Laptop with good graphics for around £800?

[Voidprojects]

My son is trying to get a decent laptop at around £800 - will need it for things like Premiere Pro and Photoshop, so good graphics but also fairly flexible. He's come up with the 2 following builds - can anyone advise on the pros and cons or if he's going completely the wrong way?
Build 1 -
Chassis & Display
Lafité Series: Aluminium Chassis: 14" Matte Full HD IPS LED (1920 x 1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor i7-8565U (1.80GHz, 4.6GHz Turbo)

Get Total War: Three Kingdoms & More w/ select Intel CPUs!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS (CPU Dependant) - 1.7GB Max DDR4 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
1st Storage Drive
250GB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 2.5" SSD, (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 1500MB/sR | 1000MB/sW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x Lafité Series 40W AC Adaptor
Battery
Lafité Series 3 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (36WH)
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.1 PORTS
Keyboard Language
LAFITÉ SERIES SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo N141ZU (i7-8565U)

Build 2 -

Chassis & Display
UltraNote Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor i7-8550U (1.80GHz, 4.0GHz Turbo)

Get Total War: Three Kingdoms & More w/ select Intel CPUs!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS (CPU Dependant) - 1.7GB Max DDR4 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
1st Storage Drive
250GB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 2.5" SSD, (upto 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
2nd Storage Drive
500GB SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
2nd/3rd HDD HARD DRIVE OPTICAL BAY CADDY (9.5mm)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
AC Adaptor
1 x 40W AC Adaptor
Battery
UltraNote V Series 44WH Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.0 PORT (Type C) + 1 x USB 3.0 PORT + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS
Keyboard Language
SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo N750WU FHD (i7-8550U)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days

 

[Oussebon]

Don't buy either, or indeed probably anything from PC Specialist.

There's just nothing on offer that it makes sense for you to buy for these needs and in this budget range.

You want a dedicated graphics card (GTX 1050 / 1050 ti - preferably the -ti - or a 1650 if there is such a thing anywhere as a a 1650 laptop for ~£800).

None of the laptops PCS sell with the -U CPUs have a dedicated GPU
Except for the Fusion, which we'll ignore because it only has an MX250 and also sports single channel RAM only...

Besides which, you don't really want a -u series CPU.

You may have fallen into the i7 trap. i7 is now a meaningless term. For instance that i7 is not much faster than an i5 of the same series, and both are lower power CPUs than things like the i5 8300H / 9300H. Being -U series CPUs, rather than -H series. Also spending a load on storage is not wise since that's something you can upgrade, unlike the CPU or GPU. So if you've heard that an i7 is best for Premiere etc, that's true, sort of, but it would need to be the right kind of i7, and sometimes an i5 is a better buy.

With PCS's Vyper model having gone EOL, and the Cosmos series being frankly too expensive for what it is (especially when configured with a dGPU), you should buy something elsewhere unfortunately.

If PCS could field a laptop with an i5/i7 -H series CPU, and a GTX 1050 or 1050 ti CPU for ~£800-900, that'd be a different story...

 

[Oussebon]

The best I could do was:

Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 9750H (2.6GHz, 4.5GHz Turbo)

Get Total War: Three Kingdoms & More w/ select Intel CPUs!
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 - 3.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 120W AC Adaptor
Battery
Cosmos VIII Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo NH55RHQ (3GB GTX-1050, i7-9750H, 60Hz FHD IPS N4)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: £917.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/cosmosVIII-15/rHHMgEvbPc/

but it won't take you long to find alternatives at other stores that are likely to be more appealing...

 

[Voidprojects]

Thank you - that should be really helpful. I built a really good value desktop last year with PCS (and advice from this forum) so it seemed a good place to look, but I really don't know much about laptops so could advise him. I had been advising him to go for an i5 and put the money elsewhere, but that was about my limit.

 

[Voidprojects]

We have found a very promising option with an i5-8300H quad core, 8GB RAM, GTX1060 with 6GB, a 60 hz HD screen, 256GB Samsung SSD and 1TB HD, with loads of ports and under £800 - how does that sound?

 

[SpyderTracks]

We have found a very promising option with an i5-8300H quad core, 8GB RAM, GTX1060 with 6GB, a 60 hz HD screen, 256GB Samsung SSD and 1TB HD, with loads of ports and under £800 - how does that sound?

As PCS sell custom desktops and laptops we can only advise on those. You may want to check out toms hardware which is an open forum for advice on other machines.

 

[Oussebon]

Yeah, we can't advise on specific alternatives for obvious reasons

I'd echo the above recommendation to take advice from an open forum e.g. Tom's Hardware. No point going and buying Brand X if it turns out even the Cosmos would have been a much better choice e.g. due to its 6C/12T CPU and worth stretching the extra £100 for.

 

[SpecialDonkey]

I would recommend the Fusion i5 8265. He doesn't need a H processor for Photoshop right? The dedicated mx250 is high enough for any graphics use, except for very modern games at FHD resolution. SSD flash storage is extremely fast too.

Because these specs aren't overpowered, the Fusion is a very light, thin laptop with other features such as quick charge and a nice case.

H processor laptops aren't as portable and usually have less battery life despite bigger batteries and are good for extreme gaming and will shorten the time taken to do intensive tasks like video editing.

 

[Oussebon]

The OP does say "Premiere Pro" as well as Photoshop in fairness... so the H series CPU and a decent dGPU certainly qualify there. Also it rather depends on their PS usage - there can be benefits to far more powerful hardware than you get in laptops...

If they don't need an ultra thin and ultra light laptop then I can't agree with recommending the Fusion. Also single channel RAM only.. ouch.

And in any event, even a brief shop around would show laptops with a -U series CPU and a better GPU than the fusion for a lower price - or it certainly did when I originally looked up specs.

Also you are giving the MX250 too much credit for gaming performance too. Some games several years old will not run satisfactorily at native res (not that the OP mentioned gaming, but in case someone else reads this thinking the MX250 is sensible for casual gaming)

 

[SpecialDonkey]

Off topic, I agree the Mx isn't a gamer GPU for native resolution for very graphic intensive games. Those wanting to game at high settings should opt to the vast selection of better gpu laptops.

But the mx250 should provide a good balance between portability and power.
Remember that consoles are limited to 60fps and some games 30fps.

Far cry on Xbox 1 hits on average just below 30fps. Mx250 averages just above that at 32fps. Mx250 can play GTA 5 easily although I'd suggest an external fan to keep CPU from throttling. (Researched from YouTube FPS tests)

So for portable casual console quality gaming I think mx250 is suitable.

When it arrives next week I'll do a full review on it and either confirm or backtrack on my comments 😂

 

[Oussebon]

More generally, if you can confirm whether it's the 10W or 25W version of the MX250 that would be interesting