What to expect from an inexpensive laptop: Samsung NP300E7A review. Samsung Np300v5a laptop: technical specifications, price, reviews, review
There are many principles for dividing laptop computers into groups according to their capabilities, but today we will focus solely on the price tag. The market is replete with expensive solutions; in contrast, there are laptops on sale that cost less than 500 bills with the image of George Washington. However, it is worth noting that the price of the former is sometimes unreasonably high, and the productivity of the latter is depressingly low. In reality, most users require a compromise solution, which is worth looking for among models costing from $600 to $1,000.
Today we will look at a relatively inexpensive laptop Samsung NP300E7A, based on the younger modification of the Intel Huron River platform.
In addition to Intel components, the configuration is represented by the simplest discrete graphics NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, a capacious half-terabyte hard drive and a more than sufficient set of interfaces. The main goal of the current review is to find out what tasks the Samsung NP300E7A is designed for - a laptop whose cost fits within the framework of an affordable pricing policy.
First, let's unpack the box.
Packaging and delivery
The packaging of the Samsung NP300E7A is extremely laconic, a simple cardboard box, sometimes painted dark blue with the manufacturer’s name on each side, a large inscription “Samsung Notebook” and a plastic handle on top for easy carrying. Information with detailed characteristics of the laptop placed inside is displayed on a sticker on the side.
Samsung NP300E7A: packaging box
Along with the laptop, the box contained the bare minimum: a 4400 mAh (6-cell) rechargeable battery, an AC adapter with a green indicator light on the case and a power cable, a small stack of brochures including a one-year warranty card and a quick start guide. launch in Russian, as well as a system recovery disk.
Samsung NP300E7A: delivery kit
Pre-installed software
The Samsung NP300E7A comes pre-installed with a Russian-language version of 64-bit Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic. In case of serious problems or malfunctions in the operating system, the user is asked to use the “Samsung Recovery Solution 5” utility.“Samsung Recovery Solution” can be launched either with Windows OS loaded or from a hidden partition on the hard drive. To initiate the system recovery process from the HDD, when turning on/rebooting the laptop computer, you must press the “F4” key, and then, sequentially following the simple instructions, bring the laptop to its factory state with all the software originally supplied. You can also carry out a set of measures to resuscitate the operating system using the Recovery disk included in the delivery package, but do not forget that this procedure will take significantly more time than a similar process from a hidden area of the hard drive.
Samsung Recovery Solution
When Windows is loaded (as well as from a hidden partition on the hard drive), using the “Samsung Recovery Solution” you can create recovery disks, backup the current state of the laptop OS, restore the system to the required level or individual Windows files. The utility is launched either by clicking on the corresponding icon in the notification area icons or from the proprietary “Easy Support Center” shell.
Easy Support Center
In addition to launching the recovery system, “Samsung Support Center” allows you to find and fix problems, run system utilities, and also contains the “Samsung Update” application - online updates of pre-installed software.
As a quick help when setting up basic laptop parameters, the software includes the “Easy Setting” application. The utility allows you to control power, speed of recovery from the “sleep” state, fan noise level, wired and wireless networks, screen and sound (Realtek HD is also responsible for them) adjustments.
Easy Setting
To make it easier to find software installed on a laptop, the Samsung NP300E7A has an “Easy Software Manager” utility.
Easy Software Manager
Also, for better visualization of the software available on the laptop computer, the “Software Launcher” application has been added with programs divided into groups according to their purpose.
Software Launcher
To work with text documents, Microsoft Office Starter 2010 is installed on the laptop, which is a full-fledged pre-installed version of Office 2010 with greatly reduced functionality, which can be unlocked by entering the product serial number from the purchased license card.
To protect against viruses and other malware, the manufacturer includes a trial version of the Norton Internet Security package with a limited validity period of 60 days.
Norton Internet Security
Samsung includes Ciberlink YouCam with its built-in webcam. The program can take photographs, record videos and draw on the resulting images. Ciberlink YouCam allows you to apply frames, scenes, avatars, filters and distortions in real time, mark the time of shooting, record on a timer and activate the camera when motion is detected with the ability to automatically send footage by email. With the click of one button, videos and pictures can be instantly posted on YouTube and Facebook, sent by E-mail or simply deleted. The resolution of photographs and videos ranges from 320x240 to 640x480 pixels, the extensions of the created files can be: photo – “*.bmp”, “*.jpg” or “*.png”, video – “*.wmv” or “*. avi”, there is also a continuous shooting mode (from 1 to 10 frames), the ability to zoom and adjust image quality.
