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Benchmarks
Cinebench: 16259
3D Mark: Ice: 44064, Cloud Gate: 5679, Fire: 661
Battery score: 327 minutes
We ran our usual benchmark tests on the Samsung Series 7 Chronos and found double the power of the top Windows 8 laptop-tablet hybrid here, along with processor performance that rivals the latest gaming laptops.
Combine that with a fantastic performance in our graphics tests and one can see that Samsung has created a formidable machine.
Some of the latest laptop devices such as the HP Spectre XT, which is similarly priced and pitched, were blown out of the water by the Samsung Series 7 Chronos, and the score of over 16,000 in Cinebench is a reflection of its sheer power.
The only machines we've seen managing this level of score are gaming behemoths and slabs of thick plastic from Medion. To have this kind of power in a machine that looks this good is a pleasant surprise.
Graphics power was also impressive, and it delivered roughly double the power of laptops that use Intel's graphics chip, the 4000 HD. This is essential for users who have designs on heavy video editing or gaming, and you'll see the latest titles handed with aplomb on this mature and grown up device.
While we wouldn't class this as an out and out gaming laptop, for those who consider impeccable frame rates on the highest settings a benchmark for greatness, those who'd like to play games such as the new Sim City, or even BioShock Infinite, should be able to manage a decent experience with the settings turned down.
However, this only really applies to the top-of-the-range Samsung Series 7 Chronos model, and if you're looking to save a couple of hundred pounds or dollars by plumping for the Core i5 model, you would need to revise these expectations.
Despite its weight, the Samsung Series 7 Chronos is cunningly disguised as a hipster's stylish companion, and we certainly wouldn't be ashamed to pull this machine out in our local Starbucks.
However, as well as requiring a strong back it will also need plenty of battery to last the day - something not usually associated with gaming level laptops.
With all that power, battery life was shorter than average, but we still managed a decent five hours of movie watching in our real-life tests, which involve looping a high-definition video until it dies.
It's a good result from a laptop that's designed for the desk rather than the road, and it opens up the possibility of working in cafe, watching movies while traveling or just enjoying using your laptop in the garden.
