Lafité II -- sort of review & positive feedback!

[lupus]

So after some research on the Internet I decided to buy a lightweight, mobile laptop for Uni from PCS.
The Lafité I (previous version) is also available in my country form another distributor, but when Lafité II was made available by PCS and its cost in configuration I wanted was better, I went with ordering it by PCS.

Short spec (before & after amendment).:

* Chassis & Display
Lafité Silver Aluminium Chassis: 13.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED (1920 x 1080)
* Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i3 Dual Core Processor i3-6100U (2.30GHz) 3MB Cache
* Memory (RAM)
4GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 4GB)
* Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS 510 [Pentium] | INTEL® HD GRAPHICS 520 [Core™]
* M.2 SSD Drive
128GB M.2 2280, SATA 6Gb/s (510MB/R, 310MB/W)
Changed to: NONE
* Memory/Hard Disk:
NONE
Changed to: 120GB SAMSUNG 650 SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 450MB/sW)
* Memory Card Reader
Integrated 2 in 1 Memory Card Reader (SD, MMC)
* Sound Card
Realtek 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
* Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
* USB Options
1 x USB 3.0 PORT, 1 x USB 3.1 PORT + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
*Battery
Lafité Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (6,300mAh)
* Power Cable
1 x European Power Lead & 40W AC Adaptor
* Keyboard Language
LAFITÉ SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
* Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
* Delivery
4 - 5 DAY DELIVERY TO POLAND (53 €)
* Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days

*** Total purchase price inc. PTU (VAT) - 657.00€
*** Payment method: Bank Transfer

I decided to get i3, 'cause I already have a more powerful 15.6" notebook.
Why there was an amendment? I've got information from PCS that they had issues with this M.2 drives -- to speed up delivery I decided to change it to normal SATA III SSD and add M.2 drive later.

---- Order build progress -----
Day 1: Placed an order, made bank transfer.
Day 2: Awaiting payment.
Day 3: Awaiting payment.
Day 4: Payment cleared, processing. 1st working day.
Day 5: Processing. 2nd working day.
Days 6-7: Weekend.
Day 8: In building, then in testing. 3rd working day.
Days 9-16: In testing. (Working days 4-8).
Day 17: Still in testing. Amended my order. Switched from M.2 SSD to normal SSD. 9th working day.
Day 18: Order amendment was complete, they called me to confirm it (Thanks!). 10th working day.
Day 19-22: In testing. (working days 11-13)
Day 23: Still in testing. I called them and they said it should enter QC soon and be dispatched tomorrow. 13th working day.
Day 24: Awaiting dispatch in the morning! Finally!
Same day: Dispatched! 15th working day.
Day 25: 00:49am: Parcel has left the UK and is on its way to Poland.
Day 26: 00:54am: Parcel is in transit in Netherlands.
Day 27 (Saturday): 00:37am: Parcel in transit Polish DPD depot.
05:22am: Parcel is in local DPD depot. (PL)
Day 28: (Sunday): Not a working day.
Day 29: 08:38am: Out for delivery.
11:30am: Delivered -- I live in the dorm so receptionist received package for me and I picked it up about two hours later.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Ordering date: 28-09-2015. Made payment same day.
Procesed date: 01-10-2015 (payment cleared)
Pre-production date: skipped (!)
Building date: 05-10-2015
Testing date: 05-10-2015
QC date: 21-10-2015
Awaiting dispatch date: 21-10-2015
Dispatch date: 21-10-2015
Delivery date: 26-10-2015
----------------------------------------------------------------
Many thanks to everyone who worked on my order:
Built by: Leon Rose
Tested by: Carl Auckland
QC'd by: Jack Miller
Packed by: James Russell
Many thanks to Ryan Slinger who replied to my every message on webmail and for providing information about order amendment.
Many thanks to person who I was speaking with on the phone on 20th October. (I am sorry, I do not remember the name).
----------------------------------------------------------------

*** Review ***

*** Packaging:
My new laptop was packaged well, with classic box-in-a-box scheme: Laptop box was secured with air cushions (is it called that way?) and put in larger box. After opening the box I found a PCS booklet, DVD with drivers, AC Adaptor and of course, Lafité II itself. No sign of any damage. Good packaging by PCS and good consigment handling by DPD. Screen was protected by transparent foil.


