Gaming Laptops
Discussion
Typing on a 5 year old MacBook Pro and I've been promising myself I'll replace it "when Apple launch the next model" for a while now 
Anyway historically in spite of being a geek I don't use my computer for much at home other than web browsing and watching videos.
I also don't have a games console however recently I've seen the odd game that has me tempted like Microsoft Flight Sim.
It's got me looking at high spec laptops and things like Razer and Alienware and it has me doubting whether I really want to stick with a MacBook.
I have no doubt Windows 10 could do everything I need but I've got really used to the "switch it on use it and don't need to give a s
t about much else" of how a MacBook works and take things for granted like being able to just shut the lid and open it and start using it etc.
But I look at some of the 15" gaming laptops and they really do look decent.
Any thoughts on Razer in particular?
Anyway historically in spite of being a geek I don't use my computer for much at home other than web browsing and watching videos.
I also don't have a games console however recently I've seen the odd game that has me tempted like Microsoft Flight Sim.
It's got me looking at high spec laptops and things like Razer and Alienware and it has me doubting whether I really want to stick with a MacBook.
I have no doubt Windows 10 could do everything I need but I've got really used to the "switch it on use it and don't need to give a s
t about much else" of how a MacBook works and take things for granted like being able to just shut the lid and open it and start using it etc.But I look at some of the 15" gaming laptops and they really do look decent.
Any thoughts on Razer in particular?
Do you really need a laptop for gaming?
Always remember if you buy a gaming laptop with for example an RTX 2070 GPU in it that GPU will sometimes be up to 20% down on performance compared to the 2070 in a desktop gaming PC.
I would never advise buying a laptop for gaming. Just my opinion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9jS1c4H5lk
Desktops, more powerful, cheaper and upgradable.
Always remember if you buy a gaming laptop with for example an RTX 2070 GPU in it that GPU will sometimes be up to 20% down on performance compared to the 2070 in a desktop gaming PC.
I would never advise buying a laptop for gaming. Just my opinion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9jS1c4H5lk
Desktops, more powerful, cheaper and upgradable.
I’d agree with FourWheelDrift, you get less spec for more money when it comes to gaming laptops, a desktop pc will always offer much better value for money...
However... if you don’t have space for a permanent set up or need more flexibility then they are still pretty good. I have a 5 year old MSI Apache Pro which copes ok with most stuff (albeit on lower graphics settings for more recent titles). When I come to replace it I would consider MSI again, I’ve had no issues with it.
Bear in mind gaming laptops are a lot heavier than a MacBook, and you can forget about battery life, so they’re not truly portable as you’ll always need a power socket if you want to game for more than (at most) an hour.
They are also pretty noisy and built in speakers are not great, so a headset or external speakers are a must!
However... if you don’t have space for a permanent set up or need more flexibility then they are still pretty good. I have a 5 year old MSI Apache Pro which copes ok with most stuff (albeit on lower graphics settings for more recent titles). When I come to replace it I would consider MSI again, I’ve had no issues with it.
Bear in mind gaming laptops are a lot heavier than a MacBook, and you can forget about battery life, so they’re not truly portable as you’ll always need a power socket if you want to game for more than (at most) an hour.
They are also pretty noisy and built in speakers are not great, so a headset or external speakers are a must!
Zetec-S said:
Bear in mind gaming laptops are a lot heavier than a MacBook, and you can forget about battery life, so they’re not truly portable as you’ll always need a power socket if you want to game for more than (at most) an hour.
The Spruce Goose said:
Zetec-S said:
Bear in mind gaming laptops are a lot heavier than a MacBook, and you can forget about battery life, so they’re not truly portable as you’ll always need a power socket if you want to game for more than (at most) an hour.
You'd have the high powered NVIDIA chip for gaming and automatically switched to a low powered Intel GPU for battery life. It's not new either, the first Optimus laptop i bought was in 2012.
The Asus I have now (2017 i7 model) can easily get a solid 10 hours if using the Intel GPU. The GeForce 940 is a power hog though. Weighs under 2kg, 3 USB ports, headphone jack, full sized KB, SD card reader and Network port whilst being less than an inch thick when closed.
Basically MBP spec for 1/3 the price. You can easily get dedicated gaming laptops for ordinary MacBook money that will leave an MBP sitting in the dust without being any heavier.
captain_cynic said:
Yep. NVIDIA Optimus was a game changer for laptop gaming.
You'd have the high powered NVIDIA chip for gaming and automatically switched to a low powered Intel GPU for battery life. It's not new either, the first Optimus laptop i bought was in 2012.
The Asus I have now (2017 i7 model) can easily get a solid 10 hours if using the Intel GPU. The GeForce 940 is a power hog though. Weighs under 2kg, 3 USB ports, headphone jack, full sized KB, SD card reader and Network port whilst being less than an inch thick when closed.
Basically MBP spec for 1/3 the price. You can easily get dedicated gaming laptops for ordinary MacBook money that will leave an MBP sitting in the dust without being any heavier.
