[JithinR]

Originally Posted by Amien

Not a bad choice, it just sacrifices thermals/build in favour of a slim chassis.

It's important to first outline a primary application (eg. gaming) and then prioritize either portability or performance. There are better options available in either case.

Sorry my bad. I guess both my friend and I are looking for a gaming laptop (portability is not high on our list of priorities) that could also be used for coding (nothing intensive just .NET apps). Performance all the way.

At least as far as I am concerned I would prefer something that is low key (RGB lighting is not a deal breaker though) and my friend would be the direct opposite. We both planned to get a PS5 sometime this year (that plan is out the window now).

I tend to play AAA rated games with strong single player stories but he tends to prefer games like CS GO.

[Amien]

Originally Posted by JithinR

I tend to play AAA rated games with strong single player stories but he tends to prefer games like CS GO.

HP Omen 15-EN0002AX for you and ASUS ROG Strix G17 G712LU-H7015T for him.

Notes: The 1660Ti is almost as fast as a 2060, just without RTX/DLSS, making it the better value. If these features are important to you, its best to move up a price/performance tier as the 2060 barely has enough surplus power to drive them. Other important considerations such as build quality and cooling implementation are often hard to quantify but accounted for in the above recommendations.

[ZenMaster]

I am requesting suggestions for a laptop for my friend.

Points to consider:

*Price : Less than 50k
*Screen size: 14"
*Processor : Core i5 / Ryzen5 (4000 series or newer)
*RAM: 8GB Minimum
*Battery life: at least 8 hours
*Brand : No particular preference. The product Should be reliable.

Backlit keyboard: Not a deal breaker even if absent

Usecase: Mainly office Work through remote desktop. He uses Unigraphics/NX (CAD software) for work. All official work will be done on Remote Desktop only. But he might want to run NX occasionally on his laptop for any light personal projects.
Other than that, only use would be net browsing netflix

P.S.: Free bundled MS Office would be a great bonus.

[Amien]

Originally Posted by ZenMaster

*Price : Less than 50k

Usecase: Mainly office Work through remote desktop.

If the budget is a hard limit, you will end up with a Lenovo Ideapad of some sort based on the rest of your list. This is a particularly sub-optimal way of choosing a laptop.

The level of performance we're looking at is not at all needed when most of the work will be processed remotely. You'd likely be better off spending the budget on a better screen or increased durability.

Take a look at the MSI linked here meanwhile:- https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadge...ml#post5008549 (The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions)

[ZenMaster]

Originally Posted by Amien

If the budget is a hard limit, you will end up with a Lenovo Ideapad of some sort based on the rest of your list. This is a particularly sub-optimal way of choosing a laptop.

The level of performance we're looking at is not at all needed when most of the work will be processed remotely. You'd likely be better off spending the budget on a better screen or increased durability.

Take a look at the MSI linked here meanwhile:- https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadge...ml#post5008549 (The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions)

What's your opinion of the Mi Notebook by Xiaomi?
Core i5 version comes under 47k

The features and build seem quite good for the price and the reviews also seem to be quite positive

[HEMIOrange]

Originally Posted by ZenMaster

I am requesting suggestions for a laptop for my friend.

Check these two out
https://www.flipkart.com/asus-vivobo...01619358334306

https://www.flipkart.com/asus-vivobo...01619358334306



I have been using Asus for the past 7 years, my wife and I have a vivobook and no issues faced till now.

[Amien]

Originally Posted by ZenMaster

What's your opinion of the Mi Notebook by Xiaomi?
Core i5 version comes under 47k

The features and build seem quite good for the price and the reviews also seem to be quite positive

It's not bad if you're prioritizing the display as it has one of the better ones in this range.

I would pick this ThinkPad E495 instead if reliability was of primary importance. It comes down to a question of what you really want, which gets lost between specs. and anecdotes.

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by Amien

HP Omen 15-EN0002AX for you and ASUS ROG Strix G17 G712LU-H7015T for him.

Thank you for the guidance. The HP Omen is the laptop that I was looking at first before my friend asked me to take a look at the MSI.

During the weekend my existing laptop (an old Asus N56 vm) refused to boot into windows and I had no choice but to reset windows (restore points, refresh none of it worked).

I might need the laptop sooner than I initially thought.

What is your opinion on this one (https://store.acer.com/en-in/acer-ni...h-rtx-3060-8gb)

The RTX 3060 in this is a 85W one (one of the Flipkart reviews mentioned that it doesn't have Nvidia Dynamic Boost) and the Ryzen 5600h is at 45W. The screen though it's a 144 Hz doesn't have the response times and makes do with 45% NTSC coverage in this AMD model. Meanwhile, the Intel version had a 72% NTSC coverage with 3ms response times.

Even with these limitations, can it be a decent gaming laptop? I just saw fellow member blackwasp mention the cost of his desktop build and I am starting to think that a gaming laptop is the only way to get a decent system at a reasonable price till at least 2022.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Even with these limitations, can it be a decent gaming laptop? I just saw fellow member blackwasp mention the cost of his desktop build and I am starting to think that a gaming laptop is the only way to get a decent system at a reasonable price till at least 2022.

Until unless mobility is your top priority, buying a laptop for gaming or heavy graphics tasks is a stupid idea.

A desktop built using the desktop versions of the same components used in the laptops you are considering will perform far better and far stable for far more longer sessions.

And biggest advantage with the desktop is that the possibility of upgrades is always open there, you just need to be careful while choosing the motherboard, power supply and cabinet while you can compromise a bit on rest of the components which you can upgrade at later stage whenever you feel and whenever your budget allows.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Until unless mobility is your top priority, buying a laptop for gaming or heavy graphics tasks is a stupid idea.

