brianpierce458
Member
I went for this laptop as I wanted something, not to play games, but primarily for Photo Editing, a bit of video editing and some general office type work and this one seemed to fit the bill. Wanted something that would be equally at home, in the office or on the move. I went for the ‘full spec’ details below
Recoil Series: 17" Matte QHD+ 240Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1600)i9 24 Core Processor 14900HX (5.8GHz Turbo)
64GB Corsair 5600MHz SODIMM DDR5 (2 x 32GB)
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4080 - 12.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
Recoil 17 Laptop Cooler V2.0
1st M.2 SSD Drive
8TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6100 MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
8TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6100 MB/W)
Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Tech Air 18.4" Premium Top loading Case (Clam-shell)
My reasoning was that the i9 processor would give me all the power I needed to edit photos and video using industry standard software. The 64Gb RAM would allow me to edit large files, multi-task, and batch process efficiently. I went for the 4080 GPU as it seemed to give me the performance I wanted without the cost of the 4090. I had seen in some other reviews that the Recoil 17 could be quite noisy so I also added the liquid cooling system to make that less of an issue.
The machine arrived 4 days after ordering, which seemed very impressive. Good communication before and after the ordering process and keeping me updated as to the progress of my order. DPD delivered the package on time and in good condition - a large outer box with plenty of packing with a smaller box containing the laptop well secured and protected inside.
The unpacking instructions were inside the package, meaning that you have to unpack it, to get to the unpacking instructions! This seems to be a common issue with a lot of tech stuff, but fortunately the unpacking was straight forward.
The laptop itself was in a protective sleeve with protective covers on the screen and touchpad.
The laptop itself feels reassuringly heavy and well built, the 100% sRGB screen very responsive and clear and accurate, even straight out of the box and without calibration has good colour balance.
To my surprise, having read other reviews the laptop was also quiet. In ‘Office’ and ‘Balanced’ mode it was whisper quiet, it can get a little noisy when running in ‘Turbo’ but to be frank, I’ve found that I rarely need to use that mode – that might be different if you’re using it for games of course. The laptop does get warm, but not so uncomfortable that you can’t sit with it on your knee. I think the external liquid cooling system that I ordered with the laptop won’t be getting used, I’ve not taken it out of its box yet and I can’t see me needing to use it.
The back ‘Graphite’ case of the laptop is has a nice feel, is very solid and does not mark easily. It does not look out of place as a ‘workplace’ machine – It does have a ‘go faster LED strip around the back, but that can be switched off. I like the fact that there is a dedicated button to flick between the different power modes ‘Office’ for general office type applications which whisper quiet, ‘Balanced’ which is a nice compromise and still quite quiet, Custom, where you can set your own preferences, and ‘Turbo’ which is ‘pedal to the metal’
The touchpad is large – some may say too large and the plastic cover it that protected it seemed to have some obscure graphics on it suggesting it could be used in different ways – I couldn’t understand the graphics, and there is no manual to give more detail, but it seems to work just like any other touchpad. Some written instructions may have been useful!
On the right-hand side of the machine there are two type A USB3.2 ports and a card reader. On the left side there is another Type A USB port, separate ports for external mike and speakers/headphones – pretty unusual these days, most seem to use a combined port, and a Kensington Lock point. On the rear there is the DC in port, an RJ45 network port, HDMI port and a Type C USB/Thunderbolt port. There are also the ports for the liquid cooling system. A couple more USB C ports would have been useful.
So what’s it missing. Well, it’s a pity there is no fingerprint scanner built in, that seems fairly standard these days even on some basic laptops. I ended up buying one for round £15 on Ebay that simply plugs into one of the USB A ports, its low profile, no wires and works great, but would be better if one was actually built into the laptop in the first place – still a fairly minor gripe.
Another minor gripe is that there is no physical ‘privacy cover’ on the built in web cam – again Ebay is your friend here.
The Laptop did come with guide for installing and using the water cooling system but other than that there is a distinct lack of reference documentation. There was a little ‘Welcome’ leaflet, but that was a picture book with generic drawings of laptop and desktop models with nothing specific to the particular machine I had bought.
I would have liked a more comprehensive, model-specific guide which for example told me how to get to the BOIS, how to change the boot sequence and one which had some detail on the system itself – for example, I’m seeing some people saying that the machine can be charged via the Thunderbolt port, and some say it can’t – I don’t want to risk it without knowing!
Some YouTube videos suggest the Recoil 17 has a total of 4 internal SSD slots, but without taking it apart I can’t tell as there is no photo/diagram of the inside. Would it really be too difficult to provide a comprehensive manual as a PDF file either on the machine, or downloadable from the web site?
