I got a 13.3" Optimus. Won't post spec as it's not really that different from all the possible combinations. It has a 4710MQ and a 120GB SSD, that's the important part.
Now the review:
Don't buy this junk.
1). The screen (top lid) is very thin. Credit card thin. Wiping it with a soft cloth is actually dangerous, as you could puncture it. You might think that's a non-issue, but believe me, once you have it, it isn't. Especially since it should be a more mobile device being smaller.
2). Sound quality. I thought it was awesome, but I was wrong. The sound is distorted. Why? Well, without Sound Blaster Cinema you cannot hear anything. With it, the speakers are so pushed to their limits (over them) that sound... sounds... well, it hurts the ears during a movie.
3). Heat. PC Specialist is trying to put too much into a chassis that won't support that much. That being said, this laptop is ALWAYS hot, not matter what you do with it. Don't start me with cooling pads. I have one, a really good one, doesn't do a thing. The CPU is always around 55 in idle and as soon as you start watching a YouTube video it goes to 65. Forget about gaming. It will go up to 80C which leads me to my next point:
4). Fan noise. This thing has three options: off, vaccum cleaner exhaust mode and 747 take-off mode. I wish I was joking, you cannot hear the sound of the game, with headphones on, when this thing goes on. Good news is that it only happens in games, well, mostly, because the bad news is the fan randomly ramps up for absolutely no reason (CPU not in use too much, under 55) and then down again, and up again, and down again, until you develop an OCD.
5). Small, but very annoying issues, such as the touchpad. Forget about using it. It has such a horrible sensitivity that you're better off just keyboarding your way around. Resolution, while in theory a high DPI seems a good idea, in practice most software (actual software, not games) is not optimized for it and the resulting image is blurry. I thought I needed glasses. In that respect, a lower DPI screen is actually, contrary to what common sense might tell you, better.
6). Battery. Doesn't matter what you do, you won't go past 3 - 3.5 hours of use, contrary to the advertised, longer battery time.
7). Keyboard. Nice overall, but a very important button has a very loud sound compared to the others.
8). Build quality: There's a 0.3mm gap along the edge of the keyboard, where it meets the lower part of the laptop, where the touch pad is. I can actually almost see inside. They put black foil on the bottom vents so dust doesn't get in, but forget to actually assemble the thing properly.
9). USB ports. They move around, one bad move and you'll most likely break the whole damn motherboard, not just your port.
10). Charging time. It takes about 3 full hours to charge this thing while it is running. My last, pre-2010 laptop took half that, and lasted longer.
11). Headphones and microphone jacks. They are too tight. You need a hammer to plug something in, and a friend to help you out tugging on the laptop while you pull on the cord to pull your headphones out.
12). Most importantly: Performance. My CPU never reaches the turbo boost rate of 3.5Ghz. It never passes 3.29Ghz. I did countless tests and stress tests, monitored it closely, there is absolutely no thermal throttling because my last test was with the windows fully open and my jacket on so the CPU stayed under 80C and it still didn't go past 3.29Ghz. I mailed PC Specialist and told them exactly the same thing and you know what they said?
"It's probably thermal throttling..."
Well, I'll probably return this then.
And to think I waited an entire month for this Taiwanese joke of a vacuum cleaner.
Now the review:
Don't buy this junk.
1). The screen (top lid) is very thin. Credit card thin. Wiping it with a soft cloth is actually dangerous, as you could puncture it. You might think that's a non-issue, but believe me, once you have it, it isn't. Especially since it should be a more mobile device being smaller.
2). Sound quality. I thought it was awesome, but I was wrong. The sound is distorted. Why? Well, without Sound Blaster Cinema you cannot hear anything. With it, the speakers are so pushed to their limits (over them) that sound... sounds... well, it hurts the ears during a movie.
3). Heat. PC Specialist is trying to put too much into a chassis that won't support that much. That being said, this laptop is ALWAYS hot, not matter what you do with it. Don't start me with cooling pads. I have one, a really good one, doesn't do a thing. The CPU is always around 55 in idle and as soon as you start watching a YouTube video it goes to 65. Forget about gaming. It will go up to 80C which leads me to my next point:
4). Fan noise. This thing has three options: off, vaccum cleaner exhaust mode and 747 take-off mode. I wish I was joking, you cannot hear the sound of the game, with headphones on, when this thing goes on. Good news is that it only happens in games, well, mostly, because the bad news is the fan randomly ramps up for absolutely no reason (CPU not in use too much, under 55) and then down again, and up again, and down again, until you develop an OCD.
5). Small, but very annoying issues, such as the touchpad. Forget about using it. It has such a horrible sensitivity that you're better off just keyboarding your way around. Resolution, while in theory a high DPI seems a good idea, in practice most software (actual software, not games) is not optimized for it and the resulting image is blurry. I thought I needed glasses. In that respect, a lower DPI screen is actually, contrary to what common sense might tell you, better.
6). Battery. Doesn't matter what you do, you won't go past 3 - 3.5 hours of use, contrary to the advertised, longer battery time.
7). Keyboard. Nice overall, but a very important button has a very loud sound compared to the others.
8). Build quality: There's a 0.3mm gap along the edge of the keyboard, where it meets the lower part of the laptop, where the touch pad is. I can actually almost see inside. They put black foil on the bottom vents so dust doesn't get in, but forget to actually assemble the thing properly.
9). USB ports. They move around, one bad move and you'll most likely break the whole damn motherboard, not just your port.
10). Charging time. It takes about 3 full hours to charge this thing while it is running. My last, pre-2010 laptop took half that, and lasted longer.
11). Headphones and microphone jacks. They are too tight. You need a hammer to plug something in, and a friend to help you out tugging on the laptop while you pull on the cord to pull your headphones out.
12). Most importantly: Performance. My CPU never reaches the turbo boost rate of 3.5Ghz. It never passes 3.29Ghz. I did countless tests and stress tests, monitored it closely, there is absolutely no thermal throttling because my last test was with the windows fully open and my jacket on so the CPU stayed under 80C and it still didn't go past 3.29Ghz. I mailed PC Specialist and told them exactly the same thing and you know what they said?
"It's probably thermal throttling..."
Well, I'll probably return this then.
And to think I waited an entire month for this Taiwanese joke of a vacuum cleaner.
