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Review Samsung Series 3 350E7C-S08DE Notebook

Magic number seven. An Intel i7 processor, a 7670 AMD graphics card and a 750 GB hard drive all packed into a 17.3-inch notebook. It's easy to see Samsung is hot on the number seven. But are we hot on the notebook too?

For the original German review, see here.

After our review of the Samsung 355E7C with an AMD processor, now we are putting the Intel version through rigorous testing. Visually these notebooks are no different, but in place of the 355E7C's dual GPU solution, Samsung puts an extremely powerful CPU in the form of an i7 Quad-Core processor in the 350E7C. We will not go into an extensive review of the input devices, connectivity, case or speakers here, since we fully explored those items in our recent review of the Samsung 355E7C. For information on those aspects of the notebook we refer you to the review of the AMD version, as we will only address the differences between the two here.

17-inch multimedia notebooks are certainly no rarity, even under a price limit of 800 Euros (~$1049), which means the Samsung 350E7C faces a huge breadth of competition. However, if you are looking for an anti-reflective display, the selection suddenly thins out considerably. The main competitors here are the Dell Inspiron 17R SE and the Acer Aspire V3-771G – both built with a Full HD display.

Display

Like in our review device's sister model, the 355E7C, the display comes from AU Optronics and is classified as the B173RW01 V4. The technology behind it is a cost-effective anti-reflective TN panel. 1600x900 pixels (WXGA++) are spread over a 17.3-inch display diagonal, which corresponds exactly to the 16:9 format. Both the format and resolution are common at this display size, though the Dell Inspiron 17R SE and Acer Aspire V3-771G represent competitors in the same price class with Full HD resolution (1920x1080 pixels). A higher resolution display for the Samsung E350E7C/355E7C is not available.

We measured the maximum brightness in the upper left corner at 212 cd/m². On average, our measurements came to 200 cd/m², which resulted in a good illumination level of 88%. In battery mode, the screen darkened about 20% to 152 cd/m². The 17R SE managed 100 cd/m² more here.

212
cd/m²
194
cd/m²
186
cd/m²
205
cd/m²
198
cd/m²
192
cd/m²
211
cd/m²
203
cd/m²
203
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics B173RW01 V4 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 212 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 200.4 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 154 cd/m²
Contrast: 219:1 (Black: 0.904 cd/m²)62% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
85.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
60.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)

At 219:1 the contrast is not very convincing, and the high black value of 0.9 cd/m² is not particularly appealing either. Subjectively the colors look gray and dreary. The panel quality differs greatly between devices, for example between our review device and the 355E7C; both the contrast and luminosity are higher on the 355E7C. With a contrast measurement of 726:1, here too Dell's 17R SE takes the lead.

The Samsung 350E7C cannot display the sRGB nor even the AdobeRGB color space, despite the fact that the color space is marginally larger than that of its sister model 355E7C. However, coverage of these color spaces is only relevant for professional graphic designers and photographers.

Samsung 350E7C vs. sRGB (t)
Samsung 350E7C vs. sRGB (t)
350E7C vs. AdobeRGB (t)
350E7C vs. AdobeRGB (t)
350E7C (t) vs. 355E7C
350E7C (t) vs. 355E7C

With the notebook in its factory settings, we performed a color analysis with the i1 Pro 2 spectrophotometer and the CalMAN 5 software. Again, the display quality differed from that of the sister model, but this time in favor of the 350E7C. For the grayscale display we measured a Delta E (2000) of an average of 10.5 (355E7C: 14.4). A trained eye can already perceive deviations from the ideal at a Delta E of three. On a positive note, the gamma value of 2.14 (average) is not far from the standard (2.2). But the color fidelity turned out to be another con, with the colors blue, cyan and magenta at Delta E values of 14, 10, and 11, respectively. These were also the most noticeable colors when it came to color saturation. Additionally, at 8139 Kelvin the white point (normal: 6500 K) was clearly shifted into the blue area. The display's blue cast is unmistakable even to the naked eye and causes the picture to appear very cool.

