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Gaming Laptop Discussion Thread

Ra

Ra

Rap Genius
Moderator
Oct 27, 2017
12,209
Dark Space
zerocalories said:
Should I avoid any max-q cards?
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I wouldn't say avoiding them is a public policy. It more comes down to what you are looking for in a laptop, and if Max-Q GPUs are necessary to achieve said goals.

For example, if thinnest, lightest, and hopefully quietest are your aims, a Max-Q or low-end GPU will be pretty much the only options

Articalys said:
Are there any manufacturers who are known for having particularly good or bad track records for hardware reliability? Doing a bit of my own research and wanted to know which companies I should look more into or avoid.
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I honestly don't think there are any flat out bad or mediocre companies anymore. There are individual laptops here and there that definitely don't have the best cooling solutions or build quality, but no manufacturer that should be avoided as a whole.

Zephyriel said:
Does that not build up more heat, and also damage the screen with said heat ? The surfave of my laptoo can get very hot when playing demanding games, the tray with four fans I have underneath do little to lower the core temperature.
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There are pretty much no laptops that vent heat through the top deck as matter of good design principle (people could never close the lid), so no it will not affect the temperatures of the internal components, or endanger the screen.

Bengraven said:
Any recommendations on a decent laptop between 5-700 bucks? I "need one for school" and wouldn't mind playing some modern games even with low end graphics.

(It's going to be mostly Minecraft, Fortnite, and Wow)
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Spending exactly $699.99 would get you a very competent gaming machine in this ASUS TUF FX505DT.

The Ryzen + GTX 1650 combo would handle the games you listed and a lot more.
 
Bengraven

Bengraven

Member
Oct 26, 2017
26,855
Florida
K.Jack said:
I wouldn't say avoiding them is a public policy. It more comes down to what you are looking for in a laptop, and if Max-Q GPUs are necessary to achieve said goals.

For example, if thinnest, lightest, and hopefully quietest are your aims, a Max-Q or low-end GPU will be pretty much the only options


I honestly don't think there are any flat out bad or mediocre companies anymore. There are individual laptops here and there that definitely don't have the best cooling solutions or build quality, but no manufacturer that should be avoided as a whole.


There are pretty much no laptops that vent heat through the top deck as matter of good design principle (people could never close the lid), so no it will not affect the temperatures of the internal components, or endanger the screen.


Spending exactly $699.99 would get you a very competent gaming machine in this ASUS TUF FX505DT.

The Ryzen + GTX 1650 combo would handle the games you listed and a lot more.
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Fuck me, I literally just grabbed one to try and beat the hurricane mail delay and it's a almost identical to that, but $25 more and with just a GTX 1050. lol
 

Newbong

Member
Oct 27, 2017
180
For gtx 1650 , acer nitro 7 or legion 540 ? Is there any advantage to metal built laptops over plastic ones ?
 
Tizoc

Tizoc

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,792
Oman
Trying ti help my cousin get a new gaming laptop, his budget is $1000 and is looking for something close to a gtx 1060 6gb with 15" screen

His power usage in his country are thus

So far he is eyeing this as itll suit his uses well

Any other good cheaper alternatives that can ship from eu or st least worldwide without concern for electricity? He can take his laptop to a retailer to help with the electric cable at least as the brick shouldnt be an issue.
 
derFeef

derFeef

Member
Oct 26, 2017
16,358
Austria
Newbong said:
does it allow fan control?
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No, but I wrote above that this is a really quiet gaming laptop out of the box. notebookcheck.net review can confirm.
There is one bios setting which you can set to make the fans fully stopped if not neccessary, and one "CoolSense" on/off switch in Windows which I think increases fan speed if you move the laptop around and such.

If you want a very similar laptop with fan control the Omen series can do that (there are identical models of Pavillon Gaming and Omen). Pavillon Gaming is kinda "only" hybrid gaming.
 
