Samsung R540

Introduction

Desktop replacements cover two types of people: those who are actually looking for a powerful laptop that can keep up with desktops, and those who just don’t have a need to purchase something made for travel. It is not hard nor is it expensive to make an lcd for a laptop pushing 16 inches and 5-6 lbs with room to spare, so don’t even look at a desktop replacement if it does not have a beautiful screen. In this article I will be reviewing the Samsung R540.
Specs:
Intel i3 M370 2.4GHz
4 GB RAM
Windows Experience: 3.9
Windows 64 Bit
Intel HD graphics
Screen Resolution: 1366 X 768
2 hard drives=500 GB
5 lbs
Outside
The Samsung R540 is not a small laptop by any means. This thing is quite large with a roomy polycarbonate exterior. The silver design is not as Sumsung-like as my previous phone, the Samsung “Alias”, but it fits in perfectly next to my friend’s 56inch Samsung TV with it’s HDMI output. The screen is very flat but has a nice slope on each side, it really does have a slender feel to it. I like the placement of “Samsung” on the front cover. It doesn’t scream “look at me, I’m a Samsung” but at the same time, it is a cool look. Don’t get me wrong, this machine is very big, not Dell XPS 17inch big, but big enough that it barely fits in the laptop slot of my North Face Recon Backpack.
The front just has a subtle SD card slot, I almost missed it because of the cover. The right side has the DVD burner, and two USB ports that are stacked. At first I did not think I would like the stacked usb ports, for my initial reaction was that what if I have a usb device that will block the second port. Well, I have plugged in every device I own (iphone cords, hard drives, usb drives) and not a single one has been a problem. I do remember back in the day I had a Sandisk Cruzer USBq drive that held SD cards that I scrounged my room for, to see if it was small enough, but I could not find it. So unless you have an affinity for large, slow, and outdated flash drives,the stacked USB drives will not be a problem.
Due to the adequate spacing between the ports on the left side, I initially thought there were fewer ports, but it’s just because I’ve been using 10inch netbooks and 12 compacts for the past two weeks. The left side has a kensington security slot, DC power, VGA, ethernet, HDMI, another USB port, and the audio in and out ports. I would not describe this computer as light, but considering its size, it could be a lot heavier. The plastic on the front cover is very sleek yet is prone to fingerprints, and has a decent amount of flex on the back of the screen. While flex is rarely a good sign, this strong plastic will not wear away or crack as cheaper materials would. The bottom is made of a more matte plastic that is denser, and feels stronger.
Inside

While I would describe the outside as sleek, opening up the front cover reveals a very elegant machine. Samsung used only black and grey (some  white for the characters on the keys) very effectively to make a very cool looking computer. The screen looks absolutely huge. Thankfully Samsung did not cut any corners giving us a gorgeous screen that looks great on watching DVD’s; my only real complaint about it is the glare.
Under the screen sits a smooth bar with only the speakers and oversized power switch. The speakers aren’t quite as good as the brand labeled speakers from Lenovo’s Y460 (JBL) or Toshiba M645(altec lansing), but the speakers get the job done. I actually found they sound a lot better at full volume than at the lower levels.
I really think Samsung hit a home run with this keyboard. I would consider it a hybrid between the newer (possibly cooler looking but cheaper) chiclet keyboards and the traditional keyboards (ThinkPad keyboards). The top of each key is smaller than the bottom part so the top is like a chiclet keyboard, while the bottom is a full size key. I think this is the best of both worlds, for not only do you have keys that are easy to feel out, but also they are full size keys so there is not empty space for to accidentally hit. Keys this customized cost extra so big props to Samsung for focusing on the little things. The keyboard is obviously full sized with a full number keypad (so full desktop keyboard). The function keys(function +fkeys) have the usual abilities such as sleep, battery level, wifi on/off, mute, screen adjustments with an external display, and fast boot options. The function key with the directional keys change screen brightness and volume. The only thing I really see that is missing are multimedia keys such as play/pause , next, and previous. The directional keys seem a little lower than where my hand naturally sits on the keyboard, but this is something you will get used to. Overall this is an outstanding keyboard that I just found a few things to pick at.
I really was hoping for a large trackpad to match the large screen and keyboard. What I got was a 3 inch wide trackpad, when I really would have liked a 4.5 to 5 inch trackpad. Under the spacebar, there is a long black bar that is only there for aesthetics to make the directional keys look lined up with the rest of the keyboard. That being said, it does work very well. It is very responsive and consistent. Not only that, two-finger scrolling actually works very well, not Apple well, but well above the PC average.
Performance
This is a desktop replacement, but not a gaming rig with the standard specs. Upgrading the processor, graphics card and RAM to match the gorgeous screen would give this computer the ability to do just about everything. At this price though, the standard specs are nothing to balk at, especially since it does include an i3 and a great screen. The most disappointing part spec wise is the battery life. I typically got around 2 hours with heavy web use and high brightness. This is definitely a computer meant to be plugged into a wall a majority of the time.
Recommendation
The Samsung R540 is a nice package for a very good price of under $700. This is comparable to the new Sony EB, but for a lot less money. I like the keyboard on the Samsung along with the trackpad. The screens are comparable as are the specs. The finish is similar and is up to your preference. The biggest difference is in the trackpad. I was not that impressed with the Sony EB trackpad’s placement on the left center of the keyboard. While for some who aren’t used to having a number keypad, situating yourself so you are off center (centered on the alphabet keyboard) would make using the off center trackpad easier, but that would not make sense when you own that computer. Samsung really has a great bang for your buck machine that will work great when plugged into a wall or mobile for a small amount of time. Thankfully, pretty much every spec from the optical drive to the graphics card can be upgraded to make this a very capable machine.

Posted in: Samsung