HP Spectre x360 with 8GB RAM for gaming performance
HP Spectre x360 with 8GB RAM for gaming performance
Hello everyone; I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. I bought a nice laptop with the plan to upgrade its RAM over time—first to an i7 7820HK and then possibly to an i7 8550U—while pairing it with a high-end graphics card. Right now it has only 8GB of RAM. I’m curious about how much this will affect its ability to handle future gaming needs, especially since I won’t be pushing above 60 FPS. I’m also wondering if using an M.2 PCIe SSD would really help reduce stuttering if the RAM isn’t sufficient. I’m particularly concerned because many modern games already need more than 8GB, like Battlefield One, which I don’t play but value for being future-proof.
It's possible things have shifted a lot recently, yet I notice I can adjust my CPU turbo limits without any noticeable boost in performance. This might be unique to these Xaiomi notebooks, but I believe most devices will still disregard XTU when you try to raise the TDP.
It's quite concerning to hear this. Why are most notebooks overlooking XTU's TDP configurations? Do you believe Xiaomi intentionally aimed for compatibility? If not, could there be alternative solutions? Maybe adjusting the BIOS settings could help.
Idk, but lets get another laptop experts opinion on this. @ZM Fong You heard of this?
This action could harm your device and the cooling mechanism won't cope. Consider undervolting and repasting instead. The cooling in Spectre x360 prevents adjusting the CPU to 7820HK. Xiaomi Notebook Pro offers strong cooling, making it a different case. As mentioned in my Aspire 5 review, certain models lock firmware+BIOS, blocking Intel XTU tuning. You might adjust settings in Intel XTU, but they often don't work (overridden by firmware+BIOS). This is likely to stop overheating and protect the board and charger. Xiaomi Notebook Pro supports unlocked settings, so the situation changes. Regarding 8GB RAM, performance varies with games. An SSD won't reduce slowdowns from page file since SSD DRAM is slower than system RAM. Also, using a GPU stronger than GTX 1060 through eGPU will cause noticeable drops.
Thank you for your detailed question. I understand your concerns about HP's policies on unit returns without restocking fees in the UK. Regarding your plan to use the device as a gaming machine within three years with an i7 processor, it seems challenging due to potential temperature issues and ITX restrictions that may prevent bypassing those limits. For a 13-inch Spectre, the performance might not sustain high frame rates like Andromeda or Fallout 4 at 60fps. As for a suitable 2-in-1 option with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, unlocked overclocking, and good thermal management, I recommend exploring alternatives that offer better compatibility and cooling solutions. Let me know if you'd like further guidance!
Unless a superior technology or setup is available, all laptops will experience the same GPU performance decline (above 1060) using the TB3 eGPU method. Alienware managed well with their proprietary AGA system, though their devices are primarily designed for gaming. Most Ultrabooks share this limitation. You shouldn't expect strong cooling in such a device. It's unclear how firmware or BIOS affects performance in these models—experimentation is necessary. To date, no suitable laptop exists. If you require stable temperatures and strong performance, consider gaming laptops with effective cooling solutions. Note that this isn't about overclocking; it's about raising the TDP limit and lowering voltage.