Vortex IV 17,3"
Specifications:
Chassis & Display Vortex Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4710MQ (2.50GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM) 8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card AMD® Radeon®*R9 M290X - 4GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX®*11
Memory - Hard Disk 750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD7500BPKX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
2nd Hard Disk - SSD Samsung EVO 840 250GB (not from "pcspecialist.co.uk", i was already using it on my desktop PC)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card Intel 5.1 Channel High Definition Audio + SPDIF/MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-7260 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
Wireless Router/HomePlugs NONE
USB Options 3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Firewire 1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
Battery Vortex Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 230W AC Adaptor (i already own the needed EU Power Lead)
Operating System NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
DVD Recovery Media NO DVD RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser Microsoft®*Internet Explorer
Laptop Cooling Stands NONE
Carry Case NONE
Stand-Alone Monitor NONE
Keyboard Language INTEGRATED BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
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 Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee NONE
Data Recovery NONE
Delivery 3 - 4 DAY DELIVERY TO ITALY (€38)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Price (excluding VAT) €1.080,00
Price €1.296,00
--------------------
Processed Date 11-06-2014
Pre-Production Date 17-06-2014
Build Date 24-06-2014
Test Date 26-06-2014
QC Date 27-06-2014
Awaiting Dispatch Date 27-06-2014
Dispatch Date 27-06-2014
13 Working Days
Perfect timing.
--------------------
First Impressions:
It arrived in a huge box and inside the laptop was well packaged and protected from any possible damage.
Very fast delivery (dispatched to DPD on Friday afternoon - 27/06 - and arrived on Thursday afternoon - 03/07 - ; DPD tracking was showing me estimated delivery date on 04/07). I just don't like DPD Tracking because it's a bit slow, seems that there's an huge "latency" between each step.
I found Windows 8.1 Trial pre-installed and did some stress tests before any OS Reinstall. With 31° Room Temperature GPU reached maximum 93° and CPU 84°. (with automatic fan control, with fans at full speed temperatures should be much lower (key shortcut FN+1, it's like a Fan Boost). I'll buy a cooling stand soon.
Laptop:
I find the Chassis really robust and well built. Its design is clean and simple. I just don't like the glossy frame near touchpad buttons.
Laptop's Screen is good: Gamma seems to be a bit too high and Colours aren't really accurate but i find this screen enough for a laptop.
Speakers volume without Sound Blaster X-FI is a bit low but with X-FI activated all is different. Clear and loud.
Keyboard is excellent for a laptop and backlight helps a lot. With full Red colour it looks great, especially in low light conditions.
TouchPad is poor, buttons are ugly and with that aluminium surface it doesn't perform really well. (but it doesn't matter because i use an external mouse)
Battery seems to last a lot without heavy usage but i still need to calibrate it better. PSU is large but can't be smaller due to Laptop's high requirements. (230 Watts aren't easy to handle)
After all tests i've installed Windows 8.1 Enterprise (i prefer Windows 7 but with 4GB of VRAM i won't have gaming problems) and BBQLinux. (Linux on SSD and Windows on HDD, with a shared partition on HDD to share useful files; I need more performance for Linux because i'm an Android developer and i compile many things. Obviously i've reserved 40GB on SSD for Heavy Windows Games )
PCSpecialist Service:
Best service ever had for a purchase. Chat and E-Mail Support always available for any question and they've also accepted my additional request. (2x4GB RAM instead of 1x8GB)
V Final thoughts V
Pros:
- Performance
- Robust Chassis
- Excellent Backlit Keyboard
- Fast Delivery
- Built-In Hardware (e.g. Card Reader from Realtek | Only Realtek and Intel Hardware seems to be used except Webcam)
Cons:
- Unconfortable TouchPad
- Glossy Frame near TouchPad (see here)
- Webcam (low quality also if FHD)
- DPD Tracking
This is the best purchase i've ever made (and also the most expensive one). I'll definitely buy again from PCSpecialist in the future. In Italy no one would offer the same service at the same price (and also at higher prices, service will always be poorer). PCSpecialist.co.uk and UK Rocks!
