Hey Everyone,
I'm going to be completely honest I received an email offering me 3 Months extension on warranty in exchange for a review. Believe it or not I had already planned on doing a review. This review will be an honest assessment of my experience of both the laptop and my experience leading me to order from PC Specialist.
Chassis & Display Ionico Series: 17.3" Matte QHD 165Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1440)
Processor (CPU) AMD Ryzen™ 9 Eight Core Processor 5900HX (3.3GHz, 4.6GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM) 32GB Corsair 2933MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3070 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive 500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive 1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Memory Card Reader Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor 1 x 230W AC Adaptor Power Cable 1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery Ionico Series Integrated 91WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 M.2 GAMING + BLUETOOTH 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options 1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS
Keyboard Language IONICO 17 SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence Media Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account Office Software FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
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
Just some background on me, I've been in an around PC/laptops since 1997. I am a casual gamer, mainly playing games from 00's and earlier. Anything recent I have played on consoles. I had been using my Dell E6540 (until someone still to this day unknown spilt something on it and fried the motherboard). The Dell was used largely for work, nothing too taxing, i7 4th gen, 16gb ram and dedicated AMD graphics. It was adequate for what I needed and held its own whilst I battled on Rise of Nations or Football Manager.
After some contemplation I decided it was time to buy a replacement. I spend approximately 3 months researching, waiting for stock etc etc. Until I went with PC Specialist. A decision I am pleased to say so far I do not regret. Ultimately for me how a company is judged is when you encounter a problem and how well they resolve the problem. In this case also the build and how the laptop has performed thus far.
I was all for ordering The Legion 7, but stock was an issue, but in the end that was a blessing in disguise. The 7 came with three specifications that I considered R7 with RTX 3060 and 16gb ram @ £1500, R7 with RTX 3070 and 32gb ram @ £1800 or the R9 with RTX 3080 32gb ram @ £2500. I paid just shy of £2150. In my mind the only sacrifice I have made is on the graphics card but saved over £300. Also the 7 has timing issues with the RAM from what I had read, the difference in performance is minimal but it would always bug me and would be something I would consider changing at some point at the cost of approx £100-150, which I don't need to do now. The stock of the 7 was also a factor, its not in stock anywhere. The price I paid also included the 1 Year Pixel Guarantee, and the 3 Year Gold Warranty. So in terms of value this was a great deal in my opinion, considering the extra warranty this comes with and the fact your ordering from a UK based company.
Prior to placing the order I emailed PC Specialist about what chassis they used for the Ionico 17 series and whether this model came with a MUX Switch and the TGP. I received an email response in two parts the first confirming the chassis used and the second confirmed that both MUX switch was present and the TGP. The total response time was under 24 hours. TGP is configurable and max is 140W.
From placing the order the updates were regular and the laptop was built and ready to dispatch in 5 working days. The whole process was smooth and quick. I asked for the dispatch date to be delayed, this was honoured.
The Chassis is excellent, it is a TongFang GM7ZN7P. A company I had never heard of until I started researching. I couldn't find any meaning full reviews for this chassis online including on Youtube, but rivals were using Tongfang chassis and they were receiving solid reviews. From my experience so far it is a good solid unit. Its much thinner and lighter than I expected at approx. 2cm and 2.3kg respectively. I also like the one hand opening of the laptop. I like the power, ethernet, USB 3 & C ports are on the back, just to reduce wire clutter. I like it has a webcam and micro sd slot, I was surprised to see most rivals don't offer these, features I expected as standard. All in all the laptop feels premium. The keyboard feels solid too, different from my Dell but the experience on it to date has been good. I'm old fashioned and like to have a numpad, which this has, but lacks an enter button, which is my only criticism. The sound is decent but i had very little expectations.
My experience of the laptop so far has been excellent. Everything is super quick from the moment you switch it on button it loads up in seconds and the additional bonus of the IR camera with Windows Hello support mean the laptop is logged in and ready with minimal fuss. I carried out all the recommended updates including Windows and Nvidia and the laptop has carried out those updates without any issues. I have run Timespy and it scored 10279. In my book that's a good score, and confirmed everything was working as it should. Feel free to let me know if I can improve or test further.
I can't fault it at the moment, the Control Panel is good and allows me to increase power and fan speed when required and control the MUX switch. Everything has been smooth so far, but it is unlikely I will over tax it and too be honest it is overkill for what I need. The one piece of advise I can give is in regards to value for money. For me this could not be beaten, a few came close but overall this was the best package of CPU, GPU, Warranty, MUX switch, RAM. And most importantly do I have any buyers regret which is littered all over the internet, I can safely say I have none.
Top marks to PC Specialist.
Feel free to ask any questions, and I will update on my experience as and when required.
