I've been doing a lot of intensive research on both of these laptops and here are the configurations available to my budget, please review both of them and tell me what you think.
15.6" Octane II <-- Link
Octane Series - 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Desktop Processor i5-6600K (3.5GHz) 6MB Cache
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB) RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970M GPU - 6.0GB DDR5 Video RAM, DirectX® 12, G-SYNC
120GB Memory Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
500GB WD Black 2.5" WD5000LPLX, SATA 6GB/s, 32MB Cache (7200rpm)
A grand total of £1,330 makes the Octane the cheaper option giving me a little breathing room budget-wise. With a desktop processor and G-Sync* feature, this baby proves to pack more than just a punch but this will undoubtedly drain more battery life and produce more heat. And whilst it's design is really cool, it's a little gamer stereotypical. And its keyboard is slightly less proportional to that of the Defiance.
The Octane's fans at the back seem quite large meaning they won't have to blow as hard (or spin as fast) to dissipate heat yet some still complain about intrusive fan noise, and higher temperatures, with intensive use and/or during elongated periods. But it seems more durable than the Defiance and, since it's bigger in size, it should also be less stressful to take apart for whenever you'd like to upgrade its hardware.
*G-Sync is an improved version of V-Sync. V-Sync basically maintains a lower level of FPS to avoid screen tearing (when two or more separate frames overlap and are displayed concurrently) but it can still happen sometimes. G-Sync guarantees that screen tearing does not happen whilst maintaining a higher, and more acceptable, level of FPS.
15.6" Defiance II <-- Link
Defiance Series - 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB) RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980M GPU - 8.0GB DDR5 Video RAM, DirectX® 12
120GB Memory Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
500GB Serial ATA III 2.5" Hard Drive /w 32MB Cache (7,200rpm)
A grand total of £1,388 makes this laptop much more budget-demanding for me. And whilst it lacks the desirable G-Sync feature, it comes with Nvidia Optimus Technology (which Octane doesn't have) designed to enhance battery life, GPU usage and consequently performance too. But this configuration comes with the GTX 980M which when applied to the Octane, skyrockets its price. And I really do need the GTX 980M.
The Defiance is 0.9KG lighter than the Octane, it has a more modest and professional appearance, and fewer customers complain about fan noise and uncomfortably high temperatures. But, unfortunately, the Defiance does not support the WD Black series (the more reliable hard disks) and its processor is not as powerful as the Octane's but still more than enough for intensive multi-tasking, gaming and even livestreaming.
Many complain, though, that the Defiance's rear panel is "difficult and time-consuming to remove" due to the number of screws keeping the laptop tight. And many more complain that its screen casing is "wobbly and unstable" which, to be honest, shouldn't really be much of a problem. Also, the Defiance's keyboard is a little spaced out making it more prone to dust and dirt - it can be rather inconvenient if enough builds up under the keys so be careful. Whether or not the Octane suffers from similar problems remains unknown. But, despite all this, the average customer ratings for the Defiance is an impressive 9/10 still!
Misc. Configurations
Gigabit LAN & Killer™ 1525-AC M.2 Wireless Gaming 802.11N + BLUETOOTH 4.0 Network Card
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit OS - inc DVD & Licence
Backlit UK Keyboard WITH NUMPAD
Arctic MX-4 Extreme Thermal (Paste) Conductivity Compound
CoolerMaster Ergostand II Quiet Laptop Cooler Stand, up to 17.3"
Bullguard Internet Security - 90 Days Trial
Free 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
3-Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
30 Day Dead Pixel Guarantee inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
PCS Extra-Care Diamond Pre-Noon Delivery Service, Mon-Fri
Standard Build - Approx. 7 to 9 working days
Comparisons
Both laptops have a chassis that attract finger-prints, making them difficult to keep tidy, but the Defiance seems more metallic (possibly alloy or aluminium) making it a better heat conductor whilst the Octane seems to be mostly compromised of composite plastic. Also I generally have a greater appreciation for a metallic chassis.
Both laptops support DDR4 memory even though only the Octane features it and both can play games like 'Battlefield: Hardline' and 'The Witcher 3' at high-ultra graphical settings for a stable 1080p60fps without much problem. But high-quality livestreaming may affect performance. And I would like to use my laptop for intensive high-demand gaming, high-quality streaming and general academic work.
Many would find the Octane a much better option regardless of the GPU it carries since it is very much upgradeable but I remain sceptical on how well it can handle heat and how loud its fans can be. Also, why does the Octane not have Nvidia Optimus Technology which is more important to me than G-Sync? And are the WD Black really more reliable hard drives, if yes then how so?
What do you think? Is there anything that I've missed out? Was I mistaken in any of my comments. Please feel free to upload any images of the laptops. Any feedback would be immensely appreciated!
