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Advice - Gaming laptop - 2 choices or others

  • 24-03-2021 8:54pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭


    Hi folks,

    Looking for some advice. Looking for a gaming laptop sub €2k. Preference for 15'. I've spent a good bit of time reading up on this but the plethora of options and things to consider is daunting.

    I've identified the two below:

    https://www.lenovo.com/ie/en/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-7-series/Legion-Slim-7i/p/88GMY701459

    The RTX 2060 on the right - €1,850 before a discount of 10% so net €1.6k.

    This option from PC specialist.
    https://www.pcspecialist.ie/notebooks/ionico-15/

    When configured to the same spec as the Lenovo (I think - if I haven't made a mistake), it comes in around €1.5k.


    Few questions for the forum, if you would be so kind.

    1. Are these decent machines which will not be out of spec in the next year-18 months? They look like they are capable of playing games like Cyberpunk 2077 etc. I tend to play the AAA releases maybe a year or so after they come out so I don't need bleeding edge specs.

    2. Are the prices reasonable for what is being sold? I've looked on laptopsdirect.ie and the prices seem in line with what is being sold there.

    Grateful for your thoughts


«1

Comments

  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    this lenovo legion is much better value for 1200

    https://www.currys.ie/ieen/gaming/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/lenovo-legion-5p-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-rtx-2060-256-gb-ssd-10205989-pdt.html

    buy another 8gb ram (ddr4 3200Mhz sodimm) for less than 50 euro and has another m.2 slot for another nvme ssd - another 50 or 60 euro

    the 4800h destroys the intel cpu options on that lenovo page

    144Hz high colour accuracy screen

    full 2060 gpu laptop card instead of the inferior max-q versions on the lenovo page (at least 25% more powerful)


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    I'm seeing in online forums issues relating to lenovo legion soundcards in relation to intermitent issues that are hard to resolve.. So -1 from me for lenovo.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭steve_r


    glasso wrote: »
    this lenovo legion is much better value for 1200

    https://www.currys.ie/ieen/gaming/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/lenovo-legion-5p-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-rtx-2060-256-gb-ssd-10205989-pdt.html

    buy another 8gb ram (ddr4 3200Mhz sodimm) for less than 50 euro and has another m.2 slot for another nvme ssd - another 50 or 60 euro

    the 4800h destroys the intel cpu options on that lenovo page

    144Hz high colour accuracy screen

    full 2060 gpu laptop card instead of the inferior max-q versions on the lenovo page (at least 25% more powerful)


    Thanks, that's very helpful.

    Is there a "sweet spot" of processors+graphics card that I could match to my budget? Appreciate that might be a big question.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    the 4800h and the 2060 (full 115 watt version) is a good combo

    plus it has a decent screen

    ram and ssd are cheap enough upgrades

    you can't upgrade the cpu or gpu

    you could get a 3060 card but it will most likely be a 80 watt card and the cpu will be not as powerful as the 4800h

    what is your budget -€1500?

    might be able to find a 3070 card laptop for that money

    see if the 5800h + 3070 tuf comes back into stock here

    it was selling for 1300 £

    that's a step up - maybe aim for that imo


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    steve_r wrote: »

    1. Are these decent machines which will not be out of spec in the next year-18 months? They look like they are capable of playing games like Cyberpunk 2077 etc. I tend to play the AAA releases maybe a year or so after they come out so I don't need bleeding edge specs.

    the amd 5800h + nvidia 3070 combo would be good for the next number of years - at least until the end of the current console generation and the current generation have not long gone on sale (only a few months and still in short supply) - you're looking at 6 years out really

    that's because that combo has a bit more power than the ps5 and xbox series x and most pc releases will be cross-platform games so based on the console capability.

    the FA506QR model on this page

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-FX516PR-i7-11370H-GeForce-Graphics/dp/B08CR3K88H/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3R7FUSAMXE1QE&dchild=1&keywords=asus%2B3070%2Blaptop&qid=1616625080&sprefix=asus%2B3070%2Bla%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-1&th=1

    set up an alert to your email using this

    https://www.backinstockalerts.com/


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭steve_r


    glasso wrote: »
    the amd 5800h + nvidia 3070 combo would be good for the next number of years - at least until the end of the current console generation and the current generation have not long gone on sale (only a few months and still in short supply) - you're looking at 6 years out really

    that's because that combo has a bit more power than the ps5 and xbox series x and most pc releases will be cross-platform games so based on the console capability.

    the FA506QR model on this page

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-FX516PR-i7-11370H-GeForce-Graphics/dp/B08CR3K88H/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3R7FUSAMXE1QE&dchild=1&keywords=asus%2B3070%2Blaptop&qid=1616625080&sprefix=asus%2B3070%2Bla%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-1&th=1

    set up an alert to your email using this

    https://www.backinstockalerts.com/

    A quick follow up on this - just looking at the amazon page - the TUF Dash is in stock - it has the i7 11370H rather than the AMD 5800MH - how significant would the difference be?