I'm going to be completely honest I received an email offering me 3 Months extension on warranty in exchange for a review. Believe it or not I had already planned on doing a review. This review will be an honest assessment of my experience of both the laptop and my experience leading me to order from PC Specialist.
Chassis & Display Ionico Series: 17.3" Matte QHD 165Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1440)
Processor (CPU) AMD Ryzen™ 9 Eight Core Processor 5900HX (3.3GHz, 4.6GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM) 32GB Corsair 2933MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3070 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive 500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive 1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Memory Card Reader Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor 1 x 230W AC Adaptor Power Cable 1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery Ionico Series Integrated 91WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 M.2 GAMING + BLUETOOTH 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options 1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS
Keyboard Language IONICO 17 SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence Media Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account Office Software FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
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
Just some background on me, I've been in an around PC/laptops since 1997. I am a casual gamer, mainly playing games from 00's and earlier. Anything recent I have played on consoles. I had been using my Dell E6540 (until someone still to this day unknown spilt something on it and fried the motherboard). The Dell was used largely for work, nothing too taxing, i7 4th gen, 16gb ram and dedicated AMD graphics. It was adequate for what I needed and held its own whilst I battled on Rise of Nations or Football Manager.
After some contemplation I decided it was time to buy a replacement. I spend approximately 3 months researching, waiting for stock etc etc. Until I went with PC Specialist. A decision I am pleased to say so far I do not regret. Ultimately for me how a company is judged is when you encounter a problem and how well they resolve the problem. In this case also the build and how the laptop has performed thus far.
I was all for ordering The Legion 7, but stock was an issue, but in the end that was a blessing in disguise. The 7 came with three specifications that I considered R7 with RTX 3060 and 16gb ram @ £1500, R7 with RTX 3070 and 32gb ram @ £1800 or the R9 with RTX 3080 32gb ram @ £2500. I paid just shy of £2150. In my mind the only sacrifice I have made is on the graphics card but saved over £300. Also the 7 has timing issues with the RAM from what I had read, the difference in performance is minimal but it would always bug me and would be something I would consider changing at some point at the cost of approx £100-150, which I don't need to do now. The stock of the 7 was also a factor, its not in stock anywhere. The price I paid also included the 1 Year Pixel Guarantee, and the 3 Year Gold Warranty. So in terms of value this was a great deal in my opinion, considering the extra warranty this comes with and the fact your ordering from a UK based company.
Prior to placing the order I emailed PC Specialist about what chassis they used for the Ionico 17 series and whether this model came with a MUX Switch and the TGP. I received an email response in two parts the first confirming the chassis used and the second confirmed that both MUX switch was present and the TGP. The total response time was under 24 hours. TGP is configurable and max is 140W.
From placing the order the updates were regular and the laptop was built and ready to dispatch in 5 working days. The whole process was smooth and quick. I asked for the dispatch date to be delayed, this was honoured.
The Chassis is excellent, it is a TongFang GM7ZN7P. A company I had never heard of until I started researching. I couldn't find any meaning full reviews for this chassis online including on Youtube, but rivals were using Tongfang chassis and they were receiving solid reviews. From my experience so far it is a good solid unit. Its much thinner and lighter than I expected at approx. 2cm and 2.3kg respectively. I also like the one hand opening of the laptop. I like the power, ethernet, USB 3 & C ports are on the back, just to reduce wire clutter. I like it has a webcam and micro sd slot, I was surprised to see most rivals don't offer these, features I expected as standard. All in all the laptop feels premium. The keyboard feels solid too, different from my Dell but the experience on it to date has been good. I'm old fashioned and like to have a numpad, which this has, but lacks an enter button, which is my only criticism. The sound is decent but i had very little expectations.
My experience of the laptop so far has been excellent. Everything is super quick from the moment you switch it on button it loads up in seconds and the additional bonus of the IR camera with Windows Hello support mean the laptop is logged in and ready with minimal fuss. I carried out all the recommended updates including Windows and Nvidia and the laptop has carried out those updates without any issues. I have run Timespy and it scored 10279. In my book that's a good score, and confirmed everything was working as it should. Feel free to let me know if I can improve or test further.
I can't fault it at the moment, the Control Panel is good and allows me to increase power and fan speed when required and control the MUX switch. Everything has been smooth so far, but it is unlikely I will over tax it and too be honest it is overkill for what I need. The one piece of advise I can give is in regards to value for money. For me this could not be beaten, a few came close but overall this was the best package of CPU, GPU, Warranty, MUX switch, RAM. And most importantly do I have any buyers regret which is littered all over the internet, I can safely say I have none.
Top marks to PC Specialist.
Feel free to ask any questions, and I will update on my experience as and when required.
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