I had a longer post created but i took so long to write it that i was logged out by the time i finished 
.
So basically:
Service wise I have been very happy with PCS.
The only minor issue was that i specified a day of the week for it to be delivered as part of the ordering process it wasn't heeded. Luckily I was at home when the laptop arrived.
Overall though good service. They keep you posted on progress and there is plenty of information about the process of building your spec. Building time was as expected (I didnt order any sort of express build service).
Ordering itself was also great. The website is clearly laid out and overall I knew exactly what I was ordering. My only minor issue is that I couldnt see what the laptop chassis was (for the vortex 4 its a Clevo P170SM). This information can be useful for both getting a better idea on what the laptop is like and looking for drivers and such like.
The laptop came in a plain looking box but it was a very solid box and the laptop was well packaged. The laptop also arrived in perfect condition. There was no marks or smudges on the machine. I saw one review online where the review model had clearly done the rounds so it looked a bit messy. This was a non issue though for my new laptop. As I say, perfect condition.
The first couple of days were a bit messy though. First thing i do when i get a new computer is register windows and download all the updates. I got windows 8.1 since windows 7 home premium has a 16GB ram limit. Unfortunately windows update messed itself up a bit and also screwed up the intel graphics drivers which controls audio through HDMI. So i had a yellow triangle on the intel display audio device in device manager. It took a bit of time to fix those issues but the newest intel drivers sorted out the HDMI audio issue and an ifixit tool on the MS website fixed windows update.
The other issue was that the synaptic drivers for the touchpad were not installed (or maybe windows update messed that up too, i'm not sure) so it only worked as a basic pointing device. It took a bit of investigation to narrow down what driver I needed but thats all sorted now also. Multi touch gestures work now.
PCS did install the latest Nvidia drivers though which was nice.
Once those issues were sorted though it was time to see what my Vortex 4 could do and man is it impressive (Specs below). It can nearly max out Rome 2 at 1080P. Skyrim looks glorious. Its also the first nvidia GPU i have had in a long time so its fun to see all the physx stuff in games like arkham asylum.
Hardware wise the build quality is excellent. Its built like a tank. I had some concerns about the hinges when i was looking at the pictures but there didnt seem to be any issues from other users and they are indeed very sturdy.
The keyboard is very purty. The screen has a good refresh rate, the blacks are inky black and the colour is rich.
My only dissapointment is the speakers. I tried all the suggestions in another thread on this forum but they didnt seem to make a difference. They are certainly loud but the sound quality is dissapointing. My old laptop had better balanced sound from the speekers. On the vortex 4 its lacking any sort of bass (i checked to make sure my subwoofer speaker is working...it is). So headphones it is.
So basically would i recommend the vortex 4 to someone looking for a gaming laptop? Yes.
Would i buy from PCS again? Also yes.
If i was to make a recommendation to PCS is that, if possible, ensure the computer is fully up to date and everything is working with those updates before shipping.
Specs:
Vortex 4 17.3" matte finish.
Intel core i7 4700MQ
Geforce GTX 780M
16GB of ram
Windows 8.1 64bit.
.So basically:
Service wise I have been very happy with PCS.
The only minor issue was that i specified a day of the week for it to be delivered as part of the ordering process it wasn't heeded. Luckily I was at home when the laptop arrived.
Overall though good service. They keep you posted on progress and there is plenty of information about the process of building your spec. Building time was as expected (I didnt order any sort of express build service).
Ordering itself was also great. The website is clearly laid out and overall I knew exactly what I was ordering. My only minor issue is that I couldnt see what the laptop chassis was (for the vortex 4 its a Clevo P170SM). This information can be useful for both getting a better idea on what the laptop is like and looking for drivers and such like.
The laptop came in a plain looking box but it was a very solid box and the laptop was well packaged. The laptop also arrived in perfect condition. There was no marks or smudges on the machine. I saw one review online where the review model had clearly done the rounds so it looked a bit messy. This was a non issue though for my new laptop. As I say, perfect condition.
The first couple of days were a bit messy though. First thing i do when i get a new computer is register windows and download all the updates. I got windows 8.1 since windows 7 home premium has a 16GB ram limit. Unfortunately windows update messed itself up a bit and also screwed up the intel graphics drivers which controls audio through HDMI. So i had a yellow triangle on the intel display audio device in device manager. It took a bit of time to fix those issues but the newest intel drivers sorted out the HDMI audio issue and an ifixit tool on the MS website fixed windows update.
The other issue was that the synaptic drivers for the touchpad were not installed (or maybe windows update messed that up too, i'm not sure) so it only worked as a basic pointing device. It took a bit of investigation to narrow down what driver I needed but thats all sorted now also. Multi touch gestures work now.
PCS did install the latest Nvidia drivers though which was nice.
Once those issues were sorted though it was time to see what my Vortex 4 could do and man is it impressive (Specs below). It can nearly max out Rome 2 at 1080P. Skyrim looks glorious. Its also the first nvidia GPU i have had in a long time so its fun to see all the physx stuff in games like arkham asylum.
Hardware wise the build quality is excellent. Its built like a tank. I had some concerns about the hinges when i was looking at the pictures but there didnt seem to be any issues from other users and they are indeed very sturdy.
The keyboard is very purty. The screen has a good refresh rate, the blacks are inky black and the colour is rich.
My only dissapointment is the speakers. I tried all the suggestions in another thread on this forum but they didnt seem to make a difference. They are certainly loud but the sound quality is dissapointing. My old laptop had better balanced sound from the speekers. On the vortex 4 its lacking any sort of bass (i checked to make sure my subwoofer speaker is working...it is). So headphones it is.
So basically would i recommend the vortex 4 to someone looking for a gaming laptop? Yes.
Would i buy from PCS again? Also yes.
If i was to make a recommendation to PCS is that, if possible, ensure the computer is fully up to date and everything is working with those updates before shipping.
Specs:
Vortex 4 17.3" matte finish.
Intel core i7 4700MQ
Geforce GTX 780M
16GB of ram
Windows 8.1 64bit.