Ciberlink YouCam 3
In addition to YouCam, the list of pre-installed software contains an impressive set of other programs produced by CyberLink, combined into the “Media Suite” multimedia shell and divided by functionality into groups (“Music”, “Movie Player”, “Data”, “Photo”, “Video” , “Copy & Backup”, “Utilities” and “Favorites”).
CyberLink Media Suite
Hidden under the DVD Suite tabs are the following programs:
CyberLink Power2Go, designed for working with optical media, allows you to copy images and burn files, music, videos and photos to discs of all formats, including Blu-Ray (irrelevant, since the optical drive does not support the Blu-Ray format). In addition to standard features, Power2Go includes built-in composition tools that allow you to edit movies and personalize discs with menus and tables of contents. The program can also work in the Express version, designed for instant copying and recording.
CyberLink Power2Go
CyberLink PowerDirector 8 is a tool for editing multimedia data, using it to create professional-quality videos and burn them to discs. The program allows you to turn existing materials into a film with high-quality sound, special effects and professional inter-frame transitions.
CyberLink PowerDirector 8
As an additional video player, CyberLink Media+ Player is included in the pre-installed software of the Samsung NP300E7A.
CyberLink Media+ Player
The multimedia shell CyberLink MediaShow 5 sorts photographic materials found on the computer and allows you to edit them, create videos using special effects, and then record the resulting slide show to disk.
CyberLink MediaShow 5
Also in the list of software is a collection of casual games “WildTangent Games” with a built-in set of demo samples.
WildTangent Games
And the last thing that cannot be ignored is the user manual, made in Samsung’s corporate style.
User guide
Exterior: design and ergonomics
Despite the impressive 17-inch format and the absence of expensive finishes, the NP300E7A does not look bulky or cheap; with the notes of elegance inherent in the lion's share of Samsung products, the laptop looks decent and neat. Smooth lines, rounded corners, 35mm thickness and the right color combination together and individually make the laptop attractive and elegant. All you have to do is pick up the Samsung NP300E7A and your collection of positive feelings will be replenished; in addition, it has the weight of a 15-inch laptop, only 2.6 kg. Most of the lid is painted silver, the 5-centimeter strip on the back is black, as is its end around the perimeter. The top surface is decorated with a texture with longitudinal corrugation, which makes the laptop absolutely non-marking and protected from possible scratches.
Samsung NP300E7A: cover texture
The manufacturer assures that the cover is exceptionally durable, and perhaps this is so; we did not conduct crash tests, but ordinary clicks on the material are immediately displayed as streaks on the switched-on matrix.
Samsung NP300E7A: front view
The hinges, which are protruding elements of the lower part of the frame around the screen, are connected to the body in special recesses in the base. Tight hinge mechanisms perfectly secure the display at the desired angle and in the lowered position. The opening angle of the laptop is slightly more than 100 degrees, which for such a large model cannot be considered a serious drawback. The middle of the front end of the cover is equipped with a small protrusion for easy lifting.
Samsung NP300E7A: opening angle
Looking inside, you can see that the two-tone color scheme started on the outside continues. The backing under the wrists is silver plastic without texture, the island keys are surrounded by black gloss, so get ready that your work on the Samsung NP300E7A will not go unnoticed, the frame around the screen and the insert above the keyboard are also black, but practically matte.
Samsung NP300E7A: open
A 0.3-megapixel webcam is built into the top center of the frame around the screen. The direction of the lens “look” is adjusted by the angle of the cover. There is no camera activity indicator, as is common with Samsung, so it is impossible to visually determine whether the device is turned on.
Samsung NP300E7A: webcam
Samsung NP300E7A is equipped with a widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) 17.3-inch matrix with a maximum resolution of 1600x900 pixels. The surface of the screen is matte, so it will not be possible to achieve glare and reflections; you can safely work outdoors in the sun and not look for good lighting. The horizontal viewing angles are okay, the vertical ones are too small as always, tilting the lid too far turns the image into a negative, and when looking at the screen from above, the image burns out. The brightness scale of the Samsung NP300E7A consists of eight divisions, all levels are more than comfortable for work. Brightness adjustment is made by pressing the “Fn” and “F2” or “F3” keys together.
The laptop is equipped with a black island-type keyboard with 103 keys. The pressing of the buttons is soft and devoid of sound, no backlash is detected, the moment of operation is perfectly felt. The deflection of the device during operation, which is often found in large laptop models, is absent. When looking at the keyboard from an acute angle, you can clearly see that the top of the buttons is flat and there is no ergonomic recess.
