Samsung is getting into the gaming laptop ring with their newly revealed Gamer Notebook Series 7 and Ihad a chance to get my hands on them at CES 2012 this week. Judging from what I saw it seems like Samsung has done their homework.
This new line has a nifty rolling switch on the upper right hand side of the system that lets you dial in your use. Roll it to library mode and everything will keep quiet, including the speakers. There’s also balanced and eco modes for normal computing.Of course, the main draw is the optimized gaming mode, which sets the laptop up for gaming in several different ways. When switched on, the CPU is optimized for gaming, and fan speeds are also increased for beter cooling. The WASD keys turn red with their backlight, and all other keys turn blue. Also, the trackpad and button are deactivated automatically.
I was able to try out the system with Battlefield 3, and I came away impressed with its desktop-like performance. Its 2nd generation Core i7 processor and 2GB Radeon graphics handled the game nicely, and the gorgeous 400 nit LED screen didn’t hurt either. Another nice touch: I could feel explosion rumbles in my fingertips through the system’s powered subwoofer.
A Samsung rep told us that while pricing isn’t quite set yet, they’re looking at launching their first gaming notebooks starting at about $1,800 later this year. These are handsomely appointed, sleek notebooks with every bell and whistle you could ask for, including Blu-ray drives and 3D screens. I’d gladly use one.
