Ordering a new laptop... reviewing the whole process/service received.

[Bhuna50]

Hi all,

Hope this helps prospective customers, but thought I would give a review in this thread of my experience from start to finish of the service received and (when it arrives) the laptop I have ordered.

History

Just quickly - current machine is over 5 years old. Acer Aspire 7736 with 4gb memory, intel duo core 2.2 and nvidia 210m grfx....so about two weeks ago I had the opportunity of cashing in on some pension due to its triviality which made me think...ok I need a new laptop...why not.

Looking

Starting my search, I have always used PCWorld, so went along there and got no help whatsoever. I prefer 17" screens - Im a big person, I like big things and screen size is definitely an issue if smaller - i like to see lots of things on screen in one go that i can see easily . So when I asked "Have you any 17" gaming laptops" and was greeted with "dont be silly we dont do those in store its click and collect only", i walked out.

I went online - gaming laptops...Asus / Acer / MSi and then....PCSpecialist albeit I had never heard of them before, but PCW did have them for sale on the site...why click and collect on PCW prices when PCSpecialist prices are very good comparing to whats out there. Lets give PCS a go I thought. then came the search for reviews etc..lots of reading. I then made up my mind and when I make up my mind...I want it next day (sorry) LOL. Sadly, it meant looking at the pre-built models and yes with other retailers not just from here.

So I ordered late one night (with the gteed next day delivery) from another retailer online...a PCS model...and when I paid for it and all went through...the questions started arising in my mind...warranty, upgrade materials, flexibility etc....do I get all that if I purchased elsewhere (turns out I could do but...)

Also I felt a bit unfair as I had been in touch with the Chat function on here and asked many questions before going off elsewhere and purchasing (more on the service here shortly). Well the morning came and i had not dispatch notice from this retailer so I called them...to find out that I waited ages on the phone...finally got dealt with to be told, well the payment didnt go through till this morning so it wasnt sent so you wont get it until monday now - i saw the payment was taken the night i ordered it - it appeared on my credit card pretty much straight away - so i though if they are like that - what would they be like for post sales etc...so order CANCELLED and straight onto here to order.

Pre sales service

I can say that I would score this as 9/10 (and it only lost a mark as I waited about 5 minutes once when phoning).

i ask a lot of questions (and by now you probably realise i waffle). I used the chat about 5 times before deciding to purchase a PCS machine and I used the phoneline at least 4 times with separate queries, verifying information, asking stupid questions and I have to say every time the person / people I dealt with were always courteous, polite, never treated me like a thick so and so, extremely knowledgeable and extremely patient when someone came to the door and I had to chat to them first etc.

they put my mind at rest about the order process, they clairifed some requirements or items I was thinking I needed but turns out I didnt (for example, it gave the option for a better / more expensive power supply and I thought well if its an option, perhaps it needs it - I was firmly told, no you do not need it for the machine I was buying).

So so far I am extremely impressed, and thats just the pre sales advice received and the service so far.

I have ordered a next day delivery model....again thats my impatients once i make up my mind, so Im anxiously checking my order number every five minutes to see it get updated with Dispatched and a tracking number so i can see its on its way (yes Saturday delivery paid for)...LOL

I went for the Defiance II X17-980 and will give another review on its arrival and my first impressions and use of the machine over the weekend. I hope this helps people then decide and take the plunge especially if, like me, you havent heard of PCSpecialist until you started looking now for a laptop...

Spec:

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980M - 8.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
1st Hard Disk
1TB WD SLIM BLUE 2.5" WD10SPCX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM951 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2150MB/R, 1260MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11BGN) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
4 x USB 3.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery
Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (60WH)
Power Cable
2 x UK Power Lead & 180W AC Adaptor
Keyboard Language
DEFIANCE SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 10 (64-bit) Home DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL 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
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 12 NOON)
Quantity
1

 

[Bhuna50]

Delivery

OK not off to a good start..as not dispatched even though order completed at 11.51am per emails.

