Laptop Comparison Advice - Lafite vs. Fusion

[GregWalton]

Hey folks,

It's time to retire my trusty Lafite II, and I'm torn between a Lafite Pro, or Fusion IV. In terms of specs, they'll likely be very similar, but there are a few subtle differences. If anyone more knowledgeable than me is able to offer an opinion, it would be greatly appreciated.

The laptop is mainly going to be used for some music production/recording. While I'll probably want to play games with it from time to time, it's never going to be anything intense. I realise I could potentially get better specs with a larger laptop, but the lightweight nature of the Lafite/Fusion chassis is appealing, as portability is important, and it will possibly be used for touring (once the world gets back to normal). Cost wise, the difference is minimal.

With that in mind, the differentiating factors seem to be:

Both laptops will have 16GB of RAM, but the Lafite's is spread over two slots. Am I right in my understanding that that will be better for dealing with lots of stems in a DAW?
The Fusion has a dedicated (albeit basic) GPU. How much of a difference will this make versus the integrated graphics on the Lafite? Or is the difference going to be so small that it's negligible?
The Lafite has a larger battery. I'll likely be plugged in 95% of the time, so it's not a huge factor, but it is obviously a benefit over the Fusion.

If anyone else is aware of any other difference I've missed, please let me know! Below are the two specs for comparison:

Chassis & Display
Lafité Pro Series: 14" Matte Full HD IPS LED (1920 x 1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor i7-10510U (1.8GHz, 4.9GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB 2666MHz DDR4 (1 x 8GB Corsair SODIMM + 8GB SOLDERED)
Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS (CPU Dependant) - 1.7GB Max DDR4 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 1800MB/sR | 1800MB/sW)
External Hard Drive
1TB Seagate Backup Plus Slim External HDD, USB 3.0, Black
Memory Card Reader
Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 65W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Figure 8 UK Power Cable
Battery
1 x Lafité Battery 73WH
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 1 x USB 3.1 PORT + 1 x USB 3.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
LAFITÉ PRO SERIES SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook 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)
Chassis
Clevo L141CU (i7-10510U, FHD 60Hz N7, 8GB, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,006.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/lafite-pro-14/0DTm7gzcJh/

VS.


Chassis & Display
Fusion Series: 14" Matte Full HD 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor i7-10510U (1.8GHz, 4.9GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® MX250 - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 1800MB/sR | 1800MB/sW)
External Hard Drive
1TB Seagate Backup Plus Slim External HDD, USB 3.0, Black
AC Adaptor
2 x 65W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
2 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Fusion Series 46WH Lithium Ion Battery
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (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
14" FUSION SERIES SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook 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)
Chassis
TongFang PF4MN2F (2GB MX250, i7-10510U, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £986.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/FusionIV-14/HV4CH8!qn6/

 

[dogbot]

I was faced with the same choice but I was choosing a laptop for my 11 year old grandaughter for school work (and whatever). Like you, weight was important otherwise both laptops had it's pros and cons. In the end I chose the Fusion IV although it may not be your best choice of course.
If the lack of a charging point is a problem (if traveling) then the Lafite would probably be your choice.
The fusion has both the NVidia GPU and the Intel graphics. For normal use it is likely that the Intel is the default for multimedia use while the NVidia can be used for gaming (at 1920 resolution).
The Fusion has one more USB slot (important to me) compared to the lafite but the lafite compensates by having a micro memory card reader.
On the Lafite the M2 drive is limited to ADATA cards. The Fusion has no such limitation.

Seven years ago I purchased a clevo based PCS Vortex III. It was provided with a welcome booklet and multi-lingual user manual. In addition there was an expanded manual on the driver disc. I was also able to download a service manual. With the current purchase of the Tongfang Fusion IV there was no welcome book or user manual. However, the welcome book and some drivers were available as downloads if you knew where to look in your PCS account. I don't know what comes with the clevo based Lafite.

My grandaughters reaction on seeing her laptop was 'EPIC'. I set it up initially and her father added Microsoft office and Norton and set up the child security side of it. Since then I have not really had a look in.