Laptop Recommendation ?

[LoboNocturno]

Hey there, 

 

I am planning to buy a laptop soon for around 1500 $ range, which 1 would you recommend me ?

Used the past 10 years Apple MacBook laptops but i really want to have a end with it since it can be a lil uncomfortable with USD data transfers (even the PlayStation5 doesn't recognise Apple formatted USB sticks), so i want to buy a good Windows Laptop (which is far easier to open games, had even hard times to open JA1 & JA2 in a Apple laptop) that can carry me at least for next 5 years.

Will use it more for multimedia and internet but also for light gaming (especially for Jagged Alliance 3 soon, cant really wait still it will come to console, so have to buy and play it from day 1 hehehe.) It should perform well (does not need to be the cream of creams but a really good 1), also have a good battery life cause i can be watching videos a lot.

 

Am not really a laptop expert so am kinda confused what to get ?

 

Watched some videos on YouTube and they say the Dell XPS 13 (the model looks nice and small, perfect to carry around) or 15 9500 should be good but it also received some critics so i don't know what i should really buy ? I also don't want to regret later on why i did bough it.

 

So please can someone throw me some ideas, i would really appreciate it.

[Hongweibing]

Try Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, if you're looking for something powerful yet portable, that's probably the best option. There are several options under 1500 USD on Amazon, Bestbuy etc. 

If you want something slightly cheaper with a larger screen, try Asus TUF Dash 15.

Of course, there are plenty of specific models, depending on your location. But generally, you want a Ryzen 7 5xxx or 6xxx or better, or an Intel i7 11th or 12th gen or better (although i9 is an overkill, to be honest), i5 12th gen is also good. Also, get at least 16GB RAM. As far as storage space - up to you, but I wouldn't go for less than 512GB (and would prefer 1TB). As for the GPU, if it's really just light gaming, then even Geforce 3050 or 3050ti should suffice, though I'd invest in a 3060. For the AMD counterparts, probably at least RX 6600S, and preferably RX 6700S.

Dell XPS is not a gaming laptop (it is a very good "business" or "productivity" laptop, like a MacBook), so it might not deal too well with the heat generated by a dedicated GPU. In that regard, gaming laptops are better designed for that, though even they have problems.

[LoboNocturno]

On 9/22/2022 at 12:32 PM, Hongweibing said:

Try Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, if you're looking for something powerful yet portable, that's probably the best option. There are several options under 1500 USD on Amazon, Bestbuy etc. 

If you want something slightly cheaper with a larger screen, try Asus TUF Dash 15.

Of course, there are plenty of specific models, depending on your location. But generally, you want a Ryzen 7 5xxx or 6xxx or better, or an Intel i7 11th or 12th gen or better (although i9 is an overkill, to be honest), i5 12th gen is also good. Also, get at least 16GB RAM. As far as storage space - up to you, but I wouldn't go for less than 512GB (and would prefer 1TB). As for the GPU, if it's really just light gaming, then even Geforce 3050 or 3050ti should suffice, though I'd invest in a 3060. For the AMD counterparts, probably at least RX 6600S, and preferably RX 6700S.

Dell XPS is not a gaming laptop (it is a very good "business" or "productivity" laptop, like a MacBook), so it might not deal too well with the heat generated by a dedicated GPU. In that regard, gaming laptops are better designed for that, though even they have problems.

I was really thinking about the Asus ROG Zephyrus G15, nice design (compact and quite light), great battery life as i saw from some reviews but at the end its much more a gaming laptop isnt it ? And it doesnt have a camera which is a minus for me.

 

Yes Asus TUF Dash F15 seems to me even nicer overall then the ROG Zephyrus G15 from the model but to mount a extra webcam on it, i dont know.

 

The comparison between Dell XPS 15 9500 VS Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 seems also pretty similar to me ;

 

 

Guess the Dell XPS will also more than enough to open and play Jagged Alliance 3 or not ?

Like i said i will do minimum gaming on it anyway (just Jagged Alliance 3 and may a few more lighter games), will use it mainly for multimedia, editing pics and videos, may some YouTube content and storing pics and videos on it. So at least 1 TB SSD its surely a must indeed.

