Jump to content

Welcome to ExtremeHW

Welcome to ExtremeHW, register to take part in our community, don't worry this is a simple FREE process that requires minimal information for you to signup.

 

Registered users can: 

  • Start new topics and reply to others.
  • Show off your PC using our Rig Creator feature.
  • Subscribe to topics and forums to get updates.
  • Get your own profile page to customize.
  • Send personal messages to other members.
  • Take advantage of site exclusive features.
  • Upgrade to Premium to unlock additional sites features.
IGNORED

Still Considering New Laptop


Recommended Posts

Hi I had made a thread a while back about a laptop purchase. I have spoilered the details answering pertinent questions about my purchase at the end, since they don't change.

 

However, I have made a new thread as I was hoping in the past few months prices might have dropped, if just a bit. Just in case recommendations change because of that or some other reason. I plan to complete the purchase some time next month.

 

Also adding a few details that might further help: I am currently using a 2017 ASUS Strix G15 with an i7 7th gen, Nvidia GTX 1070, 16 GB RAM, 15" 1080p display, 256 GB SSD + 1000 GB HDD, Windows 10 Home. Whatever I buy next I am hoping for equivalent, if not better performance, without breaking the bank.

 

I have little knowledge of whether AMD or Nvidia is better but assuming the latter, I am hoping to upgrade to an RTX 4000 series and I am linking a few laptops with 4090s as well as 4050s, to demonstrate some of the prices and specs that are available to me. Please help me consider what I should buy.

 

Some 4090s:

 

Some 4050s:

Spoiler

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-prestige-16-studio-a13v-16-laptop-intel-core-i7-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4050-with-32gb-memory-1tb-ssd-urban-silver/6537556.p?skuId=6537556

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/gigabyte-aero-14-oled-qhd-gaming-laptop-intel-i7-13700h-with-16gb-lpddr5-and-1tb-ssd-nvidia-rtx-4050/6537012.p?skuId=6537012

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-14-165hz-gaming-laptop-qhd-amd-ryzen-7-7735hs-with-16gb-ddr5-memory-nvidia-rtx-4050-6g-gddr6-512gb-pcie-4-0-ssd-moonlight-white/6535497.p?skuId=6535497

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-predator-helios-neo-16-wuxga-165hz-ips-gaming-laptop-intel-i7-13700hx-geforce-rtx-4050-with-16gb-ddr5-512gb-ssd-steel-gray/6541304.p?skuId=6541304

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-omen-16-1-144hz-full-hd-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4050-512gb-ssd-shadow-black/6537002.p?skuId=6537002

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-predator-helios-neo-16-wuxga-165hz-ips-gaming-laptop-intel-i5-13500hx-geforce-rtx-4050-with-16gb-ddr5-512gb-ssd-steel-gray/6541305.p?skuId=6541305

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-omen-16-1-144hz-full-hd-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4050-1tb-ssd-shadow-black/6537001.p?skuId=6537001

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-g15-15-6-fhd-120hz-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4050-1tb-ssd-dark-shadow-gray/6541333.p?skuId=6541333

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-loq-15-6-gaming-laptop-fhd-amd-ryzen-7-7840hs-with-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4050-512gb-ssd-storage-storm-grey/6534465.p?skuId=6534465

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/gigabyte-15-6-gaming-laptop-1920x1080-fhd-intel-i5-12450h-with-16gb-ddr4-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4050-512gb-ssd/6541292.p?skuId=6541292

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-cyborg-15-6-144hz-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4050-with-8gb-ram-and-512gb-ssd-black/6532163.p?skuId=6532163

 

Following are details from my original thread:

Spoiler

General Questions

1) What is your budget?

Indefinite. That said, I am not shelling out $10,000+ nor am I paying an extra $1,000 for an extra 10 GB of storage or 1 GB of RAM.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?a. Ultraportable; 10" - 12" screen
c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
e. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen Doesn't matter. Primarily for gaming and essentially a portable machine. Whichever offers the best performance is fine for a good price.

3) In which country will you buying this notebook?

USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like:
b. Dislike:

None in particular. As long as it is good quality.

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

No.

6) What are the primary tasks you will be performing with this notebook?

Gaming.

