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Review Samsung Series 6 600B5B-S01DE Notebook

Duracase 2.0. Samsung promises perfect reliability with its business notebook, 600B5B. The 15.6 inch laptop offers a lot of security features and a bright, non-glare screen. Intel's Core i5-2520M (2.5 GHz) and Nvidia's NVS 4200M are responsible for the power. Is the notebook worth its steep price of €1100?

Samsung's Series 6 notebook range currently only has two devices. Both 15 inch devices are to bid outstanding perfection and perfect reliability. The Samsung 600B2B-S01 is the lower priced model of the two with a price of €1100. It offers the dual core processor, Intel Core i5 2520M with a base clock of 2.5 GHz. NVIDIA's NVS 4200M is installed as the graphics card. Moreover, there is a 6 GB DDR3 RAM installed on the Intel QM67 chipset.

The Samsung 600B5B-HC1 bids more power and more features for just under €1600. A quad core processor, the Intel Core i7-2720QM with a base clock of 2.2 GHz, works inside this model. The 15.6 inch laptop also has a UMTS module and the latest Bluetooth 3.0 available. That's different in the 600B2B-S01, which only sports the outdated Bluetooth 2.1.

Both devices are equipped with a non-glare, 15.6 inch screen with a maximum resolution of 1600x900 pixels. The notebook in the Duracase Mg+ chassis has a few security features, for example a TPM chip. 

We put the Samsung 600B2B-S01 through its paces for you. Find out if and for whom the purchase of the €1100 business notebook is worthwhile in the following review.

Case

The Samsung 600B2B is definitely no beauty. Its design is basic black, so the Samsung 600B2B isn't an eye-catcher. It's in the eye of the beholder if the design looks boring or professional. Duracase Mg+ is used for the chassis. We previously made sobering experiences with the Duracase material in Samsung's Series 4. However, the addition "Mg+" lets us hope for more. The case is coated with a magnesium alloy and is thus to provide even more protection. 

In our tests, the Duracase Mg+ chassis proved to be significantly more rigid than the Duracase chassis of the Series 4. In particular, the display lid seems to be considerably stronger. Although the notebook can be depressed selectively at the well-known weak points, the case seems to be more rigid. 

The screen hinges of the new series also do a much better job than those of the Samsung Series 4. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement. The display lid can hardly be depressed or twisted. A 1.3 megapixel (SVGA) webcam is installed into the display bezel. 

The owner should easily be able to stow the notebook in the briefcase due to its size. The 15.6 inch laptop doesn't belong to the lightest of its kind with almost 2.7 kg, though.

Connectivity

The Samsung 600B2B offers a large scope of connectivity. There are two fast USB 3.0 ports to start with. The manufacturer has also remembered an ExpressCard slot. The modern HDMI port is also worth mentioning. 

The 15.6 inch notebook has a port for an optionally available docking station on the bottom. The Samsung Smart Dock is available for a steep price of €230. It adds the following ports to the ones already installed: DisplayPort, DVI and serial (Com-Port, RS232, 9 pin). 

Left: Power socket, LAN, 2 USB 3.0 ports, VGA, HDMI, microphone, headphone, ExpressCard
Left: Power socket, LAN, 2 USB 3.0 ports, VGA, HDMI, microphone, headphone, ExpressCard
Right: DVD drive, eSATA/USB, USB 2.0
Right: DVD drive, eSATA/USB, USB 2.0

Communication 

Samsung's 600B2B has the most important communication modules for a business notebook. However, Bluetooth is only built-in as the slow 2.1 version in this model. We also miss a UMTS module in our sample. Many users would find this feature important in a business laptop.

Security

Samsung has been generous when it comes to security matters. The 15.6 inch device sports quite a few security features. The fingerprint reader is below the numpad and is to prevent unauthorized access on the system. Moreover, the built-in Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is to provide protection. The hard disk is equipped with a fall protection sensor, which is supposed to prevent data loss in case the notebook falls. A Kensington lock is also present.

