PowerSpec 1710 + 1510?

Have a look at these two!

1710 http://www.microcenter.com/product/486482/1710_173_Gaming_Laptop_Computer_-_Black

1510 http://www.microcenter.com/product/486481/1510_156_Gaming_Laptop_Computer_-_Black

What are your thoughts?
G-Sync
i7 7700hq
16gb RAM
Sammy EVO NVME SSD

The 1510 is 15.6" and features a 60hz panel unlikely to overclock
The 1710 is 17.3" and features a 75hz panel that will typically OC to 100hz G-Sync intact

Beware the 1710 in thin and will likely need some thermal management love to keep temps in check.
The 1510 should be fine out of the box unless you choose to run your games uncapped.

Both units are easy enough to repaste should you choose to do so. I have plenty of Videos on my Channel on the 1510 chassis should you require additional assistance. Link in the sig

 

those are clevo pa71hs and clevo p650hs. they use standard gtx1070

 

Thanks! The 17" model looks extremely thin. How bad does the 1070 cook in there? Are these priced well?

 

you are welcome! check this review
EVOC PA71HS-G Review
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/evoc-pa71hs-g-review.809109/

 

Interesting, I got an Ad email from Microcenter this morning introducing those two laptops. They are currently listed at 1399.99/1499.99. That seems like an incredible deal if the specs listed are correct. If I spec out a Clevo/Sager anywhere else with the same options I can't get lower than 1820.00. If accurate, it also states that the SSD is a Samsung EVO 960 and includes the OS. It appears to have the IPS-gsync screen as well. Can anybody confirm any differences are things to look out for? Seems to good to be true at a minimum of 300 dollars savings.

"The PowerSpec 1710 gaming laptop computer features the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 7700HQ. For gameplay domination, it includes a high-performance NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics that is VR Ready, 16GB DDR4 2400 RAM, and a 17.3" Full HD display with NVIDIA G-Sync technology. In addition, the Windows 10 Home operating system is loaded on a Samsung 960 EVO Series 250GB NVMe M.2 SSD with a 1TB storage drive."

 

So, hopefully it is helpful, but I went by my local Microcenter to look at the Powerspec 1710 and 1510 as I could not believe a fully spec'ed model was priced less than a bare bones Clevo PA71HS. It is definitely the same chassis/bare bones base. I found that it does have a 75hz FHD IPS screen with Gsync. 75hz is available when in Discrete mode. The standard HDD is a WD Black 7200 RPM 1TB drive. Standard GTX1070 and 7700HQ and same RGB keyboard. Somewhat of a shocker was that the 1499.99 price for the 17" also included a 250gb Samsung 960 NVMe SSD. I convinced the sales rep to let me put the free version 3dmark 11 (Because it is a relatively small download) on the machine. The Performance score was 16074, so that hdd is working as the combined score for a similarly spec'ed GT72VR Dominator Pro (7700HQ/GTX1070) for example, was 15575.

https://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/12433420

I am on the market right now and have been looking at the GE73VR and PA71HS variants. At 1499.99 spec'ed out (from everything I could see) better than most of the 1899.99+ models it seems like an incredible deal. Microcenter stated the sale goes through 10/29 and stock is limited for now. Anything I might be missing?

Edit: I did notice it did not have a finger print reader like all other models I have seen.

 

I bought an MSI GS43 ($1399) from Microcenter on 10/1 and was unsatisfied in a week of use when I noticed the Powerspec notebooks on their website on 10/6. Exchanged for a 1510 that day.

Very pleased so far with the deal and so happy to have been able to buy something that comes with almost ZERO bloatware. Had a small issue with the control center (unsure if it's the same as Clevo/Sager's app) but microcenter's support staff were quick and friendly in helping me find links for new drivers to install.

I was planning to write up a full review with pictures and plaster it on here and reddit etc., but found out this is a re-brand of the P650hs, which is already well-reviewed. If you're in the market for a new notebook as I was, I think the 1510 warrants serious consideration for most users.

 

I went ahead and picked up a 1710 model (Pa70HS-G). Runs great, thermals have been fantastic and I went ahead and undervolted the CPU by .125. I haven't seen the GPU or CPU get above the low 80's during gaming or benchmarking yet. It was 1499.99 plus taxes and included the normal GTX1070/7700HQ combo, the Samsung 960 NVMe 250GB SSD, 2x 8gb g.skill RAM, a Thunderbolt port, a 75hz IPS display, and the WD Black 7200 1 TB HDD as well as all the other standard equipment you normally see. Mine also had 0 bloatware, it seemed like a clean windows install.

During the below firestrike test, I had the GPU slightly overclocked using the control center and the GPU stayed

https://www.3dmark.com/fs/13891537 - 14008 points

 

Right on! You should be able to overclock that 75Hz panel to 100Hz too Can you further confirm this has G-Sync? What BIOS did it ship with?

EDIT: The price on these dropped today too. $1399 and $1299

 

huh, the 1710 at my local microcenter is only 60hz, not 75hz. I checked it on the display model myself today. I wonder what that's about.

