High Performance, Low cost, Gaming Laptops out there

[mikale7473]

Title says everything basically plus it has to be laptop even tho desktops are better.

[Hinjima]

7 minutes ago, mikale7473 said:

Title says everything basically plus it has to be laptop even tho desktops are better.

A budget would be nice please. are we talking 1000 usd or 2500usd?  High Performance and low cost, rarely goes together in a laptop.

[waronthemoon1]

Hello, what is your general budget? Performance laptops are quite expensive, it may help to explain what you plan to do on this system. 

 

Would you be focused on gaming? Rendering CAD? Video Editing? Knowing this may help narrow down options.

[mikale7473]

1000 USD, when i said low cost high performance it means the lowest cost possible for a laptop while being high performance, if possible to be able to run elden ring decently [althought that might be impossible given all the conditions].

 

It will be focused on gaming.

[waronthemoon1]

Additionally, I'll never recommend a 1500$ gaming laptop over a cheap laptop (600$) and a cheap Gaming desktop (700$).

 

And yes! I understand it can't be a desktop as you probably hav e some sort of situation. Just know gaming laptops will have poor battery life, loud noise, heavyweight, and oftentimes a dimmer panel. On top of that, even if the laptop was high end and held DESKTOP-grade parts (cpu, gpu, etc), it would 100% be throttled and slowed down. I'd recommend an ultrabook or cheap laptop + a budget desktop for the long term. 

 

Of course, this could technically be resolved by getting a nicer laptop along with an eGPU (like the razor core), but this would easily reach $1300-$1500.

 

----

 

As for your $1000 budget, a quick search would show you can probably get an RTX 3060 laptop, maybe rrtx 3070 if you go aftermarket. RTX 3060 laptops should hit roughly 60-65fps on 1080p resolutions

 

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-AN515-45-R21A-Hexa-Core-Processor-Keyboard/dp/B093JCZWWF/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3O7GXF6RK9B4T&keywords=rtx+3060+laptop&qid=1684096666&sprefix=rtx+3060+laptop%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-5&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.2b70bf2b-6730-4ccf-ab97-eb60747b8daf

 

I'd recommend this, but if possible, I believe you can upgrade the Ram to DDR4 32GB.

 

----

 

Also, I'd say the sweet spot is in the RTX 3070 range right now so if possible, shoot for a sub-$1300 laptop instead and get something much better.

 

Example: https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Pulse-GL66-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B09RB9B7SD/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1N3846S3EPTVJ&keywords=rtx+3070+laptop&qid=1684096969&sprefix=rtx+3070+lapto%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.765d4786-5719-48b9-b588-eab9385652d5

 

 

 

 

[mikale7473]

Thank you for all the info, i appreciate it!! ; By the way if its not too much to ask, can you give me some examples of those budget pc's you were talking about? It might not be a bad idea buying one for gaming and another for work.

[mikale7473]

Plus, isn't this laptop https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Display-i7-12650H-Thunderbolt-FX517ZM-AS73/dp/B09RMH9B6F/ref=psdc_565108_t1_B09RB9B7SD?th=1
better than that one? 

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Pulse-GL66-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B09RB9B7SD/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1N3846S3EPTVJ&keywords=rtx+3070+laptop&qid=1684096969&sprefix=rtx+3070+lapto%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.765d4786-5719-48b9-b588-eab9385652d5

 

[waronthemoon1]

4 minutes ago, mikale7473 said:

Thank you for all the info, i appreciate it!! ; By the way if its not too much to ask, can you give me some examples of those budget pc's you were talking about? It might not be a bad idea buying one for gaming and another for work.

I'm currently a college student and a lot of my friends are in the same bucket! They got gaming laptops that essentially went out of date and made things difficult. They'd need to find an outlet wherever they wanted to study, and rendering took ages. 

