This laptop would make the perfect family notebook, desktop replacement on the go laptop, or even a college gamer laptop!!I played Batman Arkham City, Half Life and did the 3d Marked 2011, with low settings and just used the stock unit with out any adjustments:
Arkham City:
Average:18
Maximum:20
Lost Coast50fps
I did the free edition of 3DMark 11:
Graphic Test:
1-2.4
2-2.35
3-2.75
4-1.61
Physics Test-6.01
Combined Test-2.06
I got this as a "College Gamer" laptop. I could have spent more, but I don't feel it was necessary. The fastest graphics card in a laptop will cost you thousands of dollars, while a basic desktop card, like the one i got in my desktop, will out perform any laptop. So i saved my money and upgraded my desktop and got this affordable guy!
This little guy has a better multi-touch pad than the silver apple computers, and i am not lying. I can't emphasize on how much the feel of the mouse and the keyboard are when it comes to choosing this laptop. It makes the actual use of this laptop much more worth it! The only mouse that has as good as feel is the $1200 MBP.
This AMD Model is the way to go. From everything i know, the graphics will out perform the stock Intel graphics that are in the more expensive laptops. The quad core AMD is very powerful cpu. The i3 line are just dual core's that are slightly faster, but have way less graphic power! Not to mention that Intel charges more. So you get a great price/performance when you stick to AMD!
Description of Laptop:
It doesn't have any place where your finger prints smudge. The lid is solid and not all shaky. The screen is actually really crisp. Surprisingly there was very minimum bloatware, like a bunch of games, samsung software that is useful and a pack of cyber link software.
The GPU isn't the best you can get, but for under $600 you can't get anything this strong especially on the Intel's. All the other brands at this range all lack in 2 or more places and all the others lack when it comes to graphics.
This one is seriously top notch compared to the others. They all have smudge city, cheap plastic, worth-less touch pad and flimsy keys. The chiclet keys on this make cleaning it much easier. and way easier to use.
The weight on this is very light and I could barely feel it in my backpack. I started a timer from the second the computer booted and the battery said 100%. When the timer started I began playing Arkham City with 75% lighting. The laptop went "4 HOURS", with about 20% left. It probably would have gone another 30-40 minutes, but I don't like draining the battery.
There was surprisingly no heat at all. The hottest spot is on the left side of the mouse, but the other side was just cold. The sound on this can get as loud as you need. The sound played beautifully and was real crisp. I mean it was really nice quality!
Unless you want to spend an extra $250-$500, then this is your best bet for a good gaming/college laptop. Actually this is a laptop that everyone should get! Think of the graphics as the best you can get for under $800-$900!
1.5 Ghz Quad core processor with Turbo Core (2.4 Ghz)
4 GB of RAM
Multi in 1 card reader
BRIGHT, vibrant, matte finish screen
Full sized chiclet keyboard
500 GB HDD
Bluetooth
Discrete class graphics processing unit with 512 MB RAM with HDMI capable of 7.1 audio output
Light
Mostly ingerprint resistant
Webcam and digital microphone array
Easy access hardware upgrades
3+ hour battery life on "full" charge
Real, fully functional restore disc set
Can be easily and safely overclocked
Cons:
Some keyboard buttons are a bit small, placement makes editing your typing a chore sometimes
Touchpad gets in the way when typing
HDD is 5400 RPM instead of 7200
Frame around keyboard and screen is not fingerprint resistant
Battery configuration is slightly annoying
Restore disc set is one part aggravation
3 USB instead of four, no 3.0
Optical drive will not read all types of recordable media
Bloatware is partially necessary
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Indepth:
1.5 Ghz Quad core processor with Turbo Core (2.4 Ghz) can be overclocked to 2.4 for base speed and 2.6 for Turbo Core...and it's stable! (The free k10stat program is required, but not included.)
4 GB of RAM, with one slot unoccupied. Throw in a second stick 4 GB and max out the system to 8 with ease. (This upgrade should be a priority. The full 8 gigs really make a difference.)
Multi in 1 card reader (You'd be amazed how much you'll use it. Can also be used to make your spare SD cards function as a ReadyBoost device. (creates a cache to help with HDD read times speed up)
BRIGHT, vibrant, matte finish screen with no glare, no gloss to grab fingerprints. Beautiful.
Full sized chiclet keyboard with numeric pad, really comes in handy since the Fn key isn't always needed.
500 GB HDD is spacious, even with their recovery partition. They even give you partition software that makes it simple and easy to customize your PC.
Bluetooth works amazingly well. Grabs a hold of all the signals I've sent it's way.
Discrete class graphics processing unit with 512 MB RAM is more than enough power to run Source engine games such as Left 4 Dead at 1366x768 with everything maxed out in the graphics settings, along with 2-4x AA and 16 AF! Even Sega's Sonic Generations and Activision's War For Cybertron can be run at 1024x768 to 1366x768 with medium graphics quality and look gorgeous, with no drops in frame rates.
Lightweight. Not a back breaker if carried in backpack, or shoulder bag. Weighs 5 pounds, even!
Easy access hardware upgrades with ONE panel and screw to remove. So easy. HDD, RAM and optical drive access in one spot!
Real, fully functional restore disc set...with a catch. The Windows disc is factory made and comes in the box. The drivers/software disc must be made by the user, through an easy to use wizard interface.
Battery configuration is slightly annoying because of the 80/100 setting. When charged all the way to 100%, the overall life span will diminish like all batteries of this type. You have to go into the BIOS to fully unlock the battery, plus settings in Windows. A real hassle. If you leave it locked at 80% (factory, out of the box setting) it's supposed to ensure long life of the battery.
