Thin/light Gaming Laptops

[Mex3a]

I am looking to buy a new laptop for school/work/gaming. I really want a laptop that is thin/light and that does not look like a spaceship because I want to be able to use it for work as well. My budget is at around $1500 but would prefer to stay near the lower range. These are the minimum specs I am looking for:

- 8th gen i-7 

- 8gb + of RAM

- 1050Ti graphics card (though I would like to try VR at some point)

- at least 5 hours of tested battery life

 

I have been looking at the New XPS 15, New Razer 15 (too pricy for 256 GB of memory), Legion Y530, and ASUS ROG GU501GM. 

 

I care more about the battery life because I don't want to be stuck to an outlet unless I am gaming. I also do not mind dropping to medium settings on games. I would consider getting an eGPU to pair with a Razer Stealth laptop if you all think that is a better option for someone like me. 

 

Please let me know if you have any other suggestions. 

 

P.S. I mainly like to play MMORPGs 

[AskTJ]

I would say the XPS or ROG are among the best.

[genexis_x]

Preferred max weight in kg/pound?

[Mex3a]

11 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

Preferred max weight in kg/pound?

I would say 5 lbs is pushing it (that is not including the power brick). I don't want it to be super heavy since I do have to move around a lot, but I would not let an extra pound or so be a deal-breaker. 

 

I do have a macbook pro mid-2012 laptop right now and it is actually a little too heavy but I am used to it by this point.

[genexis_x]

12 hours ago, Mex3a said:

I would say 5 lbs is pushing it

Can look into MSI GP63 and Legion Y530

 

Or tell me other models you've found

[Mex3a]

11 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

Can look into MSI GP63 and Legion Y530

 

Or tell me other models you've found

 

I don't like that the MSI GP63 has low battery life. Everything else about it seems pretty great though. I do kinda like the Legion Y530.

[genexis_x]

13 hours ago, Mex3a said:

MSI GP63 has low battery life

According to Notebookcheck it can last around 5 hrs

[Mex3a]

43 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

According to Notebookcheck it can last around 5 hrs

What do you think about the XPS 15? 

[genexis_x]

1 hour ago, Mex3a said:

What do you think about the XPS 15? 

Bad value due to many issues at high pricing

[Mex3a]

19 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Bad value due to many issues at high pricing

What kind of issues? I was going to buy the 8th gen I7 laptop priced at $1499.99 but I got around $250 discount and would be paying $1500 with one year of full warranty (added accidental damage warranty and software warranty to get onsite help) and a $100 Dell gift card. 

 

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/xps-15/spd/xps-15-9570-laptop/dncwxb1656s

[genexis_x]

9 hours ago, Mex3a said:

What kind of issues?

Bad cooling, QC+QA problems etc. Unacceptable in such highly priced laptops IMO

https://www.ultrabookreview.com/19675-im-not-buying-new-xps-15-9570/

[Mex3a]

13 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

Bad cooling, QC+QA problems etc. Unacceptable in such highly priced laptops IMO

https://www.ultrabookreview.com/19675-im-not-buying-new-xps-15-9570/

 

I heard that it thermal throttles but isn't that more of a problem if you buy an I9 chip laptop? I think it does not have as many issues with an I7.

[genexis_x]

43 minutes ago, Mex3a said:

I heard that it thermal throttles but isn't that more of a problem if you buy an I9 chip laptop? I think it does not have as many issues with an I7.

It even cannot handle an i5 8300H and GTX 1050 properly (throttles even in medium load)

[Mex3a]

5 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

It even cannot handle an i5 8300H and GTX 1050 properly (throttles even in medium load)

So what are my alternatives then? Anything else apart from the Legion Y530? 

[Mex3a]

What do you think about the Eluktronics Mech-15 G2?

[genexis_x]

10 hours ago, Mex3a said:

Legion Y530? 

This is a good one

9 hours ago, Mex3a said:

Eluktronics Mech-15 G2?

This is also a good option (TongFang GK5CN6Z)

[Mex3a]

14 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

This is a good one

This is also a good option (TongFang GK5CN6Z)

 

From what I have read about the TongFang GK5CN6Z, it seems like it is from a Chinese no-brand company, the keyboard is very clicky (I prefer silent) and sounds like a jet lol.

 

What would be your Pros/Cons of the Legion Y530?

[genexis_x]

9 hours ago, Mex3a said:

sounds like a jet

Most barebones have the same problem. At least the cooling is one of the best among thin and light gaming laptops (less throttling compared to many competitors)

9 hours ago, Mex3a said:

What would be your Pros/Cons of the Legion Y530?

I'll get one soon, you can refer to Notebookcheck review. The cons I can tell you are OK-poor battery life, limited GPU options, priced slightly higher (depending on your location). Have to test it out to really tell you the pros and cons.

[Mex3a]

On 8/19/2018 at 5:51 AM, ZM Fong said:

Most barebones have the same problem. At least the cooling is one of the best among thin and light gaming laptops (less throttling compared to many competitors)

I'll get one soon, you can refer to Notebookcheck review. The cons I can tell you are OK-poor battery life, limited GPU options, priced slightly higher (depending on your location). Have to test it out to really tell you the pros and cons.

 

Well, I have given it some more thought and really want a laptop that has good battery life (over 6 hrs) and is less than 5 lbs. I think I would be fine with giving up some gaming power to achieve this (Medium settings in games should not be too much of an issue). Also, I do plan on running 3D printing software off of my laptop. I also do not want a flashy laptop that looks like it's solely for gaming. I prefer more professional-looking laptops. 

 

Any suggests for this?

[genexis_x]

Gigabyte Aero 15/15X with LM