3 minutes ago, mikale7473 said:

Plus, isn't this laptop https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Display-i7-12650H-Thunderbolt-FX517ZM-AS73/dp/B09RMH9B6F/ref=psdc_565108_t1_B09RB9B7SD?th=1
better than that one? 

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Pulse-GL66-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B09RB9B7SD/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1N3846S3EPTVJ&keywords=rtx+3070+laptop&qid=1684096969&sprefix=rtx+3070+lapto%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.765d4786-5719-48b9-b588-eab9385652d5

 

One laptop has an RTX 3060, one has an RTX 3070. When I built PC's, the most value point was the RTX 3070. The performance gain is massive over the RTX 3060 (fps in your case). I wouldn't purchase an RTX 3080 over an RTX 3070 though, the value is not there.

 

7 minutes ago, mikale7473 said:

Thank you for all the info, i appreciate it!! ; By the way if its not too much to ask, can you give me some examples of those budget pc's you were talking about? It might not be a bad idea buying one for gaming and another for work.

Sure thing, I'm assuming your talking about the 700$ cheap desktop. Let me try.

 

LINKS: 

Case: H510 (dosent matter much) [75$]

 

Motherboard: MSI B550M PRO-VDH  [110$)

note: You could cheap out and save 30$, but this comes with on-board wifi and Bluetooth so you won't need to worry about buying them separately (wifi 6 + BT cards would run you about 45$ anyways, and be a hassel to install).

 

CPU (super budget and aftermarket): Ryzen 5 5600x [$110]

 

GPU(aftermarket is really good for 30-series right now) [320-350$)

Option1: PNY RTX 3070 8GB(cheaper) 

Option2: EVGA FTW RTX 3070 8GB(RECOMMENDED!!)

 

PSU: Thermaltake 600w GOLD non-modular [65$]

 

Storage: WD Blue 1tb nvme gen3 [50$]

 

RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR4 (2x8gb) [40$]

 

TOTAL PRICE = 770$.

 

This is the bare minimum sir. I would highly recommend upgrading the CPU to 5800x (future proof) because it goes on frequent sales of 55% off at $200. The chip will give you 300-800fps in cpu-based games like valorant. However, elden ring and more aesthetic games are much more GPU-heavy. The RTX 3070 is your computer's heart here.

 

The RTX 3070 Is that can be reduced to an RTX 3060 for budgeting, but it's not as value. This component list will outperform any sort of gaming laptop under 1600$ currently. And if since RTX 3080's are only about 9% faster at 1080p in games, the component list will compete with rtx 3080 laptops in the 1800$ range.

 

From those numbers, you start to see the benefits of a custom PC. additionally, maybe you want to reduce rendering times in video editing. In maybe 3-5 years you might want to swap JUST the motherboard and CPU, which wouldn't cost you very much compared to buying a brand-new laptop just to do upgrade a single aspect of a computer. The idea of swapping out specific parts is what really saves you money in the long run. 

 

Also the GPU might be overkill, it's gonna run every game you want including Cyberpunk 3070. But as I said, I dont recommend going lower as it may be useful but it's not value! the next value point is the RTX 4070ti, which is 900$ alone and definitely overkill. Above that? Nothing is worth buying as of now, at least not for the cost (Others may disagree).

 

This ist took me a surprisingly long time and my biggest regret was the CPU being a bit unproportionally low tier. The true value point right now is the 5800x for 200$ (link here). 

    

 

 

 

 

 

[mikale7473]

15 hours ago, waronthemoon1 said:

I'm currently a college student and a lot of my friends are in the same bucket! They got gaming laptops that essentially went out of date and made things difficult. They'd need to find an outlet wherever they wanted to study, and rendering took ages. 

One laptop has an RTX 3060, one has an RTX 3070. When I built PC's, the most value point was the RTX 3070. The performance gain is massive over the RTX 3060 (fps in your case). I wouldn't purchase an RTX 3080 over an RTX 3070 though, the value is not there.

 

Sure thing, I'm assuming your talking about the 700$ cheap desktop. Let me try.

