How to select optimal settings for a new personalized laptop?
How to select optimal settings for a new personalized laptop?
The arrival of the new Nvidia 4th RTX GPU generation in laptops seems like an ideal moment to upgrade. I recently came across a customizable laptop that caught my attention: PC Specialist 17" RECOIL®. I’m looking for a powerful single-core CPU laptop, as other components are less critical. My main focus is on historical Total War and other strategy titles where CPU performance is crucial. This appears to be the best value I’ve found compared to previous ASUS/MSI models with Nvidia 3rd RTX GPUs and weaker CPUs.
I’m open to suggestions, but I need options under 3000 Euros. These are my top priorities: RAM, GPU, hard drives, and overall setup. The games I plan to play most often include Shogun 2 TW, Rome 2 TW, Attila TW, Three Kingdoms TW, plus Mount and Blade Bannerlord, Victoria 3, and Crusader Kings 3. Some of these may require a lot of free space.
Please let me know if you can provide recommendations or configurations within that budget.
Certainly want a 2x16GB memory setup. The amount of space required depends on your preference, but starting with 1TB makes sense. As a premium laptop, I’d opt for the Corsair MP600.
When it comes to the GPU, getting it faster now means it will last longer. A 2560x1600 at 240Hz is quite ambitious even for a mobile 4090 (more like a power-starved RTX 4080 desktop).
The price is around 3258 Euros. You could go down to the 4080 and add a 2TB drive, bringing it under 2823 Euros.
Thank you for your questions. Could you clarify if you'd like to know about playing at 1920x1080 resolution? Additionally, please explain the distinction between 1x32GB and 2x16GB RAM, and compare which hard drive offers better speed or performance—perhaps a faster 1TB drive is more beneficial than a slower 2TB one?
Dual channel memory needs both channels to be filled properly. One memory stick alone won't meet this requirement.
DDR5 offers some changes compared to previous standards—it increases the width on a single DIMM, making a single DDR5 channel comparable to dual channel DDR4. You can further boost bandwidth by using two sticks. Although it may take some time before the benefits are fully realized, having this setup will be advantageous for certain tasks.
Another choice is a 2x32GB configuration if you require a large amount of memory, though it's not essential for gaming.
A resolution of 1920 x 1200 is ideal, but lower resolutions are also acceptable.
The Corsair MP600 is among the faster drives available. You might also consider the Samsung 980 Pro 2TB for better performance, or the 990 Pro—though the latter had firmware issues, so I’d skip it unless you plan to update it yourself.
At peak speeds, differences between drives are minimal, which is unlikely to be noticeable.
If you need more storage, simply add a second drive. For gaming, speed isn't always critical.
For example, pair a 980 Pro 1TB for the operating system and preferred games with a 2TB 970 Evo Plus for other needs. The 4080 remains within budget thanks to its 2x16GB configuration.
I’m considering playing Napoleon Total War and noticed problems with Intel 12th and 13th generation CPUs. An alternative appears promising on PC Specialist:
Valeon 17.3´´
https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks.../overview/
This configuration costs 2333 euros. It includes an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, 32 GB DDR5 RAM (2x16GB), a Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU, and a 2 TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 SSD. I’m leaning toward Valeon or Recoil. What do you think is the best choice? Also, why are these setups more affordable compared to brands like MSI or Asus?
Edited: I already own an MSI GE75 laptop from 2020, and Napoleon Total War runs smoothly there. I could also try mixing games between MSI and Recoil.
I reviewed the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX versus the Intel Core i9 13900HX, and the distinction is significant, especially in single-core performance.
You can check the comparison here: https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/In...vsm1792755
The price difference doesn’t justify choosing Valeon; Recoil appears to be the better option.