Gaming laptop 17.3" advice needed

O

OgdenIII

Member
I'm currently experiencing a laptop meltdown and would like to order a new one, but my emails to PCSpecialist haven't been answered, and I can't get through by phone. So I list my questions that I would ask them here and would greatly appreciate your expertise and advice.


1. I'm considering either the Elima or the Optima XI - other than price is there a big difference between the two?

2. My interest is in having one SSD for the OS (256GB) and a second SSD (1TB) for storage, yet when I configure, I am advised to have the OS on the larger drive. Does anyone know why this is recommended?

3. I would like 16GB RAM (2x8GB) - what is the difference between the Corsair 2400 MHz and the DDR4 2666 MHz?

4. For the 1TB storage drive - which is recommended between PCle SSD and the Intel series drive?

5. I assume there is a heavy post-Brexit tax/customs duty to ship to France. I've heard around 200UK - do you know if this is accurate, or is it more or less?

6. Is the wifi card the latest generation?

7. Does the external optical drive (8x DVD-RW) burn mp3s onto CDs?

Thanks for answers to any or all of these questions!
 
Macco26

Macco26

Expert
larger SSD drives have more channels, hence a lot faster. You shoudn't cripple the performance by getting a 256 GB for the OS.
It's better no less than 512 GB for OS, than a unbranded large SSD for storage.

AFAIK there is no tax for brexit. You'll be paying the VAT for your country and that's all. Be sure they present you France VAT at the moment of paying.
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Mortstiff said:
I'm currently experiencing a laptop meltdown and would like to order a new one, but my emails to PCSpecialist haven't been answered, and I can't get through by phone. So I list my questions that I would ask them here and would greatly appreciate your expertise and advice.


1. I'm considering either the Elima or the Optima XI - other than price is there a big difference between the two?

2. My interest is in having one SSD for the OS (256GB) and a second SSD (1TB) for storage, yet when I configure, I am advised to have the OS on the larger drive. Does anyone know why this is recommended?

3. I would like 16GB RAM (2x8GB) - what is the difference between the Corsair 2400 MHz and the DDR4 2666 MHz?

4. For the 1TB storage drive - which is recommended between PCle SSD and the Intel series drive?

5. I assume there is a heavy post-Brexit tax/customs duty to ship to France. I've heard around 200UK - do you know if this is accurate, or is it more or less?

6. Is the wifi card the latest generation?

7. Does the external optical drive (8x DVD-RW) burn mp3s onto CDs?

Thanks for answers to any or all of these questions!
Click to expand...
Well need to see the full spec from the configurator to answer those questions properly.
 
Bhuna50

Bhuna50

Author Level
Hopefully this will help answer some questions:

1. To identify the actual differences, quickly compare the two Detailed specification pages from each. There are obvious differences on the configurator itself regarding the GPU available in each too.

2. The configurator defaults to putting the OS onto the FASTEST drive - the larger drive you have selected is likely to be faster than the smaller one (as the other poster above has said).

3. £9 and 266MHZ difference. Whilst you wont notice the difference yourself, it is usually good advice to go for the fastest RAM possible, especially when there is such a small difference in price anyway.

4. Intels are known to not be as durable (the number of times you can read from / write to the hard drive before it might fail). I would recommend the PCS over the Intels and if you can afford to then the Samsungs above that.

5. Brexit is confusing things at the moment. You should not have to pay UK VAT on it and I dont know if PCS will charge you the French equivalent - maybe look at ordering from the French site and see what it adds. with regard to customs and excise, you will have to investigate locally what France are doing - perhaps check out the French Customs website if there is one.

Re 6 and 7 - post your spec so we can see what you are referring to re DVD drive etc.
 
O

OgdenIII

Member
Thanks a lot for these replies.

My reasoning was to put the OS on the smaller drive and then use the larger drive for storage - basically what I am doing now - and also in case of a crash, I don't lose my files on the larger drive. But my main needs are speed and performance. I might opt for two drives, one at 500GB and the other at 1TB, so that it won't matter as much which drive the OS is on, if that makes any sense.

I did some research and apparently the Elima is more for high end graphics work and gaming, neither of which are my concerns. It's new and they don't have a lot of data on the Elima, so I'm leaning toward the Optimus.

Granted Samsung is the better of the two, but I heard that the Intels were faster than the PCles.
 
Martinr36

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Mortstiff said:
Thanks a lot for these replies.

My reasoning was to put the OS on the smaller drive and then use the larger drive for storage - basically what I am doing now - and also in case of a crash, I don't lose my files on the larger drive. But my main needs are speed and performance. I might opt for two drives, one at 500GB and the other at 1TB, so that it won't matter as much which drive the OS is on, if that makes any sense.

I did some research and apparently the Elima is more for high end graphics work and gaming, neither of which are my concerns. It's new and they don't have a lot of data on the Elima, so I'm leaning toward the Optimus.

Granted Samsung is the better of the two, but I heard that the Intels were faster than the PCles.
Click to expand...
The Intel M.2 don't have a very good lifespan, the PCS M.2 are a great drive for sticking games on (I own 3)
 
Bhuna50

Bhuna50

Author Level
Re drives - I went 1TB PCS and 1TB Samsung on my Optimus.

When you have configured something, feel free to post the spec as per this:

How to Post Your Specification to the Forum - Check this Spec

Just a first note, if you've been provided this link, don't amend your first post as it won't update the queue, please add an additional comment to the thread, that way it will go back to the front of the queue. Otherwise we don't know it's been updated. When creating a forum post looking to...
www.pcspecialist.co.uk www.pcspecialist.co.uk

to get some more advice on any possible beneficial tweaks.
 
