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If you are in the market for a new gaming laptop then today's review will be particularly interesting. UK system builder PC Specialist sent us their latest high end 17.3 inch Vortex III HD7S system complete with LED backlit screen, Solid State drive, Intel Core i7 processor, Killer 1102 wireless, BluRay drive and AMD HD7970M discrete graphics. The Vortex III HD7S also ships with Onkyo speakers and THX audio certification to enhance the multimedia experience.
Should you be shortlisting the Vortex III HD7S for your next mobile system?
PC Specialist are a certified Microsoft partner and an Intel Premier provider, focused on offering a variety a systems to cater to the widest possible audience. They have options to configure a laptop or desktop computer. You can also narrow down the systems to all in one PCs, mini pc's, home theater computers and home servers. If you fancy a tuned configuration they they also sell a variety of overclocked systems.
It is worth pointing out that not everyone has the time or inclination to build a computer from the ground up and that is when a high grade system builder comes into play. If you are in the market for a new laptop system then it is almost impossible for an end user to source all the components.
The Vortex III HD7S 17.3 inch laptop is built inside a Clevo chassis and on paper looks extremely impressive.
Specifications:
Screen: 17.3” Full HD LED Widescreen (1920 x 1080)
Processor: Intel Core i7-3610QM
Memory: 8GB Kingston Hyper-X 1600MHz SODIMM
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 7970
Boot Drive: 90GB Kingston Hyper-X 3K SSD
Storage Drive: 750GB WD Scorpio Blue HDD
Optical Drive: Sony BC-5550H Blu Ray ROM/DVD-RW
Wireless: Killer 1102 Wireless NIC
Keyboard: Backlit Keyboard
Operating System: Windows 7 64bit
Price: £1249.00 inc VAT & delivery
The asking price is certainly competitive, but can PC Specialist impress us with the build quality and component selection?
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!