Samsung series 7 all in one
MSRP $1.00
“The Samsung Series 7 all-in-one is an attractive machine with good features that are held back by below-average performance and a slightly damaged screen.”
Avg
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Attractive design
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Gesture control
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Utilities include replacing the Start menu
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Easily connects to other Samsung devices for media sharing
Against
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Difficult to install the connector
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The touch screen reduces the display quality
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Below average performance
Creating an all-in-one device that is both affordable and worth owning can be a challenge for PC manufacturers. You have laptop-like limitations in terms of size and placement of parts along with consumer expectations of desktops in terms of price and performance. Samsung’s Series 7 (DP700A3D) all-in-one tries to strike that perfect balance. It costs $1,100 and includes a touchscreen, gesture control, and 1080p resolution. It is quite tempting, as well as an attractive exterior. However, there are other factors to consider before you indulge in the siren song of the 7 Series.
Good look, little surprise
The Series 7’s design is simplistic, but it doesn’t stand out among today’s all-in-ones. All computer elements are built into the display part of the machine, so the stand is just a stand. Covered in metallic paint, the stand has two long legs, giving the 7 series a solid base. Unfortunately, there is no height adjustment available, only a limited tilt range.
For the price, the Series 7 just doesn’t have the premium look we see in all-in-ones like the new iMac or the Dell XPS One 27. That said, the Series 7’s aesthetic is still appealing, and we’re fans of the overall sleek look and clean lines. What’s disappointing are the more practical design missteps.
All the openings on the back face down instead of out, making them harder to see and access. The ports along the left edge should be easily accessible. Instead, we had to move the unit around to see them every time we wanted to connect something.
Rear connections include Ethernet, HDMI-in and HDMI-out and three USB 2.0 ports. Quick-access ports on the left side include a 3-in-1 memory card slot, two USB 3.0 ports (one for charging small gadgets), and microphone and headphone jacks. On the right is the Super Multi Dual Layer DVD +/-RW optical drive. All standard enough.
HDMI is a nice addition to a system like this, allowing users to connect gaming systems, streaming media, and even other computers to the Series 7. Multi-functionality is highly valued where space is at a premium, such as dorm rooms and apartment efficiency.
Touch problems
23-inch screens are pretty standard for all-in-ones – and for good reason. This size offers plenty of screen real estate, looks good in full HD and means the system isn’t too heavy to move around if needed. The Series 7’s display also comes with touch, which is a nice feature for something this affordable. We found the touch function responsive and accurate, even on the Windows 8 side of the desktop.
The touch screen causes problems with display quality. Text and small elements aren’t as sharp as we’d expect with a 1080p resolution. On top of everything is a visible dot layer that makes the screen less clear. It does not affect color depth, black level or contrast, but is more noticeable on displays with more white.
It doesn’t help that the screen isn’t very bright, which made watching videos with dark scenes less enjoyable than we’d like. The glossy coating is an additional nuisance because it easily repels reflections. Since the viewing angles are quite wide, watching videos in a dark room should be comfortable, even if you’re sitting on the couch a few feet away.
The two speakers face down from the bottom edge of the device, which is usually not the best position. However, we didn’t find that it affected the sound much. We could hear music and video clearly at only 50 percent volume, even in noisy environments. The sound quality is acceptable, but not superb. We could clearly hear the separation of the two channels, but overall the sound lacked roundness. Output through headphones and external speakers is better.
Since the Series 7 can be used as a separate monitor from the computer inside via the HDMI input, we’re glad to see that Samsung has included controls on the front of the computer for settings. Users can adjust the brightness and contrast, change the input source from HDMI to PC, control the volume and open the optical drive tray.
You wave at them like you just don’t care
If the touchscreen isn’t futuristic enough for you, Samsung has included gesture control on this computer, which is similar to the gestures for the company’s televisions. Gesture control will probably make you feel a little silly at first, but you’ll get over it. For normal work, gestures are not that useful. We had to turn the feature off while sitting in front of the computer because it always accidentally mistook our face for a hand – turning it on and interfering with the mouse. Additionally, gestures don’t work as well when you’re close to the screen.
Sit back a bit and the real purpose of the movement becomes clearer. You have the ability to go to the home screen, swipe left and right, click (fist!) and turn the volume up and down. These functions are extremely useful when managing the media playback application from the comfort of the couch.
