Gaming Laptop Discussion Thread

ToTheMoon · May 19, 2019

So the GPU on my Razer Blade GTX 1060 died recently. I sent it into the third party warranty company, and they couldn't fix it, so they paid me back the value with a giant Amazon gift card. Wahoo, new laptop time!

I loved my last Razer Blade, especially the touchpad and keyboard (I actually use the touchpad for almost all my games). So I figured I would give Razer another go and got a Razer Blade RTX 2070.

It just arrived today, and unfortunately the touchpad is...less than stellar. They got rid of the individual left/right buttons and turned it into one giant pad (Mac style). Additionally, it seems like they're no longer using Synaptics drivers and are instead going with a new Microsoft-made "Precision" driver. The two major issues I've been having are:

1. If I put down both my index finger (on the top part of the pad) and my thumb (on the bottom "button" part of the pad) at about the same time, the pointer won't move or respond when I first move my index finger (wiggling it around usually makes the pointer start moving, but that obviously isn't optimal).
2. There's no way to disable two-finger tap-to-right-click. And the two finger range is pretty darn large, resulting in random right clicks during normal use.

So my questions here:

1. Has anyone troubleshot these sorts of touchpad issues before? Is there a registry value I can tweak to fix some of the weird behavior? Is it possible to get a different driver (say, a Synaptics one) to work with my touchpad?
2. Are there any gaming laptops with separate left/right click buttons, good touchpads, and comparable specs to this Razer Blade 2070? They don't have to be the exact same specs, but ideally I'd like something that's a measurable upgrade over my 1060.

derFeef · May 19, 2019

Heads up for my German/Austrian fellows. Notebooksbilliger has 20% off of some gaming notebooks this weekend:
https://www.notebooksbilliger.de/black+weekend#angebot420

WillyFive · May 19, 2019

Adaren said:
So the GPU on my Razer Blade GTX 1060 died recently. I sent it into the third party warranty company, and they couldn't fix it, so they paid me back the value with a giant Amazon gift card. Wahoo, new laptop time!

I loved my last Razer Blade, especially the touchpad and keyboard (I actually use the touchpad for almost all my games). So I figured I would give Razer another go and got a Razer Blade RTX 2070.

It just arrived today, and unfortunately the touchpad is...less than stellar. They got rid of the individual left/right buttons and turned it into one giant pad (Mac style). Additionally, it seems like they're no longer using Synaptics drivers and are instead going with a new Microsoft-made "Precision" driver. The two major issues I've been having are:

1. If I put down both my index finger (on the top part of the pad) and my thumb (on the bottom "button" part of the pad) at about the same time, the pointer won't move or respond when I first move my index finger (wiggling it around usually makes the pointer start moving, but that obviously isn't optimal).
2. There's no way to disable two-finger tap-to-right-click. And the two finger range is pretty darn large, resulting in random right clicks during normal use.

So my questions here:

1. Has anyone troubleshot these sorts of touchpad issues before? Is there a registry value I can tweak to fix some of the weird behavior? Is it possible to get a different driver (say, a Synaptics one) to work with my touchpad?
2. Are there any gaming laptops with separate left/right click buttons, good touchpads, and comparable specs to this Razer Blade 2070? They don't have to be the exact same specs, but ideally I'd like something that's a measurable upgrade over my 1060.

Try the latest Lenovo Legion. It's one of the few laptops that still use individual mouse buttons. They use the Microsoft precision drivers though. Unfortunately for your situation, what you are asking for is niche, as Synaptic drivers are universally disliked and laptops get heavily criticized when they include them (like the HP Spectre line). Mousepads with buttons are also frequently avoided as they steal surface space that could be used for the mouse pad.

Ra · May 19, 2019

Adaren said:
So the GPU on my Razer Blade GTX 1060 died recently. I sent it into the third party warranty company, and they couldn't fix it, so they paid me back the value with a giant Amazon gift card. Wahoo, new laptop time!

I loved my last Razer Blade, especially the touchpad and keyboard (I actually use the touchpad for almost all my games). So I figured I would give Razer another go and got a Razer Blade RTX 2070.

