laptop Requesting Laptop Recommendation for gaming/programming

[rejor11]

Use Case:

1. 70% work, 30% gaming. Most of my programming involves developing APIs, running a couple virtual environments, and data. I will be getting into more data math and visualization, though honestly I don't know how much power that takes. I don't really do any modeling / photo editing / etc.
2. Honestly, I don't do much gaming, but I do like to play the heavy stuff when I do (mostly RPGs, action games, etc. Not really into FPS).

Budget: Up to 3000USD, but prefer to keep it around 2000USD. My location is Taiwan, though I might consider purchasing while taking a business trip to Japan this year in March or May.

 

The Why: Quite frankly, this will end up being a business expense. My current laptop is a late 2013 MacBook pro. I will be keeping it, but need to replace the battery/keyboard so it'll be out of commission for a week. I simply cannot be without a computer for a week due to work. Therefore, I need something as a backup.

 

 

Need to Haves: 

1. High build quality. Quite frankly, I love the quality of my MacBook. It's lasted me for years, and has been a champ through four different countries, daily use, and even a couple of drops. In fact, I would replace my current MacBook with a new one, if only the new ones didn't have the touchbar and ultimately shitty keyboard.
2. Decent battery life. I know gaming laptops aren't going to have amazing battery life, even when all I'm doing is writing and coding, but I would like something that will last four hours or more in productivity mode. 
3. Good cooling. I know thin gaming laptops are going to have heat issues, but I still want something that's portable. I literally take my laptop out every day. That said, cooling will be preferable over portability since I still intend to use my MacBook as my daily workhorse whilst on the road.
4. Good - to - Excellent keyboard. I like my MacBook keyboard, and I rate Thinkpad keyboards to be the best there is. So something with similar quality would be preferable.

 

Nice to Haves:

1. Despite what I said above: lightweight and thin. Yeah yeah. That's why it's a nice to have. Keeping it around a 2013 15" MacBook pro weight would be nice since I'm used to it.
2. Not flashy. I run a business, so I can't really have something that is going to make my clients' eyes hurt.
3. Able to disable RGB lighting, or at least set it to a single, uniform color. I assume most, if not all, gaming laptops have this feature anyway. 

 

Laptops I've considered:

1. MSI GS65. First saw this in Japan last year and loved the design, at least until I picked it up and felt the flex. Still, it attempts to look professional with the non-lightup logo and overall design. Might still consider the GS75 that Linus recently reviewed today, but the chassis flex turns me off a lot.
2. Asus Zephyrus. S model I think? I haven't seen this in person yet, but a lot of reviewers seem to like it.
3. Razer Blade 15. Not the stealth version. Not sure about this, though I've heard that Razer has been getting better with their warranty/customer service. I have a friend who loves his Stealth, which made me consider this one.
4. Thinkpad X1 Extreme. I'm kinda "meh" about it, since the price is a bit high when compared to other laptops once you start adding Ram and decent storage to it, and it only has a 1050Ti MaxQ. 
5. Alienware M15. Not sure what to think of it. Looks cool, though.
6. Gigabyte Aero15. I tried this one in the store, and while I did like it, the keyboard left a lot to be desired.

 

So, keep in mind that I haven't bought a pc, let alone a PC laptop, since 11 or 12 years ago; That was a Sager notebook which crapped out on me after a year of high use while I was in the Navy. So I haven't really been in the gaming pc market for a long, long time.

 

I'm fully open to thicker laptops with a solid design. It's just hard to find good recommendations, and a lot of reviewers seem to be reviewing thinner, lighter gaming laptops these days. Though that one laptop (something something Titan) looked pretty... great, if stupid expensive and bulky. No, I will not even consider that one

 

I would like to see a good mix of recommendations ranging from thinner laptops to some "medium thickness" laptops (though I guess 'medium thickness' might be arbitrary). I guess I could say 'medium thickness' today would be the 'thin and light' of five years ago, with MacBook pros being the thinnest and lightest of professional laptops.

 

Thank you.
 

 

[Earnist_]

3 minutes ago, rejor11 said:

Use Case:

1. 70% work, 30% gaming. Most of my programming involves developing APIs, running a couple virtual environments, and data. I will be getting into more data math and visualization, though honestly I don't know how much power that takes. I don't really do any modeling / photo editing / etc.
2. Honestly, I don't do much gaming, but I do like to play the heavy stuff when I do (mostly RPGs, action games, etc. Not really into FPS).

Budget: Up to 3000USD, but prefer to keep it around 2000USD. My location is Taiwan, though I might consider purchasing while taking a business trip to Japan this year in March or May.

 

The Why: Quite frankly, this will end up being a business expense. My current laptop is a late 2013 MacBook pro. I will be keeping it, but need to replace the battery/keyboard so it'll be out of commission for a week. I simply cannot be without a computer for a week due to work. Therefore, I need something as a backup.

