Another "what laptop" thread - primarily for gaming
Discussion
Hoping for a bit of advice from the PH community as I'm toying with the idea of a new gaming laptop. At the moment I'm using an MSI Apache Pro GE62 2QF with the following specs:
- Intel i7-5700HQ CPU @ 2.70GHz
- 16GB RAM
- GeForce GTX 970M
- 128Mb SSD + 1GB HDD
- 15" Display
I'm quiet happy with it and it still is fine for my current needs as I'm still working my way through a number of older games (Witcher 3, GTAV, Far Cry 4, etc), but at some point I'm going to want to play some newer stuff (Cyberpunk 2077 for example) and it's not going to cut it.
Obviously I know you get less for your money with a laptop vs proper PC, but I don't have anywhere for a permanent set up so need the flexibility of a laptop so I can move between dining table, sofa, (home) office, etc, depending on where there's space. Likewise I don't care about battery life or size/weight as it'll only be used at home and always plugged in.
Display wise, I'm happy enough with 15" although 17" would be nice (but costly). I can sometimes plug into the TV in the living room, and we have an "office spec" monitor in the office which we might upgrade to something better in the future so might utilise that from time to time. Sound is already sorted with a gaming headset.
I'm quite happy with the quality of the MSI machine, it've had it for about 5-6 years now and it's coped well with moderate to heavy use over that time. My only real gripe is the fans can be pretty loud when flat out (headset definitely required), and I suspect they are not quite as efficient as they used to be (heat seems to build up quicker these days), but I know that can be par for the course with laptops, especially as they age. So decent cooling would be good.
I'd consider an MSI again, although I've also always fancied an Alienware machine, always liked the look of them, but probably a bit pricey. Budget is £1,500 - £2,000 (despite the temptation to spend a little more
) Any thoughts or recommendations?
- Intel i7-5700HQ CPU @ 2.70GHz
- 16GB RAM
- GeForce GTX 970M
- 128Mb SSD + 1GB HDD
- 15" Display
I'm quiet happy with it and it still is fine for my current needs as I'm still working my way through a number of older games (Witcher 3, GTAV, Far Cry 4, etc), but at some point I'm going to want to play some newer stuff (Cyberpunk 2077 for example) and it's not going to cut it.
Obviously I know you get less for your money with a laptop vs proper PC, but I don't have anywhere for a permanent set up so need the flexibility of a laptop so I can move between dining table, sofa, (home) office, etc, depending on where there's space. Likewise I don't care about battery life or size/weight as it'll only be used at home and always plugged in.
Display wise, I'm happy enough with 15" although 17" would be nice (but costly). I can sometimes plug into the TV in the living room, and we have an "office spec" monitor in the office which we might upgrade to something better in the future so might utilise that from time to time. Sound is already sorted with a gaming headset.
I'm quite happy with the quality of the MSI machine, it've had it for about 5-6 years now and it's coped well with moderate to heavy use over that time. My only real gripe is the fans can be pretty loud when flat out (headset definitely required), and I suspect they are not quite as efficient as they used to be (heat seems to build up quicker these days), but I know that can be par for the course with laptops, especially as they age. So decent cooling would be good.
I'd consider an MSI again, although I've also always fancied an Alienware machine, always liked the look of them, but probably a bit pricey. Budget is £1,500 - £2,000 (despite the temptation to spend a little more
) Any thoughts or recommendations?I've got an Alienware R15, couple of years old. Never had any problems with it and nice quality. Bloody heavy and very noisy fans when gaming but to be expected I suppose. I've got my eye on one of these (mainly for the lid 
):
https://www.asus.com/uk/ROG-Republic-Of-Gamers/ROG...
):https://www.asus.com/uk/ROG-Republic-Of-Gamers/ROG...
I recently bought a 15" Acer Predator Helios 300.
The specs at this price range (~£1500) seem to be the same across most brands. I picked the Acer because I had a corporate discount. Specs are:
i7 9750
Geforce RTX 2060
Full HD screen with 144 Hz refresh rate
16Gb DDR4 ram
1Tb SSD
Quite well built, funky lit keyboard, relatively low weight
Just gets a bit noisy when the fans come on (only when gaming)
Only played Dirt Rally 2.0 and Counterstrike GO so far, no problem at all at max graphics with high FPS
The specs at this price range (~£1500) seem to be the same across most brands. I picked the Acer because I had a corporate discount. Specs are:
i7 9750
Geforce RTX 2060
Full HD screen with 144 Hz refresh rate
16Gb DDR4 ram
1Tb SSD
Quite well built, funky lit keyboard, relatively low weight
Just gets a bit noisy when the fans come on (only when gaming)
Only played Dirt Rally 2.0 and Counterstrike GO so far, no problem at all at max graphics with high FPS
)My Aorus X7V7 17" 4k laptop is a couple of years old now but still does a great job. I added a second M2 drive (now 2x M2 + SSD) and upped the RAM to 32Gb. The 8GB 1070Ti does a decent job with DCS in VR (Rift S), but I'm honestly not sure how that will translate to the latest games. I would happily go with Aorus again. It is also pretty slim given the spec, and with a cooling mat I haven't had any overheat issues, even with a slight overclock (to 4.3Ghz).
I just bought a Razer Core X and an 2080TI GPU to put in it. It benchmarks pretty well (between 'Gaming PC' and 'High End Gaming PC' on 3D Mark - well above 'Gaming Laptop') on an external ultrawide monitor.
Best of both worlds.
