PC Specialist Defiance IV (w/ Core i7 & GTX 1070)

To measure idle temperatures, a reading was taken after having Windows open on the desktop for 30 minutes. A reading under load was taken with Prime 95’s SmallFFt test running alongside 3DMark Fire Strike.

We had no problem with this machine when it’s idle or running low-intensity tasks. It’s virtually silent, and its temperatures were fine – neither the CPU or the GPU got beyond 46°C or 42°C.

It was fine during work applications, too. The fans ramped up a tiny bit and the processor peaked at temperatures in the mid-60s, but none of the heat made its way to the outside and the noise was never intrusive.

However, gaming tests pushed the PC Specialist harder – and created more heat and noise. The fans were more noticeable here, the keyboard became a little warmer, and the area above the keyboard – presumably where the graphics chip is located – was almost too hot to touch.

Adding a processor stress-test saw the noise remain consistent, but that area above the keyboard was even hotter.

The heat above the keyboard is a slight issue, and the processor’s peak temperature of 96°C is about as hot as we’d want to go – but these problems only appeared during system-wide stress-tests, and those are not necessarily normal operating conditions for a gaming laptop.

During gaming, the PC Specialist was better – it’s quieter than the Asus, and its components remained cool.

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