Supplies

The scope of delivery is very scanty. Only the notebook and its power adapter besides manuals are in the box. The buyer should be able to expect more for the relatively high price. A small mouse or a protection cover would have been nice, for example.

Warranty

Samsung offers a standard warranty period of 24 months for its Series 6 notebook (incl. onsite pick-up). Beyond that, Samsung also offers warranty extensions. An extension for a period of 12 to 36 months is possible. The surcharge starts at €70 depending on the period and service.

Input Devices

Keyboard

The Samsung 600B2B exploits almost the entire width of the notebook for the keyboard. Thus, even a complete numpad has found room, which will especially please users who have to work a lot with numbers. The keys' lettering is white and blue. Only the four arrow keys jut out of the layout a bit.

The typing characteristic is consistently good. The keys have a conical cavity that is to increase the accuracy. The pressure point is crisp and the key drop is long. Users who type a lot will be satisfied with the keyboard built into the Samsung 600B2B. 

Touchpad/Trackpoint

Samsung provides the 600B2B user with two alternatives for mouse replacement. The touchpad has a sufficient size. Navigating with the fingers is quite pleasant on the touch-sensitive area. The corresponding key is a bit too soft. When desired, the touchpad can be disabled. As usual, the blue trackpoint is located between the B, G and H keys.

Display

The installed 15.6 inch screen convinces to the largest extent in our test. The screen with the model name, 184HT03-001, is non-glare and is thus suitable for outdoor use. The screen manages a maximum, native resolution of 1600x900 pixels (WXGA++) and displays them in a 16:9 aspect ratio. A 1.3 megapixel (SVGA) webcam is installed into the display bezel. External monitors can either be connected via the VGA port or the modern HDMI port.

258
cd/m²
261
cd/m²
241
cd/m²
254
cd/m²
270
cd/m²
226
cd/m²
254
cd/m²
263
cd/m²
249
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
184HT03-001 tested with Gossen Mavo-Monitor
Maximum: 270 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 252.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Center on Battery: 222 cd/m²
Contrast: 116:1 (Black: 2.32 cd/m²)38.58% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
55.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
38.21% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)

The manufacturer states a brightness of 300 cd/m2. We measured the brightness with the Gossen Mavo Monitor. The 15.6 inch laptop achieves a maximum brightness of 270 cd/m2. We measured an average rate of nearly 253 cd/m2. The Samsung 600B2B is impressive with that. However the brightness is reduced on battery power. While we measured 270 cd/m2 in AC mode, it was only 222 cd/m2 on battery power in the screen's center. The Samsung 600B5B can't reproduce the sRGB color spectrum sufficiently.

The black value that we determined wasn't satisfying either. It is definitely too high with 2.32 cd/m2. This results in an particularly poor contrast of only 116:1. 

A notebook's screen should be AR coated and have a brightness of at least 230 cd/m2. The Samsung 600B2B meets this requirement. As can be seen well on the picture, working outdoors should be possible. A higher brightness wouldn't hurt, but the notebook has proved its outdoor suitability with that.

As so often, the viewing angle stability is restricted. We took pictures of the notebook from different perspectives with the same aperture and shutter speed in a dark room. We used this for the photo montage below. It shows that the screen is fairly stable on the horizontal plane. However, the picture falsifies quiet fast and intensely vertically.

Viewing angles: Samsung 600B5B-S01DE
Viewing angles: Samsung 600B5B-S01DE

Performance

The central computing core in the Samsung 600B5B is the Intel dual core processor, Core i5 2520M. The CPU based on the Sandy Bridge architecture has a base clock of 2.5 GHz. Providing the cooling is sufficient, the clock can be increased to 3 GHz (2 cores) or 3.2 GHz (1 core) for a short time with the Turbo Boost function. Thanks to Hyper Threading, the dual core processor can process four threads at the same time. The CPU has 3072 KB available in the level 3 cache, which is particularly important in connection with the integrated GPU. The chip manufacturer specifies a thermal design power (TDP) of 35 watts.