*** First impressions:
Lafité II chassis is made of aluminium. It looks solid, and elements are well-fitted. The only thing I am afraid is that it could get scratched easliy.
After turning it on, trial version of Windows 10 welcomed me. I needed to reformat my SSD and install Windows 10 Edu. Could also use upgrade by providing a key, but it would take much longer. But I tested it for a while before doing it. Laptop worked fast, thanks to SSD and Intel i3, though it is not so powerful as i7.
Installing Windows 10 Edu on SSD took short time.



*** LCD Panel
Full HD IPS panel that Lafité II is equipped with offers comfortable work. Displayed image is clear, and matte display reduces reflections. I got so much used to 1920x1080 resolution (by using my other laptop - Clevo W350STQ) that I'm sure that if Lafité's display resolution was lower, it would be harder for me to use it. LCD backlight brightness can be chosen of 11 levels - 11 is very bright (not too good at night), 1 is nearly dark (good for battery saving?). I usually use level 2 during the evening -- not too bright, not too dark.

*** Keyboard & Backlight
Keyboard is such a slight downside of Lafité -- for me spacing between keys is a bit too wide. I think that I just need to get used to it. And there was only UK keyboard, but it's not a big issue. Keyboard backlight is white and can be turned off, dim, or bright. As I am writing this post it's evening and I use it on 'dim' setting, LCD backlight at one level before lowest. Using it at these settings is most comfortable for me.


*** Trackpad
This laptop is equipped with ELAN touchpad. Just after installing Windows, without touchpad drivers it was pain using it. Sometimes it clicked twice. Not acceptable, but after installing drivers everything is fine! Just be careful after Windows installation. Gesture support is surely an advantage. On the other side, I mostly use bluetooth mouse.

*** Wireless
Used it for too small amount of time, but so far connecting to eduroam and my faculty's network caused no issues, same to my room's WiFi network.
I have Intel AC-8260.

*** Usage
Managed to carry it to Uni today. As it's lightweight (about 1.5kg), it's very portable. This is mostly why I bought it -- needed a light laptop.
So far my new Lafité II works fast. I'm currently testing battery life. So far after charging it to 100% and using it on battery power for around 1 hour, battery dropped by 11%. Haven't checked charging time yet.
One thing that I miss is HDD activity LED. Only LEDs that Lafite II has are: WiFi LED, charging LED and power/sleep LED.

*** Summary & order processing by PCS & feedback

As for several hours using my new laptop, I'm happy with it.
I am happy with PCS service & customer care. Despite order took 15 working days, I don't have anything to blame PCS for -- I got a well assembled, and perfectly working system as I expected -- and order testing took more because of M.2 drive issue and order amendment - so everything is fine.

Once again, thanks to PCS for a good laptop!

lupus, happy customer from Poland

 

[trung674]

do you have any problem with the fan ? some say the fan goes on and off continuously

 

[lupus]

Yes, sometimes it goes on and off continuously, but even in quiet environment it's still working quietly with fan on. I don't find this annoying in any way.
Actually tested it with normal usage, will check how it is when laptop is under heavy load. Will update this post in the evening.

Oh, and I have Intel i3, maybe that matters.

 

[Robin_hood]

Yes, sometimes it goes on and off continuously, but even in quiet environment it's still working quietly with fan on. I don't find this annoying in any way.
Actually tested it with normal usage, will check how it is when laptop is under heavy load. Will update this post in the evening.

Oh, and I have Intel i3, maybe that matters.

Can you hear it when you're using chrome or a texteditor and other light stuff like that?

Also, I am very curious about the circumstances with heavy load.

 

[lupus]

Hi there again.

As promised, I tested how Lafite II fan behaves. Here are the results:

Temperature was measured using SpeedFan 4.51.
Control center was showing Temperature as 60C, while speedfan was showing ~45C.
I'm using here speedfan's measurments. Not sure which measurment is correct.

My processor is: Intel i3-6100U @ 2.3GHz
BIOS Version is: 5.11, 09/10/2015

Test 1: Heavy load (S&M stress test):
Start temp: 33C.
S&M Settings: CPU Test - Average, Load: 100%
Selected tests: Cache L1, Cache L2, CPU (integer), MMX/SSE, CPU (FPU).
Results:
During Cache L1 test: Fan started working at ~45C. Turned on for a while, then stopped. At 45C fan was working at low speed, not much noise there. The longer temperature was >45C, its periods of being turned on at low speed were longer.
After all test have ended, CPU cooled down to 33C. Fan stopped.

