Gaming Laptop: Any recommendations?

[Silver&Black]

I'm looking to buy my son his first gaming laptop. Looking for any recommendations. Figured I'd ask you fucking degenerates........

Something in the $700-$900 range. I'd be willing to go up to $1000 if it's truly worth it. $1600 ones are completely out of the question. I'm thinking that price range is fine for what he wants to accomplish. The games he normally plays are not too demanding. I don't think Minecraft, League of Legends, Path of Exile, and World of Warcraft would warrant such an expensive laptop. However, I do want something that will play a First Person Shooter at 60fps. He will still probably play games like COD and other shooters with his friends on his Xbox. He doesn't need a display with a 144hz refresh rate (unless it falls in the price range listed previously).

Also, I'm fully aware that I can get more performance for less money by building a desktop. So don't even mention that. He will like the portability. From the little research I've done....gaming laptops in my price range will handle what he needs. He currently plays on a 6 year old Toshiba that wasn't designed for gaming at all, and I can tell he hates it.

Again, any recommendations will help. I have a couple weeks before his birthday. But, I need to start doing more research now.

[ElNono]

At that price range, you're looking for Asus TUF Gaming Laptops... there's a lot of variety out there, AMD/Intel CPUs and GPUs combos, just look at reviews and do your homework. Generally both Asus and MSI have fairly solid laptops at a cheaper price point than Dell, Lenovo, HP, Razer, etc.

[Silver&Black]

At that price range, you're looking for Asus TUF Gaming Laptops... there's a lot of variety out there, AMD/Intel CPUs and GPUs combos, just look at reviews and do your homework. Generally both Asus and MSI have fairly solid laptops at a cheaper price point than Dell, Lenovo, HP, Razer, etc.

Is Acer worth looking into?

[ElNono]

Is Acer worth looking into?

Sure. As usual, check some reviews before buying anything. Not just Amazon. Especially keep an eye out for something negative that a number of people complain about, and see if you can live with that. Everybody needs are different, tbh.

You're dropping good money, make sure you know what to expect.

[baseline bum]

On the gpu side 1060 6GB mobile or GTX 1650 should be enough for 1080p60 at medium settings on say Battlefield V, with 1060 6GB the better card. Though I saw a 1660 Ti MSI laptop at $999 on newegg, and 1660 Ti smashes the 1650 or 1060. I'd steer clear of AMD's mobile gpus right now. AMD mobile gpus should be awesome in about 5 months once RDNA2 comes out, but for right now they're shit. Like RX 560 mobile is maybe half the gpu of GTX 1060 6GB. For cpu I'd try to go 4C/8T at least. Not sure if the 6 core Intel cpus will be in that budget or not though.

[ElNono]

On the gpu side 1060 6GB mobile or GTX 1650 should be enough for 1080p60 at medium settings on say Battlefield V, with 1060 6GB the better card. Though I saw a 1660 Ti MSI laptop at $999 on newegg, and 1660 Ti smashes the 1650 or 1060. I'd steer clear of AMD's mobile gpus right now. AMD mobile gpus should be awesome in about 5 months once RDNA2 comes out, but for right now they're shit. Like RX 560 mobile is maybe half the gpu of GTX 1060 6GB. For cpu I'd try to go 4C/8T at least. Not sure if the 6 core Intel cpus will be in that budget or not though.

Even a 4GB GTX is probably fine for what he's looking for. A RTX/MaxQ is sorta of out his budget, which is fine.

I would be more adamant he picks up a 1TB hdd alongside whatever 256GB SSD the laptop comes with, coz his kid is probably gonna run out of space (unless he gets a 512GB SSD with it). Win10 updates are just only getting bigger.

[baseline bum]

Even a 4GB GTX is probably fine for what he's looking for. A RTX/MaxQ is sorta of out his budget, which is fine.

I would be more adamant he picks up a 1TB hdd alongside whatever 256GB SSD the laptop comes with, coz his kid is probably gonna run out of space (unless he gets a 512GB SSD with it). Win10 updates are just only getting bigger.

Surprisingly I actually found one with an RTX 2060 and a 512GB NVME SSD for $999.

https://www.newegg.com/black-msi-gf-series-gf65-thin-9sexr-249-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834155351

Pretty light on RAM though at 8GB. Then again not sure if 16GB is typically found at this price range.

[Reck]

Are Alienware computers as legit as they say it is? My bro bought himself this one but not even for gaming. lol

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/alienware-m15-r3-gaming-laptop/spd/alienware-m15-r3-laptop

7 core 16GB RAM and 512SSD one.

[baseline bum]

Are Alienware computers as legit as they say it is? My bro bought himself this one but not even for gaming. lol

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/alienware-m15-r3-gaming-laptop/spd/alienware-m15-r3-laptop

7 core 16GB RAM and 512SSD one.

That's a pretty killer laptop with a 6C/12T i7, an RTX 2070, 16GB RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. Of course you could do that on desktop for less than $1000 easy.

