Laptop Decision Help

[XELANAMYT]

Hi,

I wrote a post a few weeks ago with a pile of questions to help me decide what I wanted/needed in my upcoming laptop order. Now after some more research, availability of parts and other real life occurrences, I have a few more questions if people wouldn't mind giving their opinion/answer it would be greatly appreciated!

I'm planning on using this laptop for work based activities (software development), but primarily gaming, however, I don't plan to play graphically intensive games at full settings, I generally play building or 4x style games (e.g. Factorio, Cities Skylines, Civ, Stellaris - actually most of Paradox's grand strategy games). I'm more bothered about fan noise and temperatures as I usually play on the sofa. I'm not someone who is an enthusiast when it comes to hardware, I just want a good quality machine that works as expected. FYI I currently use a Lenovo with a i7-7500U, GTX 950M and 16GB, which is generally pretty good... but it's not mine!

I have two specs below, one for the Optimus and one for the Optimus Pro, both about the same price. The main differences are the CPU and GPU and that is where most of my questions lie. I have also considered other laptops from other companies, but I gather discussing those are a forum no-no!

• 1. How do the two specs compare with regards to heat and fan noise? I know that might be hard to answer if you don't have both of them, but worth a shot!
• 2. Is it expected that you have to install Windows freshly once you receive your new laptop? I see that a lot of people say they do that.
• 3. What is the maintenance expected for these laptops beyond the usual clean out fans occasionally? Again, I see a lot of people saying they re-pasting etc.
• 4. As I'm not planning on playing AAA games at high settings, is the 1660 Ti a pretty decent card?
• 5. On the Optimus spec, there is an option for HDD/SDD (which is selected by default), but I said none and chose a M.2 SSD, is that alright? I'm not sure of the difference between a M.2 and one which isn't.
• 6. Honestly, do you think I might not be worth me getting a PCS laptop over a 'standard' laptop? I feel a bit out of my depth with the people/knowledge around here!

Specs:

Spoiler: Optimus

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 144Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 10750H (2.6GHz, 5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 180W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Optimus Series Detachable Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (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
MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT 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 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 Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
NONE
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
Clevo NH55DCQ (6GB GTX-1660 Ti, i7-10750H, 144Hz N4)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,151.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/optimusXI-15/N2mkdJJzkN/

Spoiler: Optimus Pro

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 120Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 7 Eight Core Processor 4800H (2.9GHz, 4.2GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060 - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Card Reader (Full Size SD / SDHC / SDXC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 180W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Optimus Series Integrated 46WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.1 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
OPTIMUS PRO SERIES RGB BACKLIT 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 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 Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
NONE
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
TongFang GK5NR0O (6GB RTX-2060, R7-4800H, 120Hz, Blank KB)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,160.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/optimusXI-pro-15/nQXdmk4css/

Again, thanks very much for your input.

 

[FerrariVie]

1. How do the two specs compare with regards to heat and fan noise? I know that might be hard to answer if you don't have both of them, but worth a shot!
2. Is it expected that you have to install Windows freshly once you receive your new laptop? I see that a lot of people say they do that.
3. What is the maintenance expected for these laptops beyond the usual clean out fans occasionally? Again, I see a lot of people saying they re-pasting etc.
4. As I'm not planning on playing AAA games at high settings, is the 1660 Ti a pretty decent card?
5. On the Optimus spec, there is an option for HDD/SDD (which is selected by default), but I said none and chose a M.2 SSD, is that alright? I'm not sure of the difference between a M.2 and one which isn't.
6. Honestly, do you think I might not be worth me getting a PCS laptop over a 'standard' laptop? I feel a bit out of my depth with the people/knowledge around here!

Trying to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge:

1- Sorry, cannot answer this one. We need to wait for Optimus and Optimus Pro owners to comment about this. What I can say is that both have some kind of control centre that have at least 3 different profiles that will allow you to tune up or down your performance (and noise, by consequence) according to your needs. For your current games, I would say that even in the quiet/office mode you're probably going to be able to play them well.

2- A windows fresh install is only required if you don't buy a windows license, as the version installed by pcs is only for testing purposes. If you're buying your windows license, pcs will do a full install and correct setup of your windows, so a clean install is not expected. However, as with any pc/laptop from any brand, you might need to do a clean install if you face issues. But that is not hard at all, so I wouldn't be worried about it.

3- I noticed that both your builds already have the option for better thermal paste, so (especially after looking at your typical usage) I don't think a repaste is going to be required, again only if you face issues. A lot of users here in the forum are techy geeks (like me), so when they're bored, they like dismantling and modding laptops to get 2 or 3 degrees less when under full load 🤓, but I don't think that's your case and you shouldn't be worried about not doing it.
I have my Nova for about a month now and still didn't feel the need to repaste it, and even though I know how to do it, I'm probably only going to repaste when upgrading my CPU (only applicable for the Nova) after it becomes slow and warranty is gone.

4- For the games that you listed, I think you're going to play them in max settings even with the 1660Ti, even my old Dell 7559 with a GTX 960m (just a bit better than what you have now) could play Civ 6 quite well. The only reason I would recommend the 2060 instead is because of the newer generation chip, where the RTX 20 is the current generation chip and the GTX 16 is a generation behind, so you get more future-proofing for just a small increase in price. The 1660Ti should be good enough for now, but how many years are you planning to keep using that laptop? Maybe it might not be good enough for Civilization 7 or 8? We'll never know for sure.

