I need a new lappy, $1700 max?

Forums › Laptops and mobile computers › I need a new lappy, $1700 max?

TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek

#306548 2-Aug-2023 18:02

Ive mostly been looking at gaming lappies,but none of them you can overclock CPU at this price point.

Processing power is really important. Im prob going to buy an external monitor for photo work, one hundred SRGB etc.

Im prob looking at an older gtx1060? I see they are up to 4060 now. Of course an xx70 model would be prefered.

But some quality is important to me. Like Lenovo business lappies feel so good to type on.

Just if you know of a deal thats really good, let me know and I will chec it out.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

20580 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3111212 2-Aug-2023 20:28

Gaming and photo work and you're getting an external laptop... how about a compact desktop instead of a laptop? They're faster, quieter and cheaper? My work laptop cost work $3K or so, my home desktop cost half as much, is at least three times faster, and is about 80% quieter.

Aucklandjafa

395 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3111225 3-Aug-2023 07:03

M1 MacBook Air - it’ll out last (and out perform) any PC you’d get for that price

Behodar

10505 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3111232 3-Aug-2023 07:40

Aucklandjafa: M1 MacBook Air - it’ll out last (and out perform) any PC you’d get for that price

If you do go down this road then you could get a refurbished M2 for just a few dollars more than your budget: https://www.apple.com/nz/shop/product/FLXW3X/A/

Aucklandjafa

395 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3111239 3-Aug-2023 08:12

Behodar:

Aucklandjafa: M1 MacBook Air - it’ll out last (and out perform) any PC you’d get for that price

If you do go down this road then you could get a refurbished M2 for just a few dollars more than your budget: https://www.apple.com/nz/shop/product/FLXW3X/A/

Even better point!

Handsomedan

7293 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#3111242 3-Aug-2023 08:35

Behodar:

Aucklandjafa: M1 MacBook Air - it’ll out last (and out perform) any PC you’d get for that price

If you do go down this road then you could get a refurbished M2 for just a few dollars more than your budget: https://www.apple.com/nz/shop/product/FLXW3X/A/

I can thoroughly recommend refurbished Apple products from the official store. I have had several over the years and they are sometimes "better than new" as the QC on refurbs is more stringent.
Cases are mostly replaced, batteries, too. Everything is warrantied up the wazoo.

Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale

*Gladly accepting donations...

jonb

1771 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3111274 3-Aug-2023 09:39

If sticking to the Windows laptops I wouldn't get anything less than a rtx3050 equivalent one. e.g. this one from MSI has an i7 also. GTX1060 (especially the laptop version of chip) is pretty useless nowadays, my laptop with gtx1650 struggles doing some things and has higher power consumption than a modern chipset.

MSI PBTech

TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek

#3111562 3-Aug-2023 18:30

jonb:

If sticking to the Windows laptops I wouldn't get anything less than a rtx3050 equivalent one.

Im not a hard core gamer, I may even go with the latest Xbox - however after buying a $300 elite gamepad my Xbox One only ever got used to select whether we watched Netflix of TVNZ haha. My connundrum is Im more of a sports gamer and RTS gamer, which I think one is console and the other is mostly PC.

I was think RTX3060 I found a number of good lappies around the $1700 mark, but they are limited by the H cpu's not the OC'ble K series i5 and i7. Im guessing that is what makes them so affordable.

Im not likely to get CPU throttled by a 12700H though. The main thing is probaaly more, are these Asus, MSI, acer, Gigabyte notebooks for the most part able to upgrade the ram?

Tradepub

Free professional, reference and technical white papers (affiliate link).

TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek

#3111563 3-Aug-2023 18:39

timmmay:

how about a compact desktop instead of a laptop?

I did consider this, I put together a $1500 build, I was quite surprised at how much GPU's cost comparatively thee days. Im looking at somehing arounnd i5-12500h, 16GB, RTX3060, 512GB SSD etc notbook for $1600-1800 (I think on special.

If I could get a good desktop of similar power for $1500 I could then spring for an Ipad.