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

Desk. It's mostly a compromise for a gaming desktop as I am not settled enough to keep a huge gaming rig I can only move once very so often.

Will you be playing games on your notebook? (If so, please state which games or types of games?)

Yes. All kinds.

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

Doesn't matter. Not familiar with current quality but battery was not good for gaming last I checked and again it's a compromise for a gaming desktop.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebook you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?

Whichever guarantees I am getting what is advertised. Also to consider, I may have to move countries in a month or two if my contract isn't renewed, so I am not sure if I will have time to make any requests of the manufacturer if things go bad. Also problematic if warrantees and other post purchase services are completely limited to the USA (i.e. nothing outside).

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Chrome OS, etc.

Whichever is offered with the best performance.

12) What ports do you require on your laptop? (ex. MiniDisplayPort or HDMI? Displayport or USB-C w/ DP?)

Not sure. Any help with this one?

Screen Specifics

13) What screen resolution(s) would you prefer? See further below for explanations.

Doesn't matter. I just care about the performance. I doubt anyone is selling gaming laptops below 1080p and I don't care for 4K/8K.

14) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? See further below for explanations.

Matte preferred but not required.

Build Quality and Design

15) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

No.

Notebook Components

16) How much storage space do you need?

Doesn't matter. I doubt anyone is selling below 500 GB and I don't keep too much on my computer at once.

Timing, Warranty and Longevity

17) When do you consider purchasing this laptop?

Immediately.

18) How long do you expect to use this laptop?

If all goes well, about half a decade. I have managed to use my current gaming laptop for about 6 years (with some troubles...).

19) How long could you afford to do without your laptop if it were to fail?

Not long at all.

20) Would you be willing to pay significantly extra for on-site warranty, or would it be acceptable to you to have to ship the laptop to the vendor for repair with perhaps a week or more outage?

If possible, neither. But if I have to choose, the former.

Other: For experience, I'd say to err on the side of caution and consider me a novice. I have had gaming/multimedia laptops twice before. The first had poor quality thermal paste that degraded within two years. The second (current) had it's battery swell up which I had to personally remove by opening it (which I remember being easily removable by design in my first machine) and also it's CMOS battery dried up.

To be clear, I'm not debating whether or not these should be there. I'd simply prefer these and other lifetime limiting issues not be present. Again, not debating that there should not be any. As far as paste is concerned, I know from experience that the manufacturer can definitely provide high quality thermal paste. I'd simply appreciate not having to open up my machine in a market where modularity and right to repair is being limited and it is becoming easier to brick your machine if trying to attempt a repair that can be done but the manufacturer does not provide themselves.

Please let me know if there are any other details I can provide. 

 

Thanks and regards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got a 2020 MSI GE75 Raider from Costco - highly recommend looking at MSi gaming lappys as they are built well, last well, and easily up-gradable. I have added a second NVME + SATA SDD; went from 16 to 32GB ram and with a decent laptop cooler and built in 6000+ RPM fans, this thing has treated me pretty damn well on the road and otherwise.  

Just 2 cents to throw in the pot.... and buying from Costco has LOTS of advantages and few if any disadvantages....

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Social Media Manager

@GanjaSMK Same for me got my asus from costco. Great customer service. And i agree MSI laptop are really nice i love their keyboard!

  • Respect 1

Owned

 Share

MOTHERBOARD: MSI MPG Z790i EDGE
CPU: Intel 13900k + Top Mounted 280mm Aio
RAM: 2x24gb Gskill 6400 cl36-48-48 1.4v
PSU: Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold White Edition
GPU: UHD ULTRA EXTREME BANANA GRAPHIC
MONITOR: [Monitor] LG CX48 OLED [VR] Samsung HMD Odyssey Plus OLED + Meta Quest 2 120hz
CASE: CoolerMaster NR200P White Mini ITX
SSD/NVME: 2TB Intel 660p 1tb sn850 1tb sn770
Full Rig Info

Owned

 Share

CPU: Asus Strix G15 AE 6800m 5900hx 32gb ram 1440p
RAM: MSI GT60 Dominator 870m 4800MQ
GPU: Alienware M11x R2 i7 640um Nvidia 335m 8gb Ram
MONITOR: Lenovo X270 1080p i7 7600u 16gb ram
SSD/NVME: Acer Chromebook 11.6
Full Rig Info

