Choosing a Gaming Laptop

[ErixonStone]

This holiday season, most of the gifts given to me were in the form of gift cards to a big box electronics retailer. I've wanted to upgrade my laptop to something adequate for some time, and now I'm more than half way towards that. Depending upon what I choose, I could be almost all the way there, in fact.

I've checked out the options that are being offered, done some rudimentary research in terms of what's available on the market in terms of components. What is frustrating to me is that there are several fundamentally different versions masquerading as the same thing (for example, there are two versions of GPU that go by the name "GTX 1060". One version has double the dedicated RAM. For the GTX 1050 and the GTX 1070, this difference is designated by the version with more RAM ending with the suffix Ti", but the GTX 1060 doesn't use this convention).

The number-one priority is portability. I need to be able to move my machine from my dining room table to the dining room floor or to the kitchen table. So, a laptop is an absolute must. One thing to note is that I rarely am away from a power source, so battery life is of little consequence.

The next factor is price. I've got bills to pay, so I need to be in a reasonable range and I am willing to make some concessions. But I still want a quality experience. So, I'm looking at full HD, but not 4K. I'm looking for excellent smoothness and sharpness, but I don't need to run everything in the highest settings.

I do stream on occasion and I sometimes edit my twitch content before uploading to YouTube.

I am looking at a range of options:

Processor: i5 vs i7
GPU: GTX 1050 Ti vs GTX 1060 (6GB)
RAM: 8 vs 16 GB
Solid-State Drive: 128 vs 256
Screen Size: 15.6 vs 17.3

All the low-end options price out to $850. All the top options price out to $1230 (screen size is still 15.6, unless I ditch the 1 TB HDD and go with a single 512 GB SSD).

So, I'm wondering if anyone has a machine with a Core i5 and a 1050 Ti with 8 GB RAM. If so, how does it run? What could I expect? How far into the future will this be adequate?

Is 128 GB enough for a SSD just to boot up Windows, MS Office, and TGC from it and to keep everything else down on the HDD?

Does it make sense to upgrade to the i7 with the GTX 1050 Ti, or does that just waste CPU power?

Do I really need the bigger screen?

Could the SSD be upgraded at a later time when the price decreases? Could the RAM be upgraded at a later time?

[gamesdecent]

I'm not the most tech savvy, so hard for me to answer your specific questions. But I bought an i7, GTX 1060, 8GB RAM MSI gaming laptop during a Black Friday sale in 2016 and it was $1099. No SSD though. I've never had an issue running ANYTHING on it, and I've played really intensive CPU/GPU games like Cities Skylines, TGC, Planet Coaster, etc. Not sure where you're looking at them, but I got mine from iBuyPower.com and had no issues, they're currently running after Christmas sales, but the prices look to be around your $1250 high end for what I got.

Generally, for gaming I've always heard to prioritize GPU over CPU. Memory can be updated but it's usually easier and more cost effective to buy more than you need up front. My screen is 15.6" and it's fine for me. I have a second monitor I plug into it when I'm at my desk. Absolutely no regrets in the two years I've owned it.

[Deleted]

Hi Patrick, also no tech guru here but i have in th elast 12 months bought one and thought id share my experience...

I have the "Chad Thundercock" of gaming laptops so you dont want to compare to mine but i did a lot of umming and ahhing over screensize, processor and ram.

Screensize i did go with 17 inches (as Chad would) but it was only becuase it came with the i7, i would have been comfortable with 15 as i design on a slightly reduced resolution anyway.

The non negotiable for me was the ram, i went 32 which is overkill but 16 for me was a minimal inclusion, as was the 1060.

Mine was considerably more expensive as im in AU and i went a higher model but if you need portability and still want it to run well i would get as much ram as yo u can afford and try for the i7.

[outbackozzy]

This is what I was thinking, looking at one in early 2019, anyone had any experience with these 2 models.  Only real difference is the screen refresh rate, $200 difference.

