Desktop Replacement 17" Vortex

[Sploigy]

Hi Guys,
I'd appreciate it if anyone could give me a bit of help with planning a replacement for my current ageing laptop. I'm looking for something pretty powerful along the lines of a desktop replacement, as unfortunately due to work situations a full desktop just isn't viable for me. Mobility isn't an issue, this thing will likely just sit on my desk and only be moved when I'm moving location every 3-6mths.

The machine need to be able to cope with some moderately CPU intensive work (light coding/compiling, video editing etc) and I'd hope to be able to play all of the current gen games at around 60fps on high, or as close as possible with a laptop.

So this is what I've gone with so far:

Chassis & Display -- Vortex Series 17.3" Matte (I'd assume the spec below would be fine to power the 17" in games, screen size isn't going to make a difference since the 15" and 17" are the same resolution right?)

Processor (CPU) -- Intel Core i7 i7-4710MQ (2.50GHz)

Memory (RAM) -- 8GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (Would there be any benefit to 16gb I can't really think of any myself and if i do end up needing more ram it's an easy upgrade.)

Graphics Card -- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (I think the 880 is worth the extra cash over the 870 given the hassle of upgrading laptop GPU and I also dont think the next gen will be compatible with the current vortex without a PCS bios upgrade and I'm not sure how reliable they are -- anyone have any advice on this)

Hard Drives -- Two HHD Slots on this chasis first one will take a 750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK 7200rpm drive for storage of music, movies, most games etc. Second is a toss up, I want an SSD for the fast boot times an loading screens, and I've heard there are issues with the Kingston V300 Series. So with that in mind I decided to opt for the Samsung 840 EVO series. The main issue is capacity, 120gb seems tight for windows + any games with important load times (MMORPGs etc), So I'm leaning twords 250gb. Would this be overkill and is 120gb sufficient? This configuration also leaves the mSATA bays free which I'm guessing is the best course of action?

Misc --
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive -- 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer

Memory Card Reader -- Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader

Thermal Paste -- ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (for the cost I'd imagine this is worth it, no point shelling out €2000 and skimping on €10)

Sound Card -- Intel 5.1 Channel High Definition Audio + SPDIF/MIC/Headphone Jack

Bluetooth & Wireless -- GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ 1202 WIRELESS GAMING 802.11N + BLUETOOTH 4.0 (I believe there are issues with intels wi-fi drivers atm, I'd also appreciate it if anyone could weigh in on the "Killer" packet filtering ability and whether it makes a difference)

Warranty -- Will prob go for standard since I'm in Ireland so the collect and return offers no advantages, but tempted by the golds two year parts cover.


Other Bits and Bobs:
Will probably be shelling out for a cheap-ish gaming mouse and cooling stand, any advice is appreciated on these as my knowledge is seriously limited, especially with the cooling stands I don't know if they are needed or a gimic, but I can imagine that this machine will run hot and I dont want any throttling.


I'd really appreciate any advice you guys have as while I'd consider myself a technically this is my first attempt to create a machine anywhere near this powerful and am sure I've made plenty of first time mistakes. If you want to scrap the build entirely feel free to do so, my budget is around €2000 or £1500.


Thanks

 

[Cadwah]

Looks good.

As far as I know PCS will not offer upgrades between generations of their laptops. I believe it is because the chassis can change between iterations and the video cards come with the chassis when PCS buy them.

I have 120GB SSD and I wish I had gone for the 240/250. 120GB fills up real quick. Samsung or HyperX are probably the best value.

Better thermal paste is definitely worth it.

I have the N6300 and have had no issues whatsoever, the Killer has great reviews though.

The cooling on the Vortex is pretty good however like all laptops it gets hot under load. I use the Coolermaster U3 stand, it has three fans that you can position under the vents. It helps a lot, it also raises the back of the keyboard making it more comfortable to type.

glhf

 

[SpyderTracks]

So this is what I've gone with so far:

Chassis & Display -- Vortex Series 17.3" Matte (I'd assume the spec below would be fine to power the 17" in games, screen size isn't going to make a difference since the 15" and 17" are the same resolution right?) Yes, 17" and 15" are both 1080p. The 17" chassis has an extra 2.5" HDD/SDD bay plus space for 2 mSATA drives which was appealing to me. For a good tear down and review of the chassis see here: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-One-K73-3N-Clevo-P170SM-Notebook.93315.0.html