A desktop built using the desktop versions of the same components used in the laptops you are considering will perform far better and far stable for far more longer sessions.

And biggest advantage with the desktop is that the possibility of upgrades is always open there, you just need to be careful while choosing the motherboard, power supply and cabinet while you can compromise a bit on rest of the components which you can upgrade at later stage whenever you feel and whenever your budget allows.

I also agree. A desktop beats a laptop every time in VFM.

For example my sons have Apple laptops. One is the latest with 32GB or RAM and the works, the other is a few years old. I have a dual Xeon Desktop 12+ years old.

1. The Desktop runs with no CPU throttling, has 6 HDD and I use 3 displays.
2. Both the Apple laptops have thermal issues at high CPU usage even at 20 degrees centigrade, and the CPU throttles down till it cools down.
3. The desktop can be upgraded at minimum cost - RAM, HDD, Graphics card etc. Not really possible with laptops, especially current ones which come with most components soldered on (even batteries !)

So if you want a mobile high power solution go for it, else get a moderately spec laptop for portability and a high power desktop for games and number crunching. This combination may be cheaper than a top spec laptop.

[NPV]

How common are SSD failures ? One never knows till one experiences it

I bought an Asus laptop last year and suddenly the Teams app shut down and the BIOS screen appeared with "No storage device found". Luckily it's still in warranty as it's less than a year old and I've logged a support ticket, should be fixed free of cost under warranty, though it may take more than a week during the Covid situation to get it done.

[navin]

Originally Posted by Aroy

I also agree. A desktop beats a laptop every time in VFM.

Originally Posted by Amien

ASUS ROG Strix G17 G712LU-H7015T for him..

My son is also a gamer and looking at gaming laptops. He also needs something that is light enough to carry to class (college student). Space is a constraint as he will be in a dorm room.

I see 3 options:

1. Get a desktop for gaming and a laptop for classwork. He may even be able to use the desktop monitor with his laptop.
   
2. Get 2 laptops: a heavy bulky but fast gaming laptop and a thinner lighter laptop for class. He could even add an external monitor that can be used with either machine.
   
3. Get a single fast but sleek and light laptop that can be used for gaming as well as classwork.

We prefer option 2 since, not only is it portable but, he would be able to lock his gaming laptop out of sight while he is in class. The laptops we looked at were the Asus ROG Strix Scar with GTX3070 and Dell XPS 13 with 32GB of RAM and 2GB SSD best. I figured these would serve him for the next 5 years at least.

https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-str...car-15-series/
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-GeForce-.../dp/B08SJQZVGR
https://store.asus.com/us/item/20210...C-G533QR-DS76Q

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop...x139w10p2c3003

What do you guys think? Are there other options that we should consider?

My son is more inclined to getting a desktop instead of a gaming laptop as he can get more power for less money. But given the fact that he would have to change dorms every semester, I think a laptop might make more sense.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by navin

My son is more inclined to getting a desktop instead of a gaming laptop as he can get more power for less money. But given the fact that he would have to change dorms every semester, I think a laptop might make more sense.

This is not just about the cost, but its more about usability. Just think what is you priority - everyday usability or hassle of packing the desktop once in a while?

The bulk will be there with the gaming laptop as well since you are considering external monitor, you will also have to buy a gaming mouse and a proper mechanical keyboard for gaming which are usually available in wired versions only, and maybe you gonna end up with a game pad as well. So the argument of portability is ruled out here.

Another bonus with the desktop is the long term performance, stability, cooling and upgradability. And mind it, the so called gaming laptop gonna end up contributing in day by day increasing e-garbage in 3-4 years when it's battery will die. On the other hand you can keep upgrading and using the desktop for years.

If this would have been for all-in-one kind of purpose and budget was constraint with the preference of mobility in mind then a gaming laptop would have been ideal choice, non of these seem to be the restriction in your case.

If you go for desktop in any case then just keep one thing in mind that CPU cabinet these days come with one or more glass panels at sides, avoid them to reduce the risk of damage during frequent transportation.

But I think currently its not about what your prefer or need, now its more about what you can get in the market. Even if you make your mind about desktop then you gonna have tough time building or finding one since the GPUs are kind of alien thing currently due to non availability.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by NPV

How common are SSD failures ? One never knows till one experiences it

I bought an Asus laptop last year and suddenly the Teams app shut down and the BIOS screen appeared with "No storage device found".

What a turn of events, something I never imagined

So, the support engineer called today to say he will visit onsite for diagnosis and then if he determines SSD failure, he will have the part ordered and replaced in 4 business days.

As soon as he powered up the laptop, windows worked like a charm with no trace of any issue (on previous attempts only the BIOS screen was being displayed with a message saying "No storage device present").

He went on to complete a series of diagnostic tests and there were no issues reported with the SSD or any other components. He then concluded that the issue was because of a bad BIOS/firmware install that ran in the background while the system was in use (MS Teams meeting) and caused the SSD to be not recognized

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by NPV

..................

As soon as he powered up the laptop, windows worked like a charm with no trace of any issue (on previous attempts only the BIOS screen was being displayed with a message saying "No storage device present").

............

SSD can fail faster than HDD, and the failure can either be soft (as in your case) or hard where it simply dies.

There fore at least for pace of mind have a normal HDD for all your data. The best use of SSD is to hold transient data (temporary files, working files etc). Having OS on SSD speeds up the boot process significantly, but a failed drive will not boot. So the tradeoff is yours - fast boot or peace of mind.