New Build, but slightly concerned on timescales..

[welshnick]

Hi All...

New to the site, and happy that a custom built laptop is gonna take time, but my concern is who could tell me if the build I want has everything in stock or not??

Any help appreciated.. Here's my choice :-

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
12GB Kingston SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB, 1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
Memory - Hard Disk
240GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
Ultra Slim 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
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 + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N-7265 M.2 (300Mbps, 802.11BGN) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
4 x USB 3.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery
Optimus Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (62.16WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Keyboard Language
OPTIMUS SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £836.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[welshnick]

OR... side by side comparison. basically for general gaming usage, and wanting a high performance laptop under £1000... Your comments would be appreciated. Thank you.

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 965M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
Memory - Hard Disk
240GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
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-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0, vPRO
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
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
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 10 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £968.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[GeorgeHillier]

The second one would be better. A few things to note though:
- For gaming you only need 8GB of RAM
- The V300 SSDs suffer performance issues go with either the hyper X or a samsung SSD instead
- Try push for the 970m if possible
- Modern games take up large amounts of space, a 240GB SSD wouldn't be enough, go for a hard drive if needed and add an SSD later on

 

[Glissov]

I don't know about the Optimus but the Defiance has pretty long wait times (as for as I am aware, because its very hard to get a clear response from PCS).
The estimated wait time after paying is 12 days, so after that period if the status of my order hasn't changed, I will call in for an update and will post any new information I've been given.
However all information/timescales have to be taken with a pinch of salt as from personal experience and reading the complaints of others, these estimates are being pushed further and further back.
This is natural as many things may be outwith the re-sellers control but the real problem (I feel) is the lack of communication; they don't update you, they give you a date, then you have to call back to confirm when nothing changes and they give you a new date and so goes the cycle. I have always had a very friendly and welcoming experience with PCS customer advisers who are very helpful but when the things about ETA on stock don't pan out it makes you wonder if they are just giving you dates to keep from revealing how dire the situation actually is. If you need your laptop in any urgency, go elsewhere; also be aware that a rush service (for extra cost) is not a guarantee that your system will be built faster.

The last update on the forums status page for stock also showed Optimus delays but the post is over a month old: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?44744-PC-Specialist-Status-Updates
Best thing would be to call and ask and if you do, please post back here with the results!
Good luck!

 

[welshnick]

thanks folks I will update as soon as I speak to someone.. George, I have a secondary SSD Drive (samsung btw) that i was going to install alongside the pre-installed one, but thanks for the advice. I will certainly try for the other graphics card upgrade.

 

[GeorgeHillier]

thanks folks I will update as soon as I speak to someone.. George, I have a secondary SSD Drive (samsung btw) that i was going to install alongside the pre-installed one, but thanks for the advice. I will certainly try for the other graphics card upgrade.

If you've got an ssd already then I'd advise getting hard drive instead. Gives you space for games and as I said before the V300 ssds are no good anyway

 

[welshnick]

Cheers, George... saves a few quid too

I'll be in touch with them to ask about the delays, if any... Updates to follow,,

 

[welshnick]

Spoke to them this evening, there are no builds available with the GTX 965 card option, so I'm going for a system upgrade with the GTX 970.

Apparently the easiest way to check if stock is available, is to choose 3 day fast track, and it will flag up any items not available..

 

[welshnick]

All purchased and on order.. Went for the upgrade to GTX 970 card as its in stock too, so fast tracked too.... Updates following as and when i get them can't wait now