Which spec to go for - Heavy Excel/G-Sheets user, not gaming

Zeddicus

Active member
Hi All,

Seems a bit strange to be posting on a forum where the majority of posts are about best gaming builds when I have no intention of gaming with this laptop!

A bit of a background:

I've currently got a decent spec Dell XPS 15 9560 - i7-7700HQ, 16GB 2400ghz RAM, 512GB SSD.

As I mentioned in the title, I'm after an uber powerful workstation for general work, but specifically G-Sheets and Excel. Most of my company live in the Google universe so, much as I would prefer to use Excel which is a (slightly) better tool and certainly less CPU heavy, I need something that will run some monster G sheets (millions of calculation cells, linked to other sheets, pivot tables etc) that I have designed and maintain for the company. They are used by dozens of others every day for data entry and reporting.

My current laptop is getting a bit slow in handling the data and frequently overheats - unsurprising given its very slim profile.

I originally was going to upgrade the RAM to 32GB and hope that fixed it. However, a bit of Googling suggested that RAM has no impact on spreadsheets, but its more about the CPU and number of cores. When the fans go on overdrive I can see that my CPU is maxing out at 100% but my RAM isn't.

So, being a bit of a Dell fanboy, I checked out the high spec Dell machines. I can get a 2019 Dell refurbed Precision 7540 with an i9-9880H with 16GB and a 512GB SSD for around £1,425 + VAT (with a 5 year Dell warranty). I also built a new 7750 on the Dell website with an i9-10885H processor, 16GB 3200mhz RAM and a 512GB class 50 M.2 SSD. When I built it (couple of weeks ago) Dell were doing a deal on Precisions so it was coming out at around £2.1k + VAT, but its now at around £2.6k + VAT. Ideally I don't want to spend much more than £1.6k-£1.8k as my company are kicking in £1k and I have to make up the rest!

I had a brief flirtation with getting an ultra fast desktop and a Chromebook for when I travel again - I'm going to be WFH full time for the next 6 months and then likely 1 day a week in the office. However, that just seemed like a bit of a faff and I may suffer with the Chromebook. But, in building the uber desktop (Ryzen 9 5900x, 16GB 3200mhz RAM and 512GB Samsung 980 M.2 SSD for around £1.25k + VAT) I did find PCSpecialists so some good came out of the exercise!

I have done 2 builds which I'll share below:

SEE BELOW

I like the Nova chassis as its a little thicker which I guess will help with cooling? I'm really not fussed about looks or weight as I'll not be travelling with it every day. However, having read up on the Ryzen 9 3900 it does have quite a performance lag behind the X chipsets. I also really wanted to check out the intel options too. I've been using CPU.userbenchmark to compare processors, and the i7-10850H which is the most powerful Intel chip in the 15.6" laptops benches 81st. Also, ideally I'd like a Thunderbolt 3 connection so that I can carry on using the array of Dell TB docks that I already have (2 monitor setup plus laptop screen)

So I spec'd up a Defiance aswell:

SEE BELOW

Both the Defiance and Nova choices are similar prices - around £1.2-£1.3k + VAT.

However, I was hankering after an i9, so I thought I'd spec up the Recoil IV 17.3" DTR option. Decided that the i9-10900k wasn't worth the uplift over the i9-10850k for just 100ghz of speed (£95+ VAT more):

SEE BELOW

However, this pushes the budget up quite a lot to £1.85k + VAT.

As I really don't want or need a great graphics card, it seemed a bit of a waste to have the basic card in the Recoil being an RTX 2070, which is obviously contributing to that price.

I guess my questions to you knowledgeable folks are as follows:

1) Given what I'm looking for, which of these builds offers best VFM for me? I need to get at least 3 years of comfortable computing out of the machine before I can talk my way into another upgrade, hopefully a bit longer...

2) None of these builds have a metal case (I don't think?). As I mentioned, before, I have been a Dell fanboy for years an years. A succession of Latitudes (mainly i7s and top spec) were followed by the current XPS 15, so although I'll be using a keyboard/mouse via a dock most of the time, I don't want the laptop to feel cheap on the occasions when I do use it directly.

3) I'm worried about cooling and I have spec'd a cooling mat with each laptop. Having chatted directly with PCS, they said that the thermal mat in the Recoil is already better than the arctic upgrade. Should I worry about throttling based on my use?

Any other advice gratefully received, and sorry for the LOOOOOOOONG first post!