I would totally jump at the 1510 cause it's such a good deal but I really want a 120hz panel. Otherwise what's the point of the 1070....

 

It does have gsync fully active. So it was already a great deal and they dropped it again?! lol Does Micro center honor a price drop?

Edit: Just confirmed with them that they do... 1399.99.... lol This is darn near as cost efficient as building a desktop yourself. Also, the BIOS is:

American Megatrends Inc. 1.05.05, 6/23/2017

 

Hey everyone!
Like many of you I saw this posting at MicroCenter and was blown away by the price point. Heads up - they are actually currently 100$ less than what was initially listed.

15" = $1299
17" $1399

I mainly wanted the 15", I'd honestly go for either of those at the current price point, however, I've been agonizing about whether or not I should pull the trigger because I really want a 120hz panel for gaming like the P650HS-G

Can anyone help me out with this decision and thinking through it?

 

With the laptop in MSHYBRID mode it locks at 60hz. There is a setting in the bios to set it to discrete mode. The manual goes over the whole process too. There is a dedicated light on the front panel indicating it is in discrete mode, so it is a standard setting. Discrete locks it at 75hz. Also while in that mode, nvidia control panel is also unlocked with a wealth of settings. Including the ability to set custom resolutions and refresh rates. I was easily able to set a custom 100hz refresh at the 1080p native resolution. Again gsync is active and standard also.

 

oh that's good to know, thanks. You have the 1710, correct? I assume that would also be the case for the 1510, but maybe not. I'd have to check. Also do you know what impact overclocking the refresh rate has on the longevity of the screen? Does that void the warranty? Opinion online seems pretty split about it. And if the screen gets damaged by prolonged overclocking it's not like you can just get a new monitor, cause it's a laptop after all....

But I'd be ok with 75hz, as long as it's not just 60hz so you can see a little more of the performance boost from the 1070.

 

Very unlikely that the 15” will overclock unfortunately. The 17” 75hz panels OC to 100hz nearly 100% of the time.

No issue with OC the panel either. It’s not the same as Overclocking a CPU/GPU. It’s free, harmless and easy.

 

I am going to buy one of the 17" today. Any hints / guide on the overclocking ? Even though I am new I will report back my experience after I get it today.

 

If you're referring to the panel here's my tutorial on YT

 

So this seems like a pretty trivial issue, but the placement of the power cord input for the 1710 looks pretty dang awkward. It's like right in the middle of the left side so you either have to make the cord parallel to the usb inputs or turn it around so it's right next to the left fan exhaust. Does anybody here that currently owns it have any issues with this?

 

Yep, I picked up the 1710. If I remember correctly the sales rep set the 15" to discrete as well, but I believe it still only allowed 60hz after the reboot. So it appears to be a 1710 only feature. 75hz has been working fine and I can toggle back and forth after creating the custom resolution in the Nvidia Control Panel. Since it can be done through the cards own software and control panel OCing at least a bit past the 75hz should not be a problem. Once complete you can toggle to the new refresh rate in windows display properties as well.

 

I just got it home - could you please tell me what you did to get the 75hz ?

 

Lol yeah, I thought so too. It isn't between anything, so it can hang out away from any devices plugged in. If sitting still, then the cord angles low under the exhaust as there is about and inch gap between them. It will be the same on any version of the PA70/71HS. Definitely a bit weird, but by know means something I can't work around or handle. Speaking of the exhaust they seem to ventilate pretty well, they keep the top cool with just a bit of warmth along the edge near the exhaust, but definitely some heat coming out of that side. I have not had any discomfort type heat anywhere my hands rest or type.

 

Hit F2 during boot to go into the BIOS and go to the advanced tab. You will need to switch from MSHYBRID mode to "Discrete". Once rebooted, it will show 75hz in "Display Properties" and the Nvidia Control Panel, as well as a wealth of additional options opened in the Nvidia Control Panel. I would take a peak at the manual as well, because there are quite a few function short keys that are not labeled on the keyboard and will give you quite a bit of control over fans, key colors/brightness, etc.

Edit: Also, in the manual it goes over the front chassis lights, the one furthest to the left that looks like a tachometer will turn green if the machine is in Discrete mode.

 

(Double Post)

 

You can also do an advanced restart to take you straight to the BIOS by holding down shift when clicking restart.

 

Any hints on the above ? What settings did you go after ? Got it at 75Hz - nice laptop

 

I'm definitely in discrete mode but only seeing 60Hz running on the GeForce experience app on my 1510. Absolutely willing to play around for anyone who has specific questions / tests for me to run. Headed back to Microcenter on Saturday to claim my $100 price-adjust... unless anyone here can convince me that I should just do ANOTHER exchange for the 1710. I just like the smaller form factor and the slightly thicker chassis.

 

Like I said, the 15" unit will be 60 hz and very unlikely to overclock. The 17" 75 hz displays however hit 100 hz with ease with very few exceptions. All while maintaining G-Sync functionality typically.

