Gor my new max config Vortex 8 - Absolutely happy with it!

Current status: They fixed the screen. It's good enough this time. Good laptop now

Chassis & Display
Vortex Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080) + G-Sync
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Eight Core Processor i9-9900K (3.6GHz) 16MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
2 x NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1080 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DX 12.1
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 2700MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 2700MB/W)
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
6x Slim USB 2.0 External Blu-Ray Writer
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
2 x Vortex Series 330W AC Adaptor (For GTX 1080)
Battery
Vortex Elite 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,800 mAh/89.21WH)
Power Cable
2 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ WIRELESS-AC 1550 M.2 GAMING 802.11AC + BLUETOOTH 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
5 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 3.1 PORT AS STANDARD
Keyboard Language
VORTEX SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Professional 2019 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Carry Case
Wenger/Swissgear iBex 17" Backpack
Laptop Cooling Stands
CoolerMaster NotePal L2 Laptop Cooler, upto 17.3 inch
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
Logitech® HD Webcam C930e - 1080p recording, supports H.264
Printer
HP ENVY 5030 WIRELESS ALL-IN-ONE PRINTER
Kensington Lock
Kensington MicroSaver® Keyed Laptop Lock
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO CYPRUS
Build Time
FAST TRACK 3 WORKING DAY DISPATCH
Promotional Item
FREE Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 & More w/ select Intel CPUs!
Quantity
1

This thing doesn't lag (finally), but it sounds like an aeroplane! Good for people who want desktop experience without compromising mobility.

without compromising mobility.

Click to expand...

Lol, isn't that thing like 8kg including the power bricks or something? Certainly more mobile than a desktop, but I might split hairs over saying there's no compromise to mobility!

Great the system is behaving and meeting expectations of course.

How are the thermals?

And what do you use it for?

Oussebon said:

Lol, isn't that thing like 8kg including the power bricks or something? Certainly more mobile than a desktop, but I might split hairs over saying there's no compromise to mobility!

Great the system is behaving and meeting expectations of course.

How are the thermals?

And what do you use it for?

Click to expand...

Thermals are okay! I use it for gaming on ultra. I had to move like 1 TB of games from my old laptop.

You paid THAT much money to game ultra settings on a 1080p 17 inch screen??

With that budget you could have a bought laptop that gamed at ultra at 1080p, a 4K TV and an xbox one x or ps4 pro.

Please me you're doing something with it other than gaming?!

SlimCini said:

You paid THAT much money to game ultra settings on a 1080p 17 inch screen??

With that budget you could have a bought laptop that gamed at ultra at 1080p, a 4K TV and an xbox one x or ps4 pro.

Please me you're doing something with it other than gaming?!

Click to expand...

:wacko: for anyone else, this is what comes of not getting advice before buying! Literally thrown £1k down the drain.

After 2 days, I identified 2 issues with this laptop. I am quite anxious and fearful about these issues:

- 4 points where backlight bleeding is.
- 6 dead pixels.

I noticed after a day of use when I started playing dark colored games.
Already contacted support and waiting for a proper response via messaging system in account management.

Other than that, this laptop exceeds my expectations in all areas (video exporting and gaming). No regrets in buying this other than manufacturer defects. I have 3 year gold warranty and 1 year dead pixel warranty, so it's ok. The issue is the delivery since I am in Cyprus and this company is from UK. I am considering for my father to transport this laptop on my behalf to UK (cheapest, safest and most reliable way), but I need to talk to him first. Using a courier service is frown-able as I never shipped anything myself before, especially fragile items like laptops, thus I have no experience in packaging or sending (luckily I have the original packaging, so it's gonna be easier).

This is a disappointment since this laptop is amazing in all areas except in LCD with defects on a brand new laptop. Backlight bleeding is the worst issue of them all.

Links to pictures of this are (created by Google Photos Share function):
https://photos.app.goo.gl/xotTM4H781ev8y698
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rqxTMrGxUFCfMfUf6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9QGZFyZScWNu1Udp6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/RSB8fTMLxubS785o9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3wuMoFpVeu7NotRw6

It seems to have dead pixels near top right and top left corners (not many though and not very noticeable (6 or more) since they are very small, but still needs to be fixed).

Links to those pictures (by Google Photo Share function):
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9FtqyzTMJKdr17ph9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/isHn63rN3PpkLr8q6

I bought Vortex IV 3 years ago and it didn't have such problems this soon (1 day after receiving) or at all. Hopefully this issue will be resolved as I love PCSpecialist and their service and this incredible rig that is amazing.

Still amazing thanks to PCSpecialist making this amazing machine!

