Hey folks,
After pouring over the reviews for this laptop at UltraBookReview and NoteBookCheck I decided to pull the trigger on this model as a replacement to a well-worn Lenovo Y570.
I enjoyed a quick unboxing of the VN7-593G-76SS tonight (with an adult beverage). The short and skinny: budget build Kaby Lake (7700hq) and Pascal (GTX 1060 6GB), a decent IPS screen and Thunderbolt.
And a slightly cramped NumPad.
This configuration comes with a tortoise-paced 5400rpm 1TB drive which was immediately removed. An OCZ RD400 NVME drive is assuming sole storage responsibility until I add a SATA SSD. Note: You WILL need a screw to install an M.2 drive as it isn't provided with this model. The RD400 was detected in BIOS and a fresh copy of Win10 Creators Update was installed along with Toshiba's NVME driver. CrystalDiskMark results below:
As an aside, removing the bottom panel is a snap, well, several snaps, after you remove the Phillips head screws. When re-installing the bottom cover, I couldn't for the life of me get the HDMI and USB C ports to line up with the case. Rather than having the laptop sit on the lid to install the bottom cover, I had to open the lid (90°) and place it on end, with the power port, HDMI, USB3, and USBC ports sticking up in the air. That allowed me to flex the case and motherboard enough to get the ports to line up with the cover.
I was expecting heat to be an issue with this laptop and was proven correctly. I've been on a HL2 kick recently so I decided to fire up Lost Coast for some Combine killing action and ran the built-in benchmark twice before starting the level. Maxed settings for 1080P without a frame limiter. After an hour of use I was looking at 88°C on the CPU and 90° on the GPU, with ambient temp currently at 26°C in the homestead. These are stock speeds/voltages, OEM TIM, and without the use of a cooling pad.
As time allows in the coming week(s), I'll be tweaking settings, applying some NT-H1, and testing the fan configuration of my CM NotePalU3 cooling pad. Before / after test results will be posted here.
All said and done, I'm impressed with the packaging and presentation, build quality, unassuming looks, and powerhouse hardware that's in this laptop. Adding an SSD is an absolute necessity for a snappy system. I'm looking forward to stretching its legs and mitigating the cooling shortfalls.
Alright friends, it's late and I've got the daily grind bright and early. More on this later. For now, here's some eye candy in parting.
After pouring over the reviews for this laptop at UltraBookReview and NoteBookCheck I decided to pull the trigger on this model as a replacement to a well-worn Lenovo Y570.
I enjoyed a quick unboxing of the VN7-593G-76SS tonight (with an adult beverage). The short and skinny: budget build Kaby Lake (7700hq) and Pascal (GTX 1060 6GB), a decent IPS screen and Thunderbolt.
And a slightly cramped NumPad.
This configuration comes with a tortoise-paced 5400rpm 1TB drive which was immediately removed. An OCZ RD400 NVME drive is assuming sole storage responsibility until I add a SATA SSD. Note: You WILL need a screw to install an M.2 drive as it isn't provided with this model. The RD400 was detected in BIOS and a fresh copy of Win10 Creators Update was installed along with Toshiba's NVME driver. CrystalDiskMark results below:
As an aside, removing the bottom panel is a snap, well, several snaps, after you remove the Phillips head screws. When re-installing the bottom cover, I couldn't for the life of me get the HDMI and USB C ports to line up with the case. Rather than having the laptop sit on the lid to install the bottom cover, I had to open the lid (90°) and place it on end, with the power port, HDMI, USB3, and USBC ports sticking up in the air. That allowed me to flex the case and motherboard enough to get the ports to line up with the cover.
I was expecting heat to be an issue with this laptop and was proven correctly. I've been on a HL2 kick recently so I decided to fire up Lost Coast for some Combine killing action and ran the built-in benchmark twice before starting the level. Maxed settings for 1080P without a frame limiter. After an hour of use I was looking at 88°C on the CPU and 90° on the GPU, with ambient temp currently at 26°C in the homestead. These are stock speeds/voltages, OEM TIM, and without the use of a cooling pad.
As time allows in the coming week(s), I'll be tweaking settings, applying some NT-H1, and testing the fan configuration of my CM NotePalU3 cooling pad. Before / after test results will be posted here.
All said and done, I'm impressed with the packaging and presentation, build quality, unassuming looks, and powerhouse hardware that's in this laptop. Adding an SSD is an absolute necessity for a snappy system. I'm looking forward to stretching its legs and mitigating the cooling shortfalls.
Alright friends, it's late and I've got the daily grind bright and early. More on this later. For now, here's some eye candy in parting.