Sunday, December 4, 2011

Samsung NB30 Netbook (ep.6)

Impressive value for a solid little netbook!

I got my Samsung NB30-jp02 about a month ago as an alternative to lugging around my MacBook and have tested this time with impressive results. As a student full time I ask a lot of my lappy and this little guy did not disappoint. Structurally, it is extremely light but strong with a good feeling balanced and has all the qualities I have come to expect from all Samsung products I currently own and those I’ve owned in the past. I like the keyboard a good size and seems to take a beating well. Again, full-time student = a lot of typing and multiple windows / programs. Touchpad is responsive and well designed, though small (invest in a wireless mouse) The screen is bright and does well in various lighting conditions due to the matte screen. All I / O ports, USB and DVI solid feel with the sole exception being the input power adapter which, while tight, seems a little vulnerable to a wide-angle and torque could be a problem if the foot on (as with any input) or if subjected to constant tensile (stretched cord, fall, etc.). The breakdown obtained by the battery of high and generous vent ports in the case of Overheating is excellent and is not even a concern (apart from leaving the machine while in a bag / pocket, you should never do anyway). Couple of things to buy people around: spend the $ 25 upgrade 2gig DDR2 RAM (worth it!) And expect to have to eliminate some of the bloat-ware, if you want to run the Windows 7 Starter (suggest Windows XP, but 7 was not as bad as I expected so far). After some software cleaning and reorganization, the machine works great for that to have an Atom processor! You will not be able to view HD videos fine, but you do not have the screen resolution to do it properly anyway. Netflix and YouTube Play as well as most comps with little or stutters distortion. The sound quality is excellent (the speakers are fine for what they are IMO) and I should mention that I also run Fruity Loops (music production software) that is very demanding on the processor with impressive results. Overall, I give it four stars netbook very strong and could easily have been five exception: OS bloat-ware/Windows 7 Starter, low input power supply, and (my biggest complaint, but it is with the software and not the hardware) Windows 7 Starter will not allow you to connect an external monitor. Other than these minor issues, you will not find a better machine for this price! Some notes for buyers: This model does not have a touch screen or a CD / DVD. My advice? BUY IT!

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