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Forums - General Discussion - Asking for Advice buying a New Laptop

I've been using my current laptop for about six years now, and am currently looking into getting a new one. Since my personal aquaintances are not particularly tech savvy, I wanted to ask if anyone had any advice.

 

Notes

  • I will want to play games on this laptop, but do not plan on making it my primary platform. I largely use my laptop for writing, spreadsheets, and similar tasks, and need to bring it with me on trips. I just would like to play some non-indie games released after 2008 if possible.
  • I am a lifelong Windows user, and am reluctant to change that.
  • I'd rather spend under $1200 on a laptop.
  • I usually play more strategy and RPG games on PC, as opposed to some of the more GPU-heavy genres like shooters and action adventures.

Questions

  1. Is there any particular brand I should be paying attention to or wary of? Is Dell still the Devil?
  2. Are there certain technical specifications that I could overlook that would hinder my ability to play games?
  3. What benefits does Windows 10 have over other versions of Windows?
  4. Is a Solid State Drive sufficently large after installing a few games?
  5. What is the AMD vs Intel thing about?

 

Thank you for your input!



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1. What size screen?

Laptop screens range from 8-inch on ultra-portable netbooks up to the very large 19-inch, with around 15.6 inches being standard (the screens are always measured diagonally in inches). If you’re going to be using a laptop instead of a desktop computer, the bigger the screen is, the better, but if you’re going to be carrying it around, a screen about 15 inches across is probably best because of the weight implications.

2. Matte or glossy?

Most laptops these days come with glossy screens, but if you’re planning to use yours outdoors, a matte screen will be a lot less reflective and so easier on the eyes, especially when the sun is shining.

3. How heavy will it be?

What you choose is going to depend on whether you’re going to be carrying it around a lot. A laptop with a 15.6-inch screen will weigh between 2 and 3kg (4.4–6.6lb). Unfortunately, the very lightest laptops come at a substantial cost.

4. Which operating system should I choose?

The operating system you can use will depend on the type of laptop you have. For PC laptops, the most popular operating system for home use is currently Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit. Netbooks often use Windows 7 Starter, which is a cutdown version with less functionality

5. Will it be wireless?

If you don’t want to be tied to using the laptop close to a telephone socket, you’ll need to connect it to the internet wirelessly. All modern laptops are capable of doing this, but you’ll need a wireless router, which some internet service providers now provide as standard.

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Is there any particular brand I should be paying attention to or wary of? Is Dell still the Devil?

Dell has gotten better over the years for the prices are still terrible compared to Asus and MSI. Asus does give free 1 year Accidental Damage Warranty with most of their laptops but I did hear their customer service isn't as high as it should be.

Are there certain technical specifications that I could overlook that would hinder my ability to play games?

Don't get AMD. If you are on a budget which under $1200 for a laptop basically is, go with the a mechanical hard drive + a minimum of 8gb of ram. The reasons are that (depending on the laptop you buy), upgrading the Hard drive and Ram will not void the warranty and they are generally easy to do. So if you ever want an SSD + more ram in the future, you can always upgrade it but you can't upgrade the CPU/GPU in most cases. Also I suggest getting a minimum of a i7 + 970M but get a 1060 GPU (that will be around $1200) if you can. i7s are essentially desktop i5s and i5s are essentially desktop i3s

What benefits does Windows 10 have over other versions of Windows?

Direct X 12, better management of things like core utilization, snappy, UWP (It may not sound like a feature but if you want to play Xbox Anywhere games, it is a feature).

Is a Solid State Drive sufficently large after installing a few games?

Yes (depending on the size) but a GPU/CPU will affect games a lot more than a SSD will. I would buy a laptop with mechanical hard drive and upgrade it with a cheap SSD later than buying a laptop with a not so good CPU/GPU but a SSD. Cause you can't upgrade the CPU/GPU in a laptop in most cases.

What is the AMD vs Intel thing about?

AMD was great, they might be great in the future, currently, they aren't. Get intel and never look back.



                  

PC Specs: CPU: 7800X3D || GPU: Strix 4090 || RAM: 32GB DDR5 6000 || Main SSD: WD 2TB SN850

MSI and Lenovo usually have the best bang for your buck laptop. From my experience, acer laptop doesnt have good longevity (hardware starts failing after a couple years). Asus is good but pretty expensive. Alienware is overpriced sht.

Dont expect to play at max setting with these laptops. Also if you're planning to carry the laptop mos of the time, pls consider the weight. You dont want to carry 4kg laptop everywhere



Lenovo y700 is my personal pick.

Check this video for great 1k dollars gaming laptops.



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If your looking for around 750-800$ :

 

Dell 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop:  ~770$

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=psdc_13896615011_t1_B014MIBWP2
i5-6300HQ
Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M
8GB DDR3
256 GB SSD (use a external storage unit for movies ect)

All seems pretty darn respectable for gameing, and like pretty decent value.

 

If your willing to go to 850$:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014MIBR7K/ref=psdc_13896615011_t1_B01LZG8IRH

Lenovo Y700 - 15.6" FHD Gaming Laptop

i7-6700HQ , 8 GB DDR4, 1 TB HDD, NVIDIA GeForce 960M....



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