5- There are 3 main things that you need to know about storage type. The first is HDD vs SSD, which in short means: HDD = cheaper and slower, SSD = more expensive and a lot faster than an HDD (around 6 to 8 times faster). SSD is usually used for everything that you need quick access, like windows, apps and even games will load much faster, if you can afford to have them installed on it. Then there is the second part, that applies only to SSD: SATA vs NVME (also known and PCIe). Again the analogy is the same: SATA SSD = cheaper and not that fast, NVME SSD = more expensive and a lot faster than SATA (around 3 to 5 times faster, depending on the NVME brand/type). Then the third part (less important IMO) is the M.2 vs 2.5": Generally speaking, this is the physical size of the drive, but notice that NVME SSD can only be M.2, HDD can only be 2.5" and SATA SSD can be either.
In summary ROFLMAO, the recommendation is always to get at least a SATA SSD for windows (NVME ideal) and for games a SATA SSD drive (again, if your budget allows). I use HDDs only as external drives, to save things that are not needed all the time, like videos and photos, as well as backups of general files. If you don't mind about loading times, then an HDD could be an option for the games drive, but I would not recommend it due to SSDs being a lot more affordable nowadays. If you're getting only a SATA SSD, I would also recommend getting the 2.5" version (if your laptop has it), as you can keep empty M.2 slots for NVME in the future. But both your builds have an NVME/PCIe drive already, so it means that they will need to be an M.2 anyway and if you're only getting one drive at the moment, that is indeed the best option. But are you sure that 512Gb is enough for you? The difference of getting a 1Tb drive of the same time is a bit less than £50, but if that is not an option right now, know that you can always add another drive in the future.

6- I don't think there is much of a difference between a PCS laptop and a "normal" laptop. The fact that it has a configurator makes you think that it is any different than others like dell and lenovo? Most of them have configurator on their sites as well, and going for the 2-year warranty (like you did) gives you extra peace of mind. I really believe that the only disadvantage of getting a PCS laptop is when reselling it, as most people won't know the brand. But that is just in case you're planning to do resell it in the future, which is not my case. I usually use the laptop until it breaks (the case of my old Dell) or until it is so slow that no one would want that , so I'm good.
I can't say about durability, as this is my first Clevo chassis, but for now it feels really sturdy and I've seen lots of people on the forum mentioning that they've bought more than one laptop from PCS, so it means that they're happy with it. I had a Dell and it broke the hinges and LCD cable after less than 4 years of usage, only sitting on a desk. The build quality was not good even though it's from a famous brand, and that's what made me go for something different from the "normal" laptops this time.

 

[XELANAMYT]

Thanks for all that information, very useful and has answered most of my questions.

I think I just need to decide if it is worth waiting for the RTX 2060 with Ryzen 7 combination as I've noticed that I could get the Optimus Pro spec I quoted above, but with the 10875H for a little extra money, but then I've also heard that the Intel CPUs run quite hotcompared to the AMD CPUs, which is obviously a concern for me.

I knew quite a bit about the difference in HDD vs SSD, but not the SATA vs NVME, however saying it was another name for PCIe made me realise some of differences as I've heard of PCIe before, just not in the context of SSDs. I think 512GB would be enough for me as most of the games I play aren't that graphically demanding and therefore generally have a lower hard drive footprint. (or that assumption could be out dated like most of my assumptions recently!)

When looking at other 'normal' laptops one thing I noticed (apart from the increase in cost) was the lack of extra warranty option, which I definitely want.

 

[FerrariVie]

Thanks for all that information, very useful and has answered most of my questions.

I think I just need to decide if it is worth waiting for the RTX 2060 with Ryzen 7 combination as I've noticed that I could get the Optimus Pro spec I quoted above, but with the 10875H for a little extra money, but then I've also heard that the Intel CPUs run quite hotcompared to the AMD CPUs, which is obviously a concern for me.

I knew quite a bit about the difference in HDD vs SSD, but not the SATA vs NVME, however saying it was another name for PCIe made me realise some of differences as I've heard of PCIe before, just not in the context of SSDs. I think 512GB would be enough for me as most of the games I play aren't that graphically demanding and therefore generally have a lower hard drive footprint. (or that assumption could be out dated like most of my assumptions recently!)

When looking at other 'normal' laptops one thing I noticed (apart from the increase in cost) was the lack of extra warranty option, which I definitely want.

The ryzen 7 is very similar in performance to the 10875H, so you would be fine with either. For gaming, I'm inclined to say that the latter is a bit better, while the ryzen would be better for productivity work (photo/video editing, rendering, etc). If the combination of Ryzen and 2060 is out of stock and 10875H + 2060 is in stock, I would not hesitate to get the intel combo.

I'm just not sure about thermals though, so I suggest you to look for reviews online. I don't know how hard is going to be to find a review of this same chassis, but you can look at reviews of the same CPU on different chassis and make a comparison with the Optimus (regarding size, thickness, air vents on the bottom, etc) and see which would be closer.

About the warranty, a few brands (I know about dell and lenovo) do give you the option for an extended warranty, but you'll need to buy the laptop on their own website and not all models have the option for extra warranty (items on sale usually don't ). So you'll likely end up paying more than on Amazon/Argos/Currys and the extended warranty itself is also very expensive in general.

 

[XELANAMYT]

After several weeks of trying to decide which laptop to get I finally put my order in this evening!

I know I will have to wait for the CPU/Chassis to come back into stock so I don't know when I'll get it, but hopefully in just a little over the month, fingers crossed!

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 120Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 7 Eight Core Processor 4800H (2.9GHz, 4.2GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060 - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Card Reader (Full Size SD / SDHC / SDXC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 180W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Optimus Series Integrated 46WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.1 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
OPTIMUS PRO SERIES RGB BACKLIT 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 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
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 Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/optimusXI-pro-15/qyB6ZgAWRE/

 

[FerrariVie]

Great! Now fingers crossed for the wait not to be too long