CalMan - Grayscale
CalMan - Grayscale
CalMan - Color fidelity
CalMan - Color fidelity
CalMan - Color saturation
CalMan - Color saturation
Direct sunlight
Direct sunlight

Due to the notebook's limited display brightness and weak contrast, even with its matte display outdoor use in full sunshine is problematic. There are no bothersome reflections, but the content of the screen is still hard to read. The sister model does better here, thanks to its higher contrast and brightness. Indoors and under a cloudy sky we did not notice any limitations with either model.

Viewing angles Samsung Series 3 350E7C
Viewing angles Samsung Series 3 350E7C

In terms of viewing angles there were no significant differences between our review device and the 355E7C. As is typically true of TN panels, only with horizontal viewing angle adjustments did the picture remain largely unchanged. With vertical adjustments however, image changes occurred much more quickly, either in the form of inversion or overexposure, depending on the angle. Much better viewing angle stability can only be found in IPS or PLS panels and those are generally only to be expected in higher-priced notebooks. One exception here is the 15.6-inch Acer V3-571G with a Full HD and IPS display.

Performance

The Samsung Series 3 350E7C is available in numerous variations. It kicks off with the 350E7C at a quite reasonable starting price of 470 Euros (~$616). For that amount the buyer receives an Intel Pentium B970 processor, 4 GB RAM and 500 GB of storage space. The user will have to go without a dedicated AMD Radeon HD 7670M graphics card, however. However, this can be purchased for just 30 Euros (~$39) more, in a variation that includes a Pentium B980 and 6 GB RAM as well. Samsung affixes the same asking price to the 355E7C with an AMD A4-4300M processor. If you want a little higher CPU performance, for an additional 50 Euros (~$66) the similarly outfitted 350E7C-S0HDE steps onto the field. An Intel Core i3-3110M is at work in that model. The i5-3210M is available for 650 Euros (~$852) and a model with the i7-3610QM quad-core processor can be purchased for under 700 Euros (~$918). The latter is at work in our review model, along with 6 GB DDR3 RAM and 1 GB of graphics memory at the command of the HD 7670M.

Systeminfo CPUZ CPU
Systeminfo CPUZ Cache
Systeminfo CPUZ Mainboard
Systeminfo CPUZ RAM
Systeminfo CPUZ RAM SPD Slot1
Systeminfo CPUZ RAM SPD Slot2
Systeminfo GPUZ HD 4000
Systeminfo HDTune
System information Samsung Series 3 350E7C

Processor

The i7-3610QM is no longer a dark horse for us, since it is very common in gaming and multimedia notebooks. The quad-core processor's performance capabilities easily suffice for office applications, Internet surfing, 3D games and HD video editing. Details regarding this CPU are summarized in this separate article; we direct you to that page for more information.

First, we determined the CPU's performance capabilities with the Cinebench R11.5 benchmark. With 6.42 points in the multi-core benchmark, the CPU comes in a good distance ahead of the sister model 355E7C's AMD APU. Even the other competitors with Intel Core i5 processors cannot keep up with those numbers. The performance proves to be on par with that of recently tested i7-3610QM processors.

During the multithread test, the four cores measured a clock frequency of 3.2 GHz each; however, in the single thread test the clock rate of a single core rose to 3.3 GHz. In battery mode, the CPU only reached a clock frequency of 2.4 GHz, so 100 MHz over the standard clock rate. The logical consequence of this is a 25% drop of the end result to 4.82 points in the multi-thread test.