    I'm guessing the AMD one is seen as the better option due to the stock shortage?


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    the Tuf dash model is with a 4-core intel cpu

    the Tuf 15 / A15 has the 8-core 5800h

    it's a lot more powerful as a cpu

    I'd set up an alert to see if the 5800h comes back in stock

    especially as it seems to have been at the same price

    the 4-core would effectively throttle the game performance in some cases imo altho not by a lot


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭steve_r


    Thanks, that makes things clearer about the cores

    I’ve an alert setup now.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭steve_r


    Hi folks

    Sorry to keep bumping my own thread but am still working on this.

    Based on the advice provided here, I've been looking a lot at AMD Ryzen 7 laptops. This is in the absence of the ASUS model on Amazon linked above coming back into stock.

    These are the two latest options I'm looking at:
    https://www.laptopsdirect.ie/asus-ryzen-7-4800h-16gb-512gb-ssd-geforce-rtx-2060-15.6-inch-windows-10-gam-fa506iv-hn198t/version.asp#specs

    €1,348


    or from Bestware

    0J13y9a.jpg

    €1,498 (with the SSD addons bringing the storage to 1.5tb)

    I should add I'm not under massive time pressure so the wait is manageable.

    I do like the configuration options on Bestware. PcSpecialist is very recomended on other threads on this forum but they don't appear to have any options to use AMD Ryzen 7.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    not amazing value given rtx 3 series cards are now out

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Predator-PH315-53-i7-10750H-Display/dp/B08WQ6FZPC/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=3070+laptop&qid=1617207218&sr=8-15

    could be worth looking at this also

    6-core intel and 3060

    the 5800h + 3070 combo is great tho if you can get it on the one that you have the alert on


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭steve_r


    Thanks - that looks like it's available from 04 April so I'll see if the other one pops up by then.

    P.s just bought you a coffee as a thank you for your help


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    steve_r wrote: »
    Thanks - that looks like it's available from 04 April so I'll see if the other one pops up by then.

    P.s just bought you a coffee as a thank you for your help

    oh cheers man - that would be the first in a long time lol.

    at this point I'd recommend at least getting a RTX 3060 to match very close to the new consoles in terms of gaming longevity.

    the 6-core intel h cpus won't hold the gpu back on that combo (with RTX 3060)

    if you get bored of holding out for the 3070 deal that is!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,323 ✭✭✭Homelander


    Definitely at that budget be aiming for an RTX3060. It's significantly faster than the RTX2060, which in itself is barely any faster than the 1660Ti which can be found in £899 laptops.

    The Helios 300 should be OK but make sure to check reviews of any model you're looking at with a specific focus on CPU cooling and potential throttling issues. This is really problematic in some budget Intel based models.

    For example I have an i7-9750H in my Dell G3, but it throttles so badly I have to manually disable boost, so it only runs at 2.6Ghz all-core at all times, even though paper spec it's capable of 4.5Ghz boost - massive difference.

    So my in-game performance is extremely impacted compared to the paper spec, as at 2.6Ghz it under-performs in some games, but left to its own devices it quickly overheats and throttles badly causing massive in-game stuttering.

    It's incredibly annoying, and Dell bios won't allow undervolting to allow higher clocks at manageable temps.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    the RTX 2060 115w refresh model (which is what is being sold now predominantly) would handily trounce the 1660ti and it has DLSS also which is becoming increasingly valuable as it comes with more and more games and gives a decent uplift in fps with the RTX also giving the option of ray-tracing also.

    agree yes to check reviews of specific models for sure

    gaming laptops will always throttle to some extent as it's a challenge to get all that heat from the gpu and cpu out of a small case as but the thermal design should be good to allow for decent performance, albeit at the cost of higher fan noise.


  • Registered Users Posts: 28 Agent67




  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Agent67 wrote: »

    not especially.

    cpu (4-core i5) and gpu (low-end card as far as gpus go) not great

    for that budget look for a deal on 6-core cpu and 2060 or 1660ti

    17 inch laptops are thinner on the ground compared to 15.6 inch tho

    you can get 10% off at lenovo by signing up their newsletter (10% code emailed)


  • Registered Users Posts: 458 ✭✭robnet77


    Has anyone recently purchased an Alienware from the Dell outlet?
    I was chatting with their sales agent and they said they can offer the models on the UK site without any extra duty charge, as they can transfer the stock between UK and IE.
    The M15 R3 does not have the thermal issues of the previous releases and seems a great machine - I'm after a 17" myself, but the OP is asking for a 15".

