Laptop recommendations for University + Gaming (~1600 CAD)

[TomSawyer10]

Sorry for the repost from Reddit. I never seem to get any responses there. I do like their form though, makes everything fit nicely.

 

 

I’ve been looking for a laptop for university that can also handle some 1080p (or 1440p, I don’t need 4K) 60-120 FPS gaming.
It should be professional looking (no huge gamer accents), although rgb is fine if it can be turned off at times. (Dell g3/Lenovo legion 7i kind of look. Sleek and professional looking).
Also hoping to score a nice back to school deal sometime in July. 

Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US:

Around $1600 Canadian. I could stretch to $1700 if there was a particularly strong argument, but I’d like to keep it around $1600.

Are you open to refurbs/used?

Open to refurbished/Open Box, but not heavily used (from kijiji, Craigslist, etc)

How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?

Performance > Build Quality > Battery Life > Form Factor

How important is weight and thinness to you?

Since I’m going to be lugging it around to classes, I’d like to keep it under 5 lbs. I’d also like to keep it fairly thin, but not as big a priority. Just nothing like a chonky alienware or acer nitro 5. 

Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.

15 inch would be an ideal size, but I’m open to like 14-16 inch. 13 is too small, 17 is too large/heavy.

Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.

Video Editing, Light Photo Editing, Music recording/production, Gaming
Programs include obs, DaVinci resolve, reaper
Games include Subnautica, battlefield (4, 1, V), rainbow six siege, and several indie games

If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?

Games (see above)
I’d like to play on ultra with at least 60 FPS at either 1080p or 1440p.

Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?

Touch pad doesn’t have to be great, keyboard should be decent, windows facial recognition would be nice, but definitely not needed, I’d like a display with at least hdr 400 and preferably 100% srgb, but at least 90%.

Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.

I’d like the display to be vibrant (ie hdr 400 + 100% srgb) and maybe 120 Hz (depending on what I’d have to sacrifice to get it). 
I’d also like the laptop to not look too gamery. Rgb lighting is fine if I can turn it off when in university sessions. 
Something a little muted when rgb is off (something like a Dell g3 or Lenovo legion 7i look) is pretty much necessary. 

As a side note, is a 2060 worth the extra money over a 1660 ti?

 

Thanks in advance for the replies!

[Statik]

In regards to your side note, not really. There's like a 5-8% (under 10fps) performance increase, and unless you'll use RTX, you won't get much out of it.

 

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_1925_1920_1923&item_id=165756

 

I have this laptop. It's basically the best CPU on the market, destroys games, is low profile and sleek, and runs great. I don't think it has HDR, but HDR 400 is basically a lie and waste anyways. Plus you'll be hardpressed to find a quality display laptop at that pricepoint.

[5x5]

The G3 overheats and the hinge falls apart after a few months due to a critical design flaw. We are waiting for it to be recalled. Avoid it.

 

The Legion 7i is not worth it. Get the Ryzen based model as it's cheaper and much better. Either that or the Asus Zephyrus G models.

Basically, ignore anything Intel with that budget.

[TheBean]

since you are willing to buy later for back to school deals, I would highly suggest you wait. New AMD based laptops are slowly coming out and are significantly better than intel's offerings. They are cheaper, faster, run cooler/quieter. They are better than intel in every way except that you won't get thunderbolt3 ports. since you are video editing and stuff going AMD will grant you MUCH better performance (but you wont get quicksync)

 

a laptop with hdr 400 w/ 120hz does not exist yet for your budget. if you want to play at 1440p, 2060 will be much better. 

[5x5]

Just now, Saksham said:

since you are willing to buy later for back to school deals, I would highly suggest you wait. New AMD based laptops are slowly coming out and are significantly better than intel's offerings. They are cheaper, faster, run cooler/quieter. They are better than intel in every way except that you won't get thunderbolt3 ports. since you are video editing and stuff going AMD will grant you MUCH better performance (but you wont get quicksync)

 

a laptop with hdr 400 w/ 120hz does not exist yet for your budget. if you want to play at 1440p, 2060 will be much better. 

Quick sync is basically dead in 2020 so honestly, there absolutely no reason to consider intel in laptops anymore. They lose on every single front including battery life and thermals as well as gaming performance

[TomSawyer10]

13 minutes ago, Statik said:

In regards to your side note, not really. There's like a 5-8% (under 10fps) performance increase, and unless you'll use RTX, you won't get much out of it.

 

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_1925_1920_1923&item_id=165756

 

I have this laptop. It's basically the best CPU on the market, destroys games, is low profile and sleek, and runs great. I don't think it has HDR, but HDR 400 is basically a lie and waste anyways. Plus you'll be hardpressed to find a quality display laptop at that pricepoint.

