The 17.3" Optimus IV Specs and Overheating?

S

SirTeddy

Member
Hello there. I'm just about to place an order for the 17'3" Optimus laptop and I have a few questions that need answering just to make sure I'm making the right decision as I will be taking this baby to University with me.

1) 15.6" or 17.3"?

Will the 17.3" run cooler because the components are more spread out? I'm not to fussy about portability. I only picked the 17" because I was thinking it would be less likely to overheat when on a heavy load. Was going to get the 15" at first.

2) Matte or glossy screen and how it effects gaming experience?

cost of both screens is the same. I will only be playing gaming indoors and wont be taking my laptop to lectures as I will be taking notes by hand.

3) Anyone had any overheating problems? How hot does it run when gaming?

One of the key questions I need answering as I don't want it to be blowing up. I want the laptop to last long. I also noticed the is only one fan so It made me worry.

4) Does it run loud?

5) And lastly, what do you think of my specs?

Here are the specs:

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Glossy Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3610QM (2.30GHz) 6MB

Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG 1333MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 4GB)

Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11

Memory - Hard Disk
750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD7500BPKT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)

Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)

Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)

Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack

Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N135 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH

USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD

Battery
Optimus Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)

Oh and anything you would like to say about the laptops quality etc is welcomed.
 
Last edited:
Music Guy123

Music Guy123

Prolific Poster
1. I'd suggest 17.3" its only a little more, fraction more in fact!! It will provide better cooling and you get a bigger screen.
2. I'd go glossy and save the money, especially as you are only going to be indoors.
3. I haven't heard of heating problems but I don't have one, nor do I game! Should be fine though although a cooling stand isn't a bad idea.
4. Sorry? I don't get what you are trying to ask!
5. Specs look good! You may want to consider the skyfire or vortex though if you can afford it and want better gaming.

Edit: sorry, I seem to have a problem with my eyes!!!!!! I orginially read q4 as 'load' rather than 'loud'!! Hence my confusion! Your question is answered well below.
 
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K

Kreeeee

Active member
1)
W350ET (Optimus IV 15.6") heatsink:
d31bfa6019.jpg

W370ET (Optimus IV 17.3") heatsink:
d88dee5017.jpg

Summary: Zero difference in cooling potential, as they appear to use nearly identical cooling components and motherboard. The 17.3" does appear to offer better quality screens than the 15.6" though.


2)
Look up reviews on the 2 panels available (search http://www.notebookcheck.net/ for the panel names), and use http://www.panelook.com/ for manufacturer details.

Matt: Unconfirmed from the PCSpecialist configurator, although they have confirmed to me via email it is a Chi Mei panel, and the W370ET models elsewhere have been shipping with the Chi Mei N173HGE-L11 (see here: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Quick-Review-Schenker-XMG-A722-Notebook.80223.0.html). It has been mentioned on these forums that the panel may also be this one in some of the laptops: LG LGD0283
Glossy: HannStar HSD173PUW1 or Chi-mei N173HGE L21

I used to greatly prefer glossy screens but as I have gotten older I have noticed that it can cause me some eye strain (a common issue with glossy panels) while matt doesn't seem to cause the same issues. The glossy screens are definitely brighter and have higher contrast than their equivalent matt counterparts though, and the reflections never bothered me.


3)
It is supposed to run very cool, the 660m is a very efficient chip.


4)
It's on par with other laptops: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Quick-Review-Schenker-XMG-A722-Notebook.80223.0.html


5)
Very well rounded specs, make sure you get the silver warranty and personally I would get a cheap 120 GB SSD from £40 elsewhere in addition to the 750GB and the dead pixel guarantee.

I have purchased this laptop recently and am currently awaiting shipment. It seems like it provides the best "bang for the buck" at the moment and should last a few years of gaming at medium settings/lower resolution. When weighing up the cost of laptops over a 5-6 year period, it works out better to buy this now, and a new one at around £700 in 3 years time than to buy a fully kitted out Vortex III now (don't forget to account for inflation!).


Hope that helps!
 
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I

iPHAILZ

Bronze Level Poster
Mine runs at high 80's whilst playing games, peaked at 95 degree (660m) i'm sure that's too hot with the "supposed" MX4 i ordered.
 
K

Kreeeee

Active member
iPHAILZ said:
Mine runs at high 80's whilst playing games, peaked at 95 degree (660m) i'm sure that's too hot with the "supposed" MX4 i ordered.
Click to expand...

That's definitely too high:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Quick-Review-Schenker-XMG-A722-Notebook.80223.0.html said:
After one hour at full load (Prime95 and Furmark running simultaneously), the temperatures had stabilised at 64/65oC (GeForce GTX 660M) and 76/77oC (CPU)
Click to expand...

That's with a 3612 CPU.
 
I

iPHAILZ

Bronze Level Poster
Thanks for that, the laptop needs a screen replacement which is being picked up Tuesday, i have emailed PCS about the heat issue and have asked for the GPU and CPU heatsinks to be re-seated and new paste applied. The CPU idles at 60 degrees to, i'm not sure if that is high as well or is that OK?
 
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