The DirectX 10 capable Intel HD Graphics 3000 card is integrated in the processor. It has a low performance level. Samsung has also provided an external graphics card, called NVIDIA NVS 4200M. The business graphics card is based on the same core as the GeForce GT 520M. The DirectX 11 capable graphics card isn't really designed for gaming, though. A lot more focus has been placed on stability and special performance in business applications. Thus, it's no surprise that the graphics card supports OpenCL and Direct Compute. Nvidia's Optimus technology provides longer battery runtimes. It switches between the Intel HD Graphics 3000 card and the Nvidia NVS 4200M depending on requirement. Apart from that, the system bids a 6 GB DDR3 RAM.

System info CPUZ CPU
System info CPUZ Cache
System info CPUZ Mainboard
System info CPUZ RAM
System info CPUZ RAM SPD
System information: Samsung 600B5B-S01DE

Processor

We took a closer look at the processor's performance with Cinebench R10 and Cinebench R11.5. The Samsung 600B5B manages good 4871 points in Cinebench R10 (64bit) single rendering and is among devices with the same processor. Turbo Boost works well and lets the CPU clock increase between 3 GHz and 3.2 GHz. The Toshiba Tecra R840-11E manages 5135 points with the same processor.

We achieve a similar result with Cinebench R11.5. The Samsung notebook achieves 2.84 points in the CPU test. The best model with the same CPU only reaches 0.06 points more.

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
3924
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
8274
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6035
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
4871 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
9925 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
5744 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
16.65 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
2.84 Points
Help

System Performance

We analyzed the Samsung 600B5B's system performance with the benchmarks, PCMark Vantage and PCMark 7. The notebook is in the expected midfield with 6807 points in PCMark Vantage and lines in between laptops with a similar configuration. The same picture results in PCMark 7. The business notebook manages 1908 points here.

5.8
Windows 7 Experience Index
Processor
Calculations per second
7.1
Memory (RAM)
Memory operations per second
7.4
Graphics
Desktop performance for Windows Aero
5.8
Gaming graphics
3D business and gaming graphics
6.5
Primary hard disk
Disk data transfer rate
5.9

Mass Memory

The built-in hard disk comes from Samsung. The HDD with the model name, HM641JI, has a capacity of 640 GB. The installed hard disk runs with a speed of 5400 rpm. We analyzed the mass memory's performance with HDTune. The HDD manages an average transfer rate of 72.1 MB/s. An SSD wouldn't have only been a lot faster, but everyday use could benefit enormously from the speed increase.

Samsung SpinPoint M7 HM641JI
Transfer Rate Minimum: 39.2 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 92.3 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 72.1 MB/s
Access Time: 19.4 ms
Burst Rate: 88.5 MB/s
CPU Usage: 1 %

Graphics Solution

As usual, we checked the graphics performance with Futuremark's 3DMark range. The 15.6 inch laptop achieves 5030 points in 3DMark 06, which is a good result compared to other notebooks with the same graphics card. Only the Lenovo ThinkPad T420si manages a better ranking with 5118 points. It's enough for 540 points in the latest 3DMark 11. Thus, the laptop is in the lower third in our benchmark database.
Consequently, the notebook is hardly suitable for gaming. Only older games can be played smoothly. Details about that can be found on our detail page of the NVS 4200 graphics card.

3DMark 03 Standard
12860 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
5030 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
2443 points
3DMark 11 Performance
612 points
Help

Emissions

System Noise

A quiet surrounding is needed for concentrated work. The Samsung 600B5B is hardly audible in office use. We only measured a maximum of good 33 dB (A). Concentrated work is thus ensured. The 15.6 inch laptop attracts a lot more attention when playing a DVD. We measured 37.5 dB (A) in this case. This rate is still within an acceptable range. The notebook gets even louder during constant load. We determined a peak rate of 44.2 dB (A). This rate is very close to the limit, but will hardly ever, respectively only occur for a short time in office routine.