I sent the laptop with one day delivery with TNT from Cyprus to UK to fix with RMA request approved and RMA number written on the package. I packaged with the pink plastic bag inside thick foamy plastic (used for glass) going around it three times inside the original cardboard packaging where the actual laptop was stored, placed the lihtium battery danger sign (as per UN regulations) and the routing label. It was collected and the non-removable (UN 3481) lithium ion battery was declared by the shipping company as international companies required. They said they will replace the monitor completely and send it back free of charge due to the warranty I bought. I'll edit this post to keep you guys updated.

Crumbs, I had a vortex III 17.3” for 6 years and never a dead pixel. Having just ordered the recoil II I didn’t bother with the dead pixel guarantee as I assumed technology must have moved on a bit since 2012, I’m wondering whether to take out the cover now as my laptop is still in the processing stage. Is the dead pixel thing common?

It's not common at all, in my personal experience and going by posts on these forums - dead pixels for laptops is reported extremely infrequently on these forums by PCS clients.

But personally I'd still buy it because I'm 100% paranoid about these things and I know a dead pixel would bug me...

ianwri said:

Crumbs, I had a vortex III 17.3” for 6 years and never a dead pixel. Having just ordered the recoil II I didn’t bother with the dead pixel guarantee as I assumed technology must have moved on a bit since 2012, I’m wondering whether to take out the cover now as my laptop is still in the processing stage. Is the dead pixel thing common?

Click to expand...

As long as you got warranty and dead pixel gurantee, you should be fine. My Vortex IV is still in excellent quality after 3 years.

Here's an update guys. I got the video RMA sent me of the 4k IPS panel replacement (they said it was higher grade production, so errors are less frequent): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UVjePsc1m7QinaNLtVKT5T9g9YQ4mJRP
Here is side by side comparison of before and after repairs: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CHj6c1NHCPrU7zKQ6 It looks much worse at night (bottom left on after repairs), but not worse than before repairs, but much better.

What bugs me is not the IPS glow as much as there is a stuck pixels, despite the fact that I got told and assured that there are no dead/stuck pixels.

There is one stuck pixel stuck at blue (https://photos.app.goo.gl/peRtCoQq6nYSNtCV8). There is one near the first stuck pixel, but it is too tiny to photograph.
Another stuck pixel https://photos.app.goo.gl/EgF8qM2m5pmKBLEr8.

IPS Glow is not fixed completely, but now it is at least bearable unlike before repairs (less so at night when playing games with dark colors). RMA technician used electrical tape to reduce the IPS glow at the bottom and it worked (he also replaced the 144 Hz Full HD IPS panel with the 4k IPS 60 Hz panel) I am more concerned about the stuck pixels (they look blue when using UDPixel and observing using my eyes).

I messaged them for their professional advice today to know what to do further. If I fix these stuck pixels, I can relax.

If I knew IPS panels had these issues, I wouldn't have ordered from PCS since one of the most important things about laptops are their screens. Internal hardware can be repaired with ease at home, but panels can't be fixed easily or at all.

This is a surprise since I owned a Vortex IV with a Full HD TN panel and never had a problem (especially with bleeding and pixels). Only years down the line I had dead pixels that are so tiny, but that's acceptable on an old machine, not a brand new one like this one.

I spent a lot of money on shipping back and getting a new 4K IPS panel (no regrets except the flaws). I spent a lot on this laptop overall and this is the result I got. The issue is not the money, but additional expense to get the laptop to the quality that it's supposed to arrive in (at least without dead pixels and minimal ips glow). Overall, this is quite annoying and unnerving.

Hopefully, they will respond and somehow help fix this issue with stuck pixels so I can get on with life.

Update: They recommended for me to use JScreenFix (this is for stuck pixels; which I replied I used for hours or more) and try unscrewing the bezel (I will not do), but asked to tell me the instructions anyway. Going to wait for their response to my reply. I am getting used to this laptop, so whatever. It is much better than before and it's relative more acceptable than before.

Update 2: They agreed to collect the laptop to "fully fix" this issue since it's a 2nd RMA. I gave my laptop to the courier and now it's transported to them in UK. I asked for them to get a Class 1 panel (according to ISO 13406-2) and I am currently waiting for them to receive the laptop and fully fix this issue. This time I won't rush with returning the laptop as soon as possible, as the issue must be fixed in its entirety (even if it means ordering a new Class 1 IPS panel as opposed to the Class 2 IPS panel they have in abundant stock) at this price range (and they agreed to fully fix the issue and see what they can do). I have my hopes up since they are treating this seriously and are actually providing good customer support. I will keep you all updated.

Update 3: They fixed the screen. It's good enough this time. Good laptop now