Samsung R700: Value all-round desktop replacement
We've learned some valuable lessons down the years. Firstly, tax doesn't have to be taxing, and secondly, desktop replacement laptops don't have to be expensive
Over the years, we've learned some valuable lessons. Firstly, tax doesn't have to be taxing, and even more valuably, desktop replacement laptops don't have to be expensive. Witness the Samsung R700 -- a 17-inch laptop designed to take the place of your lardy old desktop PC. It's no Alienware, but it's designed to do everything you could ask for in a laptop and only costs £570.
For your dosh you get a 1.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 250GB SATA hard drive, Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS graphics for light gaming, Wi-Fi, four USB ports and a 17-inch screen that pumps out 1,440x900 pixels. That's pretty good value, considering you're paying for a big-name laptop.
If we look a little closer, we can see it's packing an HDMI port so you can output video to your telly, a dedicated numerical keypad on the keyboard and a 1.3-megapixel webcam, so you can update your Facebook profile picture quick as a flash.
Like all the latest Samsung laptops, it also has Silver Nano Technology, which means the keys are coated in silver powder to discourage bacteria from forming. Great news for klutzes, droppers, clodhoppers and anyone else prone to spilling things.
We'll have a full review of the R700 in a short space of time. -Rory Reid
Update: Read our full Samsung R700 T8100 review.