Noise Level

Idle
32.1 / 33 / 33 dB(A)
HDD
32.4 dB(A)
DVD
37.5 / dB(A)
Load
36.2 / 44.2 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)
Stress test

Temperature

We also looked at the Samsung 600B5B's temperature development. The notebook is not much warmer than its surroundings during low load. We measured a maximum of 25.2°C on the top and 28.9°C on the bottom. That no reason for complaint. 
We put the system under high load with Prime95 and Furmark for several hours (full CPU and GPU load). The temperatures remained within an acceptable range on the top. We determined a maximum of 33.4°C here. Thus, restrictions shouldn't be expected on the top. However, it looks different on the bottom. The notebook reaches 51°C selectively and 32.1°C on average.

We also noticed a slight CPU throttling (1400 MHz) in the stress test, which however was only rare. The clock ran as usual in the subsequent Cinebench R11.5 CPU test, but Turbo Boost wasn't enabled as frequently as in the laptop's cold state. Consequently, only 2.4 points were achieved rather than 2.84 points after the stress test. These observations shouldn't represent a drawback in routine office use, though.

Max. Load
 33.4 °C
92 F
29.2 °C
85 F
21.6 °C
71 F
 
 32.8 °C
91 F
32.1 °C
90 F
21.7 °C
71 F
 
 27.1 °C
81 F
29.6 °C
85 F
23 °C
73 F
 
Maximum: 33.4 °C = 92 F
Average: 27.8 °C = 82 F
21 °C
70 F
27 °C
81 F
51 °C
124 F
22 °C
72 F
37.3 °C
99 F
42.1 °C
108 F
20.2 °C
68 F
34.6 °C
94 F
33.6 °C
92 F
Maximum: 51 °C = 124 F
Average: 32.1 °C = 90 F
Power Supply (max.)  56 °C = 133 F | Room Temperature 18.7 °C = 66 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 27.8 °C / 82 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 33.4 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 51 °C / 124 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.5 °C / 74 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 29.6 °C / 85.3 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-1.9 °C / -3.4 F).

Speakers

Unfortunately, the installed speakers disappointed us greatly. Both loudspeakers have a good volume, but the sound isn't very overwhelming. Both 1.5 watt speakers completely lack bass. This isn't unusual in business notebooks. Our notebook doesn't stand out from its contenders here, either. External loudspeakers can be connected via the 3.5 mm jack.

Battery Life

Power Consumption

The power consumption that we determined is within the expected range. The Samsung 600B5B consumes a maximum of 13.4 watts in low load. The notebook's consumption increases considerably during load. We measured a peak rate of high 75.9 watts. However, the included 90 watt power adapter can cope with this.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.3 / 0.4 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 8.7 / 12.9 / 13.4 Watt
Load midlight 55.1 / 75.9 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Life

We tested the battery life in four different scenarios. First we checked the maximum battery life with the software tool, BatteryEater. For this, we selected the energy savings profile, disabled all communication modules and set the brightness to minimum. The Samsung 600B2B lasted for 6 hours and 32 minutes.
Our next surf test is closer to reality. We turned on the WLAN module and increased the brightness to 150 cd/m2. A new website is opened automatically every 40 seconds via a script. The surf fun came to an end after 4 hours and 7 minutes.
In another test, we looked at the battery life in DVD rendering. Again, we disabled all communication modules, but we set the brightness to maximum. We could watch a movie for about 2 hours and 44 minutes before we had to reconnect the power adapter.
Finally, we analyzed the battery life in load. Here, we enabled all communication modules, set the high performance mode and selected maximum brightness. The BatteryEater software was used again, but this time its Classic test. It was finished after only 88 minutes. Overall, the battery life isn't outstanding, but feasible with about 4 hours in practical use.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
6h 32min
WiFi Surfing
4h 07min
DVD
2h 44min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 22min

Verdict

The business notebook 600B5B convinced us in many areas. The magnesium alloy case managed to collect points. The Intel Core i5 2520M dual core processor (2.5 GHz) and Nvidia's NVS 4200 supply a good amount of power in office use. There are even two fast USB 3.0 ports available. The many security features could also appeal to the business user. Moreover, the 15.6 inch laptop convinces with a bright, non-glare screen, although its contrast is weak. Nevertheless, outdoor use is possible.