 

LINKS: 

Case: H510 (dosent matter much) [75$]

 

Motherboard: MSI B550M PRO-VDH  [110$)

note: You could cheap out and save 30$, but this comes with on-board wifi and Bluetooth so you won't need to worry about buying them separately (wifi 6 + BT cards would run you about 45$ anyways, and be a hassel to install).

 

CPU (super budget and aftermarket): Ryzen 5 5600x [$110]

 

GPU(aftermarket is really good for 30-series right now) [320-350$)

Option1: PNY RTX 3070 8GB(cheaper) 

Option2: EVGA FTW RTX 3070 8GB(RECOMMENDED!!)

 

PSU: Thermaltake 600w GOLD non-modular [65$]

 

Storage: WD Blue 1tb nvme gen3 [50$]

 

RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR4 (2x8gb) [40$]

 

TOTAL PRICE = 770$.

 

This is the bare minimum sir. I would highly recommend upgrading the CPU to 5800x (future proof) because it goes on frequent sales of 55% off at $200. The chip will give you 300-800fps in cpu-based games like valorant. However, elden ring and more aesthetic games are much more GPU-heavy. The RTX 3070 is your computer's heart here.

 

The RTX 3070 Is that can be reduced to an RTX 3060 for budgeting, but it's not as value. This component list will outperform any sort of gaming laptop under 1600$ currently. And if since RTX 3080's are only about 9% faster at 1080p in games, the component list will compete with rtx 3080 laptops in the 1800$ range.

 

From those numbers, you start to see the benefits of a custom PC. additionally, maybe you want to reduce rendering times in video editing. In maybe 3-5 years you might want to swap JUST the motherboard and CPU, which wouldn't cost you very much compared to buying a brand-new laptop just to do upgrade a single aspect of a computer. The idea of swapping out specific parts is what really saves you money in the long run. 

 

Also the GPU might be overkill, it's gonna run every game you want including Cyberpunk 3070. But as I said, I dont recommend going lower as it may be useful but it's not value! the next value point is the RTX 4070ti, which is 900$ alone and definitely overkill. Above that? Nothing is worth buying as of now, at least not for the cost (Others may disagree).

 

This ist took me a surprisingly long time and my biggest regret was the CPU being a bit unproportionally low tier. The true value point right now is the 5800x for 200$ (link here). 

    

 

 

 

 

 

Soo basically this:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Z2jJY9

[waronthemoon1]

14 hours ago, mikale7473 said:

Soo basically this:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Z2jJY9

Hey, I do see what you got here but a lot of these are optional in your case.

 

You can skip this part if you just want me to fix the part picker (I put the link below in color) However, I do recommend #9! It's pretty important and not on part picker.

 

1.) the cpu is refurb/renew, but the listings I saw were purchased unfortunately. I recommend just paying that extra and buying from amazon now.

 

2.) A CPU cooler will not be necessary! all many mid-tier CPU's from Ryzen come with a stock cooler in the box. As long as you don't mind the noise and arnt overclocking, it should be good enough. (noise isn't even noticeable)

 

3.) all cpu coolers will come with a small syringe or pre-applied thermal paste, you dont need to b uy any. That's for if you want to re-apply yourself which wont yield significant benefits

 

4.) GPU is aftermarket as well, manually set price to 320-350$

 

5.) Dedicated Sound cards arn't very common anymore for expansion slots. Most users will opt for dedicated ones only if they are enthussiasts with a whole setup of nice IEM/Headphones and/or DAC/amplifier/receiver/etc. The one that is built into the motherboard will suffice! Most cannot tell the difference between onboard-sound cards even the highest-end motherboards and entry level ones. Remove this item.

 

6 and 7.) No need for a Wired OR Wireless network adaptor! I specifically picked a motherboard with an on-board wifi card (capped at 433mbps WIRELESSLY). If you truly care about internet speed over that 433mbps threshold, you would physically connect an ethernet cable (wired) that's gigabit. Basically, remove the network adaptor because the motherboard will have a both wifi (wireless) reception AND ethernet gigabit port (wired).

