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(More customer reviews)So far I am very impressed by this laptop. For the price, the included hardware, specifically the processor, RAM, and video card are quite impressive--these are the things that made my decision to purchase this laptop. I am not going to list either pro or con for the battery, this machine is a powerhouse, so of course it's going to suck a lot of power. If you want a business travel machine or ultra-portable this isn't for you. This laptop is intended for someone who needs desktop power that has the *option* of being mobile when necessary. This fits fine with my lifestyle. I should mention that I am coming to this laptop as an owner of 3 Apple laptops. I made the switch because the hardware on this *far* exceeds the Apple version of the same price point. Or even that of double this price point. My purchase of this item was at $849.99. This is $100-200 less than any other online retailer at the time I purchased, so a great deal with Amazon.
I'm going to review a few points not well-covered in the product description or other reviews:
Pros:
-There is a feature to turn off the LED backlight (function+F5). This reminds me a bit of the Pixel Qi display panels, but more rudimentary since it isn't an eInk technology, just simple LCD panel. However, if outdoors in bright sunlight, the screen is very easy to see and battery savings are significant. Otherwise, you will want to keep the backlight on, unless you put a bright lamp directly behind you.
-Already mentioned, but the feel of the keyboard is the best I've found in a laptop. Amazing. Very slightly rubberized keys with a soft but not completely weightless action. This is excellent for a fast typist, but isn't so ultra-sensitive that it causes accidental letter repeats.
-The touchpad is great. The ELAN Smart-Pad driver has a lot of extra options. My previous laptop is a macbook and I am accustomed to gesture touchpads (swiping, 2-finger scrolling vertically and horizontally and more). I needed to configure a few options, but in the end am able to mimic all touchpad options I utilized on my macbook. This is very valuable.
-The palmrest is a metal material, which surprised me. It looks as though it should wear well, I've had laptops where the friction from use and oils from hands discolored or rubbed away paint/tint in the plastic.
-There are 4 USB ports (two 2.0 (left side) and two 3.0 (right side). This is great, because I have a few USB devices that are wider than typical and prevent use of the adjacent USB port. With two ports on either side, I can keep a bulky device on one side and still use the other two, or use two bulky ones at the same time.
-I've been using the CPU monitoring widget for Win7. So far it seems that the laptop only kicks in use of additional processor cores when absolutely necessary, battery life seems to be a bit better than I expected. With casual browsing and IM going I get about 2.3-2.5 hours on one charge. This is with settings for longer battery life enabled.
Cons:
-Fast Start is quoted as a 3 second or less duration in waking from 'sleep.' So far this is more in the 4-8 second range for me. Not a dealbreaker, but slightly annoying that it is advertised as "within 3 seconds."
-The webcam is (I believe) 0.5 MP. It has poor detail and is honestly just crummy. Just what I'd expect with that. Not a feature I plan on using, but it's surprising that this piece of hardware is so far behind the curve of the rest, especially given that these cameras are relatively inexpensive, especially for a 1 or 2 MP. I knew the low MP going into the purchase so had no expectations of quality. It doesn't affect my rating but I figure it worth mentioning for someone who needs higher quality. Honestly, it's still such a great machine, if that's a big deal, I'd get a clip-on external cam for when you need one.
-One minor issue with keyboard layout. There's a 10-key layout on the right side of the keyboard, the zero key is the same width as the other numbers, directly below the 2 key which is not ergonomically sound for use by your thumb when doing significant number entry. This nearly defeats the inclusion of the 10-key section. I rarely do much of this type of work, but for someone who intends to utilize this, you may wish to consider another system or remap the right arrow key to function as a zero.
As you can see, the cons are fairly minor when considering the system and pros. I've only had the laptop for a week so will update this review if I notice anything different. Feel free to comment if you have any specific questions about this review or laptop.
For more reviews and at about $120 or so cheaper, check out the Samsung RF510-S01 15.6-Inch HD LED Laptop (Graphite Radiant Burst). The only difference is a slightly slower processor (Intel Core i5, you'd only notice a difference if doing very system-intensive work like video editing, 3D gameplay) and smaller hard drive (500 GB). If you just intend on using the laptop for web browsing and office applications, save yourself the cash.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Samsung RF510-S02 15.6-Inch HD LED Laptop (Graphite Radiant Burst)
Are you into power and performance? Your notebook is here. Presenting the Samsung RF510. It features a 15.6" HD (1366 x 768) LED-backlit display that produces the sharpest images and boldest colors imaginable. Combined with dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 330M graphics with 1GB of memory, and HD gaming and multimedia come bursting to life. Because audio is key, Samsung's True2Sound system immerses you in more natural and realistic 3D SRS Premium Sound. Exceptional processing power is delivered via the latest Intel Core i7 processor with turbo boost technology combined with the multi-tasking power of Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium. The large 640GB hard drive means you'll never have to be without your favorite music, movies and pictures, and Samsung's innovative Fast Start feature gets you going in 3 seconds instead of waiting to boot up. Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR lets you wirelessly exchange data more quickly, and two USB 3.0 ports are up to ten times faster than USB 2.0 to an external hard drive. One port is chargeable, so you can charge your cell phone or MP3 player even when the notebook's off. And with a graphite radiant burst lid with two-tone interior and blue-halo power key, style accompanies you everywhere. The Samsung RF510. Power, performance, perfection. DVD/CD burner included in the device.
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