MSI GE75 8RE-018AU 17.3" Core i7 Raider Notebook Win 10

Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2GHz (9M Cache, up to 4.10 GHz) Six Core CPU,
Intel HM370 Chipset,
17.3" FHD (1920x1080) 144Hz IPS Wide View Display,
NVIDIA GeForce GTX1060 with 6GB GDDR5,
16GB DDR4 (2 x 8GB, 2 slots) SODIMM 2400MHz Memory,
256GB NVMe SSD + 1TB (SATA) 7200rpm HDD

MSI GS73 8RE-028AU 17.3" Core i7 Stealth Notebook Win 10

Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2GHz (9M Cache, up to 4.10 GHz) Six Core CPU,
Intel HM370 Chipset,
17.3" FHD (1920x1080) 120Hz Wide View Display,
NVIDIA GeForce GTX1060 with 6GB GDDR5,
16GB DDR4 (2 x 8GB, 2 slots) SODIMM 2400MHz Memory,
256GB M.2 NVMe SSD + 1TB (SATA) 7200rpm HDD

[dorksirjur]

I bought this and its been fantastic. Only a 3GB 1060 but runs TGC fine, although I stopped playing it ages back. A few frame drops on intense courses but I just dropped some settings. I hit 60fps on pretty much every game with a tiny bit of tweaking. Smashes the arse off Football Manager!

www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-GE62VR-Apache-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B01MY47AJK

[linkslover]

Hi Patrick.
I'll respond to your points as I've numbered your quote in bold, though they aren't in the same order as you posted.

Dec 27, 2018 16:23:25 GMT -5 ErixonStone said:

This holiday season, most of the gifts given to me were in the form of gift cards to a big box electronics retailer. I've wanted to upgrade my laptop to something adequate for some time, and now I'm more than half way towards that. Depending upon what I choose, I could be almost all the way there, in fact.

I've checked out the options that are being offered, done some rudimentary research in terms of what's available on the market in terms of components. What is frustrating to me is that there are several fundamentally different versions masquerading as the same thing (for example, there are two versions of GPU that go by the name "GTX 1060". One version has double the dedicated RAM. For the GTX 1050 and the GTX 1070, this difference is designated by the version with more RAM ending with the suffix Ti", but the GTX 1060 doesn't use this convention).

The number-one priority is portability. I need to be able to move my machine from my dining room table to the dining room floor or to the kitchen table. So, a laptop is an absolute must. One thing to note is that I rarely am away from a power source, so battery life is of little consequence.

5
The next factor is price. I've got bills to pay, so I need to be in a reasonable range and I am willing to make some concessions. But I still want a quality experience. So, I'm looking at full HD, but not 4K. I'm looking for excellent smoothness and sharpness, but I don't need to run everything in the highest settings.

6
I do stream on occasion and I sometimes edit my twitch content before uploading to YouTube.

I am looking at a range of options:

Processor: i5 vs i7
GPU: GTX 1050 Ti vs GTX 1060 (6GB)
RAM: 8 vs 16 GB
Solid-State Drive: 128 vs 256
Screen Size: 15.6 vs 17.3

All the low-end options price out to $850. All the top options price out to $1230 (screen size is still 15.6, unless I ditch the 1 TB HDD and go with a single 512 GB SSD).

1
So, I'm wondering if anyone has a machine with a Core i5 and a 1050 Ti with 8 GB RAM. If so, how does it run? What could I expect? How far into the future will this be adequate?

2
Is 128 GB enough for a SSD just to boot up Windows, MS Office, and TGC from it and to keep everything else down on the HDD?

1
Does it make sense to upgrade to the i7 with the GTX 1050 Ti, or does that just waste CPU power?

3
Do I really need the bigger screen?

4
Could the SSD be upgraded at a later time when the price decreases? Could the RAM be upgraded at a later time?

1
Earlier this year I bought a Dell Inspiron 7577 i7 with 16Gb RAM and a GTX1060 8Gb (off memory - I'm not near my machine right now) for £1,250. It's fantastic. I run Football Manager with ease which is data/processor intensive and Motorsport Manager slickly at top end settings which is graphics intensive in the 3D races, qualifying and practice. I play TGC on PS4 so I can't comment on laptop performance for that but if you can afford the i7 then go for it, especially with more processor, memory and graphics power. Games are only going to get better and better, so they will require better kit to run them (smoothly).

2
128Gb SSD won't be able to hold a lot else besides the operating system especially as games grow in size. My laptop is 512Gb SSD with a further 1Tb HDD. I bought this knowing full well that Football Manager will use a lot of data, therefore file size. Games load and process far quicker from a SSD than a HDD.

3
Very much your personal preference Patrick and what you're willing to pay. When I started looking for a new laptop, I wanted a 17" screen. However I couldn't get one with the processor, memory and graphics I wanted with a 17" screen at a price I could afford. My Dell has a 15.6" screen and now I have it it doesn't bother me one bit it's a bit smaller than a 17".

4
I'm not an expert in this area, so somebody else may be able to answer better or correct what I say...
It will depend on what is inside the machine, but you should be able to upgrade SSD and you will be able to upgrade your RAM. Most laptops will even have a spare slot for extra RAM to be installed without the need to take the current one out.