Angelo

Angelo

Member
Aug 24, 2018
1,704
I'm a college student currently saving money and looking for an affordable gaming laptop. Problem is, laptops are expensive by default here in Indonesia. My budget is $1100 (if i have to, i can save up more). I'm currently eyeing at MSI GF63 8RD-298ID . Here are the specs:

8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H, 2.20 – 4.10 GHz, 9 MB Smart Cache
RAM: 8 GB DDR4
256 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD
Intel UHD Graphics 630, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4 GB DDR5
15.6 inch Full HD IPS (1920 x 1080)
Power: 120w adapter, 3-Cell Li-Polymer , 51 WHR


Other gaming laptops that i'm currently eyeing on are probably: LENOVO Legion Y520-15IKBN, ACER Nitro 5 AN515-52-7767, HP Pavilion Power 15-cb530TX (here, they have similar price-range)

Any alternatives? I don't have much knowledge when it comes to gaming laptop and i am not a tech savvy. So any help is very appreciated. I really want to be able to run recent games and several upcoming games (let's say Borderlands 3 and Dying Light 2, even low-medium is fine). But then again, with this spec and budget, maybe i can't?). Thanks before!
 
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Ra

Ra

Rap Genius
Moderator
Oct 27, 2017
12,209
Dark Space
Bengraven said:
Fuck me, I literally just grabbed one to try and beat the hurricane mail delay and it's a almost identical to that, but $25 more and with just a GTX 1050. lol
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Are you stuck in with it?

Tizoc said:
Trying ti help my cousin get a new gaming laptop, his budget is $1000 and is looking for something close to a gtx 1060 6gb with 15" screen

His power usage in his country are thus

So far he is eyeing this as itll suit his uses well

Any other good cheaper alternatives that can ship from eu or st least worldwide without concern for electricity? He can take his laptop to a retailer to help with the electric cable at least as the brick shouldnt be an issue.
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In what country are you buying the laptop though?

Angelo said:
I'm a college student currently saving money and looking for an affordable gaming laptop. Problem is, laptops are expensive by default here in Indonesia. My budget is $1100 (if i have to, i can save up more). I'm currently eyeing at MSI GF63 8RD-298ID . Here are the specs:

8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H, 2.20 – 4.10 GHz, 9 MB Smart Cache
RAM: 8 GB DDR4
256 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD
Intel UHD Graphics 630, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4 GB DDR5
15.6 inch Full HD IPS (1920 x 1080)
Power: 120w adapter, 3-Cell Li-Polymer , 51 WHR


Other gaming laptops that i'm currently eyeing on are probably: LENOVO Legion Y520-15IKBN, ACER Nitro 5 AN515-52-7767, HP Pavilion Power 15-cb530TX (here, they have similar price-range)

Any alternatives? I don't have much knowledge when it comes to gaming laptop and i am not a tech savvy. So any help is very appreciated. I really want to be able to run recent games and several upcoming games (let's say Borderlands 3 and Dying Light 2, even low-medium is fine). But then again, with this spec and budget, maybe i can't?). Thanks before!
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It'd be much easier to look if you gave your budget in your local currency and provided links to some online shopping sites.
 
pandemonium

pandemonium

Member
Oct 25, 2017
256
Purchased a Lenovo Legion Y540 17" and it's been great for me so far. It's the GTX 2060 version. I got it on sale at Microcenter and I've been on a downloading spree.
 
Tizoc

Tizoc

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,792
Oman
K.Jack said:
Are you stuck in with it?


In what country are you buying the laptop though?


It'd be much easier to look if you gave your budget in your local currency and provided links to some online shopping sites.
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He lives in bahrain hence rhe link to the electric usage.
Buying from us or uk, whichever retailer offers a good price
 
Angelo

Angelo

Member
Aug 24, 2018
1,704
K.Jack said:
It'd be much easier to look if you gave your budget in your local currency and provided links to some online shopping sites.
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My budget is around $1100, if i convert it to Indonesian Rupiah which is my local currency, it's 15.654.574 IDR (Indonesian Rupiah)

Here are the online shopping sites i browsed:
https://esports.itgaleri.com/product/msi_gf63_8rd-298id/


This link is too long.



(Sorry for the wall of links)
 
Ra

Ra

Rap Genius
Moderator
Oct 27, 2017
12,209
Dark Space
Angelo said:
My budget is around $1100, if i convert it to Indonesian Rupiah which is my local currency, it's 15.654.574 IDR (Indonesian Rupiah)

Here are the online shopping sites i browsed:
https://esports.itgaleri.com/product/msi_gf63_8rd-298id/


This link is too long.



