Samsung R560 15.4in Notebook Review

Just a couple of comments. Firstly, although a number-pad on a notebook might be advantageous for some, a major down-side is that when typing, one's hands are permanently off-centre & positioned toward the left side of the screen. Secondly, from what I gather, the main advantage of using DDR3 memory (aside from the negligible speed increase) in a notebook is the lower operating voltage, which has a consequential effect on battery life.

Thanks Ardjuna for this review, based on which (along with some other even more positive reviews) I've decided to order the R560. I nearly convinced myself the Medion S5610 was better value, but was put off by an apparent price increase since the review. The graphics card and possible benefit the extra (and better) RAM helped push me toward the R560, while I can live without e-Sata and S/PDIF (and presumably one of these connections could be added later via the ExpressCard slot). The Samsung's keyboard may not have the numberpad, but neither does it commit the crime against nature that is putting "Fn" where "Ctrl" should be. Finally, the R560 will match my rather lovely Samsung HDTV/monitor :D

OK, so at this point I'm clearly just trying to justify my purchase to myself. I'll post some first impressions when it arrives, but in the meantime can I ask about one area you didn't mention in the review: How much bloatware has it got and how useless is it? Cheers!

FWIW, I've had the R560 a couple of weeks now. I can answer my own question: Yes there is bloatware, but it's not as bad as many others and easy enough to uninstall. I actually spent more time trying to remove the horrible adhesive used to stick on the Vista label... why do manufacturers have to deface their own products like that?

Anyway it's a nice little machine, and battery power and management is good. I did have one problem after a couple of days: The DVD drive stopped reading discs! While this was disappointing, I can't fault Samsung or their UK repairers Digicare. Just under 48 hours after I called to report the problem and arrange pickup, it was back with a new drive fitted and tested. And credit due to UPS as well - this was during the snowfall which apparently broke the country. All companies occasionally make faulty products; more important to me is how they respond - top marks to Samsung there.