Just spoke to someone that has explained that it did not complete until after cut off time - so not sure what happened there and they have changed the Saturday morning delivery now to a pre 10.30 so hopefully it will be Tuesday now as they dont dispatch over weekend (so again the helpdesk themselves have been excellent in sorting things).

Will wait to give my overall delivery score until it actually arrives - lets see if they redeem themselves by throwing in an extra freebie or something for the mess up .... LOL.

Damn...I have to wait....

Andy.

 

[Bhuna50]

Delivery .... Part II

Success. Despite the initial hiccup (above), my laptop was dispatched yesterday and arrived promptly at 7.45am this morning. At the same time...my 2 x 8GB RAM upgrade that I ordered yesterday.

Packaging 10/10 - Box inside bubble wrapped edges, inside box. After opening box number two you are then greeted with more safety packaging to ensure the laptop is well and truly safe from knocks and bangs. There are also protective films across the casing and screen to protect from scratching. Have to say - its been the most protected laptop Ive purchased.

All contents are in there - including the spare power unit I ordered (albeit it looks different to the one that comes with the laptop but I assume the laptop power unit is pre-boxed and the spare unit is a separate supply of units used to sell .... as spare units (if someone could however confirm that it is supposed to be different it would put my mind at rest about plugging this one in LOL).

Overall score for delivery: 8 / 10

Taking into account the initial hiccup (which may have been a processing a delay with the finance or something (even though my emails confirmed it was prior to cut off for next day delivery), I have scored it an 8. The mix up / delay was sorted and amended quickly by PCS, the item is extremely well packed and protected. Nothing appears to be missing from the case. It switches on ok - well built machine by feels of it and already added in the memory

I'm now waiting for some Windows 10 updates and then will be playing around with it over the next few days but initially I'm impressed. Will give a further update on it later. (Hoping this helps people looking to buy from PCS as I will admit...I had my doubts originally).

Andy.

 

[Bhuna50]

Update

OK not reviewing it fully yet as still transferring files etc from my previous laptop but have to say overall my initial impression is "why the hell didn't I get this earlier" and "extremely impressed".

Had a little play on a game or two to get the feel of it all as well but will provide a bit more in depth review when I have more time and have played about a bit more.

Only gripe so far is ..... fingerprint heaven LOL - the black is showing up all fingerprints / handling marks - what do people use to clean these off .... even though they will keep coming back.

Also if anyone knows what the blue spongy/soft stickers that came packaged with it are for as well please let me know - am I supposed to put these somewhere - couldn't see anything in the paperwork that came through with it

Thanks

 

[PeterW]

I enjoyed reading that review , Andy - I shall be ordering from PCS soon , well I think I will , now I've managed to save enough money to buy a new laptop the thought of parting with it scares me ! I was thinking of maybe sticking the money in Premium Bonds to see if I could win the money to buy a new laptop !
My Wife says ' Just buy it ! ' but I've waited a year or so , another month wouldn't hurt - but I'm probably just being silly .

I couldn't decide between the Defiance , The Octane or some Brand laptop but I couldn't find a Brand that came close , so I always came back to PCS and since the various specs can be upgraded or replaced on the Octane , the Octane it is .

Good luck with your new acquisition , Andy .

 

[diverzeusy]

Nice reveiw andjef796
Please keep it coming
i may be wrong , but i'm sure i read somewhere on here that Ram is max 16GB on the octane main board?? so not as upgradable as the defiance??
please correct me if i'm wrong as these are exactly what i'm looking at.
also, are there any other 'major' differences in the two?

 

[Andromeda]

Interesting thread, and I can relate to a lot of it, wanting a 17" screen with a top end spec, beyond PCWorld though they're a very useful store in general.

Not sure I want a glowing keyboard and tummy tickler (latter only available on top end machines), and would like a clean design, so considering the Cosmos.

Main interest is exploring PCIe drives for a bespoke application.

PCSpecialist definitely in the running, so we'll see how we go.