Conclusion from this test:
The fan works periodically to cool down CPU to the temperature lower than 45C.

Test 2: Video stress test. (Furmark)
Resolution: 1280x720. GPU stress test.
AA: Off.
CPU temp quickly rised to ~50C, fan was working without a break at higher speed than before, causing some more noise. Strangely control center showed 73C. Not sure which measurment is correct.
After stopping furmark, fan was slowly reducing its speed until CPU cooled down.

Conclusion:
Same as before. The longer time CPU's temp is high, the longer and louder fan works.

Test 3: Casual load. Opened Visual Studio 2015, Google Chrome with several tabs, opened LibreOffice Writer.

I can confirm that fan was sometimes turning on, and turning off after a while, but I'm sure that it only works to cool down CPU below ~40-45C (according to SpeedFan measurments, when checking at Control Center it's probably around 60C. Again, not sure which is correct).
So, answering Robin_hood's question:

Can you hear it when you're using chrome or a texteditor and other light stuff like that?

Yes, sometimes I can hear it, but not too loud, and it's rather in the moments that cause CPU's temp arise (for example, when I had opened Visual Studio and Chrome, and then ran LibreOffice, fan started working quietly for about 30s then turned off. And it did not turn on until another temperature rise).

I hope that explains a bit about that fan.

If you have more questions, just ask.

UPDATE: While playing a game, it's like GPU stress test -- Fan works constantly.

lupus

 

[Robin_hood]

I hope that explains a bit about that fan.

Thanks for the extended tests you've run to check the fan and temperature!!
I wonder which of the two reads the right temperature, here my laptop has a constant core temp of 50C - 55C while the fan is constantly running at 1200rpm (MBA though), so either you have very good airflow or control center is right. Have you tried coretemp?

Is there an option in the bios to allow the fan to shut down completely?

It seems you're fan is running like it is supposed to, I wonder if you maybe have a newer bios rom then the others here. Still not sure whether to go with the Lafite II or the HP Envy 13.
Luckily I'm not in a hurry.

 

[lupus]

Thanks for the extended tests you've run to check the fan and temperature!!
I wonder which of the two reads the right temperature, here my laptop has a constant core temp of 50C - 55C while the fan is constantly running at 1200rpm (MBA though), so either you have very good airflow or control center is right. Have you tried coretemp?

Coretemp causes my laptop to freeze. I only managed to read around 35C before freezing.
About the airflow... I can make a photos to show how the laptop is cooled (where is the fan and air flow).

Is there an option in the bios to allow the fan to shut down completely?

I double-checked that, there is no such option.

It seems you're fan is running like it is supposed to, I wonder if you maybe have a newer bios rom then the others here. Still not sure whether to go with the Lafite II or the HP Envy 13.
Luckily I'm not in a hurry.

BIOS version which I posted before was read using CPU-Z, entering BIOS setup utility shows:

BIOS Version - 101_ 09/10/2015
EC Version - 1.0U_ 09/01/2015
M/B Version - D

To control the fan there is an option in Control Center, but I have not tested it yet.



lupus

 

[Robin_hood]

Thanks again for the useful information. I have decided to wait until black friday. HP probably will have some nice discounts then and the problems with the Lafite II might be solved and I also heared about US-international keyboards would maybe become an option so... I will wait, follow the fora, and see what will be best. But this review has been very helpful for now.

Thanks!

 

[mbrown839]

Thanks Lupus, that's really useful.

To Lupus and anyone else with a Lafité II: how loud is the fan when compared to other 15W TDP fans? (I realise you might now know!) I have 2 laptops on my desk at the moment, one's processor has a 35W TDP and the other has a 15W. When running the 15W even at full blast (Handbrake encode for 2+ hrs) it's barely noticeable against the ambient noise whereas the 35W one at full blast is about as loud as if I close my teeth then breathe out at slow-to-normal-speed through them. I'd have no problem leaving the 15W on all the time but the noise from a long encode on the 35W would annoy me. I wouldn't be using it for encoding so even that wouldn't be a deal killer, I might game on it but either Steam streaming or low graphics indie stuff. If you are one of the ones with problems with the fans can you tell me: do you mainly use it in a very quiet environment? How loud is it compared to other things/laptops you have owned?

