Trying to decide between the 17" and 15" Recoil IV

[KirklandBrandMeeseeks]

Hi All,

I am trying to toss-up between the below two laptops and was hoping for some help.

Max budget is around £1800. The laptop will mainly be used as a desktop replacement for gaming (Borderlands 3, Assassins Creed Valhalla, games like that mainly modern, high spec, singleplayer). Would buy a desktop but due to a fluid living situation for the next year or so I am after something I can take with me and use somewhere with minimal setup, not that fussed about battery life am not planning to use whilst on the move.

I have a 24", curved Samsung 1080p, 120Hz monitor.

I am torn as whilst the 17" is only £100 more expensive I believe it has a slightly faster processor and the desktop version of the RTX2070.

The only thing the 15" has more of is RAM at 32gb but I am thinking that might be overkill.

Any help greatly appreciated!

17" Spec
Chassis & Display
Recoil Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080) + G-Sync
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-10400F (2.9GHz) 12MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2070 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
2 x 280W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
2 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery
Recoil Series Detachable 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (97WH)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Atlas & Super X-Fi
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x THUNDERBOLT 3 + 1 x USB 3.2 (TYPE C) + 3 x USB 3.2
Keyboard Language
PER-KEY RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo X170SM-G (144Hz, G-Sync, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Price: £1,785.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/recoil-IV-17/gg5U950Ds5/

15" Spec:
Chassis & Display
Recoil Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 240Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor 10875H (2.3GHz, 5.1GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2070 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Card Reader (Full Size SD / SDHC / SDXC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery
Recoil Series Integrated 94WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + THX Spatial Audio
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x THUNDERBOLT 3 PORT + 3 x USB 3.1 PORTS
Keyboard Language
PER-KEY RGB BACKLIT UK MECHANICAL KEYBOARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Keyboard & 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)
Chassis
TongFang GM5MP7W (8GB RTX-2070, i7-10875H, 240Hz)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Price: £1,667.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/recoil-IV-15/JAw0KGr0zu/

Thank you in advance.

 

[KirklandBrandMeeseeks]

The 2070 is a mobile version...you couldn't physically get a desktop graphics card in a laptop unless the laptop was about 6"+ thick to accommodate the card and cooling.

As you mention you don't plan on running it on battery power, I would mention another option: The Nova....slightly smaller screen, same graphics card but with a much better CPU as it is a desktop CPU rather than a mobile one. The Nova is designed to be run on mains (though will run on battery for 1-1 1/2 hours depending on use). Possibly overkill for your uses but fits well within the budget:

Chassis & Display
Nova Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900 12 Core CPU (3.1GHz-4.3GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2070 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
2TB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 470MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery
Nova Series Detachable 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.2 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
15" NOVA SERIES UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Keyboard & 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)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
Clevo NH55AFW (8GB RTX-2070, 144Hz N7, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Price: £1,679.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/nova-15/7WWnxKbjyw/

Ah ok, thanks I was a bit confused but when I spoke to PC Specialist on Live chat they told me it was the desktop version, thanks for the clarification.

I like the look of the spec you gave.

Are the thermals good on the Nova chassis when compared to the Recoils?

 

[KirklandBrandMeeseeks]

Yeah, it gets very confusing when it comes to mobile graphics cards as the "normal" versions are named the same as the desktop variants. Generally a 2070 in a laptop will perform about the same as a 2060 in a desktop (generally they are about a step down due to power limits etc). Then it gets more confusing as there are also ones called Max-Q which are basically lower power versions of the other ones.

Both Recoils have the same GPU in them when it comes to the 2070.

As to the thermals, I'm not the person to ask as I am not a laptop person....I just throw specs out there and then run away @SpyderTracks is a good person to ask as he knows laptops better than me. Alternatively, I'd have a look through the "show off your desktop/laptop" section for reviews on them...I know there have been a few very good Nova reviews posted recently...not sure on Recoils

Fair enough, thank you very much for your help it is greatly appreciated. You might have just shown me my new laptop 😁

 

[SpyderTracks]

Fair enough, thank you very much for your help it is greatly appreciated. You might have just shown me my new laptop 😁

Sorry about the delay!

The 17” recoil is a DTR like the Nova, but the 15” recoil is just a standard laptop, it’s a bit confusing.

We haven’t had that many people buying the 17” Recoil. But a lot buying the Nova.

If it’s raw power you’re after, the NOva is always going to be better.

Thermals wise, Intels use substantially more power and therefor are generally harder to cool. If you configure a cosmos with intel and then an AMD chip, you’ll get a warning about power supply just to show you how much of a difference there is in power terms between AMD and intel, it’s significant.

I can’t say for sure what the thermals are like as we’ve just not had that kind of feedback, but based on power design and efficiency, I’d say the Nova would be better.

 

[KirklandBrandMeeseeks]

Sorry about the delay!

The 17” recoil is a DTR like the Nova, but the 15” recoil is just a standard laptop, it’s a bit confusing.

We haven’t had that many people buying the 17” Recoil. But a lot buying the Nova.

If it’s raw power you’re after, the NOva is always going to be better.

Thermals wise, Intels use substantially more power and therefor are generally harder to cool. If you configure a cosmos with intel and then an AMD chip, you’ll get a warning about power supply just to show you how much of a difference there is in power terms between AMD and intel, it’s significant.

I can’t say for sure what the thermals are like as we’ve just not had that kind of feedback, but based on power design and efficiency, I’d say the Nova would be better.

Thank you @SpyderTracks I think you and @Nursemorph have convinced me to go for the Nova.

I checked a couple of the reviews on here and a youtube review of the same chassis, and it seems the thermals are better on the Nova (particularly with a bit of tweaking) as you say.

I really appreciate the help from both of you and am looking forward to ordering my new laptop 😁

For anyone else that finds this looking for info on the Nova chassis:

Youtube review of the same chassis with the 3700X: (

)

Review on the forums: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/threads/nova-15-6-review.71280/