Samsung Series 5 Review: AMD at its Best Discussion

If you want an Ultrabook but don't want to spend $900 or more then Samsung might have the perfect solution: The AMD-based Samsung Series 5 ultrathin notebook gives you the same Ultrabook shape with better graphics and a lower price tag. Keep reading to see if we think it's a good deal.

Read the full content of this Article: Samsung Series 5 Review: AMD at its Best

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Is this the only ultra(thin)book that offer A10? Do Hp and lenovo offer A10 on theirs?

 

I haven't checked all the manufacturers' available product SKUs (there are literally thousands worldwide) but I can safely say "most" manufacturers aren't offering A10 APUs in ultrathin laptops because they're opting to use the cheaper A6 APUs ... which offer lower performance along with the slightly lower cost. In my mind, the A10 is the "sweet spot" because it rivals the Core i5 but still retains some of the cost savings.

 

Thanks for this interesting review. It's good to see a mobile CPU / GPU from AMD which has reasonable performance and power consumption. Products such as this may help the ultrabook market by offering an financially attractive alternative to the Intel-powered machines.

By the way, was the $100 SSD an old model with SATA 2 interface, or doesn't the AMD chipset support SATA 3? The SSD streaming speed is less than 300MB/s.

John

 

Yes, the AMD chipset supports SATA 3 so it can handle faster SSDs and get an even better speed boost. I just used a cheap SSD to keep the cost low.

 

I really enjoyed to read your test about my "most wanted" laptop, where you pointed out the plus points of well balanced CPU-GPU performance in Ultrathins. I have had concern about the missing backlit keyboard, but good to know it has high-contrast white lettering which allows to see the keys in dark rooms too. Furthermore I liked to see adding an SSD for making fair compare. My additional idea is; the 750GB HDD can go into the Optical Bay area with 2nd HDD Caddy or it can be sold on Ebay for good money .

 

Part of me wishes this notebook had a 1600 x 900 IPS display, LED backlit keyboard and came with a SSD standard ... but those things would probably all add up and drive the price to $1,000 or more and if that was the case fewer people would consider purchasing this instead of an Intel-based Ultrabook or an Apple MacBook Air.

Since I like to play PC games via Steam whenever I'm not working or spending time with my wife and kids I like the idea of an ultrathin laptop like this that still has a decent GPU for gaming. I also like the fact that even if you buy this and a SSD to upgrade it the price tag is nowhere close to the $1,199 price for the 13-inch MacBook Air.

 

Great review guys! I though it was well written, it had the usual great photographs and excellent pros and cons regarding this AMD-based Samsung 5 Series. The addition of a Samsung SSD to "level the playing field" in your tests makes perfect sense as most users will do these upgrades anyways.

For me this is one of my "most wanted" laptops right now too. I like the A10, the ability to add another SSD/HDD via the optical disc drive slot with a caddy, the 300nit matte display, 4 lb weight/thinness, excellent battery life, excellent graphics performance from a 25W APU, and the balanced CPU performance provided with a great price.



Thank you, thank you, thank you for pointing this (obvious) flaw in many other reviews! You're right, its unfair and its all too common. I appreciate the honest work you guys did here.

Glad to hear about this as I intend to do some casual gaming in my spare time.

1. Did you test using an additional RAM module (dual-channel memory)?

2. What are the specification on the soldered on-board RAM? I know its 1333 but I would like to know what voltage (1.5V or 1.35V) and the timings it operates at? It would be great to know the exact microchip part number that way I can find the datasheet for this RAM and knowing if I can potentially tighten-up the timings. I'm going to assume its a Samsung part.

3. Why are your Samsung 830 128GB SSD test scores so low? That doesn't seem right. Was the chipset limiting the SSD to SATAII speeds? Was the SSD filled or relatively empty?

4. You reported exterior case temperatures but not cpu/gpu temps. During testing (gaming, benchmarks,) what were the temperatures like? Did you notice any throttling down of the cpu/gpu?

 

indeed, adding trackpoint make it more perfect.~~ This does look really promising after realizing it can fit a DVD drive.(not the thin thin all the ways and dump everything else)
Have some question on spec:
802.11a/b/g/n wireless network adapter <- dual band card come in as standard?
3-year limited warranty <- don't seem realistic

 

Sorry, it's a one-year warranty ... nasty typo on my part and I've corrected the review to reflect that information.

The Samsung Series 5 has a single RAM slot and you can put up to an 8GB DDR3 1600 module in there.

