Gaming Laptop Discussion Thread

[Atom]

Got an advert for this on ResetEra:

MSI Katana GF66 11UG-087UK Gaming Laptop | Cyberpower UK

MSI Katana GF66 11UG-087UK Gaming Laptop Intel® Core™ i7-11800H Processor NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3070 Max-Q 8GB Video Card 15.6

www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk

Pretty decent specs for £1000, though the 512GB SSD is a downside. I paid £1100 back in November for a laptop with similar specs but with a 1TB SSD.

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Just my experience: MSI is pretty inconsistent with their displays and what sort of overdrive settings they feature. Some of their laptops with the 144hz panels are pretty bad response time wise by default and have a factory set non-disableable overdrive to compensate for this. The problem is that if you try and underclock the display to 60hz -- which is necessary for a lot of games which won't present properly at higher refresh rates -- you will have extremely noticeable overdrive artifacts and a borderline unusable screen.

I talked with their support extensively over this for a similar model and they view this as a feature of the display, though it seems they will facilitate a swap out of the display for one that doesn't have the same issue if you ask nicely.

If you plan to play mainly with an external monitor though this is probably a pretty good deal.

 

[Dannepannepuff]

Got an advert for this on ResetEra:

MSI Katana GF66 11UG-087UK Gaming Laptop | Cyberpower UK

MSI Katana GF66 11UG-087UK Gaming Laptop Intel® Core™ i7-11800H Processor NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3070 Max-Q 8GB Video Card 15.6

www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk

Pretty decent specs for £1000, though the 512GB SSD is a downside. I paid £1100 back in November for a laptop with similar specs but with a 1TB SSD.

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Got a Legion 5 5800H/3070(130w)/16/1tb for about £960 on sale with a student discount last week from Lenovo. They seem to have pretty good sales regularly, more so if you can combine the sale price with another discount.

 

[Kirstenwilliamson23]

Got a Legion 5 5800H/3070(130w)/16/1tb for about £960 on sale with a student discount last week from Lenovo. They seem to have pretty good sales regularly, more so if you can combine the sale price with another discount.

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Good for all around purposes?

 

[Dannepannepuff]

Good for all around purposes?

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Absolutely, with turbo boost off it's pretty much silent too. Good keyboard, good screen, mux switch for g-sync/freesync, doesn't get hot, a lot of port and great port placement in the back. Great performance for the price too, a better match for my 3440*1440 screen than my old laptop that had a 1650gpu…

My only negatives would be that it's not the lightest laptop to carry around and the AC adapter is huge. I got around that by buying a good backpack and a 65w usb c charger for when I have to lug it to school.

 

[PapaGoob]

I know there's a Buy/Sell thread but I may have more interested eyes in here...

Would anyone be interested in a Lenovo Legion 7 16" with the Ryzen 5900hx, RTX 3080 (165w), 32GB DDR4 ram, and 1tb nvme drive? It's in good working/cosmetic condition. Only selling it because I no longer travel for work and I'm wanting to build a desktop.

I just moved to North Carolina from California and finding an interested person out here has been pretty much non-existent lol. So maybe I'll have better luck with someone here.

I'm willing to let it go for $1700 (includes shipping. US only). Message me if interested!

 

[Nephtis_]

Can someone recommend me a good laptop between 500-700 bucks that is good for video and photo editing (Adobe) and also able to play games like Persona 4?

 

[Ra]

Can someone recommend me a good laptop between 500-700 bucks that is good for video and photo editing (Adobe) and also able to play games like Persona 4?

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Your main issue in this budget range is that pretty much every laptop is going to have a screen with a poor color reproduction, meaning an sRGB range of 45%, which won't be great for AV work.

The best value buy right now is the Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3.

 

[Nephtis_]

Your main issue in this budget range is that pretty much every laptop is going to have a screen with a poor color reproduction, meaning an sRGB range of 45%, which won't be great for AV work.

