Thank you forumites for the advice

[TeamDixon2016]

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 7700HQ (2.8GHz, 3.8GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
1st Hard Disk
1TB SLIM SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 128MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + MIC/Headphone + SoundBlaster X-Fi MB3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ WIRELESS-AC 1535 M.2 GAMING 802.11AC + BLUETOOTH 4.1
USB Options
3 x USB 3.1 Type A, 2 x USB 3.1 Type C AS STANDARD
Battery
Defiance Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (60WH)
Keyboard Language
DEFIANCE SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
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
Browser
Google Chrome™
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


Have been an avid reader of these forums for a couple of months now, before finally taking the plunge and ordering the above spec machine on the 21st/03.

I'd like to thank anyone who has commented on my previous posts here asking for help and guidance. The mods really do deserve a lot of thanks and credit for all of the hard work you do replying to each and every request for help.

It's due to this level of help and reading what other people have asked for and commented on that made me decide I needed the Gold Warranty and the 1 year dead pixel guarantee for peace of mind. I probably wouldn't of gone for anything more than the Silver otherwise.

I was torn between the 14" Defiance III, the 15" Defiance III and the 15" Optimus VIII. I would have preferred the 14" due to the size and weight of the laptop, however it's size and weight produced obvious limitations compared to its larger brothers. The Octane was simply too expensive and too powerful for what I needed. So it came down to either the Defiance or the Optimus. I'd like to thank Oussebon in particular with his GPU performance links. Ultimately this is what made me choose the Defiance over the Optimus. Having the more future proof ports helped too.

Currently still in the processing stage, I cannot wait to receive this new laptop! Having been a Mac user for the last 12 years I have to admit it's a little bit daunting going back to Windows, especially as I have barely used a windows machine in that time! However, I feel confident this laptop will serve me well.

Thank you for your time.

 

[Frank100]

Glad you got the right spec for you and that you were well informed to make that choice.

 

[Oussebon]

Glad it was of interest Keep us posted with how it all goes, and how the laptop is when you get it if you can spare the time.

especially as I have barely used a windows machine in that time!

I used a mac literally once, when I had to look up some books in the library catalogue at undergrad I think. It was the only PC free in the computer room. I didn't realise the PC wasn't a PC. I found the browser and used it. Then spent fully 10 minutes trying to find where I could log out... :/