Processor (CPU) -- Intel Core i7 i7-4710MQ (2.50GHz) Good processor, I don't think you'd particularly benefit from the extra clock speed on the higher models

Memory (RAM) -- 8GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (Would there be any benefit to 16gb I can't really think of any myself and if i do end up needing more ram it's an easy upgrade.) Worth ordering 1x8Gb stick which leaves you 3 slots to add more if you like. Adding RAM is very simple (see link above for chassis breakdown)

Graphics Card -- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (I think the 880 is worth the extra cash over the 870 given the hassle of upgrading laptop GPU and I also dont think the next gen will be compatible with the current vortex without a PCS bios upgrade and I'm not sure how reliable they are -- anyone have any advice on this) I went for the GTX870m as I couldn't justify the extra cost, but if I go to upgrades, the GPU isn't upgradeable. If you can afford it, definitely go for the GTX880m for future proofing, it's an awesome card and worth the money.

Hard Drives -- Two HHD Slots on this chasis first one will take a 750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK 7200rpm drive for storage of music, movies, most games etc. Second is a toss up, I want an SSD for the fast boot times an loading screens, and I've heard there are issues with the Kingston V300 Series. So with that in mind I decided to opt for the Samsung 840 EVO series. The main issue is capacity, 120gb seems tight for windows + any games with important load times (MMORPGs etc), So I'm leaning twords 250gb. Would this be overkill and is 120gb sufficient? This configuration also leaves the mSATA bays free which I'm guessing is the best course of action? I went with the 250Gb Evo for exactly the same reasoning as you and it does make a big difference. I haven't had to worry about how many games I have installed on the SSD whereas on the 120Gb SSD on my desktop, I'm very limited on things I can have installed.

Misc --
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive -- 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer

Memory Card Reader -- Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader

Thermal Paste -- ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (for the cost I'd imagine this is worth it, no point shelling out €2000 and skimping on €10) Well worth the extra money for the paste, it will knock upto 5 degrees off your temps and lower temps means better stability and lifespan.

Sound Card -- Intel 5.1 Channel High Definition Audio + SPDIF/MIC/Headphone Jack

Bluetooth & Wireless -- GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ 1202 WIRELESS GAMING 802.11N + BLUETOOTH 4.0 (I believe there are issues with intels wi-fi drivers atm, I'd also appreciate it if anyone could weigh in on the "Killer" packet filtering ability and whether it makes a difference) Yes, the Intel cards have driver issues, moreso on the basic models. I have the Killer and have never had an issue. Afraid can't comment on packet filtering as don't use it.

Warranty -- Will prob go for standard since I'm in Ireland so the collect and return offers no advantages, but tempted by the golds two year parts cover.


Other Bits and Bobs:
Will probably be shelling out for a cheap-ish gaming mouse and cooling stand, any advice is appreciated on these as my knowledge is seriously limited, especially with the cooling stands I don't know if they are needed or a gimic, but I can imagine that this machine will run hot and I dont want any throttling. Don't know what you class as cheapish but would recommend the Cyborg R.A.T. series mice, they are phenominal and very solidly built. They do a 3, 5, 7 (all represent how many programmable buttons). For MMO's you'd probably want the R.A.T. 5 at least which you can add to your order with PCS who are pretty competitive with pricing on their peripherals. Cooling stand is a good buy as will further reduce your temps by up to about 5 degrees. I went with the Zalman ZM-NC3500 through PCS as it's one giant fan and therefor next to silent operation. It takes 2 x usb inputs to power it and if you want to use the included USB ports on the stand, you need a separate power supply which isn't included


I'd really appreciate any advice you guys have as while I'd consider myself a technically this is my first attempt to create a machine anywhere near this powerful and am sure I've made plenty of first time mistakes. If you want to scrap the build entirely feel free to do so, my budget is around €2000 or £1500. I would HIGHLY recommend this chassis, it's really nice and I haven't had any issues with it running games and graphics suites yet.

 

[Sploigy]

Thanks for the help guys, I looked at those R.A.T mice and they seem to be just the ticket, will prob order the system later on today. Really appreciate your input guys ill let know know how everything works out when it arrives.