 

 

Need to Haves: 

1. High build quality. Quite frankly, I love the quality of my MacBook. It's lasted me for years, and has been a champ through four different countries, daily use, and even a couple of drops. In fact, I would replace my current MacBook with a new one, if only the new ones didn't have the touchbar and ultimately shitty keyboard.
2. Decent battery life. I know gaming laptops aren't going to have amazing battery life, even when all I'm doing is writing and coding, but I would like something that will last four hours or more in productivity mode. 
3. Good cooling. I know thin gaming laptops are going to have heat issues, but I still want something that's portable. I literally take my laptop out every day. That said, cooling will be preferable over portability since I still intend to use my MacBook as my daily workhorse whilst on the road.
4. Good - to - Excellent keyboard. I like my MacBook keyboard, and I rate Thinkpad keyboards to be the best there is. So something with similar quality would be preferable.

 

Nice to Haves:

1. Despite what I said above: lightweight and thin. Yeah yeah. That's why it's a nice to have. Keeping it around a 2013 15" MacBook pro weight would be nice since I'm used to it.
2. Not flashy. I run a business, so I can't really have something that is going to make my clients' eyes hurt.
3. Able to disable RGB lighting, or at least set it to a single, uniform color. I assume most, if not all, gaming laptops have this feature anyway. 

 

Laptops I've considered:

1. MSI GS65. First saw this in Japan last year and loved the design, at least until I picked it up and felt the flex. Still, it attempts to look professional with the non-lightup logo and overall design. Might still consider the GS75 that Linus recently reviewed today, but the chassis flex turns me off a lot.
2. Asus Zephyrus. S model I think? I haven't seen this in person yet, but a lot of reviewers seem to like it.
3. Razer Blade 15. Not the stealth version. Not sure about this, though I've heard that Razer has been getting better with their warranty/customer service. I have a friend who loves his Stealth, which made me consider this one.
4. Thinkpad X1 Extreme. I'm kinda "meh" about it, since the price is a bit high when compared to other laptops once you start adding Ram and decent storage to it, and it only has a 1050Ti MaxQ. 
5. Alienware M15. Not sure what to think of it. Looks cool, though.
6. Gigabyte Aero15. I tried this one in the store, and while I did like it, the keyboard left a lot to be desired.

 

So, keep in mind that I haven't bought a pc, let alone a PC laptop, since 11 or 12 years ago; That was a Sager notebook which crapped out on me after a year of high use while I was in the Navy. So I haven't really been in the gaming pc market for a long, long time.

 

I'm fully open to thicker laptops with a solid design. It's just hard to find good recommendations, and a lot of reviewers seem to be reviewing thinner, lighter gaming laptops these days. Though that one laptop (something something Titan) looked pretty... great, if stupid expensive and bulky. No, I will not even consider that one

 

I would like to see a good mix of recommendations ranging from thinner laptops to some "medium thickness" laptops (though I guess 'medium thickness' might be arbitrary). I guess I could say 'medium thickness' today would be the 'thin and light' of five years ago, with MacBook pros being the thinnest and lightest of professional laptops.

 

Thank you.
 

 

go for the msi gs 75 , its got great build quality and has up to an rtx 2080 as well as an i7- 8750h its a very nice laptop for work and gaming , it checks most of your boxes as well

[rejor11]

1 minute ago, Earnist_ said:

go for the msi gs 75 , its got great build quality and has up to an rtx 2080 as well as an i7- 8750h its a very nice laptop for work and gaming , it checks most of your boxes as well

Quick reply! thank you.

 

Thanks for the recommendation here, but I'm honestly not sure about this since watching LInus's latest video (which also kind of prompted me to write this topic). He shows how flexy it is.

 

[Earnist_]

Just now, rejor11 said:

Quick reply! thank you.

 

Thanks for the recommendation here, but I'm honestly not sure about this since watching LInus's latest video (which also kind of prompted me to write this topic). He shows how flexy it is.

 

if the gs 75 isnt your taste then how about one if the new strix scar laptop?

[rejor11]

Just now, Earnist_ said:

if the gs 75 isnt your taste then how about one if the new strix scar laptop?

Thank you. I will add this to the list.

[genexis_x]

Preferred min battery life in hours and max weight in kg/lbs? At which country you would like to make the purchase? (provide some links of online stores if possible)

[Retsaleb]

I have the GS65. The build quality is good, it feels like a premium chassis and while it flexes, I highly doubt something will break on the inside, people would have reported so otherwise. It is possible to hold the laptop with one hand in the bottom corner without a lot of flex. It really only flexes when you force it to flex. Of course the GS75 will flex much more just because they seem to use the same material for a larger chassis. The keyboard is great. It's no Thinkpad keyboard but it is very comfortable to type on it. I like the feedback from the keys. The port selection is phenomenal for a 2018 device.