(Sorry for the wall of links)
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This ASUS is the best deal I found within your budget.
 
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peppermints

peppermints

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,656
Dell G3/G5 a good buy? Been considering upgrading my aging PC but might just a buy an entry level gaming laptop instead.

Would only play:
Overwatch
WoW Classic
CS:GO
Indie stuff

Laptop would also be used for personal programming projects + possibly daughter's homework. She's only in kindergarten so not sure what that'd entail yet.

Anyway I'm considering a G3 or G5. I have a One X and Switch that'll be my primary gaming devices so not looking for 4K 60 or anything like that.

Would I better off looking at a non gaming laptop given my use cases?
 
WillyFive

WillyFive

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
6,980
peppermints said:
Dell G3/G5 a good buy? Been considering upgrading my aging PC but might just a buy an entry level gaming laptop instead.

Would only play:
Overwatch
WoW Classic
CS:GO
Indie stuff

Laptop would also be used for personal programming projects + possibly daughter's homework. She's only in kindergarten so not sure what that'd entail yet.

Anyway I'm considering a G3 or G5. I have a One X and Switch that'll be my primary gaming devices so not looking for 4K 60 or anything like that.

Would I better off looking at a non gaming laptop given my use cases?
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With only those games, and the need to use it for homework with a kid, you might be better off with a non gaming laptop; since that way you would get mobility, battery life, and comfort compared to a bulky and hot laptop with a quarter of the battery life that is designed to be as powerful as it can be. Especially because you already have a Switch and One X.

You still need a dedicated graphics card for Overwatch though, so don't bother with Intel-only graphics, try MX250 or GTX1650 models. They won't play intensive 3D games above maybe medium/low but will chew through Overwatch and WoW just fine without turning your laptop into a hot plate.
 
Ra

Ra

Rap Genius
Moderator
Oct 27, 2017
12,209
Dark Space
peppermints said:
Dell G3/G5 a good buy? Been considering upgrading my aging PC but might just a buy an entry level gaming laptop instead.

Would only play:
Overwatch
WoW Classic
CS:GO
Indie stuff

Laptop would also be used for personal programming projects + possibly daughter's homework. She's only in kindergarten so not sure what that'd entail yet.

Anyway I'm considering a G3 or G5. I have a One X and Switch that'll be my primary gaming devices so not looking for 4K 60 or anything like that.

Would I better off looking at a non gaming laptop given my use cases?
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Non-gaming laptops that aren't crap and cheap gaming laptops like the Dells occupy the same price range now, so you might as well go for the cheap gaming laptop.

What is your exact budget though? There may be a better laptop available for the price than the G3/G5.
 

Lumyst

Member
Oct 27, 2017
77
Back on the old forum, I remember in 2015 that the Lenovo Y50 was the recommended budget gaming laptop, so I got that after transferring to university. Something to be aware of with the cheap gaming laptops is their screens probably have reduced color gamut (think of it like only having 54% of the color saturation than what is ideal). I didn't realize before getting the Y50 that it was going to be that way, so it severely affected my visual enjoyment of all content. I noticed that laptop manufacturers now specify the brightness and sometimes even the color gamut (45% ntsc vs 72%) which is better than before, but I wish I knew about that particular trade-off when going for a budget gaming laptop.
 
peppermints

peppermints

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,656
WillyFive said:
With only those games, and the need to use it for homework with a kid, you might be better off with a non gaming laptop; since that way you would get mobility, battery life, and comfort compared to a bulky and hot laptop with a quarter of the battery life that is designed to be as powerful as it can be. Especially because you already have a Switch and One X.

You still need a dedicated graphics card for Overwatch though, so don't bother with Intel-only graphics, try MX250 or GTX1650 models. They won't play intensive 3D games above maybe medium/low but will chew through Overwatch and WoW just fine without turning your laptop into a hot plate.
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K.Jack said:
Non-gaming laptops that aren't crap and cheap gaming laptops like the Dells occupy the same price range now, so you might as well go for the cheap gaming laptop.

What is your exact budget though? There may be a better laptop available for the price than the G3/G5.
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Budget is probably 700-80 max. Again I'm not expecting a beast of a machine at that price point.
 