10hrs battery life with GPU and fans running full chat when playing a modern FPS...? Obviously tech has improved then... definitely time for me to upgrade You'd have the high powered NVIDIA chip for gaming and automatically switched to a low powered Intel GPU for battery life. It's not new either, the first Optimus laptop i bought was in 2012.
The Asus I have now (2017 i7 model) can easily get a solid 10 hours if using the Intel GPU. The GeForce 940 is a power hog though. Weighs under 2kg, 3 USB ports, headphone jack, full sized KB, SD card reader and Network port whilst being less than an inch thick when closed.
Basically MBP spec for 1/3 the price. You can easily get dedicated gaming laptops for ordinary MacBook money that will leave an MBP sitting in the dust without being any heavier.
Zetec-S said:
10hrs battery life with GPU and fans running full chat when playing a modern FPS...? Obviously tech has improved then... definitely time for me to upgrade
You misunderstand me.Optimus is two GPUs...
The first is a high powered NVDIA chip (a 940mx in my case, but that's 3 years old) and a low powered Intel chip (whatever was the equivalent at the time) The computer switches between both depending on what you're doing.
If you're browsing websites at airports for 10 hours, no problems. You want to play games, plug it in after 2. That being said, had a power outage in the Dominican Republic in 2015, managed to play Starcraft 2 for 4 hours on my old Lappy (the 2012 model with a GF 650).
Cooling is a bit of an issue, in the fact the laptop gets hot. Never had mine crash or blue screen in the 3 years I've had it. It just means sitting it on your lap may result in slightly heated balls.
I think this kind of Laptop may be ideal for the OP. Something with a GeForce 1660 that is meant as a compromise between gaming power and lightness/portability. I don't think the OP needs a GeForce 2080 for MS Flight Sim 2020. I've seen a few good ones for around £1000 on offer (but don't even bother looking at anything with more than a 1080p screen with a GeForce 1660).
captain_cynic said:
Something with a GeForce 1660 that is meant as a compromise between gaming power and lightness/portability. I don't think the OP needs a GeForce 2080 for MS Flight Sim 2020. I've seen a few good ones for around £1000 on offer (but don't even bother looking at anything with more than a 1080p screen with a GeForce 1660).
I wouldn’t be so sure....seeing some of the reviews of it, if you want to be able to run it at the higher end of the graphics quality settings you need something pretty beefy....Article said:
The trailer shows impressive visuals with Microsoft Azure artificial intelligence and satellite imagery. To get these ideal results, the simulator requires a more recent Ryzen 7 Pro 2700X or Intel i7-9800X CPUs paired with high-end AMD Radeon VII and Nvidia RTX 2080 GPUs with at least 8GB of VRAM, 32GB of RAM, a 150GB SSD and a 50Mbps connection.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/microsoft-flight-simulator-2020s-wildly-impressive-visuals-will-require-some-serious-specs/I was pretty excited about FS2020 until I realised the kind of machine I’d need to run it well...
I'm running a Razer Blade 15 and it's the best laptop i've had after a few MSIs, a Dell XPS and an Asus.
Build quality is the best i've experienced and it runs Forza 7 and Horizon on Ultra settings which is pretty much all i need.
I mainly just leave it on a cooling pad, connected to a monitor and on AC power so haven't used it much for mobile gaming.
I suspect it will throttle just like any super thin laptop running on battery only though.
Build quality is the best i've experienced and it runs Forza 7 and Horizon on Ultra settings which is pretty much all i need.
I mainly just leave it on a cooling pad, connected to a monitor and on AC power so haven't used it much for mobile gaming.
I suspect it will throttle just like any super thin laptop running on battery only though.
Edited by Shinysideup on Sunday 30th August 00:39
Shinysideup said:
I'm running a Razer Blade 15 and it's the best laptop i've had after a few MSIs, a Dell XPS and an Asus.
Build quality is the best i've experienced and it runs Forza 7 and Horizon on Ultra settings which is pretty much all i need.
I mainly just leave it on a cooling pad, connected to a monitor and on AC power so haven't used it much for mobile gaming.
I suspect it will throttle just like any super thin laptop running on battery only though.
How do you find the build v say a Macbook if you're familiar with those please?Build quality is the best i've experienced and it runs Forza 7 and Horizon on Ultra settings which is pretty much all i need.
I mainly just leave it on a cooling pad, connected to a monitor and on AC power so haven't used it much for mobile gaming.
I suspect it will throttle just like any super thin laptop running on battery only though.
Edited by Shinysideup on Sunday 30th August 00:39
I haven't really paid attention to PC specs for years now but a Blade 15 looks like a lot of laptop for the money and with all respect to some of the brands you mention they don't look or feel very "special" which is something you can't say of what Razer appear to look like.
captain_cynic said:
I think this kind of Laptop may be ideal for the OP. Something with a GeForce 1660 that is meant as a compromise between gaming power and lightness/portability. I don't think the OP needs a GeForce 2080 for MS Flight Sim 2020. I've seen a few good ones for around £1000 on offer (but don't even bother looking at anything with more than a 1080p screen with a GeForce 1660).
