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The Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D150 is one of the few glasses-free 3D laptops out there and it is the successor of last year’s F755. The new model is $400 cheaper as it costs $1,299, but even so it manages to pack the eye-tracking software which can track the head movement of the viewer and then adjust accordingly via the webcam the stereoscopic image. On this newer model, 3D is more stable while Blu-ray playback is smoother than before.

The major downside of the previous model was that 3D support was available for Blu-ray and other types of video files, while streaming video and video games were left out. The good news is that thanks to Nvidia’s drivers, 3D is now working in most of the games but since we’re dealing with a rather low-end GeForce GT 540M GPU, you won’t be able to play in 3D most of the current games, but turning off the 3D effect will allow you to run such games.

Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D150 (Source: us.toshiba.com)

The Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D150 is powered by an Intel Core i5-2450M processor running at a clock speed of 2.50 GHz and packs 6GB of DDR3 RAM @ 1,333 MHz. You will be able to store your files on the roomy 750GB hard drive rotating at 5,400 rpm, while the chipset installed is an Intel HM65. The laptop runs on Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit edition. It measures 15.3 x 10.5 x 1.5 inches (W x D x H) and weighs 7.1 pounds or one pound more if we add the AC adapter.

As far as the design is concerned, it looks virtually the same as the model it replaces. What this means is that you get pretty much the standard Qosmio look which is based on one of Toshiba’s older designs in comparison to the more recent non-3D laptops launched by the company. It has a glossy black interior while the outer shell features a textured bright red.

Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D150 (Source: us.toshiba.com)

Regarding the keyboard, it consists of tightly packed keys, as opposed to other recent keyboards from Toshiba that have begun to adopt the island-style configuration. Even though the one on the Qosmio F755-3D150 is usable, we find it to have an outdated look. Above it you’ll notice a row consisting of touch-sensitive control buttons, including an on/off 3D button and volume controls as well.

Sitting below is a rather small touchpad which features a lighted strip above that indicates when the touchpad is active. Above you’ll see that there’s a small flush button which if pressed it will deactivate the touchpad. Just like most of Toshiba’s laptops, this one has glossy plastic mouse buttons that have a convex shape.

In the second part of the article we’ll talk about ports, connectivity features, performance and the battery of this Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D150. Stay tuned.

Compared to last year’s version, the Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D150 feels faster, but we have to warn you that the bundled Blu-ray playback software is still quite slow. The good news is that the 3D effect will be activated right away and is going to stay in focus all of the time, with the condition that you keep your head at a suitable position. We should mention that the 3D effect provided is not as impressive as it is on a 3D HDTV mostly due to the reason that although the screen has a native 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution, when 3D is activated the resolution drops to 1,366 x 768 pixels. You will notice that there is a rather subtle screen-door effect which is more present the closer you get to the display.

As far as ports and connectivity features are concerned, the Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D150 packs VGA out and an HDMI port, while for audio it has the usual headphone and microphone jacks. For data it has one USB 3.0 port, three USB 2.0 ports and an SD card reader. The networking department is covered by the 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and an Ethernet port. Also on board is a Blu-ray player / DVD burner.

Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D150 (Source: us.toshiba.com)

The reason why the new model is $400 cheaper is because it packs an Intel Core i5-2450M whereas the 2011 model had a beefier Core i7-2630QM. In addition, instead of a Blu-ray burner you now can only read Blu-ray discs. Despite the downgrade in the CPU department, the laptop is still powerful enough in order to handle 3D glasses-free video playback.

Regarding the Nvidia GeForce 540M video card is concerned, it can very well handle playback of Blu-ray movies but we can’t say the same thing when it comes down to gaming. If you turn off 3D and set the graphics settings to medium and lower a little bit the resolution, this dedicated GPU should perform quite well in most games, but once you turn on 3D, games will be choppy to play, even if you lower the graphics settings. Without 3D on, the Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D150 can play Metro 2033 at 24.3 fps while running the game at a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels.

Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D150 (Source: us.toshiba.com)

Moving on to the performance of the battery, it can last for approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes if you test it during continuous video playback in 2D mode. What this means is that the battery won’t last enough to play a 3D movie.

The laptop is sold with a one-year warranty and for $89 you can get on-site coverage. For $149 you can purchase a three-year plan with the basic coverage or $249 for three years with protection for accidental damage.

All things considered, this year’s version of Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D150 is a bit better than the 2011 model and it is also a lot cheaper so if you’re in the market for a glasses-free 3D laptop, this can be a very good choice.