The best value buy right now is the Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3.

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Thanks boss

 

[HiLife]

Considering getting a Lenovo 5 as my introduction to "PC" gaming. I'd get a Steam Deck, but mine isn't arriving till later in the year. And I have a lot of train/bus commutes coming up. I think I'd rather have a little more power in my mobile gaming…so I might just stick with a gaming laptop and not get a Steamdeck.

 

[A Strong Latte]

feel like a steam deck is much better for commute then laptop

 

[Ra]

Considering getting a Lenovo 5 as my introduction to "PC" gaming. I'd get a Steam Deck, but mine isn't arriving till later in the year. And I have a lot of train/bus commutes coming up. I think I'd rather have a little more power in my mobile gaming…so I might just stick with a gaming laptop and not get a Steamdeck.

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You aren't going to want to game on a laptop on a bus.

 

[inner-G]

Considering getting a Lenovo 5 as my introduction to "PC" gaming. I'd get a Steam Deck, but mine isn't arriving till later in the year. And I have a lot of train/bus commutes coming up. I think I'd rather have a little more power in my mobile gaming…so I might just stick with a gaming laptop and not get a Steamdeck.

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For gaming on a laptop, you want to be plugged in so you can use the full wattage.

 

[HiLife]

You aren't going to want to game on a laptop on a bus.

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For gaming on a laptop, you want to be plugged in so you can use the full wattage.

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True. I'd still be using it plugged in whenever I'm home. I don't want a desktop because I enjoy being able to play in any room I want, like when I use my Switch.

But yeah I didn't consider the comfort of using a laptop on a bus. Lol.

 

[mhayze]

So the newly announced Asus Duo 14 has a 120hz OLED, which is a welcome surprise. Despite this slightly whacky laptop not being the one for me, this is a pretty exciting development as a 14-16" 120hz oled with a decent GPU would be a great all round solution for me. Hope we see more announcements soon with similar screens.

 

[neoak]

The return of 1440p OLEDs is a welcome development. Best feature of the Alienware 13 R3 OLED was the 1440p resolution, so the 1060 didn't feel as underpowered because the panel was 60hz and it was enough for that.

 

[BumperLips]

Wanted to share my experience here with speed issues because I feel like some may have this issue with some laptops and it's not clear what the solution is. I never found a clear solution through googling and sorta stumbled on it.

I've had weird issues with throttling download speeds when downloading patches/games through steam or their respective launchers. It doesn't happen during gameplay itself, but it's apparent when checking speedtest. Had this happen with my last msi laptop years ago as well. This isn't usually an issue with small things, but when trying a new poe league involves patching 4 gb and it's going at 2 mb/s… there's a problem.

Took me so long to figure out exactly what it was and I tried various things including checking my router and connections. Eventually I found out that because it has Killer, there's an optimization software that was installed that has a Prioritization Engine. Normally this works as you'd think, by making sure games have priority over everything else in the network. However for some reason, it doesn't recognize the patchers/steam and forces them a lower tier and causes them to throttle down even if there's nothing else taking priority at the time.

If you open up the software and turn off the engine, it will stop throttling (went from 2 to 12 mb/s in my case) and once you finish downloading you can turn the engine back on.

Maybe this is obvious for most people but I seriously couldn't find a solution by searching. If anyone wants more info I can share some s/s

 

[neoak]

Killer software will even sometimes do a speed check if it's own when you're done something, then throttle the entire bandwidth to that reduced speed.

Ended up with 5 mbits download

 

[ajido]

I've had really bad luck with ASUS laptops over the last few years. Any recommendation for a solid gaming laptop with quality stability and good support?