Restore disc set is one part aggravation because the optical drive is picky about which brands it'll use. Philips will not work. Maxell and Verbatim will. Of those that won't, it won't even read them or detect their presence.
Bloatware is partially necessary to get full functionality, such as enable/disable of: wifi, touchpad, backlight, print screen key, you get the idea. Without it, many important things will not work. At all.
All in all, this is a very powerful system for under $400.00. As is, it's a fantastic multimedia machine. With the mods I made (maxed out RAM, overclocked CPU, Blu-Ray I added) this is a hearty HTPC, with medium to high gaming, that is easily a desktop replacement PC that's portable!
I highly recommend it. Fantastic machine.
Buy Samsung Series 3 NP305E5A-A03US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Silver) Now
I am a computer person. I do my research before I purchase anything and usually know exactly what I am getting for my money. I found this beautiful little machine and grabbed one for $399 while they were at Best Buy. I was completely surprised by the performance of this little beast. First of all, the laptop is beautiful, light, feels well built, and has a battery that lasts 4-5 hours even while streaming video over wifi. What really blew me away however was how strong the AMD processor and graphics capabilities are for a notebook at this price point. Since the video card shares system memory I bought another 4GB stick of DDR3 Ram for about $30 and installed it in the second slot (A nice feature) that starts empty on this laptop. I can run World of Warcraft on high with consistent 60fps everywhere, or even on ultra with up to 60fps in dungeons and 20-30fps everywhere else. I was also able to run The Old Republic for several hours at a time on medium settings with 30fps. This is a fantastic laptop for the price point, and for the mobile gamer or MMO person it gets the job done. The screen is very clear and resolution looks great, plus the HDMI port is a nice plus. Bluetooth built in is a feature usually found on more expensive laptops and makes uploading photos from your smartphone an absolute breeze.Aside from the RAM upgrade, I would also recommend a decent laptop cooler mat, as like every other laptop this thing can get a bit hot after several hours of gaming. One that props the laptop up a little allowing air to move beneath it is the best. I picked up this one at best buy for $20 and it does a great job:All in all I paid less than $500 for the Laptop, Ram Upgrade, Cooling Pad, a nice case and a mouse for when I game.
This is unbeatable and if you are considering doing any gaming at all, I would definitely recommend these AMD systems over the I3 and I5. Only when you get up to I7 do they start beating the A6 in graphics capability.
Read Best Reviews of Samsung Series 3 NP305E5A-A03US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Silver) Here
I liked this laptop and still kinda like it, I got what it says on the box, fast, lightweight and cheap. The only reason what I am giving a 1 star is because of the material what is made of, pretty cheap plastic. I mean this is a portable device, the case material gotta be enough resistant for the daily handling: holding, lifting, open/close the lid, whatever. Well the story is after 2 months of having this computer, after a full day of working on it (was pretty hot btw) I grabbed from the left side of the case using one hand (lid open) and then I heard the crack and a big fissure appeared at the topcase, from the internal side of the lid support until reaching the keyboard (even through the keyboard by now), I gotta say this is not a heavy laptop, it weights the half of my former vaio computer and I am really not a strong person that crush stuff while holding it. I would feel better if I just dropped it or something, at least it would be my fault, but in this case I don't feel that was my fault, it wasn't a crack on the screen which the most common thing that might happen when you hold a laptop badly, it was a fracture on what's suppose to be the strongest part on a laptop. The temperature might also influence in this situation, but if you have bad quality plastic and heat then there is not surprise. Called Samsung and they consider this as an accident so it's not covered by the warranty. The crack is on the topcase, which is not a common replaceable part, after digging on the web for a replacement found a chinese site that sells the top cases for this brand, 50 bucks + shipping, received it today and during the replacement just found out that everything is cheap regarding this computer from screws to wires used on it. I almost broke the new topcase while replacing it. So beware about this product, use both hands while holding it, treat it extremely careful like you were holding a baby.Want Samsung Series 3 NP305E5A-A03US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Silver) Discount?
Before buying this I had my doubts if I'd ever get used to or get to like this weird keyboard. However, it did not take long. The keyboard is nice. The touchpad is the best I've had so far yet in a laptop.The screen resolution is amazing once you get the proprietary ATI driver installed.
I had a little trouble with this system at the start. It would boot to blank black screen in Bodhi 1.3 and the current Linux Mint. However this seems to be an issue with "new hardware" and the lag time of linux support for the chipsets related to the amd a6 3400m family. luckily google pointed me to a message board thread relating to this; setting the linux kernel boot parameter with the option "radeon.modeset=0" made mint and bodhi installable from CD.
My summary of pros and cons is listed below.
Pro:
--speed of quad cores and GPUs, as well as the internal drives and memory; amazing, especially considering the low wattage of the integrated CPU chip--a supercomputer that runs on batteries, something that could not be imagined a decade or two ago.
--great value for a sub 500 usd laptop.
--amazing crisp display; has hdmi output also.
--great touchpad, good keyboard, and first impression makes me believe quality of components seems nice.
--fits in a backpack; light and fairly compact.
Con:
--bluetooth (nor wifi) cannot be turned off from bios directly or from keyboard fn buttons--needs --software to do it. haven't figured out how to make linux do it yet.
--no caps or num lock lights.
--only 3 usb jacks (1 left, 2 right)
--linux setup and support leaves a lot to be desired; thank goodness for message boards, google, and the kind geniuses posting on said boards.
--I'm still very bothered and annoyed by not being able to shut off the RF of wifi and bluetooth with a single tap of two buttons like I was in my old laptop.
