This or this

[Milkybarkid]

My last PCS laptop is now coming up to 7 yrs old, working but chassis falling apart, hinge gone on lid, start button cracked and doesn't work (start by taking the battery out and just plug in). So Christmas coming I am treating myself.

I don't play games, I do use Adobe for photo editing but nothing too technical. My budget is around £600 with a bit of elastic that might reach £700.Do I go for the 15.6 Ultranote U series with i5 and a 250 WD Green SSD, 8gb ram or the go for the 15.6 Cosmos V11, again i5 and WD Green SSD and 8gb of ram.

I do like a speedy laptop. Is it worth pushing the boat out with the Cosmos. Cost now come to around £640 for the Ultranote and £696 for the Cosmos. Do I stretch, or not?

 

[ubuysa]

It would be useful to see the full specs of both models that you're looking at, but unless you think you'll need the better screen on the Cosmos I'd have thought the Ultranote was plenty good enough for the usage you specify.

 

[Milkybarkid]

Chassis & Display
UltraNote Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor i5-8250U (1.60GHz, 3.4GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS 610/620/630 (CPU Dependant) - 1.7GB Max DDR4 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
250GB WD Blue™ 3D NAND 2.5" SSD, (upto 550MB/sR | 525MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
Ultra Slim 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)
AC Adaptor
1 x 40W AC Adaptor
Battery
UltraNote V Series 44WH Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0
USB Options
1 x USB 3.0 PORT (Type C) + 1 x USB 3.0 PORT + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS
Keyboard Language
SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price £644.00 including VAT and delivery

Or

[FONT=&quot]The specification below has been formatted so you can easily copy and paste this to our forums when discussing your specification. Once you've copied the specification, please[/FONT] click here[FONT=&quot] to continue.[/FONT]


Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 8300H (2.3GHz, 4.0GHz Turbo)

FREE PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Battlefield 1 & More! w/ select Intel CPUs!
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® MX150 - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
250GB WD Blue™ 3D NAND 2.5" SSD, (upto 550MB/sR | 525MB/sW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 90W AC Adaptor
Battery
Cosmos VII Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0
USB Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price £698.00 including VAT and delivery

This will have to last (hopefully) another 6 or 7 years.

 

[Oussebon]

The Cosmos has a more powerful CPU and a dedicated GPU - albeit a very, very basic one - both of which can be an asset to things like Photoshop.

So if the slightly bigger chassis is okay, then the Cosmos gives more performance.

Also the Samsung 860 Evo is £2 cheaper at the current prices and is faster.

You should consider a fast M.2 SSD instead of the SSDs from the "Hard Disk" menu. Getting an M.2 SSD will let you keep the 2.5" bay free in case you need to add an HDD in the future. The WD Black NVMe SSD is very good. The Intel 760p is only a few £ more than the WD Blue but a lot faster (though slower than the WD Black).

 

[Milkybarkid]

Thank you, something to consider before ordering. My technical know how on SSDs is zero, other than knowing better than normal HDs and past WD's have always lasted well . My current one is a 7200 rpm, most I could afford at the time.

 

[Oussebon]

Samsung are one of the best and best-known SSD brands. They're very reliable, faster than WD Blues, have a higher endurance rating, and a longer warranty, and for some reason PCS are even selling them £2 cheaper at 250gb sizes. So the Samsung is a no-brainer

The NVMe SSDs like the Intel 760p, WD Black, and Samsung 970 Evo under the M.2 SSD Drive menu are just much faster SSDs, and can help the PC boost faster and be a bit more responsive during general use, if you're happy spending a few quid more on them.

Plus they fit into the M.2 slot rather than the 2.5" drive bay. Only SSDs can connect to the M.2 slot, whereas a 2.5" bay can be used by SSDs or HDDs. Therefore if you buy an SSD from the 1st Hard Disk menu (which uses the 2.5" bay) you limit your future storage expansion a lot more than if you get an M.2 SSD. Keeping the 2.5" bay free keeps open the option of either another SSD or a cheaper HDD open in the future if you need more space to store files.

If that makes sense.

