Gaming laptop for business use?

[Lito290]

So I keep seeing all of these "It's a gaming laptop, but it's business appropriate!" claims from companies that really... aren't business laptops. They're just sleeker looking gaming laptops that retain the huge logo slapped on them and for a massive price. What I'm looking for is a gaming laptop first with looks that aren't so... branded.

 

Long story short, my girlfriend's old laptop that she got from a flea market (had an SSD put in, potentially OC'd not much else is known. She can run Fallout 4 on medium with some slight but noticeable lag) is getting to be on it's last leg (she's had it for nearly 4 years after the flea market) and she's started looking at getting a new laptop for business specifically while trying to keep the older one to game on. While that's a great idea in theory, the battery no longer holds a charge and the charging port is starting to come undone (we checked with 3 chargers, it's the port), the thing weighs a considerable amount so it doesn't travel well, and she isn't a fan of having a desktop because she can't bring her games with her that way, the thermals get stupid hot when she has to switch the graphics card on so she has to have one of those laptop cooling trays/desks to prevent overheating and/or singeing her lap, and the shell is coming apart. The plastic protector around the GPU heatsink fins have already busted off and I'm not sure how much more abuse it can take before just falling straight off.

 

Taking all of this into consideration, I figure it's time to scrap the ol' laptop and get her a new one. After saving some money, I figure under $1,000 USD is totally doable.

However, she's a business major I'm having some trouble finding a gaming laptop that would be presentable at a legit business meeting. Having RoG branding or red/acid green accents isn't exactly "professional" in her environment. I guess you could say I'm looking for a sleeper laptop.

She also has some personal requests for her laptop:

1. She likes having a graphics card switch. In her mind, manual control over her power consumption makes her feel more in control of her battery life, which she likes (I can't find a laptop with this option anywhere anymore, send help).

2. SSD as a storage device. Her old laptop has one, so it's possible we could salvage it and just plug it in, but SSD is a must for her. Doesn't have to be primary storage, just an option and a place to have windows.

3. She wants to be able to play fallout 4 and similar titles on at least medium settings at 1080p while also running discord and maybe a few browser tabs, so I'm thinking 8 GB+ of ram.

4. She can take or leave a numpad, but as a business major, she'll be typing a lot, so skimping on the keyboard won't do. Webcam, mic and touchpad aren't a priority, so long as it has one.

 

I've done some primary research and found 2 laptops that may fit the bill, but come with their own issues:

The Acer Nitro 5

PROS: Fits the specs she's looking for, perfectly within budget and then some, solid reviews for the price.

CONS: The size. Thing is still a giant block and weighs a substantial amount. The red streaks are also an issue, with the keyboard accents being a hard distraction at meetings. No manual graphics card switch.

The Dell G5 15 Gaming

PROS: Fits the specs (overly so, to a point), within budget if it can be gotten on sale, reviews are okay, size and weight are respectable, more presentable

CONS: Price is borderline, Neither of us have been a big fan of Dell systems, the red circle is still a bit much to me (that's more personal), no graphics card switch.

 

I thought I recalled LTT reviewing a laptop a few months ago that was almost brandless on the back and was described as, well, pretty much what I'm looking for (minus the graphics switch) but I can't find it on the channel. I thought it might have been a lenovo legion, but that costs nearly double my limit and does have a giant, although business appropriate, legion brand on the back. Thing looks like a Mercedes-Benz logo.

 

Honestly, considering the laptop's age, I wouldn't mind going a model year or two back for this upgrade since it would still BE an upgrade, so if y'all have any recommendations for/against certain laptops in this realm, I'm privy to them. Thanks in advance

[TrigrH]

I have a Dell VOSTRO 7570 which has a 7700HQ and a 1050ti. Its a little chunky though.

[genexis_x]

9 hours ago, Lito290 said:

snip

Where are you from? Any preference on weight, display quality and battery life?

 

Why graphics card switch when you have Optimus

[NeuesTestament]

Some of the more expensive ThinkPads have a 1050TI though I don’t know how they do in the thermal front 

[Pyramiden]

What about a Lenovo Legion Y530?
It lacks all the Christmas lights, and looks rather professional, except for the Legion logo on the back. That logo, however, is way better than "Republic of Gamers" or the terrible looking MSI dragon. In my opinion.

[NeuesTestament]

1 hour ago, Pyramiden said:

What about a Lenovo Legion Y530?
It lacks all the Christmas lights, and looks rather professional, except for the Legion logo on the back. That logo, however, is way better than "Republic of Gamers" or the terrible looking MSI dragon. In my opinion.

I own the Y520 and that was has a rather poor display and keyboard. Not something I would recommend unless you just want a decent gaming experience for a good price.

[Pyramiden]

6 minutes ago, NeuesTestament said:

I own the Y520 and that was has a rather poor display and keyboard. Not something I would recommend unless you just want a decent gaming experience for a good price.

I used to have a Y510P and I currently use a Y50-70 and they both are great laptops. In my opinion the displays are great, but it probably depends on what you are used to. The keyboards are not Thinkpad level. But they are way better than what most other laptops have. But again, it depends a lot on your own opinion.

[LanceAvion]

Hmmm you won't get much in terms of sleek laptops around $1000. However, I think I have 2 solid choices for you.

 

1.)  Walmart's OP Gaming Laptop 15+

      This is a fantastic value, as Walmart is simply using a barebones laptop chassis, the Tongfang GK5CN6Z, which is sold by numerous boutique companies for much higher prices ($1400+ for equivalent specs). The only "gamer" bits about this laptop are the OP logo (which can be covered with a black decal) and the RGB lights, which can simply be turned off or made a neutral colour such as white.

 

2.) The Lenovo Legion y530

      While not as fantastic of a value as Walmart's laptop, the y530 is a serviceable machine. You can currently get the same specs as Walmart's OP 15+ for not much more (~+$70) but with a slightly more muted stylization. For this competitive pricing use Lenovo's Barnes and Noble store. In terms of gaming, the cooling is not as good as the OP 15+, and the build quality is all plastic VS its all aluminum. I honestly would go for the OP 15+, but the y530 isn't the worst choice you could make. It will need more tweaking for cooling than the OP 15+ however.

 

 

[genexis_x]

6 hours ago, NeuesTestament said:

I own the Y520 and that was has a rather poor display and keyboard. Not something I would recommend unless you just want a decent gaming experience for a good price.

I own one before. The display is at least better than poor TN. Keyboard feels great.

[Froody129]

I am a firm believer in Dell's gaming line. I think the new ones especially look not atrocious and pack good specs with good battery life. I believe you get low key blue accents as well which aren't so shouty. 

 

The perfect laptop would've been like an XPS or something, but those are very expensive. 

[NeuesTestament]

8 hours ago, GeneXiS_X said:

I own one before. The display is at least better than poor TN. Keyboard feels great.

That's interesting to hear. I don't like the keyboard at all. While key travel is fine, it just feels very wobbly.