New Laptop

By Mindovermaster
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Grand Master

Mindovermaster Moderator

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I don't want ANYONE to say, "you're wasting your money" "gaming isn't for laptops" "you'll get better performance/upgradability with a desktop"

 

I am sure on this, have read several reviews, and this sounds like the right thing for me.

 

I do not game that much, but when I do, it's like CS:GO or other similar low graphical pre-10 series games.

 

I was initially looking at the System76 Oryx Pro

 

I also was looking into the Alienware 13

 

Both are well-matched. 1060, i7 7700, etc. I just noticed the Alienware doesn't have as many USB ports. OOTB.

 

Is there another laptop or desktop replacement that has almost/all these things, at the same price point?

 

I run Linux Mint 18.2, to be specific. I won't be set back if it doesn't come with Linux.

 

Edit: Budget is, as you can see in links, around $1Kish...

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Grand Master

Circaflex

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I am curious, what exactly are you looking for? I have noticed, there have been three recent threads or so from you regarding a desktop replacement. Lets get that out of the way.

 

Are you looking to downsize the amount of space your current rig is taking up?

Do you need to be mobile? Is that why you are looking into a laptop?

 

The last thread was closed at your request, so I am curious what it is you are looking for.

 

You mentioned gaming, albeit CS:GO, but is that it? I guess it comes down to space, and how much of it you can use. To be frank, you don't need "gaming" laptops, see bright lights, giant cases, heavier than a bag of bricks, anymore if you don't need to be mobile with it. You can get a nice laptop with a Thunderbolt 3 port, and use an eGPU when you want to game. However, this is another small box on your desk. I guess my question is, with the rig you currently have, are you looking to upgrade that, replace it with something smaller, or do you want a laptop so you can take it with you somewhere, ie being mobile? Without knowing much of your plan, it would be hard to give you a proper answer.

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Grand Master

Mindovermaster Moderator

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Well, I already have a small system. With a Mini-ITX.

 

I do not need a "gaming" laptop, but I want something that can play it, if I ever choose to. And most ultra-books come with integrated video.

 

Mobile isn't really my plan. I just want to downsize.

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Grand Master

Brandon H Supervisor

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15 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

Well, I already have a small system. With a Mini-ITX.

 

I do not need a "gaming" laptop, but I want something that can play it, if I ever choose to. And most ultra-books come with integrated video.

 

Mobile isn't really my plan. I just want to downsize.

It sounds like the Intel/AMD co-op project would meed your needs. It will be so nice once they're available to the public. Just think, reasonably priced laptops with Intel CPU and integrated AMD graphics :)

 

https://www.neowin.net/news/hell-has-frozen-over-intel-and-amd-team-up-on-pc-laptop-chip

 

unfortunately it will be quite some time before we see general availability of this yet :/

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Grand Master

Circaflex

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22 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

And most ultra-books come with integrated video.

Which isn't a problem, now that you can easily use an eGPU via Thunderbolt 3. However, if you don't want the additional caddie on the desk or hidden below, a gaming laptop sounds like your best option.

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Grand Master

Mindovermaster Moderator

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@Brandon H- AMD graphics are bad for Linux, if you didn't know.

 

@Circaflex- AFAIK, eGPUs do not play well with Linux. This still true? And like I said above, I am sure on this.

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Grand Master

Brandon H Supervisor

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3 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

@Brandon H- AMD graphics are bad for Linux, if you didn't know.

 

@Circaflex- AFAIK, eGPUs do not play well with Linux. This still true? And like I said above, I am sure on this.

AMD hasn't improved any on Linux front? that's a shame to hear. I used to have a laptop with a 4xxx series AMD graphics and it was rock solid on Linux; that was one of the last AMD series to actually play nice on linux saddly.

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Grand Master

Mindovermaster Moderator

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3 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

AMD hasn't improved any on Linux front? that's a shame to hear. I used to have a laptop with a 4xxx series AMD graphics and it was rock solid on Linux; that was one of the last AMD series to actually play nice on linux.

 

After I got my Gigabyte 750Ti, I was much happier. I recently had a 7850.

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Grand Master

Brandon H Supervisor

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2 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

 

 

After I got my Gigabyte 750Ti, I was much happier. I recently had a 7850.

oh god yeah I remember hearing the 7xxx series was one of the worst on Linux, no wonder you had issues

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Grand Master

Mindovermaster Moderator

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3 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

oh god yeah I remember hearing the 7xxx series was one of the worst on Linux, no wonder you had issues

Yeah, NVIDIA has much better support.... Though I haven't tried AMD graphics in quite a while.

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Grand Master

DevTech

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When you make up your mind to proceed with a purchase, and you also communicate that very clearly, then there are lots of people here that will find you a deal.

 

For me the best deal is good hardware that lasts a few years so I would rather spend a bit more.