 

[Sir Garbageman]

Any thoughts on this Lenovo? Looks like a good deal on paper:

Buyer’s Guide to Lenovo Laptops

Need help choosing among Lenovo laptops? Our guide simplifies the decision with key insights into each series.

www.lenovo.com

 

[Kirstenwilliamson23]

Absolutely, with turbo boost off it's pretty much silent too. Good keyboard, good screen, mux switch for g-sync/freesync, doesn't get hot, a lot of port and great port placement in the back. Great performance for the price too, a better match for my 3440*1440 screen than my old laptop that had a 1650gpu…

My only negatives would be that it's not the lightest laptop to carry around and the AC adapter is huge. I got around that by buying a good backpack and a 65w usb c charger for when I have to lug it to school.

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Thanks for the info mate, well it is still a laptop it despite the weight it's still portable. will check this one out on the next payout

 

[Dannepannepuff]

Thanks for the info mate, well it is still a laptop it despite the weight it's still portable. will check this one out on the next payout

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Yeah, I just bought a good backpack and carrying that around isn't very different from the one I used with my old laptop (Flow X13).

 

[Sir Garbageman]

Any thoughts on this Lenovo? Looks like a good deal on paper:

Buyer’s Guide to Lenovo Laptops

Need help choosing among Lenovo laptops? Our guide simplifies the decision with key insights into each series.

www.lenovo.com

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Anyone? Decent discount for MDW and debating pulling the trigger, thanks!

 

[inner-G]

Anyone? Decent discount for MDW and debating pulling the trigger, thanks!

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TBH, it's not an amazing price for a 3060 laptop. Not terrible, either. If you really want a white laptop that may be a good choice.

If you can pony up another $150 you could get a Legion 5 Pro w 5800h/3070 and that comes with the QHD 500 nit 16:10 screen.

Robot or human?

(why do walmart links always say robot or human? lol)

Microcenter has the 17" non-Pro Legion 5 (not white) for $1199 w 3060 for shipping, so it's a little cheaper. (If your state doesn't have a Microcenter they also don't charge tax generally) That one is FHD also, not QHD.

Lenovo Legion 5 17.3" Gaming Laptop Computer Platinum Collection - Blue; AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 3.2GHz Processor; NVIDIA - Micro Center

Get it now! Own the room and the leaderboard with Legion 5 17.3" Gaming laptop computer. Designed with a plethora of high-performance features, while keeping a low profile with clean, minimalist looks that complement your lifestyle

www.microcenter.com

 

[Sir Garbageman]

TBH, it's not an amazing price for a 3060 laptop. Not terrible, either. If you really want a white laptop that may be a good choice.

If you can pony up another $150 you could get a Legion 5 Pro w 5800h/3070 and that comes with the QHD 500 nit 16:10 screen.

Robot or human?

(why do walmart links always say robot or human? lol)

Microcenter has the 17" non-Pro Legion 5 (not white) for $1199 w 3060 for shipping, so it's a little cheaper. (If your state doesn't have a Microcenter they also don't charge tax generally) That one is FHD also, not QHD.

Lenovo Legion 5 17.3" Gaming Laptop Computer Platinum Collection - Blue; AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 3.2GHz Processor; NVIDIA - Micro Center

Get it now! Own the room and the leaderboard with Legion 5 17.3" Gaming laptop computer. Designed with a plethora of high-performance features, while keeping a low profile with clean, minimalist looks that complement your lifestyle

www.microcenter.com

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Awesome ill go with the pro, much appreciated!

 

[Etienne Move]

Any thoughts on this Lenovo? Looks like a good deal on paper:

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-5-series/legion-5i-gen-6-(15''-intel)/82jh008mus

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Not a good option in this budget

 

[OsakaDon]

I got a Lenovo Legion 560.

- AMD 5800H
- RTX 3060
- 16Gb DDR4
- 1Tb M.2

Legion 560 | 戦闘力の高いパフォーマンスのゲーミングPC | レノボ・ジャパン

Legion 560は、お気に入りのゲームを快適に楽しむための環境を提供します。 AMD Ryzen™ プロセッサーとNVIDIA® GeForce® グラフィックスは、最高レベルでの競争に必要なパワーを提供します。

www.lenovo.com

My first ever gaming laptop.
Any recommendations for how to make these run their best?