Significant volume reduction whilst gaming too. If I ever do decide to 'properly' upgrade I can sell the card and case, rather than having to take a mega hit on a gaming laptop.
Worth noting if you are using it to power the internal display, you apparently take quite a performance hit as the traffic then has to go both ways.
Best of both worlds.
Significant volume reduction whilst gaming too. If I ever do decide to 'properly' upgrade I can sell the card and case, rather than having to take a mega hit on a gaming laptop.
Worth noting if you are using it to power the internal display, you apparently take quite a performance hit as the traffic then has to go both ways.
Baldchap said:
I just bought a Razer Core X and an 2080TI GPU to put in it. It benchmarks pretty well (between 'Gaming PC' and 'High End Gaming PC' on 3D Mark - well above 'Gaming Laptop') on an external ultrawide monitor.
Best of both worlds.
Significant volume reduction whilst gaming too. If I ever do decide to 'properly' upgrade I can sell the card and case, rather than having to take a mega hit on a gaming laptop.
Worth noting if you are using it to power the internal display, you apparently take quite a performance hit as the traffic then has to go both ways.
I'd be interested in how you are getting on with this - are you seeing any bottlenecking? What sort of games/software are you running through it? I've been considering a 2080TI Aorus gaming box but at a £1500 ish I'd like to know for sure that I will be getting the benefits (or would I be better just putting the money towards a second system to keep at home, and stick with the laptop when away).Best of both worlds.
Significant volume reduction whilst gaming too. If I ever do decide to 'properly' upgrade I can sell the card and case, rather than having to take a mega hit on a gaming laptop.
Worth noting if you are using it to power the internal display, you apparently take quite a performance hit as the traffic then has to go both ways.
https://youtu.be/-EO1zJzJ1nY?t=731
Big benchmark roundup of mobile CPU/GPUs vs a couple of desktop chips.
Big benchmark roundup of mobile CPU/GPUs vs a couple of desktop chips.
LimaDelta said:
Baldchap said:
I just bought a Razer Core X and an 2080TI GPU to put in it. It benchmarks pretty well (between 'Gaming PC' and 'High End Gaming PC' on 3D Mark - well above 'Gaming Laptop') on an external ultrawide monitor.
Best of both worlds.
Significant volume reduction whilst gaming too. If I ever do decide to 'properly' upgrade I can sell the card and case, rather than having to take a mega hit on a gaming laptop.
Worth noting if you are using it to power the internal display, you apparently take quite a performance hit as the traffic then has to go both ways.
I'd be interested in how you are getting on with this - are you seeing any bottlenecking? What sort of games/software are you running through it? I've been considering a 2080TI Aorus gaming box but at a £1500 ish I'd like to know for sure that I will be getting the benefits (or would I be better just putting the money towards a second system to keep at home, and stick with the laptop when away).Best of both worlds.
Significant volume reduction whilst gaming too. If I ever do decide to 'properly' upgrade I can sell the card and case, rather than having to take a mega hit on a gaming laptop.
Worth noting if you are using it to power the internal display, you apparently take quite a performance hit as the traffic then has to go both ways.
Ironically I've been playing Deus Ex on it.
It does prevent the ridiculous Boeing 747 noises from the laptop's fans, mind...
Baldchap said:
It definitely isn't as fast as a desktop without the Thunderbolt link would be, but for a laptop with a 1060, it's phenomenally fast. Apparently you lose something like 8%, which is why I went for the TI, as this puts me comfortable for most stuff.
Ironically I've been playing Deus Ex on it.
It does prevent the ridiculous Boeing 747 noises from the laptop's fans, mind...
What are you outputting it to and is it via USB-C or HDMI? I am thinking of using one of these with my Macbook Pro.Ironically I've been playing Deus Ex on it.
It does prevent the ridiculous Boeing 747 noises from the laptop's fans, mind...
My laptop connects to the box via Thunderbolt over a USB C cable. The device itself has several USB ports and an Ethernet port. The graphics card then slots into a cut down 'motherboard' in the normal manner within the box itself.
The output to the monitor is the normal graphics card outputs, so these will vary depending on the card you select to install into the box. From memory I have Display port, HDMI and USB C.
The output to the monitor is the normal graphics card outputs, so these will vary depending on the card you select to install into the box. From memory I have Display port, HDMI and USB C.
Baldchap said:
I just bought a Razer Core X and an 2080TI GPU to put in it. It benchmarks pretty well (between 'Gaming PC' and 'High End Gaming PC' on 3D Mark - well above 'Gaming Laptop') on an external ultrawide monitor.
Best of both worlds.
Significant volume reduction whilst gaming too. If I ever do decide to 'properly' upgrade I can sell the card and case, rather than having to take a mega hit on a gaming laptop.
Worth noting if you are using it to power the internal display, you apparently take quite a performance hit as the traffic then has to go both ways.
I'm actually wondering about those. They look mighty expensive in my eye.Best of both worlds.
Significant volume reduction whilst gaming too. If I ever do decide to 'properly' upgrade I can sell the card and case, rather than having to take a mega hit on a gaming laptop.
Worth noting if you are using it to power the internal display, you apparently take quite a performance hit as the traffic then has to go both ways.
As in - decent gaming system expensive.
I've always wondered who are they for?
I've got a decent laptop (i7-9750H, RTX2060) and a good system (Ryzen 5, RTX2070), the system was well under 1500 GBP. Will a decent laptop with an 1500 GBP RTX2080 outperform a system? Won't the laptop CPU/interface/... bottleneck it?
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