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This keyboard is backlit, which earns the Vortex III HD7S a bonus point. I do feel a backlit keyboard is a huge plus point, especially if you frequently work in poorly lit environments (like me). I wouldn't buy a laptop now without one.
Above the keyboard are a series of lights which indicate wireless, bluetooth and drive activity. There are also status indicators for caps lock and num lock. The power button is positioned far right.
The trackpad is smooth and tracks very well. There is a fingerprint reader between the two textured buttons, which work great. I would always tend to use a bluetooth mouse on the move when possible, but in a pinch this is perfectly useable.
A side view of the machine highlights the businessman appearance. Very functional and well built.
The battery is removed with two clip mechanisms. It is a chunky 76.96Mh, 5200 mAh model. We will analyse battery life later in the review.
There are three separate panels underneath the chassis which are easily removed. In the middle is a 90GB Kingston Solid State Drive utilised for the Windows 7 operating system. A larger 750GB mechanical drive is positioned to the side for storage duties. There are two cooling fans in this machine, one dedicated to the processor, and the other to the HD7970m discrete graphics card. The design utilises substantial copper heatpipes to enhance cooling.
We were also pleased to see PC Specialist didn't skimp on the memory configuration, using high grade Kingston 1,600 mhz DDR3 SO-DIMMS (2x4GB) complete with quality heatspreaders.
is the link working, cant see it for sale?
I like the appearance, i must be one of the few people who hate that Dell star trek keyboard font. its hard to read.
Good specifications, but id prefer this in 15.6 inch as they are more portable and tend to have better battery life.
is it possible to put the 7970m in a 15 inch chassis though? might not g et enough airflow. GTX680 seems better for heat.
Is this a limited ‘offer’ for kitguru readers? I cant afford a new machine just yet, but will do in the next couple of months. Ive marked this machine down as the price seems good.
Yes, the link should be working. This model is available to purchase here – http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/reviews/.
The HD7970M is available in the 15.6″ Vortex III, along with the GTX670M & GTX675M.
This model will be available to buy at this price as long as we have the parts in stock. As they’re all new, it should be for quite a while 😀
Great looking machine, much nicer than that flashy Alienware bollocks.
Priced well too. im tempted, but dont tell the missus.
Good range of systems they have too, never heard of them.
@John.
thank you for the feedback.
I know you probably wont have the information at hand, but how does the 7970m handle in a smaller chassis? it seems to demand a lot of power and generate a lot of heat/fan noise. not exclusive to your system as all of them have a problem cooling it.
Have you any ideas how it runs in the 15.6 inch machine as I just dont like 17 inch laptops, they are too big.
Can I confirm the keyboard backlight is purple? why purple? thats a pretty difficult colour to deal with. Can it be changed?
We need a few more good system builders in Holland lately, i bought an Acer in January and its just away for repair.
Id be concerned with this machine however long term as the HD7970m is g etting a lot of negative press in forums for heat. I can predict failures if the the cooling system starts to weaken over the year with dust etc.
It is good to see another 17″ with a numer pad squashed in. The design looks very professional and my P100 17″ also has a brick for a power adapter.
How thick is it? I sometimes have to take my P100 out on plane rides to fit my bag on board. As nice as this is, I have my eye set on the MSI GE70 although MSI is very rare in NZ.
@Harry
“Can I confirm the keyboard backlight is purple? why purple? thats a pretty difficult colour to deal with. Can it be changed?”
I read in another review that the backlight colour can be adjusted, and it looks blue on Zardon’s pics.
I would just like to say that I bought a high end gaming laptop from here the The Vortex III HD7S 17.3 inch which was fully spec’d and it is the best thing I ever did! It wasn’t cheap, but the quality is amazing and the follow up from pcspecialist has been impressive. I am future proof for a few years now, but i will not hesitate to go back to this company for my next gaming laptop. Brilliant!!
excellent good to hear our review helped!
Just to say that I’ve been umming and ahing about buying this laptop and this review has definitely swung my opinion in favour of purchasing. So thanks very much!
I’ve got this and they’re right it’s awesome! It’s a fair point they make about the fans being loud when the system is pushed, however I don’t even notice it anymore as I’m enjoying myself too much!