Still will be checking for more laptops but right now the Dell XPS 15 is the closest buy me candidate. 😁 Just the battery life really concerning me, to have for such a price a weak battery is surely dissapointing and the camera is not so good either which is another downside imo.

[Hongweibing]

Dell XPS 15 is great for productivity purposes, and it might be able to deal with light gaming, though as you can see, the cooling system is limited, with minimal ventilation. It should run JA3 if you get a model with a dedicated GPU (the maximum you can get with it is a seriously underclocked RTX 3050ti at 40W TDP, though that should just about suffice for JA3), but it might get pretty hot on longer gaming sessions. Admittedly, that would be a problem with all "productivity" laptops (and with many slim gaming laptops).

 

Yes, the Zephyrus models don't have a camera, sorry, forgot about that.

 

The TUF Dash F15 models, on the other hand, do have cameras, at least in the 2022 models (the 2021 did not have, if I recall correctly). Still, for most purposes except for gaming, Dell XPS 15 is indeed better (again, depends on the specific models being compared), but more expensive.

[LoboNocturno]

2 hours ago, Hongweibing said:

Dell XPS 15 is great for productivity purposes, and it might be able to deal with light gaming, though as you can see, the cooling system is limited, with minimal ventilation. It should run JA3 if you get a model with a dedicated GPU (the maximum you can get with it is a seriously underclocked RTX 3050ti at 40W TDP, though that should just about suffice for JA3), but it might get pretty hot on longer gaming sessions. Admittedly, that would be a problem with all "productivity" laptops (and with many slim gaming laptops).

 

Yes, the Zephyrus models don't have a camera, sorry, forgot about that.

 

The TUF Dash F15 models, on the other hand, do have cameras, at least in the 2022 models (the 2021 did not have, if I recall correctly). Still, for most purposes except for gaming, Dell XPS 15 is indeed better (again, depends on the specific models being compared), but more expensive.

Really appreciating the info you are giving, it's so helpful to me.

 

See this :

 

https://nanoreview.net/en/laptop-compare/dell-xps-15-9520-2022-vs-asus-tuf-dash-f15-2022

 

Dell XPS 15 9520 VS Asus TUF Dash F15 (both 2022)

I don't see much difference between the 2 to be honest in the comparison, yes the TUF Dash may the better option for heavier gaming and better battery life as well but other than that the Dell seems finer to me. Guess i will be going for the Dell XPS 9520, would you recommend the 13" or 15" ? Guess the 15" is a bit more durable right ?

[Hongweibing]

If we are to compare the two most similar models, then it should be something like this:

https://nanoreview.net/en/laptop-compare/dell-xps-15-9520-2022-vs-asus-tuf-dash-f15-2022?m=b.2_c.2_d.1_g.2_r.2_s.3-and-c.2_d.1_g.2_r.2_s.2

Of course, the comparison is quite limited, because it only shows the specifications "on paper" - and here is where you don't see how the cooling system works. I checked a few tests online, and because the XPS also comes with the more powerful H processor (which is unusual for slim laptops), it will be up to 5-10 degrees (Celsius) hotter on average than the TUF Dash when gaming, still, under normal (non-gaming or otherwise very GPU or CPU intensive) use it should be just fine (even better, probably). So in short, if you're only going to be using it for light gaming occasionally, it should be just fine, as long as you get one with a 3050 or 3050ti (no big difference at this TDP, to be honest).

 

Personally, I'd go for the 15 inch version, but if you're travelling with it a lot, and using it on the go, then maybe the 13 inch version would make more sense (I don't think there is much difference in durability, though perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the 15 inch version should be a bit cheaper - because it is more common).

 

[LoboNocturno]

I was really thinking hard about Dell XPS 15 2022 but with good specs its almost around 3000 $, guess i will be going finally for the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 2022, its around 1900 $ and almost the same specs and the ROG G14 is safer for some gaming as it does not heat up much like the Dell XPS. Also more robust design, the Dell XPS looks glamorous but looks too fragile somehow (lightly builded), the ROG 2022 has more plug ins which is also a plus.

