Buying advice - 15.4" Gaming & Working Laptop - £1.6k budget

[Mr_Lemons]

Hi all

New to the forum. I am thinking about buying a new laptop, which I haven't done since 2009 from Kobalt Computers (if anyone remembers them!).

I want something that will let me play games like Age of Empires 4, Wasteland 3 and Baldur's Gate 3 - potentially some FPS's but I am not fussed about 100+ FPS rates.

Ideally something that will also be good to watch films on, and future proofed enough to last 7-10 years before it is totally obsolete (my 2009 laptop is still going!). May get some use with AutoCAD LT, video editing and excel as well.

It should be a 15.4" screen and budget-wise I'm probably aiming at the £1,500-1,600 mark but don't necessarily need to spend that much if there is a consensus on spec!

Any recommendations? Thanks in advance!

 

[Tron1982]

Hello,
Two things, will you play and use your laptop on sector or will you use it on battery ?
And what do you thin about this one :
-15.6 screen
-desktop cpu, so you may be able to upgrade it (at least, for the ryzen 5 gen)
-good cpu (the 3060)
-plenty of ram
BUT
-poor battery life (2h max)
-kinda heavy
-only HD resolution (1920x1080)
-a little bit over budget, but the warranties are worth it ^^

If you have some question about the build, don't hesitate to ask about it ^^

Chassis & Display
Destian Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 240Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 3200MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3060 - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery
Destian Series Detachable 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.2 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
15" DESTIAN SERIES UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
Clevo NH55VPY (6GB RTX-3060, 240Hz N7, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,678.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/destian-15/Zrr!7WGxSJ/

 

[Mr_Lemons]

Thanks for the lightning fast reply! I think for gaming I will certainly be using it plugged in, may use it unplugged for web browsing, films and other light applications.

A couple of questions:

• Do you know if it has an integrated GPU to save battery when not in heavy use?
• Do I need an adaptor to plug in an HDMI cable to a display?
• When you say 'heavy' - I can't see a weight on the spec page?
• Do you think spending an extra £160 over budget is worth it to go for the GTX 3070 or is it overkill?
• Is the advantage of the desktop CPU the main reason you have recommended this chassis? I am guessing the GPU is not upgradeable, just the CPU, in future? Just thinking about chunkiness vs a slightly slimmer chassis.

Thanks again for your input!

 

[Mr_Lemons]

Incidentally, doing a bit of research online I found out my old Nexus chassis is a Clevo M860TU which is a beast of a laptop - as I said it has lasted 13 years and still running perfectly fine. That has nearly sold me on the Destian chassis already as it seems to be an evolution of the same design.

 

[Tron1982]

Hello,
You're welcome ^^

So, to answer your questions
-There is, if i'm not wrong, an integrated gpu on the 5600x, but it's not working, as the gpu is directly connected on the screen, so you will always be using the dedicated gpu
-I don't think so, there is hdmi port on the laptop
-The laptop weight is 2.7kg, and you have to add the charger weight too (something like 500/600g) - (you can see these informartion, as for the number and kind of ports, on the top of the page when you click on "detailed specifications")
-It's worth to spend more on the gpu, as it's not upgradable on the futur (and so, it's the first bottleneck)
-There is 2 reasons why i suggest this chassis :
- i'm a DTR fan (i'm trying to convice @SpyderTracks to build a new fanclub XD) and you wanted upgradability and futurproofing, so, the cpu evolution opportunity is what answer your needs
- It's a clevo chassis, and even if tongfang improved from the previous gen, i'm not really fond of this brand (but it's a personnal choice)
- it's bigger, so, it's mean better air flow, so better cooling, so better life expectancy for the laptop

And for the battery life, even for light use, i don't think it will be more than 2 hours (maybe a little bit more if you tweak your energy parameters)

 

[SpyderTracks]

There is, if i'm not wrong, an integrated gpu on the 5600x, but it's not working, as the gpu is directly connected on the screen, so you will always be using the dedicated gpu

Ryzen doesn't have integrated graphics.

 

[Tron1982]

Ryzen doesn't have integrated graphics.

Oh, i didn't know
I learned something new today \o/

 

[Mr_Lemons]

Hi all - just reading the news about the new mobile RTX 3070 Ti cards coming out in Feb. Is this something PC Specialist will offer as an option and is it worth waiting for?

 

[Tron1982]

As none of us are working for PCS, we don't know, you have to ask them directly ^^

 

[SpyderTracks]

I don't think you'd be able to get one in budget.

 

[Mr_Lemons]

I don't think you'd be able to get one in budget.