It just arrived today, and unfortunately the touchpad is...less than stellar. They got rid of the individual left/right buttons and turned it into one giant pad (Mac style). Additionally, it seems like they're no longer using Synaptics drivers and are instead going with a new Microsoft-made "Precision" driver. The two major issues I've been having are:

1. If I put down both my index finger (on the top part of the pad) and my thumb (on the bottom "button" part of the pad) at about the same time, the pointer won't move or respond when I first move my index finger (wiggling it around usually makes the pointer start moving, but that obviously isn't optimal).
2. There's no way to disable two-finger tap-to-right-click. And the two finger range is pretty darn large, resulting in random right clicks during normal use.

So my questions here:

1. Has anyone troubleshot these sorts of touchpad issues before? Is there a registry value I can tweak to fix some of the weird behavior? Is it possible to get a different driver (say, a Synaptics one) to work with my touchpad?
2. Are there any gaming laptops with separate left/right click buttons, good touchpads, and comparable specs to this Razer Blade 2070? They don't have to be the exact same specs, but ideally I'd like something that's a measurable upgrade over my 1060.

As far as #1, that sounds like what is called Palm Check in Synaptics lingo. I game a lot on my touchpad so I always run into that initially. Start > Settings > Devices > Touchpad and look for Touchpad Sensitivity. Turn it down and see if that changes anything.

Crazy_maniac · May 20, 2019

Just ordered this Metabox for 2300 AUD (1590 USD)

Metabox Prime-S P960EF
Display: 16.1" FHD 1920x1080 IPS-like Edge-to-Edge Matte 144Hz LED
Processor: Intel 6 Core i7-8750H (9M Cache 2.2- 4.1GHz)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070 8GB GDDR6 VRAM (Max-Q)
RAM: 8GB DDR4 2666MHz (1x8GB)
M.2 SSD 1: *Sale* 512GB SATA3 M.2 SSD 480/400MBs Read/Write
WiFi: Intel 9560 AC Dual Band WIFI/BTv5 (up to 1.73 Gbps)

Pretty good value for the price I think, should last me a couple of years at least.

Ra · May 20, 2019

Crazy_maniac said:
Just ordered this Metabox for 2300 AUD (1590 USD)

Metabox Prime-S P960EF
Display: 16.1" FHD 1920x1080 IPS-like Edge-to-Edge Matte 144Hz LED
Processor: Intel 6 Core i7-8750H (9M Cache 2.2- 4.1GHz)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070 8GB GDDR6 VRAM (Max-Q)
RAM: 8GB DDR4 2666MHz (1x8GB)
M.2 SSD 1: *Sale* 512GB SATA3 M.2 SSD 480/400MBs Read/Write
WiFi: Intel 9560 AC Dual Band WIFI/BTv5 (up to 1.73 Gbps)

Pretty good value for the price I think, should last me a couple of years at least.

That is definitely s good deal in Australia. Lord knows you get hosed on laptop prices there.

KodaRuss · May 20, 2019

I am in need of a new laptop as I am going back to school to get my MBA. I would like to get one with some gaming capabilities as well but I really do not want a laptop that is obnoxiously styled like many of the gaming laptops out there since I will be using it in class a lot. Any suggestions?

Seems like the Dell non Alienware ones might work, I really need a numeric Keypad as well.

Ra · May 20, 2019

KodaRuss said:
I am in need of a new laptop as I am going back to school to get my MBA. I would like to get one with some gaming capabilities as well but I really do not want a laptop that is obnoxiously styled like many of the gaming laptops out there since I will be using it in class a lot. Any suggestions?

Seems like the Dell non Alienware ones might work, I really need a numeric Keypad as well.

Your budget matters quite a bit.

KodaRuss · May 20, 2019

K.Jack said:
Your budget matters quite a bit.

Sorry. Highest I will go is probably 1500 but I would be more comfortable in the 1200 range.

Surface of Me · May 20, 2019

KodaRuss said:
I am in need of a new laptop as I am going back to school to get my MBA. I would like to get one with some gaming capabilities as well but I really do not want a laptop that is obnoxiously styled like many of the gaming laptops out there since I will be using it in class a lot. Any suggestions?

Seems like the Dell non Alienware ones might work, I really need a numeric Keypad as well.