 

 

[LoboNocturno]

Ooohhh forgot to write it here, earlier on like 4 weeks ago i bought finally a Asus ROG Zephyrus, Hongwebing`s advice helped me alot to choice this laptop, cause in my first thoughts was to buy the Dell XPS 15 9520. So far so good, cant complain at all for around 1700 $ a good laptop imo, am happy with it and cant wait to play Jagged Alliance 3 on it soon, Jagged Alliance 3 was also 1 of the reasons for me to buy this ROG G14 2022.

[Hendrix]

@LoboNocturno looks like a nice laptop!

I assume you have it hooked up to your tv? Are you going or do you to use a wireless keyboard and mouse? If that is the case I would appreciate if you could tell us how that works out for you!

Have you tried any more demanding games, how do they run and how much nose to the laptop produce?

I myself connected my tv to my laptop via Samsung Easy Connect app (or some such it was called) and while the connection worked without a problem the mouse and keyboard lag was way to much for me to handle, I had the wireless mouse and keyboard connected to the tv instead of the laptop. The lag was severely reduced when I connected the mouse and keyboard to the laptop instead and connected the tv via a HDMI cable. I would like to state that both the mouse and keybord are fairly old and cheap. Will post again when I get a bit of time to try out the samsung app with the m&k connected to the laptop.

On a side note, glad to se you got your priorities straight when it comes to the games installed (shortcuts to JA). 😄👍

[LoboNocturno]

On 1/3/2023 at 7:55 AM, Hendrix said:

@LoboNocturno looks like a nice laptop!

I assume you have it hooked up to your tv? Are you going or do you to use a wireless keyboard and mouse? If that is the case I would appreciate if you could tell us how that works out for you!

Have you tried any more demanding games, how do they run and how much nose to the laptop produce?

I myself connected my tv to my laptop via Samsung Easy Connect app (or some such it was called) and while the connection worked without a problem the mouse and keyboard lag was way to much for me to handle, I had the wireless mouse and keyboard connected to the tv instead of the laptop. The lag was severely reduced when I connected the mouse and keyboard to the laptop instead and connected the tv via a HDMI cable. I would like to state that both the mouse and keybord are fairly old and cheap. Will post again when I get a bit of time to try out the samsung app with the m&k connected to the laptop.

On a side note, glad to se you got your priorities straight when it comes to the games installed (shortcuts to JA). 😄👍

Yeap the laptop is not bad at all, to your first question nope didnt tried it and guess cant even try it since i have a older plasma TV from 2010 or so, still working smoothly and good for console gaming even its way too outdated against modern TVs. If i buy a newer smart TV, am aiming to buy possibly the SONY KD-55XH9005 LED TV, you can get it for a reasonable price, under 800 euros. Would use it more for sport streaming though then gaming.

 

To your 2. question, a friend of mine asked me the same question few days ago lol, no i didnt tried any modern AAA game as yet how the laptop really performs on it, as i am not even planning to do heavy gaming on my laptop, but could do a test sometime. For most gaming cases and AAAs i am surely just going to use my PS5. Am still hoping that JA3 will be coming also for console shortly after its released for PC, will play it firstly in PC anyway but when it comes out for PS5, will platinum it for sure.

Ohhh i see, you did some experimenting already with TV & laptop, could be very true with lagging, could also depend what type of mouse or keyboard you use. Am also not using the fanciest mouse, using at the moment the Logitech Signature M650 that i bought for 45 euros, its far more comfortable then the famous Razor Death Adder imo.

 

Oh yes, Jagged Alliance to be on the desktop is a must eeeh 😉 Urban Strife & Jagged Alliance 3 to follow maybe later on of this year.

[LoboNocturno]

BTW i got the portrait of Santino on my AnimeMatrix. 😊 Looks good doesnt it ?

[bhaa]

Hello human,

Sorry to be off topic and honestly its not my business, but

I wouldn't recommend 2 buy a laptop at all, unless you play outdoors and in need of a mobile station. If u wanna enjoy decent gaming experience, this way or another u will end up with a bigger screen, an external mouse and keyboard, a joystick or another controller of your choice. As every laptop includes usually poor keyboard, mouse and a small screen, the only thing that the manufacturer wants from us is to pay twice. And I don't see a reason to pay twice for a screen, mouse and keyboard. A laptop with bigger screen becomes hefty and not as mobile as we like it to be. Moreover what happens when some1 wants to switch a monitor ? In a PC its just switching the monitor (just check the video output is still suitable) while for a laptop the whole box goes to garbage, not cool man, not cool.

