New laptop- any advice?

[Xiphosan]

Hello all, new member and first-time buyer from PCSpecialist looking for laptop build opinions.

I'm looking to buy a new laptop sometime next month to replace my Asus N550JV of 4 years- I've been out of the loop a little with all the advances that's been made since I last bought tech. I'm working with a maximum budget of ~£1,500, but lower would be better. I'll be using it for a mix of report writing, programming, and high-resolution image editing (Photoshop, Illustrator). Oh, and let's not forget gaming, though the most intense games I'll probably play will be on the level of Minecraft (with shaders) or Total War: Three Kingdoms that will (hopefully) still be bundled with the CPU when I go to buy 😬.

I've settled on the following two builds...

Chassis & Display
Recoil Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 8750H (2.2GHz, 4.1GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)

Choose from 6 Incredible Ubisoft Titles FREE with select SAMSUNG NVMe SSDs!
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 1800MB/sR | 1800MB/sW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 2 in 1 Memory Card Reader (SD, MMC)
AC Adaptor
2 x 180W AC Adaptor
Battery
Recoil II Series 46WH Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
2 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +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
PER-KEY RGB BACKLIT UK MECHANICAL KEYBOARD
Price: £1,297.00 including VAT and Delivery



Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 9750H (2.6GHz, 4.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB WD Black™ SN750 M.2 NVMe SSD (up to 3470MB/s R | 2600MB/s W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 1800MB/sR | 1800MB/sW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
2 x 150W AC Adaptor
Battery
Optimus X Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
2 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Bluetooth & Wireless
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 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Price: £1,354.00 including VAT and Delivery


The Recoil's keyboard is one of the few things that's giving me pause for thought, as it will be the first interaction I'll have with a mechanical keyboard and am not sure if I'll like it. I've read a lot of different reviews for its TongFang chassis online with regards to it, and it seems very much a love-it or hate-it thing, give or take 2 weeks to get used to it. Cooling for the Recoil seems to be OK for the most part it sounds like too- can anyone here confirm this for me?

In addition, I'm not sure if I'll need the 9750H core over then 8750H in the Optimus and Recoil for what I intend to do, especially considering the reviews which seem to be on the side of very little improvement in the latest 9th gen cores. With graphics cards, I'm not that much of a stickler for 60 FPS or the like, and things don't have to be maxxed out all the time, hence why I'd be happy with just a 1060 instead of a 1660 Ti.

I can't find much reviews on the Optimus' Clevo chassis online unfortunately so it's a bit of a blank for me- am not sure if it'll perform the same as the 17 inch version which has more reviews available.

Would love to hear other's thoughts.

 

[Oussebon]

Multiple reviews from third party hardware sites have shown the Recoil to be very good for temps.

As for the keyboard, the chassis build quality, PCS's job putting the thing together, or any other factors, remember that you have return rights as a consumer. And don't feel bad about using them, either. I'm sure for PCS's part they'd rather you returned a system within your rights than kept something you weren't happy with. They seem to value returning customers a lot.

£1300 for a laptop with 'only' a GTX 1060 in it, however, does raise an eyebrow.

Especially when it's only £50-£60 more for a more powerful GPU and (slightly) faster CPU. And there may even be cheaper configs out there. Given that for gaming, the GPU is what will make your system go out of date, investing 4% more in a better one would seem a good way of enhancing your experience now, and prolonging the viable lifespan of the system (i.e. delaying the purchase of a new one).

How are you using your storage? i.e. what are you keeping exactly on each of your 2 SSDs?

 

[Xiphosan]

Thanks for the response, Oussebon.

Will keep the return policy in mind, hopefully can make a decision on if I like the keyboard within a week or so

Yes, am a little up in the air with whether I should just go all-in and future proof the laptop a little with the 1660Ti plus 9750H, but am just not sure for the extra £120 whether I'll use it to its fullest (or whether a laptop can actually sustain using the power it brings)... But when you put it that way I suppose I may as well since it's still within budget. I would like to try 3D modelling and 3D printing at some point in the future so it might be useful for that, if not other future games that catch my eye.

