Optimus IV - Spec for Gaming + Work Laptop including Unity3D

[antpep]

Hi guys,


I'm sizing up the following spec for a Laptop that I want to take over from my extremely aging desktop.

I want it primarily for game development using Unity3D and other 3D software such as Blender. I don't know if any of you have tried using such software with similar setups. I've gone for the 17 inch screen to give me more real estate to work with while developing.

I also would like to be able to play most high end games at a fairly decent framerate but I'm not fussed about having an ultimate gaming rig.


At £892 this is about as high as I can go budget wise and if anything I think I could probably trim it down a bit.


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Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3630QM (2.40GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
2nd Hard Disk
320GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD3200BEKT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N135 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Optimus Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
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 (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Keyboard Language
OPTIMUS SERIES UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
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)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
30 Day Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs (£12)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £892.00 including VAT and delivery.


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Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[moosEh]

Shame your budget can't stretch to £968 or you could have the latest generation of CPU in the Optimus V.
As for your current quote I would suggest upgrading you warranty to Silver if you are based in the Main Land UK

 

[Paigey]

As MoosEh says, if you could stretch your budget out a little more, you could have the latest gen. CPU and latest gen. nvidia GPU , which would perform better in terms of gaming. If your really limited at this budget then I might suggest going for the Optimus V but scratching the SSD, just go for a single 500/750gb scorpio black drive, price would be very similar to your quote there (even a few £ less actually), but you would have the latest generation of components.

Also whatever you decide in the end, for just an additional £9 the arctic mx-4 thermal paste would be a good call - will help keep those temps down a notch

 

[antpep]

Thanks for the replies guys. Good spot about extending to a Silver Warranty and the arctic mix.

I'm not sure how bothered I am about having the latest gen CPU/GPU. I suppose it would future proof it a bit more and make it better for gaming, but my priority is really to use the laptop for work, so programs like Unity etc are the focus. Gaming is also a factor but I don't need it to have amazing gaming performance.

I had set my heart on entering the realm of SSD because I wanted to be able to boot up my software programs quicker, which if I have been understanding correctly, is the case with SSD versus HDD.

So if I am to stick to this budget it's a decision between SSD or a better CPU/GPU. :wacko:

 

[samhol]

Worth remembering that adding an SSD would be possible later on should you wish and when you have some extra cash. Can't really say the same for the CPU/GPU in this case.

 

[antpep]

Hmm, I had not considered that. Adding an SSD later on would be a fairly straight forward process I imagine. And I could wait for SSDs to come down in price a bit.

I am also a little concerned about the Optimus V as reading some posts on here there seems to be an issue with the fan being too loud?

 

[antpep]

Can anyone with an Optimus IV tell me what thew fan is like? Is it noisy at all?

 

[Paigey]

I am also a little concerned about the Optimus V as reading some posts on here there seems to be an issue with the fan being too loud?

I think the main issue was the fan coming on all the time at full blast, even when the laptop's idle or performing light tasks. I understand that PCS are looking into this issue with Clevo though, in order to make a fix for this problem. I'm sure if you're looking to buy a laptop for gaming or any other intensive uses, then you can expect some fan noise while its being used in this regard... Some people say after some usage of the laptop, the fan calmed down. Unfortunately I've not yet received my Optimus V (the order is still being processed), so I can't comment from personal experience, just from what people have said in these forums.