Samsung NP300E7A: keys in profile
Three of the four cursor control keys are located in the bottom row of buttons, making it impossible to protect against accidental clicks on adjacent ones. To the left of this three is a second “Fn” key, which, to its credit, is convenient when using the right side of the function buttons. Another interesting innovation is “Fn Lock”, designed to create the effect of constantly pressing “Fn”. As always, the layout contains a pair of special Microsoft Windows keys. The functional buttons are greatly reduced in height and a couple of millimeters in width, as well as the row that closes them on the right: “Fn Lock”, “Insert”, “Delete”, located above the main keyboard and “Home”, “End”, “Page Up” and “Page Down” – above the number pad. Latin letters are printed in white, Russian letters are printed in red (with the same size point), the keys that work after pressing and holding “Fn” are pale blue.
Samsung NP300E7A: keyboard
With the same gap as between all the keys, a number pad is adjacent to the right of the main keyboard, equipped with four vertical columns of buttons. The Samsung NP300E7A has all the typical shortcomings of a laptop layout: the “right arrow” occupies the rightful half of the “0” key, the four buttons “Home”, “End”, “Page Up” and “Page Down” are located in an additional top row above the number one keyboard.
The power key of the laptop is located directly under the right hinge and is illuminated in a circle with a blue rim.
Samsung NP300E7A: power key
Along with decorative recesses, made by a narrow strip in the far part of the base, the width of the hinges, there are small rectangles with through holes, under which 3-watt stereo speakers are hidden. The volume and sound quality of the built-in speakers are “above average”, but for high-quality playback of songs it is recommended to use external acoustics. Volume controls are located on the “F7” and “F8” keys, used in conjunction with “Fn”. Complete mute (Mute) – “Fn” + “F6”. I had to look for the microphone hole; it is shifted to the lower left corner of the keyboard pad. The chosen location can hardly guarantee adequate work, since it is often blocked by hand.
The Samsung NP300E7A touchpad fits harmoniously into the overall picture of the base, matching it in color and texture. The touchpad has a tiny recess, so the user will definitely feel leaving the perimeter of the device. Responsiveness to finger touches is excellent, the area corresponds to the size of the screen. At the base of the touchpad there are two “mouse” keys with a short stroke, soft pressing and a quiet click when activated. Vertical and horizontal scrolling is performed by holding two fingers together from top to bottom (bottom to top) or from left to right (right to left), respectively, the touchpad also supports the function of scaling (pinch/spread fingers diagonally across the panel), rotation (one finger touches the panel, the second draws around arc) and page turning (moving three fingers horizontally).
Samsung NP300E7A: touchpad
On the front end of the base, immediately in front of the touchpad, there is a group of indicators with symbols drawn under the mouse keys, which are hidden by the lowered lid (from left to right):
Samsung NP300E7A: system indicators
Activity indicator (shows the computer is accessing the hard drive or optical drive, turning blue at the time of access);
Wireless interface activity indicator;
Battery indicator (lights orange when the battery is charging; off – completely discharged; flashes orange if the battery charge is less than 10%, lights green when the battery is charged and the laptop is plugged in);
Power indicator (lights blue when the laptop is on, when the computer is in sleep mode or off, the indicator is off).
The laptop does not have uppercase lock (Caps Lock) or numeric keypad (Num Lock) indicators; the activity of the corresponding functions is displayed on the screen in the form of a small window that lights up for a few seconds after pressing the “Caps Lock” and “Num Lock” keys.
Below and to the right of the indicators is a built-in 4-in-1 card reader that supports memory cards of the following standards: Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Secure Digital eXtended Capacity and MultiMedia Card.
On the left side of the Samsung NP300E7A are the following ports: (from left to right):
Samsung NP300E7A: left view
Connector for connecting a power source;
Connector for connecting a laptop to a local network (RJ-45);
15-pin D-Sub connector for connecting an external monitor;
HDMI connector for connecting external monitors and TVs;
USB port (USB 2.0);
Microphone jack;
Standard 3.5mm headphone jack.
On the right side of the laptop there is an optical drive with an activity indicator, a CD eject button and an emergency opening, two USB ports (USB 2.0) and a Kensington security lock loop.
Samsung NP300E7A: right view
Due to the specific design, there is nothing on the back of the laptop.
Samsung NP300E7A: rear view
Samsung NP300E7A is equipped with a 6-cell battery with a capacity of 4400 mAh or 48 Wh. The battery is rated at 11.1 V.
