Folks,
I'd really appreciate some input on my options with regard to a buying a new (or refurbished) no bank-breaking gaming laptop. Background is that I've had a 17 inch hp for ten years and used to play a lot of Warhammer Dawn of War and Metro 2033/Last light. Haven't played for several years as machine too old, but have found out the latest in the Metro series is out and would love to be able to play it on reasonable quality settings, but ideally high settings. Recommended requires I7-4770K, 8GB and a 8GB GTX 1070/RTX 2060 and high needs I9-9900K, 16GB and 8GB GTX 1080Ti or RTX 2070.
I would like to spend around £600 but if justified I could go double plus on this. I would like the machine to be relevant to decent games for a handful of years going forward, accepting that a GFX card upgrade may be required. What I'm wondering is that would a machine that plays standard settings be such a jump forward from my last machine that anything better would be overkill and a waste of money? Would it be possible to get the 'higher'machine for £1500?
Can any of you good folk with experience in this field recommend best options or indeed a machine please? Needs to be a 17 incher and not boil itself to death.
Many thanks in advance.
T
Worth keeping an eye on https://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/gaming-laptop
Although 17” doesn’t seem as common these days, much of the market is for more portable 15” since they managed to get decent performance in smaller form factors.
£600 won't get you much I'm afraid. You'll need to spend at least a grand. Based on your needs (important bits being a 2060 and 17 inch screen) here's two options:
(My)Reccomendation: https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-omen-17-cb0588na-17-3-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-rtx-2060-1-tb-hdd-512-gb-ssd-10193589-pdt.html
Difference between the two: 144hz screen (makes a huge difference for gaming), double the ram, double the m.2 ssd storage space (and a HDD), and it has a Thunderbolt port. For some Thunderbolt doesn't mean much, but it gives a hell of a lot of flexibility, including the option to attached a desktop grade GPU via an enclosure in the future. You can't upgrade the GPU's in laptops (there is the very odd exception) so its worth keeping in mind.
I've had gaming laptops for years now. I'm currently on a HP Omen and I'd recommend them. It gets loud when the fans are at full tilt but its the same for any gaming laptop really.
Guys,
Thanks very much for the replies. I kinda assumed that these days you could generally swap GPU's so good to know it's not normally the case. Also, may be a daft question but it seems that machines don't come with dvd drives. How do I get all my old titles on to a new un?
Thanks again.
(goes off to plan case for spending 1.5k on a laptop and not telling mrs)
Yup, DVD drives are long gone! Easiest thing to do is buy an external usb DVD drive. They're fairly cheap now.
£600 seeems a little low for the specs you mention, but you might find a billy bargain.
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2020/05/19/get-a-brand-new-ryzen-laptop-with-a-gtx-1660-ti-inside-it-for-under-a-grand/
RPS also mentioned Dell has a sale on today; some of their G series laptops are pretty good, worth checking out.
I had an HP Omen last year and it was a great gaming laptop. Sold it on because I didn't need a laptop anymore and built a new desktop.
But to echo above, 1k plus for something that can play latest titles well.
Some old titles will be downloadable if you have the CD key.
Dell outlet and Amazon warehouse seem best value for bargains.
Something like this, but keep an eye and you'll likely find better bargain.
https://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdfh1&l=en&s=dfh&brandid=7
Edit. Link not work, but search onsite for a 17 inch g7
Don't get 8GB memory unless it's upgradeable. It's the minimum at the moment, soon games will be moaning at startup that they want moar.
I bought a Medion Erazer 17" laptop last year for around £750. Can't remember specs off the top of my head other than it has an i7 processor and 16GB RAM, but I do know that it plays Elite Dangerous and Witcher 3 with no problems whatsoever. I'm especially pleased with Elite, it's easily as plush as the PS4 version.
Hi Folks, thanks for all the input and suggestions.
I ended up ordering from a company called PC Specialist who have been very good with comms and support while it's been being built. I of course decided to order on a Friday evening after a few beers and went a bit OTT, speccing a Vyper series 17.3 144Hz, intel I7 10875H with 32gb, an RTX 2070 Super 8GB and a 2Tb SSD. I reckon it i'll do me for a few years. Any opinions?
Cheers
Topper
~£600 new would probably get you a "desktop tower" middle of the road system, I'm a bit out of the loops since putting together an X99 and G43 system together in Xmas 2014 iirc. I'm talking case; motherboard; cpu; memory; hdd; "modest" gpu; BR/DVD player (if you need one)... Keyboard, mouse, monitor, Windows 10 etc. all extras above that.
"Gaming laptops" command a massive premium for their portability.
A "cheap gaming laptop" is really pick any two. PC Specialist is well regarded though so you're in good hands.
I'm hoping it'll be delivered tomorrow, but so far on service, PC Specialist have been one of the best companies I've dealt with full-stop. I forgot to mention, the build was £2.2k so a 'bit' more than the 600 in my OP.
I have paid a massive premium to have a 'mobile' solution but a desktop was not an option. On that note, if I wanted to display through a big Samsung LED, is such a thing possible?
Metro Exodus here I come!!!
the build was £2.2k so a ‘bit’ more than the 600 in my OP.
Amazing 😀
what did you go for? Regarding the screen, what ports do you have on the laptop?
On that note, if I wanted to display through a big Samsung LED, is such a thing possible?
Yeh, It's literally just a case of hooking up an HDMI cable, then configuring multi display in windows to your preference. The laptop just sees it as a second monitor plugged in.
Vyper series 17.3 144Hz, intel I7 10875H with 32gb, an RTX 2070 Super 8GB and a 2Tb SSD
Nice (but yes, possibly a bit OTT :D)! That spec will see you good on paper for 4-5 years at least. It's probably worth finding out, given that potential longevity, if the company offers battery replacement after 2-3 years, as that'll probably be the first thing to start to wear out.
Beyond that, you may want to think about cooling - with the 17" chassis there should be more space for airflow inside, but a good vented stand is probably a good idea to prevent excessive heat buildup.
You should go with Lenovo Legion 5i 17-inch or OMEN by HP 17 inch.
Ref. https://mylaptopguide.com/best-17-inch-laptop/