 

[Robin_hood]

Thanks Lupus, that's really useful.

To Lupus and anyone else with a Lafité II: how loud is the fan when compared to other 15W TDP fans? (I realise you might now know!) I have 2 laptops on my desk at the moment, one's processor has a 35W TDP and the other has a 15W. When running the 15W even at full blast (Handbrake encode for 2+ hrs) it's barely noticeable against the ambient noise whereas the 35W one at full blast is about as loud as if I close my teeth then breathe out at slow-to-normal-speed through them. I'd have no problem leaving the 15W on all the time but the noise from a long encode on the 35W would annoy me. I wouldn't be using it for encoding so even that wouldn't be a deal killer, I might game on it but either Steam streaming or low graphics indie stuff. If you are one of the ones with problems with the fans can you tell me: do you mainly use it in a very quiet environment? How loud is it compared to other things/laptops you have owned?

Mine will be here tomorrow/wednesday. I have a MacBook Air, which is VERY quiet. So I can compare them for you. I do not want to hear a fan when listening music from my laptop or when I am writing an article. When playing Gears of War on my MBA it is at full speed all the time, otherwise I don't hear it at all. Let's see what the Lafite II will do

 

[prakot]

How fast is charging of the lafite? I've seen a review that says it is painfully slow, is this the case?

 

[lupus]

How fast is charging of the lafite? I've seen a review that says it is painfully slow, is this the case?

I can confirm this. From 50% to 100% it charges around 3 hours.

To Lupus and anyone else with a Lafité II: how loud is the fan when compared to other 15W TDP fans? (I realise you might now know!) I have 2 laptops on my desk at the moment, one's processor has a 35W TDP and the other has a 15W. When running the 15W even at full blast (Handbrake encode for 2+ hrs) it's barely noticeable against the ambient noise whereas the 35W one at full blast is about as loud as if I close my teeth then breathe out at slow-to-normal-speed through them. I'd have no problem leaving the 15W on all the time but the noise from a long encode on the 35W would annoy me. I wouldn't be using it for encoding so even that wouldn't be a deal killer, I might game on it but either Steam streaming or low graphics indie stuff. If you are one of the ones with problems with the fans can you tell me: do you mainly use it in a very quiet environment? How loud is it compared to other things/laptops you have owned?

Unfortunately I don't have any other 15W TDP laptop to compare with. My other laptop is Clevo W350STQ which has i7-4700MQ (TDP: 47W) and I comparing to it Lafite II is much quieter.


lupus

 

[[email protected]]

Mine arrived today, and I love it. Fan is pretty quiet imo.

Put my own SSD in and she flies, all I want know is to know what kind of charger is needed so I can buy a spare.

I'm also wondering if the slow charge time is due to the charger only being 19V 2.1A

 

[miks]

What date did you order it? I am still waiting for mine....

 

[[email protected]]

Oct 14th

 

[miks]

Thanks - hopefully, mine will be here in the next week or so.

 

[Robin_hood]

Thanks Lupus, that's really useful.

To Lupus and anyone else with a Lafité II: how loud is the fan when compared to other 15W TDP fans? (I realise you might now know!) I have 2 laptops on my desk at the moment, one's processor has a 35W TDP and the other has a 15W. When running the 15W even at full blast (Handbrake encode for 2+ hrs) it's barely noticeable against the ambient noise whereas the 35W one at full blast is about as loud as if I close my teeth then breathe out at slow-to-normal-speed through them. I'd have no problem leaving the 15W on all the time but the noise from a long encode on the 35W would annoy me. I wouldn't be using it for encoding so even that wouldn't be a deal killer, I might game on it but either Steam streaming or low graphics indie stuff. If you are one of the ones with problems with the fans can you tell me: do you mainly use it in a very quiet environment? How loud is it compared to other things/laptops you have owned?

Compared to my MBA 2013 the Lafite is more quiet when gaming / benchmarking. In handbrake my MBA is more quiet than the Lafite in benchmarking though. Hope this gives you an idea.

To me the way the fan works is a bit disappointing. I can not measure fan speeds but, the it seems like the fan has like 3 modes, soft/slow, medium/ fast/loud. When doing something more intensive but not very intensive the fan starts blowing at loud volume (high speeD) for a few sec's and after that is quiet again (slow speed) then it goes loud again and then quiet again. It does not understand that it can just bump up the RPM a little. The MBA runs at 1200 rpm normally, but when I do medium intensive tasks on it it runs at 2000 continuously which is still quiet and keeps it cool enough. The lafite works differently and just goes from like 1200rpm to 4000rpm for a few seconds to then go back to 1200rpm again.

