Samsung R720 review
in Laptops
Verdict
Samsung's latest desktop replacement has a huge, high-resolution 17.3in display - and a tiny, tiny price tag
Review Date: 5 Oct 2009
Reviewed By: Darien Graham-Smith
Price when reviewed: £492 (£566 inc VAT)
Features & Design
![]()
Value for Money
![]()
Performance
![]()
![]()
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Part Code | NP-R720-FS03UK |
| Review Date | 5 Oct 2009 |
| Price ex VAT | £492 |
| Price inc VAT | £566 |
| Overall rating |
|
| Features & Design |
|
| Value for Money |
|
| Performance |
|
| Warranty | |
|---|---|
| Warranty | 1yr collect and return |
| Physical specifications | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 413 x 271 x 44mm (WDH) |
| Weight | 2.970kg |
| Travelling weight | 3.4kg |
| Processor and memory | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo T4300 |
| RAM capacity | 4.00GB |
| Memory type | DDR2 |
| SODIMM sockets free | 0 |
| SODIMM sockets total | 2 |
| Screen and video | |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 17.3in |
| Resolution screen horizontal | 1,600 |
| Resolution screen vertical | 900 |
| Resolution | 1600 x 900 |
| Graphics chipset | ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 |
| Graphics card RAM | 512MB |
| VGA (D-SUB) outputs | 1 |
| HDMI outputs | 1 |
| S-Video outputs | 0 |
| DVI-I outputs | 0 |
| DVI-D outputs | 0 |
| DisplayPort outputs | 0 |
| Drives | |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 320GB |
| Hard disk usable capacity | 298GB |
| Spindle speed | 5,400RPM |
| Internal disk interface | SATA/300 |
| Hard disk | Fujitsu MHZ2320BH G2 |
| Optical disc technology | DVD writer |
| Optical drive | TSSTcorp TS-L633B |
| Battery capacity | 4,000mAh |
| Replacement battery price inc VAT | £0 |
| Networking | |
|---|---|
| Wired adapter speed | 1,000Mbits/sec |
| 802.11a support |
|
| 802.11b support |
|
| 802.11g support |
|
| 802.11 draft-n support |
|
| Other Features | |
|---|---|
| Wireless hardware on/off switch |
|
| Wireless key-combination switch |
|
| Modem |
|
| ExpressCard34 slots | 0 |
| ExpressCard54 slots | 1 |
| PC Card slots | 0 |
| USB ports (downstream) | 4 |
| eSATA ports | 1 |
| PS/2 mouse port |
|
| 9-pin serial ports | 0 |
| Parallel ports | 0 |
| Optical S/PDIF audio output ports | 0 |
| Electrical S/PDIF audio ports | 0 |
| 3.5mm audio jacks | 2 |
| SD card reader |
|
| Memory Stick reader |
|
| MMC (multimedia card) reader |
|
| Smart Media reader |
|
| Compact Flash reader |
|
| xD-card reader |
|
| Pointing device type | Touchpad |
| Audio chipset | Realtek HD Audio |
| Speaker location | Above keyboard |
| Hardware volume control? |
|
| Integrated microphone? |
|
| Integrated webcam? |
|
| Camera megapixel rating | 1.3mp |
| TPM |
|
| Fingerprint reader |
|
| Smartcard reader |
|
| Operating system and software | |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit |
| OS family | Windows Vista |
| Recovery method | Recovery Partition |
| Software supplied | CyberLink DVDSuite, CyberLink YouCam |
| Battery and performance tests | |
|---|---|
| Battery life, light use | 4hr 11min |
| Battery life, heavy use | 1hr 23min |
| Overall application benchmark score | 1.00 |
| 3D performance (crysis) low settings | 40fps |
| 3D performance setting | Low |
From around the web
check the small print
samsung are being a bit naughty here, the model with the T4300 processor is all but unavailable, having apparently been replaced by one with the T4200 cpu, which is obviously slower. Value-wise this is offset by a larger hard drive, but whether the R720 is still great value compared to other 17inch budget laptops I don't know, as the T4200 is a common chip in this bracket.
It would be useful for PC Pro to update this review, or at least compare like with like, there are plenty of sub-£600 17inch laptops out there to compare with.
By kbwilcox on 3 Dec 2009 ![]()
A pain in the backside
I actually thought the samsung r720 looked great and sounded great when I first saw the reviews on it, however it has caused me no end of grief and money. After a few months of having it, it developed some strange hard disk problem, I put it in for repair and they replaced the hard drive, yes I lost everything on my laptop because the hard drive just died, 3 months later, same error, AGAIN! Runs slow as anything. Has constant errors. Not worth the time or money in my opinion. Take my advise, look elsewhere I wish I had, as I paid over £1000 when it first came out. VERY gutted!
By lmc88 on 23 Nov 2011 ![]()
advertisement
- Google legal chief: privacy laws too hard on SMBs
- No free Visual Studio for Windows 8 desktop developers
- Facebook spends $1bn on Instagram... then launches its own Camera app
- Who sends Google the most takedown notices? Microsoft
- Microsoft wins text patent battle against Motorola
- Watchdog fines firm £50,000 over Android malware
- Intel to test smartcity future on London
- June decision on Microsoft's billion-dollar EU fine
- Yahoo browser launch marred by security flaw
- Autonomy management walk out over HP bureaucracy
- Laptop bag reviews: nine tested
- Sony VAIO T Series Ultrabook review: first look
- Revealed: the military standards and robots HP uses to test its laptops
- Windows 8: multi-monitors and double standards?
- Why is TalkTalk's year-old porn filter suddenly big news?
- Why are laptop screens so far behind mobiles?
- HP EliteBook Folio review: first look
- The shoebox-sized all-in-one printer
- Forget the Ultrabook: here comes the HP Sleekbook
- HP Spectre XT review: first look
- Can you buy technology with a clean conscience?
- The death of email
- How to use Windows 8 Metro
- 30 best features of Windows 8
- How to become a cyberspy
- Create your own smart home
- Install a custom ROM on your smartphone
- Can the Raspberry Pi save computing?
- Google: the pirates' best friend?
- Backups: ten tips to keep your data safe
- Why you have to be left in the dark on OS patches
- Is Microsoft mismanaging Windows on ARM?
- Dealing with spam surrogates
- Why 3G broadband can be better and cheaper than ADSL
- Is Twitter bad for business?
- Publishing your email address isn't a security disaster
- Why you'll need a fax machine to develop iOS apps
- Learning to adapt to the mobile web
- Why you shouldn't use WPS on your Wi-Fi network
- Disabled users suffer when software breaks the rules
advertisement