[Reck]

That's a pretty killer laptop with a 6C/12T i7, an RTX 2070, 16GB RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. Of course you could do that on desktop for less than $1000 easy.

Yeah I told him to go desktop for cheaper but he says he wanted some mobility to use it as a media type entertainment by using the HDMI input on the living room TV.

[ElNono]

Surprisingly I actually found one with an RTX 2060 and a 512GB NVME SSD for $999.

https://www.newegg.com/black-msi-gf-series-gf65-thin-9sexr-249-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834155351

Pretty light on RAM though at 8GB. Then again not sure if 16GB is typically found at this price range.

That looks like a good deal. You can always buy another memory stick, tbh... I own a MSI laptop and they're pretty solid.

[DMC]

https://www.originpc.com/gaming/laptops/

These are the people who were Alienware before Dell bought them.

[ElNono]

https://www.originpc.com/gaming/laptops/

These are the people who were Alienware before Dell bought them.

They're top notch, but they don't make budget laptops, IIRC

[DMC]

They're top notch, but they don't make budget laptops, IIRC

Reck was asking about Alienware. They also aren't budget laptops, or weren't last I checked. The one at the linky was 1600.00, which OP says is out of the question.

I think a "gaming" laptop bought on the cheap is going to play for a very limited time because the owner is going to want new titles that require better hardware.

I'd look into getting a used one, you can get them with high end specs for a lot less than new, but be wary of stolen merchandise. Buy only from trusted folks. Check Amazon for used ROG laptops up to 1K

[ElNono]

Reck was asking about Alienware. They also aren't budget laptops, or weren't last I checked. The one at the linky was 1600.00, which OP says is out of the question.

I think a "gaming" laptop bought on the cheap is going to play for a very limited time because the owner is going to want new titles that require better hardware.

I'd look into getting a used one, you can get them with high end specs for a lot less than new, but be wary of stolen merchandise. Buy only from trusted folks. Check Amazon for used ROG laptops up to 1K

I agree, and I missed the Reck post.

But then again, this is a kid that apparently needs something that's not super pro, tbh... makes sense, and there's a market segment for that.

Refurb is also an option if you're buying from Amazon Warehouse and the like. They have a solid return warranty if something is way off. Still difficult to find that mid range laptop, but you might catch a deal there.

[baseline bum]

Reck was asking about Alienware. They also aren't budget laptops, or weren't last I checked. The one at the linky was 1600.00, which OP says is out of the question.

I think a "gaming" laptop bought on the cheap is going to play for a very limited time because the owner is going to want new titles that require better hardware.

I'd look into getting a used one, you can get them with high end specs for a lot less than new, but be wary of stolen merchandise. Buy only from trusted folks. Check Amazon for used ROG laptops up to 1K

Even an expensive one isn't going to age all that well with Nvidia jumping on 7nm lithography this holiday season most likely. And RDNA2 is announced for a 2020 release and looks very impressive from what the revealed specs of the gpus in the PS5 and XBox Series X.

[Silver&Black]

Thoughts on this one: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Gaming-i5-7300HQ-GeForce-AN515-51-55WL/dp/B074Q54GSR

Keep in mind folks. He's gonna be playing League of Legends and World of Warcraft. He doesn't need something that will get 100fps on BF5 max settings.

[baseline bum]

Thoughts on this one: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Gaming-i5-7300HQ-GeForce-AN515-51-55WL/dp/B074Q54GSR

Keep in mind folks. He's gonna be playing League of Legends and World of Warcraft. He doesn't need something that will get 100fps on BF5 max settings.

That looks a little expensive for a 4C/4T i5 and a GTX 1050 Ti. Here is one with a 4C/8T i5 and a roughly 35% faster ~15% faster GTX 1650 Max-Q for $749, though it's a Newegg Marketplace seller and not Newegg itself.

https://www.newegg.com/black-msi-gf-series-gf63-thin-9scx-005-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834155354

[Silver&Black]

That looks a little expensive for a 4C/4T i5 and a GTX 1050 Ti. Here is one with a 4C/8T i5 and a roughly 35% faster GTX 1650 for $749, though it's a Newegg Marketplace seller and not Newegg itself.

https://www.newegg.com/black-msi-gf-series-gf63-thin-9scx-005-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834155354

Thanks fam. Will look into it more. MSI got a good reputation? Didn't read too many bad things about that Acer i mentioned earlier. But, if I can get better hardware for the same price....I appreciate any and all information you can provide. (As you can tell....i'm no expert on the subject)

[baseline bum]

Thanks fam. Will look into it more. MSI got a good reputation? Didn't read too many bad things about that Acer i mentioned earlier. But, if I can get better hardware for the same price....I appreciate any and all information you can provide. (As you can tell....i'm no expert on the subject)

Sorry I edited that post after you quoted it... gpu is more like 15% faster since it's a GTX 1650 Max-Q and not GTX 1650 as I thought when making the post. I don't really know who is great for laptops. I have an MSI motherboard in my desktop and honestly it has been kind of a pain in the ass and I'll probably buy a Gigabyte board next time. But if ElNono can vouch for them as a decent manufacturer his word is a lot better than mine since he's an actual game developer.

