17" Recoil - Not gaming

[pad406]

Hi all

Thinking of one of these to replace my aging old Dell XPS i7. Not into gaming but for a forthcoming project I want something capable of handling some serious SQL DB work and math calculations. Appreciate that most people here are more into their gaming, just looking for thoughts. The spec of the Recoil for the price far exceeds any of the more traditional laptops I've been looking at.

i9 14900HX processor
64GB Corsair 5600MHz DDR5
RTX 4060 8GB
1TB Samsung PRO main drive
4TB Samsung PRO secondary drive

Rest is standard build,

Thanks.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi all

Thinking of one of these to replace my aging old Dell XPS i7. Not into gaming but for a forthcoming project I want something capable of handling some serious SQL DB work and math calculations. Appreciate that most people here are more into their gaming, just looking for thoughts. The spec of the Recoil for the price far exceeds any of the more traditional laptops I've been looking at.

i9 14900HX processor
64GB Corsair 5600MHz DDR5
RTX 4060 8GB
1TB Samsung PRO main drive
4TB Samsung PRO secondary drive

Rest is standard build,

Thanks.

Unless I'm confused, SQL doesn't utilise hardware acceleration in any way? So the majority of the cost of this chassis (the GPU) will never be used which seems like an awful waste.

 

[pad406]

You're correct SQL doesn't as yet (some limited stuff came in SQL2022). But other aspects could. Recoil seems to be the only option for an i9 and the minimum graphics cards is the 4080.

 

[SpyderTracks]

You're correct SQL doesn't as yet (some limited stuff came in SQL2022). But other aspects could. Recoil seems to be the only option for an i9 and the minimum graphics cards is the 4080.

Hence I don't think it's the right chassis for your uses. I wouldn't just buy an expensive chassis that wasn't suitable for purpose just because it had the CPU you were after, there are a load more factors than that and plenty of professional aimed chassis with more appropriate specs.

It's a desktop replacement commonly known as DTR. As such you need to be aware of what that means, it's not designed to be portable, you have to buy the additional external water cooler unit, plus they have poor battery life (as there's no need for it in a DTR). They also run extremely hot under load and as such are very loud with fans running at high RPM.

ut other aspects could.

Such as? If we can fully understand your requirements we can advise better? What maths calculation software are you using? Is it MATLAB or something more modern? If it is, are you using any SIMULINK simulations?

 

[pad406]

It's a desktop replacement commonly known as DTR. As such you need to be aware of what that means, it's not designed to be portable, you have to buy the additional external water cooler unit, plus they have poor battery life (as there's no need for it in a DTR). They also run extremely hot under load and as such are very loud with fans running at high RPM.

Yes, I'm aware. It'll spend 85% of it's life in my office, but occasionally I do need to go to client sites. Liquid cooling is not an option for the 4060.

Such as? If we can fully understand your requirements we can advise better? What maths calculation software are you using? Is it MATLAB or something more modern? If it is, are you using any SIMULINK simulations?

It's a proprietary s/w that I've been asked to look at. Haven't seen the details as yet, but now that I think about it, quite likely it will already be using nsight or may want to move to it, so the RTX would be beneficial if that progresses.

My original question wasn't well worded in hindsight. I'm really more interested in the build quality and reliability of the machine and PCS as a company.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Yes, I'm aware. It'll spend 85% of it's life in my office, but occasionally I do need to go to client sites. Liquid cooling is not an option for the 4060.


It's a proprietary s/w that I've been asked to look at. Haven't seen the details as yet, but now that I think about it, quite likely it will already be using nsight or may want to move to it, so the RTX would be beneficial if that progresses.

My original question wasn't well worded in hindsight. I'm really more interested in the build quality and reliability of the machine and PCS as a company.

Ok, just working out the best thing for your needs, and apologies, I'd misread the GPU you were looking at as the 4080, my bad. Below the 4080 doesn't require the water cooler.

If you're sure that you'll be needing Hardware Acceleration, then a 4060 isn't a bad option.