Samsung NP300E7A: battery
At the bottom of the laptop under study there are: two spring clamps for the battery, a sticker with the operating system number, and a cover for the combined RAM and hard drive compartments. The battery latches provide locking in extreme positions, so you can remove the battery with one hand.
Samsung NP300E7A: bottom
The RAM compartment is equipped with two slots, one of which is empty.
Samsung NP300E7A: bottom with open lid
Internal content
The Samsung NP300E7A is built on a dual-core Intel Core i3 2330M processor with a clock frequency of 2.20 GHz and code-named Sandy Bridge core, produced using a 32 nm process technology and having a 3072 KB L3 cache combined for both cores. The typical heat dissipation of the Intel Core i5 2410M is 35 W. A single Sandy Bridge chip combines: computing cores, cache memory, memory controller, PCI Express bus controller and Intel HD Graphics 3000 graphics core.
Intel Core i3 2330M in two test power modes
Second-generation Intel Core i3 processors, like their predecessors, support Enhanced Intel SpeedStep (EIST) energy-saving technology, which allows the multiplier and, accordingly, the operating frequency to be reduced during idle moments. There is support for Intel Hyper-Threading, which “emulates” a quad-core processor; in the Windows task manager four cores will be visible instead of two. But Intel Turbo Boost technology, which allows you to increase the processor clock frequency in cases where only one of its cores is loaded, is not supported by the Intel Core i3 2330M processor.
The Samsung NP300E7A has a four-gigabyte DDR3 module with a frequency of 1333 MHz installed in one of the two available RAM slots, the second is free. A single memory stick allows the RAM to operate in single-channel mode. According to the technical characteristics of the laptop and the capabilities of the platform, the amount of memory used can be increased by 4 times.
Single channel operating mode
The second most important element of the Huron River platform installed in the Samsung NP300E7A is the Intel Cougar Point HM65 chipset. The thermal package of the used NMS is 3.9 W. The northbridge of the chipset, like that of the 5th generation Calpella NMS, has been abolished; all its components are located in the processor. The South Bridge supports interfaces: SATA (up to 6 ports), USB 2.0 (up to 12) and up to eight PCI Express 2.0 x1 lines. There is also a built-in Intel High Definition Audio sound core.
Intel Cougar Point HM65
Also among the Huron River components is the Intel Centrino Wireless-N 130 wireless network adapter, which, according to the technical characteristics of the laptop, supports all data transfer standards, including high-speed 802.11n. Plus, the laptop has a regular wired adapter from Realtek installed.
Hybrid graphics Samsung NP300E7A is based on NVIDIA Optimus technology.
As a graphics accelerator with minimal load, the laptop uses the Intel HD Graphics 3000 adapter integrated into the Intel Core i3 2330M processor case, made using a 32-nm process technology and operating at a frequency of up to 650 MHz. The video card can “take away” up to 1856 MB of free memory from the RAM; it supports Shader Model 4.1 and DirectX 10.1. The adapter implements Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology.
Along with Intel HD Graphics 3000, connected to it through Optimus technology, which determines the level of graphics performance required by the application, a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX is installed in the laptop. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX is based on the GF119 core, manufactured according to the 40 nm process technology and operating at a frequency of 900 MHz. The pixel shader pipeline operates at a frequency of 1800 MHz, DDR3 memory – 900 MHz. The memory bus has a 64-bit interface. The GPU supports DirectX 11, PhysX and CUDA technologies. The characteristics of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX installed in the Samsung NP300E7A can be seen in the screenshot below of the GPU-Z program.
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX
The laptop is equipped with a Samsung HN-M500MBB 2.5" hard drive with a spindle speed of 5400 rpm, a SATA interface and a capacity of 500 GB. The laptop is also equipped with a TSSTcorp SN-208AB DVD burner drive.
Below is a table with detailed technical characteristics of the tested Samsung NP300E7A and the Acer Aspire 7560G it is contrasting with:
Testing methodology
Before testing, the Samsung NP300E7A had its hard drive formatted with the NTFS file system, then the Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64 operating system (English version) was installed. Drivers were taken from laptop manufacturer website.During testing, the following parameters were set:
Screen Saver – disabled;
Windows Defender – disabled;
System Protection – disabled;
Windows Update - disabled;
Scheduled disk defragmentation – disabled;
Enabled deletion of files immediately after placing them in the trash;
Screen brightness is set to maximum;
The resolution of the liquid crystal matrix is maximum, 1600x900;
Aero interface – activated;
Desktop theme – Windows 7;
Volume level – 10%.