In today’s two-part article we have an in depth look at the Samsung Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B which is an ultrabook for those who are on a tight budget. Since we’re dealing with a 13-inch ultrabook, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that there isn’t a dedicated graphics chip, an optical drive or any other extra features. All you get is a limited number of ports, a slim chassis and a quick-booting drive. The starting price of this model is $849 while the following configuration will cost you $150 more.

At the heart of this Series 5 Ultra from Samsung is a second-generation Intel Core i5-2467M processor working at 1.60 GHz, along with 4GB of DDR3 memory at 1,333 MHz. You get a 320GB hard drive spinning at 7,200 rpm while the chipset is an Intel UM67. The graphics department is handled (as expected) by the integrated Intel HD 3000 which is now being replaced in recent laptops by Intel’s HD 4000 from the third-gen Ivy Bridge processors. We should also mention that it runs on Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit edition.

Samsung Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B (Source: asset0.cbsistatic.com)

This ultrabook measures 12.4 x 8.6 x 0.58 – 0.69 inches and weighs 3.04 pounds without the AC adapter. If we add that, it tips the scales at 3.62 pounds. Unlike Samsung’s 14-inch Series 5 Ultra which comes with a tray-loading DVD drive, this new Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B is lighter and sleeker, providing a more ultrabook feel and look. At its thickest point, this model is 0.69 inches thick so it can be compared with other models from this segment, such as the Acer Aspire S3, the Asus Zenbook and the XPS 13 from Dell.

If we were to compare it to Apple’s MacBook Air, this Series 5 Ultra model from Samsung provides a more plastic feel, even though some of its parts are manufactured from aluminum. Compared to the 13-inch version of the MacBook Air, Samsung’s ultrabook has a smaller footprint, but it’s more than half a pound heavier and it’s also a bit thicker. The MacBook Air wins due to its all-metal blade design, but this doesn’t mean that the Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B is not small or attractive.

Samsung Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B (Source: asset2.cbsistatic.com)

It has been equipped with a 13.3-inch display which features a matte anti-glare coating, much like many of the other recent laptops launched by Samsung. The Korean company is one of the very few that launches laptops with matte screens. Such a display makes the movies more watchable and the text considerably more readable. It has a native resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels, providing pretty sharp colors and more than decent viewing angles. It might not be as impressive as the screen on the Series 9 model, but it still is a performer in our opinion.

Just us for the second part of the article where we’ll talk about ports, performance and battery life of this Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B from Samsung.

Welcome back for the second part of the article of our review of the Samsung Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B. We start by mentioning that above the keyboard is a pair of stereo speakers which manage to do their job just fine, being suitable for a web chat or for watching movies as these provide a crisp and clear sound. We also liked the 1,280 x 1,024-pixel resolution webcam which is better than the average in this segment, providing a good light sensitivity and a sharp picture. Bundled with the webcam is the Cyberlink YouCam software.

Let’s move on to the ports and connectivity features. In the video area it has HDMI and VGA via an optional cable, while in the audio area you get a headphone + microphone combo jack. In the data department there are two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port and an SD card reader. As for networking, you will find an Ethernet port, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. As you would expect from an ultrabook, there’s no type of optical drive on board.

Samsung Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B (Source: bestultrathinnotebooks.com)

As you can see, all of the essential ports have been included in this svelte design, which is something that we would want to find on other ultrabooks on the market. We should mention that the ports can be accessed from the rear side of both edges. That Ethernet port is of the pull-down type, and there’s also a specialized port for connecting an optional VGA-out.

If you want the Samsung Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B with a 128GB SSD you will have to pay $999, while for $849 you can get it with a 500GB HDD and a small SSD combo. At the moment of writing, the only processor available for this ultrabook is the Intel Core i5-2467M rated at 1.60 GHz, while as standard you get 4GB of DDR3 RAM which should be enough for most users.

Samsung Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B (Source: notebookshome.com)

As far as the battery life is concerned, the laptop can last for about four and a half hours during a demanding video playback test. This is quite a disappointing figure and puts the Samsung Series 5 Ultra NP530U3B at the lower end of the pack. A good performer in the ultrabook segment would have to be the HP Folio 13 which during the same testing conditions it can last for approximately six hours, while the MacBook Air from Apple will run that test for almost seven hours.

As you would expect, the Korean company sells this ultrabook with a one-year warranty for parts and labor, while on the support website you will find all of the drivers that you need, along with suitable manuals, several frequently asked questions and other relevant information that might come in hand if you buy this model.

