New Laptop advice for work/gaming during long train/plane trips

[Deleted]

Hi guys,

I'm going to need a new laptop for mainly work and a bit of gaming on the side, and I am pretty lost in what is best for me in a sea of online offers. I would really appreciate some advice based on the following:

- Budget: £1000 and can add another £500 ish for my dream laptop ($1,400 - $2,100 for dream laptop).
- Screen size: 14' - 15' ideally.
- Processor: i5 or ideally i7.
- Ram: 8gb (feels like plenty for a laptop?).
- Graphics: a decent graphic card if possible for some mild gaming (1080p, no need for better).
- Storage: SSD (heard a lot of bad stuff on laptop using only hdd).
- Backlit keyboard: preferred but not deal breaking.
- Weight: ideally nothing heavier than 1.8-2kg maximum (3.9pounds), as I will be taking with me on work/leisure trips.
- Noise: I need to be able to take it into meetings without it sounding like a jet fighter (I would actually have purchased the Razer Blade laptop, had I not read about the noise issues yesterday).

Thanks for any input!

Edit: Wondering if these are any good:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ptop,5455.html

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MS14CQH...=skim0x3152-20 This feels good but too heavy.. and I don't like the slightly clunky design.

ps: please don't let my post count put you off, I've been lurking on this site for years.

[Denpepe]

The Asus one looks better, that review of the other one was pretty meh

I was looking at https://www.overclockers.co.uk/gigab...tml#tech_specs, bit less powerfull but should be decent for some light gaming ofc you can go up to a GTX1060 also.

[Deleted]

The Asus one looks better, that review of the other one was pretty meh

I was looking at https://www.overclockers.co.uk/gigab...tml#tech_specs, bit less powerfull but should be decent for some light gaming ofc you can go up to a GTX1060 also.

Hi Denpepe, ty for your answer!

I just had a look at that one, while I like the speccs, it is a bit too heavy for me at 2.7kg and I'm not a huge fan of the design (large, wide bezel and slightly clunky looking). Sorry if this sounds ungrateful or nitpicky...

[Ayirasi]

If the 502 is anything like the 503, the fans will come on strong under load, and their pitch can get loud. I'd get it anyway. Good bargain.

[Deleted]

If the 502 is anything like the 503, the fans will come on strong under load, and their pitch can get loud. I'd get it anyway. Good bargain.

Hey Ayirasi, how loud are we talking, enough to be a nuisance?

[Ayirasi]

Hey Ayirasi, how loud are we talking, enough to be a nuisance?

Going by the 503, I don't consider it loud enough to be a nuisance when gaming, but it is loud enough to not be very stealthy. Not airbus on takeoff loud, but "hmm, that's kind of loud" loud. It should be mostly silent for anything not too intensive.

[Deleted]

Going by the 503, I don't consider it loud enough to be a nuisance when gaming, but it is loud enough to not be very stealthy. Not airbus on takeoff loud, but "hmm, that's kind of loud" loud. It should be mostly silent for anything not too intensive.

Ok gotcha, thanks for clarifying.

I think that I've know gone off the 502 though. I think I'd regret getting something over 2kg and I can't get past how it looks...

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I'm leaning towards the MSI GS63VR 7RG Stealth Pro linked in the OP again, does anyone have any insight on it?

[Ayirasi]

Ok gotcha, thanks for clarifying.

I think that I've know gone off the 502 though. I think I'd regret getting something over 2kg and I can't get past how it looks...

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I'm leaning towards the MSI GS63VR 7RG Stealth Pro linked in the OP again, does anyone have any insight on it?

No worries, weight and aesthetics can be a deal-breaker. I hope you find something you are satisfied with. That Stealth is a handsome piece of kit.

[Denpepe]

Hi Denpepe, ty for your answer!

I just had a look at that one, while I like the speccs, it is a bit too heavy for me at 2.7kg and I'm not a huge fan of the design (large, wide bezel and slightly clunky looking). Sorry if this sounds ungrateful or nitpicky...