The test package is divided into two parts:
Part 1: tests to measure the performance of both the system as a whole and its individual components:
Synthetic tests for general performance (PCMark Vantage 1.0.2, PCMark 7 1.0.4, SYSmark 2007 and SYSmark 2012);
Gaming performance tests (3DMark 2006 1.2.0, 3DMark Vantage 1.0.2, 3DMark 11 1.0.2, Unigine Heaven 2.5 benchmark, Resident Evil 5, Far Cry 2, Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, World in Conflict, Lost Planet 2, Mafia 2, F1 2010, DiRT 3).
The 2nd part is focused on determining the battery life of a laptop computer; measurements were made using the MobileMark 2007 test application.
MobileMark 2007 contains three operating modes:
Productivity mode – shock load on the system with long pauses;
Reader mode – emulation of reading a pdf file (in the “Read” test mode, pages are flipped every 2 minutes);
DVD movie viewing mode (uses the movie supplied with MobileMark 2007).
SYSmark 2007 and MobileMark 2007 used the appropriately named application vendor power plans installed using the BAPCo-AutoConfig utility. For SYSmark 2012, power settings with the same name as the application were specified, integrated into the package itself.
In addition to the above, 3DMark 2006 1.2.0 scenes were repeatedly run on the laptop, after which, using an infrared remote thermometer, the temperatures of the LCD panel, keyboard, bottom surface, “exhaust” (the point with the maximum temperature was looked for on each surface) and the processor (using CPUID Hardware Monitor programs). This test was carried out twice: when working on a hard, smooth table surface and on a soft, fluffy fabric surface.
For the entire testing period (except for MobileMark 2007 and temperature measurements), the laptop was placed on a special cooling pad Cooler Master NotePal X2 R9-NBC-4WAK-GP, a brief overview and test of which you can find on this page.
Performance testing
Traditionally, testing opens with the synthetic application Futuremark PCMark Vantage. The overall test result is calculated using the formula: PCMark Score = 87 x (Geometric Average of Main Tests), where the geometric mean is (result 1 * result 2 * ...) ^ (1 / number of results). In the Vantage version, the results are presented in relation to typical operating scenarios, and not to computer components:
The Memories scenario evaluates system performance when working with digital media archives, including amateur photographs and home videos.
The TV and Movies test uses high-definition video playback and transcoding as the load.
The Gaming test measures the suitability of platforms for 3D gaming applications.
The Music script is mainly dedicated to transcoding audio files of various formats.
The Communication test simulates visiting web resources, working with email, and using IP telephony.
Productivity is another simple scenario that simulates working with typical office applications;
And the last HDD – evaluates locally the operation of only the hard drive.
After passing the PCMark Vantage test, which reflects the overall performance of a laptop, the Samsung NP300E7A shows strong results and is head and shoulders above the quad-core Acer Aspire 7560G. Changing the power supply, which entails a drop in the processor clock frequency, connecting energy-saving circuits, significantly reduces the final performance.
The PCMark 7 package contains 7 tests that comprehensively evaluate the performance of a laptop computer:
PCMark shows overall system performance;
Lightweight is intended for entry-level computers and mobile platforms (netbooks and tablets) that are not capable of fully performing a full test lap;
Entertainment demonstrates the computer's capabilities in entertainment applications, such as media playback and gaming performance;
Creativity evaluates computer performance in creating content;
Productivity shows the system level in office applications and when surfing the Internet;
Computation measures the computing performance of components;
Storage evaluates the performance of storage devices (including SSDs and external hard drives).
A similar picture is observed in the PCMark 7 test package: Samsung NP300E7A shows a high result when running on mains power and a noticeable reduction in performance when running on battery power. The processor performance of the Acer Aspire 7560G is noticeably lower.
Version 2007 of the SYSmark test suite is aimed at determining comprehensive system performance under various load conditions. SYSmark 2007 simulates the user experience aimed at solving specific problems in several of the most common applications. At the output, the package produces several indices showing the system performance demonstrated under various activity scenarios.
IN E-Learning The preparation of a training website containing a variety of media content is simulated. The script uses the following applications: Adobe Illustrator CS2, Adobe Photoshop CS2, Macromedia Flash 8 and Microsoft PowerPoint 2003. The script Video Creation includes the production of videos using non-linear editing and the use of additional effects. Videos are collected from several sources, including static images. The result is prepared in two formats - HD and for online viewing via the Internet. When working on videos, the following set of software is used: Adobe After Effects 7, Adobe Illustrator CS2, Adobe Photoshop CS2, Microsoft Windows Media Encoder 9 and Sony Vegas 7. The next test, Productivity, simulates a typical office job involving email, data processing, project management, and paperwork. Applications used: Microsoft Excel 2003, Microsoft Outlook 2003, Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, Microsoft Word 2003, Microsoft Project 2003 and WinZip 10.0. And finally, the last script from the SYSmark 2007 test package - 3D is dedicated to the creation of an architectural presentation, including a photorealistic image of the object and a video with a flyby of the designed building. The two applications used in this scenario are AutoDesk 3ds Max 8 and SketchUp 5.