Owned

 Share

CPU: Ryzen 5560u
MOTHERBOARD: Beelink SER5 Mini PC Box
RAM: 2x32gb Sodimm
CASE: Jonsbo N1 Mini ITX
HDD: 8TB + 4TB HDD + 2 x Intel DC S3500 800GB
Full Rig Info
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Social Media Manager
4 hours ago, random_soldier said:

So I just learned that 4050 and anything even with 8 GB VRAM is fairly weak nowadays due to a lack of optimization for any of that. Not technically inclined so thought I would share that.

I would not trust that. 8gb is an issie for 1440/4k. But the 3050 mobile is a 1080p card.

 

I ran vr on a 3gb 1050 mobile and on a 1050ti mobile 4gb without issue.

  • Thanks 1

Owned

 Share

MOTHERBOARD: MSI MPG Z790i EDGE
CPU: Intel 13900k + Top Mounted 280mm Aio
RAM: 2x24gb Gskill 6400 cl36-48-48 1.4v
PSU: Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold White Edition
GPU: UHD ULTRA EXTREME BANANA GRAPHIC
MONITOR: [Monitor] LG CX48 OLED [VR] Samsung HMD Odyssey Plus OLED + Meta Quest 2 120hz
CASE: CoolerMaster NR200P White Mini ITX
SSD/NVME: 2TB Intel 660p 1tb sn850 1tb sn770
Full Rig Info

Owned

 Share

CPU: Asus Strix G15 AE 6800m 5900hx 32gb ram 1440p
RAM: MSI GT60 Dominator 870m 4800MQ
GPU: Alienware M11x R2 i7 640um Nvidia 335m 8gb Ram
MONITOR: Lenovo X270 1080p i7 7600u 16gb ram
SSD/NVME: Acer Chromebook 11.6
Full Rig Info

Owned

 Share

CPU: Ryzen 5560u
MOTHERBOARD: Beelink SER5 Mini PC Box
RAM: 2x32gb Sodimm
CASE: Jonsbo N1 Mini ITX
HDD: 8TB + 4TB HDD + 2 x Intel DC S3500 800GB
Full Rig Info
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Social Media Manager
2 hours ago, random_soldier said:

Whatever I buy, I want to be able to run latest AAA releases at a constant 30 FPS at least on the lowest settings at 1080p at the end of a 5-7 year period after purchase. Is that feasible with a lower end system or am I going to have to buy something more top of the line?

I would aim for 3080/6800m or newer 4070/amd newer lineup.

 

Looking at the current desktop 4060ti i don't imagine how bad the 4050/4060 mobile would be in a few years.

 

 

Core count show a really big change reaching 4070 level. 

 

2560 96bit Vs 4608 128bit

 

Source: 

WWW.NOTEBOOKCHECK.NET

Specifications and benchmarks of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU GPU.

 

 

 

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU 9728 @ 2.04 GHz256 Bit @ 20000 MHz

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU 7424 @ 1.86 - 2.28 GHz192 Bit @ 20000 MHz

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU 4608 @ 2.18 GHz128 Bit @ 16000 MHz

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU 3072 @ 2.37 GHz128 Bit @ 16000 MHz

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU2560 @ 2.37 GHz96 Bit @ 16000 MHz

 

  • Respect 1

Owned

 Share

MOTHERBOARD: MSI MPG Z790i EDGE
CPU: Intel 13900k + Top Mounted 280mm Aio
RAM: 2x24gb Gskill 6400 cl36-48-48 1.4v
PSU: Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold White Edition
GPU: UHD ULTRA EXTREME BANANA GRAPHIC
MONITOR: [Monitor] LG CX48 OLED [VR] Samsung HMD Odyssey Plus OLED + Meta Quest 2 120hz
CASE: CoolerMaster NR200P White Mini ITX
SSD/NVME: 2TB Intel 660p 1tb sn850 1tb sn770
Full Rig Info