Would definitely like to be able to view a machine first and try the keyboard etc., but that seems to be a challenge, if no one stocks them.

A.

 

[ubuysa]

A very honest and balanced review and good to read. I would suggest others considering buying from PCS pay more attention to this honest and detailed review than they do to the rantings of those who expect something for nothing.

+Rep deserved and given.

 

[PeterW]

Just been reading elsewhere of a ' noisy fan problem ' , on the PCS Forum- is this the case with all Defiance 2 17.3" or a one off - I was reading a Defiance 2 17.3" review on ' Hexus ' this morning and although they praise the Defiance and recommend it one of the ' Cons ' is ' Annoying Fan Noise ' .
Should I be worried ?

Is The Octane 2 quieter ?

 

[diverzeusy]

+1, anyone got anything to add to the supposed 'fan noise'issue or is it sorted now?
thanks

 

[PeterW]

I was watching an Octane 2 review on Youtube today , the 17.3" version with an i5-6600 processor , the reviewer even puts the microphone next to the fans to show how little noise it makes - Still not decided between the Defiance or the Octane as of yet , I'm not in a big hurry so am checking all avenues - any info will be very much appreciated .

 

[Bhuna50]

OK apologies all but have been away with work and pleasure but now I'm back I will concentrate on updating this thread with a review of the product itself...and I have to say it is mostly positive.

Andy.

 

[PeterW]

OK apologies all but have been away with work and pleasure but now I'm back I will concentrate on updating this thread with a review of the product itself...and I have to say it is mostly positive.

Andy.

What are the negatives , if you don't mind me asking Andy - I've just read yet another review on the 17" Defiance this time on ' Reevoo ' - the laptop gets a 9/10 but slightly worrying is ' the fan makes a churning noise like it's being caught on something ' - he adds ' it might come from a bad batch ' , this was a 2015 review , another reviewer gives it a 9/10 this time in 2016 with no mention of fan noise , his complaint was the weight of the power pack [ it's not as if you have to hold it though is it ? ] .
So , Andy , if you could update us on the fan noise I'd very much appreciate it - that and the screen as I'll be using it for photography stuff .
Cheers .

 

[Bhuna50]

What are the negatives , if you don't mind me asking Andy - I've just read yet another review on the 17" Defiance this time on ' Reevoo ' - the laptop gets a 9/10 but slightly worrying is ' the fan makes a churning noise like it's being caught on something ' - he adds ' it might come from a bad batch ' , this was a 2015 review , another reviewer gives it a 9/10 this time in 2016 with no mention of fan noise , his complaint was the weight of the power pack [ it's not as if you have to hold it though is it ? ] .
So , Andy , if you could update us on the fan noise I'd very much appreciate it - that and the screen as I'll be using it for photography stuff .
Cheers .

OK as its been mentioned a few times on this thread I will address the fan churning/grinding noise issue by saying.....what noise???

I have not experienced any unusual sounds found the fans at all - I will say that if you turn them on full blast (pressing Fn > 1) then you hear them blowing and your legs get cold quickly LOL. However, I have not experienced any louder sounds in this laptop than I have in any laptop I have had.

I primarily use this laptop on my legs so do not know if perhaps there are vibration noises if on a desk as have not used it that way at all at the moment - although did have it on the dining room table but I have to say that using the laptop for usual office stuff such as Excel, internet, Word, even typing on forums - my fans don't even come on - the CPU is currently at 34 degrees, the motherboard 38, graphics 28, and storage drive at 26 degrees according to speccy and there is no noise from this machine at all other than hearing me typing.

Perhaps theres more room in the 17 inch model, I don't know - is the fan noise limited to 15inchers?

When gaming the fans do come on, but again the hottest Ive seen it running so far is 71 (will give more precise figures when I do a proper review over weekend).

A couple of other negatives although this is me being picky here mind:

- fingerprint heaven - no sooner have you cleaned it, they are back LOL.

