New Gaming Laptop Suggestions

[Kagthul]

There's no need to be snide about it. I'm trying to help you.

.. on what planet was he being snide? He was honestly asking why, if bare SSDs are dropping so fast, that adding an SSD to a pre-built increases the price so much. Its a legit question. To which the answer is basically "because they can". The average consumer (people who buy pre-built machines) still has the idea that SSDs are expensive, so they can get away with it. The average consumer has no way to be aware of the fact that SSD prices have plummeted.

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I see this sentiment a lot, but my old gaming laptop served me well for about a decade, and I feel like even a desktop computer would start to breakdown at that point.

The portability of a laptop is kind of important to me. As a result of both health issues and my current working conditions, I really need the option of being able to relax on a couch during my freetime, instead of being stuck at a desk.

So, buy an nVidia Shield TV and use your computer on the couch via SteamLink (or get aa Steam Link; im sure there are still plenty out there on the used market).

While the ShieldTV would be more expensive, its also a lot more versatile, being that it is an Android TV device and a Google Home (and a great HTPC substitute, able to stream video flawlessly across the network from any repositories you have).

You'd be out considerably less money for considerably more performance, even WITH factoring in buying a Shield TV and an extra set of (wireless) peripherals for it.

And, if for some reason you need a portable machine to do work on, unless you're doing some high-power work (which i dont see as likely given that the machine you're replacing is 10 years old) - get a Chromebook for portable use. You'd STILL be under the cost of a high end gaming laptop. And if you needed horsepower on the road, you could use Chrome Remote Desktop to simply use your home machine wherever you are on the Chromebook.

Unless you absolutely, 100%, MUST have high-end horsepower available NATIVELY (I.E. cant rely on an internet connection to simply RDP into your home machine) while AWAY FROM HOME (as in-home, streaming across the network will work 100%), a high end gaming laptop is just a bad choice.

[Animalhouse]

Feels odd to say this but I am kinda liking the idea of the Acer Predator Helios 500
https://www.cnet.com/reviews/acer-pr...os-500-review/
https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator.../dp/B07CTL2YRY

or

Alienware 17 R5
https://www.pcmag.com/review/361758/alienware-17-r5
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Alienwar...tronics&sr=1-3

[Temp name]

There's no, like, loss in performance as a result of running stuff via a USB cable?

And yeah, I still appreciate idea. Definitely something to keep in mind, even if it's not something I make use of with a new laptop.

Also, on the subject of laptop cooling: I've seen a couple other posters mention their own experiences and set ups in regards to keeping gaming laptops cool, which I understand is one of the disadvantages that gaming laptops have when compared to desktops. For myself and my old laptop, I used to keep a standing fan running on it whenever it would start to get really warm, and seems like it would help. However, I'm still somewhat worried that this can be bad for the laptop as well, since I don't know if the fan can also just push the hot air back inside the vents that are attempting to blow it out.

So, is it a good idea to run a normal standing or house fan on a warm laptop? Or is it potentially harmful? Or does it not make a difference either way?

There should be no difference in performance, no. Maybe a few nnao seconds more delay, but not noticeable.

As for running a fan on a laptop:
You probably won't notice a difference, but there's no harm in trying

[RadasNoir]

The ASUS TUF you posted would be a solid purchase, and is quite a bit better than the ROG Strix GL503VD that I picked up for the same price a couple years ago. The brand has solid build quality. Thankfully I haven't had to worry about seeing if their customer service is any good.

Good to hear another vote of confidence for the ASUS brand.

And is there a computer company that is actually known for their good customer service? I tend to assume most just outsource that sort of thing....

There's no need to be snide about it. I'm trying to help you. I suggest banking more upfront on a solid gpu and cpu rather than storage within your budget because if you aren't happy with the amount of storage your laptop has you can always upgrade it in the future. If the GPU or CPU isn't quite hitting your targets however, you're SOL. This isn't a desktop we're talking about here.

I'm sorry, I know it can be difficult to discern tone over the internet sometimes. I wasn't being snide, I was genuinely surprised is all. Like Kagthul said, I'm pretty much an "average" computer customer, and have absolutely no idea about the actual worth of computer parts. So I assumed that SSDs, even individually bought ones, were still super expensive, based on how small they still tend to be on pre-built computers, and how getting a larger one tends to drive the price up.

sorry, i didn't make it clear enough. a clevo is a brand of laptop that's missing just those few key components for a beastly laptop. it's quite literally as easy as assembling a lego set once you succeeded in taking off the rear lid.

@RadasNoir every 10 year old who can follow lego instructions can build a PC. Watch some videos and stop being afraid of it.

Whenever I see sentiments like this, I can't help feeling it's similar to a college professor telling elementary kids that advanced algebra is easy. Of course to people who are much more familiar with computers, the idea of just assembling a computer seem like child's play. Meanwhile, I've only ever actually cracked open my old laptop once, and even that ended badly (seemingly more due to a faulty part I bought than anything I did, but that's another story....)

Part of it isn't just the intimidation of needing to learn what goes where, but the sense of responsibility that comes with that. If I buy a pre-built computer and it either has a problem right out of the gate or soon after I've gotten it, I know that it's the fault of that particular unit, brand, or manufacturer, and can send it in for a replacement/repairs, without the onus necessarily being on me to solve the problem.

