Samsung’s Ativ 500T: Not the Windows 8 tablet you’ve been waiting for

Samsung’s Ativ Smart PC 500T is a $749 tablet meant to bridge the gap between the notebook industry and the Apple-dominated tablet space. The manufacturer describes the 500T as “a fully functioning PC. The Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T runs the programs you need on a Windows 8 operating system in a sleek, lightweight form.”

Samsung has built an enormous smartphone business around delivering high-quality products at attractive price points; the Galaxy series is the beautiful result of close collaboration between engineers, designers, and the Holy Beancounters. The Smart PC 500T, in contrast, feels more like the product of a three-way turf war — and the accountants won.

The 500T’s base specs look great. It’s built on Intel’s Clover Trail platform and features a pair of 1.8GHz Atom cores with Hyper-Threading enabled. The tablet includes 2GB of RAM, lists 64GB of storage, and an 11.6-inch display at 1366×768. There’s no 3G or LTE support, but WiFi and BlueTooth 4.0 are both included.

External hardware

Note: The Samsung Ativ 500T we were sent for review lacked the keyboard that normally ships with the device. When we compare against Surface, we’re omitting comparisons to the Touch Cover. The Ativ 500T’s weak points are unrelated to its dock.

The plastic shell Samsung uses for the 500T feels sturdy, with just the right touch of flexibility. This may or may not be an accurate impression; grip the 500T too hard at the back, and the front LCD will distort in the same places. The Samsung logo at front and back is glued on and there’s a pair of thankfully unobtrusive stickers on the back. The system feels a little too cheap. The stickers aren’t visible in the stock image below, but you can see the included stylus in its slot. This is a welcome addition for navigating in Desktop mode, and Samsung gets kudos for including it.

The bottom of the tablet has the attach points for the dock as well as a magnetic connector reminiscent of those Microsoft uses for the Surface.

Port access and button placement is very hit-and-miss. Here’s the left-hand side of the 500T:

The left-hand side of the device is clean; the volume controls and mini-HDMI output are easily accessible. Mini-HDMI is esoteric enough that we wish the company had included a full-size HDMI to mini-HDMI adapter, but that’s a fairly minor point.

The top of the device is very busy. From the left, there’s the SD card slots, the USB 2 port, the physical auto-rotate on/off button, and the power switch. We’re thrilled to see a physical option for auto-rotate, but the device’s button placement makes it impossible to hold it in portrait mode from the left-hand side. The power button is easy to hit by mistake, a fact that’s particularly annoying given the network problems we experienced. The fold-away tabs make the device look cheap, especially if you’ve got multiple peripherals hooked up at the same time. There’s no way to detach them without breaking them off.

Tagged In

This is disappointing coming from Samsung, a company whose products I generally enjoy. I was looking forward to this device and I am much less inclined to consider it. Overall I agree with the article: this and many other members of the new windows 8 ecosystem need time.

Joel Hruska

My opinion of Surface drooped the longer I used it (drooped is intentional, as opposed to ‘dropped.’)

It’s not a *bad* tablet. It doesn’t have one clear-cut dealbreaker. I suspect some of these issues will be fixed via driver updates.

http://www.facebook.com/Adrian.Ke Adrian Ke Chongyang

Battery life is the dealbreaker for me. A TF201 does 16 hours where the Surface Pro does 2. That kind of exponential battery life decrease just to use Windows 8 apps when I have Polaris Office, good Web browsing, Tegra 3 games and emulators for all sort of classic games on my TF201 already is a no go.

http://twitter.com/NewPharo Khaled Mourad

best Windows 8 Keyboard, Logitech K810, beyond traditional keyboards

SirSid

Are there any other hybrids with wacom pen support like this?

http://www.facebook.com/sharpsone Rob Sharp

From what I’ve read a lot of people like the Ativ. Here’s a better review of the Ativ….If you want this tab get it, uninstall Norton, install MS Security Essentials and you just boosted performance by 15%.

I would agree about uninstalling Norton, but you can’t install MS Security Essentials – it isn’t compatible with Windows 8. However, you don’t need it, Windows 8 comes with Windows Defender, which includes the function of MSE…

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

If you buy the device, get it from the MS Store. Microsoft Signature ensures that all the computers sold by the MS Store don’t come pre-loaded with bloat-ware. You can accomplish the same thing using the Windows Reinstall option provided in Win 8 in General Settings. These allow you to reinstall Windows and dump all the extra crap, but in doing so you would lose Office so only do this if you have access to your own Office bits.

Joel Hruska

Rob,

He actually raises almost all the same points I do, and a few I didn’t mention.The only difference is in the final weighting.

I’m not willing to pay premium pricing for a companion device that’s outclassed, in virtually every respect, by comparable laptops. If you’re really dying for a Windows tablet, then maybe the Ativ is what you want.

On the other hand, there are ways Samsung could’ve made the Ativ much better while keeping in portable. Multiple USB ports, for example. Additional storage, or cloud storage offerings. Better drivers. A micro-HDMI to HDMI convertor. Better installed software.

There are a lot of little places where Samsung could’ve created a different impression of the device. They didn’t. Also, I wasn’t actively running Norton — it didn’t impact my performance scores.

http://twitter.com/MsStos Ms.Stos

I checked out a 500T today at a MS Store. I am looking into the one that comes with the keyboard which comes with the $750 price tag. The tablet alone is $650. The keyboard has 2 USB ports, one on each side and the tablet has 1USB port as well. As for cloud storage, I saw something on the desktop SkyDrive, is that cloud-based? I am just trying to find any one who has hooked this up to a monitor using the micro HDMI port to see if it works well.

http://www.facebook.com/Adrian.Ke Adrian Ke Chongyang

Totally agree. At this point in time, if you want x86, get a notebook.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1378042266 Bill Reilly

Some models of the ATIV Smart PC (and Smart PC Pro) do have 3G/LTE support… The ones from AT&T have it, for example…

Joel Hruska

Bill,

The 500T Smart PC from Samsung, for $749, doesn’t have 3G/LTE support.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

Well price is variable depending on who you buy from and when but yes there is an LTE/3G version of the 500T for approximately that range. As Bill mentioned, it’s the version that ATT carries in their retail stores. They offer it for $800 but that model does not come with the S-Pen/digitizer. They also offer a $100 rebate if you also get a phone with contract.

Of the non ATT models, I know there are at least two different base models (not counting possible variation for the same model but packaged with different accessories or in different colors). The version sold at Staples/Office Depot is $600-$650 and does not have the keyboard bundled. That model has the s-Pen and digitizer but no GPS or NFC. There’s an NFC chip on the board so it shows up in Windows, but there’s no NFC antenna inside so it basically won’t do anything. Since this was the first model released, it’s possible that they hadn’t gotten the OK from the FCC prior to it going out the door. GPS technically works on this model but it’s just the wifi-location GPS feature so it’s not terribly accurate.

The other version I know of is the version currently being sold at the Microsoft Stores. This version is basically the same as the Office Depot/Staples version except (like everything at the Microsoft Store) it’s a Microsoft Signature device so it doesn’t come preloaded with all the garbage the other models do (just Windows and Office). Also, this model does have the NFC antenna (along with an NFC icon sticker on the back to tell you where to tap) and it has a real GPS. This version also comes with the keyboard included, which at the moment is very hard to find as a separate accessory. If someone is interested in buying this device, this version appears to be the one to get.

The MS store version is the one I currently own and the full model number is XE500T1C-A03US. The XE500T1C is the same for all models for the but model number is different for the different variations. The Office Depot model is

Oh, it gets worse. :)

If you search “Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T” on Samsung’s site you’ll see several different models. Here’s a link to the ATT version on the Samsung site (I misspoke, it’s actually 4G/LTE):

Of the non ATT models, I know there are at least two different base models (not counting possible variation for the same model but packaged with different accessories or in different colors). The version sold at Staples/Office Depot is $600-$650 and does not have the keyboard bundled. That model has the s-Pen and digitizer but no GPS or NFC. There’s an NFC chip on the board so it shows up in Windows, but there’s no NFC antenna inside so it basically won’t do anything. Since this was the first model released, it’s possible that they hadn’t gotten the OK from the FCC prior to it going out the door. GPS technically works on this model but it’s just the wifi-location GPS feature so it’s not terribly accurate.

The other version I know of is the version currently being sold at the Microsoft Stores. This version is basically the same as the Office Depot/Staples version except (like everything at the Microsoft Store) it’s a Microsoft Signature device so it doesn’t come preloaded with all the garbage the other models do (just Windows and Office). Also, this model does have the NFC antenna (along with an NFC icon sticker on the back to tell you where to tap) and it has a real GPS. This version also comes with the keyboard included, which at the moment is very hard to find as a separate accessory. If someone is interested in buying this device, this version appears to be the one to get.

The MS store version is the one I currently own and the full model number is XE500T1C-A03US. The XE500T1C is the same for all models for the but model number is different for the different variations. The Office Depot model is listed as A04US.

Joel Hruska

This is an XE500T1C-A01.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

Lol, no idea then. There is one generic manual for the 500T that just lists items like (Digitizer, LTE, etc) as “optional” so they cover their bases I guess.

John Eubanks

I went the Samsung site and saw the different versions, but I did not see different specs for each. Has anyone created a comparision sheet? Does your gps version have a rear camera?

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

Yes, near as I can tell the MS Store version has all of the optional hardware except the WLAN capabilities of the AT&T version. This version has the S-pen, front and rear cameras, NFC and GPS.

beachtech

For the past 1 week I have been using Acer W510 Windows 8 tablet which uses Intel Clover Trail processor like Samsung Ativ but I didn’t notice any WiFi connection issue like you had, your issue may be Samsung specific and not Intel and Microsoft related or did they fix this issue recently with some windows update?

I agree with the weight and size issues of tablet when holding, I feel the weight of iPad when holding for extended amount of time, reason I chose Acer W510 which is lighter than iPad and size is 10.1 inches which is closer to iPad 9.7 inches

I replaced my 2 years old iPad with Acer W510, now I can browse any web site including web pages with flash and Silverlight which I can’t do in iPad. Web browsing performance in Acer W510 is better than or close to iPad, rarely I use apps or desktops apps and I am not into heavy gaming or video editing so Acer W510 is perfect for me, first time I have seen a Windows tablet close to 8 hours battery. When I used to have iPad I boot my laptop 1 or 2 times a week but now I can do everything within Windows 8 tablet so I didn’t boot my laptop for the past 7 or 8 days.

McNo

So basically a tablet with netbook specs performs like a netbook?

species5618w

IMHO, the first thing you should ask yourself is whether you want a Wacom digitizer. If not, both the 500T and 700T are simply not for you. The Acer W510 was on sale for $399 (might have gone back to $499), well within the reviewer’s price range. The reviewer is simply reviewing something that is not suitable for him to start with.

Having said that, the lack of integration between MS, Intel and OEMs, while nothing new, is still sad.

Joel Hruska

The Wacom Digitizer is surprisingly *not* played up. Samsung talks about their S-Pen, but as even Paul Thurrott notes, it’s a device you’ll probably never play with.

I used Metro and Desktop for weeks without even touching the pen. If Samsung wanted to bill this as a creative tablet, they’d need something more powerful under the hood in any case.

species5618w

If you never touched the pen, how would you know they need something more powerful? :) Paul Thurrott didn’t like the pen, but many people reported they had no problem inking.

The pen is not for Metro or Desktop. It’s for things like OneNote, which is very useful for students and professionals. Whether it works, I don’t know. I didn’t have any problem trying it in the Microsoft Store, but I can’t do a more detailed review without the tablet on hand. OneNote MX is free in the store right now, so if you could do a comprehensive review, it would be great.

In the end, this is a niche product that only people who need inking will buy. Otherwise, why not get an Asus Vivo Tab (non RT) or an Acer W510? Both are cheaper with similar specs.

Joel Hruska

I did use the pen. I just *didn’t* use it at first

species5618w

And what’s you impression? Good? Bad? Smooth? Laggy?

Joel Hruska

Of the pen? Pen input was fine. Character recognition is pretty good. Wacom does good work. I found it useful on occasion for selecting things in desktop mode; it’s not something I’d use often, but for precise selection when you’ve got an old-style app, it does it’s job quite nicely.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

This is exactly what I use it for as well, and I use it quite a bit for this. The pen is great for working in Office if you don’t have a mouse. Taking notes in Onenote using handwriting is cool, but I’m a much faster typist. Using the pen to mouseover in apps and web pages, draw Visio diagrams, block select text, etc.

The finger and pen are not recognized the same and behave differently. Dragging a finger scrolls while dragging the pen block selects. The pen can hover over the screen and drag a cursor around without clicking.
I actually find myself using the pen quite a bit on the desktop.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

This is exactly what I use it for as well, and I use it quite a bit for this. The pen is great for working in Office if you don’t have a mouse. Taking notes in Onenote using handwriting is cool, but I’m a much faster typist. Using the pen to mouseover in apps and web pages, draw Visio diagrams, block select text, etc.

The finger and pen are not recognized the same and behave differently. Dragging a finger scrolls while dragging the pen block selects. The pen can hover over the screen and drag a cursor around without clicking.
I actually find myself using the pen quite a bit on the desktop.

Thumbs

I’ve been using the ATIV Smart PC for over a week with no disconnect issues.

Joel Hruska

Thumbs,

I believe you. When I spoke to Intel, they confirmed that I wasn’t the only person with this problem and that a fix was already in the pipeline.

I tested the 500T with the two routers available to me — a Cisco E1500 and a WRT54G2. Both had exactly the same problem. I tested with various security settings, including no security at all. Still happened the same way.

Thumbs

The only real problem I had with it was crackling sound in some desktop apps. The latest BIOS update from last week fixed it though.

I have heard of others with the disconnect issue and am at a loss as to what might be causing it for some, but not for me. Maybe the BT suggestion mentioned by Mellemel99 above would help.

Joel Hruska

I’m going to try the BT fix tonight as well as installing any new updates.

Mellemel99

I have the Samsung 500T and have noticed that the WIFI is wonky sometimes. However, I’ve found that if you turn off the bluetooth the issue goes away.

Mellemel99

I have the Samsung 500T and have noticed that the WIFI is wonky sometimes. However, I’ve found that if you turn off the bluetooth the issue goes away.

Thumbs

The ATIV is definitely a tablet for advanced users. I wouldn’t buy one for my 70 year old mother. With a little TLC its pretty amazing though. It can do so much more than an Android or iOS tablet can. “Ecosystem” is a popular buzzword for these devices and how can you argue with 20 years worth of x86 apps?

I recently picked up Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2 on a Steam sale and it runs perfectly. I’m pretty sure this tablet will run nearly anything released prior to 2006, which is a considerable number of games and applications, most of which can be found for free or cheap.

The ATIV is an underpowered PC in tablet format and should be treated as such. It may be able to match modern tablets for content consumption, but I wouldn’t expect it to replace a proper workstation for high end applications. Its easy to have high expectations because its running windows 8 and has x86 compatibility, but temper that with the realization that its only 32 bit and has a mere 2 gb of RAM and adjust expectations accordingly.

Joel Hruska

KOTOR 2 doesn’t run perfectly, for reasons that have nothing to do with the Ativ. :P

Seriously though, if that’s your experience, you’ve gotten lucky. Torchlight in 640×480 in netbook mode with all details at minimal doesn’t run at a playable frame rate. I had similar poor results with a few other titles.

The fundamental difference here, I think, is that you’re willing to trade a lot more horsepower than I am for a $749 price point. If this was a $499 – $549 machine, I’d be more forgiving. Given the competition in standard clamshells, I’m not.

This isn’t a “tablet for advanced users.” It’s a 2008 netbook with modestly improved performance in some areas, better battery life, and a host of issues with things like WiFi.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

I got the 500T about 3 weeks ago and tested a series of games on it. Here were the results I got (all FPS counts were gotten using FRAPS):

Limbo – Unplayable (low frame rate)
Braid – Choppy but playable. Some areas are worse than others
Bastion – Unplayably slow
Sam and Max series – plays great, albeit in a frame. doesn’t stretch to fill the screen
World of Goo – plays great in frame
Bejewelled 3 – drops some frames during explosions but otherwise
plays great. Also no issues with the touch screen.
Broken Sword – Plays fine, sometimes single clicks don’t register using the touchscreen
Crayon Physics Deluxe – Plays fine
Gemini Rue (and presumably all the Wadjet Point and Click games like the Blackwell series) – performs fine but clicking with the touchscreen is tricky. I also noticed the same behavior when I used to play this game from my iPad via Splashtop
FTL – slightly slow but very playable, although when playing this game I get occasional video driver crashes. Intel dropped a new driver through the Samsung updater yesterday and I haven’t tried it since then
Gratuitous Space/Tank Battles – little slow but playable. touchscreen control mostly works but scrolling the battlefield is quirky
Super Meat Boy – Crashes
Space Pirates and Zombies – playable but slightly slow
Home – Plays good
Lone Survivor – Plays good
Original X-Com – plays in a frame and touchscreen controls do not work
Torchlight – Playable at lower resolutions (around 25fps at 1024×768)

For all of the games that had control issues, these were resolved by not using the touchscreen (mouse/kb/controller). Some games appear to not deal with a pointer based on an explicit position on the screen versus pushing a mouse cursor around that they can track. I’ve seen this before with RDP apps like Splashtop which is why these apps typically have two pointer modes.

For all the games that run in a frame because they do not support the native resolution of the Ativ, the Intel graphics driver does not appear to support scaling. I’m hoping this will be resolved in a later driver, but for now there are workarounds you can use like Windows Magnifier.

For games that ran with very low frame rates, the video driver appears to be sluggish at full screen panning. Obviously it’s capable of it because apps like IE scroll smooth as silk, but when you play a game with a scrolling 2D background performance takes a big hit. It seems like hardware acceleration is not being properly utilized. Hopefully this will improve with future driver versions.

So, no, I would not agree that the Ativ is useless for gaming. Obviously you’re not going to be lopping off dragon heads in Skyrim but there are a lot of good standard PC titles that work just fine. This is in addition to all the RT apps that will run on it. Granted, a lot of these RT apps run slowly and have to be turned down to minimum detail to get a good frame rate (i.e. Reckless Racing, Hydro Thunder) but that seems to more be an issue of Windows support for these games. The Surface uses a Tegra 3, which rocks these titles on Droid. However, the Surface (from what I’ve been told) also chugs on these games. On paper, the CloverTrail’s PowerVR SGX 545 GPU is actually faster than the current generation Tegra 3s. Since all of this is still extremely new, I think we’ll see improvements in drivers that will help Windows games and improved game support in Metro UI based titles.

Joel Hruska

Robert,

It’s true that the 500T is faster than Surface in certain games (Jetpack Joyride, for example, is much smoother on the Ativ).

Back to Torchlight:

The first time I tried it, 640×480 fullscreen refused to initialize and instead forced me to play in a desktop window. Frame rate was in the mid-teens, on average.

This time around, it’s running — but in a 640×480 sized box in a black field. Audio is heavily distorted. No idea why; I launched the game from a full reboot. The frame rate is playable, at ~28 FPS, but the entire game is running in 4 by 3 inch window. Not very nice.

Steppinng up to 1366×768 gets me a full screen experience, but the game is unplayable here. Any action drives the frame rate back into the mid-to-lower teens.

Settings: Fullscreen – Checked

Rimlights – Off

Antialiasing – Off

HW Skinning – Off.

Render Behind Walls – Off

Resolution (640×480, 1366×768)

Shadows – Off

Vsync – Offx

Particle Detail – Low

Show Tips / Show Event Info – Checked

Show Blood – Unchecked

Netbook Mode – Checked

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

Here’s what my results looked like. Same settings, except I had HW Skinning on to offload that task onto the GPU. I also had blood on:

Now, at that resolution it’s not silky smooth and I did get one stutter, but for the type of game Torchlight is I’d hardly call that unplayable.

But even, for the sake of argument, let’s say that the gameplay in that video is horrific and way below acceptable standards for any gamer. To be honest, I’m surprised that Torchlight runs as well as it does. It’s not the kind of game (full 3D x86 Steam game) that I expected to be able to run on here.

I expected to be able to run puzzle games, adventure games and other games that I would be able to run on a tablet. Syberia, The Longest Journey, Sam and Max, Monkey Island, Work of Goo, Bejewelled, etc. There are tons of good games that run perfectly fine on here, and the drivers are only in their infancy now.

Joel Hruska

If you were playing in 1366×768, your results were substantially better than mine. At that resolution, combat is extremely jumpy for me.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

Yeah, that video is a good example of the perf I get. If I drop the resolution it improves significantly even beyond what you see there, but the game was running at 1366×768 in that video (hence the fullscreen). Again, though, I’m running the MS Store model with no pre-loaded bloat so you may want to consider testing again post-reload.

Joel Hruska

Robert,

The thing about the bloat issue is that I disabled the software from loading to confirm that it shouldn’t be impacting performance.

What graphics driver version do you have installed?

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

9.14.3.1087 – 10/4/12

Joel Hruska

Same as mine. I’ve opted for complete wipe/reinstall. We’ll see.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

Where did yours come from? Does it have GPS? Does it have an NFC antenna installed (presence of NFC in the OS doesn’t guarantee, you need to see if there’s an NFC antenna sticker on the back)?

Joel Hruska

Mine came from Intel.There is no NFC sticker. Stickers are one for Windows 8, one for Atom.

While there is no NFC sticker, Windows explicitly asks if I want to enable/disable NFC and BlueTooth under “Wireless communication devices.”

The reinstall went smoothly. Interestingly, my Windows directory post-install was ~9GB. The Windows directory on the tablet when it shipped to me was 12.6GB.

I am watching this as I patch the system back up. I can’t think of any normal reason for a 3GB discrepancy in the size of the Windows 8 folder.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

What about GPS? It would show up in PC Settings > Wireless alongside Bluetooth, NFC, etc.

Joel Hruska

Then GPS is not included. I had assumed the GPS functionality was provided via WiFi. My unit doesn’t have a 3G/LTE modem, so I figured the GPS question was moot.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

If you have an internet connection the OS will do Wifi-scanning based GPS so it’ll still figure out where you are to a point (like the wifi iPad models). There are offline map programs that you can leverage if you have a GPS but no internet connection, or you can tether your phone, use a USB WLAN modem, etc.

Niklas Holm

Hi,

Do you have any update regarding games after using the tablet another month? I’m mostly interested in point and click adventures, are they playable without the keyboard dock/touchpad?

Any other games you tested and so on, it so little info about this type of gaming on these tablets on internet :/ Yet anyway…

Tnx in advance.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

I got the 500T about 3 weeks ago and tested a series of games on it. Here were the results I got (all FPS counts were gotten using FRAPS):

Limbo – Unplayable (low frame rate)
Braid – Choppy but playable. Some areas are worse than others
Bastion – Unplayably slow
Sam and Max series – plays great, albeit in a frame. doesn’t stretch to fill the screen
World of Goo – plays great in frame
Bejewelled 3 – drops some frames during explosions but otherwise
plays great. Also no issues with the touch screen.
Broken Sword – Plays fine, sometimes single clicks don’t register using the touchscreen
Crayon Physics Deluxe – Plays fine
Gemini Rue (and presumably all the Wadjet Point and Click games like the Blackwell series) – performs fine but clicking with the touchscreen is tricky. I also noticed the same behavior when I used to play this game from my iPad via Splashtop
FTL – slightly slow but very playable, although when playing this game I get occasional video driver crashes. Intel dropped a new driver through the Samsung updater yesterday and I haven’t tried it since then
Gratuitous Space/Tank Battles – little slow but playable. touchscreen control mostly works but scrolling the battlefield is quirky
Super Meat Boy – Crashes
Space Pirates and Zombies – playable but slightly slow
Home – Plays good
Lone Survivor – Plays good
Original X-Com – plays in a frame and touchscreen controls do not work
Torchlight – Playable at lower resolutions (around 25fps at 1024×768)

For all of the games that had control issues, these were resolved by not using the touchscreen (mouse/kb/controller). Some games appear to not deal with a pointer based on an explicit position on the screen versus pushing a mouse cursor around that they can track. I’ve seen this before with RDP apps like Splashtop which is why these apps typically have two pointer modes.

For all the games that run in a frame because they do not support the native resolution of the Ativ, the Intel graphics driver does not appear to support scaling. I’m hoping this will be resolved in a later driver, but for now there are workarounds you can use like Windows Magnifier.

For games that ran with very low frame rates, the video driver appears to be sluggish at full screen panning. Obviously it’s capable of it because apps like IE scroll smooth as silk, but when you play a game with a scrolling 2D background performance takes a big hit. It seems like hardware acceleration is not being properly utilized. Hopefully this will improve with future driver versions.

So, no, I would not agree that the Ativ is useless for gaming. Obviously you’re not going to be lopping off dragon heads in Skyrim but there are a lot of good standard PC titles that work just fine. This is in addition to all the RT apps that will run on it. Granted, a lot of these RT apps run slowly and have to be turned down to minimum detail to get a good frame rate (i.e. Reckless Racing, Hydro Thunder) but that seems to more be an issue of Windows support for these games. The Surface uses a Tegra 3, which rocks these titles on Droid. However, the Surface (from what I’ve been told) also chugs on these games. On paper, the CloverTrail’s PowerVR SGX 545 GPU is actually faster than the current generation Tegra 3s. Since all of this is still extremely new, I think we’ll see improvements in drivers that will help Windows games and improved game support in Metro UI based titles.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

Also I’m confused by your Torchlight results. I tried Torchlight as well after I saw posts on various forums saying that it runs ok. When I tried it I found it ran alright at lower resolutions, but to be honest I hadn’t noticed the “Netbook Mode” switch. I just did another test with FRAPS and I’m getting between 20-40 FPS in that game at -native- resolution, not the 640×480 that you said was unplayable.
When I tried 640×480 I got about 40-45 FPS in the first dungeon -without- Netbook Mode turned on. With Netbook Mode turned on I got another 5 FPS or so. Even when fighting multiple opponents I didn’t see it dip below 30. When I tried native resolution in big melees, I averaged about 25 FPS and never got below 20.
I’m posting these numbers because different people have different ideas about what’s playable. Are these consistent with what you were seeing or does it seem like the game was running slower for you than it is for me?

Joel Hruska

Robert,

I tested Torchlight using FRAPS. In 640×480 (Windowed, full screen didn’t work) I saw a framerate of ~23 FPS with dips into the teens. In full screen, (1366×768) I was at 18-19 FPS, with dips into the low teens.

I will retest.

http://www.facebook.com/Adrian.Ke Adrian Ke Chongyang

Haha benchmark with something else other than the legendarily unoptimised, unfinished piece of crap that was KOTOR 2..

http://www.facebook.com/Adrian.Ke Adrian Ke Chongyang

Actually the WiFi issue alone seems like a complete screwup. Either they fix it or the whole thing is basically fraudulent advertising of capabilities of product.

goconfigure

This is an uninformed review. I actually own and use this unit. First, your performance issues are resolved by holding in the power and volume up button and reinstalling Win 8 as soon as you get it home. It removes the bloatware and gives you the option to reinstall it if you want to. Second, use the Samsung update utility and get some driver updates. Finally, let Microsoft updates take care of the rest. Comparing this Tablet/Notebook hybrid to a netbook is plain ignorance.

Next time your on your netbook try disconnecting the display from its keyboard and using it for drawings or notes or try running Photoshop or Flash (the construct program – not the player)

The S-Pen is incredibly handy too! Bottom line is that this is a game changer at least in my book. This unit competes against the 64GB iOS Ipad Tablet and the 64GB Surface. I bought and returned a 64GB Surface after using it for a day. RT was not the answer for me especially when the ATIV gets 9 solid hours of battery life and runs x86 programs well.

If you can find one and youre on the fence, hop down and get one. You will be amazed – Atom has come a long way.

species5618w

Or you can get the Lenovo X330T on sale for similar prices. Yes, it’s a lot heavier and uglier, but it’s a far more capable machine. Atom has better battery life, but it’s still an Atom. It’s a netbook, not a notebook. And it’s overpriced no matter how you slice it.

The point is that Microsoft has been in the tablet market far longer than Apple. Windows 8 solved the touch problem somewhat, but OEM integration still sucks. You can’t expect a regular consumer to “reinstalling Win 8 as soon as you get it home”.

I am still glad this kind of system is getting into the market. Netbooks worked just fine for a lot of people. However, unless OEMs improve their game, they will get increasingly marginalized in the marketplace.

Joel Hruska

“First, your performance issues are resolved by holding in the power and volume up button and reinstalling Win 8 as soon as you get it home.”

We review systems as they are configured by the manufacturer. Bloatware removal may be covered in certain cases where it appears to detrimentally impact system performance. In this case, the bloatware in question wasn’t impacting system perf, just available storage.

“or try running Photoshop or Flash (the construct program – not the player)”

“Second, use the Samsung update utility and get some driver updates. Finally, let Microsoft updates take care of the rest.”

I fully updated the system using the WIndows Store, conventional Windows update, and Samsung updates. The review configuration used every available update from all three locations.

“You will be amazed – Atom has come a long way.”

Atom *has* come a long way. This review is not a condemnation of Clover Trail.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

The version you reviewed is only one of the available versions. Any purchase from the Microsoft store comes with a much leaner software preload. I had the chance to play with the Office Depot/Staples version as well as the Microsoft Store version. The Office Depot/Staples version was fine after using the Windows reinstall feature to remove the excess software. The Microsoft Store version was fine out of the box as configured by the manufacturer with no additional actions required.

Burd

Better headline: Who’s supposed to want this review?

No mention of battery life. Or whether doubling the storage with a micro SDXC card can mitigate the ‘only 64GB’ complaint for users that decide they want most of what sits on their desktops to live on their tablet as well . Instead we learn that running other applications degrades playback of the highest bitrate video thrown at it (which seems to have been acknowleged to have run properly solo; can’t be sure. Is ‘just barely’ a grudging admission that did?). And we are told that wifi driver issues (which we are led to believe have been acknowledged and addressed) have ‘demolished’ its premiss. But what we all wanted to know is left unsaid: how many simultaneous apps can you run on an iPad with similar results? And what CPU utlization would the iPad show? Oh wait…

Sad to think that some readers have already decided to pass on this device without forming their own opinion as a result of this piece. Lots of real world owners do seem to like it– a lot. My advice: search out the feedback from real owners– it’s out there. And check out Paul Thurrott’s piece for a better example of what tech commentary should be.

Joel Hruska

1) Battery life is good.

2) Is there a reason why adding an SDXC card *wouldn’t* mitigate the problem? I’m not aware of one. I will admit that I assumed the port worked.

3) Desktop lag is constant. Attempt two tasks simultaneously, one of them will typically lag. Desktop lag occurs even when overall CPU load is quite low. I believe this is video driver related because I saw similar problems in Windows 7 when comparing Ion against Intel’s dual-core Atom 330 with Aero enabled. W8 leverages the GPU even more aggressively, and the CPU *isn’t* spiking when lag occurs.

This is entirely separate from the high CPU utilization during video playback.

I don’t know who told you the WiFi issues have been resolved. Intel told me the issues had been fixed and the fix sent to Samsung. I waited another 10 days to see if Samsung would push the fix out. Then I went forward with the review, as the system was already shipping.

“But what we all wanted to know is left unsaid: how many simultaneous apps can you run on an iPad with similar results? And what CPU utlization would the iPad show? Oh wait…”

Irrelevant. The point is not that the Atom CPU is underpowered. The point is that driver issues may be hurting system responsiveness. A barely responsiveness desktop is not a substitute for multitasking.

James McRoen

What this review forgets to mention is Samsung’s terrible quality control for this product and for the Ativ 700T. I was really excited when I first heard about this device, but multiple reviews on Amazon and forums have turned me away–

It seems that a HUGE proportion of the keyboards are defective. When the tablet is attached to the keyboard, it often disconnects even if you’re not touching it. That, in my opinion, is a dealbreaker for a $750 device.

James McRoen

What this review forgets to mention is Samsung’s terrible quality control for this product and for the Ativ 700T. I was really excited when I first heard about this device, but multiple reviews on Amazon and forums have turned me away–

It seems that a HUGE proportion of the keyboards are defective. When the tablet is attached to the keyboard, it often disconnects even if you’re not touching it. That, in my opinion, is a dealbreaker for a $750 device.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

Overall I’m very happy with this device. Sure, it’s slow by laptop standards but it’s not a laptop. The price may be a little high, but it really depends on what you’re comparing it to. The price of the tablet alone runs between $600 to $650, which puts it right in mid to mid-high tablet price range. A 64GB iPad will run you $700 without LTE and $830 with. I spent $750 for mine at the MS Store for a 64GB unit with clamshell keyboard.

When I compare it to my iPad that I paid roughly the same amount of money for (wifi 64gb model) I find that there is a -ton- of stuff that I can now do that I couldn’t before:

Play MKV files natively
Move files to and from device over wifi
Map network shares to access my media server directly
Expand my capacity (another $50 got me up to 128GB total storage) I have full Office 2013 installed, Steam with at least two dozen games, 10-20 hours of 720p video at any given time, work documents, the contents of my Skydrive, etc.
Run x86 apps including full Office 2013
Use any browser/plugin that I want (flash, shockwave, Silverlight)
NFC tap to pair/transfer
True GPS
Connect USB devices like 360 Controllers or external mice/keyboards
Output over HDMI to my TV (technically the iPad can do this to but I can do it with the addition of a $4 adapter on Monoprice versus the exorbinant $40 Apple will charge for the official adapter and even then you can only use it for video playback unless you jailbreak the device, which leads me to my next point…)
I don’t have to Jailbreak the device to be able to do whatever I want to it
Draw with the digitizer

The desktop runs fine for me, but admittedly I don’t have the bloatware version from this review. I don’t know anyone who owns the device that got the bloatware version who didn’t immediately reinstall to drop all that crap so I can’t say what the performance of the unit is with all that still loaded. I typically run Word or Excel plus Outlook and Lync in the background.

Are the drivers perfect? No, the lack of ability to scale to native resolution sucks and GPU acceleration is clearly not being used by many apps that need it. However, this GPU has been on the street for less than a month so we will probably see some improvements in this area in the near future. There were some minor issues about coming back from hibernation (such as the pen cursor disappearing until we rebooted) and many of them have already been fixed in the time I’ve had the unit.
All that, plus I get the battery life of my original iPad? Yeah, I’m happy with my Samsung.

Joel Hruska

A couple updates:

1) The SGX545 has actually been out for years. It’s the same GPU Intel used in last year’s Pine Trail. The design dates to 2010.

Now I agree with you that GPU perf. should improve — but it’s not so simple as saying the hardware is new.

2) Samsung’s software insisted I download 500+ MB of “critical fixes” to Windows 8 tonight. Windows update presented me with two small updates released yesterday. I have no idea what the “critical updates” are doing. Still trying to figure that out. Samsung hasn’t been shy about updating its own various applications and identifying the files *as* application updates.

3) I tried to install two additional updates tonight from Samsung’s servers. Both failed for hours, with messages that the servers were unavailable, despite repeated reboots and double-checks that the network was up and running.

I was going to download the software to a different PC, but the versions posted publicly on Samsung’s site for the “SW Update Patch” and the “Settings” utility are at least one generation behind the versions that the update wants me to install. So that was out.

After 3+ hours, the system managed to download the smaller 2.15MB update.

3) Turning off Bluetooth and the NFC driver may have solved the network connectivity problem. Still verifying this.

I’m glad you’re happy with your tablet. My continued dialog on these topics is meant to provide additional feedback on my experience post-review, not attempt to persuade you to be unhappy with the device you purchased.

http://www.facebook.com/Byshop Robert Henry

Sorry, I meant new in context to Windows 8. I know variations of this PowerVR GPU is in the current iPads, but it’s the combination of hardware plus drivers that we need. I didn’t know about Pine Trail, though (never had interest in an Atom until now).

In regards to the Samsung updater, it’s been pretty reliable for me except for today when it seemed to be having trouble reaching the servers. I suspect that Samsung is having server issues today if you were also having issues.

No idea about the wifi issue because I haven’t experienced it, but I’ll pass along the suggestion of turning off wifi and Bluetooth to my buddies.

I didn’t think you were trying to convince me to dislike my tablet. I just wanted to add to the conversation with another perspective on the pros and cons of the device.
One other thing I forgot to mention was the battery. If I don’t shamelessly abuse multitasking I get about 6 minutes per 1% of battery usage (running at about 30-40% brightness which is still pretty bright). 10 hours of actual usage is awesome, but I haven’t actually timed a recharge. I have noticed that it recharges very quickly. I’ll clock it one of these days, but I’d say an hour is enough to get you back to 100% in most cases if not fairly close.

Joel Hruska

Battery life is quite good. In fact, there are a lot of positives about the 500T.

The S-Pen works well. I may not have much use for it personally, but it works well.

Battery life is quite good.

The tablet never really gets hot, even during high CPU usage.

Screen quality is high.

Performance in Metro apps is smooth and generally better than Surface.

Media *compatibility* is better than Surface.Media playback is a bit of a mixed bag, but I think driver updates will resolve this long term.

There’s good stuff in here. Quite a bit of it.

Thumbs

There was an update to the SW Updater that was supposed to address the update servers being overloaded. I tried for hours to get it, finally it worked, then all other updates downloaded quickly.

nbtech

Pine Trail used the SGX535, so you were right. The GPU in Clover Trail, SGX545, is new and the drivers probably aren’t the best given Intel’s track record with GPUs.

nbtech

Just want to point out that the SGX543 in the iPad 3 was released in Jan. 2009 (iPad 3 released sometime early 2012) and the SGX554 in the iPad 4 dates back to Dec. 2010 (iPad 4 released late 2012). Just because the design was released back then doesn’t mean anyone released an SoC containing that IP. I just used the iPads as examples because more people are familiar with those.

Anyway, the point I’m making is that this is often the case with GPU and CPU core designs. The IP is released to market, then years down the road someone finally releases a product containing it. The gap is closing though. The exception is when the IP designers are also including their own IP in some SoC and contract a fab to manufacture it. Intel does all of this in-house, with the exception of the current GPUs from PowerVR. Down the road we’ll see Intel designs based on their HD-series iGPUs.

Joel Hruska

The SGX545 inside Clover Trail is the same GPU Intel used for Pine Trail more than a year ago.

That’s not true. SGX535(GMA 3150) was used in Pine Trail, launched over 2 years ago in Netbooks.

The SGX545 (GMA 3600 series) is used in Clover Trail.

Joseph Russell

While reading this on my ATIV tablet nothing noted true, maybe fixed already or maybe they tested on acid, but I connect regular and don’t drop any connections weather it is WiFi, tether phone or blu tooth. The playback of any movies I have with a codec pack installed runs well and I multi- task like no other…..now the only truth here is it is big -er then most, but I bought it because it was large, maybe not as comfy compared to my 10 inch android tablet, but I wanted the bigger size. Also I pushed the back and no screen blur, and no glued on Samsung stickers….what?

Not sure about how the reviewer tested this device, but from my experiences Atom based netbook has no issue of playing any high definition video as long as proper video decoders are installed. Maybe the reviewer just does not have sufficient knowledge in this. Try KLite? In fact, ARM based tablets have a lot of issues dealing with various different video formats and it is really not recommended for video unless you only need those few that are normally supported.

What do you expect when half of the selling price goes to Microsoft for branding inferior hardware.

http://www.facebook.com/bruce.fraley Bruce Fraley

Well first gen electronics are not the best for non-professionals to purchase. Point in case is the WiFi issues joining AES driven WPA2 Enterprise Access points. But the flip side is standard wireless seems to work flawlessly. Also the Samsung is touted as Domain/Enterprise ready, the caveat is the productivity pack needs purchased to be Domain ready (69.00). The size is no problem and many in the organization I manage think the weight is a non issue since lugging the iPad and Notebooks around are heavier in the long run. Great article to read and understand the problems upfront.

nbtech

This is not a $750 device. Its $650 for the tablet, and it performs like a $650 tablet, except it runs full Windows 8. That means you can use it like a tablet(one app open at a time) and it will perform like a fast tablet, or you can try to multitask like you do on your desktop or laptop and be disappointed. The difference between an iOS based tablet and a full Windows 8 based tablet is that you can fully stress the Windows 8 device. iOS doesn’t let you multitask to the point where the user will see noticeable slowdown(one app open at a time).

What you do get with this 64GB, $650 tablet, is a Wacom digitizer and great battery life. If you need a Windows 8 tablet with a digitizer, and a 11.6in display is acceptable, then this is pretty much your only choice right now(unless you can get your hands on a Thinkpad Tablet 2). A step up to the Core based tablets will mean worse battery life but better performance. Also a higher price tag. Take your pick.

Michaels_28

I have no reason to be skeptical of this review because it mirrors exactly my experience of the same unit at the Staples. It was over a month ago and Staples had accidently had the unit out in display before NDA. Smooth in Start screen (Metro), but as soon as i go into desktop the thing tanked. I wasn’t giving much thought other than thinking it’s a typical OEM low-balling, until I was told that it’s freaking $650..!?

I ain’t sure buying one. You’ve got to be nuts to buy this unless you’re some sort of bizzarre collector. What’s funny about some of the comments are quoting AnandTech as some sort of authority. Everyone knows where Mr. Anand’s money is invested. (I need not spell it out because it is a common knowledge) That even AnandTech couldn’t find a way to sugarcoat this garbage should be enough of the merits discussion on this line of product.

xk2600

We bought this tablet for my wife for school. She wanted to replace pounds of binders, books and laptops with a tablet. There isn’t another solution as unique as this little device. The 500T lasts through the entire day on a single charge… (6am until 9pm) with moderate usage throughout the day… internet, taking notes, email, etc.

Taking notes is an excellent point. where I think all the techies are busy debating the finite details (number of usb ports.. really?) The digitizer pen included in this makes it a must have for students in Masters/Ph.D Programs. She can annotate PDFs directly or just scratch notes down in S-Note, which on a keyboard can be near impossible when notating mathematics, especailly in real time.

My only wish is for an 11.6 inch tablet running Windows RT with the Pen digitizer. This would extend the battery life drastically.

Also its worth noting that we have had no issues with the Wi-Fi or Samsung update software as others have… however we did have to replace the first 500T out of the box as the digitizer seemed to have failed. Only about half of the screen would respond (in stripes) to the digitizer pen. The second device however has been extremely handy from a students prespective… True Windows OS… with Full Office suite (had to purchase)…. and tablet interface to do work from.. plus a quick snap into the keyboard dock and its a laptop.

Niklas Holm

1080p h.264 17000Kbps MKV is no problem at all for the Clover Trail. Maybe Extremetech didn’t enable DXVA or used bad filters.

I tried a 1080p h.264 17000Kbps MKV with LAV filters (video dxva enabled, sound and splitter) and played in MPC with <10% cpu load. And the video file was streaming over the LAN from a networkshare.

Niklas Holm

1080p h.264 17000Kbps MKV is no problem at all for the Clover Trail. Maybe Extremetech didn’t enable DXVA or used bad filters.

I tried a 1080p h.264 17000Kbps MKV with LAV filters (video dxva enabled, sound and splitter) and played in MPC with <10% cpu load. And the video file was streaming over the LAN from a networkshare.

Simba

Mate, you don’t know what you are on about. As someone who actually owns this device, I assure you this is the best device on the market (maybe HP Envy x2 might be better? that’s the only one I haven’t gotten to see and try) if you want a laptop, and want a tablet and are only prepared to own one, then you will be happy with this. Get the 500 if you are a regular pc user, and get the 700 pro if you are a power user (wait for the Lenovo Thinkpad Helix with 8GB RAM if you are a superpower user).

Samsung ATIV is immaculate in all senses. You’ll love it.

http://twitter.com/GeorgeOu George Ou

Your problems with CPU and power consumption during video playback is that you need to enable Intel hardware acceleration in PowerDVD. It’s disabled by default for some reason. When I turn it on and test it on the ATIV 500T, the CPU is very low and power consumption is also very low.

Jess

One, you should reexamine this tablet with current drivers and updates. And two, you should have someone who uses and likes pen tablets review pen tablets. It is a netbook and priced like one. But it has a full Wacom digitizer and runs OneNote 2010 without pen lag. Which nothing in this price range has ever done before. I got mine on sale for less than the Surface RT. Which will never run OneNote, or Sketchbook, or ArtRage. This will also run all the Windows versions of popular e readers. It will never replace my Lenovo i5 tablet. Or my MBA. For the price, I do not expect it to do so. But if I wanted an iPad I would buy one. Why is that the implicit standard of comparison here?

http://www.facebook.com/davidpodhola David Podhola

I like my Ativ very much however yesterday touchscreen stopped reacting on fingers. Strangely it works with S pen (stylus). I tried reinstalling Windows, but no change. It even does nnot work in BIOS. Please suggest something, I want to use my fingers as well :-)

fern

Wish i never bought this slow turd, worst PC related purchase I have made in 8 years, glad i got the drop and spill because i am going to smash this thing into a thousands pieces pretty soon. Frustration beyond all belief every time i pick this thing up.

Just a FYI….the memory in this unit falls WELL below the minimum guideline /requirements for windows 8……it just goes to show you all you have to do is grease a wheel or two at Microsoft and you can get windows certification for any old POS…..I hope you like waiting because the turtle esc ram and memory speeds will have you spending allot more time staring at a loading screen rather than getting anything productive done.

kmg88

Don’t want a netbook. I want a tablet with a digitizer and stylus that can run x86 programs. Don’t want or need a keyboard. 128gb isn’t much but it is available. This device, or similar, is what I’ve been waiting for for YEARS. Lightweight, excellent battery life, runs everything I need it too and I can use a pen! I may now be able to completely eliminate paper from my life :) I think it’s a perfectly reasonable price for functionality. I need a fullu functional PC that is an extension of the laptop that I will now leave at home, which is now cumbersome to carry around knowing these devices are available!

TechieDoc

I’ve had the Samsung for a couple of months now and am fairly happy with it. First let me say that I need it for a specific application: Microsoft Onenote with stylus support. For this, it works flawlessly. I also need web browsing — for this it’s not so good – especially with all of the more complex web pages out there. I find the battery life to be excellent and I’m getting used to the Metro interface. My experience with the other office apps is also good. So I can recommend this computer for office apps and wacom stylus in a very lightweight package (without keyboard dock).

Keyboard dock: Pros: convenient charging station, 2 extra USB ports are useful, protects screen, and heavy enough to hold up PC without tipping. Cons: keyboard is loud, touchpad is too sensitive at times and not sensitive enough at other times, adds weight, docking mechanism is clumsy and learning how to properly seat computer is tricky.

Waldman Jordaan

Thanks for a very objective review. A follow-up would be nice to report if any of the reported bugs have been resolved. The storage size limitation will obviously still be there.

Khawar

I have lost wifi driver how can I reinstall the driver

Edward Herbert

Hi guys!Can somebody help me out.I need to put POS system on my Ativ 500T.I leaves in colorado and use this POS http://pos-co.com/
How I can download it? Is it possible? If somebody knows and done it before, please email me stevenmolkenboer87@gmail.com
THANKS!

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