I ordered this last night: https://m.newegg.com/obsidian-black...-700j-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834316435#

Seems like a really good bang for your buck. Sale is still on for a few hours too

Ra · May 20, 2019

KodaRuss said:
Sorry. Highest I will go is probably 1500 but I would be more comfortable in the 1200 range.

Just so I can get a read on your sensibilities, where does this design rate on your obnoxious scale, keeping in mind that the RGB keyboard colors are customizable per key, and the rainbow is just for dramatic effect?

KodaRuss · May 20, 2019

K.Jack said:
Just so I can get a read on your sensibilities, where does this design rate on your obnoxious scale, keeping in mind that the RGB keyboard colors are customizable per key, and the rainbow is just for dramatic effect?

That is cutting it pretty close. Not ideal but not a dealbreaker.

KodaRuss · May 20, 2019

Surface of Me said:
I ordered this last night: https://m.newegg.com/obsidian-black...-700j-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834316435#

Seems like a really good bang for your buck. Sale is still on for a few hours too

Seems pretty solid, thanks for the suggestion. Going to wait a few weeks before making a decision.

Ra · May 21, 2019

KodaRuss said:
That is cutting it pretty close. Not ideal but not a dealbreaker.

Check out this one. Available in 15 or 17 inches. Mechanical keyboard.

Dave2D review (GTX 1060 but same exact chassis):

Let me know what you think.

Deadlast · May 21, 2019

Looking at getting an Alienware m17 with a 2060. Anyone have one of these?

Outdoor Miner · May 21, 2019

Deadlast said:
Looking at getting an Alienware m17 with a 2060. Anyone have one of these?

Got the 15" version. I'm pretty pleased with it and have decided i'm going to keep it. I do wish I had gotten the 17" version but I really needed my laptop to be under 5 lbs.

Pros
- Good build quality. Does not feel cheap in the slightest.
- Performance. Very pleased here, not sure I'll ever find something that maxes out the CPU unless benchmarking. 2060 performs between a 1070 and 1070 Max-Q level. It is same GPU as desktop 2060 but downclocked significantly.
- Keyboard has a good feel for a chiclet and the trackpad is one of the best I've come across.

Cons
- Thermals when gaming. Be prepared to use ThrottleStop to undervolt and a stand of some sort. You want to have the rear of the laptop lifted off your desk/table surface by at least an inch. I'm using this one. This thing will get really hot after extended gaming sessions. Impossible to have on your lap.

Deadlast · May 21, 2019

Outdoor Miner said:
Got the 15" version. I'm pretty pleased with it and have decided i'm going to keep it. I do wish I had gotten the 17" version but I really needed my laptop to be under 5 lbs.

Pros
- Good build quality. Does not feel cheap in the slightest.
- Performance. Very pleased here, not sure I'll ever find something that maxes out the CPU unless benchmarking. 2060 performs between a 1070 and 1070 Max-Q level. It is same GPU as desktop 2060 but downclocked significantly.
- Keyboard has a good feel for a chiclet and the trackpad is one of the best I've come across.

Cons
- Thermals when gaming. Be prepared to use ThrottleStop to undervolt and a stand of some sort. You want to have the rear of the laptop lifted off your desk/table surface by at least an inch. I'm using this one. This thing will get really hot after extended gaming sessions. Impossible to have on your lap.

Thanks Outdoor. I am looking at getting the refurbished m17. The 17 is a little heavier than the 15, but I want the extra space. I am also looking at getting the alienware egpu setup and a decent monitor for when I am at my desk.

KodaRuss · May 21, 2019

K.Jack said:
Check out this one. Available in 15 or 17 inches. Mechanical keyboard.

Dave2D review (GTX 1060 but same exact chassis):

Let me know what you think.

I like that a lot, I have never heard of Eluktronics before but they look pretty good. From Denmark I guess. Only complaint I have seen from people on the reviews are the trackpad and speakers are a little lower quality. Ill be using a mouse most of the time and speakers are not a huge deal. Ill probably be using headphones a lot of the time.