The laptop is definitly not premium but it definitly is a great laptop. Only the slow charging, short battery life and the fan thing me think about returning it. If it wasn't for the fan I could have lived with the battery/charging problem I guess.

Oh and also, benchmark scores show way lower scores then the benchmarks I saw online for other people with the HD 520 iGPU, which I don't understand...

I can confirm this. From 50% to 100% it charges around 3 hours.

You think the charging time might increase or be different with another more powerful charger?

Also, could you run 3dmark?
I get very low scores compared to other laptops with the HD 520 iGPU:
Firestrike 574
Sky diver 2801
Cloud gate 4428
Ice storm 39194
Compare those with these:
http://www.ultrabookrevie...core-i7-6500u-benchmarks/
Or these:
http://www.laptopmag.com/...ps/microsoft-surface-book


Like a 20-50% difference and sometimes even more!

All I could think of that it might be dual channel ram vs single channel ram or something?

 

[lupus]

You think the charging time might increase or be different with another more powerful charger?

Personally I think that charger with increased voltage (>19V) may damage battery/motherboard or will cause battery not to charge. And charger with increased amperage (>2.1A) may not cause laptop to charge faster, because it may still take only 2.1A and rest of that will cause more heating on the charger. I'm not sure what is maximum amperage allowed to charge that battery. If it can be charged with more than 2.1A, it probably would charge faster, but I'm not sure if it could make quicker battery life drop. Warning on the battery says: "Only use with the specified battery charger"...

Also, could you run 3dmark?
I get very low scores compared to other laptops with the HD 520 iGPU:
Firestrike 574
Sky diver 2801
Cloud gate 4428
Ice storm 39194
Compare those with these:
http://www.ultrabookrevie...core-i7-6500u-benchmarks/
Or these:
http://www.laptopmag.com/...ps/microsoft-surface-book


Like a 20-50% difference and sometimes even more!

All I could think of that it might be dual channel ram vs single channel ram or something?

3dmark test is on the way. Remember that i3-6100U results probably will be lower than results of i7-6500U...

 

[lupus]

Okay, here are 3dmark results, as promised:
Windows power plan: High performance.
Processor and RAM: i3-6100U @ 2.3GHz, 4GB DDR3L RAM @ 1600MHz, Intel HD520 iGPU.

RESULTS:
Fire strike: 592
Sky diver: 2837
Cloud gate: 4479
Ice storm: 40391

 

[Robin_hood]

Personally I think that charger with increased voltage (>19V) may damage battery/motherboard or will cause battery not to charge. And charger with increased amperage (>2.1A) may not cause laptop to charge faster, because it may still take only 2.1A and rest of that will cause more heating on the charger. I'm not sure what is maximum amperage allowed to charge that battery. If it can be charged with more than 2.1A, it probably would charge faster, but I'm not sure if it could make quicker battery life drop. Warning on the battery says: "Only use with the specified battery charger"...


3dmark test is on the way. Remember that i3-6100U results probably will be lower than results of i7-6500U...

Thanks, that makes sense.
The difference between the i3 and i7 should not be that much because of the same iGPU, only physics tasks will cause a difference.

Okay, here are 3dmark results, as promised:
Windows power plan: High performance.
Processor and RAM: i3-6100U @ 2.3GHz, 4GB DDR3L RAM @ 1600MHz, Intel HD520 iGPU.

RESULTS:
Fire strike: 592
Sky diver: 2837
Cloud gate: 4479
Ice storm: 40391

The problem is with the ram. It is in single channel and therefor the memory bandwith is only 50% of what it is in the reviews of the Surfacebook and the comparison I linked to.
See these two posts:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/916373-pc/68660712
http://www.ultrabookgaming.com/hardware/dual-channel-vs-single-channel-memory/

Can the Lafité II take DDR4 SODIMMS? 2133 Mhz DDR4 ram is ~32% less bandwith then 1600Mhz DDR3 Dualchannel ram and 36% more then DDR3 Single Channel ram. Would that be enough of an improvement. Makes me wonder.