My son is looking to purchase a gaming laptop but has no experience with these. He gamed strictly with Xbox and Quest but now wants to game with friends online and access games through Steam.
Don’t know much on the latest specs when comparing them so was trusting in finding a website that puts out a list of links for weekly best deals. PCMag, CNET, TechRadar, etc.
Is there a trusted site (or youtube channel?) that you would recommend to look for the latest deals.
His budget is $1,100-$1,500.
I’m sure people will be along soon to give opinions on what makes for a good gaming laptop but I’ll get in front with some simple advice on the deals front: Visit the BuildAPCSales subreddit, filter by New & Laptop and you’ll get a running list of what’s on sale and informed opinions on whether or not it’s any good. Granted, some opinions will be overly informed (“Pfftt… only 5200 speed DDR5 and not 5600 speed? Gar-BAGE!”) because some people just like to grouse but you should be able to get a decent feel of what’s a good deal in his price range.
Probably the biggest problem in gaming laptops is the tendency to do high-end CPU + mid-range GPU. You really want to flip that around. As much GPU as you can afford and the CPU doesn’t matter so much. (High-end, high-end is good too but that’s not really your budget.)
You could do worse than this tier list for sorting out what that actually means.
Fair warning on gaming laptops that they run very hot and they are designed to be plugged in while you use them. While you can use them just on battery power, performance will be severely degraded and the battery will last an hour, tops. Any gaming should be done plugged in.
As for running hot, it’s not just the laptop itself that gets very hot but also the power brick. You’ll ideally want to have the power brick situated in such a way that air flow can easily go around and under it. One simple technique is putting it on a couple pencils so that air can get underneath. Standing sideways upright on the pencils would be ideal, as opposed to laying flat.
I would also recommend going into the windows settings and capping the CPU usage at 95%, or whatever arbitrary percent as long as it’s below 100. That should greatly mitigate heating issues so that it just remains very hot instead of ‘holy crap is that hot enough to burn skin?’
A quick skim of Best Buy USA has these two that look decent:
This delivers what I mean about the right balance between CPU and GPU. The OLED might be a nice touch, though I don’t know how those do for image retention on PCs. You’d definitely want to run stuff at 1440p instead of the native 4K, but that shouldn’t result in noticeable artifacting at this pixel density. The downside is it’s clearly a desktop replacement laptop at 5 lbs. Like EllisDee said, you’re gonna want to leave that plugged in for anything more than web surfing and not want to carry it too often. I also assume it’s crazy loud. Buy headphones too.
A lower-spec option, but it might function as an actual portable laptop:
I like how it avoids the typical gamer design aesthetic. The Gigabyte is more than worth the extra $150 in terms of performance if mobility isn’t an issue. It’ll be like 20% faster in gaming. It’s still heavy at 3.5lbs, but that’s less than 5 lbs and the smaller size helps. It’s a better choice for taking someplace every day.
These are just two that Best Buy had for your budget right now that seemed decent to me. There could be a better sale next week or on another site. Asus and Gigabyte are both reputable brands, but laptops aren’t their main market.
Is there a particular reason it has to be a laptop? Gaming PCs offer more power and versatility at generally a lower price. Depending on what games he wants to play and if he wants portability you might consider a Steamdeck as well. Steam Deck™
Yeah, you pay a hefty premium for portability. Even if your laptop is a monster and the portability is only nominal. Just make sure the lad understands this.
Of course if there’s no current pc in the house which this one will be replacing, that means buying a decent monitor, so the total price difference narrows considerably.
I agree that getting a gaming laptop often gets you the worst of all worlds but won’t fight the hypothetical. I have had a few myself and they were a good option back when we were doing LAN gaming sessions before high speed internet was readily available.
While I’ll agree that GPU trumps CPU and 1440 resolution is plenty I’ll also mention that in no way would I want a 14 inch screen for gaming. The 16 could work but even my 17 feels short on space when I use it. Of course if you son is planning on using an external monitor it’s not an issue but it brings us back to suggesting a desktop again.
An honest question is does he want the laptop because it’s an actual planned frequent mobile use, space considerations (tiny apartment or dorm) or is it similar to why some people hate electric cars due to range even if they never drive that much: he wants a laptop just in case he ever “needs” the portability.
Also keep in mind that laptop video cards are much weaker than desktop video cards. A desktop 3070 would blow a laptop 3070 out of the water, for example.
But then again, a desktop video card is way more expensive than its laptop counterpart.
Another thing to consider instead of a laptop is a handheld, like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally. The latter is higher tier and will be coming out June 13. The former uses SteamOS and is a bit sleeker, and has a touch pad which can help with mouse movement on the go.
Honestly, if portability is the main thing you care about, handhelds make a lot of sense. (You can still add a keyboard and monitor for home use.) And if you don’t care much about portability, then a desktop makes more sense as you can get more for less.
The main caveat is that you are giving up GPU power. But these devices are tuned to play modern games, since gaming is their focus. But, then again, if you want to keep the laptop light enough to carry around, you’d probably make similar sacrifices. And handheld gaming PCs right now are aggressively priced.
That’s what I was going to say as well. A laptop sacrifices capability, expandability and maintainability for portability, and makes you pay a premium on top of that. So unless there’s a burning need to take the gaming with him somewhere, he’s more than likely better off with a desktop.