Images here: http://imgur.com/a/r5VUe
Specifications:
Chassis & Display Vortex Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4710MQ (2.50GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM) 8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card AMD® Radeon®*R9 M290X - 4GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX®*11
Memory - Hard Disk 750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD7500BPKX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
2nd Hard Disk - SSD Samsung EVO 840 250GB (not from "pcspecialist.co.uk", i was already using it on my desktop PC)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card Intel 5.1 Channel High Definition Audio + SPDIF/MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-7260 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
Wireless Router/HomePlugs NONE
USB Options 3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Firewire 1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
Battery Vortex Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 230W AC Adaptor (i already own the needed EU Power Lead)
Operating System NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
DVD Recovery Media NO DVD RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser Microsoft®*Internet Explorer
Laptop Cooling Stands NONE
Carry Case NONE
Stand-Alone Monitor NONE
Keyboard Language INTEGRATED BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
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 Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee NONE
Data Recovery NONE
Delivery 3 - 4 DAY DELIVERY TO ITALY (€38)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Price (excluding VAT) €1.080,00
Price €1.296,00
--------------------
Processed Date 11-06-2014
Pre-Production Date 17-06-2014
Build Date 24-06-2014
Test Date 26-06-2014
QC Date 27-06-2014
Awaiting Dispatch Date 27-06-2014
Dispatch Date 27-06-2014
13 Working Days
Perfect timing.--------------------
First Impressions:
It arrived in a huge box and inside the laptop was well packaged and protected from any possible damage.
Very fast delivery (dispatched to DPD on Friday afternoon - 27/06 - and arrived on Thursday afternoon - 03/07 - ; DPD tracking was showing me estimated delivery date on 04/07). I just don't like DPD Tracking because it's a bit slow, seems that there's an huge "latency" between each step.
I found Windows 8.1 Trial pre-installed and did some stress tests before any OS Reinstall. With 31° Room Temperature GPU reached maximum 93° and CPU 84°. (with automatic fan control, with fans at full speed temperatures should be much lower (key shortcut FN+1, it's like a Fan Boost). I'll buy a cooling stand soon.
Laptop:
I find the Chassis really robust and well built. Its design is clean and simple. I just don't like the glossy frame near touchpad buttons.
Laptop's Screen is good: Gamma seems to be a bit too high and Colours aren't really accurate but i find this screen enough for a laptop.
Speakers volume without Sound Blaster X-FI is a bit low but with X-FI activated all is different. Clear and loud.
Keyboard is excellent for a laptop and backlight helps a lot. With full Red colour it looks great, especially in low light conditions.
TouchPad is poor, buttons are ugly and with that aluminium surface it doesn't perform really well. (but it doesn't matter because i use an external mouse)
Battery seems to last a lot without heavy usage but i still need to calibrate it better. PSU is large but can't be smaller due to Laptop's high requirements. (230 Watts aren't easy to handle)
After all tests i've installed Windows 8.1 Enterprise (i prefer Windows 7 but with 4GB of VRAM i won't have gaming problems) and BBQLinux. (Linux on SSD and Windows on HDD, with a shared partition on HDD to share useful files; I need more performance for Linux because i'm an Android developer and i compile many things. Obviously i've reserved 40GB on SSD for Heavy Windows Games
)PCSpecialist Service:
Best service ever had for a purchase. Chat and E-Mail Support always available for any question and they've also accepted my additional request. (2x4GB RAM instead of 1x8GB)
V Final thoughts V
Pros:
- Performance
- Robust Chassis
- Excellent Backlit Keyboard
- Fast Delivery
- Built-In Hardware (e.g. Card Reader from Realtek | Only Realtek and Intel Hardware seems to be used except Webcam)
Cons:
- Unconfortable TouchPad
- Glossy Frame near TouchPad (see here)
- Webcam (low quality also if FHD)
- DPD Tracking
This is the best purchase i've ever made (and also the most expensive one). I'll definitely buy again from PCSpecialist in the future. In Italy no one would offer the same service at the same price (and also at higher prices, service will always be poorer). PCSpecialist.co.uk and UK Rocks!
Images here: http://imgur.com/a/r5VUe