Good day,

The ASUS A52JK that I've been using for 10 years (from 2010 until 2019) broke down a few weeks ago. The information about the laptop is available in the link below:
https://www.asus.com/my/Laptops/A52JK/

Besides repairing the broken down laptop, I am also considering to purchase a new laptop. Currently, Illegear is making a Mid Year Mega Sale until the 3rd of August. I am interested to buy the Prodigy model (comes with i7-9750H and GTX1660Ti) as shown in the link below:
https://store.illegear.com/portable-perform...ar-prodigy.html

Before making the decision to purchase, I would like to ask a few questions regarding Illegear:
1) Whether their products usually last long or not.
2) Whether it is easy to get spare parts at an affordable price after the warranty expires or not.

I would like to use my laptop as long as possible (just like how long I used my ASUS laptop). I will consider purchasing other common brands like Dell, MSI, HP, ASUS, Acer, Lenovo, etc. with similar CPU and GPU (i7-9750H and GTX1660Ti) if these brands usually last longer and easier to get spare parts at an affordable price after the warranty is over.

Thank you and have a nice day.

P/S:
1) I have asked the same question in the thread below, but someone replied telling me to start a new thread instead. That is the reason why I start this thread.
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...&#entry93381717
2) Beside Illegear, I've also been looking at Level 51 and Tech Armory. However, I still haven't found any model from Level 51 and Tech Armory that comes with i7-9750H and GTX1660Ti.

This post has been edited by foxfaisal: Jul 24 2019, 07:18 PM

Well of course you have to see where you stay. Warranty will be troublesome if you stay in another state instead of Selangor. Someone told me that Illeager on site warranty is just pick up your laptop and bring back service. So by that time you can't use your laptop for days. If you never add on the on site warranty, you will need to travel to KL and service your laptop. Which means walk in and parking is quite expensive. For Level 51 if you stay in JB, you can bring your laptop to SG-Aftershock and service it. Saw someone wrote it. Not sure true or not. Better ask for more information. Tech Armory you need to ask the others. Can't help you with this. Cheers

Hi Dinofluffy and TS, kindly note that we have started to offer onsite service for KL and PJ areas and we will expand our coverage very soon!

Usually for warranty claiming procedures, we shall try to perform a remote rectification (either via WhatsApp or email) but if the issue is hardware related, we shall arrange for a representative to come to your location to perform the onsite support accordingly, hope this clarifies~

Why not 2060 models lol. Also why must custom laptops

RTX20 series might be too expensive for a non-working person like me (I am studying PhD in Mechatronics Engineering). I think 60% (or more) of the laptop will be used for studying (PhD) and the remaining 40% (or less) will be used for entertainment (gaming, movies, internet, etc.). The game that I play so far is only CS GO and Battlefield 4, so I think GTX16 series might already be enough. If my GPU is too powerful, I'm afraid that I might game to much until I forget to study

In addition, most of my PhD work deals with programming (beginner to intermediate level of MATLAB, Python, and C++), so I think CPU is more important to me than the GPU. Just in case if I have to downgrade the spec due to the budget constrain, I will still maintain the CPU as i7-9750H but downgrade the GPU to GTX10 series.

It doesn't have to be a custom laptop. I am actually searching for laptops with i7-9750H and GTX 1660 Ti and so far only the following brands and models come with the same CPU and GPU:
1) Dell New G5 15 Gaming Laptop (5590)
https://www.dell.com/en-my/shop/laptops-and...60157044bpmyw10
2) ASUS ROG Strix G531GU
https://www.asus.com/my/Laptops/ROG-Strix-G...81Uk0-g7iG-3TOs
3) Acer Nitro 7
https://www.acer.com/ac/en/MY/content/serie...FHq11ycqyCckR54
4) Lenovo Legion Y540 (15) Laptop
https://www.lenovo.com/my/en/laptops/legion...pMaVBuZMDFoodzA
5) Illegear Prodigy
https://store.illegear.com/portable-perform...ar-prodigy.html

So far MSI (GE or GL series) and HP Omen still hasn't release any model that comes with i7-9750H and GTX 1660 Ti.