    Also, the Ionico from PCSpecialist is rather tempting, but I've heard TongFang chassis are not very reliable?
    The GPU's in Clevo chassis don't seem to come in max-P versions, so they're not good value after all. The Tongfang tend to come in max-P though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,469 ✭✭✭✭Mr. CooL ICE


    robnet77 wrote: »
    Has anyone recently purchased an Alienware from the Dell outlet?
    I was chatting with their sales agent and they said they can offer the models on the UK site without any extra duty charge, as they can transfer the stock between UK and IE.

    I was looking at some G3s/G5s through the outlet recently. Dealing with the agents was frustrating as I had my eye on certain laptops and the agents said they'd reserve it for me, only for them to disappear and I wouldn't hear a thing. I put it down to them moving stock from UK to IE, but I didn't see any evidence of that actually happening. I'd have to go chasing up and repeating the same process when a new laptop appeared.

    Gave up after two weeks of dealing with reps who appeared to do nothing and bought a new XMG. Two days after ordering the XMG, a sales rep contacted me about my laptop reservation. Too late.

    You might have better luck than I did, so go for it and see what happens. The outlet deals can be really tempting.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭steve_r


    I was looking at some G3s/G5s through the outlet recently. Dealing with the agents was frustrating as I had my eye on certain laptops and the agents said they'd reserve it for me, only for them to disappear and I wouldn't hear a thing. I put it down to them moving stock from UK to IE, but I didn't see any evidence of that actually happening. I'd have to go chasing up and repeating the same process when a new laptop appeared.

    Gave up after two weeks of dealing with reps who appeared to do nothing and bought a new XMG. Two days after ordering the XMG, a sales rep contacted me about my laptop reservation. Too late.

    You might have better luck than I did, so go for it and see what happens. The outlet deals can be really tempting.

    I had a look on the site last night but I couldn’t see any options with Rtx 3k series cards?

    I’m still waiting for the two recommended options above to come back in stock on Amazon


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  • Registered Users Posts: 458 ✭✭robnet77


    I was looking at some G3s/G5s through the outlet recently. Dealing with the agents was frustrating as I had my eye on certain laptops and the agents said they'd reserve it for me, only for them to disappear and I wouldn't hear a thing. I put it down to them moving stock from UK to IE, but I didn't see any evidence of that actually happening. I'd have to go chasing up and repeating the same process when a new laptop appeared.

    Gave up after two weeks of dealing with reps who appeared to do nothing and bought a new XMG. Two days after ordering the XMG, a sales rep contacted me about my laptop reservation. Too late.

    You might have better luck than I did, so go for it and see what happens. The outlet deals can be really tempting.

    Thanks. What XMG did you go for? I was waiting for the Neo 17 to become available (it probably has the same chassis as the Ionico from PCS) but XMG seems to have lower availability than PCS, and higher prices?
    On a positive note, they allow to extend your warranty to 3 years which covers parts as well, I guess, whereas the PCS gold warranty covers parts for 2 years only, plus labour for three.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,469 ✭✭✭✭Mr. CooL ICE


    robnet77 wrote: »
    Thanks. What XMG did you go for? I was waiting for the Neo 17 to become available (it probably has the same chassis as the Ionico from PCS) but XMG seems to have lower availability than PCS, and higher prices?

    Went for the Core 15 AMD with a 2060, 16gb and 500gb m2. There was a sale on for the 2020 stock, so got €150 off and ended up paying 1150 overall.

    It wasn't a great time to buy, but I had been without any sort of gaming machine for a while so have no regrets./


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,469 ✭✭✭✭Mr. CooL ICE


    steve_r wrote: »
    I had a look on the site last night but I couldn’t see any options with Rtx 3k series cards?

    I was looking at the store two months ago because I wanted a 2000s card laptop, so the 3000s weren't even out yet, let alone any appearing in the outlet


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭steve_r


    I was looking at the store two months ago because I wanted a 2000s card laptop, so the 3000s weren't even out yet, let alone any appearing in the outlet

    Thanks, makes sense


  • Registered Users Posts: 458 ✭✭robnet77


    steve_r wrote: »
    I had a look on the site last night but I couldn’t see any options with Rtx 3k series cards?
    Were you looking at the Dell site for Alienware?
    Until a few days ago, on both the IE and UK site there were several machines available, but they were selling the M17 R3 (and M15 R3) models, which come with the 2000 series.
    With discounts, you could get a M17 R3 for 1.700 euro, with a 2070 Super and 1 year warranty (which you can extend but will be pricey... maybe you can get a warranty from Insure My Gadget or similar?).
    That's pretty much the best value on a gaming 17 inch laptop right now, imho.