P.S. Hit the character limit so I will post the specs below...
 

Zeddicus

Active member
Nova build:


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® GTX 1660 Ti - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 180W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
2 x Nova Series 62WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Wireless Network Card
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
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
Clevo NH55ACQ (6GB GTX-1660 Ti, 144Hz N7, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Price: £1,505.00 including VAT and Delivery
 

Zeddicus

Active member
Defiance Build:


Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 144Hz Pantone Validated 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 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060 - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 180W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Defiance Series Integrated 3 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (73WH)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 M.2 GAMING + BLUETOOTH 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x THUNDERBOLT 3 PORT + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS
Keyboard Language
15" DEFIANCE SERIES UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Laptop Cooling Stands
CoolerMaster NotePal L2 Laptop Cooler, up to 17.3 inch
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
 

Zeddicus

Active member
Recoil build:


Chassis & Display
Recoil Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080) + G-Sync
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Ten-Core Processor i9-10850K (3.6GHz) 20MB Cache
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 M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/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 Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 M.2 GAMING + BLUETOOTH 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
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Laptop Cooling Stands
CoolerMaster NotePal L2 Laptop Cooler, up to 17.3 inch
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Chassis
Clevo X170SM-G (144Hz, G-Sync, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Price: £2,249.00 including VAT and Delivery
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Firstly:

I've been using CPU.userbenchmark to compare processors, and the i7-10850H which is the most powerful Intel chip in the 15.6" laptops benches 81st
Userbenchmark is complete garbage, they manipulated their own figures when Ryzen 3000 were launched because "they were too fast", and none of their tests are performed on real world performance, just on pointless metrics that have zero relevance to modern computing. Last time it was relevant was probably in about 2008 perhaps when the quad cores were just hitting the market. Best to avoid any comparison site at all, they'll all nonsense.

The 3900 compared to the 3900x loses some performance, but next to any Intel CPU, it's leaps and bounds ahead, especially on a mobile platform, there's just no comparison from intel without spending SIGNIFICANTLY more, and even then quite frankly they don't match up.

Here's actual benchmarks of the 3900 vs 3900x:



The equivalent of the 3900 would be around the i9 10900k / 10850k (as you've rightly configured) but when you're factoring in mobile performance, the 10900k is about 130W under load whereas the 3900 is more like 75W, so in actual fact, just from the fact that you can actually run the 3900 at full pelt under normal power conditions means that you'll get much better performance from it because it will be able to hit it's performance envelope, whereas the Intel equivalent will DEFINITELY thermal throttle (without applying undervolt and even then probably still will), and you don't have to power limit the AMD processor so much.

For your uses, I'd strongly recommend the Nova, it will be streets ahead of Intel competition. Remove bullguard as it's known to cause issues with networking and high CPU. Otherwise looks good.

If you did want an equivalent Intel one, the Intel DTR is the 17" Recoil.

At these kinds of requirements, I wouldn't suggest a normal laptop personally, think you'd be missing out on much needed performance.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Just adding this also as there's a lot of good info in there.

 

Zeddicus

Active member
Thanks @SpyderTracks it did strike me as odd, when looking at reviews of the Ryzen 3 (Zen 2 and Zen 3 chips) that scored so well in other reviews and yet were so far down the benchmarking tests. Makes sense now.

I'm wondering whether to revisit my desktop build (see below) and seeing if I can get a cheap laptop to go with it. Originally I thought about getting a Chromebook to go with it, but that would likely be underpowered. If I was to get a laptop with an lower powered Ryzen processor too, and I wonder if I could get something around £500 or so, with a very small SSD then could I use it when I travel and use it for the kids homework too...?

The spec below would cost around the same as the Nova build above, obviously without the portability...

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 200R COMPACT GAMING CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core (3.7GHz @ up to 4.7GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
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 13 to 15 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
 

Zeddicus

Active member
A cheaper laptop something like this. Would this be OK for travelling? Alternatively if someone has a cheaper AMD Ryzen they want to sel...?!

Chassis & Display
Initia Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 5 6-Core Processor 4500U (2.3GHz, 4.0GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
Integrated AMD® Radeon™ RX Vega Graphics
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB ADATA SU800 M.2 2280 (560 MB/R, 520 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 65W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Initia Series Integrated 36WH Lithium Ion Battery
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 1 x USB 3.2 PORT + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS
Keyboard Language
MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
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)
Chassis
Clevo NL51RU FHD (R5-4500U, FHD, 60Hz N4, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Price: £614.00 including VAT and Delivery
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Thanks @SpyderTracks it did strike me as odd, when looking at reviews of the Ryzen 3 (Zen 2 and Zen 3 chips) that scored so well in other reviews and yet were so far down the benchmarking tests. Makes sense now.