Owned

 Share

CPU: Asus Strix G15 AE 6800m 5900hx 32gb ram 1440p
RAM: MSI GT60 Dominator 870m 4800MQ
GPU: Alienware M11x R2 i7 640um Nvidia 335m 8gb Ram
MONITOR: Lenovo X270 1080p i7 7600u 16gb ram
SSD/NVME: Acer Chromebook 11.6
Full Rig Info

Owned

 Share

CPU: Ryzen 5560u
MOTHERBOARD: Beelink SER5 Mini PC Box
RAM: 2x32gb Sodimm
CASE: Jonsbo N1 Mini ITX
HDD: 8TB + 4TB HDD + 2 x Intel DC S3500 800GB
Full Rig Info
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Premium Platinum - Lifetime

Interesting topic. Are Zen 4 mobile chips available yet? If not, you may want to wait for them.

 

I see Costco specials on laptops as they send us a flier monthly, but the last one I saw with Ryzen had the 5650u, but it's 7nm and only 6 cores with a low boost of 4.2GHz.

 

If you aim to play AAA games on it, I'd suggest getting a processor with at least 8 cores/16 thread since that's what the current gaming consoles have, so you want at least that from either Intel or AMD.

 

Graphics wise I'd shoot for top of the line like 4070 minimum.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited by neurotix
  • Thanks 1

$5500

Owned

 Share

CPU: Ryzen 9 7900X3D 2100MHz fclk
RAM: G.skill TridentZ5 7600MHz 36-45-45-45 1.425v
GPU: MSI RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio 3.135GHz/12.152GHz
MOTHERBOARD: Asus ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming Wifi
SSD/NVME: Crucial T700 1TB Gen 5 M.2
MONITOR: Acer Ultrawide Curved 3440x1440 144Hz HDR400 FreeSync
CASE: anidees Ai Crystal AR3 Midtower
CPU COOLER: EK Nucleus AIO CR360 Dark w/ PTM7950
Full Rig Info

Owned

 Share

CPU: Ryzen 9 5900x PBO 4.95GHz
GPU: MSI RTX 3060 Ventus
RAM: G.skill Flare X DDR4 3733MHz 16-16-16-32-50 1T GDM on
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero
CASE: anidees Ai Crystal Cube
PSU: OCZ ModXStream 550w
SSD/NVME: Samsung 850 Evo 256GB
CPU COOLER: Corsair H100i RGB Pro XT
Full Rig Info

Owned

 Share

CPU: i5-7600 4.5GHz
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS ROG Strix Z270H Gaming
RAM: G.skill DDR4-3000 15-16-16
CASE: Silverstone Grandia series GD09
GPU: GT 710
SSD/NVME: Samsung 850 Evo
MONITOR: Asus V239H 1080p 60Hz IPS
CPU COOLER: Thermalright AXP-120-X67
Full Rig Info
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, neurotix said:

Interesting topic. Are Zen 4 mobile chips available yet? If not, you may want to wait for them.

 

I see Costco specials on laptops as they send us a flier monthly, but the last one I saw with Ryzen had the 5650u, but it's 7nm and only 6 cores with a low boost of 4.2GHz.

 

If you aim to play AAA games on it, I'd suggest getting a processor with at least 8 cores/16 thread since that's what the current gaming consoles have, so you want at least that from either Intel or AMD.

 

Graphics wise I'd shoot for top of the line like 4070 minimum.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Are current gen i7s 8 core/16 thread? Most top of the line stuff usually has an i7 from what I've seen. If you recommend 4070 then it should probably have that.

 

Also thought I would add that I plan on purchasing in the next month so I can't wait past that.

Edited by random_soldier
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Premium Platinum - Lifetime

Well, tbh I have really no clue on Intel OR AMD chips as I don't follow mobile CPUs very much, so I have no idea. If you Google the processor name (if listed), you should be able to see specs on either Intel Ark or AMDs page for that chip. Only consider the latest gen chips. They sell lots of laptops that aren't cutting edge anymore, like with 12th gen Intel or whatever.

 

As far as a 4070, I said that as a minimum. If your goal is to run AAA games in 7 years on low or whatever, considering it's mobile, you're probably going to need one with the 4090.

 

Remember you get what you pay for so if longevity is your concern make sure you check the model number of the CPU on the sites i mentioned. If a website/retailer doesn't give that exact model name of the CPU in the system for you to look up, don't even consider it.