- the monitor/lid appears flexible so I am worried about opening it one handed / one side only - and always use both hands to open up the laptop. This is however due to the screen being a thinner screen than my previous laptop so doesn't need a hefty lid and may be just my confidence in how I am handling it - I don't want to break it but have to say it does seem very well made though.

Re the monitor I have NOT experienced any light bleeding or whatever it is called either - something else I have read about.

Another negative - but this is purely me here with how I would want it is that the power point is in the back of the machine and not to the side, and its right next to a USB outlet as well in the back of the machine, with the way I sit using a LAPtop on my LAP, this makes the rear USB and the power point awkward slightly - however I can see the usefulness of this as well - this is purely a personal preference in using a LAPtop on my LAP. there is still three other USB slots to use on the sides.

I did experience a BSOD - however a recent graphics driver update seems to have cured that problem as it has not occurred now for over 3 weeks.

Again, this is purely because of the machine I have gone for but my SSD is nearly full already (256gb) - therefore if you choose this and want to enjoy the benefits of an SSD, try to fit in a bigger one. I am looking at adding another SSD even though I have got 1TB disk still to use LOL - its just so quiet using the SSD and not the mechanical drive LOL.

Some quick POSITIVES for you though:

I have only ever used 1600*900 laptop previously - its surprising what a difference the 1080p screen makes for everything.

Nothing has gone wrong - I have not had to contact helpdesk for anything.

Gaming is so so beautiful on this. I have mainly played Elite Dangerous and ARK Survival and Ultima Online (the latter not needing much). I am on Ultra graphics for all the games and not had any issues with any of it (an early BSOD as mentioned but this seems to have been resolved) and love the graphics / framerate (not scored but its high).

My internet over the wifi is fast - odd thing to say as most people will say that this depends on the internet server provider, but I assume that the aerial in this machine is a lot better than my previous laptop as even through a double brick thick wall (Edwardian house), I am getting my full ISP speed on the WIFI and pages seem to load instantly. (Virgin Media XXL package).

OK - I will try to write a proper in depth review, the good and the bad, over the weekend if I get time.

Hope this helps for now.

Andy.

Sorry - forgot to address the screen question as you mentioned photography use. I also do a bit of photography but have not yet moved Lightroom catalog across so cannot comment on pictures as such, but have to say that colour wise and resolution wise, it is amazing and clear. looking at some pictures that come up on windows 10 log on screen, they look spectacular so do not think you will have a problem with this. I will try to load my catalog over the weekend but as its 20,000 pictures may not get time but I will try to load up some I took in Madrid last week to give you an idea / some thoughts on editing.

 

[diverzeusy]

Thanks Andy
Its a great read, as i'm almost ready to press the buy button for a defiance!.
Thank you for taking the time to write this and help others,
do you do any video editing on your laptop? or just photos?
are you running windows 10? is it good? (i'm still on vista so long overdue a new laptop).
can't wait to read more, so put it through it's paces this weekend.
thank you
paul.

 

[MrCobain]

OK as its been mentioned a few times on this thread I will address the fan churning/grinding noise issue by saying.....what noise???

I have not experienced any unusual sounds found the fans at all - I will say that if you turn them on full blast (pressing Fn > 1) then you hear them blowing and your legs get cold quickly LOL. However, I have not experienced any louder sounds in this laptop than I have in any laptop I have had.

I primarily use this laptop on my legs so do not know if perhaps there are vibration noises if on a desk as have not used it that way at all at the moment - although did have it on the dining room table but I have to say that using the laptop for usual office stuff such as Excel, internet, Word, even typing on forums - my fans don't even come on - the CPU is currently at 34 degrees, the motherboard 38, graphics 28, and storage drive at 26 degrees according to speccy and there is no noise from this machine at all other than hearing me typing.

Perhaps theres more room in the 17 inch model, I don't know - is the fan noise limited to 15inchers?

When gaming the fans do come on, but again the hottest Ive seen it running so far is 71 (will give more precise figures when I do a proper review over weekend).

