Samsung R540 Review

Samsung R540

Review Summary:

The Samsung R540 combines good performance and lackluster build quality in an overpriced package.

Pros

• Good performance
• Decent keyboard
• Runs cool and quiet

Cons

• Cheap build quality
• Small touchpad
• Washed out screen
• Limited battery life
• Overpriced

Samsung R540 Full Review

 

Most of us don’t want to spend more than a few hundred on a notebook computer -- Samsung’s answer is their $699.99 R540, featuring a 15.6-inch display and dual-core Intel Core i3 processor. We take a look.

Our Samsung R540-JA02 review unit has the following specifications:

• 15.6-inch 720p (1366x768) glossy panel with LED backlighting
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel Core i3-370M dual-core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3, 4.8GT/s QPI, 35W TDP)
• Intel HM55 chipset
• Integrated Intel HD graphics
• 4GB DDR3-1066 dual-channel RAM (2x 2GB)
• 500GB 5400RPM Western Digital hard drive (WD5000BEVT)
• Atheros AR9285 802.11n wireless LAN
• DVD burner (TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-L633J)
• 1-year limited warranty
• 6-cell battery (11.1V, 4000mAh)
• Weight: 5.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 14.9” x 10.1” x 1.17~1.42”
• MSRP: $699.99

This R540 model has entry-level specifications; competing notebooks with a similar configuration can be had for $100 - $150 less online. The R540 is also offered in a higher-end configuration featuring a Blu-ray drive, low-end ATI Radeon graphics card and a more powerful Core i5 processor for MSRP $999.99 (a little on the pricey side).

Build and Design
The R540 has a generic design with an attractive-looking faux aluminum finish. Design features are minimal; the R540 does not even have volume up/down buttons. The notebook is constructed entirely of plastic; as a result it weighs only 5.29 lbs. The chassis has an average thickness for a 15.6” notebook at about 1.4 inches. The R540 is covered in mostly glossy plastic, which smudges up quickly and is difficult to clean.

The build quality of the R540 is below average. The chassis of our review notebook was warped; the notebook did not sit evenly on a flat surface. The plastic covering the top of the notebook flexes easily under slightly more than normal pressure. Additionally, the entire chassis seems to cave downward when pressure is applied on the top of the notebook, indicating the internal frame lacks strength. Rounding out the list, the chassis flexes easily when twisted by the corners; flex is bad because it allows the circuit boards inside the notebook to bend. Circuit boards subjected to bending will not last that long.

The lid shares the lackluster build quality; it flexes easily when gripped by the corners. Ripples appear on the screen when pressure is applied from behind; the screen is not well protected. Overall, even for a budget notebook the R540 falls short of expectations.

Ports and Features
The highlight of the Samsung R540’s no-frills port selection is HDMI. There are three USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, VGA, and a SD card-only reader. There is no ExpressCard slot and no eSATA or USB 3.0 ports for high-speed data connections. All picture descriptions are left to right.

Front: SD card reader

Rear: Cooling exhaust vent

Left: Kensington Lock slot, AC power, VGA, Ethernet, HDMI, USB 2.0, microphone and headphone jacks

Right: DVD burner, 2x USB 2.0

Keyboard and Touchpad
The R540 has a full-size keyboard with separate numeric keypad. The shape of the keys is interesting; Samsung went for a hybrid standard/Chiclet-style implementation, with flat key tops that are smaller than usual with a square base. The keyboard is one of the R540’s better traits; it has a surprisingly solid feel with pleasant though somewhat bouncy feedback. Most of the keyboard exhibits no flex under normal pressure; the number pad has some as it is directly above the optical drive and has little support under it. The keyboard is slightly louder than preferred; people around you will know you are typing. The keyboard layout is mostly standard except for the fact that it is missing Page Up, Page Down, Home, and End keys. These omissions are quite alarming; anyone that uses these keys on a regular basis will feel lost without them.

