As to start out this laptop appears good in numerous ways. For the casual gamer or replacement of older laptops this is a definite yes. Upon receiving and using it here are the first impressions.Keyboard
This is a typical laptop keyboard with a numeric keypad on the right side. I was used to no numeric keypad on former laptop but it is a nice addition. If you are not used to an extra keypad it will take a little adjustment on getting used to it when typing but no big deal in my book. Some people like illuminated keys on the keyboard but this one is not. I am in no need of illuminated keys so it fits my uses.
Screen
The screen is 15.6 and is HD. To my eyes an HD to a non HD is not a big deal. For people who want the most super clear screen this will probably work. For the causal gamer, college student, or basic video watcher this is great. If you examine the picture the screen is held up by two hinges. These are sturdy but the screen appears to bounce a little bit at times. If you want the screen to remain totally solid with the rest of the computer while moving around it will not. It bounces a little with every movement but if you sit still and it is on your lap then it is not a problem. If it is on a table it doesn't bounce because the surface stays still.
Mousepad
The mousepad is one of the better ones in my opinion. On some samsung i7s the mousepad is nothing but a huge pad with no left or right click separated. This is part of the 5 series and the mouse buttons are separate from the pad itself. For people with bigger hands it may be annoying due to that the pad is closer to the keys but if you are already used to a mousepad close to the keys no big deal. The mousepad is sensitive but takes some time getting used to. If you are one who uses bluetooth mouse then no big deal.
Video Card
This has a Nvidia and integrated intel 4000. You will have to tinker with the settings in Windows 8 and the Nvidia toolbar to set the primary video card. For gamers you will have to set the each game to nvidia card or use global settings. The Nvidia is suitable for casual games up to high graphic games. In the high graphics games the FPS may fall lower at times. For my personal needs as I am a causal gamer it works just fine.
Hard Drive
The hard drive is good and suitable for the average user. It is 750 GB and the speed is fairly good. At times it seems to be a little slow once in a while but then it doesn't really bother me. If you are expecting instantaneous speed then I would say look elsewhere.
Case
The case itself is aluminum in most parts except the bottom which is a type of fiberglass/plastic. If you ever go to a best buy and look at the Samsung series 5 it is exact same body. For the person who likes aluminum case I would suggest a definite yes. For those who prefer all plastic case then a resounding no.
Weight
The weight of the entire laptop is around 5.5 lbs but to me it seems light. It does not feel heavy or bulky. My former laptop was a tad more heavier around the 8 10 lbs range so this feels light especially while sitting on the lap.
Heat of Laptop
When running games it runs warm and not hot for my needs. If you have pants on, have laptop on your lap, the fan kicks once in a while, but it does not feel hot. My former laptop ran much hotter and required a stand with fans. This one so far seems to run in a good warm ranger with higher graphics. The output of air is on the left side and in front.
Speakers
The speakers are made by JBL. The sound is average to good but to me it's just a laptop. Laptops are not designed to be boomboxes with super sound. For the causal gamer it's just fine. For a person who wants super loud sound and wild bass I would suggest look elsewhere. The speakers can get loud but I prefer to keep sound in the minimal to low range.
Main Complaint
It is preloaded with Windows 8 and extra bloatware. Windows 8 takes time to get used to if you are used to vista, xp, and 7. Windows 8 was programmed with touchscreen in mind which is why it functions with all the apps. You can tinker with Windows 8 and download programs to make it look like Windows 7 or Vista which is what I've done. There are Apps already preloaded which can be easily removed.
Overall, I feel this was a good replacement and should work for a casual gamer, college student, business exec, and home laptop. I will update this review as time passes to keep others informed on the usability over time and how long it will hold up.
EDIT 1: After getting the computer all set up, took off bloatware, it seems to run much smoother. The speed of restarts during updates of Windows 8 is very slow. After updates of Windows 8 finished, seemed to pick up speed.
EDIT 2 1 week after purchase: Since receiving the laptop and using it some of the pros and cons are becoming more obvious. When playing games with the mouse pad over and over it takes more time getting used to than previous laptop. If you play FPS with a mousepad you cannot aim, move, and shoot as much. When you use keys to move and try pointing your gun it doesn't work so well. You have to compensate. If you have an external mouse then this is nothing.
The sound from the JBL speakers I must admit was better than my first assessment. The sound on this laptop can get LOUD if you crank up speakers and settings.
The USB 3.0 ports are slightly tight. When plugging in a usb cord or device you have to push it in just right because it is a snug tight fit. Speed for the USB 3.0 is very good. A 4 GB transfer took less than 2 minutes when I was transferring old files from former computer.
Surprisingly older games run just fine on this laptop such as Deus Ex, Civilization III, Half Life 2, etc. The only odd about this is the screen resolution is 1366 x 768. Many older games do not come with this preset resolution.
Overall, still completely satisfied.
EDIT 3: Approaching 1 month since purchase. Upon using this laptop over and over again with games one phenomenon that is common with high graphic games is the heat of the video card and stability. On utilizing higher graphic games it gets quite warm to hot. If it is on your bare skin lap it could burn. If you have something that shields your laptop then no issue. So far when the laptop gets excessively warm to hot it has NOT crashed with the blue screen of death like with my older laptop which ran vista. In my book this makes me quite satisfied.
Another phenomenon with Windows 8 is it has run older games better than vista. Upon purchasing games off of steam such as the old Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade/Fate of Atlantis, LOOM, and Monkey Island which is DOS based it runs just fine. Games purchased off of Good Old Games website such as Nox and Heroes of Might and Magic IV runs just fine also. The only con within the first month is the power cord runs out the side of the computer. For some people it may be nothing but from my experiences with laptops this can potentially be a flaw due to if the cord has to reach an outlet on the opposite side of the computer. This causes the energy port to bend a little. Over a period of time this could cause a loose connection with the constant bending. A former laptop of mine this happened to. When the power port was in the back of the computer on another one of my laptops the cord would not have to bend left or right. This though is a personal preference and can be accommodated by being mindful of the cord and adjusting when needed. Overall, I am still satisfied and getting more surprised at how well this is as a replacement laptop.
EDIT 4: Approaching 2 month mark with this laptop. So far my primary usages for this laptop in the past 2 months has been gaming, writing a dissertation, watching movies, internet, videos, and digital pictures. Still no blue screen of death with higher graphic games. No major negative issues. Speed is still good, graphics still performing at top notch, speakers no issues, mousepad holding up to extreme usage in games, no problems with battery, cover is resistant to scratches (although sweat hand marks and fingerprint marks are evident when tilted at the right angle but this can be cleaned), and USB ports functioning good. Higher graphic games perform well such as Hitman:Absolution, all the GTA games, Portal 1 & 2, and World of Warcraft on High settings (Ultra settings also but it gets hot). Overall, still completely satisfied and happy with this laptop.
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