 

[TylerPickstock]

Looking for a gaming laptop that I can use for editing when I'm not at the PC in the house. I'll be editing 1440p at most I reckon, any recommendations?

Not got the highest budget.

Cheers.

 

[neoak]

Looking for a gaming laptop that I can use for editing when I'm not at the PC in the house. I'll be editing 1440p at most I reckon, any recommendations?

Not got the highest budget.

Cheers.

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You're gonna need to list a number for that budget.

 

[TylerPickstock]

I've been looking at this... https://www.currys.co.uk/products/m...3jKcemtOowqPwEJhndBoCRVUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

£700 probably

 

[Wonky Mump]

I've been looking at this... https://www.currys.co.uk/products/msi-gf63-thin-15.6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-rtx-3050-512-gb-ssd-10230349.html?istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istFeedId=4d7eb93e-055f-499d-8ee5-1cdcc50d67d1&istItemId=plwawtprm&istBid=tztx&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~0073 (Shopping Ads) PC Gaming HW - Top SKUs Generic~wk4~Exact~71700000071533684~&mctag=gg_goog_7904&kwid=GOOGLE&device=c&ds_kids=92700071206813473&tgtid=0073 (Shopping Ads) PC Gaming HW - Top SKUs Generic&gclid=CjwKCAjwp7eUBhBeEiwAZbHwkeZqzJIG7h9YaZct3uvM8Q3Jylx-yHtnZpO3jKcemtOowqPwEJhndBoCRVUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

£700 probably

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I'd been looking at this laptop as a portable streaming setup for when I'm not at home, so interested in feedback from anyone else but I was thinking with a RAM upgrade to 16GB it might be OK.

 

[Netherscourge]

OK peeps - What's the best gaming laptop I can get for no more than $1,400 USD that you guys would recommend?

-I would strongly prefer a laptop that allows me full BIOS access, so I don't have to play around with XTU or Throttlestop for stuff like undervolting.

-I also would strongly prefer a laptop that allows me to get full potential of CPU and GPU and won't Thermal or Power Throttle at stock settings.

 

[TylerPickstock]

I'd been looking at this laptop as a portable streaming setup for when I'm not at home, so interested in feedback from anyone else but I was thinking with a RAM upgrade to 16GB it might be OK.

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Yeah, it was the 8GB that put me off a little bit but can always upgrade it. My step dad has it and it's quality, no issues at all. He did upgrade to 16GB too.

 

[neoak]

-I would strongly prefer a laptop that allows me full BIOS access, so I don't have to play around with XTU or Throttlestop for stuff like undervolting.

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Plundervolt killed that

-I also would strongly prefer a laptop that allows me to get full potential of CPU and GPU and won't Thermal or Power Throttle at stock settings.

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What you are asking for is called a desktop.

 

[Netherscourge]

Plundervolt killed that


What you are asking for is called a desktop.

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I was just curious if any gaming laptops fit that description. Guess not. I'm jumping into a desktop build then.

thanks!

 

[neoak]

I was just curious if any gaming laptops fit that description. Guess not. I'm jumping into a desktop build then.

thanks!

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Main issue is Turbo speeds. They go above TDP which is quoted for the advertised "regular" clockspeeds.

So you get a Intel that can Turbo to 5Ghz for maybe 5 seconds and then goes down to 4.5Ghz due to TDP limits.

GPUs kinds follow that with the "80W+10W" or "115W+15W". Power limits and can use that extra "+" wattage in certain cases.

Only desktop doesn't throttle like that because you can have cooling that handles 250W for CPU and 300W for cards.

 

[Netherscourge]

Main issue is Turbo speeds. They go above TDP which is quoted for the advertised "regular" clockspeeds.

So you get a Intel that can Turbo to 5Ghz for maybe 5 seconds and then goes down to 4.5Ghz due to TDP limits.