[Super Spartan]

9 hours ago, rejor11 said:

Use Case:

1. 70% work, 30% gaming. Most of my programming involves developing APIs, running a couple virtual environments, and data. I will be getting into more data math and visualization, though honestly I don't know how much power that takes. I don't really do any modeling / photo editing / etc.
2. Honestly, I don't do much gaming, but I do like to play the heavy stuff when I do (mostly RPGs, action games, etc. Not really into FPS).

Budget: Up to 3000USD, but prefer to keep it around 2000USD. My location is Taiwan, though I might consider purchasing while taking a business trip to Japan this year in March or May.

 

The Why: Quite frankly, this will end up being a business expense. My current laptop is a late 2013 MacBook pro. I will be keeping it, but need to replace the battery/keyboard so it'll be out of commission for a week. I simply cannot be without a computer for a week due to work. Therefore, I need something as a backup.

 

 

Need to Haves: 

1. High build quality. Quite frankly, I love the quality of my MacBook. It's lasted me for years, and has been a champ through four different countries, daily use, and even a couple of drops. In fact, I would replace my current MacBook with a new one, if only the new ones didn't have the touchbar and ultimately shitty keyboard.
2. Decent battery life. I know gaming laptops aren't going to have amazing battery life, even when all I'm doing is writing and coding, but I would like something that will last four hours or more in productivity mode. 
3. Good cooling. I know thin gaming laptops are going to have heat issues, but I still want something that's portable. I literally take my laptop out every day. That said, cooling will be preferable over portability since I still intend to use my MacBook as my daily workhorse whilst on the road.
4. Good - to - Excellent keyboard. I like my MacBook keyboard, and I rate Thinkpad keyboards to be the best there is. So something with similar quality would be preferable.

 

Nice to Haves:

1. Despite what I said above: lightweight and thin. Yeah yeah. That's why it's a nice to have. Keeping it around a 2013 15" MacBook pro weight would be nice since I'm used to it.
2. Not flashy. I run a business, so I can't really have something that is going to make my clients' eyes hurt.
3. Able to disable RGB lighting, or at least set it to a single, uniform color. I assume most, if not all, gaming laptops have this feature anyway. 

 

Laptops I've considered:

1. MSI GS65. First saw this in Japan last year and loved the design, at least until I picked it up and felt the flex. Still, it attempts to look professional with the non-lightup logo and overall design. Might still consider the GS75 that Linus recently reviewed today, but the chassis flex turns me off a lot.
2. Asus Zephyrus. S model I think? I haven't seen this in person yet, but a lot of reviewers seem to like it.
3. Razer Blade 15. Not the stealth version. Not sure about this, though I've heard that Razer has been getting better with their warranty/customer service. I have a friend who loves his Stealth, which made me consider this one.
4. Thinkpad X1 Extreme. I'm kinda "meh" about it, since the price is a bit high when compared to other laptops once you start adding Ram and decent storage to it, and it only has a 1050Ti MaxQ. 
5. Alienware M15. Not sure what to think of it. Looks cool, though.
6. Gigabyte Aero15. I tried this one in the store, and while I did like it, the keyboard left a lot to be desired.

 

So, keep in mind that I haven't bought a pc, let alone a PC laptop, since 11 or 12 years ago; That was a Sager notebook which crapped out on me after a year of high use while I was in the Navy. So I haven't really been in the gaming pc market for a long, long time.

 

I'm fully open to thicker laptops with a solid design. It's just hard to find good recommendations, and a lot of reviewers seem to be reviewing thinner, lighter gaming laptops these days. Though that one laptop (something something Titan) looked pretty... great, if stupid expensive and bulky. No, I will not even consider that one

 

I would like to see a good mix of recommendations ranging from thinner laptops to some "medium thickness" laptops (though I guess 'medium thickness' might be arbitrary). I guess I could say 'medium thickness' today would be the 'thin and light' of five years ago, with MacBook pros being the thinnest and lightest of professional laptops.

 

Thank you.
 

 

I'd suggest the GS65. It has an awesome screen and keyboard and users from Notebook Review forum who have had the previous GS65 and now got the new one say the Flex issue has been improved. Also, you don't need to be trying to bend it man, just open the laptop and use it. It is what it is and the specs, looks, sleekness and cooling are decent.

 

If you get it from HIDevolution, choose Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut + Fujipoly Extreme Thermal pads to mitigate any overheating issues. They also do extensive testing using synthetic benchmarks and actual gaming sessions to ensure the laptop works 100%. Their quality control is superb and it's better than just picking one from the lot if you know what I mean, this is a boutique shop with personalized service and they give you a life time tech support.

 

They also have a global warranty which covers shipping both ways if you opt for that although that might not be needed with an MSI laptop since I'm sure you have a local MSI Service Center that can help with you warranty claims in the future should you need them.

 

Check out the various GS65 model that they have here: http://www.hidevolution.com/catalogsearch/result/?a=all&q=gs65