Laptop Advice

[Pokkai]

Hi All,

My PCS laptop is 6 years old, spec below, and is rather loud when playing games (WoW/Emulators/Overwatch/CoD).

Chassis & Display Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4700MQ (2.40GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM) 16GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
2nd Graphics Card NONE
1st Storage Drive 240GB INTEL® 520 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Storage Drive NONE
1st M.2 SSD Drive NONE
RAID NONE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
External Hard Drive NONE
Memory Card Reader Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Battery Optimus Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
Power Cable 1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless/Wired Networking GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ 1202 WIRELESS GAMING 802.11N + BLUETOOTH 4.0

Therefore I'm thinking of getting a new device to move forward with, I have a budget of £2,000, would like to spend as less if possible, and would like to get the best performance I can for the money, but it absolutely must operate quietly, even when running games. I had a desktop previously and lost everything when my house was flooded.

The cost of gaming PC makes my eyes water, so getting a laptop seemed the best way forward, as I also like the flexibility it offers to move around, etc.

I'd be looking for a 15.6 size as opposed to anything bigger, but with so many options, can anyone recommend a viable spec, I don't think it needs anything above 1080p, given size, but open to options.

Thanks,

Paul.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Just so you realise, laptops are more expensive and not as powerful?

 

[Pokkai]

Just so you realise, laptops are more expensive and not as powerful?

Thanks Spyder, yes I'm aware they are more expensive, but the form factor and transferability is a huge boon as I work from home with Autistic children and it makes it easier to relocate should I need to take calls elsewhere, not sure a desktop would be as easy, unless I get a desk on wheels .

I've debated a desktop, and really cannot decide, hence the reason asking for perspectives .

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks Spyder, yes I'm aware they are more expensive, but the form factor and transferability is a huge boon as I work from home with Autistic children and it makes it easier to relocate should I need to take calls elsewhere, not sure a desktop would be as easy, unless I get a desk on wheels .

I've debated a desktop, and really cannot decide, hence the reason asking for perspectives .

Yep, makes perfect sense then, so long as you're aware.

I think 1080p is a good idea, unless you're in no rush in which case PCS are due to be releasing 1440p screens in the near future (aprilish) which will pair very nicely with the higher end cards.

If you're happy with 1080p high refresh though, perhaps aim at an RTX2060 if you're not too fussed about the new Ray Tracing stuff (which doesn't really work for gaming just yet).

But it is important to note that any gaming laptop is going to be loud when under load, it's unavoidable as there's so much to cool without much cooling ability. You can reduce fan noises long term by giving it a good thorough clean every year or even 6 months and perhaps a new paste job every 2 years.

I'm not so hot at the specs, so I'll leave them up to someone else.

 

[Pokkai]

Yep, makes perfect sense then, so long as you're aware.

I think 1080p is a good idea, unless you're in no rush in which case PCS are due to be releasing 1440p screens in the near future (aprilish) which will pair very nicely with the higher end cards.

If you're happy with 1080p high refresh though, perhaps aim at an RTX2060 if you're not too fussed about the new Ray Tracing stuff (which doesn't really work for gaming just yet).

But it is important to note that any gaming laptop is going to be loud when under load, it's unavoidable as there's so much to cool without much cooling ability. You can reduce fan noises long term by giving it a good thorough clean every year or even 6 months and perhaps a new paste job every 2 years.

I'm not so hot at the specs, so I'll leave them up to someone else.

Thanks Spyder, appreciated. I haven't looked at the specs of the Mobile RTX line, I know the desktop 2060 has RT built in.

Is it worth re-pasting my existing spec and dragging another year out of that? How does that CPU/GPU compare to today's gear? 16GB ram was a complete waste in that original build.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks Spyder, appreciated. I haven't looked at the specs of the Mobile RTX line, I know the desktop 2060 has RT built in.

Is it worth re-pasting my existing spec and dragging another year out of that? How does that CPU/GPU compare to today's gear? 16GB ram was a complete waste in that original build.

The GPU is probably pretty lacking in todays standars. The CPU on the other hand is still very capable. A repaste and clean would very likely bring temps down quite a lot and improve performance overall whilst reducing fan noise.

The GPU will let it down though for modern games.

16Gb RAM is now about the optimum for good gaming performance although only about 12Gb ever really gets utilised by the game itself and only a couple reach that figure. But if you've got a browser open at the same time or something, it's handy to have the extra. But yeah, at the time, probably a little on the high side

 

[Pokkai]

The GPU is probably pretty lacking in todays standars. The CPU on the other hand is still very capable. A repaste and clean would very likely bring temps down quite a lot and improve performance overall whilst reducing fan noise.