I haven't settled on the exact size or make of the SDD/HDD yet, but the smaller one will be for productivity/work programs, e.g. the OS, Office, Adobe, and a few games I play most. Whilst the larger one will be storing some of the files generated from work, games I'm not using and um... whatever other sort of junk that seems to be clogging my current HDD 😬 (maybe 3D models...).

 

[Oussebon]

or whether a laptop can actually sustain using the power it brings

That's a non-issue. The 1660 ti is far from the most powerful of mobile GPUs.

but am just not sure for the extra £120

How's it £120 more? the price difference of the specs you posted above seems to be £57.

or you mean the Recoil with the GTX 1660 ti etc is £120? If so, then I'd go with the Optimus,

I haven't settled on the exact size or make of the SDD/HDD yet, but the smaller one will be for productivity/work programs, e.g. the OS, Office, Adobe, and a few games I play most. Whilst the larger one will be storing some of the files generated from work, games I'm not using and um... whatever other sort of junk that seems to be clogging my current HDD 😬 (maybe 3D models...).

So if the secondary SSD is for: games you're not using, files generated from work (that you're not actively using), and music, videos, etc then you might as well buy an HDD instead of an SSD. Because none of that needs to be on an SSD or would get any real benefit from being there

Also note that a 1TB SX6000 is the same price as a 500gb WD Black.

And separately form the above, I'd take an SX6000 over a 660p as it's faster

 

[Oussebon]

e.g.

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 9750H (2.6GHz, 4.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE 7mm SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 128MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
2 x 150W AC Adaptor
Battery
Optimus X Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
2 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Bluetooth & Wireless
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 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
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 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo NH55RCQ (6GB GTX-1660 Ti, i7-9750H, 60Hz N7)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,324.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/optimusX-15/BgfgrfvS3W/

 

[Xiphosan]

That's a non-issue. The 1660 ti is far from the most powerful of mobile GPUs.

How's it £120 more? the price difference of the specs you posted above seems to be £57.

or you mean the Recoil with the GTX 1660 ti etc is £120? If so, then I'd go with the Optimus,



So if the secondary SSD is for: games you're not using, files generated from work (that you're not actively using), and music, videos, etc then you might as well buy an HDD instead of an SSD. Because none of that needs to be on an SSD or would get any real benefit from being there

Also note that a 1TB SX6000 is the same price as a 500gb WD Black.

And separately form the above, I'd take an SX6000 over a 660p as it's faster

Yes, I meant the Recoil using the GTX 1660Ti & 9750H is £120, should have clarified. Am a bit more hesitant to go with the Optimus since, as mentioned I can't seem to find much info on the chassis. But again as you mentioned, return policy is a thing so can run it through its paces and see. Also won't need to worry about whether I like mechanical keyboards or not that way.

To be honest, I went for SSDs because two of the past HDD's for my current laptop failed in the last 4 years I've had it, and have been quite careful with it too. Don't really want to go through that too many more times, and have heard SSDs are more reliable. Would you have any experience on this? Or the SSD brands for that matter maybe?

Thank you for the points you've mentioned otherwise.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Yes, I meant the Recoil using the GTX 1660Ti & 9750H is £120, should have clarified. Am a bit more hesitant to go with the Optimus since, as mentioned I can't seem to find much info on the chassis. But again as you mentioned, return policy is a thing so can run it through its paces and see. Also won't need to worry about whether I like mechanical keyboards or not that way.

To be honest, I went for SSDs because two of the past HDD's for my current laptop failed in the last 4 years I've had it. Don't really want to go through that too many more times, and have heard SSDs are more reliable. Would you have any experience on this? Or the SSD brands for that matter maybe?

Thank you for the points you've mentioned otherwise.

The Optimus is a clevo chassis, best search the chassis for reviews which is CLEVO NH55RDQ

 

[Xiphosan]

The Optimus is a clevo chassis, best search the chassis for reviews which is CLEVO NH55RDQ

Yes, have been searching using the chassis number, but not much seems to come up. Could just be a relative thing, as I can find this sizeable notebook review thread dedicated to the Recoil/Tongfang's chassis, but comparatively little on the Optimus/Clevo. Will have a closer look over the weekend and see if I can find anything else

 

[Oussebon]

SSD brands aren't a big factor for reliability as far as I know.