We tested this with Netflix and the results were encouraging. Because the Windows 8 app has big, chunky elements, it was easy to browse, find a video to watch, and launch everything without touching the computer. Pausing was a little more difficult because the element is small and the mouse gesture is not very precise. On a machine that can double as a media center, this is a neat thing.
On-point peripherals
While the gesture-based controls are handy, most of the time you’ll be using the included wireless keyboard and mouse to interact with the Series 7. Both are solid and come pre-paired with the all-in-one, so you just need to plug them in. We’re not happy that the wireless receiver for these peripherals takes up one of the USB 2.0 ports on the back, but at least the mouse and keyboard connect to the same receiver.
The keyboard, a standard model, has island keys with a good tactile response. It lacks a dedicated numeric keypad, which is a strange omission even for a consumer device. Along the top row are media controls and other shortcut buttons that require the use of the Fn key. Besides being designed to work for both right-handed and left-handed users, the 3-button laser mouse offers no surprises.
With everything
If you’ve ever owned or used a Samsung smartphone or tablet, then the preloaded apps on the Series 7 will be familiar. The company continues its preference for S branding, offering apps like S Note, S Camera, and S Gallery as basic add-ons with some extras. For example, we had fun with the S camera, which gives users additional tools to create more fun pictures. Other applications and utilities stand out for more practical reasons.
Quick Starter looks like one of those Dock programs so popular in Windows 7, yet rarely useful. In Windows 8, however, it serves one good purpose: bringing back the Start menu. You can also launch other Samsung apps and utilities, but the Start menu is probably the only reason most people use it. It looks just like the Windows 7 version, giving users who are migrating an easy way to launch programs and find files.
Another tool worth mentioning is AllShare Play, Samsung’s proprietary name for their DLNA technology. In general, DLNA makes it easy to connect computers to each other or to mobile devices to share media such as video, music, and pictures. In particular, AllShare ensures that Samsung computers, phones and tablets can communicate with each other and even share screens.
We like that the company is tying together its various products in this way so that media, even DRM media, isn’t trapped on a single device. We don’t like that it requires a website login to work on the PC side.
Not as strong as it could be
Our review unit, the Series 7 DP700A3D, comes with a 2.9GHz Intel Core i5-3470T CPU backed by 6GB of RAM. The CPU is solid, but not overclocked, resulting in slightly below average performance. The all-in-one scored a combined score of 52.1 GOPS in SiSoft Sandra’s CPU Arithmetic Benchmark and a score of 9798 in 7-Zip. Most desktops, including all-in-ones at around the same price, like the HP Envy 23, do better.
PCMark 7 achieved a final score of 2869 – again below the Envy 23. Here, the lack of a solid-state drive is part of the reason. Samsung decided to give this all-in-one a large traditional 1TB hard drive to keep costs down.
We found the machine to run apps and programs well and handle light multitasking without a problem, but we noticed slowness with high-intensity applications when we put extra stress on the system.
Graphics are good enough for playing videos but not good for video games. Given the integrated Intel graphics inside, the 3DMark 06 score of 3804 and 3DMark 11 score of 419 are no surprise. Stick to casual games on this machine.
The Series 7 is available in a more powerful configuration (model number DP700A7D). This version offers a 2.5GHz Core i7-3770T processor, 8GB of RAM, and discrete AMD Radeon HD 7850M graphics for $1,700. If you’re drawn to the 7 Series but need something more powerful, it’s worth checking out.
Conclusion
The Samsung Series 7 all-in-one is an attractive machine with some good features that are held back by below-average performance and a slightly damaged display. For consumers who don’t need a powerful computer or an ultra-fancy multimedia center, the 7 Series could serve them well. However, we really don’t like that the touch screen interferes with the overall display quality.
Right now, the HP Envy 23 is a competitive option at this price, even with the caveats we expressed in that review. It doesn’t have a touchscreen, and that’s a big deal for many consumers looking at Windows 8. In the end, it all comes down to balance. Are touch and gestures or performance more important? If it’s the former, the Series 7 all-in-one is a decent option.
Tall
- Attractive design
- Gesture control
- Utilities include replacing the Start menu
- Easily connects to other Samsung devices for media sharing
Falls
- Difficult to install the connector
- The touch screen reduces the display quality
- Below average performance
Editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn