Laptop for business and gaming

M

mrx2525

Member
Hi guys,

I'm looking for a laptop that can handle the entire Adobe CC suite (large Photoshop files, sometimes running with Illustrator open at the same time) as well as most games (other than perhaps Battlefield 1 at maximum settings).

I've ordered a custom desktop before but never a laptop so I'm not sure what I'm looking for exactly - it would be great to have some advice!

Is there anything I absolutely don't need? Is 16GB RAM overkill, should I stick with 8 with the option to add more? Would I benefit from an SSD?

EDIT: maximum budget of £2,000
 
Last edited:
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
mrx2525 said:
Hi guys,

I'm looking for a laptop that can handle the entire Adobe CC suite (large Photoshop files, sometimes running with Illustrator open at the same time) as well as most games (other than perhaps Battlefield 1 at maximum settings).

I've ordered a custom desktop before but never a laptop so I'm not sure what I'm looking for exactly - it would be great to have some advice!

Is there anything I absolutely don't need? Is 16GB RAM overkill, should I stick with 8 with the option to add more? Would I benefit from an SSD?
Click to expand...

All depends on your max budget?
 
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Is there anything I absolutely don't need? Is 16GB RAM overkill, should I stick with 8 with the option to add more?
Click to expand...
16gb is a good idea, for gaming, photoshop and intensive office use

Would I benefit from an SSD?
Click to expand...
Absolutely, for photoshop, for game loading times, windows loading times, and general responsiveness of your system.

You could spend upto £2000 on an Octane chassis with a desktop CPU. It's very much a desktop replacement, and not everyone will find it particularly portable.

The Defiance series has mobile CPUs, which aren't as powerful as desktop ones, but would still be sufficient for a lot of people. And the Defiance is cheaper and not as heavy.

Both come in either 15.6" or 17.3" chassis.

So, 15.6" or 17.3"? And how important is size and weight versus raw performance?
 
M

mrx2525

Member
Okay so the SSD is a must have, thanks for confirming that. Having 16gb also seems to be worth it so I think that is a must too.

It's semi important that the laptop be portable so weight is something that would need to be taken into account.

Also, I've currently got a 17" now and would like to stay at this size rather than go smaller.
 
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
For a 17.3" Octane, something like:

Chassis & Display
Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 120Hz 90% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Six Core Processor i7-8700k (3.7GHz) 12MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 OC 1518 MHz - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
1[SUP]st[/SUP] M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 330W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
EK-TIM ECTOTHERM THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
USB Options
4 x USB 3.0 Ports + 2 x USB 3.1 Type C Ports
Battery
Octane Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (82WH)
Keyboard Language
OCTANE SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

Price £2,015.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/octaneiv-17/jTz4F7DeSk/

[FONT=&quot]Dimensions (W x D x H)
418mm x 295.3mm x 40.9mm
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Weight
3.9Kg
[/FONT]
 
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
For a 17.3" Defiance with a similar configuration but for the CPU, see: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/configure-review/239/

It's a review spec, which is a discounted, fixed configuration. I think manually configured it'd be around £1550 but the discount means it's £1400.

Dimensions (W x D x H)
418.5 mm x 287 mm x 24.9 mm

Weight
3 kg



To give an idea of the relative performance of the CPUs:
8700kv7700hq.png

An i7 8700k being an 8th gen desktop CPU with 2 more cores/ 4 more threads somewhat destroys the 7700HQ (7th gen mobile CPU) in benchmarks, and for CPU intensive things is clearly the better choice. But a 7700HQ still compares well agains something like an i5 6500 which is what you might find in a typical office desktop.
 
Last edited:
M

mrx2525

Member
Oussebon said:
For a 17.3" Octane, something like:

Price £2,015.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/octaneiv-17/jTz4F7DeSk/

[FONT="][FONT=inherit]Dimensions (W x D x H)[/FONT]
[FONT=inherit]418mm x 295.3mm x 40.9mm[/FONT]
[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][FONT="]Weight
3.9Kg
[/FONT]
Click to expand...

Thanks for coming up with that. It looks like everything that is needed is there. I was asking my friend and he came up with this set up, could you tell me what the major differences are between yours and his considering the price difference between builds:

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 120Hz LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 7700HQ (2.8GHz, 3.8GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
250GB WD Blue™ 3D NAND M.2 SSD (up to 550MB/sR | 525MB/sW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
EK-TIM ECTOTHERM THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + Sound BlasterX® Pro-Gaming 720˚
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
USB Options
4 x USB 3.0 Ports + 1 x USB 3.1 Type C Ports
Battery
Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (66WH)
Keyboard Language
RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,416.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/defianceiv-17/k2yUKyp98W/
 
M

mrx2525

Member
What would you say to this configuration? I've taken into account your build and what some of my friends have suggested:

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 120Hz LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 7700HQ (2.8GHz, 3.8GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Hard Disk
1TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 2.5" SSHD - UP TO 5X FASTER THAN HDD!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
EK-TIM ECTOTHERM THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + Sound BlasterX® Pro-Gaming 720˚
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
USB Options
4 x USB 3.0 Ports + 1 x USB 3.1 Type C Ports
Battery
Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (66WH)
Keyboard Language
RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,434.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations//5WJWBrA8x7/
 
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