Defiance III 15.6" for gaming

[amoshi]

My 2014 Cosmos II with its GTX 850m is showing its age, so I'm looking for a new gaming laptop, it would be for pure gaming not much else.
I considered the Proteus but for a bit more £ I can have the Defiance which has G-Sync and is apparently a better chassis, so why not.
My budget is already stretched with this build, so if there's anything I can save on let me know, though on the other hand I don't wanna skimp on stuff considering I'm already spending +£1k.
I might get a smaller SSD or drop it altogether. I asked PCS why a 7200 RPM HDD over 500 GB is not offered for this model, they will get back to me on Monday. Maybe getting a bigger WD Black and dropping the SSD might be the solution, or maybe I should just take the SSD since it's not that much of an increase in the scale of things...
Ah, decisions, decisions...
Looking forward to any advice, comments, opinions. Thank you in advance!

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)
FREE Halo Wars 2 with select INTEL® CPUs!
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 - 6.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
1st Hard Disk
250GB Samsung 850 2.5" EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 200W 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 & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,237.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/defianceIII-15/2zmNbYSxAh/

 

[Oussebon]

If getting an SSD you could ditch the 850 Evo in favour of the PM961 from the M.2 SSD Drive menu which is a lot faster and only £9 more.

if you could stretch the budget and go for a 17" model the Defiance III 17.3" can fit a GTX 1070 in for not much more than the above, if you drop the SSD. Also has the WD Black as an option. The extra horsepower of the GPU might let it last a bit longer before you want to replace it so if the size is viable it could be a saving in the long run.

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 200W 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 & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,296.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/defianceIII-17/sQxrGVWDyd/

 

[Stephen M]

What Oussebon said and adding that it is simple to upgrade to an SSD when you have the funds to get it.

 

[amoshi]

Thanks Oussebon, nice build but I don't think I'll take the 17.3" route due to weight and portability (btw I think the gold warranty was a mistake?). The 1070 is tempting though. I guess I can skip the SSD for now and get the bigger WD black if PCS allows for around £1,150

 

[amoshi]

If getting an SSD you could ditch the 850 Evo in favour of the PM961 from the M.2 SSD Drive menu which is a lot faster and only £9 more.

if you could stretch the budget and go for a 17" model the Defiance III 17.3" can fit a GTX 1070 in for not much more than the above, if you drop the SSD. Also has the WD Black as an option. The extra horsepower of the GPU might let it last a bit longer before you want to replace it so if the size is viable it could be a saving in the long run.

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 200W 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 & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,296.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/defianceIII-17/sQxrGVWDyd/

Actually, I've been thinking the whole day about this and you have convinced me.
17.3" should be better (although less portable, but I'll manage), the 1070 would future proof me more and the increase in price in quite small.
Pretty sure I'll choose go for your spec with silver warranty and the 1TB WD Black HDD. Thank you :winkiss:

 

[Oussebon]

Cool, glad it helped.

And yeah, the gold warranty was an error, I meant to put the 1 year one but must have mousewheeled too far or something. Not that the gold warranty doesn't have its merits ofc.

 

[Tony1044]

I would also avoid the 17.3" Defiance. I have a 15.6" DII and it's a huge machine for a 15" laptop.

On my advice, a friend bought a DIII and went for the 17.3" and it is enormous and heavy. Not really that portable in the scheme of things. My 15.6" only just fits into a rather generous 15.6" Swiss Gear laptop rucksack, too.

 

[amoshi]

I would also avoid the 17.3" Defiance. I have a 15.6" DII and it's a huge machine for a 15" laptop.

On my advice, a friend bought a DIII and went for the 17.3" and it is enormous and heavy. Not really that portable in the scheme of things. My 15.6" only just fits into a rather generous 15.6" Swiss Gear laptop rucksack, too.

Hmmm, below is a comparison of both of them and my current laptop (which I find very manageable).
Dimensions (W x D x H)
374mm x 252mm x 20 ~ 34mm - Cosmos II 15.6" (current)
385mm x 271mm x 25mm - Defiance 15.6"
417mm x 287mm x 29.98mm - Defiance 17.3"
So the difference between the 15.6 and 17.3 Defiance is 3.2cm width and 1.6cm depth.
I'll measure my rucksack and see whether it would fit.
Thanks for your input Tony1044.

 

[Tony1044]

Hmmm, below is a comparison of both of them and my current laptop (which I find very manageable).
Dimensions (W x D x H)
374mm x 252mm x 20 ~ 34mm - Cosmos II 15.6" (current)
385mm x 271mm x 25mm - Defiance 15.6"
417mm x 287mm x 29.98mm - Defiance 17.3"
So the difference between the 15.6 and 17.3 Defiance is 3.2cm width and 1.6cm depth.
I'll measure my rucksack and see whether it would fit.
Thanks for your input Tony1044.