Be aware that laptop GPU's are a little below a desktop equivalent, they're actually different silicon, and have different power limits. So a laptop 4060 will be roughly 10% or so slower than a desktop 4060

There's an in depth benchmark of the laptop 4060 here, you may be familiar with the SPECViewPerf results, they may be the most relevant to your uses, it's just past the 3dMark results

https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-4060-Laptop-GPU-Benchmarks-and-Specs.675692.0.html

The only bit I may suggest a change, especially with the high R/W processes you'll be doing, is change the primary drive to the P44 Pro, this has far better endurance than the Samsung and is around the same speeds, it's more of an enterprise option vs a retail one in the Samsung. It's just a shame they don't come larger than 2TB

Solidigm P44 Pro SSD review: The best and getting better all the time

Not only did the Solidigm P44 Pro take the top spot overall among PCIe 4.0 SSDs, it's the only drive we're aware of that has its own, constantly evolving Windows driver. On top of that, it's super affordable, even compared to host memory bus models.

www.pcworld.com

Solidigm P44 Pro SSD Review: Platinum P41, Take Two (Updated)

More of a good thing

www.tomshardware.com

Similarly with the secondary drive, I would personally opt for the Corsair XT Pro 4Tb

Corsair MP600 Pro XT SSD Review: Corsair’s Best Just Leveled Up

Extra thick ‘n chonky cooling for demanding work

www.tomshardware.com

Corsair MP600 Pro XT SSD review: Simply fantastic

Corsair's affordable MP600 Pro XT is a record-setting PCIe 4.0 SSD with a liquid-cooling option for a nice price.

www.pcworld.com

 

[SpyderTracks]

My original question wasn't well worded in hindsight. I'm really more interested in the build quality and reliability of the machine and PCS as a company.

Build quality is high. This chassis manufacturer is called TongFang, they started relatively recently, around 2018, and the first few years they gave extremely high specs for the money, but lacked a bit in build quality. Since the pandemic though, a lot of the issues that were previously seen have been addressed, and it may be safe to say they're no leading the pack in custom chassis.

PCS as a company are very highly rated, you can check them on TrustedReviews and other places. They've been going a long time also. I would say if this is a business critical system, it may be worth contacting them about a B2B support contract, at least get a quote for it to get an idea if it's worth it or not.

But they have an open chassis policy so you can upgrade SSD's and RAM as you like, the only stipulation is that if you do any damage in the process it voids your warranty, and they won't support components not bought from them, so if you need anything fixed on the system, you'd need to reinstall the original components. The only other thing worth mentioning is that BIOS updates aren't like on a normal off the shelf or branded laptop, they're far lower level and need to be done with PCS with their approval to maintain warranty. This is because they test all new BIOSes to check for full compatibility, so they may suggest one different to the newest available. It's also to safeguard you against any flash failures, which are rare these days but have the potential to fully brick the unit, if that happened after PCS had authorised you, then they'd fully cover a replacement system.

I had a laptop from them in 2014 which I only retired last year in September, it was a DTR similar to this chassis. It was the best laptop I'd owned to that point, travelled regularly with it, and never had an issue.

This is the build I'd suggest, I've added 30 day pixel guarantee which safeguards you against any failed pixels (due to UK law, up to 5 dead pixels are allowed on a new panel before it's considered faulty, I know, crazy!), and added Gold Warranty which I would strongly suggest on any laptop purchase:

Chassis & Display
Recoil Series: 17" Matte QHD 240Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1600)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 24 Core Processor 14900HX (5.8GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair 5200MHz SODIMM DDR5 (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4060 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 280W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery
Recoil Series Integrated 99WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
LIQUID METAL PERFORMANCE COOLING
Sound Card
Nahimic by SteelSeries 2 Channel HD Audio
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.3
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x THUNDERBOLT 4 PORT + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS
Keyboard Language
RECOIL 17 SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED IR+FHD Hybrid Webcam
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
30 Day Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
TongFang GM7IX0N (8GB RTX-4060, i9-14900HX, 240Hz QHD)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Price: £2,121.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/recoil-VIII-17/DMSKBc!4Sj/

 

[SpyderTracks]

Additionally, the reason for the 5200MHz RAM is that 5600MHz isn't supported in that configuration, not until you're up with the 4080 / 4090 GPU, not certain why. Intel is less reliant on fast RAM anyway, so performance wise I think it would be vastly negligible difference. It may be worth verifying that error with PCS as there are sometimes bugs in the configurator

 

[pad406]

Thanks for the heads up on the drives. My, about to be, retired laptop is 2012. I tend to buy the best, within reason, at the time as the extra upfront costs is more than recouped by the additional lifespan.

I had included the gold warranty and dead pixel but, again, thanks.

Great to hear about the quality. I had read the reviews but nice to hear first hand. Even the fact that they host such an active forum is very reassuring.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks for the heads up on the drives. My, about to be, retired laptop is 2012. I tend to buy the best, within reason, at the time as the extra upfront costs is more than recouped by the additional lifespan.

With a laptop that's definitely the way to go.