easily with some Artic Silver 5 Thermal Paste. I had to take the whole thing apart. Comes with a lot of bloatware.

I would highly recommend getting this mid-range ultrabook. It is very affordable, and comparable to the higher-end ones.

I would definitely purchase this if you can fix the issues above stated.

Bottom line.

It's not the best money can buy, but at this price range you can't beat it. You just have to be able to put in a few hours to make it the way you want it. ( See Cons)

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Pros:

Very nice design, sleek and elegant (similar to macbook air)

Light and portable

Runs pretty smoothly, i.e. no lagging or delay when opening and running programs (from what I could tell during my short ownership)

Cons:

Mine would overheat and crash, and became too hot to touch on the bottom side near the back. This made the laptop pretty useless, and I had to return it for a refund.

Lots of bloatware (i.e. useless, pre-installed software). Just annoying to uninstall it.

Ships with a recovery CD, despite the lack of CD drive on the laptop. You'll need an external CD drive, or be able to copy the CD contents to a bootable USB flash drive.

Important note: I strongly encourage anyone who still decides to buy this laptop (after all, mine might've been a single case of overheating) to first do a complete re-installation of Windows using the CD (or some other form of "stress testing") just to see if it can make it through the process. Mine couldn't, it would overheat during the process and crash. The last thing you want is to use it lightly for a few months, only to later find out it overheats during longer, more intense use. Try to test out everything on any new laptop you buy.

Read Best Reviews of Samsung Series 5 NP535U3C-A01US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Silver) Here

This is my first ultrabook as I cannot afford a proper Mac Book AIr.

Guess what this is amazing it is so fast for a thin laptop and runs Modern Warefare 3 brilliantly much better than intel HD3000.

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The screen looks awesome, even in direct sunlight. I can play Team Fortess 2 with a lot of action and not drop below 30 fps. I work with scientific computing so having a Trinity core that I can test code out on is nice. I get a little over 5 hours battery life in Windows with the brightness at 60%. In Linux I get a little over 4 hours with the same brightness. The power plug barely stays in place, but this ended up being a nice 'feature' when I tripped over the power cord. The screen has some flex, but the keyboard does not. The whole thing feels fragile, but maybe that is because it is so thin and light. It has survived my bad habit of throwing my backpack into my card for two months now, so it can't be too fragile.

I could not get the wireless to work in openSUSE 12.2, or at least WPA2. The wireless worked fine in windows. It did get hot when playing a game, up to 70 degrees C. I switched out the wireless card with an Intel one, you need a half height mini PCIe card. This required taking the entire laptop apart. Since I had it apart I put some different thermal paste on the CPU and got a 10 15 degree temperature drop. You can get to the extra RAM slot and hard drive by just removing one screw. The hard drive is 7mm high and you will not be able to fit a standard 9.5mm one in there. I put a 7200 RPM Hitachi drive in this laptop and an extra 4GB of RAM. The 4GB the laptop comes with is soldered to the board.

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