O

OgdenIII

Member
What do you think of this?

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 120Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 10750H (2.6GHz, 5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 Ti - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Card Reader (Full Size SD / SDHC / SDXC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 150W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf European Power Cable
Battery
Optimus Series Integrated 46WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.1 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
OPTIMUS SERIES RGB BACKLIT USA KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
US International/USA - US English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 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 (Windows 10 Only)
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
2 DAY DELIVERY TO FRANCE
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
 
Bhuna50

Bhuna50

Author Level
Can you let us know what your usage is for etc, I know you said not gaming earlier, but what are you using it for.

Also budget and if possible, give us the link at the bottom of the post to forum page of the spec please - as per that link I put on - it just makes it easier for us to tweak slightly for you without us having to reselect everything.

Thanks.
 
O

OgdenIII

Member
I'm a musician and photographer, so anything that goes with that - altering photos, mixing/mastering music. I used to be an academic, so I have a lot of powerpoint stuff on my computer. I like speed, performance, and space - although I use Samsung SSD external drives. I connect to an external monitor, so I don't care about the screen; ditto for sound - I connect to external speakers; and I don't care about portability, because I have a separate laptop for that. I currently have a Fang Cyberpower customized laptop and it's lasted since 2013, but is in blue screen territory now and it's time for an upgrade. I hope that helps. As for budget, I didn't want to go much above 1100 UK.

PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

Manufacturer of performance custom computers and laptops. Customise your ideal gaming PC or laptop using our advanced configurator.
www.pcspecialist.co.uk www.pcspecialist.co.uk
 
Stephen M

Stephen M

Author Level
A dual-boot with Ubuntu Studio is something to think about, it is free and has a low latency kernel which is ideal for music production.
 
Bhuna50

Bhuna50

Author Level
OK couple of things:

Switch the drives around and have two M2's:

500gb Samsung 970 Evoplus - for OS etc
1TB PCS one for files etc

Add 1 year dead pixel.

Go for Silver warranty (although see below comment re ordering from .fr website).

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 120Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 10750H (2.6GHz, 5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 Ti - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Card Reader (Full Size SD / SDHC / SDXC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 150W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf European Power Cable
Battery
Optimus Series Integrated 46WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.1 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
OPTIMUS SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
US International/USA - US English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 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 (Windows 10 Only)
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
TongFang GK7MRFR (4GB GTX-1650 Ti, i7-10750H, 120Hz, Blank KB)
Delivery
2 DAY DELIVERY TO FRANCE
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: 983,33 £ including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/optimusXI-17/qqhHJBYMjx/
Click to expand...

If you order from the French website, it adds on the French VAT, and comes to approx €1326,00, however this includes GOLD warranty which is two years parts - if my French doesnt fail me there of course.

You would have to manually install / configure Ubuntu - its not something PCS do.

1326 euros is about £1156 at moment.
 
O

OgdenIII

Member
The only reason I order my laptops from the UK is to avoid the AZERTY French keyboard - for the configuration there's an option for keyboard language, but not the type of keyboard itself (QWERTY).

I don't get their hard drive options. The first option (not given an M code) I assumed was the basic C: drive. You're saying I could forgo that and select two M2 drives instead, one with the OS? This is confusing to me.

I can live with 1326 euros, although it's a bit higher than I hoped.
 
Macco26

Macco26

Expert
I am pretty sure you can change the configuration of the keyboard, or at least I remember I could ( and didn't) from the italian site.
However after brexit you NEED to buy from the .FR website. It's the only way they charge the exact VAT amount for your country.
You don't? Your precious device will be stopped at the custom borders by FedEx waiting for clearance, e.g. you need to pay the difference.
A burocracy I would rather avoid.
Try at all cost to include the stock keyboard from the configurator. Ask them via mail/phone before if you can't, but be aboslutely sure to use your country website for buying.
PS: you can amend the order once paid. So they might asks you to buy with AZERTY then you amend it. But surely contact PCS first.
^ this only if you can't find the keyboard language in your configurator...
 
Bhuna50

Bhuna50

Author Level
The drives are just the slots available in the chassis.

The lettering comes when Windows is installed.

This laptop has room for three drives - 2 x M2 (faster ones) and 1 x SATA.

if you have the 2 M2 slots, you still still get a C:\ drive - basically that will be the default Windows setting that up on whichever M2 drive you select for it to go on - suggest the 500gb one.

Re the keyboards - if you select UK keyboard, it will be the QWERTY keyboard I believe, but you best check.

Sorry my knowledge of French and French VAT isnt up to scratch but have to say the fact that your build came out at £1181 including VAT I thought you wouldnt mind the 1326 Euros with a GOLD warranty so certainly worth looking at the .fr site as you will understand it better than me I assume.
 
O

OgdenIII

Member
I got no response to my emails to PCSpecialist and today, I called the UK and waited 2-1/2 hours. I shudder to think how that will be even worse trying to contact my French compatriots.

Thanks for all these responses - greatly appreciated.
 
Macco26

Macco26

Expert
I got my phone call to the italian number answered in less than 20 minutes in January. I think the queue for UK phone number is way bigger. Should be the same for France. Try it. And google for UK layout and see what you get. Definitely a QWERTY. It changes just some symbol (£) vs the US one I guess.
 
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