I'm wondering whether to revisit my desktop build (see below) and seeing if I can get a cheap laptop to go with it. Originally I thought about getting a Chromebook to go with it, but that would likely be underpowered. If I was to get a laptop with an lower powered Ryzen processor too, and I wonder if I could get something around £500 or so, with a very small SSD then could I use it when I travel and use it for the kids homework too...?

The spec below would cost around the same as the Nova build above, obviously without the portability...

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 200R COMPACT GAMING CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core (3.7GHz @ up to 4.7GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
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 13 to 15 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
On the desktop build, is there any need for such a powerful GPU? Will the kids be doing any gaming on it? If not, we can reduce that right down to the GT1030.

You don't want to overclock Ryzen, it will actually reduce performance in most workloads, it's not at all like intel.

I would push for the Samsung 980 Pro drive, is just well worth it for the additional speed.

I'd drop bullguard as it's know to cause issues.

Otherwise looks fine.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
A cheaper laptop something like this. Would this be OK for travelling? Alternatively if someone has a cheaper AMD Ryzen they want to sel...?!

Chassis & Display
Initia Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 5 6-Core Processor 4500U (2.3GHz, 4.0GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
Integrated AMD® Radeon™ RX Vega Graphics
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB ADATA SU800 M.2 2280 (560 MB/R, 520 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 65W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Initia Series Integrated 36WH Lithium Ion Battery
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 1 x USB 3.2 PORT + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS
Keyboard Language
MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
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)
Chassis
Clevo NL51RU FHD (R5-4500U, FHD, 60Hz N4, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Price: £614.00 including VAT and Delivery
Laptop looks good for the purposes, it's got really good connectivity including full height ethernet! which is rare these days in a thin and light!

I'd drop bullguard again, but otherwise it's good.
 

Zeddicus

Active member
Thanks @SpyderTracks really appreciate that. I've changed the spec for a non-overclocked Ryzen 9 5900x as below, and upgraded the SSD to the Samsung 980 as recommended. I was thinking about adding another drive for storage but, to be honest, in 3 years of working at this company I have only used 178GB of my 500GB SSD on my current Dell XPS - everything we do is in the cloud, so the only local storage I have is software. I also have discovered an old Synology NAS that I bought a long, long time ago and never used! Its got 2 x 2TB WD drives in it so if I ever need storage for photos or films, I can use that.

In terms of the graphics card, I have got very used to having 3 screens - laptop plus 2 more - so wanted to get the cheapest GPU which supported 3 screens hence this one.

I've also saved a bit by downgrading the Bluray to a DVD RW. I already have an external one, but for convenience (and for only £15 on the build) it seemed a no brainer.

Given my company have said they would spend up to £1k + VAT, and the below build comes to £1,061.67 + VAT I'm sure I can twist their arm!

How reliable are PCS builds? I'm thinking that, as long as nothing is likely to go wrong with it, I can just buy the desktop now as I'm not going to be travelling for at least 6 months. I can then get a Ryzen laptop (similar to the spec above) in due course, allowing for processor prices to drop a little more too...

Case
PCS 6003B BLACK CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 13 to 15 working days
Promotional Item
Get FarCry 6 with select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Price: £1,274.00 including VAT and Delivery
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Thanks @SpyderTracks really appreciate that. I've changed the spec for a non-overclocked Ryzen 9 5900x as below, and upgraded the SSD to the Samsung 980 as recommended. I was thinking about adding another drive for storage but, to be honest, in 3 years of working at this company I have only used 178GB of my 500GB SSD on my current Dell XPS - everything we do is in the cloud, so the only local storage I have is software. I also have discovered an old Synology NAS that I bought a long, long time ago and never used! Its got 2 x 2TB WD drives in it so if I ever need storage for photos or films, I can use that.

In terms of the graphics card, I have got very used to having 3 screens - laptop plus 2 more - so wanted to get the cheapest GPU which supported 3 screens hence this one.

I've also saved a bit by downgrading the Bluray to a DVD RW. I already have an external one, but for convenience (and for only £15 on the build) it seemed a no brainer.

