Gaming laptop for £1.5k - Must be 17.3 screen. Is this any good?

[mcfuzz]

Hi

Budget as per title, £1.5k, can push to £1.6k max all in! Must have a 17.3 inch screen as replacing my old 17.3 vortex, graphics card has given up the ghost...

I want to play AAA titles and World of Warcraft at it's highest graphics quality. And feedback on the below please before I push the button?

Thanks in advance!

Chassis & Display
Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-6400 (2.7GHz) 6MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980M - 8.0GB DDR5 Video RAM, DirectX® 12, G-SYNC
Memory - Hard Disk
480GB KINGSTON UV400 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (550MB/R, 500MB/W)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
2 x 330W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 3.1 Type C PORT AS STANDARD
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 DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Carry Case
Targus XL Laptop Carry Case
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 12 NOON)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,555.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/octaneII-17/ZBQ7qXwg0f/

 

[Oussebon]

I wouldn't recommend that at all, for two main reasons.

1) It has a GTX 980M which is older, less powerful, and has worse DX12 support compared to the laptop GTX 1060. See: http://tinyurl.com/j9rqv3o

2) The Octane chassis has a price premium for having desktop CPUs. However the i5 6400 is weaker than laptop i7 CPUs and is the weakest desktop i5, having the lowest single threaded performance (lower than even a laptop i7 CPU). WoW seems particularly reliant on single-threaded performance and appears more prone to being limited by CPU performance in certain situations (such as raids, BGs, or high view-distance settings) than many other games.

CPU single and multi-threaded performance:
http://tinyurl.com/guf3rjd
(the i5 6400 is 300-500MHz slower than the 6500 in those benches, and the 6500 only just matches the 6700HQ for single threaded performance - and obviously the i7 has much better multithreaded performance as well).

If you stick with an Octane II, at least upgrade the CPU to an i5 6600(k).

But a Defiance III would net you better CPU and GPU performance than your i5 6400 + GTX 980M spec for the same money (plus things like more USB 3.1 ports that come from having a more modern chassis):

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
FREE PARAGON GAME READY PACK with select GTX 1060 Systems!
Memory - Hard Disk
480GB KINGSTON UV400 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (550MB/R, 500MB/W)
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB SLIM SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 128MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 200W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.1 Type A, 2 x USB 3.1 Type C AS STANDARD
Battery
Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (60WH)
Keyboard Language
DEFIANCE SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
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 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,506.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/defianceIII-17/AuRPAn2yBX/

I didn't add a carry case as they don't have the Targus on sale with the new laptops, but have a range of other ones and I figured you'd want to pick for yourself

There is also the Octane III 17.3" of course: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/octaneIII-17/ but due to the increased price you'd need to get a smaller SSD to stay within budget. Given that there are 2 2.5" drive bays and 2 M.2 Sata drive slots, however, upgrading the storage in future should be quite do-able. So if you want an i5 6600k with a GTX 1060 in an Octane chassis you can certainly make that work.

===

Bonus note: WoW can also scale particularly well with RAM frequency - I measured performance gains of upto 16% by upgrading my 1600MHz DDR3 to 2400MHz DDR3 (vastly more than in other games) and have seen similar reports from other players with DDR4 speeds. The newer laptop chassis (Defiance III and Octane III) have the option for 2400MHz DDR4, which may be well worth taking. PCS aren’t offering a 2x8gb config for some reason, but perhaps if you phone them they could arrange for your laptop to have 2x8gb DDR4 2400MHz in dual channel.

 

[Alexwise]

Good suggestion above.

However, I would rather spend money on a smaller but a lot fast SSD to install Windows on and save some money as well. You can then install games onto 500GB 7200RPM HDD which is more than enough. Also, I would suggest taking 8 Gigs of ram and spending the saved money on a faster Graphics Card. If you have a key for windows and know how to install it you can save another £89. Otherwise, get it elsewhere for a cheaper price (PM me, I'll tell you where). All in all, here my config for under £1600.
PC Specialist

PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK QUOTATION

The specification below has been formatted so you can easily copy and paste this to our forums when discussing your specification. Once you've copied the specification, please click here to continue.


Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
Memory - Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.1 Type A, 2 x USB 3.1 Type C AS STANDARD
Battery
Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (60WH)
Keyboard Language
DEFIANCE SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,580.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/defianceIII-17/D2cQFc7s!F/

 

[mcfuzz]

Hi,

Thank you Oussebon, that's amazing advice and exactly what I was looking for. I have had a play with the Octane III and I think I have come up with a revised quote that comes (just) on budget. I have tweaked down the hard drives, which as I still have my current laptop with plently of hard drive space is not a major issue, and as you say, I could add another SSD at a later date.

I have a question, what would be a better option, as per your bonus note:

Memory (RAM)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)

or

16GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)

Would it be better (particularly for playing WoW) 2x 8GB of the slower RAM or 1 x 8GB of the faster RAM? As you say PCS dont offer 2 x 8GB, but my guess is that will take me a bit over budget. I may call them to see how much it would work out if they did offer it.

Full spec below, so further comments most welcome!

Chassis & Display
Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-6400 (2.7GHz) 6MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON UV400 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (550MB/R, 350MB/W)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Power Supply
1 x 330W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
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 DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 10 (64-bit) Home DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Carry Case
Targus XL Laptop Carry Case
Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 12 NOON)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Promotional Item
FREE PARAGON GAME READY PACK with select GTX 1060 Systems!
Quantity
1

 

[mcfuzz]

Hi

***I wrote an earlier reply, but has not posted for some reason? Mods?***

Thanks Oussebon, I have had a look at the Octane III, reduced down the hard drive space (don't need too much space as my old laptop that I am using now still has plenty).

However, as per your bonus note, I'm now a little confused about the RAM. Would I be better going for:

Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)

or

8GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)

I would assume if I went for 2x 8GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4, if PCS are able to, it would go over my budget too much. I will give them a call though and ask them before I proceed though.

Thanks again!

My updated full spec as follows:


Chassis & Display
Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-6400 (2.7GHz) 6MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON UV400 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (550MB/R, 350MB/W)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Power Supply
1 x 330W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
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 DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 10 (64-bit) Home DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Carry Case
Targus XL Laptop Carry Case
Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 12 NOON)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

 

[Scott]

You are at a really awkward price point with regards to performance laptops. In order to make the most of an Octane you really need to plum for the 6700k as suggested (6600k minimum IMO). If that's just not possible then the Defiance III is by far and away the best option, as already suggested.

My suggestion would be to save up for a while longer and go for the Octane with the 6700k. I wouldn't worry about the RAM or the HDDs or anything that can be simply plugged in at a later date. 8GB of half decent RAM will see you through easily till next year when you could upgrade to 16GB 3000mhz RAM. An M2 could also be added when the pricing gets better.

IMO a 120GB SSD drive is absolutely pointless nowadays. I would just ditch that for now.

Chassis & Display
Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
FREE PARAGON GAME READY PACK with select GTX 1060 Systems!
Memory - Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
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 DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
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 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,597.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/octaneIII-17/56k2dVuW9p/

The above is what I would buy with a £1600 budget. I would be buying with a view to add 16GB of the fastest RAM available and a 512GB M2 SM961 (or even a 1TB if the value was there) at a later date once funds allowed.

 

[Alexwise]

Hi

***I wrote an earlier reply, but has not posted for some reason? Mods?***

Thanks Oussebon, I have had a look at the Octane III, reduced down the hard drive space (don't need too much space as my old laptop that I am using now still has plenty).

However, as per your bonus note, I'm now a little confused about the RAM. Would I be better going for:

Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)

or

8GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)

I would assume if I went for 2x 8GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4, if PCS are able to, it would go over my budget too much. I will give them a call though and ask them before I proceed though.

Thanks again!

My updated full spec as follows:


Chassis & Display
Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-6400 (2.7GHz) 6MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON UV400 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (550MB/R, 350MB/W)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Power Supply
1 x 330W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
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 DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 10 (64-bit) Home DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Carry Case
Targus XL Laptop Carry Case
Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 12 NOON)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

I think this spec is a bad choice with such processor.

