gaming laptop as desktop replacement (Acer or MSI?)

[shinyknight]

Hi, I am about to get a gaming laptop, to replace my old desktop pc.

I am aware of the limitations, but I am trying to get the best deal I can. These are my constrains:

- GTX 1070 or better
- Availability of storage expansion
- enough ports for peripherals
- Able to use a ultrawide 32' LG monitor
- Price max 1800

I don't mind about the weight, size or how does it look; since I will keep it on my desk, connected to my ultrawide most of the time, or in the office using the main screen, but mostly connected to the monitor; so if a 15 is cheaper than a 17 and if the LCD screen is not super good and not 4K, I don't really mind.
Also I will use a USB Probox with 4 drives; as main storage, but I still need some decent storage when at the office; and of course a decent number of ports.

Mostly the laptop is aimed at games in 1080p; with occasional audio creation (cubase) and some 3d work and development (Unity, 3dsmax) and VR with Oculus rift.

As now, I did like the Acer G9-793-79V5 and the MSI GT72VR; although I am sure there are more with the constrains I have; any feedback and suggestion is more than welcome; thanks!

 

[SoggyTissue]

about 10 years ago, i had an acer 'gaming laptop', it lasted 1 year before problems started to develop. not used them since.

im sure others will disagree and claim they are robust.

not had an msi to comment about them.

 

[Finstar]

If by any means possible, get a new desktop.
Getting a gaming laptop to me is honestly just a horrible idea.

 

[shinyknight]

Well, picking a desktop or a laptop is a preference more than a choice. In the 90s I did buy a laptop which did serve me well for more than 6 years, and then the desktop I did get after, did stay with me for 10 years; before getting another laptop and then a desktop that I currently have. So I can say that I am not really biased toward either.
I do not upgrade every year or so; I don't care about how a case look; I use it to write code and play games; so whatever allow me to spend as much as I can afford, and is reliable and fulfill my needs, win my preference

Considering that a 1080 nowadays cost as much as the whole gaming laptop, I have to make a choice between buying a new motherboard, memory and CPU (since the new X series from Intel need a new mobo), on top of the GPU, get just the GPU and continue to use my 2015 I7, or get a gaming laptop to keep going for another 4-5 years. To me the laptop seems to be the best choice, since I don't have to deal with any issue, compared to a desktop pc that you build. Getting too old to deal with stuff; I just want something that works Apple products have my preference but I don't want to waste 2-3 times the money, just because they love to overprice their stuff (although a mac pro did cost me 5K and did last for 9 years; which is not a bad investment after all).

I think I am going for the MSI at this point; the only disappointing part is that you can put only one disk in there, because the new VR model does not have multiple connectors (or replace the internal DVD combo with another sata drive...).

Or is there another option?

 

[shinyknight]

I did go for the Acer G9;nice nifty laptop and the performances are pretty good. The extra thing is the thunderbolt 3 port; so you can plug an external card few years down the road.

Also I did replace the DVD drive with a caddy that fits a SSD; solving the problem of the secondary drive. With 256 GB boot, 2 TB 7200RPM storage and 500 GB SSD for games; I think I have all I need

 

[android.convert]

I did go for the Acer G9;nice nifty laptop and the performances are pretty good. The extra thing is the thunderbolt 3 port; so you can plug an external card few years down the road.

Also I did replace the DVD drive with a caddy that fits a SSD; solving the problem of the secondary drive. With 256 GB boot, 2 TB 7200RPM storage and 500 GB SSD for games; I think I have all I need

How are you liking the switch from a desktop for gaming to a laptop? I'm really considering switching myself, always have been a long time desktop pc gamer. Would love to hear your experience.

 

[android.convert]

I did go for the Acer G9;nice nifty laptop and the performances are pretty good. The extra thing is the thunderbolt 3 port; so you can plug an external card few years down the road.

Also I did replace the DVD drive with a caddy that fits a SSD; solving the problem of the secondary drive. With 256 GB boot, 2 TB 7200RPM storage and 500 GB SSD for games; I think I have all I need

Long time pc gamer here thinking about switching to a laptop would love for you thoughts about switching from desktop to laptop. Are you happy do you regret it?

 

[shinyknight]

So far I am liking the idea of having a much smaller and compact unit. Plus it double as second monitor, since it is a pretty large 17 '' monitor, which is always a plus.
The other advantage is that I can just unplug it and put it in the living room, where I can connect it to the TV or to a VR room scale system, instead than having everything tied to where the computer is.