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
4594
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
17972
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
7499
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
5772 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
22148 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
7597 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.38 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
6.42 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
34.38 fps
Help
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Samsung Serie 3 350E7C-S08DE
Radeon HD 7670M, 3610QM, Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
6.42 Points
Samsung Serie 3 355E7C-S05DE
Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics, A8-4500M, Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
1.69 Points -74%
Sony Vaio SV-E1712F1EW
Radeon HD 7650M, B980, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
1.85 Points -71%
Lenovo IdeaPad G780 (M843MGE)
GeForce GT 630M, 3210M, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
2.42 Points -62%
HP ProBook 4740s (B0Y81EA)
Radeon HD 7650M, 2450M, Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
2.76 Points -57%
Medion Akoya P7815-MD98063
GeForce GT 640M, 3612QM, Samsung SpinPoint M8 HN-M750MBB
5.62 Points -12%
HP Pavilion g7-2007sg
Radeon HD 7670M, 3612QM, Toshiba MK7575GSX
5.66 Points -12%
Dell Inspiron 17R-SE-7720
GeForce GT 650M, 3610QM, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVT-75A1Yt0
6.16 Points -4%
Asus K75VJ-TY102H
GeForce GT 635M, 3610QM, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint ST500LM012
6.18 Points -4%
Acer Aspire V3-771G
GeForce GT 650M, 3610QM, Intel SSD 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3
6.19 Points -4%

System Performance

The PCMark 7 benchmark reflects the computer's performance abilities in pre-defined application scenarios, for example image editing and surfing the Internet. The processor, main memory and hard drive are tested here. A resultant 2467 points is a very respectable score, and few competing models come out stronger.

Computation is performed quickly, but application launches take time. The weakest member of the chain is clearly the hard drive, which we will inspect more closely in the next section.

5.4
Windows 8 Experience Index
Processor
Calculations per second
7.9
Memory (RAM)
Memory operations per second
7.9
Graphics
Desktop performance for Windows Aero
5.4
Gaming graphics
3D business and gaming graphics
6.6
Primary hard disk
Disk data transfer rate
5.9
PCMark 7 Score
2467 points
Help
PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
Samsung Serie 3 350E7C-S08DE
Radeon HD 7670M, 3610QM, Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
2467 Points
Samsung Serie 3 355E7C-S05DE
Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics, A8-4500M, Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
1818 Points -26%
HP ProBook 4740s (B0Y81EA)
Radeon HD 7650M, 2450M, Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
1907 Points -23%
Lenovo IdeaPad G780 (M843MGE)
GeForce GT 630M, 3210M, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
1933 Points -22%
Sony Vaio SV-E1712F1EW
Radeon HD 7650M, B980, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
1949 Points -21%
Medion Akoya P7815-MD98063
GeForce GT 640M, 3612QM, Samsung SpinPoint M8 HN-M750MBB
2318 Points -6%
Dell Inspiron 17R-SE-7720
GeForce GT 650M, 3610QM, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVT-75A1Yt0
2538 Points +3%
Asus K75VJ-TY102H
GeForce GT 635M, 3610QM, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint ST500LM012
2601 Points +5%
HP Pavilion g7-2007sg
Radeon HD 7670M, 3612QM, Toshiba MK7575GSX
2760 Points +12%

Storage Devices

For the storage of user data, Samsung installs a Hitachi Travelstar hard drive with a gross capacity of 750 GB. Due to its rotation speed of 5400 revolutions per minute, no miracle can be expected of this component. The average transfer rate as measured by HD Tune is 66.8 MB/s - not an outstanding result. At 21.1 milliseconds the access time is also very slow. With those scores the HDD is one of the lower ranking hard drives we have tested so far. With considerably shorter access times and higher 4K values, an SSD would ensure a strong increase in performance, since application start-up and boot times would be drastically shorter.

Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
Transfer Rate Minimum: 1.9 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 103.8 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 66.8 MB/s
Access Time: 21.1 ms
Burst Rate: 91.8 MB/s
CPU Usage: 2.1 %

Graphics Card

Samsung relies on the Radeon HD 7670M from AMD for the computation of numerous polygons. This is a mid-class graphics card often built into 15.6-inch notebooks. The GPU has 1024 MB DDR3 memory at its command, none of which are borrowed from the six GB of working memory. If the full GPU performance is not needed, to spare energy the machine can also switch to using the Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated into the CPU. But the Enduro graphics switching has to be manually set to high performance for each game, otherwise all games will run on the Intel GPU.