You will pay more than you would for Defiance 3, performance of i5 6400 is hardly any better than i7 6700hq, AND you will get a much bulkier and heavier laptop overall.

I would strongly suggest you to consider Defiance 3 if you are not upping the processor in your config.

 

[Oussebon]

My updated full spec as follows:


Chassis & Display
Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-6400 (2.7GHz) 6MB Cache

I think you missed the point I was trying to make about the CPUs. Apologies, as I appreciate it was all bit long winded.

In short, the i5 6400 is the lowest performing CPU option out of all of the Defiance and Octane chassis put together. It is the slowest regular desktop i5 in the Skylake family, with the lowest single threaded performance, which means you can expect measurably lower performance in WoW (and other games potentially, but especially WoW) compared to any other option you could buy.

I would strongly recommend getting at least an i5 6600.

(And given that the Octane supports overclocking, an i5 6600k would be even better since you can squeeze out even more single-threaded performance that way).

Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)

or

8GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)

I would assume if I went for 2x 8GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4, if PCS are able to, it would go over my budget too much. I will give them a call though and ask them before I proceed though.

Phoning them to ask is probably the best option there, yeah. Hopefully they can offer 2x8gb 2400MHz at a reasonably modest price.

They do generally sell RAM and storage upgrades for laptops though, so if you bought 8gb now you could presumably get another 8gb off them without needing to worry about compatibility.

 

[mcfuzz]

Hi,

Thanks both for your replies! Thanks also for the explanations, I have read over your comments again and they now make lots of sense!

I may be able to dig out an extra £100 (from next month's pay packet...), so rather than try and cut corners, I have added the quicker RAM (which I can then double up at a later date). If the SSD is not essential for squeezing out extra performance I'm happy to drop and stick with a standard hard drive.

So, adding in the extra warranty, bag and Saturday delivery, I top out at £1.7k, how does the below now look?

Thanks again for all your help, really appreciate it!


Chassis & Display
Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
FREE PARAGON GAME READY PACK with select GTX 1060 Systems!
Memory - Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
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 DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Carry Case
Targus XL Laptop Carry Case
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 12 NOON)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,724.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/octaneIII-17/PGUdgh9WyF/

 

[Scott]

That looks great, however I wouldn't recommend the extra cash for the memory upgrade. In the future when you plan to upgrade to 16GB I would look to replace the stick with a matched pair bought at exactly the same time. As much as I accept that you will probably be able to get the same matched specification, I would never do it that way. 8GB of the bone stock stuff with a plan to go for 16GB of the latest and greatest in the future is the road I would go down..... That's a personal preference though, there's no harm in going with the 2400 and then matching it at a later date, I just wouldn't see it as a priority.

The drive WILL make a HUGE difference to your day to day running along with boot up times etc, but it can be so easily added in the future that I wouldn't see it as a priority. The above spec sets out the foundations perfectly (even with the Memory as is). It will be an absolute monster and I think it's absolutely the right road to go down. Please don't be disheartened by the boot times though.... once you get your SM961 fix your world will change completely

 

[Alexwise]

May I offer the following.

It has got a GTX 1070 rather than a GTX 1060 which will make a much more considerable difference in performance in games rather than a faster processor. Also, graphics cards get outdated quicker than processors so by getting the 1070 laptop will you extend your laptop's longevity.

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
Memory - Hard Disk
1TB WD SLIM BLUE 2.5" WD10SPCX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.1 Type A, 2 x USB 3.1 Type C AS STANDARD
Battery
Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (60WH)
Keyboard Language
DEFIANCE SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,707.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/defianceIII-17/aNYfGY3BAE/

 

[Oussebon]

You could stick to the i5 6600k to save cash.

The main difference between an i5 and an i7 is hyperthreading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyper-threading

Things that benefit from hyperthreading might include video editingand certain 3d modelling/ rendering type applications.