Ra

Ra

Rap Genius
Moderator
Oct 27, 2017
12,209
Dark Space
Lumyst said:
Back on the old forum, I remember in 2015 that the Lenovo Y50 was the recommended budget gaming laptop, so I got that after transferring to university. Something to be aware of with the cheap gaming laptops is their screens probably have reduced color gamut (think of it like only having 54% of the color saturation than what is ideal). I didn't realize before getting the Y50 that it was going to be that way, so it severely affected my visual enjoyment of all content. I noticed that laptop manufacturers now specify the brightness and sometimes even the color gamut (45% ntsc vs 72%) which is better than before, but I wish I knew about that particular trade-off when going for a budget gaming laptop.
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Things have changed a lot in the last 5 years. Now even budget gaming laptops (some sub-$1k) are shipping with 120Hz/144Hz screens with 94% sRGB coverage.

peppermints said:
Budget is probably 700-80 max. Again I'm not expecting a beast of a machine at that price point.
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This MSI is Amazon's Deal of the Day, I'd seriously consider buying it immediately.

6-core intel, GTX 1650, NVMe SSD, and a 120Hz diaplay for $699. Ends in 5 hours.

Slightly over $800 this HP has a 144Hz, 1660 Ti, and 6-core CPU.
 
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OP
chandoog

chandoog

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,074
K.Jack said:
Things have changed a lot in the last 5 years. Now even budget gaming laptops (some sub-$1k) are shipping with 120Hz/144Hz screens with 94% sRGB coverage.


This MSI is Amazon's Deal of the Day, I'd seriously consider buying it immediately.

6-core intel, GTX 1650, NVMe SSD, and a 120Hz diaplay for $699. Ends in 5 hours.
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Man, if this was a 1660 instead of a 1650, I would have bought this in less than a haertbeat.
 
Ra

Ra

Rap Genius
Moderator
Oct 27, 2017
12,209
Dark Space
chandoog said:
I don't see a price tag on the page, just the "extra 10% off $1199.99 computers" and assumed it was $1200~
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That's... weird. This is how the page is displaying for me:

Ble.jpg~original
 

Articalys

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,737
After lowering my own standards fpr what I think I would need from a gaming laptop, the only things keeping me from jumping on either of those is that 256GB seems a bit small for storage space, and I'm not sure how easy/hard it is to upgrade to Win10 Pro.
 
Ra

Ra

Rap Genius
Moderator
Oct 27, 2017
12,209
Dark Space
Articalys said:
After lowering my own standards fpr what I think I would need from a gaming laptop, the only things keeping me from jumping on either of those is that 256GB seems a bit small for storage space, and I'm not sure how easy/hard it is to upgrade to Win10 Pro.
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When large capacity SSDs are getting this cheap, I consider saving money by buying laptops with smaller SSDs a bonus. The manufacturers charge criminal prices to increase your SSD size, so it's better this way.

Upgrading to Windows 10 Pro is super easy.

chandoog said:
This is how I'm seeing it. HP doesn't like me I guess :(

bCgM1Rd.png
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Are you running some kind of Ad Blocker or No Script or something that has removed the add to cart? Try reloading? When I load the page it kind of isn't there then appears in like half a second.

That is crazy bizarre..
 

Articalys

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,737
K.Jack said:
When large capacity SSDs are getting this cheap, I consider saving money by buying laptops with smaller SSDs a bonus. The manufacturers charge criminal prices to increase your SSD size, so it's better this way.

Upgrading to Windows 10 Pro is super easy.
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That's a fair point, and even after accounting for whatever storage the OS/system files take up that still leaves at least 200GB. No idea what the average size of non-AAA and indie games is nowadays, but it sounds like I wouldn't have to do a ton of space shuffling if I only download what I plan to play at the moment.

The guide link seems to be broken but I found an example of it easily enough. I'll admit that almost the entire reason I'm being stubborn about 10 Pro is for the ability to micromanage updates, though after all the horror stories I've heard of the latest patch breaking this or that, the peace of mind is worth it IMO.

All that being said, what's the practical result of the spec differences between the MSI and HP? The latter is more powerful but not overwhelmingly so?
 