At this moment I have no intention to buy Acer or Lenovo, so I remove those 2 brands from the list above. ASUS ROG Strix G531GU in the list above is already ok to me, but it has to also be removed from my list because the keyboard for the version that is imported/distributed in Malaysia doesn't have keypad/numpad. In the end, the only remaining model that is left for me to shortlist is the Dell G5 and Illegear Prodigy.

At this moment it is still not urgent for me to buy a new laptop, so I can even ignore the Illegear's Mid Year Mega Sale (until the 3rd of August) and only make the decision of which laptop to buy once MSI and HP also release their laptops that also comes with i7-9750H and GTX 1660 Ti. If suddenly it becomes urgent for me to own a new laptop however, I think I might have to grab the opportunity to buy the Illegear Prodigy while their Mid Year Mega Sale is still on (or just but the Dell New G5 15 Gaming Laptop (5590)).


PS: I was also interested with ASUS TUF Gaming FX505DU in the link below. It comes with GTX 1660 Ti GPU, but with Ryzen 7-3750H CPU. The keyboard for this model comes with keypad/numpad, but I removed it from my list because the supported RAM speed is only 2400MHz while all of the Intel counterparts that I listed above support the RAM speed of 2666MHz. However, I will still consider this model if 2400MHz vs 2666MHz doesn't make any significant difference.
https://www.asus.com/my/Laptops/ASUS-TUF-Ga...-FX505DD-DT-DU/

This post has been edited by foxfaisal: Jul 25 2019, 01:06 AM

I am studying PhD in a government university in Kuala Lumpur. I usually stay in the university's hostel in Kuala Lumpur from Monday to Friday and return to my parent's house somewhere nearby Subang Airport on Saturday on Sunday, so I think the distance from my place to Illegear's service centre should not be a problem.

The things that concern me right now is whether the product last long and also whether it is easy and affordable for me to get spare parts if anything happens after the warranty expires

Refer to my gaming laptop list for all the good options, avoid thin and light if you don't need it

May I know which list? And are those laptops that I listed above considered thin? Most of my friends who are working in the IT dept advice not to buy thin laptops if I don't need it because it is easier for the dust to build up in the ventilation space and reduce the CPU and GPU cooler's performance.

P/S: I am reading your Illegear Prodigy review ...

This post has been edited by foxfaisal: Jul 25 2019, 02:18 AM

Thank you for your reply. I'm surprised because even the Illegear's staff joins this conversation. Since you are here, I would like to ask 1 technical question. Just in case if the screen of my Illegear Prodigy broke down after the warranty has expired, is it possible for me to replace the screen with aftermarket / third party brand screen in the future? Will the size and the connection pins for the aftermarket /third party brand screen be compatible with Illegear's product?

This post has been edited by foxfaisal: Jul 25 2019, 01:55 AM

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4771329
Some of them are thin. Thinner/smaller = less thermal headroom

Understood. I will read the link tomorrow. Based on my list above, is there any non-thick laptop? If no, should I just wait for the MSI (GE or GL series) with the same i7-9750H and GTX 1660 Ti to be available in the market?

Then for the warranty there will be no problem for you. Can consider illegear and level 51 if you want. Well last long is hard to say since is electronic stuff. You study mechatronic surely know that. It depends on your luck. Even the manufacturer also can't 100% guarantee that the laptops they produced can last long. Can't really give you an accurate answer for 'easy and affordable for me to get spare parts if anything happens after warranty expires'. If you're lucky enough that your laptop spoiled after 7/8 years usage, probably is hard to find the spare parts and the spare parts surely will be expensive since it is pretty less on the market. If your laptop spoiled just right after the warranty period, for example after 3 years, then the spare parts still can be found on the market. About the price, it depends on the problem of your laptop. Different parts replacement has different prices. Don't forget we don't know if the hardware prices in 3-5 years will increase or drop. For example SSD. You can see that now it is affordable. Last time used to be very expensive. IMO just buy and use it until it spoils then only see how. I hope this will help you. Cheers

Hello foxfaisal,

Yes our screens can be sourced aftermarket but we still suggest you to purchase the original spare parts from us.

