Highend laptop enquiry

F

FlyingDutchman

New member
Hi all,

I'm really encouraged by all the positive feedback PCSpecialist get after extensive Googling and searching these forums. So I'm considering ordering a high spec Vortex II or Viper III.

Before I discovered you guys, I was considering a Sony Vaio, then Dell XPS (I can get 20% discount with Dell), then AlienWare (but I HATE the look of these, they look like a childs toy), I dont think the prices PCSpecialist offer can be beaten. Plus UK independent company, would much prefer to give my cash to you

My budget is around 2k, although if I have to I'll go to 2300ish, would prefer not to.

My concern is the Clevo chassis. How does the chassis compare with the likes of Sony, Dell, etc? What is the expected lifespan? 2k is alot to outlay, and I need to be sure this thing is going to last me more than a few years. It's likely to be switched on for long periods running a number of virtual win2k8 servers, in addition to gaming, so I am a bit worried about heat and longevity. I can see the components are first class, but whats the build like in comparison to the likes of Sony, Dell, Hp etc


any help advice greatly appreciated.

cheers
 
NMEBowen

NMEBowen

Master Poster
not sure about the vortex but the viper is very well designed for cooling, its the only laptop ive seen with cooling fans such as these 9_big.jpg
 
NMEBowen

NMEBowen

Master Poster
not sure best wait and ask someone from PCS or you may get lucky and have someone who owns one post.
 
F

FlyingDutchman

New member
hi there, thanks for your replies,

I've spent the last few days scouring the net for reviews on machines built with these chassis', and I can't find a bad review. I'm almost certain I'll go with PCSpecialist, just need to decide on Viper or Vortex?

I'm looking at either the i7-2960XM or maybe the 2860QM. Then either the twin 560M's in the Viper, or the 580M in the Vortex. 8 or 16Gb RAM. for disk drive, I'd like a SSD, but will probably opt for a 7200 single disk to start and upgrade later, this really depends on what processor I choose, as the 2960 adds a fair bit to the price. What I'm really looking for is maximum upgradeability, which I think the Viper probably offers most.

I should really go for a PC, as it will likely be running 24+ hours at a time, sometimes a few days, but I really need some form of portability ideally. As an example, I have a Lenovo T500 that I currently use to run VM's for Windows Server 2008, with System Center Configuration Manager/SQL Server 2008, a W2K8 Domain Controller, and another W2K8 SCCM secondary site server. thats about all my lenovo can run, only just. but I can leave it running for days on end without worrying it will get to hot.

With the Viper or Vortex with that spec, I would be able to run more servers, and do more intensive tasks, and run a few more Win7/XP clients in the 'lab' too. Do you think the Viper or Vortex can handle running at high speed for long periods at a time? There is no graphics load with this VM setup, just processing and memory.

I'll also want to run Flight Simulator X, at the highest res possible, hence the graphic card choice. But, this will only be for a few hours at a time at the very most.

Presumably the warranty wont be affected if I have the machine running for long periods?

thanks for all your help and advice,

FD
 
Last edited by a moderator:
PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
The laptops are designed to run 24/7, as this is the "worst-case" scenario in terms of usage. You won't have any problems, but my advice is as follows:

1. Keep the laptop on a smooth surface where the vents do not have any interference.

2. Every 6 months, clear the dust from the laptop fans and vents. Ensure anti-static procedures are in place.
 
F

FlyingDutchman

New member
thanks, sensible advice for sure.

I've just noticed I mispelt a word in my thread above. I should have said I scoured the net for reviews with similar chassis; and i CANT find bad review. sorry about that, perhaps you could edit my post for me? all the reviews I've found for these Clevo chassis are excellent. Only reason I keep badgering you about the chassis is that I've had a bad experience many years ago with a pentium 3 laptop that melted the PSU connector in the laptop.

can you tell me in terms of performance, how the 2960XM shapes up with the 2860? I cant help but feel if I go for the 2860 I will keep thinking i should have got the 2960, for that little bit extra performance.

also, in terms of upgrading later, presumably this is standard stuff like, hard drives, memory, GPU's etc. Can the processor be upgraded too?

I'm not overly concerned about hte screen as I will mostly be connecting to an external monitor, but am curious to how it compares with a Sony Vaio or Apple? I'm really not expecting it to be in the same league, but reviews suggest the screens are very good. What about the 3d Vortex? is that better still?
 
I

InfernalBadger

Bronze Level Poster
I think the 2960XM is about 8-10% faster than the 2860. Whether that's worth the extra £400 is up to you. I decided not so have gone for the 2860 in my new Vortex II 15. I would spend the money you save on an SSD as a HDD can be the biggest bottleneck in a PC.

I've also gone for the 6990m rather than the 580GTX, the 580 just doesn't seem to offer anything that justifies the huge price difference.
 
PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
The screen is full HD - it will match up to anything else on the market :)

Most of the standard components, such as HDD, CPU, etc can be upgraded. The GPU will be difficult as I imagine stock will be hard to source. If we are able to source stock we will be able to offer the service for you.

The 2960XM is approx 8% faster than the 2860QM in terms of processing clock speed, but it also has a 33% bigger cache - 8MB as opposed to 6MB.
 
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