In the synthetic benchmark 3DMark 11 our test system lies between Nvidia's GT 635M and GT 640M. The new Radeon HD 8730M comes in ahead of our test system. Using two graphics cards working in parallel, the Samsung notebook's AMD counterpart obtains a considerable lead of 32%. The Dell Inspiron 17R SE and the GT 650M graphics card do even better (+88%). A system equipped with an Intel Pentium B980 processor and an HD 7670M graphics card also comes out with 1233 points. The CPU is only a limiting factor when playing CPU-intensive games, but for many current titles, even the 350E7C's B980 entry-level processor is sufficient. Alternatively, one can turn to the Dual Graphics solution with a combined HD 7670M and HD 7640G (Samsung 355E7C).

We let the 3DMark 11 benchmark run again in battery mode and came to exactly 1229 points once again, which means the notebook retains full graphics performance unplugged as well. However, due to the CPU's lower turbo clocking rate in battery mode the frame rate could slip for some games.

3DMark 05 Standard
15428 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
8371 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
5192 points
3DMark 11 Performance
1229 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
5639 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
805 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
Samsung Serie 3 350E7C-S08DE
Radeon HD 7670M, 3610QM, Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
1229 Points
HP ProBook 4740s (B0Y81EA)
Radeon HD 7650M, 2450M, Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
1049 Points -15%
Sony Vaio SV-E1712F1EW
Radeon HD 7650M, B980, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
1061 Points -14%
Fujitsu Lifebook N532-0M3501DE
GeForce GT 620M, 3210M, Toshiba MK5076GSX
1068 Points -13%
Lenovo IdeaPad G780 (M843MGE)
GeForce GT 630M, 3210M, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
1074 Points -13%
Asus K75VJ-TY102H
GeForce GT 635M, 3610QM, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint ST500LM012
1100 Points -10%
HP Pavilion g7-2007sg
Radeon HD 7670M, 3612QM, Toshiba MK7575GSX
1205 Points -2%
HP Pavilion g6-2200sg
Radeon HD 7670M, B980, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
1233 Points 0%
Dell Inspiron 17R-5721
Radeon HD 8730M, 3317U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVT-75A1Yt0
1510 Points +23%
Samsung Serie 3 355E7C-S05DE
Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics, A8-4500M, Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
1628 Points +32%
Samsung Serie 3 355E7C-S05DE
Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics, A8-4500M, Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
1628 Points +32%
Medion Akoya P7815-MD98063
GeForce GT 640M, 3612QM, Samsung SpinPoint M8 HN-M750MBB
1879 Points +53%
Acer Aspire V3-771G
GeForce GT 650M, 3610QM, Intel SSD 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3
2143 Points +74%
Dell Inspiron 17R-SE-7720
GeForce GT 650M, 3610QM, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVT-75A1Yt0
2312 Points +88%

Gaming Performance

Current games are generally playable on the Samsung 350E7C in medium detail without jerking. For the native resolution (1600x900 pixels), however, the graphics performance is only sufficient for older titles.

Where the 355E7C's dual graphics team was the clear leader in the synthetic benchmark, the tide turns when it comes to gaming performance. At low detail the system with the Intel processor usually dominated, which means that CPU-heavy games profit from the 350E7C's quick quad-core processor. The 355E7C's Dual Graphics solution only has a clear advantage in the game Anno 2070.