When I switched the computer on for the first time I found that the drives had been partitioned according to my specification, and the Windows set-up started. A pretty pain free process in the main and one with which I am very familiar, (I was an IT professional in a previous life). The only issue I had was when it came to activating Windows. Many manufacturers these days have activation linked to the BIOS, so the user does not need to enter any product keys, however this was not the case with this machine it needed a product key. Not a big deal in itself, but what was frustrating was that I couldn’t find it.
I messaged Technical Support but didn’t hear anything back for a while so I posted in the forums explaining my predicament. Fortunately, someone there was able to help – the product key was hidden away in the specification details in the confirmation of my order. Technical support did eventually get back to me with the same information and said that this was a common issue – I would have thought that if it was indeed a common issue then it might be an indication that it’s something that needs to be addressed - the product key information needs to be more prominent and save time and frustration for everyone users and tech-support alike.
Anyway armed with the product key I was able to complete the set-up of the machine and I have to say I’m very pleased with it so far. Its very fast, quiet and runs all of the applications that I need it to run very well. I was also surprised by amount of time the laptop ran on battery. My last laptop was lucky to get 90mins, but the Recoil 17, managed double that despite its better performance.
I also ordered the Tec Air 18.4in clamshell bag with my laptop. Unfortunately, that is much less impressive than the laptop. It’s quite thin and has no padding and offers little in the way of protection. Inside there is a Velcro strap to stop the laptop moving around but no padding or protection whatsoever. Inside there are just two pockets, both of which are open at the top – no zip or Velcro, so any small items put in them can fall out. There is another large unsegmented zipped pocket on the outside, but again, no internal dividers or a ‘net’ as many other carry bags have. Far from impressed by the bag it will be replaced soon.
In summary
The laptop itself is top quality – well built, great specification, quiet and powerful. If you need a powerful laptop/desktop replacement for photo/video editing this will not disappoint. Battery life is also surprisingly good. I would highly recommend this laptop regardless of a few minor gripes.
A model specific manual/guide need to be included. There must be a PDF somewhere!
Windows Product key needs to be made more prominent
It really could do with a fingerprint scanner, and webcam cover out of the box and a couple of additional USB C ports would not go amiss.
The external water cooler is probably a bit OTT for my needs, that may well be different if you’re playing a lot of demanding games.
The Tech Air 18.4 case is naff – don’t bother.
Recoil Series: 17" Matte QHD+ 240Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1600)i9 24 Core Processor 14900HX (5.8GHz Turbo)
64GB Corsair 5600MHz SODIMM DDR5 (2 x 32GB)
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4080 - 12.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
Recoil 17 Laptop Cooler V2.0
1st M.2 SSD Drive
8TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6100 MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
8TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6100 MB/W)
Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Tech Air 18.4" Premium Top loading Case (Clam-shell)
My reasoning was that the i9 processor would give me all the power I needed to edit photos and video using industry standard software. The 64Gb RAM would allow me to edit large files, multi-task, and batch process efficiently. I went for the 4080 GPU as it seemed to give me the performance I wanted without the cost of the 4090. I had seen in some other reviews that the Recoil 17 could be quite noisy so I also added the liquid cooling system to make that less of an issue.
The machine arrived 4 days after ordering, which seemed very impressive. Good communication before and after the ordering process and keeping me updated as to the progress of my order. DPD delivered the package on time and in good condition - a large outer box with plenty of packing with a smaller box containing the laptop well secured and protected inside.
The unpacking instructions were inside the package, meaning that you have to unpack it, to get to the unpacking instructions! This seems to be a common issue with a lot of tech stuff, but fortunately the unpacking was straight forward.
The laptop itself was in a protective sleeve with protective covers on the screen and touchpad.
The laptop itself feels reassuringly heavy and well built, the 100% sRGB screen very responsive and clear and accurate, even straight out of the box and without calibration has good colour balance.
To my surprise, having read other reviews the laptop was also quiet. In ‘Office’ and ‘Balanced’ mode it was whisper quiet, it can get a little noisy when running in ‘Turbo’ but to be frank, I’ve found that I rarely need to use that mode – that might be different if you’re using it for games of course. The laptop does get warm, but not so uncomfortable that you can’t sit with it on your knee. I think the external liquid cooling system that I ordered with the laptop won’t be getting used, I’ve not taken it out of its box yet and I can’t see me needing to use it.
