EddieHarris
Member
Hey guys, before you carry on reading I just want to make sure that you do not misinterpret this as a complaint thread. I am NOT here to tread on anyone's toes who has had exceptional service because, from my understanding, there are quite a few of you who have had the service you'd expect to get from a recognized and reputable custom laptop company.
That being said your probably already asking why I am posting this in the "Sales Advice" section, the reason is I feel people should be aware of not only the ups of PCS but quite possibly some of the downs, when you buy from a company you aren't just buying hardware but you are also buying piece of mind, security and company reputation which is why "Sales" was the best place to post this.
I ordered my Vortex III on 07-08-2012 and received the system on 11-08-2012 which was great! Once I had my laptop I noticed the screen had around 5-6 stuck pixels which was kind of disheartening however after a quick call I was told I could have it replaced with no further charge. I proceeded to play a few games however the 7970M drivers weren't quite allowing me to do so. After a few phone calls to PCS they where willing to change the 7970M to the 680M (for a small price) for me as I was still within the 7 day cooling off period meaning it was either that or a refund followed by a re-order. I sent my system off for the RMA on 23-08-2012, then received it on 28-08-2012.
On receiving the system the second time I was intending on doing an un-boxing review for anyone who was thinking of getting the 680M (which is a beast card btw) however I was shocked to find this:
http://i.imgur.com/rIuzK.jpg
The HDD bay was missing screws meaning throughout its journey the HDD had fallen out completely and tore the bag. This was kind of unsettling considering I paid around £1300 and was given a system with missing screws and a potentially dead HDD. Luckily it worked fine and I went on to install my OS.
I hadn't removed any of the screen protectors or anything whilst I was installing the OS just in-case there where any other surprises waiting for me. I noticed the screen looked slightly different so I decided to remove the protector. Surprisingly not only had the screws been left out of the back but the screen wasn't glossy anymore. I knew PCS where changing my screen however I didn't expect the WRONG screen to be the one they replaced it with. Furthermore this matte screen I'm currently using has a DEAD pixel in the bottom left which doesn't bother me all that much. Again I was pretty unimpressed considering the amount I had payed, I at least expected to get the correct screen back. So, there I sat, 2 missing screws and the wrong screen thinking "there can't be ANYTHING else wrong... right?"...
Upon installing 3dmark and a few games I noticed my temps where fairly high. I didn't think much of it until a friend recommended I did a thermal re-paste, I assured him I didn't need to as I had payed for the MX-4 paste to be installed. This thought sat with me for awhile when I then decided to actually have a look under the bonnet and check to see what has been put in there. From a previous phone call one of the technicians mentioned they use a pad as stock thermal paste, which is why I decided to go with the MX-4. Once I had everything out I found this:
http://i.imgur.com/IaTG6.jpg
Now, I have done thermal re-pastes on my desktop numerous times before and NEVER have I been able to get such a precise and angular edge like that. Now, for the benefit of the doubt I emailed this image of to PCS and gave them a quick bell asking whether or not this was the stock (pad) paste or if it was the MX-4. I was told it looked like the MX-4 and nothing had to be done about it. I decided to order the MX-4 and do the paste job myself. Not only was the colour of the paste different, but it lowered my temps by around 6C-10C.
That being said your probably already asking why I am posting this in the "Sales Advice" section, the reason is I feel people should be aware of not only the ups of PCS but quite possibly some of the downs, when you buy from a company you aren't just buying hardware but you are also buying piece of mind, security and company reputation which is why "Sales" was the best place to post this.
I ordered my Vortex III on 07-08-2012 and received the system on 11-08-2012 which was great! Once I had my laptop I noticed the screen had around 5-6 stuck pixels which was kind of disheartening however after a quick call I was told I could have it replaced with no further charge. I proceeded to play a few games however the 7970M drivers weren't quite allowing me to do so. After a few phone calls to PCS they where willing to change the 7970M to the 680M (for a small price) for me as I was still within the 7 day cooling off period meaning it was either that or a refund followed by a re-order. I sent my system off for the RMA on 23-08-2012, then received it on 28-08-2012.
On receiving the system the second time I was intending on doing an un-boxing review for anyone who was thinking of getting the 680M (which is a beast card btw) however I was shocked to find this:
http://i.imgur.com/rIuzK.jpg
The HDD bay was missing screws meaning throughout its journey the HDD had fallen out completely and tore the bag. This was kind of unsettling considering I paid around £1300 and was given a system with missing screws and a potentially dead HDD. Luckily it worked fine and I went on to install my OS.
I hadn't removed any of the screen protectors or anything whilst I was installing the OS just in-case there where any other surprises waiting for me. I noticed the screen looked slightly different so I decided to remove the protector. Surprisingly not only had the screws been left out of the back but the screen wasn't glossy anymore. I knew PCS where changing my screen however I didn't expect the WRONG screen to be the one they replaced it with. Furthermore this matte screen I'm currently using has a DEAD pixel in the bottom left which doesn't bother me all that much. Again I was pretty unimpressed considering the amount I had payed, I at least expected to get the correct screen back. So, there I sat, 2 missing screws and the wrong screen thinking "there can't be ANYTHING else wrong... right?"...
Upon installing 3dmark and a few games I noticed my temps where fairly high. I didn't think much of it until a friend recommended I did a thermal re-paste, I assured him I didn't need to as I had payed for the MX-4 paste to be installed. This thought sat with me for awhile when I then decided to actually have a look under the bonnet and check to see what has been put in there. From a previous phone call one of the technicians mentioned they use a pad as stock thermal paste, which is why I decided to go with the MX-4. Once I had everything out I found this:
http://i.imgur.com/IaTG6.jpg
Now, I have done thermal re-pastes on my desktop numerous times before and NEVER have I been able to get such a precise and angular edge like that. Now, for the benefit of the doubt I emailed this image of to PCS and gave them a quick bell asking whether or not this was the stock (pad) paste or if it was the MX-4. I was told it looked like the MX-4 and nothing had to be done about it. I decided to order the MX-4 and do the paste job myself. Not only was the colour of the paste different, but it lowered my temps by around 6C-10C.
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