# Looking for a compromise computer

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-compromise-computer/1013763>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Tags:** computer-hardware\
**Created:** [February 2, 2025, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-compromise-computer/1013763 "2025-02-02T16:58:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 3

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-compromise-computer/1013763/3 "2025-02-02T19:34:14Z")

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Would you be willing to consider a smaller laptop with an external monitor? 15.6/16" is the sweet spice in terms of price vs performance, and the money you save could get you an amazing external monitor. If so, here’s a few options from a recent thread: [Please help me find a Gaming Laptop. I come to you for aid(again!) - #14 by Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-a-gaming-laptop-i-come-to-you-for-aid-again/1010678/14)

PS: You might want to avoid Intel CPUs for the time being. The company is on fire and their recent chips have been crashing, especially the high-end gaming ones. More discussion in yet another laptop topic: [Advice needed on laptop purchase](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-on-laptop-purchase/1010961)

Also, you probably know this, but the desktop 5080 just came out (with a new DLSS version that can do multi-frame generation), and the [laptops launch in March](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/laptops/50-series/) – if that matters to you. DLSS frame gen helps tremendously in recent games that support it. Without the multi-frame gen, it’s an inconsequential boost over the previous generation (i.e. it won’t be a big improvement for games that don’t support it). And presumably that’d be after everything becomes ridiculously expensive anyway.

* * *

Because of those discussions, I ended up getting a [HP Victus 16](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-victus-16-1-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-8845hs-16gb-ddr5-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-512gb-ssd-mica-silver/6578934.p?skuId=6578934) for about $900 (it goes on sale frequently, and is also available open-box), but ended up returning it after a week. One of the worst laptops I’d ever had: flimsy build, incredibly noisy, terrible adware (including McAfee), came with a broken USB port, awful screen & hinge… etc. But, at the time and for a few months after, it was the cheapest 4070 laptop by quite a large margin. If you don’t mind owning crap and want a compromise, that may be one (whenever it goes on sale again). I definitely wouldn’t pay $1400 for that thing; even at $900 it didn’t feel good. Back to GeForce Now for the time being (Nvidia’s game streaming service, which works superbly – much better than any laptop I’ve had).

Edit: Second sentence should read “sweet spot”, not “sweet spice”, lol. But the typo is too enjoyable to change 🙂

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