This is the final part of our Origin EON17-S review and we start by mentioning that this is one of the first laptops to be powered by a third generation Intel Core processor. Combining the performance boost over the second-gen CPUs (Sandy Bridge) from Intel, the SSD drive, powerful GPU, CPU overclocking, it’s no wonder that it scores so high in benchmark tests. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise since this gaming laptop will set you back no less than $3,500 for the configuration we’ve talked about.

You should know that the most significant improvement that Ivy Bridge brings is in the graphics department where we find the new Intel HD 4000 but for such a powerful and expensive laptop like this Origin, the integrated graphics chip is irrelevant since the EON17-S has a dedicated GPU which can play the latest and most demanding games.

Origin EON17-S (Source: maximumpc.com)

If you are curious, with the integrated graphics chip the laptop can run Metro 2033 at a full HD resolution at a speed of 8.8 fps, while with the dedicated GPU the game can run at 20.3 fps. This is one of the most demanding tests out there so the results are pretty good, as they should be. At a 720p resolution, Street Fighter 4 runs with the integrated HD 4000 at 31.7 fps while with the GeForce 675M will play the game at no less than 216 fps. With the integrated GPU solution you will still be able to play Skyrim if you are willing to lower the resolution to 1,600 x 900 pixels and also set the detail levels to low. However, many will agree that this game has to be played at a full HD resolution with the maximum graphics details enabled.

Since this is a big and bulky desktop replacement laptop that comes with an extremely powerful and overclocked processor and also a beefy GPU, don’t expect to get an impressive battery life. In addition, Intel did not promise a significant boost in terms of battery life with the launch of the new Ivy Bridge processor. Taking these facts into consideration, it’s no wonder that the Origin EON17-S can last for approximately two hours, which is about 15 minutes less when compared to the 2011 model which is powered by a Sandy Bridge processor from Intel.

Origin EON17-S (Source: media.gdgt.com)

All things considered, we are dealing with a high-end gaming laptop that comes at a steep price and features a rather generic design. If you want to play the latest and most demanding video games while on the go, this is probably the laptop to get that is if you are willing to pay so much money. Since it has such a powerful GPU, you won’t notice at all the advantages brought by the integrated Intel HD 4000.

We pick up where we left off yesterday and talk about the touchpad of the Origin EON17-S. This would have to be quite basic and between the left and right mouse buttons you’ll find a fingerprint reader. Compared to other desktop replacements, the touchpad on this model is quite small but since this is a laptop for gamers, this isn’t really a big letdown due to the reason that gamers prefer using an external mouse.

The laptop has been equipped with a 17.3-inch display that has a maximum resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (full HD) which is what you should find from even a mid-range 17-inch laptop. We appreciate that this display is not only bright but also crisp, plus you will certainly appreciate that the manufacturer offers with the laptop a No Dead Pixel Guarantee. What this means that you have 45 days to return the laptop if it has a dead pixel. This is a type of warranty that you won’t find that often among other laptop manufacturers.

Origin EON17-S (Source: zapp4.staticworld.net)

As far as the audio quality is concerned, this is above average since it boasts Onkyo speakers and has THX support. However, for serious gaming you might want to consider some external speakers or a pair of headphones. On the connectivity front we find an HDMI port, DVI port and also DisplayPort, while in the audio area, aside from the 5.1 system with subwoofer it also has headphone and microphone jacks, line-out and optical line-out.

In the data department, the Origin EON17-S we find two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, one USB/eSATA combo port, mini FireWire and an SD card reader. The optical drive is an external Blu-ray drive. As you can see, this gaming laptop has some ports that slowly but surely will not be seen in future laptops, such as FireWire and DVI. The USB 3.0 ports are going to be more and more popular due to the reason that Intel’s Ivy Bridge HM77 chipset provides native support.

Origin EON17-S (Source: hothardware.com)

Perhaps the biggest reason why anyone would chose the Origin EON17-S is due to the reason that there are a lot of options for customizing it. For example, there are no less than 23 HDD options that can be installed on all three drive bays. You can get the laptop with a 512GB SSD but this is going to cost you a whopping $900.

In the GPU department it comes with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M, a GeForce 660M or a GeForce 670M, along with several Quadro solutions. A significant number of the laptops sold by Origin come with overclocked processors and this is the case of the third-gen Intel Core i7-3920XM which runs at 4.50 GHz.

Join us tomorrow for the third and final part of our Origin EON17-S review. Stay tuned.