If I'm the one who assembles the computer and something goes wrong..it's all entirely on me. Even if it's just that I got a faulty part, I still have to figure that out myself, and I don't think I yet have the technical know-how for that.

Unless you absolutely, 100%, MUST have high-end horsepower available NATIVELY (I.E. cant rely on an internet connection to simply RDP into your home machine) while AWAY FROM HOME (as in-home, streaming across the network will work 100%), a high end gaming laptop is just a bad choice.

Ehh...having to juggle a desktop, and a Chromebook, AND a ShieldTV (with peripherals) sounds like it would get tedious. Again, whether I'm gaming on my couch, gaming in private, or just browsing the Internet, I like the idea of being able to do all three with one machine, with maybe only needing to swap cords and locations here and there. What you're suggesting sounds like I'd have to be constantly turning on and off certain machines based one what I felt like doing at the moment.

Feels odd to say this but I am kinda liking the idea of the Acer Predator Helios 500
https://www.cnet.com/reviews/acer-pr...os-500-review/
https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator.../dp/B07CTL2YRY

I've heard decent things about the Helios as well, but unless I'm missing something, that kind of seems like it has basically the same specs as the ASUS I linked, just more expensive?

There should be no difference in performance, no. Maybe a few nnao seconds more delay, but not noticeable.

As for running a fan on a laptop:
You probably won't notice a difference, but there's no harm in trying

Cool beans. Again, something to keep in mind.

And so long as I'm not actually harming anything, I guess I'll keep using a fan if/when I feel my laptop getting warm, then. Though I'm wondering if those times I thought it seemed to help were, like, a placebo effect....

[Temp name]

Op: regarding pc companies known for good customer service - EVGA and corsair are both pretty good from my experience. But also a bit on the expensive end

[Kagthul]

Ehh...having to juggle a desktop, and a Chromebook, AND a ShieldTV (with peripherals) sounds like it would get tedious. Again, whether I'm gaming on my couch, gaming in private, or just browsing the Internet, I like the idea of being able to do all three with one machine, with maybe only needing to swap cords and locations here and there. What you're suggesting sounds like I'd have to be constantly turning on and off certain machines based one what I felt like doing at the moment.

I think you're over-thinking it and/or dont understand what im suggesting.

With the Shield TV, you would just get a set of wireless peripherals and leave them plugged into the Shield.

When you want to do your computing on the couch, you simply turn on your TV, and hit a button on a peripheral and the Shield will come on (its never "off" and will wake up from sleep likely before there is even an image on your TV.

Youll then open the Steam Link app, click on the icon for your PC, and then minimize Steam (as it will launch in Big Picture Mode).

Poof, you're now using your computer, exactly as if you were sitting in front of it. You can do anything you can do sitting at your computer, including launching non-Steam games or applications and using them, watching videos, whatever. My wife, for instance, uses a Steamlink in her sewing room connected to an old TV we have and streams her daily-driver Mac so she can watch videos and listen to music without having to have another computer there or move her computer. Works flawlessly.

As for the Chromebook - youll basically be doing exactly the same thing; any time you need too use the horsepower of your full rig, you just log in via Chrome Remote Desktop and poof, you're using your home computer. It even works good over cellular connections. I use mine tethered to my smartphone when im out and need computing horsepower or support for applications you cant get on a Chromebook.

When you DONT need the horsepower or applications of your desktop, you still have a perfectly servicable Chromebook to use. If you get the right ones (i higghly recommend Samsung's Chromebook Plus or Chromebook Pro) they can be used as tablets, too, and feature Android and Linux app support.

You could build a ~1400$ rig which will crush just about every gaming laptop under the sun (except for a few that would be well over 2k), spend ~350$ on a Chromebook Plus and ~100 on a Shield TV and be way ahead. (or you could skip the Shield TV if you're comfortable with buying a used Steamlink as Valve no longer sells them; personally i'd go with the Shield TV if you dont already have something like an AppleTV, Roku, or Amazon Fire-something, as it is also basically a Google Home Hub and Smart TV device as well).

All it takes on either device, is about ten seconds to log into your full rig, and you're good to go.

And youll have a computer which wil deliver far better performance (Mobile CPUs vs Desktop CPUs is nothing to sneeze at. An 8700K absolutely kicks the crap out of even the overclockable laptop 8750H, just because of power and thermal limits.

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Also, if you REALLY think you cant build a PC (trust me, you can. My son - a literal 11 year old - built his rig with minimal supervision from me after watching a few YouTube videos (including the JayzTwoCents one linked above), you could have a company like NZXT build it for you via their BLD service. They only charge 100$ over the MSRP of the parts (50$ assembly fee, 50$ flat shipping fee), but they do charge you full freight for Windows (whereas on your own you can get a key for ~20$).

But its fully warrantied, they ship within 24 hours, and the build quality is quite ggood, and you can select your parts from a fairly robust selection of parts.

[Olivehartley]

You don't need to spend $2,000 or more try dealsnado for best gaming PC for very discounted price.