Edited by neurotix
  • Respect 1

$5500

Owned

 Share

CPU: Ryzen 9 7900X3D 2100MHz fclk
RAM: G.skill TridentZ5 7600MHz 36-45-45-45 1.425v
GPU: MSI RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio 3.135GHz/12.152GHz
MOTHERBOARD: Asus ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming Wifi
SSD/NVME: Crucial T700 1TB Gen 5 M.2
MONITOR: Acer Ultrawide Curved 3440x1440 144Hz HDR400 FreeSync
CASE: anidees Ai Crystal AR3 Midtower
CPU COOLER: EK Nucleus AIO CR360 Dark w/ PTM7950
Full Rig Info

Owned

 Share

CPU: Ryzen 9 5900x PBO 4.95GHz
GPU: MSI RTX 3060 Ventus
RAM: G.skill Flare X DDR4 3733MHz 16-16-16-32-50 1T GDM on
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero
CASE: anidees Ai Crystal Cube
PSU: OCZ ModXStream 550w
SSD/NVME: Samsung 850 Evo 256GB
CPU COOLER: Corsair H100i RGB Pro XT
Full Rig Info

Owned

 Share

CPU: i5-7600 4.5GHz
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS ROG Strix Z270H Gaming
RAM: G.skill DDR4-3000 15-16-16
CASE: Silverstone Grandia series GD09
GPU: GT 710
SSD/NVME: Samsung 850 Evo
MONITOR: Asus V239H 1080p 60Hz IPS
CPU COOLER: Thermalright AXP-120-X67
Full Rig Info
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Social Media Manager

Mobile chip naming is a bit a nightmare on intel side.

 

Amd 5600-6600 are 6 core while 5800h 5900hx 6900hx are all 8 core zen 3.

I don't think they have any zen 4 out for the top end. It was leaked 16 core could be available in 2023 but no update since.

 

 

 

I5 12500h-12600h-13500-13600h all are 4 p-core 8 e-core design with ht.

It slower than a ryzen 5900hx-6900hx in most multithreaded task but can probably beat it in singlethreaded task.

 

12700h-12900h / 13700h-13900h

Top of the line chip with 14 core.

6 p-core and 8 e-core.

Beat ryzen easily if thermal are good.

13th gen upgrade from 12th gen is a worthy upgrade. Meanwhile ryzen chip mostly perform all the same.

 

 

Owned

 Share

MOTHERBOARD: MSI MPG Z790i EDGE
CPU: Intel 13900k + Top Mounted 280mm Aio
RAM: 2x24gb Gskill 6400 cl36-48-48 1.4v
PSU: Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold White Edition
GPU: UHD ULTRA EXTREME BANANA GRAPHIC
MONITOR: [Monitor] LG CX48 OLED [VR] Samsung HMD Odyssey Plus OLED + Meta Quest 2 120hz
CASE: CoolerMaster NR200P White Mini ITX
SSD/NVME: 2TB Intel 660p 1tb sn850 1tb sn770
Full Rig Info

Owned

 Share

CPU: Asus Strix G15 AE 6800m 5900hx 32gb ram 1440p
RAM: MSI GT60 Dominator 870m 4800MQ
GPU: Alienware M11x R2 i7 640um Nvidia 335m 8gb Ram
MONITOR: Lenovo X270 1080p i7 7600u 16gb ram
SSD/NVME: Acer Chromebook 11.6
Full Rig Info

Owned

 Share

CPU: Ryzen 5560u
MOTHERBOARD: Beelink SER5 Mini PC Box
RAM: 2x32gb Sodimm
CASE: Jonsbo N1 Mini ITX
HDD: 8TB + 4TB HDD + 2 x Intel DC S3500 800GB
Full Rig Info
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This Website may place and access certain Cookies on your computer. ExtremeHW uses Cookies to improve your experience of using the Website and to improve our range of products and services. ExtremeHW has carefully chosen these Cookies and has taken steps to ensure that your privacy is protected and respected at all times. All Cookies used by this Website are used in accordance with current UK and EU Cookie Law. For more information please see our Privacy Policy