Review - Optimus VIII

erik_0000

Bronze Level Poster
Summary

This is my review of my purchase of an Optimus VIII.

Pre sales support, not great, everything else, 10/10.

Background

I develop software on Windows and Linux. For very many years I have been buying Dell hardware on which I dual boot Windows and Linux. Before this latest purchase my primary workstation was a Dell Inspiron that I bought in 2012 on which I installed Ubuntu and Windows 7.

I decided to upgrade to new hardware, but I hesitated to install Windows 10 because of how it takes over the machine, so I decided to try installing only Linux, and running Windows 10 in a virtual machine.

Dell

I went on to the Dell website to order new hardware as I have done many times before. But I ran in to a few problems.

- I wanted to order hardware on which Windows was not preinstalled. I have done this with Dell in the past, but now it seems that this option is no longer available.

- Whenever possible I prefer a wired network connection over wireless. But the latest Dell laptops do not include an Ethernet port. You have to pay extra for an external adaptor.

- The monitors on all of the high end Dell laptops are touch screens. It's pointless to have a touch screen on a laptop, it's easier to use the mouse and keyboard. I want a high end monitor without a touch screen.

So, for the first time in a very long time, I decided to look at alternatives to Dell.

Price Comparison

A colleague recommended PC Specialist so I did a quick price comparison, doing my best to compare like with like.

Dell: XPS 15, i7 CPU, Windows 10, 32 GB RAM, 1TB HDD, 4GB graphics. GBP 1,898 excl. VAT

PCS: 15.6" Optimus VIII, i7 CPU, Windows 10, 32 GB RAM, 1TB HDD, 4GB graphics. GBP 987 excl. VAT

What's the relative quality of the hardware? I can't comprehend how there could be such a huge gap in price. You would think that a big company like Dell could easily outsell the competition through economies of scale.

Dell force me to take a touchscreen, and a copy of Windows, that I do not want. PCS include an Ethernet port which is not available with Dell. The only downside I could see with PCS is that they do not include a DVD drive while Dell does. I decided to take a further look at PCS.

PCS Web Site

The PCS web site is 99% perfect, but that last 1% caused me long hours of confusion.

Initially I was trying to choose between the Ultranote IV and the Optimus VIII. In either case I wanted a separate monitor. When you select Ultranote + monitor, the site prompts you to choose between an HDMI cable or a mini-HDMI cable. But the Ultranote spec doesn't specify which it is. If you select Optimus + monitor you are not prompted for any HDMI cable at all - should I take that to mean that the cable is included?

The web site prompts you to order thermal paste, but doesn't say whether or not PCS will apply the paste before shipping the machine.

I started a thread on the PCS forum, where I asked these and other questions, including whether or not linux would run on this hardware:

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/foru...aptop-for-Ubuntu-ULTRANOTE-IV-or-OPTIMUS-VIII

Preorders

I contacted PCS pre sales support directly. I asked them to help me with my questions, and I sent them the link above.

They replied "the Forums are not an official channel for support", "we do not support Linux", ... and they did not answer any of my questions.

I don't understand either of their points:

1) Forums. I contacted PCS directly, and asked for answers to questions that I had posted to the forum. Nothing prevents PCS from reading my post and replying directly to me.

2) Linux. I appreciate that PCS can't guarantee that Linux will run on their hardware. But the rest of my questions had nothing to do with the operating system.

I can't understand how any business could afford to treat potential new customers with such contempt.

Normally I would have dropped it there, but... there are not many alternatives in the market for non-Windows laptops, so... I plowed on...

Order

After long deliberation, this is what I went with in the end:

Chassis & Display Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 7700HQ (2.8GHz, 3.8GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM) 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Hard Disk 2TB Samsung 850 EVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
M.2 SSD Drive 256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
Memory Card Reader Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor 1 x 120W AC Adaptor
Power Cable 1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf European Power Cable
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 3
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
USB Options 1 x USB 3.0 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Battery Cosmos VI Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Keyboard Language SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT USA KEYBOARD
Operating System NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language US International/USA - US English Language
DVD Recovery Media NO DVD RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser Google Chrome™
Stand-Alone Monitor ASUS VE248HR 24" LED DISPLAY
Notebook Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE

When I ordered Optimus + monitor, the site did not prompt me to select an HDMI cable. And pre sales support would not say whether or not the cable was included. So I didn't order a cable. After placing the order, I messaged PCS again to ask, for the second time, whether or not the cable was included. This time they answered, to say that the cable was not included. So I had to place a second order for the cable... yawn.

Delivery

The site gave real time updates on the status of the order, which arrived well packaged and on time.