Most games, however, derive little to no benefit from this. WoW is said to get no benefit at all (unless you stream your gameplay).

The i7 6700k does have higher boost clock speeds than the i5 6600k, but only by ~300MHz. This means the extra £107 upgrading from an i5 6600k to an i7 6700k nets you comparatively little extra performance vs upgrading from an i5 6400 to an i5 6600k (which costs £62 quid and nets you 600MHz boost clocks).
CPU frequencies: http://ark.intel.com/compare/88185,88191,88195

Furthermore, the i5 6600k and i7 6700k both tend to overclock up to about the same frequencies as far as I know, despite the i7 having higher stock frequencies. So if you OC the CPU you may be able to completely negate any performance advantage the i7 6700k has through its faster stock clock speeds.

So while there’s nothing wrong with the i7 6700k, and it is faster at stock speeds than the i5 6600k, you could stick to the i5 6600k without losing much (or any) performance and save £100.

It’s up to you ofc, I just mention it as the above seems pricier than you were aiming for.

As much as I accept that you will probably be able to get the same matched specification, I would never do it that way

This is a good point. However, is the compatibility not guaranteed for upgrades sold by PC Specialist? If they sold you an upgrade for your laptop that wasn't compatible and caused performance issues, and they didn't replace it with a stick that was compatible, well, it would look a bit bad for them.

That said, there's a good case for just getting the 16gb RAM outright (especially if PCS can sell 2x8gb DDR4 2400MHz) instead of the SSD, given how easy it will be to add an extremely fast M.2 SSD in due course.

 

[mcfuzz]

Hi all,

Thanks again for all your help. I have delayed slightly as was waiting for the missus's car to go through it's MOT! Now that's sorted, I was able to squeeze a few more £££'s out of my budget. I now have a max of £1.8k, which I think the below spec hits. Again any feedback?

I have dropped the SSD as recommended and will invest in an M2 some point in the future.

Upped the memory to 16GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 16GB)

Upped the processor to Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache - Am i better off dropping down to the i5? Or now that my budget allows, shall I stick with the i7?

Kept the graphics card to NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC. - I don't think I can juggle any of the other specs around to keep below £1.8k...

From what you guys have explained, by keeping the Octane chassis it will be easier for me to add memory / M2 etc, or replace my graphics card if it breaks again! So presume this is he better chassis?

Thanks again for all your help. This has been fun and appreciate the education, its been a while since I last got my head round processors / RAM etc!

Full spec below.

Chassis & Display
Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
FREE PARAGON GAME READY PACK with select GTX 1060 Systems!
Memory - Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
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 DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Carry Case
Targus XL Laptop Carry Case
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 12 NOON)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,767.00 including VAT and delivery.

 

[mcfuzz]

Hi

Any final thoughts on the above spec, before I place my order? My post was delayed as it had a link in it...

Thanks again

Mcfuzz

 

[Oussebon]

I want to play AAA titles and World of Warcraft at it's highest graphics quality

£1800 is a lot to spend on a laptop that has "only" a GTX 1060 (laptop version). That card is ~10% weaker than a GTX 970, and WoW Draenor was comfortably able to max out my GTX 970 SSC. Other AAA titles will be even more demanding.

It's tricky, because WoW being what it is also benefits a lot from higher single threaded performance and fast RAM. So an Octane with an i7 6700k and GTX 1060 will have lower average FPS than a Defiance with a 6700HQ and GTX 1070 and possibly require lowered settings to main 60fps, but potentially higher minimum FPS during raids. However, a Defiance could be bought with a 6820HK and overclocked (I hear ~4GHz is often quite achievable) which could substantially offset that.

I don't believe there's an real advantage to the Octane over the Defiance in terms of RAM and M.2 SSD upgrades - you can add more to either chassis. It is true that the Octane has a GPU that can be removed and replaced. Note replaced, as in with one of the same kind - there's absolutely no guarantee whatsoever that it will be possible to upgrade the GPU in the future.