Ra · May 21, 2019

KodaRuss said:
I like that a lot, I have never heard of Eluktronics before but they look pretty good. From Denmark I guess. Only complaint I have seen from people on the reviews are the trackpad and speakers are a little lower quality. Ill be using a mouse most of the time and speakers are not a huge deal. Ill probably be using headphones a lot of the time.

The Lenovo Legion Y740 is another well regarded, understated machine to keep an eye on for sales.

Argyle · May 22, 2019

K.Jack said:
The Lenovo Legion Y740 is another well regarded, understated machine to keep an eye on for sales.

I just went through the buying decision on this class of laptop (8750H/9750H + 2060+) and I ended up with a Lenovo Y740 (2060 version)...I managed to get it for $1300 with the 512GB SSD and it was so much cheaper than everything else that I decided to go for it. My feeling is that pretty much every laptop in this class (fairly thin and light, with a 6 core CPU and a 2060/2070 Max Q/2080 Max Q) is compromised in one way or another, at least for me. (This is a work laptop for me and thus if there was one laptop that was completely perfect for my needs, even if it was significantly more expensive, I'd strongly consider just going for it to get the right one.)

Anyway, here are the pros and cons of the Y740 as I see it...

Pros:
Easy to upgrade (I needed to upgrade the RAM to 32GB as well as the storage)
Good thermals
You can get this way cheaper than many competing laptops. At $1300 vs. say $2000 for a Gigabyte Aero it makes it easy to overlook its shortcomings (and it does many things well)
Switchable G-Sync/Optimus, many competing models do not offer G-Sync at all.
Fully programmable RGB lighting on the keyboard (+ air vents and the logo on the back) via Corsair iCue if that's your thing.
Many of the ports are on the back, and you get an ethernet jack as well as Thunderbolt, USB C, HDMI, mini Displayport...

Cons:
A little on the larger/heavier side compared to other laptops in this class
The power brick is stupid big. Seriously, it is huge.
Tiny battery, and corresponding horrible battery life. Even with Optimus turned on I'm sure you'd only be able to surf the web for like three, maybe four hours on the battery.
If you want the absolute fastest storage, this laptop only has one m.2 slot (and a 2.5" drive bay).
Macro keys on the left side of the keyboard, which has the effect of shifting the keyboard to the right about half a key. This means that you'll be hitting caps lock with your pinky a lot until you get used to it, and if you rely on muscle memory to hit the Esc key you'll be launching the Lenovo app often as the hotkey for that is in the upper left corner.
No built in SD Card reader.
The webcam is mounted on the bottom of the screen and is pretty horrible.

Overall I'm pretty happy with it and I think it's great that I can get a fairly portable laptop with a graphics chip roughly comparable to what's in my desktop (a 980ti, which I bought when it was the fastest thing you could get) for a reasonable price. My last laptop was an Alienware 15 R1 which was a pretty big and heavy laptop with a power brick about the same size as the Lenovo, so even though this isn't the lightest it's still a lot smaller and lighter than what I had before.

neoak · May 22, 2019

Outdoor Miner said:
Got the 15" version. I'm pretty pleased with it and have decided i'm going to keep it. I do wish I had gotten the 17" version but I really needed my laptop to be under 5 lbs.

Pros
- Good build quality. Does not feel cheap in the slightest.
- Performance. Very pleased here, not sure I'll ever find something that maxes out the CPU unless benchmarking. 2060 performs between a 1070 and 1070 Max-Q level. It is same GPU as desktop 2060 but downclocked significantly.
- Keyboard has a good feel for a chiclet and the trackpad is one of the best I've come across.

Cons
- Thermals when gaming. Be prepared to use ThrottleStop to undervolt and a stand of some sort. You want to have the rear of the laptop lifted off your desk/table surface by at least an inch. I'm using this one. This thing will get really hot after extended gaming sessions. Impossible to have on your lap.

Look into repasting to replace the Colgate thermal paste stamp they use.

Deadlast · May 22, 2019

neoak said:
Look into repasting to replace the Colgate thermal paste stamp they use.

Does that mess up the warranty and I didn't know you could do that with the m class alienwares.

Rodney McKay · May 22, 2019

Whelp, just ordered a gaming laptop. Wasn't planning on it at all, but Dell had one with all the specs I wanted for $200 off for Memorial Day.