This is the first laptop we review here on Laptoponica that has a third generation Intel Core processor. It is in fact a gaming laptop coming from Origin and it is the latest update of the EON17-S model. Just like Intel did with the second-generation Core processor, the new ones for the Ivy Bridge platform come at first in the form of the high-end quad core i7 processors, which will be followed in about a month or so by the dual-core CPUs that will power most of the mainstream laptops.

This is in fact the very first laptop to be powered by a third generation Intel Core i7 processor, a laptop that is aimed towards heavy gamers. If you did not know, Origin is a PC marker established by several Alienware former employees and for this configuration EON17-S gaming laptop you’ll have to pay no less than $3,499.

Origin EON17-S (Source: laptopnews.ro)

Even though you are paying top dollars for this system, it has a rather generic design of the chassis, much like its predecessor. We should mention that Origin has used a customized version of a 17-inch laptop chassis from Clevo, which is a manufacturer from Taiwan that produces generic laptops which other laptop manufacturers tweak & rebrand as their own. This recent update of the model comes with a custom panel on the lid’s back, but other than that the chassis has remained just about the same, both on the outside and on the inside.

Even though the main highlight of Intel’s new Ivy Bridge platform would have to be the implementation of the HD 4000 graphics, not many of those who will buy this laptop will care about this integrated graphics chip since this gaming laptop comes with a dedicated video card in the form of an Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M.

Origin EON17-S (Source: laptopnews.ro)

The starting price of the Origin EON17-S is $1,592 while the following configuration will set you back no less than $3,499. What you get for the money? First and most important, a third-generation Intel Core i7-3920XM processor clocked at 2.90 GHz, working together with 16GB of DDR3 running at 1,333 MHz. In the storage department we find 2 x 120GB SSDs, along with a huge 1.0 TB hard drive rotating at 5,400 rpm (why not 7,200 rpm?) The chipset is an Intel HM77 while the operating system is Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit version).

The Origin EON17-S measures 16.2 x 10.9 x 1.8 inches and weighs 8.6 pounds or 11.1 pounds with its AC adapter included. The interior of the laptop has remained just about the same as the 2011 model, while the keyboard configuration has an old configuration. The keys touch at the base while on top they taper up to a separated flat surface. This might be a serviceable keyboard but unfortunately it seems to be quite clacky. You will however appreciate that it is backlit.

Join us tomorrow for the part two of the article.

Welcome back to the second part of our review of the Razer Blade. If you will reach for the laptop’s touchpad you won’t find anything except for the palm rest. Why? Due to the reason that Razer has decided to move the touchpad to the right side of the keyboard and it incorporated it into the proprietary Switchblade user interface. What you should know is that this touchpad is in fact a second LCD colored screen which offers support for multitouch gestures. This is a Synaptics-powered touchpad and above it you’ll notice ten buttons which feature their own embedded color displays that can be customized with programmable icon graphics and functions.

Although it might sound exciting when you first hear about it, you should know that at the same time it is quite confusing due to the limited use of this Switchblade UI, at least for the moment. If you press on the YouTube button it is going to launch YouTube on the laptop’s touchpad screen from where you’ll be able to watch videos just as you would do on a regular smartphone. Some of the other buttons that work just about the same include web browser, Twitter and Facebook.

Razer Blade (Source: asset2.cbsistatic.com)

Let’s be honest and admit that these features are not groundbreaking but it still can be quite useful to browse the web without having to switch out of your favorite game. However, the aforementioned Switchblade UI has a lot of potential as Razer has showcased that future games could show their in-game inventory on this smaller screen. Another example would be the map screens from games like League of Legends.

The bad news is that at the moment there is limited use of that touchpad since in order for the display to work with a game, the developer of that game has to include code for it. There are no games at the moment of writing that can benefit from that secondary display of the Razer Blade. One can only hope that with future games, developers will write code for the laptop’s secondary display, but slim chances for this to happen since we are dealing with a premium product that comes at a steep price. Even if there will be such games, Razer has to make some improvements to the Switchblade user interface.

Razer Blade (Source: technabob.com)

The laptop comes with a software called Synapse 2.0 which you can use for assigning custom commands, custom imagery and macros to those ten LED hot keys. At least in theory, you have the possibility to assign your own image files. Early reviewers of the laptop have explained that the Switchblade user interface and the Synapse 2.0 have problems communicating with one another but hopefully these issues will be fixed once an update comes out.

