Hi everyone,
Thought I would post a review on my new laptop delivered yesterday and the service of PCS, as I really struggled to find much at all on this model with the spec I was looking at, and how it performs in the real World, i.e. games and stuff! So I hope this helps someone else.
My spec is the 2.2ghz - 3.3ghz i7 with 8gb of Kingston HyperX ram and more importantly the choice of the GTX 460M, as this was a tough choice because of the new HD6970 and very expensive GTX 485M.
I didn't feel comfortable with the hot running 6970 (as I need it for business as well and don;t want to shout over the fan noise!) or spending so much on the 485M, so opted for the 460m in the end but was worrying that my spec would be a little weak.
I'll cut to the chase and talk about Crysis which I bought to hammer my new laptop. In short it runs all on high (water very high) at 1280 x 800 smooth as silk, and looks amazing. Not 60fps (which all the elitists claim it's unplayable anything below this, but I think this game looks best at 30fps, just looks more natural). Crysis 2 on the other hand runs at extreme settings even smoother at the same resolution. (1080p both struggle with on high to max settings, however on a 15.6" screen it still looks better than my xbox360 on a 52" lcd tv). Basically the 460m will do you fine and runs quiet as well, I really do not think the 485m is worth the extra £300, especially for a laptop screen, and the 6970, well it isn't nvidea and I prefer reliability and cooler running.
The laptop seems to boot up and run faster and faster with each use thanks to the Seagate momentus XT hybrid and was well worth it.
The case is solid, great cooling, but the track pad is terrible but not an issue as I have the anywhere mouse which is great. The widescreen glossy is gorgeous, think mac book pro gloss but inset rather than flush and you're there. I also like the fact that the design is unassuming as I travel a lot with work overseas, and I don't want to be a target! However I'm sure my mac owning colleagues will have a good laugh at the basic design! (More fool them!)
The build and delivery was around 2 weeks which wasn't bad, however PCS need to rethink their delivery service which is frankly garbage. I stayed in for 2 days waiting for a package out for delivery with Yodel/DHL which didn't arrive, followed the tracking online which showed going out from my local depot in the morning, and going back to them at night! It was only when I finally got through to complain they called the driver on the second day, and he also wasn't planning on dropping it off due to time either, but convinced him to as the same thing happened the previous day, I also paid £19 extra for before 10am delivery and it even said it on the box so might need to get a refund on that. Bit of a shame on the Yodel side as it kind of soured the experience but I don't hold PCS responsible, they did their bit exceedingly well but the courier choice is pretty bad and I don't use DHL as UPS are much better.
Don't want to end on a negative that was the only bad point sorry PCS!
All in all if you're looking for a powerful laptop this is the best I've come across for the money.
Build quality 9 (solid and cool running)
Looks 8 (very plain but better looking in person, very nice screen with clear colours and high contrast)
Mobility 8 (Pretty light for something with so much hardware, don't expect battery life with this especially for games as this isn't designed for that)
Power 10 (Unbelievable Power from this small machine, even the most demanding games look stunning, and run in excess of 30fps on high to max settings at 1280 x 800)
Value 10 (You won't find anything better for the price, believe me I have searched!)
Service 8 (Gets a big knock because of DHL/Yodel - also I haven't had any issues yet, so can't review support yet)
Overall
9 out of 10
It took me 2 months to pluck up the courage to buy from these guys I'd never heard of (nearly went to the dark side of Alienware/Apple!) and I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again. Hope anyone looking at this review finds it useful.
Thanks PCS!
Thought I would post a review on my new laptop delivered yesterday and the service of PCS, as I really struggled to find much at all on this model with the spec I was looking at, and how it performs in the real World, i.e. games and stuff! So I hope this helps someone else.
My spec is the 2.2ghz - 3.3ghz i7 with 8gb of Kingston HyperX ram and more importantly the choice of the GTX 460M, as this was a tough choice because of the new HD6970 and very expensive GTX 485M.
I didn't feel comfortable with the hot running 6970 (as I need it for business as well and don;t want to shout over the fan noise!) or spending so much on the 485M, so opted for the 460m in the end but was worrying that my spec would be a little weak.
I'll cut to the chase and talk about Crysis which I bought to hammer my new laptop. In short it runs all on high (water very high) at 1280 x 800 smooth as silk, and looks amazing. Not 60fps (which all the elitists claim it's unplayable anything below this, but I think this game looks best at 30fps, just looks more natural). Crysis 2 on the other hand runs at extreme settings even smoother at the same resolution. (1080p both struggle with on high to max settings, however on a 15.6" screen it still looks better than my xbox360 on a 52" lcd tv). Basically the 460m will do you fine and runs quiet as well, I really do not think the 485m is worth the extra £300, especially for a laptop screen, and the 6970, well it isn't nvidea and I prefer reliability and cooler running.
The laptop seems to boot up and run faster and faster with each use thanks to the Seagate momentus XT hybrid and was well worth it.
The case is solid, great cooling, but the track pad is terrible but not an issue as I have the anywhere mouse which is great. The widescreen glossy is gorgeous, think mac book pro gloss but inset rather than flush and you're there. I also like the fact that the design is unassuming as I travel a lot with work overseas, and I don't want to be a target! However I'm sure my mac owning colleagues will have a good laugh at the basic design! (More fool them!)
The build and delivery was around 2 weeks which wasn't bad, however PCS need to rethink their delivery service which is frankly garbage. I stayed in for 2 days waiting for a package out for delivery with Yodel/DHL which didn't arrive, followed the tracking online which showed going out from my local depot in the morning, and going back to them at night! It was only when I finally got through to complain they called the driver on the second day, and he also wasn't planning on dropping it off due to time either, but convinced him to as the same thing happened the previous day, I also paid £19 extra for before 10am delivery and it even said it on the box so might need to get a refund on that. Bit of a shame on the Yodel side as it kind of soured the experience but I don't hold PCS responsible, they did their bit exceedingly well but the courier choice is pretty bad and I don't use DHL as UPS are much better.
Don't want to end on a negative that was the only bad point sorry PCS!
All in all if you're looking for a powerful laptop this is the best I've come across for the money.
Build quality 9 (solid and cool running)
Looks 8 (very plain but better looking in person, very nice screen with clear colours and high contrast)
Mobility 8 (Pretty light for something with so much hardware, don't expect battery life with this especially for games as this isn't designed for that)
Power 10 (Unbelievable Power from this small machine, even the most demanding games look stunning, and run in excess of 30fps on high to max settings at 1280 x 800)
Value 10 (You won't find anything better for the price, believe me I have searched!)
Service 8 (Gets a big knock because of DHL/Yodel - also I haven't had any issues yet, so can't review support yet)
Overall
9 out of 10
It took me 2 months to pluck up the courage to buy from these guys I'd never heard of (nearly went to the dark side of Alienware/Apple!) and I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again. Hope anyone looking at this review finds it useful.
Thanks PCS!
