Looking to purchase a new laptop, need a bit of help deciding...

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Finch

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#306322 12-Jul-2023 18:53

Evening folks, I'm looking to finally upgrade my laptop and have narrowed it down to the below options. It will be my first "Gaming Laptop", except the only game I'll be playing is Age Of Empires 2:Defenitive Edition, it's highly unlikely I'll be playing any other game. Besides that, just the generic Youtube/Browsing Reddit/Discord/Streaming Disney+ etc etc - No high intensity work

I did go into JB Hi-Fi yesterday and was all set to buy this one - But I saw one next to it which had GTX 1650 and was $300 cheaper, however they only had display model so I didn't get it

The choice I've narrowed it down to....

First of all, this Dell G15 from Noel Leeming - $1349 - It's also at JB Hi-Fi for $1398 - It has a GTX 3050, and says intel 12th core - What am I missing here? The 256GB SSD doesn't bother me, I don't need that much

Secondly is this one from Harvey Norman , Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3, however costing $1398 and a GTX 1650, it feels like the Dell is more bang for buck?

Finally is this HP Victus from Noel Leeming at $1499, it's also available at Heathcotes for $1399 - It does "Only" have a GTX 1650, so again it's a step down in that department, but I really like the look and build of the Victus the most. The version from NL has an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H Processor, while the Heathcotes has 12th Generation Intel Core i5-12450H, I'm not sure which is better?

My order of preference would be Dell - HP - Lenovo, it looks like the Dell has the best specs and it's the cheapest? Is there anything "bad" about Dell?

Thanks for any advice/tips

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#3103423 12-Jul-2023 19:06

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MINIMUM:

- OS: Windows 10 64bit
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64x2 5600+
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 420 or ATI™ Radeon™ HD 6850 or Intel® HD Graphics 4000 or better with 2 GB VRAM
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 15 GB available space
- Additional Notes: 2GB of video memory + 4GB of system memory required

RECOMMENDED:

- OS: Windows 10 64bit
- Processor: 2.4 Ghz i5 or greater or AMD equivalent
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia® GTX 650 or AMD HD 5850 or better
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 15 GB available space

Save 75% on Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on Steam (steampowered.com)

Finch

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#3103426 12-Jul-2023 19:16

Wakrak:

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MINIMUM:

- OS: Windows 10 64bit
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64x2 5600+
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 420 or ATI™ Radeon™ HD 6850 or Intel® HD Graphics 4000 or better with 2 GB VRAM
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 15 GB available space
- Additional Notes: 2GB of video memory + 4GB of system memory required

RECOMMENDED:

- OS: Windows 10 64bit
- Processor: 2.4 Ghz i5 or greater or AMD equivalent
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia® GTX 650 or AMD HD 5850 or better
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 15 GB available space

Save 75% on Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on Steam (steampowered.com)

Thanks, yes I currently play it on my laptop, but it's 6 and a half years old and isn't too flash anymore

Mainly just looking to see what others think which laptop I linked would be the best for me, I'm assuming the Dell as it's cheapest with the best specs?

Wakrak

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#3103432 12-Jul-2023 19:38

Finch:

Thanks, yes I currently play it on my laptop, but it's 6 and a half years old and isn't too flash anymore

Mainly just looking to see what others think which laptop I linked would be the best for me, I'm assuming the Dell as it's cheapest with the best specs?

I should have mentioned that I just posted the above requirements so that others that have decent advice to give know where the bar is set.

My initial reaction is that $1300 seems like a lot of money to spend on a laptop just to stream videos and play one game. But then again I'm no expert in this space.

Finch

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#3103435 12-Jul-2023 20:04

Wakrak:

Finch:

Thanks, yes I currently play it on my laptop, but it's 6 and a half years old and isn't too flash anymore

Mainly just looking to see what others think which laptop I linked would be the best for me, I'm assuming the Dell as it's cheapest with the best specs?

I should have mentioned that I just posted the above requirements so that others that have decent advice to give know where the bar is set.

My initial reaction is that $1300 seems like a lot of money to spend on a laptop just to stream videos and play one game. But then again I'm no expert in this space.

It would be my daily driver besides my phone, so o course some work related things as well, but nothing serious

Qazzy03

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#3103444 12-Jul-2023 20:38

All of those laptops only have 8gb of ram which is incredible low for the amount of money they are asking for.

Tbh if it was me, I wouldnt get any of the ones you listed.

If you were set on getting one of the three,
I would get the RTX 3050 as it is the latest GPU and you will have access to dlss, if you do want to try newer games.

However if I could choose a laptop in your current price range I would go for something like this.

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NBKMSI621477B/MSI-GF63-Thin-12UCX-156-FHD-Gaming-Laptop---Intel

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NBKASU506040/ASUS-TUF-F15-TUF506HF-HN040W-RTX-2050-Gaming-Lapto

https://www.computerlounge.co.nz/shop/laptops/gaming-laptops/asus-laptops/tuf-gaming-a15/asus-tuf-gaming-a15-r5-4600h-16gb-512gb-gtx1650-gaming-laptop

Finch

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#3103452 12-Jul-2023 21:15

Qazzy03:

All of those laptops only have 8gb of ram which is incredible low for the amount of money they are asking for.

Tbh if it was me, I wouldnt get any of the ones you listed.

If you were set on getting one of the three,
I would get the RTX 3050 as it is the latest GPU and you will have access to dlss, if you do want to try newer games.

However if I could choose a laptop in your current price range I would go for something like this.