15.6" Octane II <-- Link
Octane Series - 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Desktop Processor i5-6600K (3.5GHz) 6MB Cache
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB) RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970M GPU - 6.0GB DDR5 Video RAM, DirectX® 12, G-SYNC
120GB Memory Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
500GB WD Black 2.5" WD5000LPLX, SATA 6GB/s, 32MB Cache (7200rpm)
A grand total of £1,330 makes the Octane the cheaper option giving me a little breathing room budget-wise. With a desktop processor and G-Sync* feature, this baby proves to pack more than just a punch but this will undoubtedly drain more battery life and produce more heat. And whilst it's design is really cool, it's a little gamer stereotypical. And its keyboard is slightly less proportional to that of the Defiance.
The Octane's fans at the back seem quite large meaning they won't have to blow as hard (or spin as fast) to dissipate heat yet some still complain about intrusive fan noise, and higher temperatures, with intensive use and/or during elongated periods. But it seems more durable than the Defiance and, since it's bigger in size, it should also be less stressful to take apart for whenever you'd like to upgrade its hardware.
*G-Sync is an improved version of V-Sync. V-Sync basically maintains a lower level of FPS to avoid screen tearing (when two or more separate frames overlap and are displayed concurrently) but it can still happen sometimes. G-Sync guarantees that screen tearing does not happen whilst maintaining a higher, and more acceptable, level of FPS.
15.6" Defiance II <-- Link
Defiance Series - 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X IMPACT 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB) RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980M GPU - 8.0GB DDR5 Video RAM, DirectX® 12
120GB Memory Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
500GB Serial ATA III 2.5" Hard Drive /w 32MB Cache (7,200rpm)
A grand total of £1,388 makes this laptop much more budget-demanding for me. And whilst it lacks the desirable G-Sync feature, it comes with Nvidia Optimus Technology (which Octane doesn't have) designed to enhance battery life, GPU usage and consequently performance too. But this configuration comes with the GTX 980M which when applied to the Octane, skyrockets its price. And I really do need the GTX 980M.
The Defiance is 0.9KG lighter than the Octane, it has a more modest and professional appearance, and fewer customers complain about fan noise and uncomfortably high temperatures. But, unfortunately, the Defiance does not support the WD Black series (the more reliable hard disks) and its processor is not as powerful as the Octane's but still more than enough for intensive multi-tasking, gaming and even livestreaming.
Many complain, though, that the Defiance's rear panel is "difficult and time-consuming to remove" due to the number of screws keeping the laptop tight. And many more complain that its screen casing is "wobbly and unstable" which, to be honest, shouldn't really be much of a problem. Also, the Defiance's keyboard is a little spaced out making it more prone to dust and dirt - it can be rather inconvenient if enough builds up under the keys so be careful. Whether or not the Octane suffers from similar problems remains unknown. But, despite all this, the average customer ratings for the Defiance is an impressive 9/10 still!
Misc. Configurations
Gigabit LAN & Killer™ 1525-AC M.2 Wireless Gaming 802.11N + BLUETOOTH 4.0 Network Card
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit OS - inc DVD & Licence
Backlit UK Keyboard WITH NUMPAD
Arctic MX-4 Extreme Thermal (Paste) Conductivity Compound
CoolerMaster Ergostand II Quiet Laptop Cooler Stand, up to 17.3"
Bullguard Internet Security - 90 Days Trial
Free 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
3-Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
30 Day Dead Pixel Guarantee inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
PCS Extra-Care Diamond Pre-Noon Delivery Service, Mon-Fri
Standard Build - Approx. 7 to 9 working days
Comparisons
Both laptops have a chassis that attract finger-prints, making them difficult to keep tidy, but the Defiance seems more metallic (possibly alloy or aluminium) making it a better heat conductor whilst the Octane seems to be mostly compromised of composite plastic. Also I generally have a greater appreciation for a metallic chassis.
Both laptops support DDR4 memory even though only the Octane features it and both can play games like 'Battlefield: Hardline' and 'The Witcher 3' at high-ultra graphical settings for a stable 1080p60fps without much problem. But high-quality livestreaming may affect performance. And I would like to use my laptop for intensive high-demand gaming, high-quality streaming and general academic work.
Many would find the Octane a much better option regardless of the GPU it carries since it is very much upgradeable but I remain sceptical on how well it can handle heat and how loud its fans can be. Also, why does the Octane not have Nvidia Optimus Technology which is more important to me than G-Sync? And are the WD Black really more reliable hard drives, if yes then how so?
What do you think? Is there anything that I've missed out? Was I mistaken in any of my comments. Please feel free to upload any images of the laptops. Any feedback would be immensely appreciated!
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