When ordering I had been prompted to choose between a UK power cable or an EU power cable. I chose the latter. The machine arrived with both, so that was nice.

The Laptop

This machine was delivered in early April and I have been using it full time since then and so far I give it ten points out of ten.

I installed Ubuntu 17.04 Beta to the M2 drive. It worked like a charm on the first attempt. It boots up lightning fast.

I have not yet gotten around to firing up Windows in a virtual box. I have not yet gotten around to upgrading from Ubuntu 17.04 Beta to Ubuntu 17.04 Final.

The touchpad is left of center. I guess they decided to center the touchpad behind the letters, without taking account of the number keypad. It's offputting. I constantly click the right button when I mean to click the left. I hope that I will get used to it eventually.

This laptop emits a lot of heat, even with casual use. The case is molded with space underneath and the machine vents heat very well, much better than my old Dell laptop.

I am not sure about the sturdiness of the machine. The USB ports are very solid. The casing seems to have a little bit of give, but hopefully it's all right. Let's see how it holds up over time.

Overall I could not be happier with this purchase.

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Last edited:

keynes

Multiverse Poster
Dell: XPS 15, i7 CPU, Windows 10, 32 GB RAM, 1TB HDD, 4GB graphics. GBP 1,898 excl. VAT
That's a big difference. Was it the same gpu and screen? The extended warranty is way overpriced and adds quite a lot to the final price.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
I think the OP said that the XPS has a touchscreen, and that it doesn't have an Ethernet port. The screen apparently has a very thin bezel. It aims to be as thin as possible (claims to be the smallest 15" laptop in the world), so there's probably a premium for the thinning down of the chassis as well. Plus the big brand aspect I guess.

Thanks for the OP's review, and commenting on Linux. It's helpful to people on the forums - there was someone else asking about the Optimus VIII and Linux just the other day.
 

erik_0000

Bronze Level Poster
That's a big difference. Was it the same gpu and screen? The extended warranty is way overpriced and adds quite a lot to the final price.
i compared like with like as closely as possible. both configurations had the i7 processor. i am pretty sure that the dell price did not include the extended warranty.

The screen apparently has a very thin bezel. It aims to be as thin as possible (claims to be the smallest 15" laptop in the world), so there's probably a premium for the thinning down of the chassis as well. Plus the big brand aspect I guess.
that makes sense. i thought there must be some difference in the spec of the components to explain why the dell cost nearly twice as much. it may be that the dell is also simply overpriced.

Thanks for the OP's review, and commenting on Linux. It's helpful to people on the forums - there was someone else asking about the Optimus VIII and Linux just the other day.
my pleasure.
 

Stephen M

Author Level
Good review, thanks. I am not sure PCS will ever be able to officially support Linux because of potential legal issues, there are so many distros that it would be almost impossible to say a machine was OK as testing on all would be too time consuming and costly. However, I think they do need to rethink the way they deal with Linux as more people seem to be using it these days. Luckily there are a lot of helpful people on these fora, that was a major factor in me buying from PCS.
 

Tony1044

Prolific Poster
Good review.

I too, looked at the XPS some time ago, but they are indeed overpriced. I think it's fair to say that Dell are chasing the MacBook brigade with their styling.

Offset trackpad: you will get used to it after a while. It took me some small time as well.

Case longevity: I shared your initial concerns. My Defiance II 15.6" 4k screen is very thin and there seems to be far more flex in their than would be healthy. But...almost 2 years down the line it's never given me any issues whatsoever and as it travels all over with me for work, I think it's probably fair to say that yours should last you.

Heat: I also paid for the enhanced paste. Here, I don't think PCS did a particularly great job, as my laptop ran hot from new and the fans would often kick in even when relatively idle.

Eventually, I ended up buying some more paste, opening up the laptop and repasting. I appreciate that's not for everyone but my background made me comfortable doing it.

It made a huge difference too - 15-20 degrees cooler depending what I am doing.

In terms of pricing by scale, you have to remember that the OEM is Clevo. They OEM for some of the big guns out there and they are geared up to scale production quite possibly higher than Dell in some cases. I seem to recall though, from my own research, that the ultra thin XPS' have a magnesium chassis and that alone will bump the cost.

Agree re Linux - it's time some of the bigger players started to realise that it's not a fad and it's not going away any time soon. I do, though, think that the very ethos of choice that is a part of the Linux culture often goes against it here: a manufacturer would really need to pick a flavour to stand behind and that kind of goes against the whole concept of freedom to choose.

Re PCS' customer services. I had bumps with them too but when it came down to the need to act, they did so quickly and fairly so no real complaints there ultimately.