 

TLDR: absolutely do not get a wireless adaptor if your motherboard has one on-board, driver issues/confusion may appear. You may get a wired one if you want a SECOND ethernet port, but understand you already have one. Some purchase it to connect it to a cable wired, but printer USB cables run for 5$ so it's also pretty useless.

 

Note: Sorry I named the mobo correctly but the link I noticed was wrong. Heres the correct one: https://www.amazon.com/MSI-B550M-PRO-VDH-ProSeries-Motherboard/dp/B0BDCZRBD6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30GRJFNHYH5PK&keywords=MSI%2BB550M%2BPRO-VDH&qid=1684201090&sprefix=msi%2Bb550m%2Bpro-vdh%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0&th=1

 

Heres a second option for motherboard with wifi. I prefer this: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-TUF-A520M-PLUS-Motherboard-DisplayPort/dp/B0997N7P12/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3IY3UULPXO9FC&keywords=am4+motherboard+wifi&qid=1684205322&sprefix=am4+motherboard+wifi%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc

 

 

 

8.) The H10 case comes with two fans already, one for intake and one for exhaust. Most if not all cases will come with 2+ free stock fans. You sacrafice a little in noise but you won't really need  anything better unless you care a lot about looks/lights/temps/noise. None of which will be too relevant!

 

9.) I can go on and on about monitors, something I have a deep interest in but here's a quick rundown for any 100$+ monitor, you can and should purchase a monitor with an IPS or VA panel. IPS are generally more expensive until the higher end and are generally more popular. OLED nowadays if you got a 1000$ to burn, but thats not relevant.

 

Both have benefits like viewing angles but both are basically required and upgrades over a TN panel, which is what you picked. I highly recommend you opt out of any TN panel.

 

Advice:

 

a.)You want a 144hz+ (many argue that the jump to 240hz is not as relevant unless your into shooters and still not too important). 

 

b.) You are playing graphic games and watching videos so you want 200+nits of brightness if you'd like. Understand that the panel type is even more important here. If you've ever seen a very old (even large) TV and how sometimes the corner looks dark unless you sit directly in the middle? Some TN panels tend to be like that because viewing angles can be abysmal! You want an IPS panel (older iphone panels are an examplke) or a VA panel with good reviews (darker blacks and generally better than TN).

 

The brightness of the panel will make colors POP more. an example is if you are looking at a scene of a forest from above. If the panel is too dim, the dark and light greens will look like globs and mush. In games, its essential. luckily they are a given in most gaming panels as it's obvious. Usually it'll say HDR10 or HDR400, etc which is associated with a brighter panel. The brightness and color ratings and fantastic viewing angles of an IPS panel will make videos, games, movies, and overall usage much better. It's so common that it's not much additional over a TN panel (no one buys TN panels).

 

Personally, Im not much of a gamer but I allocated a lot more on my monitors for productivity, and also purely because of how fluid they feel. Even without gaming I enjoy a smooth 144hz and bright video quality when watching series..

 

c.) You have options to change the aspect ratio but you prob don't care about that unless you are willing to drop extra money on an Ultrawide.

 

d.) Resolution. rtx 3070's are usually for 1440p (vertical pixel count) gaming or 1080p.

 

I see you want something for gaming with that RTX card so I'll give you some suggestions.

 

General rule of thumb for 16:9 aspect ratio monitors.

 

21"-24" monitors = 1080x1920 (Full HD) 

24"-29" monitors = shoot for 1440p! 1440x2560 (QHD) or you will find yourself zooming in to read text (great for productivity)

34+" monitors = if yoiu are getting something this big get a 4k panel.

 

Note: I recommend two Full HD panels for multitasking! once you go dual, you never go back. Triple is often excessive because now you arn't just moving your eyes, you are turning your neck.

