How to select a gaming laptop
How to select a gaming laptop
I own a 10-year-old Dell XPS15 that frequently crashes when running older games which worked well before. Right now I’m not willing to spend a lot on a top-tier gaming laptop, but I’m tired of this model and looking for a reliable alternative that will last several years while I save up for something better.
Your budget is around A$1500, with the possibility to reach up to A$1700 if the slight price increase matters.
The notebook you’re thinking about has a 15-inch display. I assume that refers to its size.
You’re open to any screen resolution.
Do you need a portable or a desktop replacement laptop? Both are acceptable.
You require approximately 6 to 8 hours of battery life for web browsing, YouTube watching, and editing Word documents. I can run the device connected to power while gaming. This aspect is less critical as long as I can get a few hours off the grid for non-gaming tasks.
If you’d like to play games on your laptop, please list the titles you want to play along with their preferred graphics settings (Low, Medium or High). Right now I enjoy Northgard, Unturned, AoE2 & 3, and Sins of a Solar Empire. I hope these can run at high settings and other newer titles (BF2042) at medium if I decide to try them later.
What other functions do you want your laptop to handle? (Photo/Video editing, etc.)
Web browsing, video streaming (like YouTube), document editing, basic operations are important.
You need about 1TB of storage on a solid-state drive.
If you have any specific websites or stores in mind for purchasing, feel free to share their links. Ideally, Australian-based options would be best.
You plan to keep the laptop for around 5 years.
What type of optical drive are you interested in? (DVD ROM/Writer, Bluray ROM/Writer, etc.) – none selected.
Please mention any brands you prefer and those you dislike, along with your reasons.
Your location is Australia.
If you have more details to share later, I’ll be happy to follow up.
Thanks!
There is a specific graphics card you’re interested in? I have a similar model, possibly with a slightly larger budget. If you’re after top gaming performance, I’ve been impressed by MSI based on what I’ve seen. But for the overall package, I’ve decided on the Lenovo Legion. Check out the GPU hierarchy — it clarifies their standing and which option is generally superior Lenovo is launching the Legion refresh soon with their new 12th gen 2022 lineup, which should further reduce prices. These laptops include full-powered mobile GPUs, though not all models do. This detail is crucial to keep in mind. You might be surprised by how many are now offering higher TDP. My top pick — LENOVO Legion 5 15.6" Gaming Laptop AMD Ryzen 7, RTX 3070, 512 GB SSD £1119 Legion laptops also come with a MUX switch. I was also thinking about… MSI GP66 LEOPARD NVIDIA RTX 3080, 32GB, 15.6" FHD 240HZ, INTEL I7-11800H GAMING LAPTOP £1899 When picking a laptop, it’s wise to be cautious, as you could easily become fixated on high-end specs. You might then wonder if a laptop with an RTX 3080 is worth the investment? That’s why these videos can really assist — save money! See: https://youtu.be/qjO4OS3VA-k Compare the performance improvements… The gains aren’t huge, and you’re paying significantly more for only a 10-12% boost in FPS. It’s not worth it… This might also be useful – See: https://youtu.be/RwIL4EQYpc8