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AMD calls its chips APUs, rather than CPUs. According to the company, that refers to an accelerated processing unit, which consists of a traditional processor, plus discrete-level graphics, packed into one product. AMD's APU chips can still be paired with a separate AMD GPU, but in this case it stands alone (technically, the built-in GPU is a Radeon 7620G). It's a bit faster than Intel's latest HD 4000 graphics, running our Street Fighter IV test at 1,366x768 pixels at 29.2 frames per second, but it really can't measure up to having a truly discrete AMD or Nvidia graphics card.
AMD has been trying to catch up to Intel's very efficient platforms in terms of battery life for years. At least compared with the Intel version of this same laptop, it's reasonably close. The Intel 14-inch Series 5 ran for 4 hours, 48 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, while this AMD version ran for 4:05. Neither system was among the best battery-life performers, where 6+ hours is very achievable.
Samsung includes a standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty with the system. The company's support Web site offers an easy-to-use menu for finding your laptop model, and frequently asked questions and driver/manual downloads are easily accessible. Samsung's toll-free service number is also prominently displayed, which isn't always the case on support pages.
The Samsung Series 5 is a perfectly fine 14-inch laptop in either its Intel or AMD variants. For roughly the same $800 to $850 price, it's hard to not go with the Intel version, thanks to its better battery life and faster performance in some tests. That said, if you can find the AMD Series 5 for a reasonable discount (such as the $670 Amazon has it for at the moment), then this version will work just fine for everyday use.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test laptops.
System configurations
Samsung Series 5 NP535U4C-A01US
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2GHz AMD Quad-Core A10-4655M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 512MB AMD Radeon HD 7620G; 750GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
Dell Inspiron 14z-5423
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 1GB (Dedicated) AMD Radeon HD V18 + Intel HD 4000; 500GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
Asus Zenbook Prime UX32A
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 1.4GHz Intel Core i3-2367M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 64MB(Dedicated) Intel HD 4000; 320GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
HP Envy 4-1015DX
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 1.5GHz Intel Core i3-2377M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 64MB (Dedicated) Intel HD 3000; 500GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
Toshiba Satellite U845-S406
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz; 64MB (Dedicated) Intel HD 4000; 500GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
Acer Aspire TimelineU M5-481TG-6814
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 640M LE / 128MB (Dedicated) Intel HD 4000; 500GB Western Digital 5,400rpm
