Review of Samsung RF510

In this time that 15-inch notebooks are the new family PCs, you'll want a hub that can do it all: web surfing, word processing, streaming movies, photo and video editing, and, yes, even gaming. The Samsung RF510 ($729 on Amazon) answers the call for versatility by combining a Core i5 processor with discrete Nvidia graphics, stylish looks, and a responsive keyboard. But is this 5.6-pound system really good enough to play demanding games or full HD videos?

Though sized like a family PC, the Samsung RF510 has a sleek, black aesthetic that looks equally at home in the living room and the conference room. The glossy black lid, which resists most fingerprints, is emblazoned with a chrome Samsung logo and accented by chrome hinges and chrome lines on the left and right sides.


The RF510's island-style keyboard sports a numeric keypad and offers solid tactile feedback and a smooth key surface, though it lacks a backlight. We scored our typical rate of 80 words per minute on the Ten Thumbs Typing Test, with a modest 2 percent error rate.

The Samsung RF510 stayed pleasantly cool throughout our testing. Even after streaming video at full screen for 15 minutes, the keyboard measured a temperate 92 degrees. The touchpad clocked in at a chilly 89 degrees, as did the middle bottom area. Those numbers are excellent, because we consider anything below 95 degrees comfortable and anything below 90 degrees imperceptible. By comparison, the bottom of the Dell XPS 15 reached a warm 102 degrees.

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