Got the Dell G5 15 - 5590: $1180
Intel i7-9750H
GTX 1660 Ti
8gb RAM
256gb ssd + 1tb HDD
144hz 1080p screen
Year of accidental repair

Still unsure if I even need/want a gaming laptop, but for the sale price I'm willing to at least try it out. I can always return it before 30 days.

Ra · May 22, 2019

Argyle said:
I just went through the buying decision on this class of laptop (8750H/9750H + 2060+) and I ended up with a Lenovo Y740 (2060 version)...I managed to get it for $1300 with the 512GB SSD and it was so much cheaper than everything else that I decided to go for it. My feeling is that pretty much every laptop in this class (fairly thin and light, with a 6 core CPU and a 2060/2070 Max Q/2080 Max Q) is compromised in one way or another, at least for me. (This is a work laptop for me and thus if there was one laptop that was completely perfect for my needs, even if it was significantly more expensive, I'd strongly consider just going for it to get the right one.)

Anyway, here are the pros and cons of the Y740 as I see it...

Pros:
Easy to upgrade (I needed to upgrade the RAM to 32GB as well as the storage)
Good thermals
You can get this way cheaper than many competing laptops. At $1300 vs. say $2000 for a Gigabyte Aero it makes it easy to overlook its shortcomings (and it does many things well)
Switchable G-Sync/Optimus, many competing models do not offer G-Sync at all.
Fully programmable RGB lighting on the keyboard (+ air vents and the logo on the back) via Corsair iCue if that's your thing.
Many of the ports are on the back, and you get an ethernet jack as well as Thunderbolt, USB C, HDMI, mini Displayport...

Cons:
A little on the larger/heavier side compared to other laptops in this class
The power brick is stupid big. Seriously, it is huge.
Tiny battery, and corresponding horrible battery life. Even with Optimus turned on I'm sure you'd only be able to surf the web for like three, maybe four hours on the battery.
If you want the absolute fastest storage, this laptop only has one m.2 slot (and a 2.5" drive bay).
Macro keys on the left side of the keyboard, which has the effect of shifting the keyboard to the right about half a key. This means that you'll be hitting caps lock with your pinky a lot until you get used to it, and if you rely on muscle memory to hit the Esc key you'll be launching the Lenovo app often as the hotkey for that is in the upper left corner.
No built in SD Card reader.
The webcam is mounted on the bottom of the screen and is pretty horrible.

Overall I'm pretty happy with it and I think it's great that I can get a fairly portable laptop with a graphics chip roughly comparable to what's in my desktop (a 980ti, which I bought when it was the fastest thing you could get) for a reasonable price. My last laptop was an Alienware 15 R1 which was a pretty big and heavy laptop with a power brick about the same size as the Lenovo, so even though this isn't the lightest it's still a lot smaller and lighter than what I had before.

I appreciate the in depth impressions. It's always nice when someone comes back to share after they've had a machine for a while.

Rodney McKay said:
Whelp, just ordered a gaming laptop. Wasn't planning on it at all, but Dell had one with all the specs I wanted for $200 off for Memorial Day.

Got the Dell G5 15 - 5590: $1180
Intel i7-9750H
GTX 1660 Ti
8gb RAM
256gb ssd + 1tb HDD
144hz 1080p screen
Year of accidental repair

Still unsure if I even need/want a gaming laptop, but for the sale price I'm willing to at least try it out. I can always return it before 30 days.

Damn good specs for less than $1.2k, that's hard too pass.

Please let us know what you think of the G5 overall.

Bunga · May 22, 2019

Hey all, so I'm considering getting a gaming laptop to replace my now extremely outdated 2010 desktop PC which, whilst still serving me quite well, is ultimately starting to show its age more often than not and I can see uses for me with the mobility of a laptop (see below).

I have never had a gaming laptop before and really know very little about the subject so could use the help!

Games wise I like to play mostly big AAA titles so graphically demanding stuff so would need something capable of playing those. I'll be using the laptop whilst I work from home at my desk but also in the evenings I'd plan to take it downstairs and maybe hook it up to my television and play that way.