    Unfortunately, on the Irish site all those machines are gone now, probably moved to the UK stock as there doesn't seem to be a market for Alienware here in Ireland?

    The R4 only adds the 3000 series, but thermals, screen, components are the same.
    The R5 is probably coming out in May, with the new AMD CPUs but apparently will be a lower-end version than the R4, although it will add QHD screen and the ability to add more RAM.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    steve_r wrote: »
    Thanks - that looks like it's available from 04 April so I'll see if the other one pops up by then.


    this is below your budget range but offers a hell of a lot for the money

    5600h 6-core Amd cpu - plenty powerful enough

    colour-accurate 144hz screen

    RTX 3060 - no doubt the lower wattage one but still good performance

    2 m.2 ssd slots and another sata 3 (add hdd or sata 3 ssd)

    build is plastic but solid

    thermals should be decent

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-AN515-45-Gaming-Display-Windows/dp/B08WPXKMGJ/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=3070+laptop&qid=1619718009&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExMU9QUjE2MzFKS0xIJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzI1MTgwMkQ4UFJCNUJOUFExUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzgxOTg3M0xPSzA1NTYwRFg4TiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭steve_r


    Thanks - actually ended up ordering the other Acer you recomended from Acer Ireland on Monday - they've told me 1-5 days to ship.

    That laptop does look great value though!


  • Registered Users Posts: 145 ✭✭EmmetF


    Hi guys, sorry to bump an old thread but there looks to be a lot of good advice here. I am in a similar market for a new gaming laptop in the upper €1,500 range. I have come across this Lenovo Legion that looks like an excellent spec for the price and I have read a lot of good reviews about the Legion 5.

    https://www.laptopsdirect.ie/lenovo-legion-5-amd-ryzen-7-5800h-16gb-512gb-ssd-15.6-inch-fhd-geforce-rtx-82ju002yuk/version.asp

    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
    15.6" 165Hz1920 x 1080
    GeForce RTX 3070 8GB
    16GB 3200MHz DDR4
    512GB M.2 2280
    Battery says 9hrs so I'm guessing it's like an 80W

    Is there better value out there? I wouldn't mind a 17" screen if there is better spec available for the larger laptops.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,316 ✭✭✭Absoluvely


    EmmetF wrote: »
    Hi guys, sorry to bump an old thread but there looks to be a lot of good advice here. I am in a similar market for a new gaming laptop in the upper €1,500 range. I have come across this Lenovo Legion that looks like an excellent spec for the price and I have read a lot of good reviews about the Legion 5.

    https://www.laptopsdirect.ie/lenovo-legion-5-amd-ryzen-7-5800h-16gb-512gb-ssd-15.6-inch-fhd-geforce-rtx-82ju002yuk/version.asp

    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
    15.6" 165Hz1920 x 1080
    GeForce RTX 3070 8GB
    16GB 3200MHz DDR4
    512GB M.2 2280
    Battery says 9hrs so I'm guessing it's like an 80W

    Is there better value out there? I wouldn't mind a 17" screen if there is better spec available for the larger laptops.

    There might be better value available whenever more laptops come back into stock.

    I ordered the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro for €1488 after discounts from Lenovo in February, it sold out pretty much immediately and arrived at the end of March. Lenovo website gives 10% discount for signing up to their newsletter, and code "UNIDAYS" gave another €50 off.

    16.0" 165Hz 2560 x 1600 ("WQXGA")
    RTX 3070
    AMD 5800H
    16GB RAM
    1 TB NVMe

    I was switching from a 17.3" 1920*1080 [16:9] laptop. I don't think you'll miss the extra width if you get a 16" [16:10] display.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 320 ✭✭toonarmy1


    EmmetF wrote: »
    Hi guys, sorry to bump an old thread but there looks to be a lot of good advice here. I am in a similar market for a new gaming laptop in the upper €1,500 range. I have come across this Lenovo Legion that looks like an excellent spec for the price and I have read a lot of good reviews about the Legion 5.

    https://www.laptopsdirect.ie/lenovo-legion-5-amd-ryzen-7-5800h-16gb-512gb-ssd-15.6-inch-fhd-geforce-rtx-82ju002yuk/version.asp

    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
    15.6" 165Hz1920 x 1080
    GeForce RTX 3070 8GB
    16GB 3200MHz DDR4
    512GB M.2 2280
    Battery says 9hrs so I'm guessing it's like an 80W

    Is there better value out there? I wouldn't mind a 17" screen if there is better spec available for the larger laptops.


    a mate needs a laptop pretty quick and he was wondering will there customs charges on the laptopsdirect one lined above ?

    he has someone travelling back from the uk in mid july, is there anything better that he can order from a uk site for similar money and get the the person travelling back to bring it with them ?
    specs on laptop above are what hes looking at
    thanks guys


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