The SYSmark 2007 pure processor test clearly demonstrates the difference between the Intel Core i3 2330M and the AMD Quad-Core A6-3400M. Looking at the results, it is easy to conclude that given the similar cost of laptops, a laptop computer with which processor is preferable. The results of the Samsung NP300E7A with different types of power supply can be easily explained by the CPU frequencies: network - 2.2 GHz, battery 0.8 GHz.
SYSmark 2012 includes new versions of common applications and work scenarios that are even closer to reality than SYSmark 2007. SYSmark 2012's detailed results are capable of showing real-world performance estimates obtained in various system usage scenarios. There are six in total:
Kirill Sergeev
For quite a long time, Samsung has been pleasing its customers with anything: ultra-thin tablets, super-powerful smartphones and amazing components for various kinds of technological gadgets. However, for the last few years the company has been unable to release a single laptop that is even more or less worthwhile. One gets the feeling that the corporation’s designers have completely forgotten how to draw, and the developers have forgotten how to wisely use the internal space of the devices. Unfortunately, the NP300V5A laptop model, which will be discussed in today's review, was no exception.
Appearance
The impression of a kind of “sluggishness” is created immediately, at the first visual contact with the laptop. The thickness of the laptop is simply fantastic - 31.6 mm, and, unfortunately, this is by no means a compliment. Tempted by the latest developments in the field of ultrabooks, the thickness of which melts right before our eyes, the public is unlikely to covet this particular laptop model.
The basic version of the unit’s body is made in a strict and calm gray: the top surface is stylized “like wood” and has a corresponding texture, a metal edging around the perimeter of the display, of course, gives the model some aristocracy, but does not at all relieve it from the overwhelming bulkiness. For greater variety, the designers added brighter options to the range: blue, yellow and pink. It is worth noting that the blue Samsung NP300V5A really looks “lighter” than its brothers in the shop, but this difference is almost imperceptible and hardly noticeable.
Separately, I would like to consider the top cover of the model, namely the contrast between the relief matte panel and the sparkling glossy frame. Of course, the logical move is for the developers to create a surface that is sufficiently resistant to mechanical damage - not only matte, but also textured. Much more disappointing is the glossy “metal” frame of the screen, which with a couple of awkward movements can easily turn into a scratched piece of plastic. Be that as it may, these two factors, although not completely equivalent, mutually compensate each other.
However, one cannot fail to note a small positive point: the build quality of Samsung products, as usual, is excellent. The use of right angles in the design of the model has led to the fact that when folded, the laptop is perceived as monolithic, as a single whole, and this is probably true. The absence of gaps, play and other unpleasant little things is one of the few advantages of the Samsung NP300V5A.
Specifications
It would seem that with such a massive thickness of the case, a modern laptop simply must be filled with various kinds of new products from the Hi-Tech industry. Unfortunately, on the technological front, things are no less bad for the NP300V5A than on the visual front. Let's deal with everything in order.
The laptop is equipped with an Intel Core i3 processor with a stated frequency of 2100 MHz. On the one hand, it cannot be said that this clock frequency is insufficient to solve a number of necessary tasks - this, of course, is not the case. But on the other hand, this is a significant shortcoming not only in comparison with modern representatives of the world of laptops, but also for such a “well-fed” device. The declared processor can easily cope with typical office work and will help while away leisure time with games with “average” system requirements, but nothing more - the laptop is not intended for solving larger-scale tasks.
The screen of the Samsung NP300V5A laptop is also nothing particularly interesting. Typical LED display, typical 15.6 inches diagonally, typical according to the newfangled trend 1366 * 768 pixels. The quality of color reproduction and images this time is frankly disappointing: the values of these characteristics are within acceptable limits, but there is no question of any video playback in Full HD format. The display is protected by an anti-reflective coating, and this is probably the only thing that can be noted about it.
The device’s battery, according to the manufacturer, can function uninterruptedly for seven hours. If this statement were true, it would slightly rehabilitate the indecently massive dimensions of the laptop and other flaws of unfortunate designers. However, taking into account the fact that manufacturers, as a rule, exaggerate the lifespan of their power supplies by approximately 30% (and Samsung is no exception), we can conclude that the laptop is unlikely to last longer than 5 hours.
