I am one of the first to receive this new Autumn 2012 Windows 8 Samsung which I chose because it seemed to offer a high spec. for a reasonable price. This is my Xmas present for my wife, since I was getting tired of hearing her cries of despair and ire when working on her old laptop. With an i5 processor and 6GB of DDR3 1600 mhz RAM and 750gb of hard drive memory, this should keep things ticking over nicely. There is no separate graphics card, so I don’t know how good it would be for gaming, but that’s not a need for us.
The screen is matt, not glossy-reflective, which is a plus in my book. The colours may not be as vibrant as on a glossy screen, but it’s not an obvious difference and the colours still look good to me.
The very dark silver case is classy-looking and is metallic in appearance, although mainly plastic. There is a brighter silver surround around the touchpad.
The inbuilt speakers are loud enough for the average living-room to listen in, but unsurprisingly lack bass depth, as do nearly all laptop speakers. I would not like to listen to music on them, but buying extra separate speakers is a must for most laptop users anyway. On the noise front, although I have not pushed it yet, the fan seems quiet, although the hard-drive makes a perceptible slight grinding sound at times, but I am sitting in a very quiet room late at night at the moment.
There is no OS DVD that I could find in the box, although there are instructions for recovery in the detailed manual, which is a pdf. file stored on the computer, not a paper book.
The Microsoft Office Starter is not listed as a separate programme as it was with a computer I bought last year, and all the Full Microsoft Office screen says is that you have a 60-day trial period of Office, and there is no mention of the Starter, although conceivably you would be left with just Word and Excel and adverts (= Starter) if you did not sign up for the full Office after 2 months, but this is not stated specifically anywhere. I have in any case downloaded LibreOffice (free of charge) from the internet as an alternative office suite.
I am still coming to terms with Windows 8 so that makes it difficult for me to assess things, since I am not sure what to expect sometimes, and the new way of doing things is going to seem complex and confusing initially. There is quite a lot of stuff loaded including the Cyberlink Media Suite. The easy availability of Apps is also daunting: there is so much out there, and so many ways of doing the same thing slightly differently now. It was so much easier when you had very limited choices. I deleted the Norton anti-virus in favour of AVG, which I already use elswhere.
So far, more or less, so good. Not an outstanding machine, but a very good one for the money. I will try to update this as the laptop gets some use, in case that throws up problems – or unexpected bonuses!
A day later:
Just a few thoughts to add. This laptop replaces the Windows 7 edition of a virtually identical Samsung model. You may find it useful to read the reviews on that, as they seem to me likely to be the same sorts of comments which would apply to this newer model:
Samsung NP350V5C 15.6 inch Laptop (Silver) (Intel Core i5 3210M 2.5GHz, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD, DVDSM DL, LAN, WLAN, Webcam, Integrated Graphics, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit)
I would also recommend a detailed review on the new i3 version of the Windows 8 model by “Claptonian” :
From those reviews: “Lukas” seems satisfied with gaming performance of his Samsung, other reviewers point out that there is a numeric keyboard on the laptop, which is not automatic these days, and I think I agree that scrolling on the touchpad is a bit slow (but then I complained of the extreme sensitivity of my other laptop’s touchpad when I first bought it, so maybe it’s a question of what you’re used to).
–January 2013, a few more thoughts
If you read the other reviews here, you may see that the lack of a Caps Lock light on the keyboard is a major issue for some.
Reactions to Windows 8 on a non-touchscreen laptop seem divided: some hate it, some love it. I take the view that I don’t like the gaudy tile interface (although some do), but I could live with the old-style desktop interface, although it is true that many previously simple tasks like shutting down the laptop are not as intuitive as they used to be even on that interface. But since we are told that W8 is more stable, fast and secure than W7, I suppose we have to go with it, especially as it will probably be the new standard and therefore the most future-proof version, with software firms writing for it rather than W7. However, as my wife is using this laptop, I will enjoy the…
I spent a good deal of time researching options for a new laptop to be my main home computer. I’m not a gamer but wanted something powerful enough to do multitasking and photo editing. I didn’t want a fashion statement but also didn’t want a slab of plastic. And most of all, I wanted great value for money.
