Performance - Part One
Before we get on to benchmark results, here's a detailed specification of the reviewed Samsung laptop and a range of comparison systems.
Comparison Laptops |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop | ASUS N55SF | ASUS Zenbook UX31 | Dell XPS 15z | Dell Inspiron 14z | HP Pavilion dv6 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 | Samsung Series 9 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2430M (2.40GHz, 3MB cache, dual-core, 35W) | Intel Core i7-2677M (1.80GHz, 4MB cache, dual-core, 17W) | Intel Core i5-2410M (2.30GHz, 3MB cache, dual-core, 35W) | Intel Core i5-2430M (2.40GHz, 3MB cache, dual-core, 35W) | AMD A6-3430MX (1.70GHz, 4MB cache, quad-core, 45W) | Intel Core i5-2520M (2.50GHz, 3MB cache, dual-core, 35W) | Intel Core i5-2467M (1.60GHz, 3MB cache, dual-core, 17W) |
| Memory | 6GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 6GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 |
| Graphics | Intel HD 3000 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M 2GB |
Intel HD 3000 | Intel HD 3000 NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M 1GB |
Intel HD 3000 | AMD Radeon HD 6520G AMD Radeon HD 7470M |
Intel HD 3000 | Intel HD 3000 |
| Display | 15.6in - 1,600x900 | 13.3in - 1,600x900 | 15.6in - 1,366x768 | 14.0in - 1,366x768 | 15.6in - 1,366x768 | 13.3in - 1,366x768 | 13.3in - 1,600x900 |
| Battery | 6 cell, 56Whr | Lithium Polymer, 50Whr | 8 cell, 64Whr | 6 cell, 65Whr | 6 cell, 62Whr | 6 cell, 38.4Whr | Lithium Polymer, 40Whr |
| Weight | 2,815g | 1,405g | 2,517g | 2,057g | 2,533g | 1,741g | 1,165g |
| Wireless | Atheros AR9002WB-1NG (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Atheros AR9485WB-EG (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1030 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Broadcom 4313GN (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth |
| Disk drive(s) | Hitachi Travelstar 640GB HDD, 5,400RPM, 8MB cache | ADATA XM11 120GB SSD | Seagate Momentus 500GB HDD, 7,200RPM, 16MB cache | Seagate Momentus 500GB HDD, 5,400RPM, 16MB cache | Toshiba MK7575GSX 750GB, 5,400RPM, 8MB cache | Hitachi Travelstar 320GB HDD, 7,200RPM, 16MB cache | SanDisk U100 128GB SSD |
| Optical drive | Blu-ray reader + DVD-RW | None | DVD-RW | DVD-RW | DVD-RW | None | None |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit |
Benchmarks |
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| Cinebench | Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses as many cores as possible. Run using high-performance mode. | ||||||
| Geekbench | A cross-platform benchmark used to measure memory and processor performance. Run using high-performance mode. | ||||||
| 3DMark Vantage | A PC benchmark used to test the DirectX 10 performance of a system's graphics card. Run using high-performance mode. | ||||||
| PCMark 7 | PCMark 7 combines various single- and multi-threaded CPU, Graphics and HDD tests to score overall system performance. Run using high-performance mode. | ||||||
| Power Consumption | Using a high-performance power mode, we record mains power draw whilst playing back a 720p movie trailer. | ||||||
| Battery Test | To calculate battery life, we run the laptop on a balanced power plan and loop a 720p movie trailer, measuring the time taken to hibernate. | ||||||
CPU and Memory Performance
Not quite the start you were expecting? Despite being one of the most expensive laptops in the line up, Samsung's 13.3in Series 9 also offers one of the least-potent CPUs. The Cinebench test assesses the multi-core performance of the processor, and in this benchmark the Series 9 sits at the bottom of the pack.
Intel's Core i5-2467M is by no means slow, far from it, but there are obviously quicker CPU options available.
Geekbench provides a look at combined CPU and memory performance, but the message remains clear; the Core i5-2467M processor is quick (a score of over 5,000 is not to be scoffed at) but the Core i7-2677M used in ASUS's Zenbook is clearly a superior performer.