The caring developers equipped the model’s hard drive with five hundred gigabytes of memory, and this is truly one of the few truly joyful moments. It’s a completely different matter that for a compact PC with similar characteristics, this volume is much larger than required - there is simply nothing to fill it with except music and videos. In any case, it is undoubtedly nice that the company cares about the information that potential buyers will store on the hard drives of the company's computers.
The developers did not consider it necessary to include any pleasant surprises that could fully promote the laptop on the market. Most likely, the company was pursuing the goal of creating a budget laptop, although the price is at the upper end of the expected price range.
Below is a summary table of technical characteristics of the Samsung NP300V5A laptop:
| CPU | Intel Core i3-2310M |
| CPU frequency | 2100 MHz |
| Screen diagonal | 15.6 inches |
| operating system | Windows 7 Home Basic |
| Video card | NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M with 1GB memory |
| Screen resolution | 1366*768 pixels |
| HDD capacity | 500 GB |
| RAM capacity | 1 GB expandable up to 3 GB |
| Main ports | USB 2.0*3, HDMI |
| Wireless modules | Wi-Fi: 802.11b, 802.11g |
| Wireless interfaces | Bluetooth 2.0 |
| Dimensions | 366*240*31.6 mm |
| Weight | 2.48 kg |
| Price | 19,000 rubles |
At the moment, we can say with confidence that in the laptop industry, Samsung is significantly behind leading companies such as Lenovo or, for example, Asus. The Samsung NP300V5A model can be called a kind of “dinosaur” from the world of laptops: such models are still alive, but very soon, without any doubt, they will give way to new – thinner, more modern and productive units.
conclusions
If we consider this model from the point of view of the consumer audience, then it is probably most suitable for users who are inclined towards minimalism - those who value space on their desktop or office desk. Compared to modern laptops, the NP300V5A looks much larger, and due to its rather large weight and short battery life, it is almost impossible to carry it with you. Compared to standard personal computers, this product from Samsung is much smaller and, as a result, more practical.
We can conclude that this particular laptop is suitable for users who passionately want to get a hybrid of a standard PC and a laptop - more or less productive, but at the same time portable and taking up little space on the work surface.
We can only wish Samsung a speedy recovery, and also hope that soon the developers and designers of the corporation will definitely please us with something fresh, unusual and extraordinary.
Samsung NP300E5C is a 15.6-inch laptop with a powerful graphics card and dual-core processor at a very affordable price. The manufacturer positions this model as a multimedia laptop with high autonomy.
Specifications Samsung NP300E5C
- Display - 15.6 inches with HD resolution 1366×768
- Processor - dual-core Intel Pentium B960 with a frequency of 2.2 GHz
- RAM - 4 GB DDR3 format, expandable up to 8 GB
- Video card - discrete nVidia GeForce 610M, memory capacity - 1 GB
Characteristics Analysis
Samsung NP300E5C has good technical characteristics, despite the fact that the model itself has already been discontinued.
The dual-core Intel processor is quite enough for both web surfing and working with documents, as well as running multimedia applications and games, while multitasking is possible. 
The advantage of the laptop is its discrete graphics card - it is quite enough to run most games, not to mention releases released in 2012-2014. For example, sensational GTA V and The Witcher 3 run on this laptop at minimum-medium settings without any freezes. It should be understood that the laptop was released almost 4 years ago, so it may no longer be sufficient for subsequent releases.
The Samsung NP300E5C has 4 GB of RAM, and it is possible to add an additional slot, increasing the volume to 8 GB, which is enough for any everyday tasks. Also, the processor architecture allows you to install not only those that require a minimum of 4 GB of memory, but for which almost all modern games and applications are “tailored”.
User reviews and opinions
Samsung NP300E5C has quite positive user reviews on the Internet. The disadvantages include the lack of keyboard backlighting and strong heating, which, however, does not affect performance in any way. 
Many people praise the laptop for its powerful battery, thanks to which the laptop boasts excellent battery life.
Some users experienced the problem due to the video card. The principle of such laptops is that during normal use the Intel video adapter built into the processor works, and when running resource-intensive applications it switches to a discrete nVidia one. But after a certain time of use, this switch begins to periodically “glitch” and you have to switch video cards manually through a special NVidia application.
Some advanced users complain about this model because it is very different from what is installed in other models. But this is not a drawback, but rather a feature of this particular laptop.
