Buu
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Post by Buu on Jan 11, 2023 16:04:27 GMT
Razed Blades are sleek, but amongst the most expensive available. You’ll probably be better served with an Asus or Lenovo. The latter’s designs are a bit less gamery than the former’s. I like the blade but they seem to have a bit or reputation online for the battery bloating - which I'd like to avoid. OCUK have put up the Asus Zephyrus duo, which is the machine I really want, but the page isn't working so I can't see the price just yet. It's also the 64GB RAM version which I don't need/want. I game with 16GB just fine on my desktop so I have no right having a laptop with 64GB. 32GB would be nice. Only thing I don't like is the Razer can give the 4090 175w whereas the Asus duo only does 160w |
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Jan 24, 2023 16:14:22 GMT
So that Duo is £4800. LOL.
And annoyingly the good Scar16 with 4090 and mini-LED display isn't being released in the UK.
Any of you own Razer devices? They seem to be the only one ticking all my boxes. I don't want another Alienware. Brilliant device and Dell's customer service is second to none but they look a bit too cliche 'gamer' for my taste. And the the x16 has a terrible screen compared to Asus and Razer
I really hate how difficult it is picking a laptop. Building PCs is so easy in comparison!
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Post by uiruki on Jan 24, 2023 16:36:35 GMT
I would avoid Razer, their awful support and longevity seem to apply to their laptops just as much as their mice.
And for all that cash, I'd be more tempted to try and work out something else if it's going to spend much of its time on a desk anyway. Any gaming laptop at the bleeding edge is going to be obnoxiously hot, loud and heavy; if you can split out that stuff a bit somehow then I think you'll be a lot happier and potentially spend less money.
Have you considered trying something like Moonlight or Steam Link to tunnel into your big box stashed away elsewhere and operate it? If that's satisfactory, then you could use something like a sleeker ultrabook or even a handheld PC to use your existing hardware when gaming while still having a much nicer experience on the desktop when portable.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2023 16:41:55 GMT
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Jan 24, 2023 17:46:43 GMT
I would avoid Razer, their awful support and longevity seem to apply to their laptops just as much as their mice. And for all that cash, I'd be more tempted to try and work out something else if it's going to spend much of its time on a desk anyway. Any gaming laptop at the bleeding edge is going to be obnoxiously hot, loud and heavy; if you can split out that stuff a bit somehow then I think you'll be a lot happier and potentially spend less money. Have you considered trying something like Moonlight or Steam Link to tunnel into your big box stashed away elsewhere and operate it? If that's satisfactory, then you could use something like a sleeker ultrabook or even a handheld PC to use your existing hardware when gaming while still having a much nicer experience on the desktop when portable. To be fair to Razer, both of my Mambas have lasted a good amount of time. My first one died due to me being an idiot but my 2nd is going strong, must've had it a good 5 years now. The software however, chocolate teapots are more useful. I'm happy-ish with the concessions I'd have to make with a gaming laptop. It's just I'll get more use from it than my desktop at the moment and likely for the next few years. Sometimes it may be on my desk plugged into a monitor, a lot of the time it'll be on the dining room table gaming directly on the device. I have one of the original Steam links and I've tried it on the AppleTV too and I really, really, dislike streaming. I mostly play online FPS so it would just ruin the experience for me. The Legions are on my watch list for sure. Let down by the screen but I trust them a bit more than Razer when it comes to CS. Though I do have a beef with Lenovo laptops, made our office switch from them to Dell! |
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Jan 28, 2023 16:02:45 GMT
Well, the 4090 Blade 16 with dual 4K/120Hz 1080p/240Hz screen is £4400 from OverClockers. Rather go through them than directly through Razer - even if I do miss out on a nice skin!
I'm probably being muggings but I'm going to for it. I'll likely end up selling my desktop seeing as I hope performance will be close enough to keep me pleased for a few years and it'll take the sting out of it.
Part of me is really excited about this but also not excited about the payment!
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Phattso
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Post by Phattso on Jan 28, 2023 16:33:10 GMT
I have the Risen 5900HX/RTX3080 version of that Legion 7 laptop, and I'm not sure where you're coming from with the screen? Decent enough HDR, excellent aspect ratio, etc. The whole unit is great, the keyboard is a particular highlight. I have few complaints.  |
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Jan 28, 2023 16:37:19 GMT
I have the Risen 5900HX/RTX3080 version of that Legion 7 laptop, and I'm not sure where you're coming from with the screen? Decent enough HDR, excellent aspect ratio, etc. The whole unit is great, the keyboard is a particular highlight. I have few complaints. I suppose I should've meant in comparison with the other laptops I had been looking at. In isolation it looks like a decent enough screen. I do feel a bit uneasy about pre-ordering a unit before benchmarks are out but I'm expecting they'll be fine and worst case scenario I can keep the box closed until I've read a review or two |
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Phattso
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Post by Phattso on Jan 28, 2023 17:40:40 GMT
YES! YOU SHOULD HAVE! YOU TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID, BUU! OR ELSE!