The ELAN touchpad is too small for a 15.6” notebook. On the plus side it has a smooth non-glossy surface that is easy to track on with moist and dry fingers alike. The touchpad supports some basic multi-touch features such as “pinching” to zoom and two-finger scrolling. Overall accuracy was good. The touchpad buttons have shallow feedback and are not the slightest bit gratifying to press. They also rattle; putting a small piece of scotch tape over them fixes that but is definitely not something and end-user should have to fiddle with. The attention to detail aspect of this notebook could use some work.

Screen and Speakers
The R540 has a 15.6-inch screen with a 720p (1366x768) resolution and LED backlighting. The glossy surface helps colors stands out and improves clarity but means a lot of reflections and is tough to keep clean. The R540 uses a rank-and-file TN-type screen. The colors are a bit washed out and overall looks like it could use a contrast boost. Viewing angles are typical for such a display; horizontally the screen is viewable about 45 degrees in either direction before colors start to shift; vertically, the narrow sweet spot is only about 15 degrees off center up or down.

The 1366x768 screen resolution is low and makes it tough to multitask with multiple programs. Less than one-half of page in Microsoft Word fits on the screen at a time since there are only 768 pixels of vertical space; a lot of scrolling is required while surfing the Internet as well. Ideally notebooks this size should come with a 1600x900 resolution at a minimum; higher resolutions make it easier to see more content at the same time.

Two stereo speakers are located above either side of the keyboard. They are typical notebook speakers with hardly any bass and tinny sound. They get reasonably loud and will do in a pinch for watching videos online. The headphone jack is a much better way to extract audio from this notebook.

Heat and Noise
The R540’s cooling system consists of a single fan pushing air though a vent on the back left corner of the chassis. Even under full benchmarking load it hardly makes any noise. The notebook itself remains cool all over. Given the relatively modest components, I would have been surprised if the R540 became even slightly warmer than usual in any area.

Performance and Benchmarks
The Core i3 dual-core processor, 4GB of RAM, and reasonably-quick 500GB 5400RPM Western Digital hard drive produced decent benchmark numbers. The R540 feels very responsive in day-to-day tasks with these components. Those looking to play 3D games should steer clear – the integrated Intel HD graphics are not good enough to play modern games like Call of Duty: Black Ops.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

PCMark Vantage measures overall system performance (high scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

CrystalDiskMark storage drive performance test:

Battery Life
The Samsung R540 clocked in three hours and 20 minutes of life during our standard battery run-down test, which includes refreshing a web page once a minute using Windows’ balanced power profile and 70% screen brightness; this is a minimal-use scenario. Under normal usage the R540 lasts less than three hours. Samsung put in an especially low-capacity battery; it has 6 cells but is only rated for 4000mAh; batteries in comparable notebooks have 10-15% more capacity. With that kind of battery, the R540 would have likely gone another 30-40 minutes.

Conclusion
The Samsung R540 is a run-of-the-mill budget notebook that fails to impress. The subpar build quality takes the first ticket in the complaint department: the plastic chassis has significant flex and does not inspire confidence. Next on the list is the touchpad, which is too small for a 15.6-inch screen, and the keyboard, which is strangely missing home/end/page up/page down keys despite being full-sized.

Continuing, the R540 barely lasted three hours under normal use on battery; we were looking for a number closer to four hours or more. Other complaints include a washed-out (though reasonably bright) screen and a no-frills feature set: this notebook doesn’t even have volume control buttons.

Compounding all the complaints is the fact that the R540 is priced at MSRP $699.99 and not selling for much less than that online; competing notebooks go for $100-150 less with better quality and superior feature sets. The Samsung name is typically associated with high quality consumer electronics however that is not the case here. The R540 falls short in too many areas for us to recommend it.

Pros:
•    Good performance
•    Decent keyboard
•    Runs cool and quiet

Cons:
•    Cheap build quality
•    Small touchpad
•    Washed out screen
•    Limited battery life
•    Overpriced

Individual Ratings: *
Software & Support 
Upgrade Capabilities 
Usability 
Design 
Performance 
Features 
Price/Value Rating 

* Ratings averaged to produce final score