General impressions
pros:
- good filling;
- discrete video card;
- the presence of an additional numeric keypad;
- powerful battery;
- low cost;
- anti-glare matte screen.
Minuses:
- possible strong heating;
- switching between video cards.
Overall, one of the best laptops of the last generation, which has good technical characteristics, high-quality sound, but also has its drawbacks. Depending on the configuration, you may have a 3, 5 or even 7 core processor, you will agree that even now this is quite enough, if you do not play cutting-edge games, 6 GB of RAM is also enough for you not only to use office applications, but even to use some graphic program. However, in practice, the color reproduction of the Samsung Np 300v 5a is quite weak, and the viewing angles are small, which makes it impossible to work in applications such as Photoshop, for example. I was also pleased with the battery, in general, if you change the operating system with built-in WIN 7 to a more modern one, the battery can withstand about 8 hours of uninterrupted operation, which is a very good indicator.
PRICE - about 20,000 rubles at the time of production;
Specifications
OS – Win 7
Processor – Pentium three-core, five-core, seven-core
Frequency -2000-2500 MHz;
RAM - 2..6 GB;
Screen size – 15.6 d;
Video card – GeForce GT 520MX 1024 MB;
HDD- 320…1000 GB;
Battery -4400 mAh
Operating time from battery – 7 hours;
Reviews
— A high-quality matte screen, however, the peculiarity of such a matrix is that the color rendition is not the best, however, some people even like the display;
— The case is assembled poorly, something constantly creaks;
— After about a year, the monitor’s hinges may become loose;
— Fast processor;
— Different configurations have different amounts of RAM, but usually the system does not slow down, there is enough memory;
— The built-in Turbo boost function, if necessary, accelerates the processor to 3000 MHz, this happens when a large number of windows are open;
— A fairly comfortable keyboard that doesn’t tire your hands;
— The lid gets scratched very quickly, so try to protect your laptop from unnecessary sharp corners;
— Samsung Np 300v 5a has a sufficient number of ports;
— The opening angle of the screen is about 120 degrees, sometimes this seems not enough;
— The laptop weighs more than competitors from approximately the same price category;
— There is no light on the webcam indicating that the camera is working;
— The touchpad and cover of the Samsung Np 300v 5a quickly become dirty, you need to carry a small cloth with you at all times;
— The sound is high-quality and loud, which is not the case with many other Samsung laptop models;
— If you change the operating system to Win 8, the battery will last for an average of 8 hours; on a standard “Seven” the maximum battery life is 4 hours;
— The microphone is located next to the cooler, when you talk on Skype the interlocutor will hear a lot of unnecessary sounds;
Although the fan itself is practically inaudible for the user of the Samsung Np 300v 5a, which is undoubtedly pleasing;
— The coating on the touchpad begins to wear off over time;
— Older games can be played without any problems;
— Quickly wakes up from sleep mode;
— Nice price;
— The touchpad holds many gestures;
— Webcam with a good image and high-quality software for it;
— Nice design of the laptop in general;
— On the keyboard, the Cyrillic alphabet as well as the Latin alphabet are embossed in white letters, which significantly reduces visibility;
Conclusion
Samsung Np 300v 5a is an excellent universal laptop model that is suitable for those people who like to use various software and periodically play games, although not the most modern ones. Of all the minuses, the only irritating thing is the cover of the lid, thanks to which dust constantly collects
RATING 8/10 for features, price, and sound
Video tutorial: how to update BIOS
Modern users of electronic equipment are increasingly puzzled by the question “How to update the BIOS.” This need arises quite often, because the firmware of this system removes many errors in the operation of the laptop, stabilizes and improves the performance of all components of the Windows OS. In this article we will tell you how to update the BIOS on a Samsung np355v5c laptop.
It is important to remember that if you experience difficulties with such procedures, contact experienced Samsung laptop repair technicians.
Step-by-step instructions for updating BIOS
First, we determine the current BIOS version on your laptop. We can do this using an application called msInfo32. It is launched by entering the name in the “Run” window. In this program, in the “System Information” section, we look at the information we need.
Next, go to the manufacturer’s website and find the support page for your laptop. To do this, it would be advisable to use a search by model number. To find out this number, turn the laptop over and look at the factory stamp.
Enter the found serial number and press Enter. In the window that appears, find the “Built-in Software” section, then the “Update Software” section and download the BIOSUpdate.exe file.
Before running the update, make sure that the charge level on your laptop is at least 20%. After installing the update, in the msInfo32 program you can view the installed version of your BIOS in the same way.