GPUs kinds follow that with the "80W+10W" or "115W+15W". Power limits and can use that extra "+" wattage in certain cases.

Only desktop doesn't throttle like that because you can have cooling that handles 250W for CPU and 300W for cards.

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Yeah, I bought a laptop with a 9750H a couple years ago. Touting 4.5Ghz turbo. Was thinking - awesome!

Best I could muster with LOTS of Throttlestop and NBFC tweaking was 3.4ghz on all 6 cores to keep temps in mid 80s. And the BIOS/EC wouldn't let me go over 4.0 max turbo except with only 1 active core without power throttling. I could undervolt that CPU, but the EC was locked so I couldn't manually tweak anything under the hood itself. They never put that in the advertisement.

If I left it at stock, it would throttle constantly and get hot to touch.

I love the portability, but I wasn't ever going to get full stock potential from the hardware with a laptop cooling system.

The lest best laptop I had was a clevo back in 2016, and I had to use an unsupported modded BIOS to get into those settings.

It's just too much trouble with everything locked down.

 

[neoak]

They never put that in the advertisement.

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To be fair, they never said you could do it either.

Only K CPUs were advertised as capable of, and for 9th Gen it was the i9-9980HK, which came with laptops capable of feeding a lot more power.

So you played yourself by choosing the 9750H. It has been like that for years, that the multiplier was locked to only allow lower ones.

At least you could undervolt. Now it's only - 80mV in certain laptops that have that in BIOS.

 

[Ra]

OK peeps - What's the best gaming laptop I can get for no more than $1,400 USD that you guys would recommend?

-I would strongly prefer a laptop that allows me full BIOS access, so I don't have to play around with XTU or Throttlestop for stuff like undervolting.

-I also would strongly prefer a laptop that allows me to get full potential of CPU and GPU and won't Thermal or Power Throttle at stock settings.

Click to shrink...

Your only option would be an MSI laptop, as they have a "secret" BIOS you unlock with a certain key combination that gives you full access to everything you want, CPU voltage/clocks/power limits, RAM voltage/timings, the whole shebang.

 

[CloseTalker]

I have a question. I have a Steam Deck pre-ordered, but was considering spending a bit more and just getting a gaming laptop (I currently have no gaming PC solution). I'd like the flexibility of using PC Game Pass, as well as games that I've redeemed via Origin/Epic/etc.

I'm able to get this laptop for $1100 CAD (there's a coupon for an extra 15% off). Curious if people think this is a good deal, and if it's significantly more powerful than the Steam Deck (I'm kind of clueless when it comes to PC Specs). It's only $300 more than the 512GB Deck I have pre-ordered. I don't need to max games out, but I'd like to be able to play anything that comes out for the next little bit to some degree. I also really want to play The Sims 4 haha. I won't be doing any overclocking or anything, I'm really just kind of looking for something that works.

Also, I see it only has a 512GB SSD would that be easy enough to expand somehow?

Any help would be appreciated :)

 

[Buddy]

I have a question. I have a Steam Deck pre-ordered, but was considering spending a bit more and just getting a gaming laptop (I currently have no gaming PC solution). I'd like the flexibility of using PC Game Pass, as well as games that I've redeemed via Origin/Epic/etc.

I'm able to get this laptop for $1100 CAD (there's a coupon for an extra 15% off). Curious if people think this is a good deal, and if it's significantly more powerful than the Steam Deck (I'm kind of clueless when it comes to PC Specs). It's only $300 more than the 512GB Deck I have pre-ordered. I don't need to max games out, but I'd like to be able to play anything that comes out for the next little bit to some degree. I also really want to play The Sims 4 haha. I won't be doing any overclocking or anything, I'm really just kind of looking for something that works.

Also, I see it only has a 512GB SSD would that be easy enough to expand somehow?