Lumyst

Member
Oct 27, 2017
77
I'd get that HP in a heartbeat but digging around seems to confirm that it's be a Y50 situation again, as it actually has the bland 60 hz ips display, as seen in this review:


If only that MSI had the HP's specs, or the HP had the MSI's display, haha
 

Articalys

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,737
The time-sensitive nature of the Amazon deal got me (along with some site credit I had) and I pulled the lever on the MSI GL63 8SC. Coming from someone who entered this thread requesting recommendations at $1500 I don't know if this makes me an idiot or a savvy shopper understanding his limits and what he'll realistically use at the moment. I recognize it's weaker than the HP by a small-to-medium amount but while I don't have a kid who needs something to do homework on like peppermints, I'll probably be playing the same performance-demand-level of games that they mentioned so it'll hopefully work out.
Besides, I'm upgrading from the 2010 mediocrity of an Intel i5-560M and GeForce GT 420M so either way I'm warping past multiple generations of tech at once.
 
neoak

neoak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,265
Articalys said:
The time-sensitive nature of the Amazon deal got me (along with some site credit I had) and I pulled the lever on the MSI GL63 8SC. Coming from someone who entered this thread requesting recommendations at $1500 I don't know if this makes me an idiot or a savvy shopper understanding his limits and what he'll realistically use at the moment. I recognize it's weaker than the HP by a small-to-medium amount but while I don't have a kid who needs something to do homework on like peppermints, I'll probably be playing the same performance-demand-level of games that they mentioned so it'll hopefully work out.
Besides, I'm upgrading from the 2010 mediocrity of an Intel i5-560M and GeForce GT 420M so either way I'm warping past multiple generations of tech at once.
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The 699 one? That's a lot for a great price.
 

52club

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,499
Lumyst said:
I'd get that HP in a heartbeat but digging around seems to confirm that it's be a Y50 situation again, as it actually has the bland 60 hz ips display, as seen in this review:


If only that MSI had the HP's specs, or the HP had the MSI's display, haha
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To me I place the screen quality way up on the important factors, unless you are planning on using an external monitor it can make a big difference. I really wish manufacturers would step up their panel game, but the demand isn't their yet I suppose.
 
Ra

Ra

Rap Genius
Moderator
Oct 27, 2017
12,209
Dark Space
Lumyst said:
I'd get that HP in a heartbeat but digging around seems to confirm that it's be a Y50 situation again, as it actually has the bland 60 hz ips display, as seen in this review:


If only that MSI had the HP's specs, or the HP had the MSI's display, haha
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That's a shame. The same SKU number on Amazon is shipping with a 144Hz panel so I wrongly assumed the one on HP's website was as well. I looked up Notebookcheck's review of last year's Pascal model with that display and yeah the screen is mediocre.

But, some will still make the sacrifice to gain the gaming specs, which I can understand fully. After having the beautiful 120Hz display in my 17" MSI (100% sRGB, ~72% RGB), I could never.

Articalys said:
The time-sensitive nature of the Amazon deal got me (along with some site credit I had) and I pulled the lever on the MSI GL63 8SC. Coming from someone who entered this thread requesting recommendations at $1500 I don't know if this makes me an idiot or a savvy shopper understanding his limits and what he'll realistically use at the moment. I recognize it's weaker than the HP by a small-to-medium amount but while I don't have a kid who needs something to do homework on like peppermints, I'll probably be playing the same performance-demand-level of games that they mentioned so it'll hopefully work out.
Besides, I'm upgrading from the 2010 mediocrity of an Intel i5-560M and GeForce GT 420M so either way I'm warping past multiple generations of tech at once.
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I've said this a few times. I'm really not big on spending large sums of money on laptops this year anyway. The RTX 20 series is just not delivering a large leap over the GTX 10 series due to the power constraints.

Buying a mid-range machine on a flash deal and seeing how 2020 pans out is probably the most savvy move you could've made. You did extremely well with the information you've been gathering, and the patience you showed before making a decision is to be commended.
 
manchego obfuscator

manchego obfuscator

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,123
Brooklyn, NY
well now I'm second-guessing my decision to get an ASUS TUF FX505DU for $800 a few months ago, but OTOH, my Lenovo Y50 from 2015 really was running like absolute dogshit (not just gaming, I mean basic things like startup times, Web browsing, etc) and I dunno how much longer I could have put up with that
 
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