Optimus VII Pro review

[nameneko]

I recently got an Optimus VII Pro

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Kingston SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 965M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
1st Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
Ultra Slim 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
4 x USB 3.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery
Optimus Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (62.16WH)
Power Cable
1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Keyboard Language
OPTIMUS SERIES BACKLIT PORTUGUESE KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 10 (64-bit) Home DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
30 Day Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Promotional Item
FREE Magix Media Bundle with select Laptop INTEL® CPUs!
Quantity
1


I got it after 7 working days, and everything went well from order to delivery. Only thing that got me worried was that DPD didn't check ID, but perhaps they're not supposed to.
As for the laptop itself, I am just a bit worried that there might be some back light bleeding in two spots. I haven't played much with it, but I'm expecting it to perform well since I don't play very demanding games. So far it seems good value for money, but bank holiday weekend's likely to confirm this

 

[Wivelden]

I have the same system and I too have backlight bleeding. Its not really noticeable when doing daily tasks or gaming it only shows during boot. I'm not sure what the deal is with PCS and having backlight bleeding. If its too bad can we request a new screen?

 

[nameneko]

I'm still struggling with this, because it is noticeable in the default PCS desktop background image. I also notice it while watching some videos or while playing. What is the PCS policy on this? It appears to be a very common problem, can it be easily fixed?

 

[SpyderTracks]

I'm still struggling with this, because it is noticeable in the default PCS desktop background image. I also notice it while watching some videos or while playing. What is the PCS policy on this? It appears to be a very common problem, can it be easily fixed?

There's no way of fixing it, you have to swap the screen for another. Unfortunately it's the case that you just have to hope you get one with minimal BLB. If it's bothering you, phone PCS and discuss it with them, if you're nice and explain it's affecting your usage they may swap it out, although they're under no obligation to do so I believe.

 

[nameneko]

Thanks for your reply, SpyderTracks! I was surprised that this doesn't come under the scope of the warranty though :-/

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks for your reply, SpyderTracks! I was surprised that this doesn't come under the scope of the warranty though :-/

I know, it sucks, but unfortunately the current legislation for BLB and dead pixels allows a percentage of defect.

Still definitely worth giving them a call and discussing it. They're customer service I've found to be excellent and they do listen.

 

[Fellowchap]

I've heard that with IPS panels there is a thing called "IPS glow" that people might mistake as backlight bleed. Maybe it could be that?

 

[nameneko]

Hi Fellowchap,
I don't think so, because it's too localized. There are 3 areas, around 1 inch wide, around the edge of the screen.

 

[nameneko]

Just a quick update on this...
I requested a RMA and in fact the backlight bleed was deemed excessive by PCS. They have replaced the screen, and in one week I got it back. It looks much better now

 

[SpyderTracks]

Just a quick update on this...
I requested a RMA and in fact the backlight bleed was deemed excessive by PCS. They have replaced the screen, and in one week I got it back. It looks much better now

That's fantastic news and a testament to PCS, I think a lot of retailers would have called that acceptable. Really pleased for you!

 

[nameneko]

That's fantastic news and a testament to PCS, I think a lot of retailers would have called that acceptable. Really pleased for you!

Yes,, I was very pleased, as I said before it wasn't something impossible to live with, but it was quite annoying at times.
I'm attaching the photos I sent to them, in case they're of use to anyone. The quality is poor, but it was what I could get with my phone.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Well done for trying, did you find them easy to deal with?

 

[nameneko]

Well done for trying, did you find them easy to deal with?

Yes, it was very easy and they were very cool about the whole thing. I called them and on the next day DPD came to collect. Eight days later it was dispatched, so it was pretty fast too. Great service!

 

[SpyderTracks]

Yes, it was very easy and they were very cool about the whole thing. I called them and on the next day DPD came to collect. Eight days later it was dispatched, so it was pretty fast too. Great service!

Excellent, well done PCS

 

[Unstoppable366SG]

I got my Optimus VII Pro back in april, and it had 2 spots for that bleeding also, at the bottom. Isn't it caused by the tight case, around the display panel. What I did is that I detached just a bit the plastic around the screen at the bottom, and they disappeared. It doesn't even look bad either. I can't get it, how can't it be fixed and why would you need to replace the screen? Maybe it's just the plastic case around the screen that needs to be fixed/replaced. Am I right/wrong? Have someone else had this? I can also post screenshots with the screen, in the dark, and with the fix I got for it

 

[nameneko]

Yeah I had read about that type of fix online, but honestly I didn't want to risk doing it and voiding the warranty. I don't know why my screen had to be replaced though, but whatever they did, it worked!

 

[nameneko]

Hi, I was thinking about buying an SSD for this laptop, as the space in my HDD is running out (specs above). I was looking at a Samsung 860 EVO 1 Tb M.2, but can't work out if that would work in my laptop as I don't know anything about the subject
Could anyone please help? Cheers!

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi, I was thinking about buying an SSD for this laptop, as the space in my HDD is running out (specs above). I was looking at a Samsung 860 EVO 1 Tb M.2, but can't work out if that would work in my laptop as I don't know anything about the subject
Could anyone please help? Cheers!

On the underside of the laptop there should be a clevo model number, might be on a sticker labelled "notebook computer", can you tell us what that is?

 

[nameneko]

Hi,
It says N150RF.
Thanks!

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi,
It says N150RF.
Thanks!

Great, so it can take a full PCIe 3 NVME M2 SSD, something like the Samsung 970 Evo pro / standard Evo are the usual go to drives. If you go to the upgrades section on your main PCS account, you can select one in there and PCS should be able to ship it next day delivery.

Would make a SIGNIFICANT improvement to the performance!

The M2 drive goes above the fan on the right, the long stick type drive:

The above picture is taken from a tear down review here which may come in handy:

Schenker XMG A516 (Clevo N150RF) Notebook Review

Comprehensive review of the Schenker XMG A516 (Intel Core i7 6700HQ, Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M, 15,6 Zoll, 2.5 kg) with numerous measurements, benchmarks, and ratings

www.notebookcheck.net