 

[Milkybarkid]

It does make sense, I suspect for a start I would have put the SSD into the first HD spot. I had considered having a second HD but it would have pushed the cost up too much, plus over the years I've got better at pruning and not keeping anything unwanted, or shifting it to external HDs or my NAS drive. Based on that, 250gb should be more than sufficient, and allowing for the OS.

So yes this has been useful information. I'm looking at ordering around the end of November, hopefully there will not be a vast increase in price before then.

 

[Oussebon]

Sounds like you have things well thought through Keep us posted when you decide it's time to order!

 

[Milkybarkid]

Well I'm going to have to order in double quick time. I was tinkering on Wednesday, on the SSDs and purely by accident stuck the Samsung in the hard drive slot and finished up with an overall price of under £700 for 500GB. I was a bit surprised so saved the quote. Two days later I discovered that the Cosmos was no longer available and there was a significant increase in price, which meant the price I have compared with the current Ultranote makes it a no brainer. I had hoped to wait while the end of November but just cannot afford to miss this.

So looks like I will have a smile on my face in a few weeks. Thank you for your assistance.

 

[Oussebon]

Intel CPU prices have gone up due to supply issues it seems.

Not sure why the Cosmos is down.

What's the full spec you're looking at?

 

[Milkybarkid]

Bit messy to look at but this:

Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)

Processor (CPU)​

Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 7300HQ (2.5GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)​

Memory (RAM)​

8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)​

Graphics Card​

NVIDIA® GeForce® MX150 - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12​

1st Hard Disk​

500GB Samsung 860 2.5" EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)​

​

FREE Assassin's Creed: Odyssey with select SAMSUNG SSDs!

Memory Card Reader​

Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)​

AC Adaptor​

1 x 90W AC Adaptor​

Battery​

Cosmos VI Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery​

Power Cable​

1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable​

Thermal Paste​

STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING​

Sound Card​

2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 3​

Bluetooth & Wireless​

GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0​

USB Options​

1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT​

Keyboard Language​

SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD​

Operating System​

Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]​

Operating System Language​

United Kingdom - English Language​

Windows Recovery Media​

Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account​

Office Software​

FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)​

Anti-Virus​

NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE​

Browser​

Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)​

Notebook Mouse​

INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE​

Webcam​

INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM​

Warranty​

3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)​

Delivery​

STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)​

Build Time​

Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days​

​

 

[Oussebon]

If you spec the system up, click proceed, and then scroll down to under the summary there's a Post To Forum button which makes it a lot easier and also includes a link to the spec and the price.

That Cosmos has the older 7th Gen i5.

Without knowing the price of your spec above it's hard to say but how is the 8th Gen i5 Cosmos?

Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 8300H (2.3GHz, 4.0GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® MX150 - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
500GB Samsung 860 2.5" EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
---FREE Assassin's Creed: Odyssey with select SAMSUNG SSDs!
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 90W AC Adaptor
Battery
Cosmos VII Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0
USB Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Quantity
1

Price £753.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/cosmosvii-15/YTv9du3GNe/


Again, hard to comment without knowing the price, but the i5 8250u in the Ultranote is a smidge better than the 7300H - though ofc it has no dGPU.

 

[Milkybarkid]

Well I'm a bit puzzled (doesn't take much) I've got a couple of quotes on my tablet and they all show the Intel 8300H so how I got the 7300HQ is a mystery. I was paying more attention to the SSD so never took much notice of the change. I normally use the drop down box on the top of the website which shows all the different names and the Cosmos had vanished to be replaced by the Vyper (very tasty if only for the keyboard but out of my reach). I don't usually go for the Configure bar. Mind you I tried to access the quote last night and got an error message.

Anyway good spotting. The intention was to buy end of November but I've decided to stop dithering, it will drive me nuts if the prices shift around all the time. I'll be over budget but it will be worth it given the length of time I use them for. So I will order as shown in your last email.

Thank you.

 

[Oussebon]

The link to the quote seems to work right now. I just tried it in a different, clean browser and it was fine.

Let us know how it goes

..and, y'know, if you don't need that Assassin's creed code, #justsaying *cough*

 

[Milkybarkid]

Well not sure what I'll get but the most I can manage is Candy Crush. I've got enough hobbies taking up time (that save me money) to start gaming and lose even more time.