I dont take any offence, I have an MSI laptop myself, but its an older and bigger/bulkier one then what you are looking for but they are decent enough.

Peronally with the thin ones I always think they ware somewhat more fragile then the more regular ones, but I'm and old man, I started with pc's when they still had floppy drives

[Lanfear1]

Wait for coffee lake to drop for laptop, even if you are not getting it the other ones might go on sale

[PhantasmagoriaX]

@PromiscuousPelican

I was reading up on the MSI Stealth laptop and theres one thing that is a red flag for me, the actual case seems a little cheap so you will want to make sure you get a REALLY good case for it. Other then that, I would buy that laptop.

[Deleted]

I dont take any offence, I have an MSI laptop myself, but its an older and bigger/bulkier one then what you are looking for but they are decent enough.

Peronally with the thin ones I always think they ware somewhat more fragile then the more regular ones, but I'm and old man, I started with pc's when they still had floppy drives

Ehehe, ok good.

I started with PCs just before dialups were introduced "weeeee uuuuuuuh dun du dun duuuuu duuuuuun wweeeeee krsh krsh krsh krsh" - good times.

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Wait for coffee lake to drop for laptop, even if you are not getting it the other ones might go on sale

I read about that and would love to, but I need this laptop in the next week or so..

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@PromiscuousPelican

I was reading up on the MSI Stealth laptop and theres one thing that is a red flag for me, the actual case seems a little cheap so you will want to make sure you get a REALLY good case for it. Other then that, I would buy that laptop.

Thanks for taking the time to look, it's nice to have some validation.

Now when you say the case , you mean the shell of the laptop and I should get a good carry case right? (sorry if I'm being dense here )

[PhantasmagoriaX]

Thanks for taking the time to look, it's nice to have some validation.

Now when you say the case , you mean the shell of the laptop and I should get a good carry case right? (sorry if I'm being dense here )

I ment the shell of the computer looks cheap, yes and definitely get a good carrying case.. don't go cheap on it

[Lanfear1]

I read about that and would love to, but I need this laptop in the next week or so..

Though I dont know your country, many shops alow for a return of a pc within a few weeks for a full refund.

[Deleted]

Hi again everyone,

Update - I went with the MSI GS63VR 7RG Stealth Pro and can't wait for it to arrive.

Thank you very much to everyone who contributed to the thread, you're the best!

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Though I dont know your country, many shops alow for a return of a pc within a few weeks for a full refund.

Thank you for the suggestion!

[Toogoodman]

Im not a huge fan (pun intended) of a lot of the new gen laptops due to their fan placement and venting. A lot of the Asus laptops have overheating problems due to how the screen hinges, causing exhaust to blow onto the keyboard and screen, and causing subsequent problems. The MSI machines have the same issue, I was initially in the market for an Asus but went with alienware due to how they vented air (my laptop is my secondary gaming rig), but due to costs you could go with dell xps which has similar venting.

[Deleted]

Im not a huge fan (pun intended) of a lot of the new gen laptops due to their fan placement and venting. A lot of the Asus laptops have overheating problems due to how the screen hinges, causing exhaust to blow onto the keyboard and screen, and causing subsequent problems. The MSI machines have the same issue, I was initially in the market for an Asus but went with alienware due to how they vented air (my laptop is my secondary gaming rig), but due to costs you could go with dell xps which has similar venting.

I couldn't agree more. The noise issue has been a nightmare to deal with, so many of the gaming laptops suffer from it. As I said in the OP, without the noise problem I would have snapped up the Razer blade.

I read that about the MSI too actually, but I was reassured by a couple of its users that the fan noise would be noticeable during gaming/heavy loads, but largely silent for the rest of the time (as opposed to say the Blade).

Nice! I looked at the Alienware ones, and loved the speccs, but they were too heavy for me. I wanted something around the 2kg mark if possible.

[ElectricChair]

Just a reminder - MacBooks are not for gaming