 

My Dell XPS 9550 has a 4K amazing LCD, a 960M GPU, a 6700HQ CPU, 16 gig RAM, Samsung 512g NVMe M.2 and Thunderbolt 3. That is a few years old and there is not a single item that leaves me wanting a new laptop. It cost around 2K but maybe you could find one on ebay these days for a lot less.

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Grand Master

Mindovermaster Moderator

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9 minutes ago, DevTech said:

When you make up your mind to proceed with a purchase, and you also communicate that very clearly, then there are lots of people here that will find you a deal.

 

As I said in my OP, if there is anything better, I am willing to look into it.

 

And there's always the chance Linux won't like something. I have to weigh out the goods and bads.

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Grand Master

T3X4S

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I know it is a little less powered than what you asked - but I just saw this, and a friend bought one for their son:

Dell Inspiron 15 Gaming: $750

 

Like I said, I know its not quite what you asked - but with the lower price point - you could get some other things as well.

This one is a little healthier - & comes in just a tad over $1000

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1050ti-1tb-hard-drive-128gb-ssd-black/5744108.p?skuId=5744108


 

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Grand Master

T3X4S

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3 hours ago, Mindovermaster said:

Surprised you didn't recommend any Lenovo's, @T3X4S :rofl:

A friend just bought on the of i5 versions for their kid, and gave it to me to clean up & prep for XMAS.

I actually know nothing and TBH - wouldnt recommend anything from Dell that isnt a Latitude :p

In short - dont listen to me.  

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Grand Master

Mindovermaster Moderator

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I think my old Laptop (circa 2005) was a Vostro model, but if I look up the model number, all I see are Latitude...

 

Yet I could run Xubuntu on it fine.

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Grand Master

goretsky Supervisor

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Hello,

 

Lenovo has a couple of models in its Legion Y Series line of gaming laptops that you might be interested in.  The Y520 starts at $700, so you could get that and add some upgrades and still be under your $1,000 budget, or the  Y720 starts at $1,050, which is slightly above your stated budget, but not too far off.  I'm not very familiar with the gaming laptop space (what little gaming I do seems to work just fine on my ThinkPad P50) but I suspect either would do well with the current crop of games, and there's always the possibility of a ThunderPort-connected eGPU if you decide the 1060 isn't cutting it anymore.

 

On an anecdotal note, I was in San Diego last month and stopped by a LAN party to drop off some stuff for an acquaintance.  Most of the people there seemed to be on desktops, but I did see a few with gaming laptops, and from my very brief and cursory inspection, they didn't seem to be enjoying themselves any less due to their choice of form-factor.

 

Regards,


Aryeh Goretsky

 

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Grand Master

DevTech

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On 12/14/2017 at 9:50 PM, goretsky said:

Hello,

 

Lenovo has a couple of models in its Legion Y Series line of gaming laptops that you might be interested in.  The Y520 starts at $700, so you could get that and add some upgrades and still be under your $1,000 budget, or the  Y720 starts at $1,050, which is slightly above your stated budget, but not too far off.  I'm not very familiar with the gaming laptop space (what little gaming I do seems to work just fine on my ThinkPad P50) but I suspect either would do well with the current crop of games, and there's always the possibility of a ThunderPort-connected eGPU if you decide the 1060 isn't cutting it anymore.

 

On an anecdotal note, I was in San Diego last month and stopped by a LAN party to drop off some stuff for an acquaintance.  Most of the people there seemed to be on desktops, but I did see a few with gaming laptops, and from my very brief and cursory inspection, they didn't seem to be enjoying themselves any less due to their choice of form-factor.

 

Regards,


Aryeh Goretsky

 

The main thing to watch out for on laptops and gaming other than the obvious fact you are stuck with your GPU choice for life is the size and quality of the Power Supply Brick. Many manufacturers are going small and cheap on those to save money and look less bulky on the assumption that users will rarely hit 100% duty cycle.

 

For gaming, that assumption does not hold and a power brick that is too small will cycle the on-board battery constantly and overload itself as well. A frequent gamer can end up with a seriously degraded battery and power supply within 6 months.

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Grand Master

Mindovermaster Moderator

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23 hours ago, DevTech said:

The main thing to watch out for on laptops and gaming other than the obvious fact you are stuck with your GPU choice for life

 

That's not true anymore with Thunderbolt.

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Grand Master

adrynalyne

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3 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

 

That's not true anymore with Thunderbolt.

No, but you won't see full performance through Thunderbolt. Its not as bad if you send to an external monitor, but feeding it back to the built in display has a huge performance hit.

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Grand Master

Mindovermaster Moderator

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47 minutes ago, adrynalyne said:

No, but you won't see full performance through Thunderbolt. Its not as bad if you send to an external monitor, but feeding it back to the built in display has a huge performance hit.

Still better than nothing, though :yes:

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Grand Master

adrynalyne

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4 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

Still better than nothing, though :yes:

True, so get a good internal gpu that will last and get better than both. :)

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