Question I need advice on ordering a custom laptop from AvaDirect ?

[YairIt]

Hi all,
I'm new here, and hope someone can help me with the following question.
I do a lot of OCR and data searching/processing. My current computer is going and I'm looking to purchase a new one.

My main requirements are a powerful processor that can perform many tasks simultaneously, 64gb of RAM (I typically use more than 32gb), and a huge amount of internal storage (my current system has 9tb, I would ideally want more than that in a new system).
These specifications are typically not hard to come by in a desktop, but as I am mobile, a laptop is a must for me.

Looking around, I found only a few desktop-replacement laptops that can meet my requirements.
The cheapest that I see is the Clevo PD50/PD70 series configured by AvaDirect; the processor in these computers is an Intel i9-13900HX, and they can be customized to include 64gb (2*32) of Kingston 5600Mhz DDR5 RAM, 2 Corsair 8TB MP600 PRO storage drives (RAID 0 is available). Graphics cards range from RTX 4050 to 4070.

The price range of this setup is from about $3400 to $4000 (largely depending on the graphics card and screen resolution). I am looking specifically at this configuration.
However, as I have seen some mixed reviews of AvaDirect, I am somewhat hesitant about buying this laptop, for a few reasons. I am wondering if anyone knows if the following concerns are real or unfounded:

1. Does this laptop have an adequate cooling system, or will it heat up too much, ruining the components (this is what ruined my current laptop).

2. Are the RAM sticks and storage drives compatible with this Clevo laptop? I have been told by some that more than 4800MHz and 8tb storage drives won't work due to "voltage incompatibility", and don't know who to trust.

3. Does anyone have experience with AvaDirect custom laptop builds and can advise on their quality/reliability?

4. I understand that the 14th gen Intel processors will be released soon. I can wait probably about a month or two. Will these new processors be available to the consumer within this timeframe?
I greatly appreciate any and all help!

 

[Misgar]

Firstly, I should point out I don't have any experience with the Clevo range, but here are a few general observations:

1). Any laptop with a powerful processor should (and I stress should) come with an adequate cooling solution capable of maintaining "safe" working conditions, for the heat generating components such as the CPU and GPU, under "normal" conditions.

Provided you operate the laptop on a solid surface to allow free passage of air into the air intake vents underneath and don't use it in a very hot environment, as defined by the manufacturer, it should survive processor intensive tasks. I'd be cautious about running the laptop flat out at ambient air temperatures above 30C (86F).

Modern CPUs and GPUs will "throttle" when they reach a certain design temperaturen limit, but the constraints placed on the size of heatsinks and fans in a laptop will inevitably lead to higher average temperatures, compared to a workstation.

It is inevitable that a high performance laptop design will be a compromise. Do you build a 6kg luggable with massive fans and a battery that lasts only 30 minutes? Or do you build something a bit lighter but which pushes the cooling system to the limits during long rendering sessions? See what other reviewers say about the Clevo and make your choice.

2). When I saw the term "voltage compatibility" I laughed. What a wondefully ambiguous statement that is. You wouldn't connect a 24V truck battery to a 12V car starter motor and expect it to survive, but I think Clevo will have designed things with more care. In any case, computer parts are designed to work together at a standardised set of voltages, but optional overclocking modifies this fact.

If Clevo are overclocking the RAM up to XMP 5600MT/s, that might be considered quite fast for an i9-13900HX. I don't know whether this is true or not. Certainly XMP 4800MT/s is a more conservative speed, but in either case, the BIOS will increase the RAM voltage above the JEDEC default (1.20V for DDR5) up to a slightly higher level (1.35V) to support the XMP overclock.

You are perfectly at liberty to enter the BIOS and change the RAM overclock yourself and reduce the level as you think fit, e.g. from 5600MT/s to 5400MT/s, 5200MT/s, 5000MT/s or 4800MT/s. It may take a degree of manual tweaking, but should be possible. Many applications do not benefit a great deal from RAM overclocking, but fast XMP benchmarks look good in sales brochures and help sell more expensive (faster) RAM.

As for some imaginary limit on the size of (SSD) drives to 8TB, why do you think someone has created a 100TB SSD? It probably would't fit in a laptop, so don't get your hopes up just yet.
https://www.techradar.com/news/at-100tb-the-worlds-biggest-ssd-gets-an-eye-watering-price-tag

CAUTION - RAID0.

Many people on this forum will tell you to avoid RAID like the plague, especially RAID0 (striping). it's a wonderful way to lose everything in an instant, when one half of the array suddenly dies. Keep the two SSDs unRAIDed so you stand a chance of retaining up to half your files, if one of the two drives fails. Of course you should keep multiple backups of all important data.

Sorry I can't help on questions 3 or 4.