The back ‘Graphite’ case of the laptop is has a nice feel, is very solid and does not mark easily. It does not look out of place as a ‘workplace’ machine – It does have a ‘go faster LED strip around the back, but that can be switched off. I like the fact that there is a dedicated button to flick between the different power modes ‘Office’ for general office type applications which whisper quiet, ‘Balanced’ which is a nice compromise and still quite quiet, Custom, where you can set your own preferences, and ‘Turbo’ which is ‘pedal to the metal’
The touchpad is large – some may say too large and the plastic cover it that protected it seemed to have some obscure graphics on it suggesting it could be used in different ways – I couldn’t understand the graphics, and there is no manual to give more detail, but it seems to work just like any other touchpad. Some written instructions may have been useful!
On the right-hand side of the machine there are two type A USB3.2 ports and a card reader. On the left side there is another Type A USB port, separate ports for external mike and speakers/headphones – pretty unusual these days, most seem to use a combined port, and a Kensington Lock point. On the rear there is the DC in port, an RJ45 network port, HDMI port and a Type C USB/Thunderbolt port. There are also the ports for the liquid cooling system. A couple more USB C ports would have been useful.
So what’s it missing. Well, it’s a pity there is no fingerprint scanner built in, that seems fairly standard these days even on some basic laptops. I ended up buying one for round £15 on Ebay that simply plugs into one of the USB A ports, its low profile, no wires and works great, but would be better if one was actually built into the laptop in the first place – still a fairly minor gripe.
Another minor gripe is that there is no physical ‘privacy cover’ on the built in web cam – again Ebay is your friend here.
The Laptop did come with guide for installing and using the water cooling system but other than that there is a distinct lack of reference documentation. There was a little ‘Welcome’ leaflet, but that was a picture book with generic drawings of laptop and desktop models with nothing specific to the particular machine I had bought.
I would have liked a more comprehensive, model-specific guide which for example told me how to get to the BOIS, how to change the boot sequence and one which had some detail on the system itself – for example, I’m seeing some people saying that the machine can be charged via the Thunderbolt port, and some say it can’t – I don’t want to risk it without knowing!
Some YouTube videos suggest the Recoil 17 has a total of 4 internal SSD slots, but without taking it apart I can’t tell as there is no photo/diagram of the inside. Would it really be too difficult to provide a comprehensive manual as a PDF file either on the machine, or downloadable from the web site?
When I switched the computer on for the first time I found that the drives had been partitioned according to my specification, and the Windows set-up started. A pretty pain free process in the main and one with which I am very familiar, (I was an IT professional in a previous life). The only issue I had was when it came to activating Windows. Many manufacturers these days have activation linked to the BIOS, so the user does not need to enter any product keys, however this was not the case with this machine it needed a product key. Not a big deal in itself, but what was frustrating was that I couldn’t find it.
I messaged Technical Support but didn’t hear anything back for a while so I posted in the forums explaining my predicament. Fortunately, someone there was able to help – the product key was hidden away in the specification details in the confirmation of my order. Technical support did eventually get back to me with the same information and said that this was a common issue – I would have thought that if it was indeed a common issue then it might be an indication that it’s something that needs to be addressed - the product key information needs to be more prominent and save time and frustration for everyone users and tech-support alike.
Anyway armed with the product key I was able to complete the set-up of the machine and I have to say I’m very pleased with it so far. Its very fast, quiet and runs all of the applications that I need it to run very well. I was also surprised by amount of time the laptop ran on battery. My last laptop was lucky to get 90mins, but the Recoil 17, managed double that despite its better performance.
I also ordered the Tec Air 18.4in clamshell bag with my laptop. Unfortunately, that is much less impressive than the laptop. It’s quite thin and has no padding and offers little in the way of protection. Inside there is a Velcro strap to stop the laptop moving around but no padding or protection whatsoever. Inside there are just two pockets, both of which are open at the top – no zip or Velcro, so any small items put in them can fall out. There is another large unsegmented zipped pocket on the outside, but again, no internal dividers or a ‘net’ as many other carry bags have. Far from impressed by the bag it will be replaced soon.
In summary
The laptop itself is top quality – well built, great specification, quiet and powerful. If you need a powerful laptop/desktop replacement for photo/video editing this will not disappoint. Battery life is also surprisingly good. I would highly recommend this laptop regardless of a few minor gripes.
A model specific manual/guide need to be included. There must be a PDF somewhere!
Windows Product key needs to be made more prominent
It really could do with a fingerprint scanner, and webcam cover out of the box and a couple of additional USB C ports would not go amiss.
The external water cooler is probably a bit OTT for my needs, that may well be different if you’re playing a lot of demanding games.
The Tech Air 18.4 case is naff – don’t bother.