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NBKMSI621477B/MSI-GF63-Thin-12UCX-156-FHD-Gaming-Laptop---Intel

Or

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NBKASU506040/ASUS-TUF-F15-TUF506HF-HN040W-RTX-2050-Gaming-Lapto

Or

https://www.computerlounge.co.nz/shop/laptops/gaming-laptops/asus-laptops/tuf-gaming-a15/asus-tuf-gaming-a15-r5-4600h-16gb-512gb-gtx1650-gaming-laptop

Thanks mate, I did have a look at PB Tech as well, just heard bad stories so it somewhat puts me off, but end of the day people have bad experiences at all shops

Do you think the 3050 would be "too much" for me? I'm not planning on playing the latest AAA games Ultra settings

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Qazzy03

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#3103468 12-Jul-2023 21:47

Having too much power is never a bad thing but the 1650 GPUs would run AoE 2 just fine for your use case.

I am more concerned about the 8gb of ram in the laptops, some you can install more into but you need to look that up per model. As some manufacturers solider there ram to the motherboard.

I have had a laptop with only 8gb of ram and i didn't enjoy my experience.

Windows, web browsers and just a few programs can eat through 8gb so quick imo.
If the laptops you were looking at were sub $1000.00, I would be like less concerned but ram is so cheap there is no reason any laptop more than $1000.00 doesn't have at least 16gb.

On the PB Tech front, I have never had an issue yet .. but yes there are stories of repairs or returns going a bit pear shaped but that can be most or any retail store these days.

jjnz1

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#3103493 12-Jul-2023 23:59

Bear with me: Macs traditionally suck for gaming right? Not quite.

I just purchased my very first MacBook Air after going through many Windows and Chromebook laptops. All I can say is wow, (and don't get fooled by the cheaper 8GB model if you do go down that path. I returned my first 8GB one for a 16GB and never looked back). And I can easily get 9 hours playing AOE!

Have you thought about using Nvidia GeForce Now? For people who don't mind 40ms pings and resolution of only 1080p at 60hz, it is awesome. It also works very well on 5 year old Chromebooks too.

I have my Air plugged into 2x 32" 4K monitors through a dock and GeForce Now games works great.
Playing something like Destiny 2 works flawlessly on the larger monitor. And I'm sure the first Gen M1 Air would be just as good if not better than a $1400 Windows one, if you're not a heavy gamer and favour battery life.

Tip, buy Apple refurbished products to get same warranty but at a much less cost. Ie $1400 for a M1 MacBook Air. You can also purchase Apple care to extend the warranty to 3 years too.

Oh and as mentioned above, the AOE collection is 75% off on Steam at the moment - which is one of the platforms GeForce Now uses for your game library.

Good luck

Finch

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#3103532 13-Jul-2023 09:11

Thanks for the reply, not interested in GeForce Now though

I made this last night to post on the AOE2 sub, figured it'd be useful here as well

I'm really liking the Victus, but which one would be better? Some reviews of the Dell says it has blue screening, so that's put me off and perhaps that's why its so cheap?

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#3103536 13-Jul-2023 09:16

honestly non of those, you need to be looking at something with 16gb of ram as mentioned, and while you think 256gb is not much it does fill pretty fast.

those 3 mentioned by @Qazzy03 are all in you your ballpark price range and are mostly better specs

Finch

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#3103539 13-Jul-2023 09:30

Jase2985:

honestly non of those, you need to be looking at something with 16gb of ram as mentioned, and while you think 256gb is not much it does fill pretty fast.

those 3 mentioned by @Qazzy03 are all in you your ballpark price range and are mostly better specs

Thanks mate, I don't need 16GB Ram, worse case scenario I can buy a ram stick anyway

256GB is plenty for me, as I have a Portable HD and Flash drives around the place, so I don't need more

Despite the image I posted, it's possible to upgrade the RAM in the Victus

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cddt

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#3103540 13-Jul-2023 09:31

1) get something with 16 GB of RAM or something that is upgradeable (RAM is generally an easy upgrade but sometimes the manufacturer solders the existing RAM).

2) AoE:DE is CPU intensive far more than GPU. I have a RTX 3050 and the GPU typically sits around ~20% usage in this game, so it's way overkill. If money is a concern you could also look at laptops without dedicated graphics, as the modern integrated graphics should be sufficient for this game.

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#3103543 13-Jul-2023 09:38

The difference in running Win 10 on 8GB or 16GB IMHO is quite noticeable. Might be just that I'm a geek so I notice these things.....

Main difference at a basic level between the 1650 and 3050 is the power draw. Obviously for graphics in newer games it'll offer a difference as well but you've already said you're happy with running AoE2 which the 1650 will handle happily.

XPD / Gavin

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#3103545 13-Jul-2023 09:40

cddt:

1) get something with 16 GB of RAM or something that is upgradeable (RAM is generally an easy upgrade but sometimes the manufacturer solders the existing RAM).

2) AoE:DE is CPU intensive far more than GPU. I have a RTX 3050 and the GPU typically sits around ~20% usage in this game, so it's way overkill. If money is a concern you could also look at laptops without dedicated graphics, as the modern integrated graphics should be sufficient for this game.

Yeah, Intel Iris is actually quite impressive for what it is. I've run a variety of newer games on my work HP Probook with Iris GFX, and while had to turn some stuff down, runs quite well.

XPD / Gavin

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Finch

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#3103549 13-Jul-2023 09:52

cddt:

1) get something with 16 GB of RAM or something that is upgradeable (RAM is generally an easy upgrade but sometimes the manufacturer solders the existing RAM).

2) AoE:DE is CPU intensive far more than GPU. I have a RTX 3050 and the GPU typically sits around ~20% usage in this game, so it's way overkill. If money is a concern you could also look at laptops without dedicated graphics, as the modern integrated graphics should be sufficient for this game.

Thanks, yes have read its more CPU than GPU for AOE2

Of the 4 I listed is there a CPU that's better than the rest? I did read the Ryzen is meant to be quite good

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