This is the final part of our Razer Blade review and we begin by talking about the touchpad as a cursor control device. From start we should mention that it works considerably better than a regular PC touchpad and it boasts a larger area. Despite the fact that it sits to the right side of the keyboard where you usually find the numpad, it actually makes sense from a gaming point of view as you will not activate it accidentally while typing on the Blade’s keyboard. Let’s not forget that if you buy this model you’ll also get an Orochi notebook gaming mouse.

Razer Blade (Source: computershopper.com)

In our humble opinion, the best feature of the Razer Blade is not its special touchpad; it’s that 17.3-inch matte display which has a native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (1080p, full HD) that not only is it bright and radiant, but it has some of the best viewing angles we’ve seen on a laptop. In addition, the graphics and colors simply pop so if you really want a laptop with a gorgeous screen; this is the model to get.

In the audio department you’ll find some stereo speakers which although are pretty good, these aren’t as impressive as the ones found on Alienware systems. For connectivity it comes with an HDMI port, a headphone and microphone combo jack, two USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 port. In the networking department you get the usual Ethernet port, Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi. As you can see, for a 17-inch laptop you don’t get that many ports and we notice the absence of an SD card slot which for a lot of users is very important. Let’s not forget that as we mentioned in the first part of the article, all of the ports are located on the left spine.

Razer Blade (Source: asset3.cbsistatic.com)

The Razer Blade is offered only in a fixed configuration with a second-gen Core i7-2640M processor clocked at 2.80 GHz, a dedicated GeForce GT 555M graphics solution, 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a 256GB SSD. Even though you’re paying $2,800 for the laptop, the gaming performance is not very impressive as you won’t be able to run games such as Skyrim or Battlefield 3 with the maximum detail level enabled. Why? Due to the reason that the GT 555M is only a mid-range chip from Nvidia’s almost defunct 500 series.

With its integrated battery, the Razer Blade will survive during a demanding video playback test for approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes which is considerably better than most gaming laptops. The laptop is sold with a two-year warranty which can be doubled for an extra $299.

It is indeed a very interesting laptop but since it has such a huge price tag and a rather modest graphics solution, not many people are willing to pay so much money for this model since there are other, more affordable laptops that have better hardware specifications.

This has to be one of the most interesting laptops that we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing here on Laptoponica. We’re talking about the Razer Blade which is the company’s very first laptop and can be considered as a thin gaming system that adopts some interesting and futuristic design touches, but we have to warn you that these goodies come at a steep price tag.

Razer is a well-known and longtime PC accessories producer and for their very first laptop they certainly did not play it safe as this model carries a retail price tag of no less than $2,800. This is a capable-enough gaming laptop and you might like it if you’re willing to sacrifice the performance offered for the laptop’s seductive appearance and its unique interface about which we’ll discuss later on in the review. However, if you are true and pure PC gamer whose priority is the level of performance, this is not the laptop for you.

Razer Blade (Source: blog.jocuripenet.ro)

This still remains a pretty bold gaming laptop which is surprisingly thin, at just 0.88 inches so it’s safe to say that it is pretty much ultrabook-sized. Design-wise, it looks a lot like a 17-inch matte-black metal version of the MacBook Pro but blended with the styling cues of an Alienware laptop. It also has just about the same weight as the 17-inch MacBook Pro, tipping the scales at 6.46 pounds.

Once you open the Razer Blade you will immediately notice its minimalistic look. It has been fitted with an attractive green-accented keyboard which is backlit in a neon glow. How did they manage to make the laptop so thin? By cutting a few corners as it doesn’t come with an optical drive and you’ll only find ports on the left of the system. What do you get for that steep price tag? Keep on reading to find out.

Razer Blade (Source: hothardware.com)

At the heart of the Razer Blade is a second generation Intel Core i7-2640M processor clocked at 2.80 GHz and 8GB of DDR3 RAM working at 1,333 MHz. For storage it has a 256GB solid state drive while the chipset is a regular Intel HM65. We’ve mentioned that this is a gaming laptop so in the graphics department it has a decent dedicated Nvidia GeForce GT 550M with 2GB of its own memory. The laptop is running on Windows 7 Home Premium. It measures 16.8 x 10.9 x 0.88 inches (W x D x H) and weighs 6.46 pounds or 7.16 pounds if we add the AC adapter.

Join us tomorrow for the second part of our review of the Razer Blade where we will go in depth with the laptop’s unique Switchblade user interface which replaces the conventional touchpad that you’ll find on all laptops out there.