If your son gets into PC gaming in a middling way, he’s going to want to change his GPU, add memory, or swap his CPU out at some point. All of those are pretty trivial in a desktop, but they’re well-nigh impossible in a laptop.
I’ll start with this: Assuming that your son has an entirely legitimate use case for a laptop (Limited space, wants portability but not daily commuter use, just wants a laptop so shut up already, etc) and doesn’t want to become a technical expert to buy one, I would broadly recommend that an Asus, Lenovo Legion or Alienware in his budget will get him a capable and usable device that he’ll likely be happy with. Shoot for a larger screen size, 144Hz is very good, 1440p is good (not sure 4k is worth it on a laptop) and, if you’re not sure, post a link or specs.
PCGamer tends to run weekly sale articles. They get excited about discounts I would yawn at (yay $150 off a $1300 item) but if I was actually in the market for the $1300 item at the time, I’d be happy to know about it.
I would suggest that if the computer is going to sit on a desk in his room, he’ll maximize his value with a desktop but that’s his choice. I wouldn’t personally recommend a Steamdeck unless he’s actually going to be regularly playing games on the go since it doesn’t have full compatibility like a standard PC and you’re sacrificing a bit for the same of the very small form factor.
I feel like a desktop sacrifices being able to browse the SDMB at the breakfast table, or watching Netflix in bed. But i move my laptops around the house a lot, and i plug them into external monitors for game playing. A monitor big enough to play games with isn’t great for carrying around the house, honestly.
I agree that if he wants a dedicated gaming machine, and doesn’t plan to use it for other stuff, a desktop is a better value, and can be upgraded.
The Steam Deck doesn’t, but the ROG Ally does, since it runs on Windows.
To me, the big downside is that it’s not too easy to use as a computer while on the go. You can buy a keyboard, mouse, and controller and hook it up to the TV at home. (Heck, he’d have enough money left over to get a monitor.) But that would be a pain to carry with you, and the screens are smaller.
It’s only the fact that he seems to want it to replace a console that made me think of the handhelds.
No arguments, but for those, a $50 Kindle will take care of the gaps. Or, at least, it does for me.
I can’t stand typing on tablets. It’s too big to type one handed, like a phone, and too small for standard typing (and with no haircut feedback.) So while i agree that a tablet is okay for Netflix in bed, i don’t enjoy it for browsing the SDMB. Nor for catching up on email. (And the keyboard of my laptop holds up the screen nicely for Netflix, too.)
But yes, lots of people love tablets for portable stuff.
I have a barebones netbook for portable browsing/streaming. Otherwise it’s the desktop.
So (and I’ll try not to derail the thread) I have the following.
Moderate gaming desktop.
Good, but quite dated gaming laptop.
Tablet 10’, Wifi only.
Tablet 10’ Cellular with Data plan
Cellphone.
In terms of gaming it’s all desktop all the time, with the laptop having gotten more use historically (see my reference to LAN play) or when visiting friends and playing while present (generally 2-3 times per year prior to COVID). And the concerns about heat and smaller screens (even with 17") are as noted upthread.
I prefer to watch movies on the tablet in bed or on a plane, just because of the space required. If I want to have breakfast and the dope, well, I’ll do it at my computer, because I do agree with @puzzlegal - I can’t be bothered to post 99% of the time from a tablet or computer, give me a keyboard!
But (and back to the thread) my younger (mid 30s) half-brother, doesn’t find this an issue at all. And I suspect the OP’s son is also a lot more comfortable than we would be with a touchscreen based option for light browsing and replies.
So, if their usage is in line with a desktop and the need for a laptop is a thought born of ‘what-if’ rather than expectations, then Desktop + Cheap tablet may cover the bases.
Oh, and for those who try to thread the needle with various iterations of 2-in-1 / Surface / Etc, well, gaming is possible, especially on the high end models, but not close to the price range the OP mentions.
That’s true. My budget is larger than the op’s. I have a small laptop that folds into a tablet or a tent. It was expensive. I never use the tablet form factor, but the tent is awesome for watching movies in bad, or on an airplane. And it’s a nice portable laptop. And it’s powerful enough for most of what i do. But the graphics aren’t adequate for even light gaming.
I also have a MacBook that’s my computer of record, and has decades of email and photos, and all my music. And i also have a larger windows laptop that i bought for gaming, because i was frustrated with the little one, even with an external screen.
I’m happy that last is a laptop because i sometimes use it in the bedroom and sometimes in the den (depending on whether i don’t want to bother my sleeping husband or my TV-watching husband). And the screen is large enough to use stand alone, although i don’t, i always attach it to an external monitor.
(And i have the phone I’m typing on now.)
But my solution is obviously not what the op is looking for.
It’s funny how different people are. I would hate bringing my gaming laptop to the kitchen table for a meal. It feels like a huge production every time I bust it out. And even more different, I have almost exclusively used my phone for posting on the SDMB for the past several years. The only exceptions have been when I make more technical posts, like posting a pcpartpicker list of components or updating draft results in the fantasy football dynasty league thread.
During these past few years where I’ve posted almost exclusively with my phone, I don’t use the keyboard much at all. It’s virtually all google voice to text on my Pixel 4a. I did read something somewhere about how iPhone voice recognition isn’t the greatest, so maybe that’s why I’m a bit of an outlier. Google voice is crazy accurate.