Budget gaming laptop ideas?

[porina]

As title, I'm looking for a budget gaming laptop. As written in my other thread my current laptop is non functional, and I'm running out of ideas on how to possibly fix it short of oven trick. Even if I do fix it, my faith in it is out of the window so I'd always be wondering when will it stop working next?

 

Anyway, I found myself using a laptop for gaming rather less than I thought I would, so this time round I'm going for entry level.

 

Locaton: UK - preferably laptop available from a well known major supplier.

GPU performance expectations: should be able to do 60+ fps in FFXIV at laptop (standard) preset, even better if it does it at any higher setting.

CPU: Any recent Intel quad core or Ryzen quad core - doesn't matter model or HT/SMT as long as turbo is well beyond 3 GHz.

Form factor: 15.6 or smaller, but that would likely not be as cheap.

Display: 1080p or higher. Variable refresh tech would be a big plus. Anything faster than 60 Hz would be a nice to have. IPS preferred but will tolerate TN. Prefer matte over gloss any day.

Storage: don't care as long as it is user replaceable without voiding warranty (I can move in other SSDs).

Ram: 8GB is adequate. Two user accessible SODIMM slots without voiding warranty would be a big plus (I can move in the 2x8GB from the broken laptop).

Budget: as low as practically possible to meet the above

 

In a quick search for myself, I've come across the Asus FX503VD which might meet my minimum requirements, and at £600 it doesn't cost much. I was seriously considering dropping that much on RGB ram not long ago (but didn't).

Store link: https://www.scan.co.uk/products/156-asus-fx503vd-dm078t-fhd-i5-7300hq-8gb-ddr4-256gb-m2-sata-ssd-2gb-gtx-1050-win10

Asus page: https://www.asus.com/Laptops/FX503/overview/ (I love at the bottom of the page, they highlight user accessible ram and storage!)

• 1050 2GB
• i5-7300HQ quad core, 2.5 base, 3.5 turbo
• 1080p 60Hz
• 8GB ram
• 256GB SATA SSD

 

I'm not sure what the minimum level of GPU performance is. Somewhere I have a 750Ti I could dust off, as that has the same number of cores as a 1050, just lacking some of the clock improvements. If it runs ok on that, it'll be fine on a 1050 too. If anyone has a similar spec laptop, I'd be interested in FFXIV Stormblood benchmark results - save the file for detail results, not just the end score which doesn't mean a lot.

 

I'm not sure about waiting for next gen stuff. I don't need more CPU than a quad core, and anything new coming out is likely to be elevated in pricing for a while anyway.

[genexis_x]

For that budget consider Dell 7577, Lenovo Y520 and Dell 7567 (IPS). Dell 5577 also an option but keep in mind that it has poor TN panel, poor keyboard and battery life. There's an Acer Nitro 5 with 7300HQ and 1050TI in Amazon for $699 but repaste is needed since it has mediocre CPU cooling. Asus FX and GL series are mediocre. MSI GV, GL and GP series too.

 

Edit: I have a laptop with same CPU and GPU

[porina]

21 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

For that budget consider Dell 7577, Lenovo Y520 and Dell 7567 (IPS). Dell 5577 also an option but keep in mind that it has poor TN panel, poor keyboard and battery life. There's an Acer Nitro 5 with 7300HQ and 1050TI in Amazon for $699 but repaste is needed since it has mediocre CPU cooling. Asus FX and GL series are mediocre. MSI GV, GL and GP series too.

 

Edit: I have a laptop with same CPU and GPU

I've yet to see a nice Dell (all our work laptops are Dell) so nope. Lenovo costs 50% more than the Asus and I'm not sure that's worth it just to get a slight bump to 1050 Ti. Acer with plain 1050 is comparable to the Asus but still costs more. Ti version costs a lot more. Wouldn't get another MSI due to warranty sticker preventing upgrades, and their support royally sucks (in general).

 

I don't mind paying more than the Asus listed if it is worth it, but it really has to be worth it.

[genexis_x]

49 minutes ago, porina said:

it really has to be worth it

It's worth it. I don't want to recommend something that has 45-50dba fan noise and 50+℃ surface temps even in gaming, not full heavy CPU+GPU load. Under that full heavy load the cooling system dies, throttling occurs. Also the mediocre build quality, full plastic can be rigid like Y520 but that's not the case with Asus FX series. For this budget consider only Dell 7577/7567 and Lenovo Y520, I don't think there are better options. Maybe Acer VX15 if you can find it and for a good price (this thing has disappeared shortly after launching).

[porina]

7 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

It's worth it.

I'm not sure you're seeing my local pricing here. They are 50-100% more expensive than the Asus I linked. This isn't a bit more, it is a LOT more. We could start the game again as at that pricing level I can hit 1060 level, but you'll probably call their build rubbish too...