I'm glad I didn't go for a 4K screen on mine in the end - I have a Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 now, and even the 3080 can drive that at 4K with DLSS - but for day to day tasks in the 16" chassis 1600p is the sweet spot for me. 4K would need all sorts of odd UI scaling. That said, my eyes are shot (varifocals, bane of my life) so YMMV.
I parted with about £2400 for my Legion 7 (3080 16GB, 32GB RAM, 2TB PCI-E3 NVME) and, depending on the day, I wish I hadn't gone quite that high or I'm glad I did. I'm staring down the barrel of a £4000 M2 MacBook Pro right now though, and that has given me a serious moment of pause (32GB RAM and 2TB storage is a must for my work). So I feel your pain weighing up all the options and figuring out what matters most to you.
On the plus side, supply isn't as fucked today as it was two years ago when even being able to buy one of these fuckers was nigh on impossible.
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Jan 28, 2023 18:13:50 GMT
I've been looking at MacBook Pros today (basically trying to see if I can justify the extra cost of a Pro over a RAM & SSD upgraded Air) and I thought I'd see what you'd get for £4400...
14" M2 Max (12 Core CPU, 38 core GPU) with 96GB of RAM and a terabyte SSD. And about £650 change.
Yes, it won't play Windows games, I know.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2023 18:19:31 GMT
I am curious how Apple’s M chips do in computer games. There are plenty of Mac native games on Steam.
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Jan 28, 2023 18:34:37 GMT
YES! YOU SHOULD HAVE! YOU TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID, BUU! OR ELSE! I'm glad I didn't go for a 4K screen on mine in the end - I have a Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 now, and even the 3080 can drive that at 4K with DLSS - but for day to day tasks in the 16" chassis 1600p is the sweet spot for me. 4K would need all sorts of odd UI scaling. That said, my eyes are shot (varifocals, bane of my life) so YMMV. I parted with about £2400 for my Legion 7 (3080 16GB, 32GB RAM, 2TB PCI-E3 NVME) and, depending on the day, I wish I hadn't gone quite that high or I'm glad I did. I'm staring down the barrel of a £4000 M2 MacBook Pro right now though, and that has given me a serious moment of pause (32GB RAM and 2TB storage is a must for my work). So I feel your pain weighing up all the options and figuring out what matters most to you. On the plus side, supply isn't as fucked today as it was two years ago when even being able to buy one of these fuckers was nigh on impossible. Consider me told! I really like how it has the switching screen so it'll be nice to consume media or play single player games in 4K but to switch to the 240Hz 1080p mode when playing competitive multiplayer games. It's good to know it can drive the Neo. I have an Alienware 38" ultra-wide (3840x1600) that I'd like to use occasionally or every now and then when I get permission it would be nice to hijack the C1 in the living room. I could never be bothered to hook my desktop up to it but a laptop would make that a breeze. It's tough, isn't it? It's all fun and games now I want it but I know when the day comes to order it next week, it's going to sting! It's really annoying that Asus aren't releasing the Scar 16 with the nebula display and 4090 in the UK as I would've liked that unit. But the more I look at the Razer Blade I like how unassuming it is and not completely coated in RGB. |
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Jan 28, 2023 18:37:19 GMT
I am curious how Apple’s M chips do in computer games. There are plenty of Mac native games on Steam. Stop encouraging me!! 🤣 I imagine they're pretty good, they are at everything else. My M1 pro was ridiculous. Definitely leaning towards the Air at the moment. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2023 18:47:16 GMT
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Post by uiruki on Jan 28, 2023 19:06:40 GMT
The Macbook Air is an excellent computer. Silent, fast and excellent battery. That said, I'm using my Steam Deck as my secondary computer right now even though it's not as fast (at least in terms of CPU) because it can play many more games and Steam on MacOS is bad.