As for the SSD speed, the motherboard on the Series 5 might actually be limited to SATA II even though the AMD chipset supports SATA III speeds. I just finished trying several other SATA III SSDs inside this Series 5 and according to CrystalDiskMark the maximum read speed I got out of any SSD plugged into this laptop was 248MB/s and a max write speed of 223MB/s. I'm double checking with ATTO and a few other disk benchmarks but my guess is that Samsung opted to limit the SATA interface (probably to reduce parts costs ... even if it's only a few pennies per unit).

 

First, thank you for the response.

The A10-4655M supports memory up to DDR3-1333, DDR3L-1333 and DDR3U-1066, and you can use 1600 RAM. However, it will run at 1333 (my guess is the memory controller, in conjunction with the sata-II limit used for even further energy savings, does this to stay within the 25W TDP window). Remember, AMD allows igpu clock control on 35W Trinity APUs using AMD OverDrive. It would be great if the same applied to ulv apus plus DDR3L‐1600 RAM.


I am looking for the Part Number of the soldered on-board RAM like how CPU-Z shows in the SPD tab here:

Spoiler

What I really like to have would be the Part Number on the actual microchip. If I'm not mistaken, you can remove the RAM/HDD/WIFI access panel underneath the notebook and lift up a black or silver plastic film flap that covers the actual RAM microchips and RAM sodimm slot. For example like this:

Spoiler

Here's what it looks like on the NP535U3C, so I imagine its the same on the NP535U4C:

As for the SATAII speeds maybe being capped by Samsung doesn't sound very good. That makes me sad and I hope its not true.

Spoiler

Your 830 (128GB)


My 830(256GB) month ago and 470 (128GB)

CrystalDiskMark3.0.1x64_Samsung 470 128GB SATAII + 830 256GB SATAIII_E425 A8-3510MX_01 by davidc646, on Flickr

Currenttly my 830 is filled 46% (23.80GB unallocated for Over Provisioning) and the 470 87% (11.90GB unallocated for OP)

CrystalDiskMark3.0.1x64_Samsung 470 128GB SATAII 87 percent filled+830 256GB SATAIII 46 percent filled_E425 A8-3510MX_01 by davidc646, on Flickr

EDIT:
For reference here are the timings for the A6-4455M, but I can't verify if its the 3c or 4c.

Spoiler

Spoiler

GeNKY(Samsung 830 - Series MZ-7PC128N/AM) on Amazon said:

 

Typical A70M chipset thing SataIII controller running in SataII speed. However in real life situation you won't feel at all this benchmark thing. Windows 8 boot time less than 2 sec with Samsung 830 SSD for me, both 35W Trinity or 45W Llano.

I think the integrated type of memory is the Samsung M471B5273DM0-CH9. I saw somewhere a CPU-z screenshot. That means 1333MHz CL9 1.5V.
I hope with Taiphon Burner will be possible tweak up to CL6 , but need to test first a changeable module...

 

good review, cheers.

love the 25W A10 4655M chip, just wish we could get it in a sleek 11.6" chassis.

 

Isn't this better and cheaper?
NP520U4C-A01UB
Samsung 14" Laptop 8GB Memory 750GB Hard Drive NP520U4C-A01UB - Best Buy

 

So the little boddy can handle 35W APU too? Than now I want to see the NP525U4C with A10-4600M with added backlit-keyboard!

 

I second that! An AMD A10-4600M, SATAIII, 8GB 1600 default RAM with free sodimm slot, backlit keyboard, 1600x900 touch IPS (or equivalent) and this would be a homerun! 35W APU in this chassis? Never though that was possible.

Right now this Ivy Bridge version is actually a pretty decent deal. A very fast cpu and hd4000 is quite alright (id still prefer Trinity Radeon igpus).

Sent from my SPH-M580 using Tapatalk

 

I triple that! and will exchange my laptop for that!

 

^ is this (NP520U4C) an older revision of the current series (NP53xU4C)?

 

Note sure if it is older version. I haven't quite mastered the art of deciphering Samsung model numbers. Even their tech support folks don't know based on my experience. This is a Win 8 unit available only at Best Buy AFAIK. I tried it for a bit. It is nice thin 4 lb system considering that it comes with optical drive ,vga port,hdmi and 3 USB drives and SD card slot. It also has intel wifit/bt card instead of Atheros.