Those who like the plain design, expect good performance and don't need a UMTS module will get a good business laptop for about €1100. Samsung puts the sister model 600B5B-HC1 on the shelves for higher demands (starts at about €1400, incl. BT 3.0, UMTS and quad CPU).

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In Review:  Samsung 600B5B-S01DE
In Review: Samsung 600B5B-S01DE, by courtesy of:

Specifications

Samsung 600B5B-S01DE (Series 6 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i5-2520M 2 x 2.5 - 3.2 GHz, Sandy Bridge
Graphics adapter
Memory
6 GB 
, PC3 10600 (1333 MHz)
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1600 x 900 pixel, 184HT03-001 , glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel QM67
Storage
Samsung SpinPoint M7 HM641JI, 640 GB 
, 5400 rpm
Soundcard
Realtek ALC269
Connections
1 Express Card 34mm, 2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 eSata, 1 Docking Station Port, Audio Connections: line in, line out, Card Reader: 7 in 1 (MMC, Memory Stick, Mem Stick Pro, SD, SDHC, XD, XD Type H), 1 Fingerprint Reader
Networking
Intel 82579LM Gigabit Network Connection (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 2.0
Optical drive
TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-L633J
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 35 x 370 x 248 ( = 1.38 x 14.57 x 9.76 in)
Battery
Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 1.3 Megapixel
Additional features
24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.63 kg ( = 92.77 oz / 5.8 pounds) ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)
Price
1100 Euro

 

The Samsung 600B5B is available in two versions.
The Samsung 600B5B is available in two versions.
The docking station is available for just under €230.
The docking station is available for just under €230.
The Samsung 600B5B has a complete numpad.
The Samsung 600B5B has a complete numpad.
The speakers give a weak performance.
The speakers give a weak performance.
The 15.6 inch device proved its outdoor suitability.
The 15.6 inch device proved its outdoor suitability.
The touchpad's gliding traits are good.
The touchpad's gliding traits are good.
The screen's hinges are firm.
The screen's hinges are firm.
The case is made of a magnesium alloy.
The case is made of a magnesium alloy.
There is a port for a docking station on the bottom.
There is a port for a docking station on the bottom.
The built-in screen is AR coated.
The built-in screen is AR coated.
The laptop almost weighs 2.7 kg.
The laptop almost weighs 2.7 kg.

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Links

Compare Prices

Pros

+Good computing power
+High brightness
+Non-glare display
+USB 3.0
+Many security features
 

Cons

-No UMTS module
-Weak image contrast

Shortcut

What we like

The numerous security features turn the Samsung 600B5B into a real business notebook.

What we'd like to see

The UMTS module like in the more expensive model.

What surprises us

The case has a much higher stability than the one in Samsung's Series 4.

The competition

HP ProBook 6560b-LG658EAHP EliteBook 8460pLenovo ThinkPad L420 NYV4UGEAsus P43SJ-VO006XAcer TravelMate TimelineX 8473TG

Rating

Samsung 600B5B-S01DE - 01/03/2012 v2(old)
Konrad Schneid

Chassis
86%
Keyboard
92%
Pointing Device
87%
Connectivity
84%
Weight
79%
Battery
82%
Display
70%
Games Performance
71%
Application Performance
89%
Temperature
85%
Noise
84%
Add Points
86%
Average
83%
84%
Office - Weighted Average
Konrad Schneid, 2012-01-11 (Update: 2013-06- 6)