The downsides are mainly the ports (you need powered USB hubs, at least a couple, because 4 ports are not that many...I have 2x4 ports and that fits my needs, so I have 10 ports in total)' but you can work around that pretty easily.

Also there is the issue of disk space, but once you get a 2 TB internal drive, and a big SSD for games (like 1 Tb is just fine for me), you have a decent amount of space right there; on top of the 256 GB internal that you may want to use only for the OS and main applications.
I did put my old computer in the garage and connected 4x3TB drives in it on the SATA channels, and I can access all the files on it since they are share, right on my laptop, so the issue of storage is really not an issue, even if you decide to move the laptop around.

Last but not least, there is the performance difference; which is about 10% in my case. Do I care? Not really...every single game I tried, runs at high or extreme settings in 1080p, between 50 and 130 FPS (newer games are more demanding of course), and beside Final Fantasy 15, which stutter like crazy no matter what; everything else runs just fine. Plus my laptop has a thunderbolt port; so if I need more power in the future I can just grab an external box with a better video card and upgrade the system.

In the end I was worried about the switch because of many factors, but as now, few months after the switch; I could not be happier. Especially because the whole thing sits on a large surface, but it is as thin as a computer could be, so unless I open the lid, you can't even see the computer on my desk.

 

[android.convert]

So far I am liking the idea of having a much smaller and compact unit. Plus it double as second monitor, since it is a pretty large 17 '' monitor, which is always a plus.
The other advantage is that I can just unplug it and put it in the living room, where I can connect it to the TV or to a VR room scale system, instead than having everything tied to where the computer is.

The downsides are mainly the ports (you need powered USB hubs, at least a couple, because 4 ports are not that many...I have 2x4 ports and that fits my needs, so I have 10 ports in total)' but you can work around that pretty easily.

Also there is the issue of disk space, but once you get a 2 TB internal drive, and a big SSD for games (like 1 Tb is just fine for me), you have a decent amount of space right there; on top of the 256 GB internal that you may want to use only for the OS and main applications.
I did put my old computer in the garage and connected 4x3TB drives in it on the SATA channels, and I can access all the files on it since they are share, right on my laptop, so the issue of storage is really not an issue, even if you decide to move the laptop around.

Last but not least, there is the performance difference; which is about 10% in my case. Do I care? Not really...every single game I tried, runs at high or extreme settings in 1080p, between 50 and 130 FPS (newer games are more demanding of course), and beside Final Fantasy 15, which stutter like crazy no matter what; everything else runs just fine. Plus my laptop has a thunderbolt port; so if I need more power in the future I can just grab an external box with a better video card and upgrade the system.

In the end I was worried about the switch because of many factors, but as now, few months after the switch; I could not be happier. Especially because the whole thing sits on a large surface, but it is as thin as a computer could be, so unless I open the lid, you can't even see the computer on my desk.

Wow thanks for the detailed response. Glad to finally hear from someone who has done it vs everyone saying not to. How loud does it get when gaming? I'm pretty sure I'm going to switch but worried about the noise of the laptop.

 

[shinyknight]

Wow thanks for the detailed response. Glad to finally hear from someone who has done it vs everyone saying not to. How loud does it get when gaming? I'm pretty sure I'm going to switch but worried about the noise of the laptop.

Well, keep in mind that my needs are not the same as yours or someone else's needs. So when pondering such expensive purchases, it is always good to get as many opinion as you feel comfortable with.

For me, it was feasible because I don't care about many things that others could find an issue. If you go for a strict money perspective, the laptop give you an extra monitor that you may not need or want; and lower performances compared to a desktop. On top of that, since the components are working at a lower power level, you get decent temperature handling, but being all crammed inside a smaller case, may have an impact if you get a lot of dust.

These are all issues that you may want to consider; for me they are non-issues, which is why the laptop solution works for me. It is a 2K purchase, that you will keep with you for long time (hopefully), so take your time to consider all pros and cons before make the jump.

With that out of the way; the noise is also a non-issue for me. The laptop gets warm; I can hear the fan spinning but I never had a case where it was so loud that I could not bear it. I wear noise canceling headphones and are in a room on my own; and the laptop even after long sessions won't be as loud as a desktop with many fans could be. My desktop in the garage makes at idle more noise than the laptop under load (although it has a big fan, those vertical ones with a huge fan right on the CPU, forgot the name, and 5 SATA drives in it).

If the room at night is quiet, I can hear it a bit but it doesn't bother me. While I am not playing, the laptop is pretty quiet. Maybe it is just my model that is a pretty good one, or I was lucky with a good thermal paste job; can't say, since I only have this gaming laptop.