My early impressions are that this Samsung laptop meets or exceeds all my criteria.
It looks modern and stylish, though is clearly plastic not metal. It boots really quickly to Windows 8. I have downloaded, installed and run all of my day-to-day applications (browser, music player, word processor, photo editor) and it has not missed a beat. I like the matt (not shiny or glossy) screen.
At this price point (£429.99 when purchased on 27 Dec) I don’t think there is a better offer out there at the moment.
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Samsung are in a dwindling laptop market – it seems nobody can or wont compete with the MacBook. Of the various manufacturers out there, Samsung are as good a bet as anybody and, IMHO, just LOOK better than anybody else’s machine. However, the machine feels a bit cheaper than it looks – a bit plasticy. The keyboard is of the ‘island key’ type which isnt a bad thing as it makes the keyboard feel good. The mousepad is large and functions well if you want to use the laptop on the move. The laptop is generally small and lightweight, which means it is mobile. All in all, a tidy if unspectacular machine. (AS an addon note – I too am bewildered why there are no caps locks lights as there is certainly space for it)
My use for this laptop was minimal. This is my ‘second’ laptop – I use a Dell for work. All I wanted was something to play the record player through and to install Roxio. It does this fine. The screen is very good (for the price) and the sound is OK, although obviously better with a speaker system. For 400 quid – its a good price. The memory and hard drive size are perfectly adequate for most things. You can get better memory/HDD elsewhere but not at this price.
Now the fatal flaw. The machine should really be shipped with Windows 7. If you are new to Windows 8, let me say that Windows 8 hates laptops and, in turn, may make you hate this laptop. That is why a review of the Operating system is vital as to whether you should buy this machine or find another machine that doesnt have Windows 8. First off, Windows 8 is designed for touch screens which this laptop is not.
But mainly, the main irks of Windows 8 is just how hard it is to get used to, plus, also, and I dont say this lightly, it is one giant advertising smorgasboard for Microsoft. It probably represents all the reasons why some people chose PCs over Macs in the first place. You might just feel a bit insulted in having to use it, especially if youve been buying Windows Operating Systems in order to avoid the Mac OS.
Everything is an App. For that reason, you will need to learn the vagaries of each App in order to get even the minimal out of this machine. This makes setup of this laptop to your uses a horrendous time consuming chore. Whereas we use only a fraction of previous microsoft software (eg Excel) because nobody deigns to provide any instructions, in this instance the lack of instructions means you will spend precious time researching even the most basic functions including (and Im not kidding here) closing a web page, pressing ‘stop’ on the music player or even closing down the machine. Someone will try and kid you its because you’re old or a tech-loser, but, actually its the absence of such simple niceties as providing a crib sheet of Windows 8 shortcuts. Im not sure why I have to go onto Youtube to find a video explaining how to play a CD, but this is the sort of menial task you WILL have to seek advice for.
As an example – the ‘MUSIC’ app. Its called XBOX Music – why Im not sure, I guess its just an advert for XBOX. It is approxiamately one fifth a music library and four fifths adverts for other music you can buy from Microsoft. Its dysfunctional and soul destroying at the same time. There is no ‘stop’ button, but a pause button that acts as a proxy for the stop. If you dont like this, you can try to download the Multimedia 8 App, but, although its free, you still have to sign up for Microsoft in order to download it. I tried to studiously avoid giving my email address away but within 5 hours, I found myself forced to. Im looking forward to the mountains of rubbish in my inbox now. And this is just the experience with one App. I will warn you now that if you have a POP email – you are entering a whole new world of hurt.
So as it happens, Im writing this on my Dell – its just so much easier. I will probably end up using this laptop infinitely more than the one Ive just bought. This isnt necessarily the fault of Samsung, unless, of course, it was their idea to include the OS on it.