low med. high ultra
Battlefield 3 (2011) 34.9 25.5 20.8
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) 54.7 36.5 24.4
Anno 2070 (2011) 52.2 26.6 19.9
Fifa 13 (2012) 231 147.4 112.4 61.2
Dishonored (2012) 52.5 44.2 39.6 22.3
Medal of Honor: Warfighter (2012) 32.9 23.1 19.5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012) 51.2 38.1 20.2
Dead Space 3 (2013) 104.4 48.3 37.3
Samsung Serie 3 350E7C-S08DE
Radeon HD 7670M, 3610QM, Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
Samsung Serie 3 355E7C-S05DE
Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics, A8-4500M, Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384
HP Pavilion g6-2200sg
Radeon HD 7670M, B980, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
-16%
4%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:8x AF:16x
14.7
1366x768 High Preset AA:8x AF:8x
24.4
25.1
3%
27.8
14%
1366x768 Medium Preset AA:4x
36.5
30.8
-16%
36.7
1%
1280x720 Low Preset
54.7
35.1
-36%
52.6
-4%
Anno 2070
22%
1366x768 High Preset AA:on AF:2x
19.9
20.6
4%
1366x768 Medium Preset AA:on
26.6
31.8
20%
1024x768 Low Preset
52.2
74.9
43%
Fifa 13
-20%
-22%
1920x1080 High AA:4xMS
61.2
65
6%
58.3
-5%
1366x768 High AA:2xMS
112.4
99.4
-12%
94.6
-16%
1366x768 Medium
147.4
100.9
-32%
108.7
-26%
1024x768 Low
231
130.8
-43%
136.5
-41%
Dead Space 3
-5%
1366x768 High Preset
37.3
35.9
-4%
1366x768 Medium Preset
48.3
45.9
-5%
1024x768 Low Preset
104.4
99.2
-5%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-5% / -6%
-9% / -11%

Emissions

System Noise

The characteristics of the fan in the 350E7C can generally be described as good. Our only criticism is that Samsung could have come up with a better solution for fan noise under minimal load. Now and again the fan does turn off completely, but this is rare and only lasts a short time. In idle mode, we measured a clearly audible 34.6 dB(A). At 34.2 dB(A) the hard drive is no quiet component either and sounds more like a quickly rotating 7200 rpm hard drive than one at 5400. Nevertheless, at a maximum volume of 36.6 dB(A), with both the CPU and the GPU under 100% full load, the system is hardly any louder. During gaming too (tested: 3DMark 06) at 36.4 dB(A) the noise development remains within reasonable limits. At 36.8 dB(A) the DVD drive is the only component we consider too loud and bothersome for a movie night.

The fan controls can be tweaked using the quiet mode in the Samsung settings, which lowers the clocking frequency of the processor to 1.2 GHz per core. In idle mode, the fan then remains quieter and shuts off for longer periods. However, under full load or during gaming this mode does little to reduce noise emission and it leads to a substantial reduction in performance.

Noise Level

Idle
30.9 / 34.6 / 34.6 dB(A)
HDD
34.2 dB(A)
DVD
36.8 / dB(A)
Load
36.4 / 36.6 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

If you were to only look at the notebook's temperatures, you would guess that the 350E7C has a ULV-CPU with integrated graphics rather than its i7 Quad Core processor and game-capable graphics card. The temperatures in idle mode are fully acceptable, with a maximum of 33°C (~91°F) on the underside and 31°C (~88°F) on the top. With the system under full load (FurMark + Prime95) we measured a maximum of 36°C (~97°F) on the underside. The touchpad and palm rest remain quite cool for right-handed users; left-handed users will feel the palm rest grow slightly warmer, though not enough to be uncomfortable. Due to the moderate temperatures, it would be no problem to use the device in your lap.

Since the surfaces – even during stress – don't grow especially warm, it's no wonder that the component temperatures all remain in the green. The combination of FurMark and Prime95 only warm the Radeon 7670M graphics card to a maximum of 63°C (~145°F). With a maximum temperature of 93°C (~199°F), the CPU is clearly closer to the critical area, but this doesn't lead to throttling. However, the turbo frequency was set to 2.5 GHz at the beginning of the test – after two hours under load the CPU ran with a clocking frequency of 2.4 GHz, just over the standard clocking rate. During the next test with Cinebench R11.5 the CPU could reach the maximum clocking frequency and score once again, so in practical application scenarios users have no need to anticipate performance deficits.