Yes I think I would probably have to increase my budget - but thinking a 3070Ti might have more longevity so could be worth the investment.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Yes I think I would probably have to increase my budget - but thinking a 3070Ti might have more longevity so could be worth the investment.

Oh absolutely, if you're able to stretch the budget then get the most powerful gpu you can afford as it will be the first bottleneck that isn't upgradeable on a laptop so you always spec the gpu as high as you can.

 

[Mr_Lemons]

Hi all

I had previously posted as I am looking to buy a new laptop, initially had a budget of £1.6k but this has now edged higher to £1.9k.

I was advised to go for the Destian as this is a great unit, but after lots of thinking I am slightly put off by the weight and size of it. Ultimately I want to be able to move my laptop around the house / travel with it and the idea of lugging around a really heavy thing with a huge power brick does not appeal to me. Also, I have been trying to find pictures / video reviews of the Destian and not had much luck to try and get a sense of the actual size of the laptop.

So I am currently split between the Ionico and the Recoil, however having read through quite a few of the threads on here I am looking for some objective advice and hopefully personal experience!

In terms of the minimum requirements I've got: Currently keen on the RTX 3070 for games like Baldur's Gate 3, Wasteland 3, and whatever else pops up on Xbox Game Pass. 16GB RAM should be fine for now, as it can be upgraded later. Leaning toward the AMD cpu as I understand they run slightly cooler, and also the 11th gen intel will soon be obsolete (and I don't want to wait months) - but open to advice on this point.

So likes and dislikes currently:

Ionico: really like the look for the laptop, weight and magnesium alloy chassis that is not a fingerprint magnet.

Recoil: better battery life, slightly thicker so assuming better cooling.

I am also concerned about negative reviews for TongFang chassis' generally, and I am also worried about the Recoil keyboard as I've read poor reviews about this in lots of posts....feels like there is just no better option than the Ionico or Recoil at the moment, other than the Destian? I am keen on a PCS laptop as I believe they offer good value for money and am at the moment steering away from pre-built machines.

So does anyone have any experience with these, or do you have a completely different suggestion? I feel like I've gone down the rabbit hole over the past few weeks and some objective advice would be great.

 

[barlew]

Hi all

I had previously posted as I am looking to buy a new laptop, initially had a budget of £1.6k but this has now edged higher to £1.9k.

I was advised to go for the Destian as this is a great unit, but after lots of thinking I am slightly put off by the weight and size of it. Ultimately I want to be able to move my laptop around the house / travel with it and the idea of lugging around a really heavy thing with a huge power brick does not appeal to me. Also, I have been trying to find pictures / video reviews of the Destian and not had much luck to try and get a sense of the actual size of the laptop.

So I am currently split between the Ionico and the Recoil, however having read through quite a few of the threads on here I am looking for some objective advice and hopefully personal experience!

In terms of the minimum requirements I've got: Currently keen on the RTX 3070 for games like Baldur's Gate 3, Wasteland 3, and whatever else pops up on Xbox Game Pass. 16GB RAM should be fine for now, as it can be upgraded later. Leaning toward the AMD cpu as I understand they run slightly cooler, and also the 11th gen intel will soon be obsolete (and I don't want to wait months) - but open to advice on this point.

So likes and dislikes currently:

Ionico: really like the look for the laptop, weight and magnesium alloy chassis that is not a fingerprint magnet.

Recoil: better battery life, slightly thicker so assuming better cooling.

I am also concerned about negative reviews for TongFang chassis' generally, and I am also worried about the Recoil keyboard as I've read poor reviews about this in lots of posts....feels like there is just no better option than the Ionico or Recoil at the moment, other than the Destian? I am keen on a PCS laptop as I believe they offer good value for money and am at the moment steering away from pre-built machines.

So does anyone have any experience with these, or do you have a completely different suggestion? I feel like I've gone down the rabbit hole over the past few weeks and some objective advice would be great.

Ok so first thing to note those systems are both TongFang but don't let that worry you too much as they seem to have really upped their game since their last generation of laptops. I have owned one of each generation and from my personal experience their hardware is much better than it was.

My old Vyper had dreadful problems with the letters scratching off of the keys. This was a common problem with all of the TongFang models. I have had my Valeon now for 3 months and it's had a hell of a lot of use in that time. So far there is no sign of keyboard wear. To but it into context, on my Vyper the keys started scratching off after 2 weeks.

If I had a choice between the Ionico or the Recoil I would go with the Recoil. Whilst the Ionico looks aesthetically very pleasing and is ultra portable, I believe that in order to have such high power components in such a thin laptop they have reduced the TDP of the GPU to avoid heat issues. As far as I am aware the Recoils TDP is able to be completely unlocked. Please take that with a pinch of salt, its just the impression I have got through the forums. If you want a solid answer contact PCS.