 

I am at 75 - how do I reach the 100 mark ?

 

Here's B0B's guide to overclocking the display.

 

So I've been on the fence about this too and after reading everything about unlocking the refresh rate on the 1710 I was all set and convinced on getting that model over the 15". After all, why wouldn't we want to push the 1070 and take advantage of those sweet sweet fps? So I went and took one last look before pulling the trigger... and I just couldn't. Despite being thinner, having a bigger screen, and having the ability to get a slightly smoother display I just can't get over how mushy the keys feel to me, and how much smaller they are compared to the 1510 model. Add to that the weird power cord placement and the random red accents on the back ...... I just prefer the 1510 chassis for quality of life and user experience.

Well ****, I can get the same 15" clevo at other resellers and even with a 120hz panel (I've heard the eluktronics brand has an excellent 120hz TN display, (thanks B0B) but the catch is that it's soo much more expensive. Like $1700-$1800 more expensive. So I think I'm going to get the 1510 and just live with the 60hz display. Lucky for me I've never used a 120hz display so I'm not spoiled and won't know what I'm missing. And my current laptop can't play any game at 60fps even on low settings. So yeah, I'll be fine. I guess I value saving hundreds of dollars more than silky smooth performance.

Will report back once I've spent some time with it.

 

You can swap the panel out later if you're handy Eluktronics is solid if you decide to go that route. To be honest I'm not too sold on either one of these chassis' with a 1070. They run hot. The main saving grace will honestly be the 60hz refresh rate holding back the GPU.

You can use the voltage curve editor and run .9v on the GPU easily and get into the upper 1800Mhz on the GPU but if will run hot and loud. Crap I should just get my hands on one and tear into it lol

 

Noticing some backlight bleed in the lower right corner and a little bit on upper right corner on my new PowerSpec 1510. Making sure that is normal for these panels.

This pic may be a bit exaggerated due to phone camera:


This is probably a bit more accurate:

 

^^ pretty normal from my experience for that display.

 

Thanks! Just bought it a few hours ago.

 

Which one? Let us know how you like it and if you have any questions just ask

 

I bought the 1510. So far so good. Will play with it much more tomorrow. Been debating the past two months on getting a gaming desktop vs a gaming notebook. This price convinced me to go for a notebook that has a good future proof (at least for 3 years) graphics card.

 

Thanks so much for all your help B0B. I ended up getting the Powerspec 1710 from MicroCenter a couple of days ago. I followed your instructions and successfully upped the monitor to 100HZ.
I played Heroes of The Storm, Overwatch, and CSGO on Ultra/Extreme/High and it was able to handle everything quite easily. I casually monitored the temperature and FPS and everything looked really good.

I'm going to start putting the machine through more rigorous testing, but one thing I did notice is that under stress the WSAD keys and upper left side of the keyboard get hot hot hot. It's probably normal and can be helped with a cooling pad / raising the laptop potentially.

Anyways if anyone has any questions or wants me to test anything let me know!

 

You're quite welcome That 1710 is extremely thin per its spec so expect it to be hot. Especially when trying to higher refresh rates as that stresses the CPU harder (at 1080p) and the CPU is typically located right under the WASD keys.

 

Thanks! I have a few if you don't mind. Just to be clear this is the Clevo PA71hs you've got, right? So you mentioned the temps were good. Could you ballpark how good they were in games? Also, if you do more rigorous testing I'd really love to hear your results. I'm considering getting the PA71hp6, and at the moment there's so little info about it.

Also, any comments on build quality and quality of life. Does it feel good? Is it very heavy? How's been your experience with this machine?

Really, I'd just love to hear any kind of detail on this laptop

 

Can you guys upgrade the ram in the 17 inch model?

 

I am considering waiting for the 8700hq or 8820hk but I dont think we will be seeing them near under 2k.
At these prices, if theyre this cheap and cool I might have to do it. I don't game as much as I do video work (after effects) but the temps on the clevos with 8700k's in there aren't making me believe its worth it. If these can upgrade to 32gbs of ram I am super intrigued.

 

You could also consider a i7-8700 not k. Some clevo models can use up to 64gb of ram

 

people have been saying if you go with desktop cpu's get the k so you can underclock it.

 

8700k needs to be delidded. Some seller offers that and also liquid metal. Where are you located?

 

I meant undervolt , sorry. Yeah, Donald from hid does. I would likely buy from them if I go 8700k I am in USA, Texas.

The thing is it seems I need an 870 clevo and that just seems so big. I will be traveling a ton over the next 2 years. A big laptop is okay but it still needs to be mobile. I am on a msi apache pro at the moment and its quite a large laptop to travel with.

 

the 775 with an 8700k seemed like a dream until I saw temps with the 7700k :/

 

That model will come with a new cooling system. So separate heatsinks and that should be better

 

Any official temps yet?

 

My suggestion is for waiting news

there aren't tests atm.

 

gotcha. I will stay patient. Trying my best to wait until january first. Unless theres something wild at black friday