Even the OCZ Vertex 2 or whatever it was I bought that was notorious for being DOA or failing shortly after arrival is still in service. As is my Intel, a Kingston, a trio of Samsungs, and a Crucial though that one's quite new. Though one of my Samsungs has gotten through quite a lot of TBW and I feel like performance is starting to slow...
But then so are all my HDDs, apart from a couple of rather venerable external USB ones (like 40gb/80gb size). And external HDDs never tended to do so well, probably on account of being external HDDs... and a couple of internal ones that were about 12 years old when they failed I think. Which isn't a bad innings really for PC hardware.

I've had case/CPU fans, PSUs, and GPUs fail earlier in life more than storage, in desktops anyway. And RAM.

One thing to note, Intel SSDs lock themselves to read only once you reach a certain level of writes to them. That's apparently to protect your data but actually SSDs usually go on well beyond published limits so it's more just annoying and forces you to buy a new drive. If you ever manage to hit the published endurance limit, which is an achievement in itself

 

[Xiphosan]

The Optimus is a clevo chassis, best search the chassis for reviews which is CLEVO NH55RDQ

So I've found this thread which has some links to related Clevo models, including this youtube review of a Clevo NH58ED. Looks similar, other than the clamshell surface design- I'm not too familiar with laptop model naming conventions, but I'm guessing for all intents and purposes it's the same as the Optimus' Clevo NH55RDQ? If so, am a bit more comfortable with the Optimus as an option now .

Only question now is it sounds like the casing is almost fully plastic- in the past have been told to avoid those for durability issues, but that's half a decade ago now. I suppose modern plastic laptops aren't really an issue outside of the looks factor?

SSD brands aren't a big factor for reliability as far as I know.

Even the OCZ Vertex 2 or whatever it was I bought that was notorious for being DOA or failing shortly after arrival is still in service. As is my Intel, a Kingston, a trio of Samsungs, and a Crucial though that one's quite new. Though one of my Samsungs has gotten through quite a lot of TBW and I feel like performance is starting to slow...
But then so are all my HDDs, apart from a couple of rather venerable external USB ones (like 40gb/80gb size). And external HDDs never tended to do so well, probably on account of being external HDDs... and a couple of internal ones that were about 12 years old when they failed I think. Which isn't a bad innings really for PC hardware.

I've had case/CPU fans, PSUs, and GPUs fail earlier in life more than storage, in desktops anyway. And RAM.

One thing to note, Intel SSDs lock themselves to read only once you reach a certain level of writes to them. That's apparently to protect your data but actually SSDs usually go on well beyond published limits so it's more just annoying and forces you to buy a new drive. If you ever manage to hit the published endurance limit, which is an achievement in itself

That's interesting, but good to hear with respect to brand not making too much of a difference. I suppose if the HDD/SSD happens to fail within the first year can get PCSpecialist to help with replacement, they seem to be pretty on the ball from what I've read, and what you've mentioned before. Will also keep that quirk with Intel SSDs in mind for the future, though I too am wondering how one can hit the endurance limit of SSDs, unless it's been used regularly for 10+ years or something...

Would you say there's much actual difference between the read/write speeds of the SX6000 vs the WD or Samsung though? I suppose at this sort of level the speeds would only matter for files that are several gigabytes big.

 

[Oussebon]

I suppose if the HDD/SSD happens to fail within the first year can get PCSpecialist to help with replacement

You may also be able to access a longer warranty provided by the manufacturer through PCS, or directly from the maker.

Would you say there's much actual difference between the read/write speeds of the SX6000 vs the WD or Samsung though? I suppose at this sort of level the speeds would only matter for files that are several gigabytes big.

The SX6000 won't be as fast as a 970 Evo or WD Black in some situations e.g. straight copying of huge files.

However, it's still pretty fast, and you can buy twice as much of it for the price. So a 1TB SX6000 vs a 500gb WD Black. The WD Black is faster for your first 500gb of stuff... and the SX6000 has an advantage for the other 500gb of stuff you wouldn't have been able to fit onto the WD Black

And ofc you don't want to fill drives right up either.

And as for game loading speeds, the difference is pretty slim: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/adata-sx6000-pro-1-tb/13.html