The GPU will let it down though for modern games.

16Gb RAM is now about the optimum for good gaming performance although only about 12Gb ever really gets utilised by the game itself and only a couple reach that figure. But if you've got a browser open at the same time or something, it's handy to have the extra. But yeah, at the time, probably a little on the high side

The existing spec is so noisy when I play any game, CoD settings have to be reduced significantly and WoW ranges from 20-35 fps, I do clean out the chassis frequently, but haven't changed the paste on the CPU since purchase, so that might be worth a go! At least from a noise perspective.

What holds me back with the current line of equipment is I think CPU architecture is about to change with the new console generation coming and first gen technology never lasts, such as the RTX cards, they don't have the grunt to push Ray Tracing, I assume they will soon be replaced with 7NM GPU's, in addition to be stupidly overpriced.

My thought was to get a laptop that's got more grunt for 1080p to last me a few years, until the next architecture is established and 4k/60fps is truly available for all titles. We may well be streaming games by that point .

 

[SpyderTracks]

The existing spec is so noisy when I play any game, CoD settings have to be reduced significantly and WoW ranges from 20-35 fps, I do clean out the chassis frequently, but haven't changed the paste on the CPU since purchase, so that might be worth a go! At least from a noise perspective.

What holds me back with the current line of equipment is I think CPU architecture is about to change with the new console generation coming and first gen technology never lasts, such as the RTX cards, they don't have the grunt to push Ray Tracing, I assume they will soon be replaced with 7NM GPU's, in addition to be stupidly overpriced.

My thought was to get a laptop that's got more grunt for 1080p to last me a few years, until the next architecture is established and 4k/60fps is truly available for all titles. We may well be streaming games by that point .

Personally, if it were me, I would hold out for a while if at all possible for the following reasons:

1. Waiting for AMD 7nm architecture, not so much to adopt it but because it's going to push Intel into releasing new tech early imho. They've held the crown for too long and have been able to dictate release schedules, but the new 7nm are likely to put them on the back feet for the first time in a long time. Their current CPU lineup are all running far too hot because they're eeking out every little last drop of 14nm before moving up, to the point where imho, the CPU's aren't fit for purpose, especially in a laptop.

2. There are rumours that ARM will be entering the laptop market with i5 capable performance. Whilst it's not i7 capable performance, IMHO that's plenty for most games except perhaps procedural strategy games that more rely on CPU than GPU. Plus ARM run on a fraction of the power that Intel or AMD do so lower temps (significantly) and better battery life. The roadmap on this is uncertain atm. But this is why Microsoft are working so hard to get windows working properly on ARM, they know that if ARM do it right, Intel and AMD are totally screwed for the mass market.

3. 1440p screens will be becoming mainstream. Really, most modern cards from the 1070 and 1080 plus the 2060, 2070 and 2080 are overpowered for a 1080p screen, even at high refresh. 1440p on a 15" or 17" would be ideal for new cards.

Further thought: 4k on a laptop screen is completely wasted, you have to up the windows scaling to be able to read anything at all which completely defeats the point. I can just about use it at 100% scaling on my 28" screen and even then sometimes I have to squint.

I've held off upgrading for some time because I just don't think any of the intel chips are capable of running on any laptop or desktop, even their lower powered chips run rediculously hot. It's pretty much the norm with the last 2 gens of laptops to have to run an undervolt for it to perform as advertised and that's just completely unacceptable in my view. Even desktop processors have to be run with very high spec closed loop watercoolers to keep them optimum.

For desktop, wait for AMD's chips in the summer, and for laptops wait for more news on ARM........ IF you have the luxury of waiting that is

 

[Oussebon]

Just to go at a slight tangent, if the main issue with the current laptop is the noise rather than performance, have you cleaned and repasted your current laptop?

Also if you need portability for work (you said taking calls, so I assume this is for work?) and increased gaming performance then could you not use your old laptop for work and a new desktop system for gaming?

 

[Pokkai]

The issue is both noise and performance in the games I play, note the WoW measures above, I have cleaned - but not repasted the CPU, which I'm going to order some Arctic Silver for.

With regards to work, yes that is a use of the device, with gaming the other one. The utopia would be a desktop, it's the medium I'd prefer, but I'm if I'm going all in, I want a top spec gaming rig, but don't think the current gear will be top dog for long, the RTX line won't last anywhere near as long as the 10 series and Intel will launch a new range this year as well, so I'm unsure which way to go to be honest.

I did wonder if it's worth either trucking with what I have or getting a mid priced laptop as a stop gap.