Don't forget the weight..seriously those specs don't sound much but side-by-side the 17.3" is massive by comparison

 

[amoshi]

Ordered below spec today.
Some valid concerns were raised in this thread regarding size and portability, but oh well, I'll try to make things work, I think the extra screen estate and 1070 hype got into me
Will post a review some time after receiving it.
Thanks all for the replies.

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1, G-SYNC
1st Hard Disk
1TB WD BLACK 2.5" WD10JPLX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
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 & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
DVD Recovery Media
NO DVD RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,253.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/defianceIII-17/YrZm4nazJq/

 

[Tony1044]

You're gonna love it. I've had my DII coming up two years and while the 10x0 series cards are tempting, mine still handles most things I throw at it even games at reasonably high levels of detail.

Day-to-day it flies so I really cannot justify the change right now.

 

[amoshi]

You're gonna love it. I've had my DII coming up two years and while the 10x0 series cards are tempting, mine still handles most things I throw at it even games at reasonably high levels of detail.

Day-to-day it flies so I really cannot justify the change right now.

Loving my new Defiance III, getting very good FPS and yea indeed it flies.
Unfortunately I'm having a problem with it losing power, just switching itself off during intensive periods. Doesn't seem to be related to the temperature since it doesn't happen every gaming session and brief googling led me to believe it's a PSU related issue.
Emailed PCS today, I might have to invoke my silver warranty and be without my baby for a while.

 

[Oussebon]

Are you sure it's power related?

I've seen plenty of things cause that, including driver issues.

You could use DDU to remove the GPU drivers : http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/display-driver-uninstaller-download.html

and try a fresh install of the latest ones off the Nvidia site. If that doesn't help you could try sweeping the drivers again and going with a version a few months old.

Does it also only happen in some games? I've even heard of UI addons in certain MMOs causing PCs to just switch off.

It could be an issue that requires an RMA, I just present the above as a couple of other possibilities you could check if you hadn't already

 

[amoshi]

Are you sure it's power related?

I've seen plenty of things cause that, including driver issues.

You could use DDU to remove the GPU drivers : http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/display-driver-uninstaller-download.html

and try a fresh install of the latest ones off the Nvidia site. If that doesn't help you could try sweeping the drivers again and going with a version a few months old.

Does it also only happen in some games? I've even heard of UI addons in certain MMOs causing PCs to just switch off.

It could be an issue that requires an RMA, I just present the above as a couple of other possibilities you could check if you hadn't already

It's not game specific, i'll give DDU a try today but not getting my hopes up to be honest. It only happens when there's a lot of strain on the system and it shows up as the "Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power" event with ID 41 in Event Viewer.
Thanks anyway.

 

[SpyderTracks]

It's not game specific, i'll give DDU a try today but not getting my hopes up to be honest. It only happens when there's a lot of strain on the system and it shows up as the "Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power" event with ID 41 in Event Viewer.
Thanks anyway.

That event is a sympton, not a cause, it's when the system shuts down without warning, due in your case to the cause.

 

[bestellen]

Don't forget the weight.

 

[amoshi]

Sent my laptop back for an RMA. Been almost a week now, and they are unable to find the issue.
Also, about the GPU reaching 94 degrees while gaming, this is the response I got:

I have been running a series of stress tests over the weekend, and the system has run them without any issues or crashes. I have noticed that the GPU may spike up to 95 degrees, but we have been informed by NVidia that this will not affect the GPU's performance or lifespan. I shall continue to run these tests and try to reduce the temperatures as much as possible

:|
Asked if it's possible for them to build a new machine or give me a refund since I had it for 12 days before it was sent back, will post back with results.

 

[amoshi]

I finally got my laptop back on 15/06/2017.
In the end they were unable to diagnose the issue, but fortunately they replaced the motherboard (which includes the GPU and CPU) as a precaution, which I really appreciate. (I really wouldn't want my issue to be dismissed due to it being difficult to reproduce)
So far so good, haven't had any problems yet. However I haven't enabled G-Sync yet, which I have done today and will play again in the evening, just of of curiosity to see if perhaps the issue could occur after enabling it. (since to enable G-Sync you need to disable the integrated GPU i.e. you can no longer use Nvidia Optimus)
The 1070 GTX is still hitting over 90°C during gaming, but if according to PCS it's fine then I guess it is. :/
Will post back here in a week or two to confirm whether the issue seems to be gone for good.

 

[Oussebon]

Have you tried a laptop cooling stand?

I'm not entirely convinced 90 degrees is normal for a 1070 I have to say.

 

[amoshi]

Have you tried a laptop cooling stand?

I'm not entirely convinced 90 degrees is normal for a 1070 I have to say.

It's something I plan on looking into soon, do you use one?