Gaming option?
Performance is middle-of-the-pack, which, to be fair, is all you can realistically expect of a 17.3in machine costing this much. The processor inside is an Intel Core i3-2310M running at 2.10GHz, providing two physical cores capable of handling two threads each, and backed by 4GB of DDR3 RAM. The result isn't exactly racy, but the RV720 will nonetheless handle virtually anything you can throw at it in terms of 2D processing tasks.
Like all 17in machines, its size and weight are imposing
The one area it falls down more seriously is gaming. The on-chip Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor makes a decent fist of running Windows, but there's not much left over in terms of 3D grunt. With no support for DirectX 11, 3DMark 11 doesn't even run, and in the older 3DMark 06 it scored an underwhelming 3242, so even older games can't be expected to run at silky-smooth framerates. It's a pity really, given the rest of the RV720 is so well-suited to home use, a bit of gaming power would have been the icing on the cake.
Battery life isn't spectacular either. The 4400mAh power pack slotted into the back of the machine would look par for the course on a much smaller laptop. Here, where it's expected to drive a huge, bright screen and it was no surprise to see it fall down slightly. Looping 3DMark Vantage tests with the screen at full brightness, it lasted for just 1hr 50mins.
With the screen at half brightness and the laptop connected to a base station, the RV720 ran for 4hrs 48mins, so in real life you'll see a figure somewhere between the two. That's not bad, but size notwithstanding, it does limit the practicality of the RV720 for travelling or working remotely. As a desktop replacement and shuffling from lounge to bedroom, it's not really an issue.
The Sandy Bridge Core i3 CPU turns out a decent performance overall
Verdict
The Samsung RV720 is a very capable machine, and those looking for a general purpose PC to use at home won't do much better for the money. There's not a spectacular amount of performance, but it will handle most jobs including creative tasks such as photo or video editing, and it's only gaming that is more of a no-no. ®
More Notebook Reviews |
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 Lenovo
ThinkPad X1 |
 Dell
Vostro V131 |
 Acer
Timeline X 5830T |
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Vaio SB |
 Apple
MacBook Air 13in |
Samsung RV720 17in Core i3 notebook
COMMENTS
Looks perfect for the 'executive' who insists he needs a laptop, but hasn't moved it from his desk in 3 years.
"jujitsu"? Hmm. "Maximum efficacy for minimum effort" or so?
Speaking of specifications, only on RAM it outscores my 2006 17" HR powerbook (and that was a speed bump of a 2004 model). OK, it's also 10% lighter -- but that's almost 6y ago we're comparing to.
I work in the same markets as you Harvey and have exactly the same issues with the current letterbox screen fad. I want a machine for work first and maybe it's suitable for watchin a DVD in the evening. All you can buy these days is machines built as portable DVD/Blueray players first with tweaks that nod in direction of work.
The only way to get sensible vertical resolution, by which I mean >1000, is to go for a full HD screen and they are rare in the 15.x inch sizes. Probably rare because they are unfriendly on the eyes. 17+ inch is too big for portable use.
We intend to replace our laptops on 2 years but the current crop of Acers with 1680x1050 non glossy screen are past 3 years now and getting treated extremely carefully indeed.
Well, see several long paragraphs in MS word, for a start, what with all the space stolen by border decoration, status lines, ribbons, and icon trays.
Or work on a decent size spreadsheet without feeling I'm looking at it through a letter box.
In 2004 I had a dell portable a 14" screen and 20xx by 16xx pixels, and it was dead easy to display two Allen Braldey PLC loader-monitors side by side, and display lots of rungs as well as the debug status window below them.
in 2011 I have a jujitsu 1600x900 and I can only display one rung at a time, even though I have dragged windows icon bar and start menu to one side. I can't display the analogue function blocks at all in any worthwhile way.
Then there is displaying enough of an A3 size block diagram at once to be able to see how the bits go together.
Try designing a SCADA screen mimic with less pixels for the customer screen and the various design toolbars than the final customer screen will have by itself. The slow, tedious, repetitive scrolling will drive you to despair.
resolution
Precisely what are you going to do with you 1800 pixels?