[baseline bum]

Thanks fam. Will look into it more. MSI got a good reputation? Didn't read too many bad things about that Acer i mentioned earlier. But, if I can get better hardware for the same price....I appreciate any and all information you can provide. (As you can tell....i'm no expert on the subject)

Don't know Lenovo's reputation that well, but here's another in that price range that looks very good specs wise, especially with a 512 GB SSD.

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Ideapad-Gaming-Microsoft-Student/dp/B07VC55LF5/

EDIT 2: Nope, apparently it's a 1650 4GB. So looks pretty decent.

[Silver&Black]

^
yeah I was looking into the Lenovo Y540 also.

A lot of ppl say the colors on the display are shit though. I think I ruled that one out.

[baseline bum]

^
yeah I was looking into the Lenovo Y540 also.

A lot of ppl say the colors on the display are shit though. I think I ruled that one out.

Sorry I double edited the post above. I think it does look like a decent deal specs wise, but yeah, not sure on the display. Though it's an IPS panel on that L340.

[Silver&Black]

Seeing good things about the Asus tuf fx505dt. My price range kinda with a 120hz refresh rate.

It's not mandatory to have, but if the graphics card can handle it....why not go for it at a comparable price.

[baseline bum]

^
yeah I was looking into the Lenovo Y540 also.

A lot of ppl say the colors on the display are shit though. I think I ruled that one out.

Are they saying the colors on the Y540 are shit? Because that's probably not an IPS panel since it's not advertised as such. IPS has the best colors and viewing angles but I have no idea if the IPS in the L340 is any good or not.

[Silver&Black]

Are they saying the colors on the Y540 are shit? Because that's probably not an IPS panel since it's not advertised as such. IPS has the best colors and viewing angles but I have no idea if the IPS in the L340 is any good or not.

You see....that's why I'm asking questions tbh.

[Xevious]

Reck was asking about Alienware. They also aren't budget laptops, or weren't last I checked. The one at the linky was 1600.00, which OP says is out of the question.

I think a "gaming" laptop bought on the cheap is going to play for a very limited time because the owner is going to want new titles that require better hardware.

I'd look into getting a used one, you can get them with high end specs for a lot less than new, but be wary of stolen merchandise. Buy only from trusted folks. Check Amazon for used ROG laptops up to 1K
For adults, I'd agree. If it's for a kid that's into Minecraft and Roblox, there's no need to spend a bunch of money. In a couple years when their interests change, you'll be ready to buy a new one anyway.

[ElNono]

Sorry I edited that post after you quoted it... gpu is more like 15% faster since it's a GTX 1650 Max-Q and not GTX 1650 as I thought when making the post. I don't really know who is great for laptops. I have an MSI motherboard in my desktop and honestly it has been kind of a pain in the ass and I'll probably buy a Gigabyte board next time. But if ElNono can vouch for them as a decent manufacturer his word is a lot better than mine since he's an actual game developer.

I have a relatively pricey MSI laptop, and it's been good to me. Can't really say much more than that, as usual, looking at reviews online normally can give you a decent pulse.

[Heath Ledger]

I JUST GOT THE ASUS ROG GX701 WITH THESE SPECS I PLAY MODERN WARFARE WITH EVERYTHING AT HIGHEST SETTINGS OVER 100 FPS
CPU
Intel Core i7-8750H (6C / 12T @ up to 4.1 GHz), 9M Cache, 45W TDP, 14nm
RAM
16GB 2666MHz DDR4 + 8GB Soldered Onboard RAM
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q 8GB GDDR6
Storage
1TB PCIe G3X4 NVMe SSD
Display
17.3″ FHD (1920 X 1080) 144Hz Anti-Glare IPS Wide View Pantone Validated display with G-Sync (3ms response, 100% sRGB)

[ElNono]

I JUST GOT THE ASUS ROG GX701 WITH THESE SPECS I PLAY MODERN WARFARE WITH EVERYTHING AT HIGHEST SETTINGS OVER 100 FPS
CPU
Intel Core i7-8750H (6C / 12T @ up to 4.1 GHz), 9M Cache, 45W TDP, 14nm
RAM
16GB 2666MHz DDR4 + 8GB Soldered Onboard RAM
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q 8GB GDDR6
Storage
1TB PCIe G3X4 NVMe SSD
Display
17.3″ FHD (1920 X 1080) 144Hz Anti-Glare IPS Wide View Pantone Validated display with G-Sync (3ms response, 100% sRGB)

That's a monsta though... can't have that for under $1k lol

[Silver&Black]

^^Looks fantastic.

Overkill for a kid playing Minecraft and Roblox though.

[DMC]

You can play minecraft on a Dell 260.