For gaming I would probably save a few bucks on the processor and getting an i5. But then you probably love 60fps+

Or, if you find one, having one with an AMD CPU. Performance-wise, there's not too much of a difference between an i5/i7 and an R5/R7, the GPU is generally the limiting factor. Just make sure it's an H series Processor, and you'll be fine either way.

As for the GPU in the OP, 1070 and 2070 would be the best options, the 1060 Max-Q is a bit too limited, but the 1060 is usable - just risks to run out of steam in a couple years.

I'm happy with the Asus Predator laptop I bought a while a go.

Intel I7-8750H CPU 2.20 Ghz, 16 GB ram, GeForce GTX 1060, 256GB SSD, 1Tb HDD, 144Hz 1080p 15.6" screen.
I turned the turbo off though as the cpu kept hitting max temp (>95c) with the fans on max. I set the max processor state at 99% keeps the cpu below 85c and doesn't seem to have much impact. No clue how long it will keep up but FH4 and Elite Dangerous Horizons run very smooth. 1070 would have been better but was CAD 500 more, not worth it. (This one was on sale) Plus the cpu seems to be the limiting factor, the gpu runs much cooler. Higher fps bad for cpu I guess.

Good feedback thanks. Do you travel/move around with it? Is it portable?

Thanks - hadn't looked at AMD CPU;s but will do so. Don't seem to be many laptops running them!

It's portable, but doesn't last long on battery. I don't travel around with it and the power brick is rather big. Gaming on battery is severely compromised since the high speed fans are turned off.

Maybe look into desktop eventually for Civ.  My load times between turns on 3, 5 and 6 are min.  Initial load time on large maps with tons of cpu still takes a min or two but nothing compared to what I sat through Civ 3 back in day on low end PC.  Know just looking for laptop but home desktop could save you a lot of loading time.  Civ 6 boots up quick as shit on mine and can be in game within 2 mins on boot.  Civ 4 crashes on me though with 10.  Have to try my 7 comp.

First off, I'd recommend going to the SuggestALaptop discord. You can ask there and lots of people will help out.

Second - be very cautious. Most of the high-end and name brands are rubbish. Each company has one or maybe two very specific decent models, but for the most part put HP, Dell, Razer, ASUS, etc, out of your mind.

Third - you can mostly ignore youtubers and bloggers reviews of laptops. Most of them are paid to shill for whatever they're reviewing. If you watch/read enough of their reviews, you can spot the shill a mile away; in a real review they slag the junk laptop off. In a paid one, the negatives of a product are "nitpicking" if there are any negatives at all.

The main thing you need to look for before specs is cooling. Cooling, cooling, cooling. It can't be stressed enough how important cooling is yet most reviews don't even really talk about it. Basically every "best laptops of 20XX" list features great specs and portability but with a frame that will fry your motherboard in less than 2 years.

If I could recommend anything close to what you're looking for, look up the Mech 15 G2. It's by a company you might have never heard of but they make awesome stuff.

https://www.utopiacomputers.co.uk/Mech-15 - you can buy the base one outright or customize the hell out of it. Either way it's miles and miles better than the top brands out there.

Thanks for that Zelda Link. I knew a german site who does this too, but they didn't allow for custom keyboard layouts, they just had the German one. Since I'm used for decades with French/Belgian layouts, that wouldn't have cut it, but there I could choose if I wanted to. Bookmarked and thanks again.