So think twice. This is no slight against Samsung – but this Laptop is very very unlikeable. Be prepared to put the hours in
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
A quick first view,
I am one of the first to receive this new Autumn 2012 Windows 8 Samsung which I chose because it seemed to offer a high spec. for a reasonable price. This is my Xmas present for my wife, since I was getting tired of hearing her cries of despair and ire when working on her old laptop. With an i5 processor and 6GB of DDR3 1600 mhz RAM and 750gb of hard drive memory, this should keep things ticking over nicely. There is no separate graphics card, so I don’t know how good it would be for gaming, but that’s not a need for us.
The screen is matt, not glossy-reflective, which is a plus in my book. The colours may not be as vibrant as on a glossy screen, but it’s not an obvious difference and the colours still look good to me.
The very dark silver case is classy-looking and is metallic in appearance, although mainly plastic. There is a brighter silver surround around the touchpad.
The inbuilt speakers are loud enough for the average living-room to listen in, but unsurprisingly lack bass depth, as do nearly all laptop speakers. I would not like to listen to music on them, but buying extra separate speakers is a must for most laptop users anyway. On the noise front, although I have not pushed it yet, the fan seems quiet, although the hard-drive makes a perceptible slight grinding sound at times, but I am sitting in a very quiet room late at night at the moment.
There is no OS DVD that I could find in the box, although there are instructions for recovery in the detailed manual, which is a pdf. file stored on the computer, not a paper book.
The Microsoft Office Starter is not listed as a separate programme as it was with a computer I bought last year, and all the Full Microsoft Office screen says is that you have a 60-day trial period of Office, and there is no mention of the Starter, although conceivably you would be left with just Word and Excel and adverts (= Starter) if you did not sign up for the full Office after 2 months, but this is not stated specifically anywhere. I have in any case downloaded LibreOffice (free of charge) from the internet as an alternative office suite.
I am still coming to terms with Windows 8 so that makes it difficult for me to assess things, since I am not sure what to expect sometimes, and the new way of doing things is going to seem complex and confusing initially. There is quite a lot of stuff loaded including the Cyberlink Media Suite. The easy availability of Apps is also daunting: there is so much out there, and so many ways of doing the same thing slightly differently now. It was so much easier when you had very limited choices. I deleted the Norton anti-virus in favour of AVG, which I already use elswhere.
So far, more or less, so good. Not an outstanding machine, but a very good one for the money. I will try to update this as the laptop gets some use, in case that throws up problems – or unexpected bonuses!
A day later:
Just a few thoughts to add. This laptop replaces the Windows 7 edition of a virtually identical Samsung model. You may find it useful to read the reviews on that, as they seem to me likely to be the same sorts of comments which would apply to this newer model:
Samsung NP350V5C 15.6 inch Laptop (Silver) (Intel Core i5 3210M 2.5GHz, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD, DVDSM DL, LAN, WLAN, Webcam, Integrated Graphics, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit)
I would also recommend a detailed review on the new i3 version of the Windows 8 model by “Claptonian” :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-350V5C-15-6-inch-Laptop-Silver/dp/B009SJCW50/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1354359978&sr=8-4
From those reviews: “Lukas” seems satisfied with gaming performance of his Samsung, other reviewers point out that there is a numeric keyboard on the laptop, which is not automatic these days, and I think I agree that scrolling on the touchpad is a bit slow (but then I complained of the extreme sensitivity of my other laptop’s touchpad when I first bought it, so maybe it’s a question of what you’re used to).
–January 2013, a few more thoughts
If you read the other reviews here, you may see that the lack of a Caps Lock light on the keyboard is a major issue for some.
Reactions to Windows 8 on a non-touchscreen laptop seem divided: some hate it, some love it. I take the view that I don’t like the gaudy tile interface (although some do), but I could live with the old-style desktop interface, although it is true that many previously simple tasks like shutting down the laptop are not as intuitive as they used to be even on that interface. But since we are told that W8 is more stable, fast and secure than W7, I suppose we have to go with it, especially as it will probably be the new standard and therefore the most future-proof version, with software firms writing for it rather than W7. However, as my wife is using this laptop, I will enjoy the…
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|Excellent value for money – good performance and looks,
I spent a good deal of time researching options for a new laptop to be my main home computer. I’m not a gamer but wanted something powerful enough to do multitasking and photo editing. I didn’t want a fashion statement but also didn’t want a slab of plastic. And most of all, I wanted great value for money.