Max. Load
 31.4 °C
89 F
27.9 °C
82 F
24 °C
75 F
 
 30.7 °C
87 F
30.6 °C
87 F
24.5 °C
76 F
 
 33.5 °C
92 F
28.3 °C
83 F
24.1 °C
75 F
 
Maximum: 33.5 °C = 92 F
Average: 28.3 °C = 83 F
23.3 °C
74 F
27.1 °C
81 F
32.1 °C
90 F
24 °C
75 F
33 °C
91 F
35.9 °C
97 F
23.5 °C
74 F
28.3 °C
83 F
34.8 °C
95 F
Maximum: 35.9 °C = 97 F
Average: 29.1 °C = 84 F
Power Supply (max.)  43.9 °C = 111 F | Room Temperature 23.1 °C = 74 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 28.3 °C / 83 F, compared to the average of 31.2 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 33.5 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 35.9 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.4 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (33.5 °C / 92.3 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-4.7 °C / -8.5 F).

Battery Life

For a 17-inch notebook, the Samsung 350E7C is incredibly frugal with its energy. In idle mode, we measured 8 to 15.9 Watts. At 11.6-17.1 Watts the AMD counterpart 355E7C definitely grants itself more. The Dell Inspiron 17R SE comes out with about the same numbers here (8.8-15.9 Watts). With 41 Watts in the 3DMark benchmark, the Samsung 350E7C needs about half of what the 17R SE guzzles up, though in the 3DMark test the Samsung device also lies about 48% behind in terms of performance. Under full load, as well the Samsung notebook proves, with 50 Watts, to be extremely thrifty. Even the Dell Inspiron 17R with its ULV processor cannot keep up. With 90 Watts the power supply is more than adequately dimensioned.

Despite the 350E7C's considerably higher CPU performance, its battery run times are thoroughly superior to those of its AMD counterpart. At minimum brightness, deactivated wireless modules and under very low load - generated by the Battery Eater Reader's Test - the 350E7C manages quite a good run time: 6 hours and 17 minutes. The AMD sister model runs out of steam almost 2 hours earlier. Run times while surfing over wireless Internet or playing a DVD also prove to differ by about 30 minutes in favor of the Intel processor. Only at maximum brightness and under load generated by the Battery Eater Classic Test do the two systems align at about an hour of battery life. It takes 1.5 hours to charge the 48 Wh battery back to 100% with the system turned on.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
6h 17min
WiFi Surfing
3h 01min
DVD
2h 42min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 9min

Verdict

Samsung 350E7C
Samsung 350E7C

Even the Samsung 350E7C isn't the perfect 17.3-inch multimedia device. For example, during testing the notebook proved to have a poor contrast display with only moderate brightness. Another negative was the slow hard drive that markedly delayed application launches. However, for a current price of 700 Euros (~$918), the powerful i7 processor and good gaming performance definitely impressed us.

Even greater gaming performance is available with the Acer Aspire V3-771G and the Dell Inspiron 17R SE, both of which are equipped with more powerful GeForce GT 650Ms. These two models also trump our review device with their Full HD displays and better case stability, though they cost about 100 Euros (~$131) more. If you need something less expensive, the sister model 355E7C with an AMD processor and Dual Graphics solution is available for an asking price of 600 Euros (~$787), but it offers considerably less CPU performance. If your attention is focused on the latter, we advise you to take a closer look at the HP Pavilion g7 and Lenovo G780 notebooks.

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In Review:  Samsung Series 3 350E7C
In Review: Samsung Series 3 350E7C, courtesy of:

Specifications

Samsung Serie 3 350E7C-S08DE (Serie 3 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-3610QM 4 x 2.3 - 3.3 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon HD 7670M - 1024 MB VRAM, Core: 600 MHz, Memory: 900 MHz, DDR3, 8.982.6.0, AMD Enduro
Memory
6 GB 
, 4096 MB + 2048 MB (Samsung), PC3-12800
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1600 x 900 pixel, AU Optronics B173RW01 V4, TN WLED, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM76 (Panther Point)
Storage
Hitachi Travelstar 5K750 HTS547575A9E384, 750 GB 
, 5400 rpm, SATA II, 8 MB cache
Soundcard
Realtek ALC269 @ Intel Panther Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: headphones, microphone, Card Reader: SD
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Atheros AR9485WB-EG Wireless Network Adapter (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SN-208BB
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 35 x 411 x 270 ( = 1.38 x 16.18 x 10.63 in)
Battery
48 Wh Lithium-Ion, 4400 mAh, 11.1 V, 6 cells, 288 g
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 1.3 Megapixel
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard Light: no, Adobe Reader X, Allshare Play Link, CyberLink Power2Go 8, CyberLink PowerDVD 10, Microsoft Office (Trial), Norton Internet Security (Trial), Plants vs. Zombies, Samsung Tools, Xerox PhotoCafe, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.79 kg ( = 98.41 oz / 6.15 pounds), Power Supply: 456 g ( = 16.08 oz / 1.01 pounds)
Price
1000 Euro

 

The arrow keys are a little small.
The arrow keys are a little small.
The stereo speakers are located above the keyboard.
The stereo speakers are located above the keyboard.
The battery weighs 289 g...
The battery weighs 289 g...
...and has a capacity of 48 Wh.
...and has a capacity of 48 Wh.
The battery is charged with a 90 watt power supply.
The battery is charged with a 90 watt power supply.
Both memory banks are already occupied.
Both memory banks are already occupied.
Always make sure you have the latest drivers.
Always make sure you have the latest drivers.
The eco mode reduces power usage.
The eco mode reduces power usage.
The display lid gives an impression of brushed aluminum...
The display lid gives an impression of brushed aluminum...
...but the whole notebook is actually made of plastic.
...but the whole notebook is actually made of plastic.
This look dominates the inside as well.
This look dominates the inside as well.
Elements with a black finish are mandatory of course.
Elements with a black finish are mandatory of course.
The screen doesn't open beyond a relatively small angle.
The screen doesn't open beyond a relatively small angle.
But running a video chat isn't a problem.
But running a video chat isn't a problem.
Samsung treats the notebook to two USB 3.0 ports.
Samsung treats the notebook to two USB 3.0 ports.
The keys have a medium keystroke length.
The keys have a medium keystroke length.

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Review HP Envy m6-1101sg Notebook
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Devices with Same Screen Size and/or Weight

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Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra 16 with RTX 4070 in review: High graphics performance in a business-like notebook
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, Raptor Lake-H i9-13900H, 16.00", 1.81 kg

Links

Price Comparison

Pros

+Very high application performance
+Reasonably minimal noise emission under load
+Anti-reflective display
+Good gaming performance
+Useful input devices
+Remains cool under load
 

Cons

-Slow hard drive
-No second bay for a hard drive/SSD
-Display has poor contrast
-Low brightness in battery mode
-Unimpressive case stability
-Short battery life

Shortcut

What we like

Good performance for comparably little money and cool temperatures to boot.

What we'd like to see

More contrast and brightness for the display and very importantly: no loss of brightness in battery mode.

What surprises us

That the same panel delivers considerably better luminosity in the Samsung 355E7C.

The competition

Matte 17.3-inch notebooks with dedicated graphics cards: Dell Inspiron 17R SE, Medion Akoya P7815, HP ProBook 4740s, Toshiba Satellite Pro C870, Samsung Serie 3 355E7C, Fujitsu Lifebook N532Acer Aspire V3-771G (reviewed with a glossy panel) 

Glossy panel: Lenovo G780, Packard Bell EasyNote LV44HC, HP Pavilion dv7-7000sg, Dell Inspiron 17R-5721

Ratings

Samsung Serie 3 350E7C-S08DE - 04/23/2013 v3(old)
Waldemar Trautwein

Chassis
78%
Keyboard
82%
Pointing Device
82%
Connectivity
69%
Weight
77%
Battery
78%
Display
76%
Games Performance
78%
Application Performance
90%
Temperature
93%
Noise
85%
Add Points
80%
Average
81%
81%
Multimedia - Weighted Average
Waldemar Trautwein, 2013-04- 3 (Update: 2018-05-15)