Given my company have said they would spend up to £1k + VAT, and the below build comes to £1,061.67 + VAT I'm sure I can twist their arm!

How reliable are PCS builds? I'm thinking that, as long as nothing is likely to go wrong with it, I can just buy the desktop now as I'm not going to be travelling for at least 6 months. I can then get a Ryzen laptop (similar to the spec above) in due course, allowing for processor prices to drop a little more too...

Case
PCS 6003B BLACK CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 13 to 15 working days
Promotional Item
Get FarCry 6 with select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Price: £1,274.00 including VAT and Delivery
Makes sense on the drives and the GPU.

You would need a better case to house those components, case is much more than just looks, it's about internal cooling. The Fractal Focus G is not expensive and has room for a 5.25 drive.

I would definitely go up to the 550w TXm PSU, it's just far better quality which will be needed with that PSU. It's also semi modular so less cables inside the case = better airflow.

Otherwise looks sweet!
 

Zeddicus

Active member
Great, thanks @SpyderTracks I think I now have my perfect deskptop build below:

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 13 to 15 working days
Promotional Item
Get FarCry 6 with select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Price: £1,344.00 including VAT and Delivery
 

Zeddicus

Active member
I've also slightly tweaked my laptop spec - I checked my current SSD in my XPS 15 and its a fair bit faster than the one I spec'd in the Initia, so I've upped that to the PCS drive which is a bit quicker (not as fast as the Samsung, but I won't be using this all of the time). I've also upped it to 512GB on the basis the kids will probably be saving stuff on here too. If their stuff gets too big, I'll use an external drive for them. Also, for the sake of a few quid, I've also put in 16GB of RAM.

Bit of a subjective question, but given the spec of my XPS 15 - i7-7700HQ, 16GB SODIMM 2400MHz, PC300 NVME SK Hynix 512GB SSD - I'm hoping that I won't see much if any drop off in performance? What do you guys reckon?

Also, are PCS either likely to have any cool Black Friday discounts, or do they entertain any discounts for placing two orders at once? The cost of the combined builds comes to £1,682.50 + VAT and given I have to pay anything over £1k + VAT, I'd like to drive the total price down if at all possible!

Anyway, here's the laptop build to complete the loop - just noticed I dropped the silver warranty, so I'd need to add £5 to the below...

Finally, does anyone know if you can get a larger battery for this laptop? The only options seem to be to get a second battery, but I'd prefer just having one, but larger...

Chassis & Display
Initia Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 5 6-Core Processor 4500U (2.3GHz, 4.0GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
Integrated AMD® Radeon™ RX Vega Graphics
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 65W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Initia Series Integrated 36WH Lithium Ion Battery
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 1 x USB 3.2 PORT + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS
Keyboard Language
MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
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 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 Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo NL51RU FHD (R5-4500U, FHD, 60Hz N4, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Price: £676.00 including VAT and Delivery
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Bit of a subjective question, but given the spec of my XPS 15 - i7-7700HQ, 16GB SODIMM 2400MHz, PC300 NVME SK Hynix 512GB SSD - I'm hoping that I won't see much if any drop off in performance? What do you guys reckon?
The i7 in the dell is a full power mobile chip whereas the Ryzen is a u series low power cpu. That being said though, I would still expect them to be fairly similar, the Ryzens are uber incredible cpu's and far more efficient.

Ah, I did actually manage to find some comparison benchmark scores, does look like in most uses, the Ryzen will just about be more powerful:


Graphics wise, no question, the Ryzen will be far more powerful.
Also, are PCS either likely to have any cool Black Friday discounts, or do they entertain any discounts for placing two orders at once? The cost of the combined builds comes to £1,682.50 + VAT and given I have to pay anything over £1k + VAT, I'd like to drive the total price down if at all possible!
PCS do sometimes do voucher codes for black friday, although I wouldn't have any idea where to find them. I would use the webchat and see what they say, they may be able to help out, definitely worth a go. The web chat is on the main site in the bottom right of the footer:

1605984867062.png


I'm not aware of a larger battery for that model and couldn't find anything on a quick search under the clevo chassis name: Clevo NL51RU
 

Zeddicus

Active member
Wow, thanks for all for the research and advice @SpyderTracks, I really appreciate it. I'll have a chat with PCS on webchat when they are next on and hopefully get a deal on buying the two at the same time. Alternatively may wait and get the laptop a little later as there's no great urgency on it.
 
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