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Group Test: Laptops Running Windows 8 (Part 2) - Samsung Series 5 550P7C, Sony Vaio SVS1311N9E, Toshiba Satellite Z930-10X

1/26/2013 3:35:43 PM

550P7C of Samsung is laptop in the broadest sense of the word. Its size and weight mean that it’s not sure you want to put it on his lap too long, as well as do not want to put the 3kg laptop into bag and carry it to everywhere you go.

However, as a desktop replacement, it has some impressive features, including the Ivy Bridge Core i7 microprocessor running at 2.3GHz (3.3GHz in Turbo Boost mode). It also has 17.3 inch backlighting anti-glare LED screen, 1600x900 pixels. NVidia GeForce GT 650M graphics chip with 2GB VRAM provides the power of the graphics.

Samsung Series 5 550P7C

Samsung Series 5 550P7C

To connect to the outside world, Samsung offers gigabit Ethernet, two-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.

There are 2.0 and 3.0 USB ports, SDXC card reader, and VGA as well as HDMI. There are also 1 combined Blu-ray/DVD drive, 1TB hard drive (and space for a second hard drive), with JBL-branded speakers, plus add one bass.

Laptop speaker sound is better than average, and Blu-ray movies looks great on the large screen of Samsung.

In spite of being good, this beautiful laptop burned for building quality. The hard framework is made of plastic, and looks cheaper than the certified rate of 850.

However, the keyboard is very nice to use, with good key distance creates enough movement to make typing satisfied. Trackpad is fast and supports multi-point gestures such as pinch-to-zoom.

Samsung did better in our tests with Windows 7, although we could not run PCMark 7 with Windows 8 installed. 136 in WorldBench score is quite remarkable at this price.

In the game tests, Samsung reached speeds of 122fps in Fear of Maximum item details. In more challenging Crysis test, we recorded the speed of 39fps still playable (1280x720, Medium-grained).

Maybe you do not want to carry this laptop in a long time, but pretty good run-time means you can carry it from room to room, for example. We measured 7 hours 20 minutes in MobileMark 2007.

Info

·         Price: $1,360

·         Supplier: www.samsung.com

Verdict

·         There is little thing to dislike Samsung 550P7C. Except for some construction quality issues, this is very good desktop-replaced laptop with better features than the competition system here.

·         Designs: 3.5/5

·         Features: 4.5/5

·         Performance: 4.5/5

·         Value: 4.5/5

·         Total: 4/5

Sony Vaio SVS1311N9E

Vaio S-series laptop is one of the top Sony series. Despite price, SVS1311N9E is very basic model.

With $1,440, you have Intel Core i5-low-3210M processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, DVD burner, normal 13 inches screen (1366x768) and integrated graphics.

Sony Vaio SVS1311N9E

Sony Vaio SVS1311N9E

Budget has been spent on one fingerprint reader device, the backlighting keyboard and aluminum-magnesium frames. Above all, There are Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11n W-Fi, HD webcam, two memory card slots (one support for SDXC 64GB memory card), and model DVD is loaded into slot (slot-load) tidily. Along the right side, there is the HDMI output and VGA, two 3.0 USB ports, a third USB port can be used to charge devices while the laptop is switched off.

Even all of the tools, SVS1311N9E is so quite lightweight at 1.7kg. In addition, its removable battery lasts more than seven hours and you can double this number by adding a 240 USD battery pack.

Display is disappointing. Partial view is not large, so the contrast changes depending on how you tilt the screen. However, it is very bright, and the anti-glare surface without much reflection.

The large touchpad can assist gestures, such as scrolling and pinch-to-zoom, but no remove button. This means that you must be familiar with going to the mid to click left the mid, and the bottom right corner to click right.

Another annoyance is noise. Sony hard drive sounds pretty good in a room quiet, and the back fan causes distracting when the laptop's processor is hard working.

Running Windows 7, Vaio reached quite well 124 points in WorldBench 6 tests and feels faster in general use. Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics will still allow you to play games at lower detail settings. We were unable to run the PCMark 7 under Windows 8.

As all laptop here, Vaio should be pre-loaded with Windows 8, but was already sold with Windows 7. If you buy the version with Windows 7, you can upgrade to Windows 8 at the price of $240.

Info

·         Price: $1,438

·         Supplier: www.sony.com

Verdict

·         Not everyone wants Ultrabook, and SVS1311N9E takes advantage of the built-in DVD drive (can be upgraded to Blu-ray for 64 USD). But the real problem is trivial screen and high price.

·         Designs: 4/5

·         Features: 4/5

·         Performance: 3.5/5

·         Value: 3.5/5

·         Total: 3.5/5

Toshiba Satellite Z930-10X

We saw the version of the Portege Z930, and eager to try Satellite cheaper models. There are few components inside, it's few difference between both, which means that you have a great lightweight Ultrabook for just 1278 USD.

Z930-10X has a 13.3 inches screen, and aluminum alloy frame means it weighs 1.2kg. You can easily mute the laptop with one hand, and bring it as a pleasure, not torture.

Toshiba Satellite Z930-10X

Toshiba Satellite Z930-10X

Despite a super lightweight design, the design of the Z930 is strong in all aspects except the lid, we've seen a bit of flexibility.

Connectivity is good, with one 3.0 USB port and two 2.0 USB ports, gigabit Ethernet, HDMI and VGA. Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11n is supported, but the slim design does not leave room for optical drive....

Speaker is not very powerful, but the sound quality is appropriate to hear the occasional music video on YouTube.

The only real mistake is the pretty small lighting keyboard; you will need good manual dexterity if your job requires typing much.

Performance is very good - the best of the computer checked with Windows 8, and the second best with Windows 7. Ivy Bridge Core i5 1.7GHz processor is supported by 6GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD drive, a combination helped Toshiba achieve significant WorldBench score at 132 points, and 5,503 points in PCMark 7. Z930 has ability to run Microsoft Office, as well as the demanding tasks such as image correction.

Even Z930 can play some normal games. Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated set 28fps speed that can be played in Fear of the details of the maximum, and 74fps at High details.

Battery life is very important in a mobile laptop like that and Toshiba does not forget to impress. MobileMark 2007 recorded operating time 7 hours 7 minutes, and we reached 5 hours on one charge while transmitting video BBC iPlayer via Wi-Fi. With the lighter tasks, such running Microsoft Office, it will last all work day.

Info

·         Price: $1,278

·         Supplier: www.toshiba.com

Verdict

·         Keyboard is small, but Satellite Z930 is good at other important areas. Toshiba offers good performance, an attractive super-lightweight design, and very competitive prices.

·         Designs: 4/5

·         Features: 4/5

·         Performance: 4/5

·         Value: 4/5

·         Total: 4/5

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