I haven't had any hardware issues so far. They do offer additional warranty on "panel with minimum backlight bleed", "zero dead pixel warranty", but those services felt too premium for me :P.
HIDEvolution do have good quality control testing from what I have read. Maybe you can have discussion with them if you want system tested in specific way.
Area near exhaust gets hot while gaming, as in slight heat. Can't rest fingers there without filling discomfort. When system is not under load, it's not hot.
Build quality is good. Screen has very little flex to it if pressure is applied on sides. Keyboard has no flex.
For me also this was first time buying 'Gaming Laptop' and that too a newly released model without any hands-on experience.
I started searching for “gaming” laptop in July. And after sale in July, where I suggested my friend to get Asus GL502VS with GTX 1060, I was almost set on GL702VS with GTX 1070. But after some interactions on forums, 1st with LTT and then on NBR, after reading through Glam’s guide and so many posts I decided to get Clevo from HIDEvolution. I was set on P670 with GTX 1070, with PA7xxx rumors at that time.
By the time I was set to confirm order, they had stopped selling those and it was replaced by PA71HS-G. I wasn’t sure initially, with this being newer model and Asus also showing off GL703 with Ryzen. But later decided to go for this, as Ryzen offerings were with RX 580 at that time, so no signs of pairing Ryzen with more powerful GPU in near future.
This is my 1st review, so apologies in advance.
Specifications
Model – PA71HS-G
Screen – 17.3” 1080p IPS 75Hz Gsync (optional upgrade 4K UHD)
CPU – i7 7700HQ (no option of 7820HK, I believe Sager offers that?)
RAM – 2*8 GB 2400MHz DDR4 Samsung
Graphics Card – Nvidia GTX 1070 8 GB
Audio – Sound BlasterX Pro-Gaming 720, Built-in two 2W speakers with a 4W subwoofer
SSD – Samsung 850 EVO.2
HDD – Hitachi HGST 1 TB 7200 RPM
WiFi – Intel Wireless-AC 8265
Keyboard – RGB keyboard with 3-zoned backlit customization and macro capability
Battery – 4 cells 66WH
Ports
Front – 8 LED indicators towards left.
Right – 3 audio ports, 1 DSD/MMC Card reader, 2 USB 3 ports, Ethernet port, Kensington lock
Left – 2 USB 3 ports, 1 Thunderbolt port, 2 mini Display ports, 1 HDMI port, power in
Back – Air intake on right, exhaust accents on both sides
Dimensions and Weight
16.48”(W)*11.3”(D)*0.98”(H) / 418mm(W)*287mm(D)*25mm(H)
6.61lbs / 3 KG
Appearance
PA71HS has slight “gaming laptop” look without being too flashy. There are 2 LED’s on side of power button which are lit when system is on, kind of gives them look of eyes. Cuts on top side as well as on side of the keyboard adds to that. But all this is too subtle. It seems to be good balance of some non-business design and not being too flashy.
Top https://imgur.com/tLGaFwl
Bottom https://imgur.com/dZTuDKA
Size comparison with 14” laptop https://imgur.com/Mfo42Oq
In 17” Sleeve https://imgur.com/YfXZh03
Screen
Having used 14” laptop for work this screen size is certainly welcome. 1080P resolution seems fine at this size (especially considering price of 4K screen upgrade). I haven’t seen 120Hz or 1440P options so far.
Aida64 reports panel as LG173WF4-SPF5.
I don’t have good screen to do comparisons. But compared to a budget work laptop, image quality is easily noticeable.
Here is comparison between those 2 laptops.
Windows wallpaper https://imgur.com/ZbsIX7b
Youtube homepage https://imgur.com/fV9g8WF
Sound
Comes with Sound Blaster Connect 2 software per-installed which has bunch of profiles even based on different games. I haven’t played around with it yet. But so far paired with HD 598SR, audio has been great in Game of Thrones Season 7, Witcher 3, Battlefield 3, Witcher 2.
CPU & GPU Benchmarks
3D Mark benchmarks
TIME SPY 1.0 - 3791 https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/21986920
Rise of the Tomb Raider Benchmark
Mountain Peak: 135, Syria: 101, Geothermal Valley: 100, Overall: 113
Max CPU temp: 70, Max GPU temp: 71
GTA V Gameplay
Avg FPS: 78
Max CPU temp: 72, Max GPU temp: 68
Batman Arkham Origins Benchmarks
Avg FPS: 90
DiRT 3 Complete Edition Benchmark
Avg FPS: 188
GRID 2 Benchmark
Avg FPS: 156
Fans & Temperature
During individual furmark and Aida64 stress test no thermal throttling or overheating was observed, with gpu and cpu maxing out around 84c and 76c respectively. 7700 HQ was able to boost to 3.4 GHz on all 4 cores.
Running furmark and Aida64 stress test together though leads to thermal throttling with temps reaching 95c on CPU, which leads to clock speed lowering under 3 GHz. GPU temperature didn’t exceed 85c though.
Room temperature 25c
Witcher 3 is probably most demanding game in my library and after half hour of gameplay in different areas of the game got below temperatures. CPU max temp 77c, GPU max temp 79c, room temp 21c
Fans do get loud when system is under load, but that is expected. While gaming wearing headphones I didn’t notice them, even with open headphones. In silent environment you will hear them though.
When system is not under load, I didn’t notice them either. Also I believe this can be configured as well.
I haven’t tried undervolting or setting up fan profile, everything so far is result of stock settings.
Surface Temperature
Area near left side exhaust gets too warm, so WSAD keys and area around that also gets warm, and little uncomfortable. This happens only while gaming, when system is under load. I guess this is due to overall design. I don’t really notice it as far as my hands are only on keys. I would suggest get input from other users of this laptop if you are extremely serious about comfort.
Keyboard & Touchpad
Keyboard seems pretty good to me. I wrote this complete review on it and I don’t feel I am missing anything.
Keyboard supports 3 zoned LED backlit with full set of RGB options with some effects.
There are posts about light fading out from top to bottom of the keys, but I don’t really notice it in my keyboard even if I try to look for it.
Touchpad has nice feel to it. Good enough I guess. I am mostly desktop user, and prefer mouse over touchpad even for just browsing and regular use.
Fingerprint scanner is also present on touchpad itself.
Conclusion
I would have preferred some things to be different, Ryzen or Coffee lake cpu, 1440P screen option, lower surface temps near exhaust towards WSAD. But those CPU’s aren’t available anywhere right now, 1080P resolution is fine at this screen size, and temps around WSAD keys area is something that I can get used to.
If I have to choose again right now, I would end buying this same laptop with same specs.
Let me know if you have any questions, I will try to answer if possible.
