Hey guys, been going back and forth with this for months now. Checked MSI, ASUS ROG, AORUS, Alienware - several models and builds.
Meanwhile found some "build your own" websites, and after a bit of researching, obviously, PC Specialist came on top for this sort of option.
FYI, i'm not a hardcore gamer, but it is time to finally get a gaming laptop (Desktop isn't really an option with my life style). Don't even play FPS games, but would be nice to be able to play something like CIV VI with everything maxed out for a change (that's why i don't think it's worth going for the GTX 1070). With the sort of games i play, the 1060 would be future proof, probably longer than the laptop will last.
Having said this, the price between these 2 are similar (I don't pay VAT) but with pc specialist i would get a much better SSD and a much better processor, not to mention the customer service. With Alienware, much better chassis and 120Hz display. Again, this is what i'be gathered after much research, but would much rather hear from anyone (and i mean anyone) that could help me make up my mind.
So, now i'm between one Alienware:
Alienware (15 R3) 15.6-Inch Gaming Notebook - (Epic Silver) (Intel Core i7-7700HQ, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD Plus 1 TB HDD, NVIDIA GTX 1060 6 GB Graphics Card, Windows 10 Home) 120Hz display and GSync (Amazon Insured for 2 years)
Price £1,510.00 including VAT and delivery
And 1 Pc Specialist build:
Chassis & Display
Octane Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
FREE VR Game Bundle with select INTEL® CPUs!
FREE Halo Wars 2 with select INTEL® CPUs!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
1st Hard Disk
1TB WD BLACK 2.5" WD10JPLX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1600MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ WIRELESS-AC 1535 M.2 GAMING 802.11AC + BLUETOOTH 4.1
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS, 2 x USB 3.1 PORTS, 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Battery
Octane Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (82WH)
Keyboard Language
OCTANE SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
2 DAY DELIVERY TO CHANNEL ISLANDS (VAT EXCLUSIVE)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1
Price £1,525.00 including VAT and delivery
Meanwhile found some "build your own" websites, and after a bit of researching, obviously, PC Specialist came on top for this sort of option.
FYI, i'm not a hardcore gamer, but it is time to finally get a gaming laptop (Desktop isn't really an option with my life style). Don't even play FPS games, but would be nice to be able to play something like CIV VI with everything maxed out for a change (that's why i don't think it's worth going for the GTX 1070). With the sort of games i play, the 1060 would be future proof, probably longer than the laptop will last.
Having said this, the price between these 2 are similar (I don't pay VAT) but with pc specialist i would get a much better SSD and a much better processor, not to mention the customer service. With Alienware, much better chassis and 120Hz display. Again, this is what i'be gathered after much research, but would much rather hear from anyone (and i mean anyone) that could help me make up my mind.
So, now i'm between one Alienware:
Alienware (15 R3) 15.6-Inch Gaming Notebook - (Epic Silver) (Intel Core i7-7700HQ, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD Plus 1 TB HDD, NVIDIA GTX 1060 6 GB Graphics Card, Windows 10 Home) 120Hz display and GSync (Amazon Insured for 2 years)
Price £1,510.00 including VAT and delivery
And 1 Pc Specialist build:
Chassis & Display
Octane Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
FREE VR Game Bundle with select INTEL® CPUs!
FREE Halo Wars 2 with select INTEL® CPUs!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
1st Hard Disk
1TB WD BLACK 2.5" WD10JPLX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1600MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ WIRELESS-AC 1535 M.2 GAMING 802.11AC + BLUETOOTH 4.1
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS, 2 x USB 3.1 PORTS, 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Battery
Octane Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (82WH)
Keyboard Language
OCTANE SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
2 DAY DELIVERY TO CHANNEL ISLANDS (VAT EXCLUSIVE)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1
Price £1,525.00 including VAT and delivery