Samsung R580 review
in Laptops
1 of 2 
Verdict
Samsung's R580 pushes Intel's Core i3 into the limelight with striking looks, solid performance and an alluring price
Review Date: 1 Mar 2010
Reviewed By: Sasha Muller
Price when reviewed: £493 (£579 inc VAT)
Overall Rating
Features & Design
Value for Money
Performance
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Part Code | NP-R580-JS02UK |
| Review Date | 1 Mar 2010 |
| Price ex VAT | £493 |
| Price inc VAT | £579 |
| Overall rating |
|
| Features & Design |
|
| Value for Money |
|
| Performance |
|
| Physical specifications | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 380 x 256 x 37mm (WDH) |
| Weight | 2.520kg |
| Travelling weight | 2.9kg |
| Processor and memory | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i3-330M |
| Motherboard chipset | Intel HM55 Express |
| RAM capacity | 4.00GB |
| Memory type | DDR3 |
| SODIMM sockets free | 0 |
| SODIMM sockets total | 2 |
| Screen and video | |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 15.6in |
| Resolution screen horizontal | 1,366 |
| Resolution screen vertical | 768 |
| Resolution | 1366 x 768 |
| Graphics chipset | Nvidia GeForce GT 310M |
| 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 | 500GB |
| Hard disk usable capacity | 466GB |
| Spindle speed | 5,400RPM |
| Internal disk interface | SATA/300 |
| Optical disc technology | DVD writer |
| 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 |
|
| Integrated 3G adapter |
|
| Bluetooth support |
|
| Other Features | |
|---|---|
| Wireless hardware on/off switch |
|
| Wireless key-combination switch |
|
| Modem |
|
| ExpressCard34 slots | 1 |
| ExpressCard54 slots | 0 |
| 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 | 1 |
| 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 |
|
| Carry case |
|
| Operating system and software | |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit |
| OS family | Windows 7 |
| Recovery method | Recovery partition |
| Battery and performance tests | |
|---|---|
| Overall application benchmark score | 1.32 |
| Office application benchmark score | 1.23 |
| 2D graphics application benchmark score | 1.27 |
| Encoding application benchmark score | 1.17 |
| Multitasking application benchmark score | 1.60 |
| 3D performance (crysis) low settings | 47fps |
| 3D performance setting | Low |
From around the web
64-bit?
I notice that this is reviewed with a 32-bit OS? Have Samsung opened their eyes yet to the 64-bit world?
By Fraz_pro on 1 Mar 2010 
Speakers
What are the speakers like? I have a great little Samsung but I have to carry separate speakers because the speakers above the keyboard are rubbish.
By deedub93 on 4 Mar 2010
Availability
Guess we'll never know as there are none available
By arkiecouk on 29 Apr 2010
UK specific version?
Seems like a reasonable piece of kit for the money, however a review on YouTube from a US website states that the processor is a Core i5 and the the optical drive is a Blu-Ray.
Would I be correct in assuming that the R580 in the US is of a higher spec than what is availble in the UK? I reaslise that this is not unusual by the way!
By mystic_dan on 2 May 2010
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