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Jan 28, 2023 19:08:21 GMT
Treat yourself, don't cheat yourself
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Jan 28, 2023 19:13:07 GMT
The Macbook Air is an excellent computer. Silent, fast and excellent battery. That said, I'm using my Steam Deck as my secondary computer right now even though it's not as fast (at least in terms of CPU) because it can play many more games and Steam on MacOS is bad. Tbh, it isn't going to be for games (although that would be a bonus). I have a PS5 for that. I know, filthy casual etc. I have a seven year old i5 laptop and going back to it after 6 months with a 2020 M1 Pro has been painful. And my (12 year old, Fedora) desktop died this week. It made a sort of "help" noise and powered off. I think either the motherboard or the processor has died and it's not worth replacing either. My Mrs has an M2 air and it seems faultless. I can't really see any reason for getting the 14" Pro when I can get an (upgraded) Air and a Mini for the same money. |
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Post by uiruki on Jan 28, 2023 20:02:21 GMT
The reasons to get the 14" Pro would be if you're going to have heavy sustained load (like rendering) and would use the extra cores on the bigger SoC, if you wanted to hook up more than one monitor (a specific limitation of the smallest M series chips), or if you wanted the superior screen (HDR, 120Hz).
Otherwise, the Air is more than sufficient; it takes multiple minutes for it to start throttling in any case so it won't be affected in normal use.
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Jan 28, 2023 21:20:20 GMT
uiruki yeah, I don't need to do anything like that. It'll be a general use laptop. I think I'll get an M2 Air with the upgrades and an M2 Mini later. 😎
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Post by uiruki on Jan 28, 2023 22:29:05 GMT
Yeah, I'd definitely go for 16gb but aside from that it's more than enough for general use, and will be for years. A nice side effect of the long battery life is that you don't cycle it as much so your 500 cycles goes longer too. My M1's at 155 since 2020.
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deez
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Post by deez on Jan 29, 2023 6:48:51 GMT
I recently got myself one of the Asus Zephyrus G14's, and I love it. Slim and light enough to actually be used as a laptop in front of the telly, but with plenty of power.
It has got some silly lights on it but not too mental like most products for gamers.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2023 7:44:31 GMT
Yeah, I couldn’t be happier with my G15.
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Jan 29, 2023 9:52:21 GMT
I recently got myself one of the Asus Zephyrus G14's, and I love it. Slim and light enough to actually be used as a laptop in front of the telly, but with plenty of power. It has got some silly lights on it but not too mental like most products for gamers. I like the G14, looks like a nice size but the 125w TGP kind of puts me off when I know it should go up to 175. A lot of performance left on the table but that is the price you pay for how thin it is I do like the look of the Asus machines but I agree with you. I wish they'd make gaming laptops for adults who don't want unicorn rainbow vomit RGB on every single surface. |
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Feb 1, 2023 19:34:55 GMT
I got sucked into the pre-order day and ended up pre-ordering a Blade 16 with 4090 and the dual UHD/FHD screen.
Now I need to sell my PC lol
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wunty
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Post by wunty on Mar 9, 2023 10:35:08 GMT
On the look out for a cheap as shit laptop that can still run games to a certain degree. There's some stuff on steam I really fancy playing (indie stuff mainly) and can't get it on mac. Would something like a basic refurbed thinkpad or something be okay? I know it won't get much use besides the aformentioned indies so don't want to spunk a load on something.
This is typical spec I'd need really:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10 Processor: Intel i5-6600k or AMD Ryzen 5 2400 Memory: 16 GB RAM Graphics: 8 GB VRAM DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 2 GB available space Would something like this do? www.backmarket.co.uk/en-gb/p/lenovo-a285-125-inch-r5-2500u-16gb-hdd-256-gb/7840d4bf-e052-489f-9b76-d06fa390cd08#l=10I'll probably use it for a few months and flog on FB. |
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Mar 9, 2023 10:47:12 GMT
wuntyAccording to that link, that GPU is an AMD Radeon Vega (which is a 2018 integrated card that supports 1920x1080), so probably worth checking the games you want are compatible/meet spec for it, but for that money it looks like a decent buy. IME, Thinkpads are generally pretty good, robust business laptops... One disclaimer, I know nothing about gaming on laptops. I imagine you'd want more than 2GB of available space, though and that one has a 256GB HDD, so it'll be ok space wise, although it might not be very quick.
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wunty
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Post by wunty on Mar 9, 2023 10:52:32 GMT
How do I know if it has 8GB of VRAM - whatever that is (I know nothing, clearly)
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Mar 9, 2023 11:04:12 GMT
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Post by Jambowayoh on Mar 9, 2023 11:38:15 GMT
How do I know if it has 8GB of VRAM - whatever that is (I know nothing, clearly) Mate if you want a laptop with a GPU with 8gb of VRAM then you're not looking a for a cheap laptop, you'll be paying a fair whack for that, you're looking at something like a RTX3080 laptop. Not cheap. |
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wunty
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Post by wunty on Mar 9, 2023 11:38:17 GMT
Bloody hell it's confusing.
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