manuelcore
Member
Proteus is a cheap and powerful PC that allows you to get a 970M graphics card onboard. Motherboard is made by Quanta, type NL8B.
Looks: A bit flashy but if you disable the lights it does not stand out. Looks like a solid build (my previous Acer was bending when picked with one hand, this one does not). I'd say the laptop it's on the heavy side (~2.9kg) but compared to other laptops with close prices it's ok (CPU throttling thinner laptops and bulkier 4.3kg 17inches) . The power adapter is rather large but for 180W it ok. 8/10
Build time &Transport: Build time 6 days. The laptop arrived fast, no problems there. 10/10
Accessibility: As I already had a large and fast Samsung SSD, I had to replace the existing HDD. I was (more than) a little scared as there are no guides or pictures on the net. Opening the case is really easy (about 20 screws). The battery needs to be removed to replace the HDD. Memory can be accessed directly, so is the second mSATA SSD. Haven't seen pictures of the inside anywhere on the net, now you have them attached. 9/10
Screen: TN, FHD, matte (VERY important to me as I always end up near a window). I has a reflective (rather large) bezel but it's ok. You can see that in the pictures. Attention, the colors need to be adjusted. The lid can be opened with one hand - barely. The lid is really tight and might cause problems in the future (I hope not). I say that because I had 2 laptops ( HP and Acer) that both had broken hinges after 2+ years because they were too thight. I recommend to PCSpecialist to loosen a bit the lid so it opens with one hand easily (my opinion). 7/10
Sound: I opted for the least expensive (Intel Sound Card) and it does an ok job. However don't push the volume all the way up or you will hear distortions. 7/10
Cooling: Even in most demanding programs and games, the temperatures were ok. The processor stayed at 3.4GHz (turbo boost) all the time. Make sure you don't close the air intake vents as you will have 5+ higher temps. It helps if you lift a bit the bottom of the laptop to be even cooler. 10/10
Video card: 970M - It's fast and cool. No problems there. 11/10
Keyboard&pad: good keyboard, I still had to adjust to it as my former laptop had a keyboard that was 1 cm wider. The pad is ok but I use a mouse 90% of the time so ... 9/10
Conclusion: It is a good, low cost, laptop that does what it says. 8/10. Recommended.
Looks: A bit flashy but if you disable the lights it does not stand out. Looks like a solid build (my previous Acer was bending when picked with one hand, this one does not). I'd say the laptop it's on the heavy side (~2.9kg) but compared to other laptops with close prices it's ok (CPU throttling thinner laptops and bulkier 4.3kg 17inches) . The power adapter is rather large but for 180W it ok. 8/10
Build time &Transport: Build time 6 days. The laptop arrived fast, no problems there. 10/10
Accessibility: As I already had a large and fast Samsung SSD, I had to replace the existing HDD. I was (more than) a little scared as there are no guides or pictures on the net. Opening the case is really easy (about 20 screws). The battery needs to be removed to replace the HDD. Memory can be accessed directly, so is the second mSATA SSD. Haven't seen pictures of the inside anywhere on the net, now you have them attached. 9/10
Screen: TN, FHD, matte (VERY important to me as I always end up near a window). I has a reflective (rather large) bezel but it's ok. You can see that in the pictures. Attention, the colors need to be adjusted. The lid can be opened with one hand - barely. The lid is really tight and might cause problems in the future (I hope not). I say that because I had 2 laptops ( HP and Acer) that both had broken hinges after 2+ years because they were too thight. I recommend to PCSpecialist to loosen a bit the lid so it opens with one hand easily (my opinion). 7/10
Sound: I opted for the least expensive (Intel Sound Card) and it does an ok job. However don't push the volume all the way up or you will hear distortions. 7/10
Cooling: Even in most demanding programs and games, the temperatures were ok. The processor stayed at 3.4GHz (turbo boost) all the time. Make sure you don't close the air intake vents as you will have 5+ higher temps. It helps if you lift a bit the bottom of the laptop to be even cooler. 10/10
Video card: 970M - It's fast and cool. No problems there. 11/10
Keyboard&pad: good keyboard, I still had to adjust to it as my former laptop had a keyboard that was 1 cm wider. The pad is ok but I use a mouse 90% of the time so ... 9/10
Conclusion: It is a good, low cost, laptop that does what it says. 8/10. Recommended.