My early impressions are that this Samsung laptop meets or exceeds all my criteria.
It looks modern and stylish, though is clearly plastic not metal. It boots really quickly to Windows 8. I have downloaded, installed and run all of my day-to-day applications (browser, music player, word processor, photo editor) and it has not missed a beat. I like the matt (not shiny or glossy) screen.
At this price point (£429.99 when purchased on 27 Dec) I don’t think there is a better offer out there at the moment.
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|A decent mid range laptop destroyed by Windows 8,
A review of the laptop first:
Samsung are in a dwindling laptop market – it seems nobody can or wont compete with the MacBook. Of the various manufacturers out there, Samsung are as good a bet as anybody and, IMHO, just LOOK better than anybody else’s machine. However, the machine feels a bit cheaper than it looks – a bit plasticy. The keyboard is of the ‘island key’ type which isnt a bad thing as it makes the keyboard feel good. The mousepad is large and functions well if you want to use the laptop on the move. The laptop is generally small and lightweight, which means it is mobile. All in all, a tidy if unspectacular machine. (AS an addon note – I too am bewildered why there are no caps locks lights as there is certainly space for it)
My use for this laptop was minimal. This is my ‘second’ laptop – I use a Dell for work. All I wanted was something to play the record player through and to install Roxio. It does this fine. The screen is very good (for the price) and the sound is OK, although obviously better with a speaker system. For 400 quid – its a good price. The memory and hard drive size are perfectly adequate for most things. You can get better memory/HDD elsewhere but not at this price.
Now the fatal flaw.
The machine should really be shipped with Windows 7. If you are new to Windows 8, let me say that Windows 8 hates laptops and, in turn, may make you hate this laptop. That is why a review of the Operating system is vital as to whether you should buy this machine or find another machine that doesnt have Windows 8. First off, Windows 8 is designed for touch screens which this laptop is not.
But mainly, the main irks of Windows 8 is just how hard it is to get used to, plus, also, and I dont say this lightly, it is one giant advertising smorgasboard for Microsoft. It probably represents all the reasons why some people chose PCs over Macs in the first place. You might just feel a bit insulted in having to use it, especially if youve been buying Windows Operating Systems in order to avoid the Mac OS.
Everything is an App. For that reason, you will need to learn the vagaries of each App in order to get even the minimal out of this machine. This makes setup of this laptop to your uses a horrendous time consuming chore. Whereas we use only a fraction of previous microsoft software (eg Excel) because nobody deigns to provide any instructions, in this instance the lack of instructions means you will spend precious time researching even the most basic functions including (and Im not kidding here) closing a web page, pressing ‘stop’ on the music player or even closing down the machine. Someone will try and kid you its because you’re old or a tech-loser, but, actually its the absence of such simple niceties as providing a crib sheet of Windows 8 shortcuts. Im not sure why I have to go onto Youtube to find a video explaining how to play a CD, but this is the sort of menial task you WILL have to seek advice for.
As an example – the ‘MUSIC’ app. Its called XBOX Music – why Im not sure, I guess its just an advert for XBOX. It is approxiamately one fifth a music library and four fifths adverts for other music you can buy from Microsoft. Its dysfunctional and soul destroying at the same time. There is no ‘stop’ button, but a pause button that acts as a proxy for the stop. If you dont like this, you can try to download the Multimedia 8 App, but, although its free, you still have to sign up for Microsoft in order to download it. I tried to studiously avoid giving my email address away but within 5 hours, I found myself forced to. Im looking forward to the mountains of rubbish in my inbox now. And this is just the experience with one App. I will warn you now that if you have a POP email – you are entering a whole new world of hurt.
So as it happens, Im writing this on my Dell – its just so much easier. I will probably end up using this laptop infinitely more than the one Ive just bought. This isnt necessarily the fault of Samsung, unless, of course, it was their idea to include the OS on it.
So think twice. This is no slight against Samsung – but this Laptop is very very unlikeable. Be prepared to put the hours in
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