 

Monitor suggestions!

1.) Top rec: Single monitor and able to splurge? I own this one before upgrading. (QHD IPS panel) LG Ultragear 27inch 1440x2560 @ 144hz HDR10 

2.) Value: Potentially buying a second monitor in the future for multitasking? I recommend 2x FHD monitors. (FHD IPS panel) ASUS TUF 24inch 1920x1080 @ 165hz

3.) Very Budget: Just want something clear, practical, and don't need more than 60hz? (60hz is where videos online max out) Wouldn't recommend unless absolutely necessary as you have very nice PC build that can actualy run things very well.

OPTION1: (2019 FHD IPS ASUS) and OPTION2: (2021 FHD IPS ASUS) Note: Both are same monitor over diffent years. The newer one has some not-important features added but same brightness/colors/panel/75hz overall! I recommend the new one still because it's 3$ for the newer (time) panel and product support.

 

note: there's no way you will notice a difference between 144hz and 165hz. I believe all 165hz panels are just overclocked 144hz panels with better heat dissipation.

The LG panel will look sharper obviously, bigger, and brighter. I never had complaints and I paid 300$ for that one specifically.

 

Anyways, any proper 100+$ (or even lower) will generally look better than any kind of GAMING laptop monitor in terms of brightness and reliability. Color accuracy as well in the upper end but don't underestimate some of the ultrabook non-gaming laptops (MacBook/XPS colors and brightness are superb). You probably only need IPS certification, most people can't discern above that.

 

10.) I usually recommend Corsair LPX ram but in this case I recommend getting some lower-tier (but still reputable) Volcan ram from TeamGroup. This way, you can get 32GB (doubled!).

 

Won't really affect performance in games, but will allow you to have more things open at the same time (as long as your PC can handle them of course). You can now have double the amount of things open. Google Chrome is super RAM-hungry.

 

Here's a part picker where I altered/Fixed it. I'll be removing the monitor and you can pick your own. I don't recommend using the one you picked.

 

(^Scroll to bottom, its called "NO THEME - PERFORMANCE GAMING - RTX 3070 Upper Tiered (5/15/2023)")

 

 

Note: I added extra GPU options because they are all AFTERMARKET so the listings dissapear when it's bought by others. I can suggest more but looks like prices went up. Total at the bottom of the page will seem higher because of this, but it isn't.

 

Note: I added extra case options that I've used before! Pick them by appearance, whichever you prefer. They are all value cases with included free fans with good thermals/airflow. Some have lights, some have more fans, some have mesh panels, take your pick I liked them all. NZXT has some cases like the H510 if you prefer an 80$ option.

 

FINAL PRICE!! : You could wait for some sale on the CPU but otherwise, everything seems priced normally. The total price assuming you get a used RTX 3070 for the 300-400 range should be 700-800$!  The specs are really good too as most people don't actually own a computer this powerful, I'm pretty surprised myself. The GPU shortage is gone and I guess you can reap the benefits of the used GPU market.

 

Last note: Aesthetics is one thing but I would recommend you consider upgrading the Storage to 2TB as that is the new MOST VALUE this year. You get the most GB/$ at that point, but 1Tb is sufficient usually. You can also expand it as much as you'd like later. I recommend only haveing 1 drive at a time though because I find it annoying to add steam libraries to each new drive and being asked "which drive" whenever I download things. I just toss everything in my single 2TB drive.

 

 

 

 

[waronthemoon1]

Lastly, Let me know if you need new links for the used ebay parts (they disappear pretty fast).

 

regarding Last note in bottom of previous message, heres a link if you do in fact want the 2TB version. https://www.newegg.com/western-digital-2tb-blue-sn570-nvme/p/N82E16820250213?Description=wd blue 2tb&cm_re=wd_blue 2tb-_-20-250-213-_-Product

 

Also, feel free to let me know if you have any questions regarding the building or buying, or anything at all really.