Next up, there have been a number of users recently complaining of an intermittent screen fault with the Ionico. This is on both the 15 and 17 inch versions. Whilst laptop screens do die and its quite a common fault to have, this fault is really bizzare, the way the screens fade to black is not typical of how a panel or connecting cable usually dies. The fact we have had 3 users in relatively quick succession complaining of the same fault rings alarm bells for me. Don't get me wrong the forums are not flooded with people complaining of this issue but its something I would take into account. The fault is detailed here: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/threads/display-has-died-twice-on-me-ionico-17-3.87234/

To say the 5900HX runs cooler is not actually correct. Out of the box the R9 5900HX will run as hot if not hotter than the I7 11800H. The reason for this is it is designed to have a higher temperature tolerance which allows it to sustain its boost clocks much longer than the I7. Now I have said that, the TongFang Control Center gives you the tools to optimize the temperature of your CPU by adjusting the boost wattage of the chip. In theory this reduces the performance of the CPU however for gaming the frames you lose are far outweighed by the temperature you reduce the chip by. So for example with my 5900HX I have brought the temps down by about 15C on average so it sits in the 80C's instead of the high 90C's all the time. In doing this for some games I see no difference to my frames and in others I lose about 3 FPS. I am happy to be told difference but I don't think you are able to achieve the same level of heat optimization whilst keeping the performance in the same way with the 11800H. Intel have also now locked their chips which means you are not able to under-volt them to optimize temps like we used too.

Sorry for the essay, my final recommendation would be to go for a Recoil with the AMD Ryzen 9.

If you would like me to spec you a recommendation I would be happy too.

 

[Tron1982]

Well, i think the destian is still the best.
The weight is clearly a minor point i think.
Anyway, if you really want to stay between the ionico and the recoil, well, i agree with barlew
(Let us know if you want some advice about a config with these chassis)

 

[Mr_Lemons]

Thank you both for the replies! I have a spec in mind and will share tomorrow, will be interested in your opinions.

@Tron1982 Do you have any photos of the Destian you can share, also of the charger so I can get an understanding of actual size? As I said I looked all over the internet and couldn't find anything.

 

[barlew]

For me the choice between a Destian and the Recoil is a no brainer. I Would go with the Recoil all day long for 3 key reasons.

1. The Destian Is huge
2. The Destian only comes with a 1080p panel (this would be my biggest reason)
3. A R9 5900HX, RTX 3070 Recoil will beat a 5600X, RTX 3070 Destian in benchmarks and its half the size

The only time I would recommend the Destian would be if it didn't need to be portable and you will do most of your gaming on an external monitor.

In fact even then I probably wouldn't recommend it I'd tell you to spend the money on a desktop or look at one of the 17" laptops.

 

[Tron1982]

The destian can go up to the 5900x now ^^
That said, i proposed this laptop because of the initial demand of the original poster ^^

Then, in fact, i think i do have some picture, or i can ask my sis if she can send me, but not before the end of the next week ^^"

 

[barlew]

The destian can go up to the 5900x now ^^
That said, i proposed this laptop because of the initial demand of the original poster ^^

Then, in fact, i think i do have some picture, or i can ask my sis if she can send me, but not before the end of the next week ^^"

Your right it does but then you have a 1080p laptop with a 5900x, and a 3070. In my opinion that makes no sense at all.

It would be different if it was 1440p with a 3080.

 

[Mr_Lemons]

haha sorry I feel like I've started an argument here!

Thank you guys, really appreciate this.

I think that barlew is making a good point with regard to the screen only being 1080p with such a powerful graphics card. If i had a 2K/4K external display it would make sense, but in my case I'm going to be using the laptop screen primarily.

Therefore it's looking like the Recoil may be the best option for my use case. Those videos of the Ionico screen going dark looked pretty terrifying and I'd be super disappointed if that were to happen to me, so not really worth the risk. It may have been a bad batch of faulty screens (as they all look similarly aged) but I'd rather not take the chance with a £2k investment....

So this is what I'm looking at:




Chassis & Display
Recoil Series: 15.6" Matte QHD 165Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1440)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 9 Eight Core Processor 5900HX (3.3GHz, 4.6GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 3200MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3070 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery
Recoil Series Integrated 94WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS
Keyboard Language
PER-KEY RGB BACKLIT UK MECHANICAL KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
TongFang GM5ZN7W (8GB RTX-3070, R9-5900HX, 165Hz QHD)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Price: £1,860.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/recoil-V-15/fsVfGzhPS3/