Received my new Optimus III laptop yesterday but I was so exhausted after a long day at work I barely had time to do anything more that set it up. So here's a review:
Build Specifications:
Chassis & Display Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080) (£79)
Processor (CPU): Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3610QM (2.30GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM): 8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M - 1.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Hard Disk: 500GB SEAGATE MOMENTUS XT HYBRID, SATA 3 Gb/s, (7200rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive: SONY BC-5550H 4x BLURAY COMBO DRIVE & CYBERLINK SOFTWARE (£59)
Memory Card Reader: Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste: ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card: Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Network Facilities: GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® ADVANCED-N 6235 (300Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery: Optimus/Voyager Series 6 Cell Lithium-ION Battery (48.84WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor: 1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Operating System: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Keyboard & Mouse: INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
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) (£5)
Pricing Information:
Price (excluding VAT) £782.50
Price £939.00
Processed Date: 26-06-2012
Build Date: 29-06-2012
Test Date: 02-07-2012
Awaiting Dispatch Date: 02-07-2012
Dispatch Date: 04-07-2012
Customer Service:
I bought my gaming PC from PCS last year and naturally I had to use them again when it came around to buy a laptop. I received my PC within 14 days. I had a faulty SSD and motherboard which they replaced and fixed within 4 days and I can't fault their service. I had to call them up regarding my laptop as I originally ordered a 15.6" Optimus III on the "Configure a Laptop" page instead of the 17.3" I actually wanted. They cancelled my original order and used the funds to pay for the 17.3" version. To cause further issues, I then amended my order changing a few specifications, again I had no issues and it hardly slowed down production. The laptop was built and ready to dispatch within 4 days. My only gripe was it was shown awaiting dispatch for 2 days before it was sent out, but I really can't moan too much about that considering they obviously have other machines waiting to go out finished over the weekend.
Delivery was scheduled for the 05/07/2012 between 10:18 and 11:18. It arrived at 10:40 and there was no damage to the box at all. Packaging as we all expect was far more than adequate, ensuring there was no risk of damaging the machine. Top notch.
Looks and Sound Quality:
It is a great looking machine. It is a satin black chassis with that "grainy" brushed aluminium look but in black if that makes sense. It isn't glossy so grubby fingerprints isn't an issue at all. It is fairly heavy, but this is to be expected of a machine of its size and with the components inside. I opted for a matte screen and the picture quality is spot on. I loaded up a 1080p video on YouTube then loaded a good quality BluRay and it is brilliant, far surpassing my expectations.
The keyboard is well laid out, with god key spacing and firm keys. I have no concerns that I could press the keys through the keyboard or they may fall out or split. The touchpad is sensitive which is great as my previous experience with laptops is how annoying touchpads can be. The only real issue is that while I type, I hit my palm on the touchpad so it moves the cursor however that is more user error and lack of me being used to a laptop keyboard.
The laptop only has 3 stickers on the keyboard area which are the THX and nVidia ones which is fine. Many store bought machines have stickers all over the place which is just unsightly. Other than that, it is very minimalist which is just how I like my electronics.
Sound quality is better than what I was expecting from a two speaker laptop. You can't expect 5.1 d.Dolby quality but it is more than adequate for listening to music, watching a film or YouTube video.
Value for Money:
A machine bought from the "Popular" computer stores on the street of this quality would be in excess of £1200 I would estimate and that is if you could actually find one with this high a specification. My opinion of the big name PC stores is that they abuse the general lack of knowledge of the normal member of the public and sell them machines that are either far below their actual needs or try to sell them things they really don't need. Prices are extremely over the top for what you actually get. The fact that building a computer yourself would still be in the price range of PCS I would rather have it built professionally and have a very good warranty to go with it.
Performance
I haven't owned a laptop since I was about 14 and that was 10 years ago. I hated it as it took an age to boot up and then forever to do anything. This couldn't be more different. It boots up to Windows in around 20-30 seconds. I haven't pushed it very much yet as I am still in the process of installing my games and software however it is excellent. Whilst it isn't going to compete with my gaming PC, I never expected it to nor want it to. I wanted a good laptop as I needed something that is reliable and can be pushed hard when needed. I have no concerns that this will melt at the sight of a good quality game or when I do some music recording and editing. It gets fairly hot but nothing too extreme. I have a cooling stand on order to help it out a little but it definitely isn't a necessity, more just to keep my legs from getting too hot!
Not so much a performance related complaint, but the edges of the laptop are quite sharp and dig into my wrist a little bit as I type which is somewhat uncomfortable but this may just be the way I type and/or me not being used to a laptop.
So what to do now? Well as they say, safety first!
Then, the real reason all guys buy a laptop, in order to do things on it that we don't want out family to see us doing. We are ALL guilty of it and there is no denying we all have a problem especially with the availability of it all over the internet...
Now, clear your heads you dirty minded people! I mean:
I may add to this over time to give a bit more long term feedback. Overall I am very happy with this machine and PCS.