A couple of other negatives although this is me being picky here mind:

- fingerprint heaven - no sooner have you cleaned it, they are back LOL.

- the monitor/lid appears flexible so I am worried about opening it one handed / one side only - and always use both hands to open up the laptop. This is however due to the screen being a thinner screen than my previous laptop so doesn't need a hefty lid and may be just my confidence in how I am handling it - I don't want to break it but have to say it does seem very well made though.

Re the monitor I have NOT experienced any light bleeding or whatever it is called either - something else I have read about.

Another negative - but this is purely me here with how I would want it is that the power point is in the back of the machine and not to the side, and its right next to a USB outlet as well in the back of the machine, with the way I sit using a LAPtop on my LAP, this makes the rear USB and the power point awkward slightly - however I can see the usefulness of this as well - this is purely a personal preference in using a LAPtop on my LAP. there is still three other USB slots to use on the sides.

I did experience a BSOD - however a recent graphics driver update seems to have cured that problem as it has not occurred now for over 3 weeks.

Again, this is purely because of the machine I have gone for but my SSD is nearly full already (256gb) - therefore if you choose this and want to enjoy the benefits of an SSD, try to fit in a bigger one. I am looking at adding another SSD even though I have got 1TB disk still to use LOL - its just so quiet using the SSD and not the mechanical drive LOL.

Some quick POSITIVES for you though:

I have only ever used 1600*900 laptop previously - its surprising what a difference the 1080p screen makes for everything.

Nothing has gone wrong - I have not had to contact helpdesk for anything.

Gaming is so so beautiful on this. I have mainly played Elite Dangerous and ARK Survival and Ultima Online (the latter not needing much). I am on Ultra graphics for all the games and not had any issues with any of it (an early BSOD as mentioned but this seems to have been resolved) and love the graphics / framerate (not scored but its high).

My internet over the wifi is fast - odd thing to say as most people will say that this depends on the internet server provider, but I assume that the aerial in this machine is a lot better than my previous laptop as even through a double brick thick wall (Edwardian house), I am getting my full ISP speed on the WIFI and pages seem to load instantly. (Virgin Media XXL package).

OK - I will try to write a proper in depth review, the good and the bad, over the weekend if I get time.

Hope this helps for now.

Andy.

Sorry - forgot to address the screen question as you mentioned photography use. I also do a bit of photography but have not yet moved Lightroom catalog across so cannot comment on pictures as such, but have to say that colour wise and resolution wise, it is amazing and clear. looking at some pictures that come up on windows 10 log on screen, they look spectacular so do not think you will have a problem with this. I will try to load my catalog over the weekend but as its 20,000 pictures may not get time but I will try to load up some I took in Madrid last week to give you an idea / some thoughts on editing.

Sooo glad it's good on Ark. That's the game I primarily play, getting a similar spec to yours, so it's nice to know I will be able to get better than 20fps, which is what I currently get on my old Alienware laptop

 

[Bhuna50]

The one thing I have noticed on Ark - but only when playing in solo mode - is that it does "freeze" every 15/20 minutes for a second or two - not an issue as all I think it is doing is saving the server world (as its solo mode) but can sometimes be an issue if fighting a dino

I believe that's a game thing though NOT a laptop issue.

What is the best free software to show FPS in a game whilst playing - I can then let you know what FPS I get.

Paul - sorry I don't do video editing just photos.

I have used windows 10 for a while now - even on old laptop, and have updated all home PCs to run it - I haven't had any noticeable problems with it.

 

[MrCobain]

Yeah, the freezing is usually a world save. It's the same on server games as well.

You can check FPS within the game.

If you press tab to bring up the console, then type stat FPS, it should bring up the info in top right hand side of the screen.

 

[Bhuna50]

ARK FPS mainly ranges from 35 to 50. Has dropped to 30 but not for long.

 

[MrCobain]

Excellent, my FPS is usually worse when loading in areas, or looking at cooking pots while they are on lol.

You running it on Epic then?

Cheers
Matt