A GTX 1060 is also sufficiently weaker compared to a GTX 1070 (GTX 1070 is upto about 50% stronger - see: http://tinyurl.com/j9rqv3o ) that you will be looking at replacing the laptop a lot sooner anyway to improve performance.

So I would put in a last bid for a Defiance as I do think it is the more balanced build and overall better value.

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6820HK (2.7GHz, 3.6GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
FREE GEARS OF WAR 4 with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
Memory - Hard Disk
1TB WD BLACK 2.5" WD10JPLX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
2 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.1 Type A, 2 x USB 3.1 Type C AS STANDARD
Battery
Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (60WH)
Keyboard Language
DEFIANCE SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
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 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,788.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/defianceIII-17/3XFWVkaSc5/

I popped a WD Black in there as it was relatively inexpensive compared to the other options and what WD Blacks usually cost.

 

[mcfuzz]

Hi,

Worth overclocking the CPU for an extra £39? Also presume the thermal paste is worth adding for an extra £9? Finally you had:

AC Adaptor
2 x 230W AC Adaptor

Presume an error and you meant to pick 1x?

So my final build looks as follows...

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6820HK (2.7GHz, 3.6GHz Turbo)
Overclocking Service
Overclock the Intel® Core™ i7-6820HK with speeds up to 3.7GHz
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
FREE GEARS OF WAR 4 with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
Memory - Hard Disk
1TB WD BLACK 2.5" WD10JPLX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.1 Type A, 2 x USB 3.1 Type C AS STANDARD
Battery
Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (60WH)
Keyboard Language
DEFIANCE SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Carry Case
Tech Air 17.3" Premium Toploading Case V2
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 12 NOON)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,835.00 including VAT and delivery.

£35 over budget, which I am happy to absorb

Thanks again for all your support. Looking forward to placing the order and smashing out some WoW ;-)

Cheers

Mcfuzz

 

[Oussebon]

Presume an error and you meant to pick 1x?

Yup. I'm stupid.

Also presume the thermal paste is worth adding for an extra £9?

Definitely. I should have added that given my suggestion about overclocking.

Worth overclocking the CPU for an extra £39

Depends how you look at it. This answer's going to be longer than I want it to be, so bear with me :/

The 6820HK is only 100MHz faster than the 6700HQ at stock speeds: http://ark.intel.com/compare/88969,88967 and costs £44 more.

PCS charge £39 to OC the CPU up to 3.7GHz, which is only another 100MHz over the 6820HK's boost speed.

This means that you end up paying £85 for 200MHz (£46 for the 6820HK and £39 for the OC). Now it's worth noting that A CPU's non-overclocked boost speeds won't be achieved on all cores, they kick in only when some cores are being used more heavily than others. So in a game or program that uses several cores quite a lot (e.g. Civ 6 maybe), PCS's overclock is arguably worth more - because the CPU probably won't be boosting all of the cores to their 3.6GHz max at stock speeds, whereas PCS are selling their OC as 3.7GHz on all cores.

But since WoW seems to generally load up one thread a lot more than the others, the CPU would probably be boosting itself to 3.6GHz on the main thread naturally anyway.

So whether that's worth it is up to you. Arguably if you're paying £44 for the first additional 100HMz you might as well pay £39 for an extra 100MHz (or more if all cores are in use).

If you're going to OC the chip yourself, however, then it probably isn't worth paying PCS to apply an overclock that in all likelihood you could exceed yourself. Overclocking your PC yourself does have warranty implications, but frankly you'd have to try pretty hard to bork your computer due to overclocking.

TL;DR - The two best Performance Per £ routes, in my opinion, are either a) getting a 6820KH and overclocking it yourself, or b) just sticking with the 6700HQ.
However if you're not comfortable overclocking and are happy to pay a premium for performance, then the 6820HK with the PCS overclock could net you some extra performance albeit at a fairly steep cost. It would also be providing that extra performance within the warranty.

 

[mcfuzz]

Amazing, thanks for the response. I think I will get PCS to overclock for me, I don't want to attempt that by myself!

Will put the order in ASAP.

Thanks again for all you help