Samsung ArtPC - Unboxing and Review
103This is my unboxing, overview, and review of the Samsung ArtPC Pulse. Check out my channel for future product reviews at: https://tinyurl.com/ydb6ed46
**The ArtPC was supplied by the Newegg Eggxpert Review Program for review**
Samsung ArtPC Pulse i7 Edition:
The ArtPC is Samsung’s new line of enthusiast desktops designed as small form factor machines for the multimedia, gaming, and creative spaces. More info at: https://tinyurl.com/y9xy7ds9
Specs on this machine:
Intel i7-6700 @ 3.4Ghz: https://amzn.to/35Yghfd
16 GB of DDR4-2133 SO-DIMM: https://amzn.to/362SJpJ
AMD RX 460 2GB GPU and Intel 530 Series Graphics
256 GB Samsung NVMe SSD: https://amzn.to/33Er7FK
1TB 5,400 RPM HDD Storage Module
Harman Kardon Speaker Module
Wireless Adapter, Wireless KB+M, and Batteries Included
6” USB Male to Female Cable: https://amzn.to/2DHR909
Power Cable
Adjustable LED colored lighting via Software
OEM Motherboard / PSU
Included Papers / Software:
Windows 10 Home: https://amzn.to/2r9SlH1
Samsung Sync
Samsung Backup and Recovery
Mouse Battery Instructions
ArtPC Quickstart Guide
Windows 10 Store Guide
Non-Included Peripherals:
HDMI Cable
Needed to connect your display! Available at: https://amzn.to/2qinAiP
Full Manual online only
After reviewing the machine for a few days, I was quite impressed by the system. While the ArtPC is not perfect, it does many things very well. The TLDW:
Gaming:
You may have to reduce settings for your favorite titles but the included RX 460 is decently powerful. This is NOT a 4K capable machine, however. The ArtPC uses Intel 530 series onboard graphics for desktop and 2D needs, and turns on the 460 for 3D applications or gaming. AMD’s control could not even see any GPU was shown when reviewing settings. I tried to include titles with varying graphical demands. Gaming footage starts at 11:40. Graphs are at 19:53.
Productivity:
Navigating in tools such as Blender was not an issue but GPU utilization in your software may vary. The fan ramps up two levels to a light hum but is still quiet compared to a desktop’s PSU fan. I was impressed that while this tiny machine could not match my overclocked 4930K (https://amzn.to/2YbF8tk) at 4.3 Ghz., it performed well and got reasonably close to my CPU while having two fewer cores. Production graphs are at 20:10.
Disk I/O:
While I thought my Intel 750 Series SSD was fast
(https://amzn.to/34NlSon), even the basic Samsung M.2 SSD blows mine out of the water, especially in lower file size writes! Wow! It out-performs my drive handily except in sequential reads. Disk I/O graphs at 19:40. It boots a fresh or lightly loaded Windows 10 Home install from power on to desktop in about 10 seconds.
Conclusion:
4 of 5 stars. This machine was able to game well enough at reduced settings. The machine is whisper quiet when under low or no loads with no thermal throttling and is great for most tasks. Though the NVMe SSD isn’t large, it’s spacious enough and is very fast. The speaker was crystal clear, had a little bass to it, and lends the ArtPC as a multimedia center by a TV or as a desktop. There is no mic port. Wireless speeds were fine, and I had no issue with the LAN port.
The only gripes I had were the following:
1. The included wireless keyboard and mouse were serviceable but I found them to lock up and be laggy or totally unresponsive during copying to or from a USB drive. I do not know if this was due to hardware or software, but it made the experience of using them frustrating. I just plugged in wired items instead. The particular items I use are a Corsair Wired Keyboard (https://amzn.to/2LiTF0W) and Rival 110 (https://amzn.to/2LgfvSL).
2. The wireless peripherals themselves are minimalist, compact, rounded, and work decently enough. Connection drop wasn’t prevalent, thankfully. I found the keys crammed, the lack of indication lights troublesome, and hand placement a chore once removed from the KB. Key travel was “ok” with a good press and bottoming but that’s it. The mouse is a tall, compacted style that you grip, however the scroll wheel and buttons worked fine. I’m nitpicking them also for Reason #1.
3. No HDMI Cable. Look, I get it’s 2018 and those cables are cheap and plentiful. But for your average user buying the ArtPC, this is a surprising fact. You can always pull off one from another device but why should an end user have to do this? It turns your PC into a nice paperweight while starting at a black screen display. I understand minimalism, but please Samsung, include a $3 cable so your end users aren’t frustrated! Available here, so you don’t have to dig like I did! https://amzn.to/2qinAiP
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