Thanks again!
Pete
Build Specifications:
Chassis & Display Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080) (£79)
Processor (CPU): Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3610QM (2.30GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM): 8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M - 1.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Hard Disk: 500GB SEAGATE MOMENTUS XT HYBRID, SATA 3 Gb/s, (7200rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive: SONY BC-5550H 4x BLURAY COMBO DRIVE & CYBERLINK SOFTWARE (£59)
Memory Card Reader: Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste: ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card: Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Network Facilities: GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® ADVANCED-N 6235 (300Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery: Optimus/Voyager Series 6 Cell Lithium-ION Battery (48.84WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor: 1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Operating System: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Keyboard & Mouse: INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
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) (£5)
Pricing Information:
Price (excluding VAT) £782.50
Price £939.00
Processed Date: 26-06-2012
Build Date: 29-06-2012
Test Date: 02-07-2012
Awaiting Dispatch Date: 02-07-2012
Dispatch Date: 04-07-2012
Customer Service:
I bought my gaming PC from PCS last year and naturally I had to use them again when it came around to buy a laptop. I received my PC within 14 days. I had a faulty SSD and motherboard which they replaced and fixed within 4 days and I can't fault their service. I had to call them up regarding my laptop as I originally ordered a 15.6" Optimus III on the "Configure a Laptop" page instead of the 17.3" I actually wanted. They cancelled my original order and used the funds to pay for the 17.3" version. To cause further issues, I then amended my order changing a few specifications, again I had no issues and it hardly slowed down production. The laptop was built and ready to dispatch within 4 days. My only gripe was it was shown awaiting dispatch for 2 days before it was sent out, but I really can't moan too much about that considering they obviously have other machines waiting to go out finished over the weekend.
Delivery was scheduled for the 05/07/2012 between 10:18 and 11:18. It arrived at 10:40 and there was no damage to the box at all. Packaging as we all expect was far more than adequate, ensuring there was no risk of damaging the machine. Top notch.
Looks and Sound Quality:
It is a great looking machine. It is a satin black chassis with that "grainy" brushed aluminium look but in black if that makes sense. It isn't glossy so grubby fingerprints isn't an issue at all. It is fairly heavy, but this is to be expected of a machine of its size and with the components inside. I opted for a matte screen and the picture quality is spot on. I loaded up a 1080p video on YouTube then loaded a good quality BluRay and it is brilliant, far surpassing my expectations.
The keyboard is well laid out, with god key spacing and firm keys. I have no concerns that I could press the keys through the keyboard or they may fall out or split. The touchpad is sensitive which is great as my previous experience with laptops is how annoying touchpads can be. The only real issue is that while I type, I hit my palm on the touchpad so it moves the cursor however that is more user error and lack of me being used to a laptop keyboard.
The laptop only has 3 stickers on the keyboard area which are the THX and nVidia ones which is fine. Many store bought machines have stickers all over the place which is just unsightly. Other than that, it is very minimalist which is just how I like my electronics.
Sound quality is better than what I was expecting from a two speaker laptop. You can't expect 5.1 d.Dolby quality but it is more than adequate for listening to music, watching a film or YouTube video.
Value for Money:
A machine bought from the "Popular" computer stores on the street of this quality would be in excess of £1200 I would estimate and that is if you could actually find one with this high a specification. My opinion of the big name PC stores is that they abuse the general lack of knowledge of the normal member of the public and sell them machines that are either far below their actual needs or try to sell them things they really don't need. Prices are extremely over the top for what you actually get. The fact that building a computer yourself would still be in the price range of PCS I would rather have it built professionally and have a very good warranty to go with it.
Performance
I haven't owned a laptop since I was about 14 and that was 10 years ago. I hated it as it took an age to boot up and then forever to do anything. This couldn't be more different. It boots up to Windows in around 20-30 seconds. I haven't pushed it very much yet as I am still in the process of installing my games and software however it is excellent. Whilst it isn't going to compete with my gaming PC, I never expected it to nor want it to. I wanted a good laptop as I needed something that is reliable and can be pushed hard when needed. I have no concerns that this will melt at the sight of a good quality game or when I do some music recording and editing. It gets fairly hot but nothing too extreme. I have a cooling stand on order to help it out a little but it definitely isn't a necessity, more just to keep my legs from getting too hot!
Not so much a performance related complaint, but the edges of the laptop are quite sharp and dig into my wrist a little bit as I type which is somewhat uncomfortable but this may just be the way I type and/or me not being used to a laptop.
So what to do now? Well as they say, safety first!
Then, the real reason all guys buy a laptop, in order to do things on it that we don't want out family to see us doing. We are ALL guilty of it and there is no denying we all have a problem especially with the availability of it all over the internet...
Now, clear your heads you dirty minded people! I mean:
I may add to this over time to give a bit more long term feedback. Overall I am very happy with this machine and PCS.
Thanks again!
Pete
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