Thanks that's the sort of card some of the models I was looking at have.To be clear I doubt I'll be turning into a gamer as if I wanted to I could just get a gaming rig I guess and I don't really want something super crazy on my lap for web browsing.
I think there's just been a nagging doubt about replacing my MBP as really the one I have still works.
Something like a Razer 15 seemed like it might be a way of getting a damned good laptop that also could be used for some light gaming duties if I wanted too but without tying myself to too much of a "gaming brick" if it doesn't get used for that.
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: How do you find the build v say a Macbook if you're familiar with those please?
I haven't really paid attention to PC specs for years now but a Blade 15 looks like a lot of laptop for the money and with all respect to some of the brands you mention they don't look or feel very "special" which is something you can't say of what Razer appear to look like.
Build quality is most definitely on par with Macbook Pro which is why i chose it. The whole chassis is machined from billet and acts as a large heat sink.I haven't really paid attention to PC specs for years now but a Blade 15 looks like a lot of laptop for the money and with all respect to some of the brands you mention they don't look or feel very "special" which is something you can't say of what Razer appear to look like.
It's also future proof to a certain degree graphics wise by getting the Razer Core dock so you can then fit an upgrade 3D card down the line if you need it.
All the Razer peripherals are of the same high quality also.
I've had a lot of laptops over the years and this is the best so far.
Edited by Shinysideup on Sunday 30th August 03:53
Shinysideup said:
Build quality is most definitely on par with Macbook Pro which is why i chose it. It's also future proof to a certain degree graphics wise by getting the Razer Core dock so you can then fit an upgrade 3D card down the line if you need it.
All the Razer peripherals are of the same high quality also.
I've had a lot of laptops over the years and this is the best so far.
Thanks for the feedback on build appreciate that.All the Razer peripherals are of the same high quality also.
I've had a lot of laptops over the years and this is the best so far.
The dock is something I sort of noticed but didn't pay attention to but that's kind of interesting as it suggests there's an upgrade route if I did get into that side of things a little more.
I really need to do some reading to understand how much of a limitation a GTX1660 Ti type video card would be for light gaming.
Donbot said:
Honestly I keep meaning to replace the Mac with something newer but never quite feel comfortable pulling the trigger on another MacBook/MBP.Shinysideup said:
I'm running a Razer Blade 15 and it's the best laptop i've had after a few MSIs, a Dell XPS and an Asus.
Build quality is the best i've experienced and it runs Forza 7 and Horizon on Ultra settings which is pretty much all i need.
I mainly just leave it on a cooling pad, connected to a monitor and on AC power so haven't used it much for mobile gaming.
I suspect it will throttle just like any super thin laptop running on battery only though.
Could I ask about fan noise please?Build quality is the best i've experienced and it runs Forza 7 and Horizon on Ultra settings which is pretty much all i need.
I mainly just leave it on a cooling pad, connected to a monitor and on AC power so haven't used it much for mobile gaming.
I suspect it will throttle just like any super thin laptop running on battery only though.
Edited by Shinysideup on Sunday 30th August 00:39
What's it like if you're literally just web browsing?
I'm reading conflicting stories on noise and the reference point being the MBP which is damned near silent.
bhstewie said:
hstewie said:Donbot said:
Honestly I keep meaning to replace the Mac with something newer but never quite feel comfortable pulling the trigger on another MacBook/MBP.Though if you want to play the latest games you have to go windows.
I’ve been playing FS2020 since release date and realise my PC needs a GPU upgrade. Not sure if this helps you size a laptop, but I can run at medium res, not high or ultra
- CPU, a 5 year old hex core i7-5820, is not maxed out, probably 75% usage
- GPU, a GTX-970 with 4GB RAM is running at 100% memory and load - although it’s the “recommended” spec, I’d say it’s the limiting factor that’s restricting the resolution I can play at
- Windows tells me that FS2020 Plus Win 10 is using 24GB of RAM, so I don’t believe their 16GB recommended spec, I’d say 32GB
- Finally you need 150GB of NVMe SSD just for the FS files, anything slower and you may spend more time waiting for the game to load than playing it
I hope that helps you spec up a laptop
- CPU, a 5 year old hex core i7-5820, is not maxed out, probably 75% usage
- GPU, a GTX-970 with 4GB RAM is running at 100% memory and load - although it’s the “recommended” spec, I’d say it’s the limiting factor that’s restricting the resolution I can play at
- Windows tells me that FS2020 Plus Win 10 is using 24GB of RAM, so I don’t believe their 16GB recommended spec, I’d say 32GB
- Finally you need 150GB of NVMe SSD just for the FS files, anything slower and you may spend more time waiting for the game to load than playing it
I hope that helps you spec up a laptop
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