A few questions about my Vortex build...

[rand526]

Hi Everyone.

After much deliberating, I think I'm about ready to pull the trigger on the following build, but have a few questions....

Chassis & Display
Vortex Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 144Hz LED Widescreen (1920x1080) + G-Sync
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 9750H (2.6GHz, 4.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2070 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1

Get Wolfenstein: Young Blood with select NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE 7mm SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 128MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB WD Black™ SN750 M.2 NVMe SSD (up to 3470MB/s R | 3000MB/s W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Battery
Vortex IX Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
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
Firefox™
Laptop Cooling Stands
CoolerMaster NotePal L2 Laptop Cooler, upto 17.3 inch
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)
Chassis
Clevo PB50RF (8GB RTX-2070, i7-9750H, 144Hz, G-Sync, Thunderbolt)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days


I am using the computer for design, 3D graphics, and visual programming purposes. I need it to be fairly portable, hence the 15.6" vortex, but I also could do with a fairly beefy GPU, hence the full fat 2070 vortex instead of the MaxQ in the similarly sized Recoil.

1. I intend to run the laptop with a 60Hz, 4K monitor as a second screen: BenQ-BL2711U. Could anyone foresee any issues with the laptop supporting this?

2. I see a few posts about these slimmer form laptops having issues with thermals, particularly with the CPU. I have opted for the better paste job and cooling stand, but am I likely to need to factor in a repaste with Grizzy etc.. ?

3. Am I wrong in thinking that it might be a struggle for these slim form factor laptops actually reaching the potential offered by an I7 and a 2070? Aren't they just gonna start throttling as soon as I start pushing them? If so, whats the point? I'm not much of a gamer, but will be dealing with realtime visual programming where I am running gfx directly from the GPU and really need it to keep up. Would a 2060 or one of the Ti cards in a different system achieve better results due to better thermal performance?

 

[VortexGamerIX]

Hello there,

Hopefully you haven't pulled the trigger just yet as I have one major suggestion you will probably love.
I noticed in this build you have gone for a copy of windows 10 Professional and a 2TB HDD drive.

I would strenuously suggest selecting "no operating system" and upgrading the HDD drive to a 2TB sata SSD,
and then going onto a legitimate website and buying a windows 10 Pro license for like £20

This way you will have the same storage, but on a whole much faster, reliable and quieter, and the same OS, but for
like an additional £20-40 extra than your current build. Hopefully PC specialist don't mind me posting this here. As it
will mean you actually spend a tad more here, but for a much better system.

hope this isn't too late.

 

[VortexGamerIX]

P.s. I forgot to say, if your intention is to run this next to a monitor and never have it mobile/on your lap, then other laptops have better
thermals and less throttling, my main reason for going for a Vortex 9 over an octane 3 or vortex 8 is the weight of the laptop.
I didn't want to lug around a nearly 5Kg laptop, nor did I want the discomfort of it on my lap.
However, if these aren't issues for you, and it will primarily be a desktop replacement then go for it.
My only gripe with that is, if you aren't needing a mobile system, and don't care about weight, why not go for a desktop?
Just food for thought really. It is easy to overlook something that may bug you every moment you use it.

 

[SlimCini]

Hello there,

Hopefully you haven't pulled the trigger just yet as I have one major suggestion you will probably love.
I noticed in this build you have gone for a copy of windows 10 Professional and a 2TB HDD drive.

I would strenuously suggest selecting "no operating system" and upgrading the HDD drive to a 2TB sata SSD,
and then going onto a legitimate website and buying a windows 10 Pro license for like £20

This way you will have the same storage, but on a whole much faster, reliable and quieter, and the same OS, but for
like an additional £20-40 extra than your current build. Hopefully PC specialist don't mind me posting this here. As it
will mean you actually spend a tad more here, but for a much better system.

hope this isn't too late.

'legitimate website' and 'windows 10 pro for £20' don't really work in the same sentence.

Anyway, OP... don't get a 5400rpm hard drive. That sends shudders down my spine. Fork out for a secondary m2. Or source a 7200rpm yourself and fit it yourself.

 

[VortexGamerIX]

'legitimate website' and 'windows 10 pro for £20' don't really work in the same sentence.