I separate thin and light in different section

Did you see MSI GL in the list? No - avoid

MSI new models are overpriced...not much reason to get them

At this moment, MSI GL 63 does come with GTX1660Ti GPU, but with the 8th gen i7-8750H as shown in the 2 links below:
1) https://mystore.msi.com/product/gl63-8se-ge...0-ti-gddr6-6gb/
2) https://www.msi.com/Laptop/GL63-8SX-GTX

Meanwhile, the MSI GE63 series already starts to come with the 9th gen i7-9750H, but with the expensive RTX20 series GPU as shown in the 2 links below:
1) https://mystore.msi.com/product-category/ga...ptop/ge-series/
2) https://www.msi.com/Laptop/Products#?tag=GE-Series

I notice that the price of MSI GE62 with i7-6700HQ and GTX960M back in 2016 does not differ much from other competitors (Dell, ASUS, Acer, and Lenovo) with the same CPU and GPU. The price difference between MSI GE62 and other competitors with the same CPU and GPU during that time was around RM500 to RM1000 (depending on the competitor's brand). During that time, MSI GE62 was considered as an entry-level version.

However, everything changed in 2017 when the entry-level gaming laptops at that time came with i7-7700HQ and GTX1050 / GTX1050. Other competitors (Dell, ASUS, Acer, and Lenovo) still sold their entry-level laptop below RM6k, but the price for MSI GE62 with i7-7700HQ and GTX1050 / GTX1050 was overpriced for the reason that I don't know. If I'm not mistaken, the price difference between MSI GE62 and other competitors (Dell, ASUS, Acer, and Lenovo) with i7-7700HQ and GTX1050 / GTX1050 was between RM1.5k to RM2k. Whenever I asked the salesmen why MSI GE62 at that time was overpriced compared to other competitors with similar CPU and GPU, most of them didn't give a good answer. One of them simply answered MSI has a better cooling system. I know the heat pipes for the MSI GE and GL series are awesome, but I don't think that the heat pipes should cost around RM1.5k more expensive than the other competitors. Some other salesman said that the GE series has been redefined as an enthusiast-level and no longer an entry-level laptop.

Whenever I want to survey an entry-level gaming laptop from MSI nowadays, salesmen usually recommend me the GL series instead of GE series. I think it is true that the GL series is now the entry-level version for MSI while the GE series has been redefined as the enthusiast level.

Honestly, my first choice is actually the MSI GE (or GL series) because of the awesome cooling heat pipes and also the SteelSeries RGB keyboard (GE series only), but I think I might have to totally forget and move on from MSI if the pricing is too high compared to the other brands with similar CPU and GPU.

PS:
The latest model of the MSI GL series shown in their website comes with 2 keyboard versions - Red Backlight Version and Per-Key RGB Backlight Version, as shown in the link below:
https://www.msi.com/Laptop/GL63-8SX-GTX
However, I think the Malaysian distributor only imports the Red Backlight Version for GE series. I'm not sure whether it is possible or not for the owner to upgrade their Red Backlight Version to Per-Key RGB Backlight Version.

Thank you for your reply. I found a review article about the Illegear Prodigy written by ZM Fong in the link below:
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...&#entry92809213

According to the review, Illegear Prodigy uses a common 144Hz IPS LGD05C0 from LG. Since this is a common panel, I think I don't have to be worried. However, I will use genuine parts from Illegear (if I bought the Prodigy) like what you have advised (as long as you still have the stocks for the genuine parts ).

Salesman knows nothing

Don't buy GL series...cheap build quality and more prone to QC+QA issues

All right, understood. I think I worry too much because I have no experience purchasing a custom laptop before

I'm so sad because I have to totally forget about MSI and move on if the GE series is still overpriced

Good morning everyone. I found the following advertisement on facebook:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid...972234&sfnsn=mo

I think I should spend some time surveying the laptops available at this event and then finalise which brand and model that I should buy.