Go To Latest Video ReviewsSamsung Q320 - 13.4in Laptop Comments
| Author | Andy Vandervell |
| Published | 19th May 2009 |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Price | £571.02 (Exc VAT) |
| as reviewed | £656.67 (Inc VAT) |
| Latest Price | Click here |
| Design |  |
| Features | |
| Performance | |
| Value |  |
| Overall |  |
Comments for Samsung Q320 - 13.4in Laptop
TheLostSwede said on 19th May 2009
Smit said on 19th May 2009
Ordered one of these and should arrive in a few days :)
I like the more classic style compared to the Q310 colour and shine. It is a shame that it's only using a T6400 CPU but it should be more than enough for the web browsing and movie watching I will mainly use it for.
Andy said on 19th May 2009
@The Lost Swede: Thanks, Lars, but I'm quite familiar with the nomenclature relating to Centrino branding and what it entails. Yes, strictly speaking there is no "Centrino" CPU, but there is a defined set of processors that make a notebook a Centrino 2 branded one (as opposed to just Centrino) and the T6400 used in the Q320 is not one of them - hence "this isn't a Centrino 2 processor.
Now, you might consider the whole Centrino thing as a "crappy marketing thing from Intel", but that is its choice and I dare say regular readers are far more likely to understand the significance (or otherwise) of Centrino as opposed to the difference between the Penryn-3M, Penryn-2M, Penryn-3M, Penryn-3M (medium voltage) and so on. That's why I chose to use the Centrino 2 terminology, instead of using the processor's codename.
Ohmz said on 19th May 2009
@ Andy, I didn't understand any of that!
TheLostSwede said on 19th May 2009
@ Andy - Care to tell me what you base that on?
It's a Core 2 Duo, so why wouldn't it be a Centrino/Centrino 2 approved CPU?
Just because Samsung didn't go with all Intel gear inside the Q320 doesn't make the CPU any less Centrino 2 worthy.
But you can always prove me wrong with a link to Intel saying differently.
Ed said on 19th May 2009
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrino
Go to Montevina platform section.
Yes, it's not an official Intel page but you try finding a definitive reference in amongst all this lot: http://www.intel.com/products/centrino/index.htm
Andy said on 19th May 2009
This is the official Intel page - http://www.intel.com/consumer/learn/notebook/centrino-detail.htm?iid=pr_smrelease_Centrino2_rellinks2. CPU's listed in the drop down boxes.
FYI, the chipset and Wi-Fi are Intel, it's only the CPU that prevents this from being a Centrino 2 notebook. Hence it's just Centrino.
TheLostSwede said on 20th May 2009
That list is missing a bunch of processors, I don't believe that is up to date mate.
I had a look at Wikipedia, but there's no mention of any CPU models there.
Still looks like it's a Centrino 2 compliant CPU to me http://ark.intel.com/product.aspx?id=40479&code=T6400
TheLostSwede said on 20th May 2009
@Ed oh yeah, and Wikipedia states "a second-generation Intel Core 2 Duo (codenamed Penryn) 45nm processor with 800-1066 MT/s FSB with clock speeds ranging from 2 GHz to 3.06 GHz" which is exactly what the T6400 is, 2GHz, 800MHz FSB, Penryn core...
Anyhow, no point arguing with you lot, as I don't think I can prove you wrong.
Andy said on 20th May 2009
@TheLostSwede: Not sure why we're still on this, nowhere on the page you link to indicates the T6400 is a Centrino 2 processor - at least as far as I can see. Just because it's Core 2, doesn't make it Centrino 2 - as the page I linked to demonstrates!
rocket-dog said on 20th May 2009
Super laptop. Shame that TR is again taking pops at those who leave comments. Got to keep the hardware companies on side haven't we boys?
TheLostSwede said on 21st May 2009
I know I'm going to get abuse for this, but I asked a friend at Intel who confirmed that it's Centrino 2.
I've done this stuff for a while guys...
Andy said on 21st May 2009
@TheLostSwede: Heh, you won't, but I still don't agree! ;)
@rocket-dog: Honestly, what we say here has no bearing on anything. Do you really think Intel has people sitting around monitoring comments all day? In any case, I find it a little irritating that some people feel it's okay to "take pops" at us, yet we're not allowed to reply? Granted, this is a...shall we say...lively debate, but debate never hurt anyone.
LetsGo said on 21st May 2009
Andy how noisy is this machine and does it get hot?
This site is excellent, so why argue of such a small point.
Andy said on 21st May 2009
@LetsGo: It's pretty cool and quiet really, so you shouldn't have any fears on that front.
hunghey said on 26th May 2009
quick question: there are two different Q320 models available, with the main difference being that the processor has been upgraded from T6400 (2.0GHz) to T6600 (2.2GHz) and the RAM from 3GB to 4GB. the lower spec model costs around £650 and the other £800. is this a worthwhile investment?
thanks for the quick and detailed review, ive noticed other technology news sites havent picked it up yet - good job!
Andy said on 26th May 2009
Hmm, hard to say without testing it, but my instinct says no. At £800 you start to compete with the likes of the Dell Studio XPS 13 and other more premium 13in laptops, plus the performance difference is likely to be negligible - you could also upgrade the RAM yourself fairly cheaply.
hunghey said on 27th May 2009
ok, you're right, thanks - i am on a student budget after all.
last question: does this system come with any bloatware?
vijay said on 7th June 2009
I've become pretty keen on this machine. It seems to be a quite a powerful machine for its size. But I'm a little concerned with the graphics card. Is it suitable for HD video editting or will it struggle?
Andy said on 10th June 2009
That rather depends Vijay. In fact, the GPU only comes into play for video if you're using a GPU accelerated application, of which there aren't many. As such, until more applications support this, the CPU might be a larger factor. However, provided you are GPU software, it should do the job just fine.
vijay said on 12th June 2009
cheers Andy. Looks like a winner. Although I've just heard that MS are offering a free upgrade to W7 for Vista users for new sales after june 26th... is this true? In which case I'll be waiting til then!
Welfymom said on 21st June 2009
Can you say anything about Samsung's customer service?
Pam said on 10th September 2009
I am thinking of buying this laptop for my 10 year old, the main criteria is that it runs the SIMS 3 properly!
S Lewis said on 6th October 2009
Pam, I'm probably too late...but be wary of buying a laptop at this price for a 10 year old unless he/she is very careful with stuff! Desktops take up more space but a new keyboard is £15.
Simon said on 6th October 2009
I'm in the market for a 13"-14" notebook and my shortlist is this Q320 or a 13" Macbook Pro. On balance (as the price differential is not an issue), and assuming use including internet/web site design & maintenance on the hoof, office work and some media stuff like movie editing/playback, has anyone any thoughts? Main thing in favour of the Q320 is my existing Windows setup/network at home, but I'm prepared to throw caution to the wind!
Mike Reed said on 8th November 2009
Hi Andy,
I was about to buy this laptop when I looked at pictures from the website I was about to purchase from and the backslash key seems to have moved. In your pictures the backslash is to the left of the z key. On some websites selling this laptop it is shown above the enter key. As a touch typist keyboard layout is quite important to me. Can you confirm if the keyboard layout has changed since your review?
Thanks.
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There is no Centrino "processor". Centrino is a name for when a notebook has an intel Core CPU, Intel chipset and Intel WiFi card.
Why is it that TR has bought into this crappy marketing thing from Intel, TR didn't use to make mistakes like this :(