Not true at all, I am not sure where you got the idea that every retailer sells Windows Pro licenses for £130, because they don't.
I can't post any websites here, because PCS just edits them out of the post. But a quick google search will show it is the case.
Why are you trying to put this person off making a better purchase?

 

[rand526]

P.s. I forgot to say, if your intention is to run this next to a monitor and never have it mobile/on your lap, then other laptops have better
thermals and less throttling, my main reason for going for a Vortex 9 over an octane 3 or vortex 8 is the weight of the laptop.
I didn't want to lug around a nearly 5Kg laptop, nor did I want the discomfort of it on my lap.
However, if these aren't issues for you, and it will primarily be a desktop replacement then go for it.
My only gripe with that is, if you aren't needing a mobile system, and don't care about weight, why not go for a desktop?
Just food for thought really. It is easy to overlook something that may bug you every moment you use it.

Cheers for the swift reply.

1. Thanks for the Windows tip. That software geeks link is mad - how can resellers do those kind of prices legitimately? The OS would be getting set up on the SSD, the HDD was just for back-up and file management. Most daily stuff would be on the SSD.

2. Bit confused by your second comment. I have chosen the Vortex 9 as I work from home and a couple of different offices. Whilst I would rarely be using it on my lap or battery, I do need it to be portable. The specs come in at 2.5kg which is reasonable, although I'm not sure of the weight of the power pack. The octane was ruled out for this reason, and although I had considered the Recoil, the full power 2070 tipped the scales for my needs.

 

[rand526]

Anyway, OP... don't get a 5400rpm hard drive. That sends shudders down my spine. Fork out for a secondary m2. Or source a 7200rpm yourself and fit it yourself.

noted. thanks

 

[SpyderTracks]

Not true at all, I am not sure where you got the idea that every retailer sells Windows Pro licenses for £130, because they don't.
I can't post any websites here, because PCS just edits them out of the post. But a quick google search will show it is the case.
Why are you trying to put this person off making a better purchase?

They’re called “grey markets” and they deal in stolen codes and not permitted on this forum.

 

[VortexGamerIX]

The original site that I posted, which the OP managed to see has a trustpilot rating of 9.1
So make of it what you will. If you spend more than 60 seconds looking into the site you are on,
you can tell the difference between grey and legit.

 

[SlimCini]

The original site that I posted, which the OP managed to see has a trustpilot rating of 9.1
So make of it what you will. If you spend more than 60 seconds looking into the site you are on,
you can tell the difference between grey and legit.

Genuinely interested to know how looking at a website tells you if the keys you're buying are stolen or not?

All trustpilot reviews tells you is if people get what they paid for and are happy. It doesn't tell you if they're paying for stolen goods.

If softwaregeeks is the place you're trying to defend... it took me five seconds on google to find this: https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/softwaregeekscouk-legit/ which suggests that the registered address for softwaregeeks is the same as 10000 other companies.

 

[SlimCini]

The original site that I posted, which the OP managed to see has a trustpilot rating of 9.1
So make of it what you will. If you spend more than 60 seconds looking into the site you are on,
you can tell the difference between grey and legit.

Trustpilot rating would just tell you that most of the things they sell work. It doesn't tell you they've been sourced legitimately.

 

[SpyderTracks]

The original site that I posted, which the OP managed to see has a trustpilot rating of 9.1
So make of it what you will. If you spend more than 60 seconds looking into the site you are on,
you can tell the difference between grey and legit.

It’s a grey market, and well known as a grey market. Trustpilot is user reviews. Has nothing to do with legitimacy.

 

[rand526]

So the thread ended up getting slightly derailed, however I totally take SlimCini's points about the 5400rpm HDD and will be swapping that out for another SSD.

Any comments on my other original questions much appreciated.

 

[markh]

Re your last question, there's not a huge performance uptick between RTX 2060 and 2070, and some would say it's not really worth the extra ~200quid. However you might see an advantage since you're hooking it up to a 4k monitor, I wouldn't know for sure. Certainly for gaming performance and machine learning / data science, the 2070 only offers a slight improvement, and 2060 is considered a better price/performance ratio.