Any help would be appreciated :)

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Yea, the specs of that machine are leaps and bounds ahead of the steam deck. Even the most demanding games like cyberpunk are possible with high details and smooth framerates.

If you don't have a PC already then i would go with that laptop over the steam deck....i am lucky to own both and i have to say i would go with the laptop over the deck if o had to choose one

 

[Ra]

I have a question. I have a Steam Deck pre-ordered, but was considering spending a bit more and just getting a gaming laptop (I currently have no gaming PC solution). I'd like the flexibility of using PC Game Pass, as well as games that I've redeemed via Origin/Epic/etc.

I'm able to get this laptop for $1100 CAD (there's a coupon for an extra 15% off). Curious if people think this is a good deal, and if it's significantly more powerful than the Steam Deck (I'm kind of clueless when it comes to PC Specs). It's only $300 more than the 512GB Deck I have pre-ordered. I don't need to max games out, but I'd like to be able to play anything that comes out for the next little bit to some degree. I also really want to play The Sims 4 haha. I won't be doing any overclocking or anything, I'm really just kind of looking for something that works.

Also, I see it only has a 512GB SSD would that be easy enough to expand somehow?

Any help would be appreciated :)

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Just speaking raw performance, that GPU is 10-15% slower that what is in the PS5, while the CPU is faster. Steam deck is cute but gets obliterated in a performance comparison.

If you don't explicitly value the handheld, go with the laptop.

And yeah there is an empty slot in there you can use to add a larger NVMe SSD.

 

[KernelZee]

This is my current gaming laptop and it's been nice runs a decent game of Red Dead Redemption 2.

Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop, 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) IPS Screen, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H Processor, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GTX 1660Ti, Windows 10, 82B1000AUS, Phantom Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BB9RWXD/

Maybe looking to upgrade this year (still in the AMD line though) anything worth getting right now? Or should I wait? Sorry I have been out of the loop so I haven't been able to follow things like I used to…

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Is the first Asus Zephyrus G14 still considered worth it? I think it's the model from either 2020 or last year, I forget. There are some on eBay at okay prices with 16GB RAM and GTX 1650 Ti.

 

[neoak]

Is the first Asus Zephyrus G14 still considered worth it? I think it's the model from either 2020 or last year, I forget. There are some on eBay at okay prices with 16GB RAM and GTX 1650 Ti.

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Screen is doo doo.

I think the 60hz was fine, but avoid the 144hz one.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Screen is doo doo.

I think the 60hz was fine, but avoid the 144hz one.

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The one I'm looking at is 120hz. Is that any good?

 

[neoak]

The one I'm looking at is 120hz. Is that any good?

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Oh my bad, it's 120 Hz.

No.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Oh my bad, it's 120 Hz.

No.

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Thanks. I generally don't notice these things but with the comparison video, the 120hz screen does not look good.

 

[neoak]

Thanks. I generally don't notice these things but with the comparison video, the 120hz screen does not look good.

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Yeah, I had the G14 and then got a M15 to replace it, so had both and shot that video with my phone.

Then ended up returning the M15 to get a S15 with the 2080 lmao.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Yeah, I had the G14 and then got a M15 to replace it, so had both and shot that video with my phone.

Then ended up returning the M15 to get a S15 with the 2080 lmao.

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What do you think of the new G14, the 2022 version? It's a lot more expensive. I'm just not keen. On getting anything larger than 14". I might even consider one of the 13" Razer laptops.

 

[chanman]

I can speak on the behalf of the the Zephyrus M15 and I really enjoy it and have had it for 2 years now. It is loud which is to be expected and the placing of the power cord is still horrible to me but overall I am pleased with it. I will say I have had two separate occasions where the fan just stops running which will cause the laptop to overheat. I haven't figured out why it happened but when it did happen I just shut down the laptop and step away from it for a period of time and the fan resumed to working just as normal. Regarding that issue I would still recommend it still has good power to run most games and I can't see me looking to upgrade from this for a few more years based on the games I like to play.