Its totally impossible to put OSX on desktops now isnt it? Im not a mac fan, neiher a hater. Horses for courses.

TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek

#3111569 3-Aug-2023 18:44

Aucklandjafa: M1 MacBook Air - it’ll out last (and out perform) any PC you’d get for that price

CPU wise perhaps, what about access to all the main gaming titles?

also Id have to transition to Mac software, some of which is ok, some of which I prefer PC.

But, I could be in the dark, has there been a work around to all this outside the old hackintosh etc?

rb99

3423 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3111579 3-Aug-2023 19:24

No idea if this is any good. Just happened to get an email about it.

At least the price starts with 17...

https://extremepc.co.nz/asus-tuf-gaming-fx507zm-15-6-i7-12700h-16gb-ddr5-rtx-3060-1tb-ssd-win11-pro-gaming-laptop/

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek

#3111588 3-Aug-2023 20:05

rb99:

No idea if this is any good. Just happened to get an email about it.

At least the price starts with 17...

https://extremepc.co.nz/asus-tuf-gaming-fx507zm-15-6-i7-12700h-16gb-ddr5-rtx-3060-1tb-ssd-win11-pro-gaming-laptop/

Yep those are the models Im looking at, upgradeable ram etc. He is an older 9th gen i7 model with a 17.3" 100% sRGB screen with a RTX2070 for $2k. Will try to find the new model.

Infinity S7-9R7 Slim AlloyChassis 17.3" FHD 100%sRGB 144Hz RTX2070-MaxP/8G Intel Corei7-9750H 16GB 512GB Mechanical PreKeyRGB 4xVideo-Out IRCam WinPRO (justlaptops.co.nz)

Something a bit more random and outside my scope of gaming is the asus infinity OLED screen models, which seem to be well thought of. But its 100% DCIp3. It has a current gen i7-12700h, 16GB ram, good touch response. Fits my content creation needs outside needing an external monitor that can handle the jandle. But no gaming.

ASUS ZenBook 14 Flip OLED UP5401ZA-KN043X 14" Touch 2.8K 100%DCI-P3 550nit 90Hz Corei7-12700H 16GB 1TB/Gen4 Win11PRO TB4 WebCam 1.4kg Inc Stylus Sleev (justlaptops.co.nz)

TeaLeaf

6325 posts

Uber Geek

#3111619 3-Aug-2023 21:08

Used could be a good option, Nothing well used and warn out. Perhaps an unwanted gift etc. Worth a try.....

toejam316

1466 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3111628 3-Aug-2023 21:33

Laptop and overclocking go together like cheese and automotive engineering.
It ain't a thing. Your budget you're probably not gonna get something that feels nice, gaming laptops are full of compromises until you get to the higher end things.
MacBook can run games too, I'd say an M2 is a good bet.

Anything I say is the ramblings of an ill informed, opinionated so-and-so, and not representative of any of my past, present or future employers, and is also probably best disregarded.

michaelmurfy

meow
13243 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3111634 3-Aug-2023 22:11

Another recommendation for an Apple Silicon Mac.

I’ve had a base model M1 Pro (with 8gb of ram) and wife has the M1 Air and they’re by far the best laptops we’ve both had. They’re quick, battery lasts long and their screens are really nice too.

Gaming wise - you didn’t specifically mention this but I wouldn’t use a laptop for gaming anyway. I much rather a laptop for productivity with good battery life than a laptop that doubles as a heater and has rubbish battery life.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
Referral Links: Quic Broadband (use R122101E7CV7Q for free setup)

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? Please consider supporting us by subscribing.
Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

SpartanVXL

1308 posts

Uber Geek

#3111703 4-Aug-2023 09:08

Overclocking laptops is a thing, just not in NZ since theres no market for it.

If you’re only doing professional/media work then get the m1/m2 apple hardware. Best product for that as long as the software you want to run does actually run.

If it cant run on ARM like majority of games then don’t bother, you’d be better served by a steam deck than apple stuff for games.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5