5
My laptop is 4K capable but I don't have a game that is 4K (yet?). It runs the two games I mainly play (FM and MM) absolutely fine in high detail.

6
Afraid I don't twitch, stream or any of that so I can't advise here.


I hope this helps Patrick... basically get the best you can for the price you can pay for what you need it for.

Oh and my three year old daughter loves my laptop because the keys light up when it is on. "That's cool Daddy".

[JosiaDB]

 I have built my own gaming computers since I started in the '80s, and my son also builds his, and repurposes my old laptops for them.  I also have limited budgets.

Here are my thoughts-

Definitely go for the highest GPU you can afford, if you want to game.

After that, go for as much RAM as you can afford.

The 128Gb SSD is a bit small, sure, but it will be fine to hold windows only.   You can put everything else on the mechanical HDD.   Right now, I'm using 137GB of my SSD with Windows 10 and some minor programs.   IF you can afford the jump to 256Gb, do it, but not at a cost of sacrificing that 1060 video card or the RAM.

You can change out the SSD later if you want, but keep in mind that you'd have to reformat it, and reinstall windows.    My son just took a 6 yr old Toshiba and put a SSD in it for around $50 and it totally revitalized it.    RAM would be very easy to swap.

I wouldn't worry about the screen size at all, if budget is a concern.

I'm not sure how long the i5 and 8Gb Ram would be good for, obviously technology progresses really fast these days.   but GPUs seem to get out of date quicker than CPUs, from my experience.  

just my own opinions, but hope it helps you some!

[ErixonStone]

So, after days of research, asking questions, and conversations with my wife, I decided to stretch to the max of my budget. It basically came down to the longevity of the device for what fits the budget. This is what I ended up with:

Dell G7
Intel Core i7 8750H 2.2 GHz
16 GB DDR4 RAM (2x8 GB)
NVIDIA GTX 1060 Max-Q (6GB VRAM)
128 GB SSD
1 TB HDD
15.6 inch 60 Hz 1080p display panel

What I liked about the machine is the ability to upgrade it by replacing its HDD with a SSD down the road, and upgrading to 32 GB RAM (although that would require a purchase of 2 sticks). Also, it is possible to replace the display panel with one that runs on 120 Hz with better colors and brightness. It also has a USB 3.0 Type-C port with Thunderbolt, so adding an external GPU is possible if there was ever a cause to do it later.

Also, the G7 did well in terms of cooling with internal temperatures hovering around 73C and surface temperatures below 50C.

So far, I've just loaded up steam games I already had including TGC2. TGC2 ran smooth at ultra settings, but when I tried to crank up the object detail to max, I got some stuttering.

Now comes the arduous task of moving all my personal stuff to the new machine.

[linkslover]

Looks a very good choice Patrick that should see you gaming on it for a good while.

May I ask how much it cost?

[ErixonStone]

1200 USD

[linkslover]

At £940 converted that's £310 less than what I paid roughly six months ago and I have four times more SSD storage and a 4k screen. Sounds like you've got a good deal. :thup:

[francissanders]

For your needs, an i5 should handle streaming and light editing just fine. Going for the i7 might be overkill unless you plan on heavy multitasking or content creation.

[juliosaphire]

128GB SSD for Windows and Essentials is doable, but 256GB offers more flexibility. You can always upgrade later, but SSD prices have been dropping, so keep an eye on that. Screen size comes down to personal preference. 15.6" is usually a good balance. A bigger screen is nice, but it means a heavier laptop. You can go for the mid-range options, and you'll have a decent gaming experience. Also, I found this site that's supposed to be for seniors, but it's actually handy for anyone looking for cool stuff. Check it out at seniorsbot.com/guide.

[Deleted]

Feb 3, 2024 14:51:42 GMT -5 francissanders said:

For your needs, an i5 should handle streaming and light editing just fine. Going for the i7 might be overkill unless you plan on heavy multitasking or content creation.

Gaming laptop is not about CPU it is all about GPU. CPU with integrated graphics a big no for gaming, APU's are pretty good on consoles but you'll be hampered on PC as no PC APU comes close to a PS5 or XBox Series X, make sure you have a GPU in your gaming laptop if you want half decent gaming performance. But laptops are so friggin overpriced for gaming performance for your money  you will be always better off with a gaming desktop if you're on a budget.

[JosiaDB]

ya'll realize this thread ( and his original question), is about 5 yrs old, right?