P
C Specialist’s Defiance VIII Pro is
one of the cheapest laptops we’ve
seen with Nvidia’s new mobile GeForce
RTX 3070, and in this case it runs with its stock
specification of 5,120 CUDA cores, 8GB of GDDR6 memory,
and base and boost clocks of 1100MHz and 1620MHz.
The rest of the spec isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s
reasonable at this price. The Intel Core i7-108705H runs at
2.2GHz with a turbo speed of up to 5GHz, and has six Hyper-
Threaded cores. There’s also 16GB of dual-channel DDR4
memory clocked to a middling 2666MHz. Storage comes
from a 1TB Samsung NVMe drive with solid read and write
speeds of 3,520MB/sec and 3,070MB/sec, and networking
is handled by Gigabit Ethernet and dual-band Wi-Fi 6.
The Defiance is also enormously customisable: you
can choose from dozens of memory and storage options,
downgrade or upgrade the graphics,
improve the networking, and choose
keyboards in different languages. The
Defiance also comes with a three year
labour warranty with a year of parts
coverage, which is better than the one
year deals included with most big-
brand machines. It’s possible to buy the
Defiance as a 17.3in model as well.
The Defiance uses a chassis made
by Taiwan-based Clevo. It excels in
practical areas: it has three USB 3.2
Gen 1 ports and a faster USB 3.2 Gen 2
Type-C port that supports Thunderbolt.
There are also mini-DisplayPort and
HDMI outputs, a micro-SD card reader
and two audio jacks, plus a webcam.
Most rivals at this price only have single
audio jacks, no mini-DisplayPort and no
card readers – and many miss out on
webcams too.
The Clevo chassis isn’t always
impressive. It looks plain, with a body
made from matt black metal and
no visual flair. Build quality is alsoREVIEWS / LAPTOPS
SPEC
CPU
2.2GHz Intel Core i7-10870H
Memory
16GB 2666MHz DDR4
Graphics
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8GB
Screen
15.6in 1,920 x 1,080 IPS 240Hz
Storage
1TB Samsung 970 Evo Plus M.2 SSD
Networking
Dual-band 802.11ax Wi-Fi, Gigabit
Ethernet, Bluetooth 5.1
Weight
2kg
Ports
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2
Type-C/Thunderbolt, 2 x audio, 1 x HDMI,
1 x mini-DisplayPort, 1 x micro-SD slot
Dimensions (mm)
358 x 238 x 20 (W x D x H)
Operating system
Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Warranty
Three years labour, including one year
parts and one month collect and returnGAMING LAPTOP
PC SPECIALIST DEFIANCE
VIII PRO /£ 1,499 inc VAT
SUPPLIER pcspecialist.co.ukmediocre, with too much movement in the keyboard deck,
the underside and the back of the screen. On the plus side,
it’s easy to get inside the chassis – you don’t need any Torx
screwdrivers – and the pairs of SODIMM and M.2 connectors
are accessible. The Defiance weighs 2kg and is only 21mm
thick, which makes it lighter than most rivals.
The keyboard has a numberpad and a decent layout, and
the keys have acceptable travel and speed, so they’re fine for
mainstream gaming and typing, although they’re light and
wobbly. The RGB LED lighting is also only single-zone, has no
effects and only offers 15 shades. Meanwhile, the trackpad
is fine for Windows use, but its buttons are soft and tall, so a
USB mouse will be far better for gaming.Performance
In our tougher game tests, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the RTX 3070 delivered 1080p
99th percentile minimums of 45fps and 41fps with games
at their highest quality levels, so you’ll get smooth gameplay
without compromise - only a few minor tweaks will get
averages beyond 60fps. The Cyberpunk 99th percentile
result didn’t drop when we activated Medium ray tracing
with DLSS either.
The RTX 3070 compares well with the older RTX 2070. In
Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the Defiance’s 99th percentile
result of 32fps was 99fps beyond the last RTX 2070 laptop
we reviewed. The Defiance impressed in the less demanding
Doom Eternal too, where its 99th percentile minimum
and average frame rates of 121fps and 183fps were around
10-30fps beyond the RTX 2070 – less demanding esports
games should properly be able to take advantage of the
240Hz display.fiance VIII Pro is
pest laptops we’ve
a’s new mobile GeForce
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DA cores, 8GB of GDDR6 memory,
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TheIntelCorei7-108705H runs atc VATtinthekeyboard deck,