Question Gaming laptop recommendations at approx ~1000$

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Sep 1, 2019
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First of all budget is 1000$ but it can go a bit higher though cheaper is always better as sometimes prices vary here in the Philippines

in terms of specs, im looking for an 8+ GB RAM running at dual channel (as usually they're sold with only 1 and i dont want to be bothered to buy another stick) and I don't think I need 16GB but it is appreciated (as long as it isn't single channel)

Screen should be 15" for portability, no 4K just 1080p is fine but I really want something higher than 60hz refresh rate for the smoother gameplay

for GPU and CPU I'll take whatever comes with the laptop, but preferably anything comparable to GTX 1650 (or whatever AMD has equal to it) and anything comparable to Ryzen 5 3550H (or whatever Intel has equal to it)

Design wise, I really want the per-key RGB lighting for the keyboard but a one zone RGB is fine

I don't mind any kind of Port configuration but I'm more of an Earphones user so I prefer an audio-combo jack instead of the two seperate ones. Also less ports on the right-hand-side is good for more mouse space.

for Dimensions, portability is big points, weight and height should be kept as low as possible as I will bring it with me for classes but I don't want to sacrifice flashy, cool design for a slim, light and boring design. Basically I still want it to look cool

for storage, an SSD is preferable but I need at least 512+GB total storage with SSD+HDD or such

It's gonna be used primarily for gaming and secondarily for schoolwork(photo/video editing and writing)

Battery life is kind of important but not a big deal, just something to last a few couple hours is fine but thermals cant be ridiculously hot as I cant buy any coolers or such

Also I've heard there's some technology or some sort of software that allows me to automatically switch between integrated GPU or the dedicated one, so plus points if that's present (for battery life and stuff)

For comparison, my top pick from self-canvassing is the ASUS TUF FX505DT with the 120hz GTX 1650 8GB (single channel unfortunately)

thanks for your suggestions
 
Last edited:
Sep 1, 2019
3
0
10
Amazon just dropped an Alienware Laptop on it's Deal of the Day. The specs look amazing and it's only $999. Check it out.

https://www.amazon.com/Alienware-M1..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=ZCWEPHC3HS8P9DVM4JY1

Unfortunately it's $999 in Amazon only, original price is $1649 so it's way beyond the budget (especially here in the Philippines there's bound to be different prices, higher prices)

Though if I were to take a look at the specs and a few reviews here's what I think of Alienware M15
(if say we start with 10 points)
GTX 1060 is higher than GTX 1650 on FX505 so +1
2.2kg same as FX505 but seems to have no specialized bag for it unlike the TUF Bag so -1
it has an SSHD total 1128GB storage which is significantly more than FX505 so +1
it has dual channel AND 16GB of RAM so +2
it's a bit thinner than FX505 at 0.8" vs 1" so +1
it's arrow keys are small (I use arrow keys) so -1
a certain review clocked in 36mins in battery (gaming) compared to 1h 9mins for FX505 so -1
thermals are pretty bad (from the same reviewer) so -2
60hz screen compared to 120hz for FX505 so -2

so a total of 8/10 for me thanks for suggesting though!
 

skullleeep

Prominent
Sep 10, 2019
3
0
510
First of all budget is 1000$ but it can go a bit higher though cheaper is always better as sometimes prices vary here in the Philippines

in terms of specs, im looking for an 8+ GB RAM running at dual channel (as usually they're sold with only 1 and i dont want to be bothered to buy another stick) and I don't think I need 16GB but it is appreciated (as long as it isn't single channel)

Screen should be 15" for portability, no 4K just 1080p is fine but I really want something higher than 60hz refresh rate for the smoother gameplay

for GPU and CPU I'll take whatever comes with the laptop, but preferably anything comparable to GTX 1650 (or whatever AMD has equal to it) and anything comparable to Ryzen 5 3550H (or whatever Intel has equal to it)

Design wise, I really want the per-key RGB lighting for the keyboard but a one zone RGB is fine

I don't mind any kind of Port configuration but I'm more of an Earphones user so I prefer an audio-combo jack instead of the two seperate ones. Also less ports on the right-hand-side is good for more mouse space.

for Dimensions, portability is big points, weight and height should be kept as low as possible as I will bring it with me for classes but I don't want to sacrifice flashy, cool design for a slim, light and boring design. Basically I still want it to look cool

for storage, an SSD is preferable but I need at least 512+GB total storage with SSD+HDD or such

It's gonna be used primarily for gaming and secondarily for schoolwork(photo/video editing and writing)

Battery life is kind of important but not a big deal, just something to last a few couple hours is fine but thermals cant be ridiculously hot as I cant buy any coolers or such

Also I've heard there's some technology or some sort of software that allows me to automatically switch between integrated GPU or the dedicated one, so plus points if that's present (for battery life and stuff)

For comparison, my top pick from self-canvassing is the ASUS TUF FX505DT with the 120hz GTX 1650 8GB (single channel unfortunately)

thanks for your suggestions
I would not get the Asus TUF Gaming, because it has some heating and motherboard issues. I would go with the Lenovo Legion Y530 with I7 8th gen, 1050Ti and 16GB RAM. You can find it here. And if you want something cheaper you can get the Lenovo IdeaPad L340 with I5 9300H, GTX 1650 and 8GB RAM Single Channel for 750$. From here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-Ide...eapad+l340+i5&qid=1568299353&s=gateway&sr=8-1
 
Last edited:
Sep 1, 2019
3
0
10
I would not get the Asus TUF Gaming, because it has some heating and motherboard issues. I would go with the Lenovo Legion Y530 with I7 8th gen, 1050Ti and 16GB RAM. You can find it here. And if you want something cheaper you can get the Lenovo IdeaPad L340 with I5 9300H, GTX 1650 and 8GB RAM Single Channel for 750$. From here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-Ide...eapad+l340+i5&qid=1568299353&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Perhaps you have read/watched a review of the FX504 TUF laptop, as based on my research, that is one of the worst laptops especially in thermals to ever been released.
According to this review for the FX505DU (a higher model of the one I will be buying), it has fairly good thermals for the stress tests which were meant to represent worst-case scenarios so it's looking pretty good if you ask me.

I don't know about motherboard problems though as I have not seen any issues based on my research and I don't think I'll be touching the insides of my laptop very much anyway


As for your 2 suggestions, First the Legion Y530:
the 1050ti has less performance than the 1650 and 16gb ram is not quite enticing to me as I do not think I will require such high RAM. The price is more than the fx505 and it's bound to be higher here in the philippines so I'll disregard this

However the L340 got me quite interested so I looked it up and did some research
Lenovo website has a "customize"option so I made one that is 1000$ worth exactly here is what I think:
-1 at the start since it's less cheap than the fx505
I chose a gtx1650 so it's equal with the fx505
2.6kg with a 2.39cm width is more portable so i'll +1
60hz screen, I really want something smoother :< -2
no RGB keyboard :< -1
small arrow keys -1
audio combo jack! +1
no ports at right hand side! +1
software for fan speed profiles were nonexistant, leading to power limit throttling due to high temps. -1 for less performance for decent temperatures
single ram slot, permanently single channel -1
the cheapest drive set is the 256gb ssd, which is lower than I would like -1

A total of 5/10 :<
unfortunately not something I'd buy if I was given a choice


Thanks for the suggestions !!
 
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