Samsung R40

hi, just wanted to see what your opinions are of the samsung R40 just released. its available in the uk (almost) for about £670, and seems quite a good budget laptop.

http://www.dabs.com/productview.asp...orySelectedId=11105&NavigationKey=11105,50429

heres the official detials on samsungs webpage, although i think the european version differs in specs slightly: http://www.samsung.com/he/products/notebookcomputer/r_series/np_r40.asp

 

Another source, which shows the R40 with T2300E CPU, is http://uk.insight.com/apps/productpresentation/index.php?alert=categoryresults&product_id=SAYAR4001 . The key feature of this model is that it does not use the Intel chipset. The graphics are ATI, integrated. The wireless spec mentions super G. I'm not sure whether the superbright display is glossy. The reported battery capacity is inconsistent with being 6 cell.

It looks to be good value for money.

John

 

isn't the T2300e 1.66GHz and the T2050 1.6?

 

T2300E has a 667MHz bus speed and the T2050 has a 533MHz bus speed. I don't know how much this affects real life performance, but either of these CPUs represents a major step up from the previous generation of mobile CPUs. Also, T2300E is slightly different from the T2300. It lacks the Virtualisation Technology (see http://www.intel.com/products/processor_number/body_view_core.htm) which, according to http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=33764, is unlikely to be significant.

John

 

Some further observations about the R40:

Size, weight and appearance of the R40 are very similar to the R55 (see http://www.samsung.com/uk/products/...ssional/np_r55t000suk.asp?page=Specifications). I think Samsung has used the same chassis but cut down the cost of the hardware by using a less expensive CPU, the ATI chipset with integrated graphics (I think the ATI 200M is quite good compared to the Intel integrated graphics) and the Atheros wireless chipset. So you save a substantial amount of money and don't get the Centrino sticker.

Samsung's product range in the 15.4" widescreen sector is starting to get confusing.

X60 has ATI X1400 and X1600 GPUs and WXGA+ display (a version with Intel integrated graphics and WXGA display is also listed).

P60 has Intel integrated graphics and WXGA display and a fingerprint reader, but otherwise appears to be the same chassis as the X60.

R55 has Nvidia graphics and a slightly heavier / thicker chassis than the X60 / P60 plus WXGA display.

R40 appears to be the R55 chassis with ATI chipset / integrated GPU and Atheros wireless.

R50 uses the Pentium M.

Although the basic weight of the R55 & R40 is heavier than the X60, if any of these models are supplied with the 60W PSU then the lighter PSU should almost offset the weight of the heavier computer. It appears that the R series have 4 USB ports - an improvement over the X60.

I hope this clarifies more than it confuses. Perhaps Samsung UK will one day update its website to include all the new models.

John

 

heya, thanks for the info. price in the uk just dropped, see link here:

http://www.savastore.com/productinf...vastore&product_id=10290795&pid=5&rstrat=3180

im actually looking to buy a laptop atm, and i think im gonna go with this. just one question, what features of centrino will this not have since it uses the ati chipset? or, what are the advantages of centrino in the first place? cheers.

 

1. That SavaStore price looks very good. I've used that supplier several times in the past - Watford Electronics has been around for years but service isn't the fastest - perhaps a consequence of rock-bottom pricing.

2. What do you lose if you don't have Centrino? - The Centrino sticker on the computer. I wouldn't hesitate to buy an alternative to Centrino, if it is offered and is less expensive. It's all about extra money for Intel by brand marketing.

3. PLease give us feedback on the R40 - ideally a full review - so we are informed where we lose out by having a machine with a cost around half of the X60.

John

 

I would also say that and ATi Chipset is a good product with high qulity. I agree with John Ratsey who says it's just some extra money for Intel - because this is nearly the only reason.
So: Buy "your" notebook - we're curiously looking forward for a review

 

even cheaper at digiuk! http://www.digiuk.com/productdetail...f2=&f3=&f4=&f5=&f6=&f=&t=&ms=&k=&s=0&gt=&sm=#

although i dont have any exp of buying from this store. in terms of the review, i wouldnt really know where to start or how to, but im guessing theres some sort of guideline? anyway, thanks for all your help and advice!

 

1. I've not personally used DigiUK but they've been around a while. As a smaller company they should be more responsive.

2. As for the review, you could do a lot worse than to follow the style of my review of the X60 and even include some comparisons between the two. If I were buying now, I would be wondering if the X60 is worth all that extra money.

John

 

@tama

Get in contact with abaxter, either by PM or by this contact form http://www.notebookreview.com/contact/default.asp?display=contact.
abaxter will give you a nice list of everything your review can/could include. If you read reviews on notebookreview.com from different authors you will notice that they all have the same scheme. If you have questions or troubles with writing - abaxter will assist you if you ask him.
Please don't forget to make optional tasks like benchmarking and many photos. We'd like to have as much information as possible - and you earn more money therefore.

In my signature is a link to my review about my Samsung X20 - if you are interested in ...

 

Thank you, Tama, for your review now posted at http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=80668 . It is very interesting to compare the R40 with my much more expensive Samsung X60. The main benefit of my extra expenditure seems to be a more rigid display and faster graphics. However, it is also worthwhile noting that the 3DMark05 score is nearly three times faster than the Intel integrated graphics I used to have in my Asus W3A.

John