Would have been nice if it came with a backlit keyboard and CAPS LOCK indicator LED. Also dedicated volume up/down buttons would be nice. Also another Samsung unit I tried came with this button on the bezel (bottom right) to toggle screen on/off. Super useful. I wish all systems came with it. This is probably one of the few fully equipped WIN 8 systems under 4 lb around with an optical drive with matte screen under $700.00

 

yeah, it looks like a nice laptop. my guess is that the part number is different because it's a Best Buy-specific model? just like how SONY VAIO SC was a Best Buy-specific model among SONY's 2011 S-series line-up (with SA being the premium and SB the midrange one). having said that, i'm wondering whether the build quality is the same as the NP53xU4C models (for example, the VAIO SC model was made out of plastic whereas the SA/SB were made of magnesium alloy). any ideas?

fyi, SONY VAIO T (SVT14) and DELL Inspiron 14z Ultrabook are also about 4lbs and include ODD.

 

Inside is metal (keyboard deck and bezel). Outside I think is hard plastic. Build quality is okay. I swapped the first unit I picked up for another one because there was gap by the back middle where there is the semi hidden vent attached to the base.Kinda hard to explain the location. Looked like the curvy vent panel was not glued/screwed in properly or something. The unit is super thin and the body has no shine or gloss which is great.

Dell system has only 2 usb and not matte screen i think. i5 with 6gb memory and 500gb hdd starts at 799. But it has the 32gb SSD though. Also the weight is 4.12 lbs. small difference. It is like the Lumia 920 and Galaxy S3. Weight difference is not that much but Lumia 920 feels like a brick.

Sony model also with the similar spec price is jumping to 850 pre tax. Only has 2 usb. Screen is anti-glare though.

Guess it is a matter of trade-offs and personal preferences.

 

BTW, here is the model which has the LCD toggle button. Pretty cool

Amazon.com: Samsung Series 5 NP500P4C-S01US 14.0-Inch Laptop (Titan Silver): Computers & Accessories

NP500P4C-S01US

 

thanks the DELL is not my favorite either (i am/was considering it only due to its price). i'm also pretty certain that NP520U4C is a Best Buy-specific model (you can't find it anywhere else, and the very last character in the model number is 'B' (Best Buy? idk!) whereas other Series 5 notebooks/ultrabooks which are available online end with letter 'S' (SAMSUNG? idk!)).

the SONY VAIO T 14" is made of aluminum entirely (which is a plus) and the base model is actually just $670; i can also get it at SONY's education store with a 10% discount. it has a slightly weaker processor though (1.8GHz i3-3217U vs 1.7GHz i5-3317U, but it can be upgraded to the one in Series 5 for $63). the SAMSUNG one is a bit smaller length-wise (just a tiny bit) and is 0.1lbs lighter.

as of now, it's a tight race between SVT14 and NP530...

 

Sony looks pretty nice. I like the indicator LED lights at the top. Should be standard on all laptops. Only 2 USB ports though but Sony's are built nice and the screen is probably better.

I think if you go through fatwallet you can get 3% cash back. not much though but it adds up

Sony Coupons - Sony Coupon Codes, Promo Codes and deals

You may also find open box Samsungs at Best Buy which will cut down the price by about $100 like this one. But then again you cannot sweat over $100 unless it is that tight.
http://stores.bestbuy.com/292/open-...d-drive-black/NP520U4C-A01UB/200001382292427/

Good luck

 

^ thank you very much for the info. i really appreciate your help.

 

Great review

 

Hello! Unfortunately the AMD model was not available in Spain when I bought a Samsung Series 5 laptop for my wife (and some versions in Europe only come with an A6-4455M, which is quite slow). We ended up with a NP530U4C-S01 (with an Intel processor) for around 890€.
I wrote a review and posted it here:
My first laptop review ever: the Samsung Series 5 NP530U4C-S01 Ultrabook

 

thanks for the great review.
I cant find the A10 version of this notebook here in my country, only A8. Is it exclusive to US only?
Also, do you guys think the A8 version of this will be able to play demanding games like MAX PAYNE 3, COD BLACK OPS etc. at lowest settings w/ at least 25fps? If it can then I'll go for this. Its the only reason why Im still holding back from purchasing.

 

If you are going to enable Dual-Channel Memory, than might just enough. Unfortunately the A10 version only available in US and Canada.

 

I purchased my Series 5 from Best Buy on 2/20/13. It's 7/31/13 and my battery will no longer hold a charge. I love the computer, but it really blows that I have to send it back to the factory for replacement/service. I would definitely score that as a major weakness since I travel frequently for work and really cannot afford to be without for what will likely be weeks of shipping and repair time.

 

If you look in the Samsung forum you will notice that the battery is not normally an issue. Provided they have a replacement battery in stock then the time should be days, not weeks.

Have you run a diagnostic software such as HWiNFO to confirm the poor health of the battery and did you run the battery calibration in the BIOS?

John