Sandy Bridge Laptops Now Available!

Hankhendrix

Member
Is there a link for a review on the Optimus II Chassis, as i would like to compare it to the Enigma III chassis. The Optimus II looks the part, uncluttered, matte finish (by the look of it), so i look forward to reading more on this product :). Optimus II superior this time around fellow forum dwellers?
 

pez

Well-known member
I do agree it looks nice, the problem for me is that I DEMAND 2 Drive bays :D - therefore, stuck with a single model for now and not waiting for another 1-2 mths :)
 

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks for clearing that up PCS, regarding the number of bays. Somehow I hadn't seen that in the configurator myself, despite having it open all day. The earlier preview certainly didn't have a model with two bays, but the new configurators have all sorts of problems sorted, like listing the USB 3.0 ports.

It was only added yesterday. :)

1) Just to be clear, you're testing SSDs soon, with a view to getting them in these new laptops by April, which SSDs, just the 310 or the 510s too?
2) Just to check, the Vortex models have 1.3MP webcams or 2.0MP? I think the previous models had 2.0MP making this either a downgrade or a simple mistake in the creation of the configurators.

1. At present we have no laptops scheduled in that support SATA 6GB/s. Therefore for the time being we're only planning to test and list the Intel 310's.
2. The VortexII (both 15" and 17" version) support 2.0MP webcams, and the specification has been updated to show this. All the rest are 1.3MP.
 

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
I do agree it looks nice, the problem for me is that I DEMAND 2 Drive bays :D - therefore, stuck with a single model for now and not waiting for another 1-2 mths :)

Once we've tested the 310 series SSD you may be able to choose 2 drives on all our chassis. :)
 

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Are the battery specs for the vertex II (100 minutes with Nvidia GeForce GTX 485M) correct?

Yes - the manufacturer has stated 100 minutes with the 15" Vortex II and the 485M, 150 minutes with the 17" Vortex II and the 470M.

Please bear in mind though that battery life if not a set specification. For example if you have Bluetooth turned on or off, this might reduce battery life by a few minutes, as would using the DVD drive, etc. The tests are for guidance only.
 

jkjeldgaard

New member
Ok, I understand how settings and usage affects battery life, but just wanted to check if the <2hours battery life was correct.

How come the 17" model has 50% more battery?
 

pez

Well-known member
because it's awesome :D
(and clearly down to the 470 taking a hell of a lot less power than the 485.
 

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Ok, I understand how settings and usage affects battery life, but just wanted to check if the <2hours battery life was correct.

How come the 17" model has 50% more battery?

As pez says, it's because this was tested with the GTX 470M as opposed to the GTX 485M. I'm not sure if you consider the battery life to be good or bad, but please bear in mind that the Vortex II laptops are designed as a desktop replacement gaming laptop. Whilst they are portable, they're designed for gaming where they would normally be docked and connected to a constant power source.

If you're looking for longer battery life, consider the Optimus II: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/optimusII/
 
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Gorman

Author Level
please bear in mind that the Vortex II laptops are designed as a desktop replacement gaming laptop. Whilst they are portable, they're designed for gaming where they would normally be docked and connected to a constant power source.

This and 1000 x this.

Gaming and laptop do not go with battery life, if anyone wants a rig fast enough to game it will have to be plugged in most of the time.
 

Hankhendrix

Member
Well, if it exactly the same to its preview from a few months back. It will have the same spec as the Optimus II, but with a 15.6 screen and at 2.5kg.
 

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Any Idea when you guys will put the Enigma III spec up? :smartass:

Unfortunately we haven't yet confirmed the delivery dates for the Enigma III and the images are not ready, so my best guess is going to be 1 - 2 weeks at the soonest. Specification wise, it's similar to the Optimus II but with 2GB GeForce GT 540M graphics, a 15.6" widescreen:

Capture.JPG

Capture1.JPG
 

Meds

Moderator
Moderator
The graphics cards are built into the Motherboard on the Enigma III so there will not be an option to change to a more powerful one. I don't have numbers infront of me now but I reckon that the price should be similar to the current Enigma II - maybe a little more as its the new Sandy Bridge Chipset.
 

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Whats the starting price? How much more will the bigger graphics card cost? :turned:

The current starting price is £621 but this can change. The EnigmaIII-se will start from £534 with 1GB GT520M graphics.
 

pez

Well-known member
Nice looking little portable that Mirage :) To puny for my needs, but certainly Cute :)
 
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