[genexis_x]

I searched for UK pricings including Amazon UK. Nitro 5 with the same specs except for 1050TI GPU sells at 699. Dell 7577 with the same specs but without SSD (only 1TB HDD) sells for 749. Lenovo Y520 with 7300HQ+RX 560 and 1TB+128GB sells at 749.

 

For 599 it's a pretty good deal. The choice is yours but personally I won't consider. Make sure you repaste it if you decided to buy it.

[porina]

45 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

I searched for UK pricings including Amazon UK. Nitro 5 with the same specs except for 1050TI GPU sells at 699. Dell 7577 with the same specs but without SSD (only 1TB HDD) sells for 749. Lenovo Y520 with 7300HQ+RX 560 and 1TB+128GB sells at 749.

 

For 599 it's a pretty good deal. The choice is yours but personally I won't consider. Make sure you repaste it if you decided to buy it.

Didn't spot that Nitro 5 as it is from marketplace seller and their feedback doesn't look great. I'll dig around a bit more later on that and the others.

[genexis_x]

Nitro 5 needs CPU repaste and undervolting (pretty much every laptop need this), just keep that in mind.

[porina]

8 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

Nitro 5 needs CPU repaste and undervolting (pretty much every laptop need this), just keep that in mind.

I think I just figured out why that sample of Nitro 5 is cheaper than everything else, it says US keyboard. Almost certainly a grey import, and a real possibility they tax dodged to get the price so much lower than everyone else. That's out.

 

Given that, the Asus remains top of the shortlist. One thing I'm confused about is that the link I gave in OP has it cheaper than everyone else. Then I noticed, it is a slightly different part number. FX503VD-DM078T vs. FX503VD-DM080T which costs more there and elsewhere. I can't find a difference. At the same site, only difference other than price is the '80 version has a 1TB HD instead of the 256GB SSD of the '78, which sounds like a very bad deal to me, unless Asus made other improvements to the design that don't show up in the basic spec list.

 

What's the design flaws of the Asus? If it is heat, I can deal with that as I usually use an external keyboard and mouse for gaming . For normal use, I assume it should still be ok. Noise might be a bigger problem. The outgoing MSI GE62 actually was not bad cooling for a laptop even stock. 

[genexis_x]

3 hours ago, porina said:

What's the design flaws of the Asus?

Cooling design flaw. Plus bad thermal paste job and fairly thin chassis. As I said, inner temps, surface temps and fan noise are higher than other competitors. Also the OKish plastic build which is not as rigid as other plastic case like Y520.

[porina]

2 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Cooling design flaw. Plus bad thermal paste job and fairly thin chassis. As I said, inner temps, surface temps and fan noise are higher than other competitors. Also the OKish plastic build which is not as rigid as other plastic case like Y520.

Thanks for the advice. There's not a lot of reviews for this family, that or I'm having search fail again.

 

I was starting to fall into the trap of scope creep, for a little more I could get... and I'm into 4 figures and beyond quickly enough.

 

I'm kinda 90% sure I'll just order the cheap Asus. The 10% of me... wonders if some day I wish I got more GPU. In the Asus GL503 series £900-ish can get me a 1060 6GB / 120 Hz screen. Weird thing is, searching generically for the family the Asus web site shows 8th gen CPU, not 7th in the ones I'm looking at. I'm guessing some places are cutting pricing on the 7th gen to make room for the new ones.

[genexis_x]

7 minutes ago, porina said:

I'm guessing some places are cutting pricing on the 7th gen to make room for the new ones.

Correct.

[porina]

I've ordered the cheap Asus - enough thinking, more doing! I'll report back on thermals and noise when I get it in case anyone else is interested.

 

I keep getting distracted by upgrading, but as I originally wrote, in practice I do very little gaming while on laptop. The last time I had to game seriously while going elsewhere, I packed a desktop as well as the laptop...

[genexis_x]

Just now, porina said:

in practice I do very little gaming while on laptop

Then why don't buy a good laptop with 8250U+MX150?

[porina]

6 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Then why don't buy a good laptop with 8250U+MX150?

Very little is not none, and I still have some level of performance expectation.

 

MX150 would fall below the level of adequacy I mentioned in OP. My goal is at least an average of 60fps in FFXIV Stormblood benchmark at any of the pre-set settings. Forgot to say, I did some testing with 750Ti as substitute, which has the same number of cores as 1050 and mine is also a 2GB card. I got just over 60fps average on the two laptop settings tried. The 1050 should be faster from higher boost clocks, if the laptop thermals doesn't limit it.

 

The MX150 is comparable to a 1030, and that would drop below adequacy so was never a consideration.

[porina]

Thoughts on the Asus at link above.