So I went full out on the spec for a laptop and have been using it for the past 15 days. I'm into VR and specifically editing high res (8K) 360 video hence why I needed this beast of a machine.
Pros:
PCS has an amazing spec for an amazing price compared with Alienware, etc
Delivered quickly and great customer service.
Performance is super quick as expected.
Ordered without Windows 10, as I had a Pro license already, and the laptop came with W10 home installed (no license) and without bloatware. Made the upgrade to Pro much simpler.
CPU Core temps have stayed low in during prolonged (4 hours) 100% usage.
Cons:
There seems to be a conflict between the CPU/GPU and Adobe Premiere Pro that I've been unable to resolve fully as of yet. Hardware encoding in APP causes glitches in the encoded videos, so I have to use software encoding, which is around 20% slower. At this point, the CPU/GPU is so new that I imagine this will be resolved in a future update. If not, I'll need to spend some time drilling down further on the conflict. I've been using After Effects and that has functioned perfectly.
UPDATE: 3 weeks in, the screen went black and now is flickering. Clearly a hardware fault and I'm returning the laptop for repair. How very disappointing. May take up to 2 weeks for repair. No backup unit available. Left in the lurch without my workstation (see photos/videos) -
Update2: Screen started working as normal 4 hours later. It's now been another week and the error hasn't occurred again. Hopefully just a hiccup and won't happen again.
One line summary:
Great laptop, great price for the spec, adobe premiere - hardware conflict that is adding 20% more time to rendering, but all in all, very satisfied.
Full Spec
Chassis & Display
Recoil Series: 15.6" Matte QHD 165Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1440)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor 11800H (2.4GHz, 4.6GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3080 - 16.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 3000 MB/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 6 AX200 (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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
FAST TRACK 5 WORKING DAY DISPATCH
Promotional Item
Get Chivalry 2 & HITMAN 3 with select Intel® Core™ Processors
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Pros:
PCS has an amazing spec for an amazing price compared with Alienware, etc
Delivered quickly and great customer service.
Performance is super quick as expected.
Ordered without Windows 10, as I had a Pro license already, and the laptop came with W10 home installed (no license) and without bloatware. Made the upgrade to Pro much simpler.
CPU Core temps have stayed low in during prolonged (4 hours) 100% usage.
Cons:
There seems to be a conflict between the CPU/GPU and Adobe Premiere Pro that I've been unable to resolve fully as of yet. Hardware encoding in APP causes glitches in the encoded videos, so I have to use software encoding, which is around 20% slower. At this point, the CPU/GPU is so new that I imagine this will be resolved in a future update. If not, I'll need to spend some time drilling down further on the conflict. I've been using After Effects and that has functioned perfectly.
UPDATE: 3 weeks in, the screen went black and now is flickering. Clearly a hardware fault and I'm returning the laptop for repair. How very disappointing. May take up to 2 weeks for repair. No backup unit available. Left in the lurch without my workstation (see photos/videos) -
One line summary:
Great laptop, great price for the spec, adobe premiere - hardware conflict that is adding 20% more time to rendering, but all in all, very satisfied.
Full Spec
Chassis & Display
Recoil Series: 15.6" Matte QHD 165Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1440)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor 11800H (2.4GHz, 4.6GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3080 - 16.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 3000 MB/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 6 AX200 (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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
FAST TRACK 5 WORKING DAY DISPATCH
Promotional Item
Get Chivalry 2 & HITMAN 3 with select Intel® Core™ Processors
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Attachments
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