Laptop Device

[paddyc]

Laptop Advice

Hi Guys

I bought a vortex 2 about 3 years ago and now i think its time for an upgrade. I will be using the laptop for autocad, tedds and maybe some FEM.
Although it would be easy to go for a new vortex I will be using the laptop in work so i need it to be a little bit quieter. Now, I had planned on getting the Defiance but the Octane is really interesting to me but i fear it is also too loud.
Anyway I would like to get the communal thoughts on this spec and any other advice you guys mite have.

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 15.6" Glossy 4K PLS LED Widescreen (3840x2160) (£119)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4720HQ (2.60GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970M - 3.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Free Item
FREE DYING LIGHT DIGITAL VOUCHER with GTX 965M / 970M / 980M GRAPHICS!
Memory - Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
750GB WD SLIM BLUE WD7500LPCX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-7265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
4 x USB 3.0 PORTS (1 x POWERED, 1 e-SATA COMBINED)
Battery
Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (60WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
2 x UK Power Lead & 180W AC Adaptor (£49)
Keyboard Language
DEFIANCE SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,368.00 including VAT and delivery

Thanks

 

[GeorgeHillier]

I would definitely stick with the defiance (or go for the Vortex), the octane uses a desktop CPU, so will run hotter and louder, plus it's heavy and battery life will be poor.

The octane is more of a desktop replacement.

Also, Don't bother with the 4K screen, it costs a lot more and you'll use more power running at a 4k resolution. I'd go for something like this instead:

Chassis & Display Defiance Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080) A lot cheaper and will still look good
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4720HQ (2.60GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM) 16GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB) No point going for more expensive RAM
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970M - 3.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11 You could upgrade to the 980M, but pushes it to £1419
2nd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - Hard Disk 120GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW) SSD for boot
2nd Hard Disk 1TB WD SLIM BLUE WD10SPCX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (5400 rpm) Larger HDD
RAID NONE
mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive NONE
2nd mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive NONE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
Memory Card Reader Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-7265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
Wireless Router/HomePlugs NONE
USB Options 4 x USB 3.0 PORTS (1 x POWERED, 1 e-SATA COMBINED)
Battery Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (60WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 180W AC Adaptor
Keyboard Language DEFIANCE SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Windows 10 Upgrade NONE
DVD Recovery Media NO DVD RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Carry Case NONE
Laptop Cooling Stands NONE
Stand-Alone Monitor NONE
Additional Keyboard NONE
Notebook Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Gaming Mouse Pad NONE
External Speakers NONE
Webcam INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Headsets NONE
Surge Protection NONE
Printer NONE
External Hard Drive NONE
Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation NONE
Dead Pixel Guarantee NONE
Insurance 1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Promotional Item FREE DYING LIGHT DIGITAL VOUCHER with GTX 965M / 970M / 980M GRAPHICS!
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £1,005.83
Price £1,207.00

 

[paddyc]

Thanks for the feedback GeorgeHillier.
Ill take on your advice about the 4k screen, but as i'm trying to future proof the laptop i'll probably end up with a 3k screen. Which does leave a little room in the budget so whats your opinion on the processors, is the 4870 worth the extra with the lower base speed. In terms of graphics cards i'm not sure that paying the extra for the 980m would be worth it when i probably won't be pushing it.

All the best.

 

[GeorgeHillier]

Thanks for the feedback GeorgeHillier.
Ill take on your advice about the 4k screen, but as i'm trying to future proof the laptop i'll probably end up with a 3k screen. Which does leave a little room in the budget so whats your opinion on the processors, is the 4870 worth the extra with the lower base speed. In terms of graphics cards i'm not sure that paying the extra for the 980m would be worth it when i probably won't be pushing it.

All the best.

I'm not that familiar with the software you use, the best thing to do is go on a forum for that software and ask if the processor or GPU is more important and go from there.

I personally wouldn't bother with anything above 1080p for the screen though, since that will damage the future-proofing of it, since the GPU will always be working harder to power it, plus there's just no content out there at the moment for those resolutions. You'll probably find that the laptop won't be able to render stuff well at those resolutions either, so you'll just end up lowering the resolution to 1080p anyway.

 

[Hewhoist]

Hey,

Lot of people saying the octane is loud but mine really isn't, haven't even heard the fans run at full once even under load and the temps are always fine. The battery is short though most I've managed is 2hrs on it

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hey,

Lot of people saying the octane is loud but mine really isn't, haven't even heard the fans run at full once even under load and the temps are always fine. The battery is short though most I've managed is 2hrs on it

As I understand it the fan management is more of a gradual increase rather than steps? Is that right?