Budget wise I'd really prefer to stay around £1,000 (I'm in the UK). I dunno if its even possible to get something powerful enough and reasonably future proofed for that price tag but appreciate any guidance you can give.

Rodney McKay · May 22, 2019

K.Jack said:
Please let us know what you think of the G5 overall.

Sure thing. The big unknown for me is screen quality. All the reviews I've seen for the G5 are all the 60hz options. Seems to be one of the weak points of it from those reviews, so I hope the 144hz one is a bit better.

neoak · May 22, 2019

Deadlast said:
Does that mess up the warranty and I didn't know you could do that with the m class alienwares.

No, it doesn't. And yes, you can.

Deadlast · May 23, 2019

neoak said:
No, it doesn't. And yes, you can.

What thermal paste do you suggest for the m?

neoak · May 23, 2019

Deadlast said:
What thermal paste do you suggest for the m?

Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut

KodaRuss · May 24, 2019

I have been doing a lot of research lately and I am really leaning towards getting the Eluktronics Mech 15 G2R Amazon Link thanks to K.Jack. I did come across this one at MicroCenter from Power Spec1520. Has anyone had any experience with Power Spec? There are a couple trade offs between these two machines but not sure of the brand quality.

MicroCenter is showing that the Power Spec is $500 off right now but that really just get the price competitive with what else is out there for the most part. Paying 2k for that machine would be silly, only thing it really has going for it as far as spec wise is that it has the RTX 2070 which most machines do not at the $1500 price point.

GrinningColossus · May 24, 2019

KodaRuss said:
I have been doing a lot of research lately and I am really leaning towards getting the Eluktronics Mech 15 G2R Amazon Link thanks to K.Jack. I did come across this one at MicroCenter from Power Spec1520. Has anyone had any experience with Power Spec? There are a couple trade offs between these two machines but not sure of the brand quality.

MicroCenter is showing that the Power Spec is $500 off right now but that really just get the price competitive with what else is out there for the most part. Paying 2k for that machine would be silly, only thing it really has going for it as far as spec wise is that it has the RTX 2070 which most machines do not at the $1500 price point.

My experience with Powerspec has been really good. Still using it right now to type this 1.5 years later.

Bought my Powerspec 1510 two Black Fridays ago, it was the best price there was for anything even close to the specs it had. The thing to remember is that they are technically rebranded Sager / Clevo laptops with Powerspec being Micro Center's internal company. The 1710 had some overheating issues from cramming the 1070 in a thinner case than the 15 inch, though I eventually chose to repaste the 15" just to prevent any major issues (it can still hit throttling limit if I really push it). I have heard that RTX 2070 laptops pretty much all overheat at the moment so I'd expect a thermal paste replacement at some point (which is not hard to do on these). Ask the salesperson at Micro Center if they've heard anything about overheating, they are very upfront about it.

If undervolting is something you're not familiar with, it is probably worth familiarizing yourself with it a tiny bit to help with cooling. It was more of a bonus than a necessity on the 15", and it's a completely software-based fix. I probably overdo it a bit, because I've had a BSOD every month or so, but that's really the worst it can do if you make conservative/modest adjustments.

This thread on another forum about the older powerspecs confirms that this year's Powerspec laptops are also rebranded clevos (which, by the way, is a lot of what Eluktronics laptops are). They mention the 1520 is a Clevo PB51xx, not sure about the 17 inch one, but I'd assume similar. Clevo is known for making solid high end hardware, not the prettiest or flashiest but they get the job done.

Overall pros and cons on Powerspec:

Pros:

Good specs for the price
Good in-store support. Talk to someone who knows what they're doing in person.
Low/no bloatware except clevo's control center (needed for fan speed adjustments)

Cons:

Bad driver/bios support from Micro Center directly (unless you pay for a third party clevo utility)
Whatever baggage this year's Clevo models have (last years was overheating on the 17", haven't done my research on the current models)
Loud most of the time

JeffG · May 24, 2019

Can anyone use this 8G of ram?

Same as this type

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/HYNIX-8GB-DDR4-PC4-2666V-SODIMM-HMA81GS6CJR8N-VK-862398-855-/143032082451

Rodney McKay · May 24, 2019

I hope my Dell arrives a lot faster than the date they gave (June 12).