Is this the zephyrus g15?

What is the battery life like and what kind of thermals do you get?

[Statik]

7 minutes ago, TomSawyer10 said:

Is this the zephyrus g15?

What is the battery life like and what kind of thermals do you get?

Yes, it is.

 

I haven't stressed it too much purely on battery. I seemed to get multiple hours out of it when browsing the web/YouTube, etc, but as expected it drains very fast while gaming.

 

I'm currently away on work, so where I'm staying has a very warm ambient (28C), and the CPU seems to get around 93-94C (max is 105C, so there's room), but I've never had thermal throttle issues, and my GPU gets around low to mid 80s. So even in a warm ambient everything is acceptable. Right now, I'm watching a movie and browsing the forums and I'm sitting around 58C on the CPU, and 51C on the GPU.

[TomSawyer10]

8 minutes ago, Statik said:

Yes, it is.

 

I haven't stressed it too much purely on battery. I seemed to get multiple hours out of it when browsing the web/YouTube, etc, but as expected it drains very fast while gaming.

 

I'm currently away on work, so where I'm staying has a very warm ambient (28C), and the CPU seems to get around 93-94C (max is 105C, so there's room), but I've never had thermal throttle issues, and my GPU gets around low to mid 80s. So even in a warm ambient everything is acceptable. Right now, I'm watching a movie and browsing the forums and I'm sitting around 58C on the CPU, and 51C on the GPU.

And what about thermals on the keyboard? I’ve had issues in the past where the keyboard gets very hot while gaming.

[Statik]

1 minute ago, TomSawyer10 said:

And what about thermals on the keyboard? I’ve had issues in the past where the keyboard gets very hot while gaming.

I've never noticed issues. When I'm gaming for an extended period of time, maybe the top of the keyboard gets warm, obviously, but I've never felt that my keyboard get "hot".

 

there's like 2" above the F keys and volume control before the monitor hinge, and that part obviously gets quite hot, and maybe the volume control keys get warm, but I've never felt it hot while typing.

 

The exhaust is also on the right hand side, so if you are using an external mouse and it gets under load, the odd occasion when your hand is really close to the side you'll feel hot air exhausting on your thumb, but it's hardy an inconvenience at all imo.

[Lord Vile]

1 hour ago, TomSawyer10 said:

Sorry for the repost from Reddit. I never seem to get any responses there. I do like their form though, makes everything fit nicely.

 

 

I’ve been looking for a laptop for university that can also handle some 1080p (or 1440p, I don’t need 4K) 60-120 FPS gaming.
It should be professional looking (no huge gamer accents), although rgb is fine if it can be turned off at times. (Dell g3/Lenovo legion 7i kind of look. Sleek and professional looking).
Also hoping to score a nice back to school deal sometime in July. 

Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US:

Around $1600 Canadian. I could stretch to $1700 if there was a particularly strong argument, but I’d like to keep it around $1600.

Are you open to refurbs/used?

Open to refurbished/Open Box, but not heavily used (from kijiji, Craigslist, etc)

How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?

Performance > Build Quality > Battery Life > Form Factor

How important is weight and thinness to you?

Since I’m going to be lugging it around to classes, I’d like to keep it under 5 lbs. I’d also like to keep it fairly thin, but not as big a priority. Just nothing like a chonky alienware or acer nitro 5. 

Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.

15 inch would be an ideal size, but I’m open to like 14-16 inch. 13 is too small, 17 is too large/heavy.

Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.

Video Editing, Light Photo Editing, Music recording/production, Gaming
Programs include obs, DaVinci resolve, reaper
Games include Subnautica, battlefield (4, 1, V), rainbow six siege, and several indie games

If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?

Games (see above)
I’d like to play on ultra with at least 60 FPS at either 1080p or 1440p.

Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?

Touch pad doesn’t have to be great, keyboard should be decent, windows facial recognition would be nice, but definitely not needed, I’d like a display with at least hdr 400 and preferably 100% srgb, but at least 90%.

Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.

I’d like the display to be vibrant (ie hdr 400 + 100% srgb) and maybe 120 Hz (depending on what I’d have to sacrifice to get it). 
I’d also like the laptop to not look too gamery. Rgb lighting is fine if I can turn it off when in university sessions. 
Something a little muted when rgb is off (something like a Dell g3 or Lenovo legion 7i look) is pretty much necessary. 

As a side note, is a 2060 worth the extra money over a 1660 ti?

 

Thanks in advance for the replies!

Split the budget to a PC and laptop? Get better value that way.