Moreover, graphic cards and CPU's in laptops are weaker to a larger extent than the options we have for a PC. The number of discs and memory cards has its physical limits (not much slots available in laptop) and usually laptop parts are more expensive and give you less freedom of choice to combine.

The only usual drawback in building a PC is it comes without wi-fi and without blue-tooth by default, unless you choose extension cards or very specific motherboards. Mind the gap here, as even when a PC has a blue tooth connectivity some blue tooth headsets will not work with it.

A strong laptop is not cheap and usually laptops nowadays are not much stronger than a decent mobile phones. So I assume u already have a phone as a mobile device, why to buy another one... Just because some game devs do not know to develop a game for a phone ? so we should pay money for multiple devices, well that's a bad joke if u ask me.

And do not expect that a windows laptop would last for 10 years. I believe after 5 years most of the windows laptop users find themselves at the moment they want to change it for something else.

 

Just another point of view, nothing more and sorry for being rude and away from the subject.

[Hendrix]

@bhaa appreciate your point of view mate. No worries, I did not find your post rude in any way.

I know laptops aren't really good for gaming. In my case I used to be away for work for several days almost every week having long boring hotel/motel stays in places devoid of anything to do, I bought a Lenovo Yoga 730 15" I used to play games such as Jagged Alliance, Baldur's Gate, Heroes of Might and Magic etc. + watch series and movies. I personally don't like to neither play games or watch movie's on my phone. I probably have to start travelling for work again either this or next year, and my wife needs a laptop for studies so the best solution for us right now is her taking my laptop and me getting a new one.

[LoboNocturno]

6 hours ago, bhaa said:

Hello human,

Sorry to be off topic and honestly its not my business, but

I wouldn't recommend 2 buy a laptop at all, unless you play outdoors and in need of a mobile station. If u wanna enjoy decent gaming experience, this way or another u will end up with a bigger screen, an external mouse and keyboard, a joystick or another controller of your choice. As every laptop includes usually poor keyboard, mouse and a small screen, the only thing that the manufacturer wants from us is to pay twice. And I don't see a reason to pay twice for a screen, mouse and keyboard. A laptop with bigger screen becomes hefty and not as mobile as we like it to be. Moreover what happens when some1 wants to switch a monitor ? In a PC its just switching the monitor (just check the video output is still suitable) while for a laptop the whole box goes to garbage, not cool man, not cool.

Moreover, graphic cards and CPU's in laptops are weaker to a larger extent than the options we have for a PC. The number of discs and memory cards has its physical limits (not much slots available in laptop) and usually laptop parts are more expensive and give you less freedom of choice to combine.

The only usual drawback in building a PC is it comes without wi-fi and without blue-tooth by default, unless you choose extension cards or very specific motherboards. Mind the gap here, as even when a PC has a blue tooth connectivity some blue tooth headsets will not work with it.

A strong laptop is not cheap and usually laptops nowadays are not much stronger than a decent mobile phones. So I assume u already have a phone as a mobile device, why to buy another one... Just because some game devs do not know to develop a game for a phone ? so we should pay money for multiple devices, well that's a bad joke if u ask me.

And do not expect that a windows laptop would last for 10 years. I believe after 5 years most of the windows laptop users find themselves at the moment they want to change it for something else.

 

Just another point of view, nothing more and sorry for being rude and away from the subject.

Everyone has surely different opinions which i tolerate but seriously it made me laugh, cant compare a good laptop with a smart phone, come on. Am nearly not using my smart phone at all when am home, a laptop has much more to offer then a smart phone. Can use even social media on my laptop more, phone is ok when you are outdoors imo but looking for hours to smaller screen can also really disturb the eyes, watching %99 times YouTube on my laptop or via my PS5 on big TV screen.

 

A good modern windows laptop could easily work smoothly for 5 years or more, it also depends how you use and take care of it. But any machine will age by time thats also a reality.

 

You may right a PC could have advantages over a laptop but now days people rarely use desktops, unless you are a real PC geek and are stable for years in 1 house/place, then it could make sense.