Samsung 600B5B review

There are a whole host of Samsung utilities designed to make printing, file transfers, network connections and display management easier. We found a lot of these Samsung-branded tools to be no more helpful than the default Windows options, but Update Plus is useful for keeping drivers up to date. Administrators will appreciate the ability to disable the network, ExpressCard and memory card slots, but there's no way to lock out the USB ports. Security administrators will also appreciate the hardware-level support for Intel's Anti-Theft remote tracking technology, although this only works when used with a third-party subscription service.

Administrators will appreciate the ability to disable the network, ExpressCard and memory card slots, but there's no way to lock out the USB ports.

Whether the 600B5B will appeal to you or your company will depend entirely on whether you require a graphics card certified to work with particular programs. For most people, this is unnecessary; Intel's integrated graphics chip is perfectly capable of everyday tasks such as decoding high definition video. There are many different competitor models to choose from that offer an otherwise identical feature set, but for less money. However, if graphics are a deciding factor, the 600B5B is definitely worth considering. It doesn't have the best screen or touchpad, but performance is there when it's needed.

So what's our verdict?

Verdict

The Samsung 600B5B is fairly niche, even for a business laptop, but it's also one of the least expensive laptops with a business-certified graphics card. The 600B5B could be ideal for the user that needs 3D performance that can’t be provided by integrated chips. For most other people though, there are better all-rounders available.

SPECIFICATIONS

Processor: Intel Core i5-2520M 2.5GHz

Memory: 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 RAM

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics integrated / 512MB Nvidia NVS 4200M dedicated

Hard disk: 500GB HDD

Display: 15.6in 1,366x768, LED-backlit screen

Features: 1.3 megapixel webcam, microphone

Connectivity: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

Ports: 1 x USB2, 1 x eSATA (shared with USB2), 2 x USB3, 1 x 7-in-one card reader, 1 x VGA, 1 x HDMI, 1 x ExpressCard/34, 1x 3.5mm headphone output, 1x 3.5mm microphone input

Dimensions: 36x368x246mm (WxDxH)

Weight: 2.5kg

Warranty: 1 year collect and return warranty

OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

Part code: NP600B5B-S01UK

BENCHMARK RESULTS

Image editing 71

Video encoding 50

Multiple apps 54

Overall 56

Light usage battery life – 7h 49m

POWER CONSUMPTION

Sleep 1W

Idle 14W

Active 58W