Does Dell build laptops on order or something? I don't think I customized it or anything, I feel like all they have to do is ship it out.

hitmon · May 25, 2019

Anyone have experience with the 2019 razer blade advanced models? Is their premium price worth the difference versus a Zephyrus, Alienware m17, or Lenovo y740?

Ra · May 25, 2019

Bunga said:
Hey all, so I'm considering getting a gaming laptop to replace my now extremely outdated 2010 desktop PC which, whilst still serving me quite well, is ultimately starting to show its age more often than not and I can see uses for me with the mobility of a laptop (see below).

I have never had a gaming laptop before and really know very little about the subject so could use the help!

Games wise I like to play mostly big AAA titles so graphically demanding stuff so would need something capable of playing those. I'll be using the laptop whilst I work from home at my desk but also in the evenings I'd plan to take it downstairs and maybe hook it up to my television and play that way.

Budget wise I'd really prefer to stay around £1,000 (I'm in the UK). I dunno if its even possible to get something powerful enough and reasonably future proofed for that price tag but appreciate any guidance you can give.

I would check out PC Specialist and try configuring a few laptops. You should be able to squeeze out a GTX 1060 around your budget, a 1660 Ti if you go over.

KodaRuss said:
I have been doing a lot of research lately and I am really leaning towards getting the Eluktronics Mech 15 G2R Amazon Link thanks to K.Jack. I did come across this one at MicroCenter from Power Spec1520. Has anyone had any experience with Power Spec? There are a couple trade offs between these two machines but not sure of the brand quality.

MicroCenter is showing that the Power Spec is $500 off right now but that really just get the price competitive with what else is out there for the most part. Paying 2k for that machine would be silly, only thing it really has going for it as far as spec wise is that it has the RTX 2070 which most machines do not at the $1500 price point.

That's a great price for a non Max-Q 2070.

hitmon said:
Is their premium price worth the difference versus a Zephyrus, Alienware m17, or Lenovo y740?

No.

hitmon · May 25, 2019

K.Jack said:
I would check out PC Specialist and try configuring a few laptops. You should be able to squeeze out a GTX 1060 around your budget, a 1660 Ti if you go over.

That's a great price for a non Max-Q 2070.

No.

Thanks for the quick response. Is about $1500 (including taxes) for this GTX1070 zephyrus a good price or would it be better to spend a little more for a RTX 2060 laptop?

Ra · May 25, 2019

hitmon said:
Thanks for the quick response. Is about $1500 (including taxes) for this GTX1070 zephyrus a good price or would it be better to spend a little more for a RTX 2060 laptop?

I personally would not consider a non-Turing card as a viable purchase going forward.

neoak · May 25, 2019

hitmon said:
Thanks for the quick response. Is about $1500 (including taxes) for this GTX1070 zephyrus a good price or would it be better to spend a little more for a RTX 2060 laptop?

Not at that price for power.

If you value the size over the power, then maybe it is a good choice because thin commands a price premium.

hitmon · May 26, 2019

What are your thoughts on the $500 premium to go from rtx2060 to rtx2080 maxq? I don't think it would make a noticeable difference on a 1920x1080 screen, but would it benefit if I connected it to an external display that supports a higher resolution?

Ra · May 26, 2019

hitmon said:
What are your thoughts on the $500 premium to go from rtx2060 to rtx2080 maxq? I don't think it would make a noticeable difference on a 1920x1080 screen, but would it benefit if I connected it to an external display that supports a higher resolution?

The 2080 Max-Q is just way too power constrained to be worth such a premium. $500 devoted to the GPU should buy you a 50 plus percent advantage at a minimum, but it's not even close here.

hitmon · May 26, 2019

K.Jack said:
The 2080 Max-Q is just way too power constrained to be worth such a premium. $500 devoted to the GPU should buy you a 50 plus percent advantage at a minimum, but it's not even close here.

Thanks for the tip. I heard the 2070 maxq included with the lenovo y740 was a 90watt version and that performed close to a 2080 maxq. Any idea if that's true? It's priced around $1600 before tax and I was considering it despite the 3-4 week wait it warned.

