External screen advice

Chris99

Member
Hi,

I'm looking at a 15.6" Cosmos VIII for a mixture of development and casual gaming. The specs say HDMI Output Connection and Mini Display Port, so if I put a GTX 1050 in it will I be able to connect two external monitors when developing?

Thanks for any assistance,

Chris
 

Chris99

Member
Thanks for replying. I see that now, so the question remains for both models. Can they support two monitors?
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
As far as I know, yes. Best to confirm with PCS and get the HDMI and DP versions for the outputs so you know what resolutions they support. Do let us know what they say as it could be helpful info for others in a similar position to yourself.
 

-=SS=-

Member
It would be handy to know this information across all the laptop range, as this is a main driver in my current hunt for a laptop at the moment. Assuming a laptop has two outputs, it's fair to assume it can do dual monitor? Currently awaiting some reviews and feedback on the Vyper II because it has x2 mini-DP.
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
It would be handy to know this information across all the laptop range, as this is a main driver in my current hunt for a laptop at the moment. Assuming a laptop has two outputs, it's fair to assume it can do dual monitor? Currently awaiting some reviews and feedback on the Vyper II because it has x2 mini-DP.
Questions like this can be answered quickly and easily by phoning PCS.
 

Chris99

Member
So I talked to PCS (I was amazed how quickly they answered the phone) and they confirmed that both a Cosmos with a 1050 and an Optimus with a 1650 can support dual monitors. In each case the output versions are HDMI v2.0 and mini display port 1.4.

I can feel myself weakening towards the Optimus with 16GB of 2666MHz DDR4 and a 1TB Samsung 970 Evo Plus M.2 SSD. :eek:
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
The Optimus would definitely be my recommendation. You can't upgrade the GPU in a laptop so when you hit a game you can't run comfortably on a GTX 1050, you're out of luck. The GTX 1050 is the lowest level GPU that can even be called a gaming GPU in Nvidia's lineup.

The Optimus is a huge upgrade over that (~40% more performance - consider that versus the % price increase of the laptop as a whole) and will let you keep the laptop longer before needing to replace it for a better GPU. The 1650 is still entry level, but has a lot more mileage left in it.
 
D

Deleted member 94250

Guest
The Optimus would definitely be my recommendation. You can't upgrade the GPU in a laptop so when you hit a game you can't run comfortably on a GTX 1050, you're out of luck. The GTX 1050 is the lowest level GPU that can even be called a gaming GPU in Nvidia's lineup.

The Optimus is a huge upgrade over that (~40% more performance - consider that versus the % price increase of the laptop as a whole) and will let you keep the laptop longer before needing to replace it for a better GPU. The 1650 is still entry level, but has a lot more mileage left in it.
i'm probably poking my nose a bit too far, but isn't the 1660ti the sweet spot for performance? would you recommend it to OP?
 

Chris99

Member
Hi @jaigal

The 1660 may be a better bang per buck, but I think @Oussebon took my original post into account. Whilst I was willing to consider being upsold to a 1650, the extra £135 for the 1660 is a bridge too far for this casual gamer.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Assuming i7 CPU, 16gb RAM, 512gb M.2 SSD:
Cosmos 15.6" (GTX 1050): £889 - GPU 6549 firestrike score
Optimus 15.6" (GTX 1650) £959 - 9153
Optimus 15.6" (GTX 1660 ti) - 1093 - 14684

Versus Cosmos 1050, Optimus 1650 gives ~40% more performance for ~8% cost increase, Optimus 1660 ti gives 125% more performance for 23% cost increase.

So @jaigal is spot on that the 1660 ti gives the best bang for buck. A 1660 ti will run AAA titles well, and have the most headroom for future releases of any chassis, and deferring the need for a new laptop can be a substantial saving in the long run. If it's within budget it's certainly the best buy of the three for gaming.

That said, the 1650 in the Optimus can at least make a decent stab at even demanding modern titles at medium settings, where a 1050 may already begin to struggle. The 1650 will probably last a while into the future on low settings even at 1080p, while the 1050 may need to drop resolution before long. If £900 is already a stretch, and £1100 or so is out of the question, stretching for the 1650 will at least make the laptop gaming-capable and is only ~£70.
 
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