I do believe you will enjoy the machine and come to love it.
 

erik_0000

Bronze Level Poster
I am not sure PCS will ever be able to officially support Linux ...
i agree. i'm already pleased that it's still possible to buy hardware on which no OS is preinstalled, and to be able to get some advance indication of how well Linux might run on that hardware.
Luckily there are a lot of helpful people on these fora
count yourself among them, i was grateful for your help.

I do believe you will enjoy the machine and come to love it.
i love it already! my only concern at this point is how well it will hold up in the long run. i can only wait and see. my previous machine, the inspiron, i used that day in and day out for 5 years and never had a major problem with it, i am hoping for the same with this PCS laptop.

i appreciate your other comments regarding the trackpad, case, heat, pricing, linux, PCS service... all good points and some good insights into various things that i observed during the transaction.
 

Mnemonic

Bronze Level Poster
Excellent review - thanks!

I have a question - is there an option in the BIOS to switch between "dedicated" and "mshybrid" graphics?
 

erik_0000

Bronze Level Poster
is there an option in the BIOS to switch between "dedicated" and "mshybrid" graphics?
i just rebooted and poked around in the BIOS. as far as i can tell, there is no such option.

3 pints and a bag of chips.... Oh hang on... Misread... That's what it costs to bribe me to give rep
ha ha, yes you misread, i want to trade karma for beer, and not the other way around :)

Don't even have an emoji of a beer, how upsetting, was hoping could at least offer a virtual one!
thanks for the sentiment, i have updated my avatar instead :)
 

erik_0000

Bronze Level Poster
Update. Yellow discoloration has appeared around the edges of the screen. I emailed photos to PCS and received two separate replies...

#1:

HI there

I can only assume that this is an issue with the screen itself or the way the bezels are fitted to the screen.

At this point it may be best to arrange a return of the machine under your account for investigation to take place. Please log into your account and fill out a returns for to arrange this.

Many Thanks

****** ******,
PC Specialist Support Team


#2:

Hi Erik,

Thank you for getting in touch. I am sorry to hear you are having this issues, I can clearly the yellowish colour that has appeared on your screen. This in usually indicative of an issue with the backlight on the LCD panel, which is very uncommon with young laptops.

I would, firstly, double check that the bezel around the screen is not putting too much pressure on the panel. You can this by gently lifting the bezel away from the screen and seeing if the discolouration reduces. If not, I would suggest we bring your computer back for an inspection. If you would like to drop the laptop off, you can do so, or if you would like us to collect it from your address or a DPD drop-off shop, we can organise this for £35 (covers collection and return). Alternatively, you could send the computer back to us by your own means.

If you have any other enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards,

***** ******,
PC Specialist Support Team


Doesn't sound too promising. I have to return the machine at my own expense, and the vibe I'm getting is that this isn't covered.

The lid of this laptop has a lot of flex, particularly at the middle of the base. If you close the lid and press on the middle of the hinge it has a lot of give. I imagine that if you put the laptop in its bag and catch a plane or train, which I do often, it will get flexed a lot. Has anyone else experienced similar problems with screen discoloration on the Optimus?

I will probably pay to send it back to them, and wait to hear what they say. I'll report back here with any news....
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
If you got the laptop with the last 12 months the carriage costs won't be covered if you didn't buy the £5 upgrade.

The parts and labour are covered. Unless you mistreated it pretty obviously I'd be a bit surprised if PCS insisted you paid for whatever it takes to fix it.
 

erik_0000

Bronze Level Poster
thanks for the info.

i phoned them today and that conversation was much more encouraging. i have to pay the 35 pounds for pickup and return but hopefully any repairs are covered.

maybe the bezel is too tight. i'm worried that if the problem is caused by the flexibility of the lid then the discoloration could happen again after a repair. we'll see, i'll report back here with any news...

-erik
 

erik_0000

Bronze Level Poster
they fixed it, i don't know what the problem was.

it's been a week now, so far so good, let's see how it holds up!
 

rapiddescent

Bronze Level Poster
I'm a bit late to conversation but I had a similar dilemma when upgrading. I had met Dell a some years ago to talk about project Sputnik (The Linux XPS range for programmers) and I told them then that they needed an ethernet port if they were to attract security pro's - they were trying to attract the Apple MacBook pro generation(with similar pricing too). The lack of an ethernet port was what brought me to PCS and I've had some great work horse laptops that have been all over the place on assignment and also I've used them for coding too.

It's too late, but the Ultranote IV has a full size HDMI port. I use it all the time with Linux.
 
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