Ra · May 26, 2019

hitmon said:
Thanks for the tip. I heard the 2070 maxq included with the lenovo y740 was a 90watt version and that performed close to a 2080 maxq. Any idea if that's true? It's priced around $1600 before tax and I was considering it despite the 3-4 week wait it warned.

I can say that the 90W 2070 Max-Qs are worth the extra ~$100 over the 2060s, as they have significantly higher minimum framerates.

hitmon · May 27, 2019

K.Jack said:
I can say that the 90W 2070 Max-Qs are worth the extra ~$100 over the 2060s, as they have significantly higher minimum framerates.

Would you recommend purchasing any of the extended warranties with Lenovo? I'm not familiar with their history. Thanks again.

derFeef · May 27, 2019

Looking at some G5 reviews it is a tempting laptop. But also looking at the XPS15 with a 1050TI (which is probably all I need) - also very tempting. Plus it would have the benefit of being portable and nice looking.

edit: Oh this looks also nice: https://www.notebooksbilliger.de/notebooks/asus+notebooks/rog+gaming/products_id/464845
How is cooling/temp on the rog notebooks?

GrinningColossus · May 27, 2019

The Powerspec 1520 is now another $100 less. ($1400).

Looking over it again, only a few strange decisions made vs the 1510. Some are preference, but some are straight downgrades.

- 512GB WD Black NVMe SSD vs the 256gb Samsung Evo 960 NVMe SSD and 1TB no-brand HDD.
- 1 Mini Displayport and 1 USB C with Displayport connectivity vs 2 standard Mini Displayports on the older one (still version 1.3)
- Better port placement (1 usb A, 1 usb C w/ displayport capability, ethernet port moved to the back)

- (related) Added air vent on the right side and on the back where there used to be solid plastic

- Same wonky numpad placement (arrow key overlaps where the 0 should be)

Downgrades (maybe*):
- Generic DDR4 Ram vs the G-skill Ripjaws in the older one
* Still no thunderbolt 3 port (not mentioned in specs), but it is listed as an additional option on the equivalent clevo sites that offer customization, so I may be wrong. The 1510 had some extras included as standard that are usually optional on the equivalent Clevo P650HS-G, and they were not explicitly mentioned in the specs.
* I also can't tell if there is a fingerprint reader, as it is not mentioned in specs. It would have to be hidden in the touchpad, which would be a big upgrade over the one on the 1510, which is pretty bad and scans inconsistently.

Also, if anyone has questions, let me know. I'll be going to MicroCenter probably tomorrow and I can get impressions/comparisons on the 1520 while I'm there. I like being a Powerspec shill, but I'll give honest criticism of its flaws. If you've got any specific concerns point them out.

fluffydelusions · May 27, 2019

Finally got a laptop again. Used but works good so far. Asus gl503ge w/ i7 8750 and 1050ti. Paid $540 and added an nvme to it so $600 in total.

derFeef · May 27, 2019

fluffydelusions said:
Finally got a laptop again. Used but works good so far. Asus gl503ge w/ i7 8750 and 1050ti. Paid $540 and added an nvme to it so $600 in total.

Oh cool, eyeing a smilar one. Let me know how the 1050 TI treats you.

fluffydelusions · May 27, 2019

derFeef said:
Oh cool, eyeing a smilar one. Let me know how the 1050 TI treats you.

Fine for my pc gaming needs so far. I don't play really demanding games on pc and I have a ps4 and switch as well

uncelestial · May 27, 2019

So does anyone have any impressions of one of those "external video card docks" where you can use a desktop grade GPU housed in a weird box when your laptop is at home? Is it worth it? As good as PC? Buggy? Stupid? Practical?

WillyFive · May 27, 2019

uncelestial said:
So does anyone have any impressions of one of those "external video card docks" where you can use a desktop grade GPU housed in a weird box when your laptop is at home? Is it worth it? As good as PC? Buggy? Stupid? Practical?

Expensive, but works as advertised.

Numbers wise it wont be as fast as a PC (Thunderbolt 3 still bottlenecks a card's full potential), but it gets so close you wont really notice.

Really, the price is the main issue.

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