Looking for a 15 inch laptop for gaming+graphic design

[theglowcloud]

My current laptop is 4 years old and starting to lag where it previously didn't, which is getting frustrating. Since I'm graduating from university this summer, I have decided to get myself a new laptop as a gift to myself. Here are my current laptop specs (for reference, as I don't want to downgrade):

• Asus ROG G501VW

• Display: 15.6 inches UHD (3840x2160)

• Processor: Intel i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz

• RAM: 16 GB

• SSD: 120 GB

• HDD: 1 TB

• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M

This has worked well for what I use it for so far, which is programming, uni work, photo+video editing, having 20 Chrome tabs up at all times due to researching, and gaming. I mostly play League of Legends or RPGs (The Witcher 3 being one of my favourite games, although getting it to run smoothly on my current laptop required some annoying finessing with the settings), so not a lot of intense FPS games.

 

For my new laptop, I would also like to do 3D-work (i.e. in Blender), which currently is a bit frustrating on my laptop as it has started to lag even when just using Photoshop. I have been looking around for a new laptop for a while so that I have an idea of what to get this summer, but I haven't found anything that sticks. So, I came here for help. Here are the things I want from my new gaming laptop:

• 15-inch screen with good resolution and colour accuracy (high refresh rate is less important to me since I don't play a lot of games which require it, most of my focus lies on accurate colours for my graphic work)

• I don't want it to look like a classic gaming laptop. This is my main point, because I don't want to feel embarrassed taking my laptop out at uni or if I'm seeing my thesis supervisor.

• Speaking of bringing my laptop to uni, I would also want it to be portable. My current laptop weighs around 2 kg, so somewhere in that area would be ideal.

• I need a lot of storage space due to everything I do, 1 TB at the least. It would be nice to have the option of buying a secondary harddrive to expand the memory, so if that's the case a giant base harddrive isn't as important.

• For my RAM, I would not like to go under 16 GB since I do do a lot of multitasking.

• When it comes to processor and graphics card, I am not that picky as long as it can handle multitasking and gaming. It would be nice if I could just launch a game and know that I can play it without having to spend ages in the settings. I don't need it to run at 200+ fps at the Ultra High settings, but a decent framerate at High is basically what I'm aiming for, so no need for the latest beefiest RTX model.

• I also need a good keyboard! Since I will be writing a lot for my thesis, plus programming pretty regularly, a good keyboard is really important to me.

I understand that this is a lot, so I am willing to compromise a bit as long as the size stays at 15 inches and the laptop is sleek and portable! Unfortunately I don't have the option of getting a beefy desktop at home and then a simpler laptop just for uni. Thanks in advance everyone.

[AndreiArgeanu]

Do you have a budget to start with?

[theglowcloud]

8 minutes ago, AndreiArgeanu said:

Do you have a budget to start with?

My budget is quite flexible since I'm aware that a laptop with the specs I need is going to be quite expensive. I would prefer to stay below $2000, however I could go up to ~$2700 if the laptop is really really good, fits all of my criteria, and will last me a long time.

[AndreiArgeanu]

For starters I recommend the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo. An amazing laptop overall with great specs. It's 2500$ and comes with a 15.6 inch display with a resolution of 3840x2160 plus it also has a secondary display under it. The trackpad might be annoying though. It has an rtx 2060 16gb ram, 1tb of NVME storage and an i7 9750H.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/LTmFf7/asus-zenbook-pro-duo-ux581-laptop-ux581gv-xb74t

 

 

 

 

Next is the MSI Stealth with 240hz 1920x1080 display i7-9750H 32 GB Memory 512 GB NVME SSD and a 2070 Max-Q 2499$

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vs848d/msi-stealth-156-1920-x-1080-240-hz-core-i7-9750h-26-ghz-32-gb-memory-512-gb-nvme-ssd-storage-laptop-gs65-stealth-422

 

 

 

Razer Blade 15 920 x 1080 240 Hz Core i7-9750H 2.6 GHz 16 GB Memory 512 GB NVME SSD and rtx 2070 max Q

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/gW9tt6

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AndreiArgeanu]

Just now, AndreiArgeanu said:

*snip*

The ones above are all above 2000$

And the ones below will be below 2000$

[Azura Lightfeilt]

I suggest you to wait just a little longer. As AMD, Intel, and Nvidia has just made their move, newer component should be arriving soon, and I don't want you to miss that. If you really need it now, the Asus Zephyrous G15 is probably the best choice for now. It has the Ryzen 4000U CPUs that will really boost your workload.