 

[YairIt]

Firstly, I should point out I don't have any experience with the Clevo range, but here are a few general observations:

1). Any laptop with a powerful processor should (and I stress should) come with an adequate cooling solution capable of maintaining "safe" working conditions, for the heat generating components such as the CPU and GPU, under "normal" conditions.

Provided you operate the laptop on a solid surface to allow free passage of air into the air intake vents underneath and don't use it in a very hot environment, as defined by the manufacturer, it should survive processor intensive tasks. I'd be cautious about running the laptop flat out at ambient air temperatures above 30C (86F).

Modern CPUs and GPUs will "throttle" when they reach a certain design temperaturen limit, but the constraints placed on the size of heatsinks and fans in a laptop will inevitably lead to higher average temperatures, compared to a workstation.

It is inevitable that a high performance laptop design will be a compromise. Do you build a 6kg luggable with massive fans and a battery that lasts only 30 minutes? Or do you build something a bit lighter but which pushes the cooling system to the limits during long rendering sessions? See what other reviewers say about the Clevo and make your choice.

2). When I saw the term "voltage compatibility" I laughed. What a wondefully ambiguous statement that is. You wouldn't connect a 24V truck battery to a 12V car starter motor and expect it to survive, but I think Clevo will have designed things with more care. In any case, computer parts are designed to work together at a standardised set of voltages, but optional overclocking modifies this fact.

If Clevo are overclocking the RAM up to XMP 5600MT/s, that might be considered quite fast for an i9-13900HX. I don't know whether this is true or not. Certainly XMP 4800MT/s is a more conservative speed, but in either case, the BIOS will increase the RAM voltage above the JEDEC default (1.20V for DDR5) up to a slightly higher level (1.35V) to support the XMP overclock.

You are perfectly at liberty to enter the BIOS and change the RAM overclock yourself and reduce the level as you think fit, e.g. from 5600MT/s to 5400MT/s, 5200MT/s, 5000MT/s or 4800MT/s. It may take a degree of manual tweaking, but should be possible. Many applications do not benefit a great deal from RAM overclocking, but fast XMP benchmarks look good in sales brochures and help sell more expensive (faster) RAM.

As for some imaginary limit on the size of (SSD) drives to 8TB, why do you think someone has created a 100TB SSD? It probably would't fit in a laptop, so don't get your hopes up just yet.
https://www.techradar.com/news/at-100tb-the-worlds-biggest-ssd-gets-an-eye-watering-price-tag

CAUTION - RAID0.

Many people on this forum will tell you to avoid RAID like the plague, especially RAID0 (striping). it's a wonderful way to lose everything in an instant, when one half of the array suddenly dies. Keep the two SSDs unRAIDed so you stand a chance of retaining up to half your files, if one of the two drives fails. Of course you should keep multiple backups of all important data.

Sorry I can't help on questions 3 or 4.

Thank you very much for your detailed and helpful response!!

Just for clarity's sake, I am referring to a Clevo laptop that is being customised by AvaDirect. I'm not sure if the laptop was designed by Clevo to be used with this setup.
This applies to both the RAM sticks and the storage; neither are manufactured by Clevo nor installed by them, therefore I'm nervous that these particular components may cause the system to overheat.

Thank you for your explanation (rather: dismissal) of the "voltage issue!

As for Raid0, would this be a concern if I regularly back up my system to an external drive?

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[Misgar]

I assume AVADirect offer their own guarantee on top of anything provided by Clevo? If so, despite the fact AVADirect may be "pushing the envelope", you should still expect recompense if anything goes badly wrong.

As an electronics design engineer, I take the term "voltage compatibility" literally when working on a project. Failure to observe component voltage limitations can lead to equipment failure and in extreme cases, loss of life (for vehicle and aircraft electronics).

If you check USAFret's postings on this forum you will find he is an authority on RAID systems and does not believe there is any advantage for most people in RAID0 (and other RAID types).

Your usage case may be the exception and it certainly wouldn't harm to test both configurations (with and without RAID0).

If you find a beneficial reduction in processing time with RAID0 and you backup your work on an hourly or daily basis, you'll get the most out of the system.

Just be aware that since all your files are striped across two disks in RAID0, including the operating system, a fault in one drive could lead to total irrevocable data loss in the blink of an eye.

Data retrieval from a standalone SSD can be difficult at the best of times. RAID0 makes the task highly unlikely, even at a drive recovery agency.

Depending on the importance of your work, if you earn your living from the machine, it might be an idea to keep a couple of spare 4TB drives with an OS installed and pop them into the laptop if either of the 9TB drives fail. You could then return the laptop for repair under warranty at a time that suits.

 

[USAFRet]

As for Raid0, would this be a concern if I regularly back up my system to an external drive?

With SSDs, RAID 0 serves absolutely no purpose.

Except for artificial benchmark numbers, your system will not be any faster.

Avoid completely.