 

Edit: I also want to add that the color accuracy on that is definetly good (>90% sRGB), but nothing amazing.

 

The battery life is also outstanding! Really see the 7nm benefit there!

 

The design isn't too flashy. Asus has gone to a simpler design, and as for weight it should be slightly lighter or about not much more than 2kg. It also costs less than some other laptop you can get, so if you're thinking about saving some dollars, this is definetly a great option.

 

Also note that the Ryzen 4800HS really kills workloads!

Edited April 5, 2020 by Azura Lightfeilt
Edited to add more information

[AndreiArgeanu]

MSI Stealth 15.6" 1920 x 1080 240 Hz Core i7-9750H 2.6 GHz 16 GB Memory 512 GB NVME RTX 2060 1953$

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4fpmP6/msi-stealth-156-1920-x-1080-240-hz-core-i7-9750h-26-ghz-16-gb-memory-512-gb-nvme-ssd-storage-laptop-gs65-stealth-483

 

 

 

Razer Blade 15 1920 x 1080 144 Hz Core i7-9750H 2.6 GHz 16 GB Memory 512 GB NVME RTX 2060 1800$

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/hphmP6/razer-razer-blade-15-gaming-laptop-2019-core-i7-9750h-6-core-rtx-2060-156-fhd-1080p-144hz-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-cnc-aluminum-chroma-rgb-lighting-thunderbolt-3-compatible-laptop-rz09-03006e92-r3u1

 

[AndreiArgeanu]

Also, as you can see many of the laptop only deliver 512GB of storage sadly because it's NVME. Also another thing to remember is that the ryzen 4000 series for laptops is about to launch so you might want to wait for products that are equipped with such CPU's rather than buy right now.

[theglowcloud]

24 minutes ago, AndreiArgeanu said:

Also, as you can see many of the laptop only deliver 512GB of storage sadly because it's NVME. Also another thing to remember is that the ryzen 4000 series for laptops is about to launch so you might want to wait for products that are equipped with such CPU's rather than buy right now.

Thank you so much for all of the recommendations! I'm going to be looking through them all. And you're right; I didn't think about the Ryzen coming out for laptops soon! I wasn't going to buy a laptop until summer anyway, so will definitely be on the lookout for Ryzen.

[theglowcloud]

29 minutes ago, Azura Lightfeilt said:

I suggest you to wait just a little longer. As AMD, Intel, and Nvidia has just made their move, newer component should be arriving soon, and I don't want you to miss that. If you really need it now, the Asus Zephyrous G15 is probably the best choice for now. It has the Ryzen 4000U CPUs that will really boost your workload.

Thank you for the recommendation! Somehow I had managed to forget that this is a time of new, exciting components so waiting will definitely be wise. I wasn't planning on buying a laptop until summer anyways, but due to quarantine I was starting to consider going early. Definitely won't be now! Gonna be holding off for some nice new components.

[jaslion]

1 minute ago, theglowcloud said:

Thank you for the recommendation! Somehow I had managed to forget that this is a time of new, exciting components so waiting will definitely be wise. I wasn't planning on buying a laptop until summer anyways, but due to quarantine I was starting to consider going early. Definitely won't be now! Gonna be holding off for some nice new components.

Considering a 4900hs is flat out beating intels best offering in the laptop space at a mere 35w it's amazing what you can get now. The zephyrus g14 containing this chip will be available the latest on june first.