Gaming Laptop Recommendations?

[EscapeTheRoom]

Hey everyone, I am going to be doing some travelling for work after Christmas for 6 months (going to be flying to New York for 2 weeks, then Boston, LA and Austin and then across the pond for another 4 months) and I would really, really like to bring a gaming laptop with me. I know that I will have a lot of free time when I am away as I always do and instead of going out and drinking/being a glutton I thought I could spend some of that time gaming.

I like to play a lots of emulators which don't require high specs but I also have some new games I want to play on my Steam account like Mutant Football League, DOOM and Rainbow Six Siege so I need a decent laptop at least. I was looking at the Republic of Gamers line from ASUS, what does everyone think of those? I am hoping to spend under $2,000 (ideally around $1,500 or lower so I can get some nice peripherals.) so if anyone can suggest a nice gaming laptop around that budget that will be able to handle new games/last years games then let me know. Thanks in advance everyone!

I have finally done it. After much debating on here between members and on my Facebook chat where I was asking friends about it I managed to get an almost new ROG G751 JT from http://www.used.forsale/asus-rog. The computer has been barely used as the seller bought it then was forced to move around the world for work and would rather buy a laptop in his new home. Tried it out last night and I am loving it, got DOOM to run at high setting with no problem. Thanks for all the advice guys

 

[Elvis Starburst]

While I don't have much knowledge of current laptops to recommend, I can at least provide a bit of a tip for you. Don't buy an overpriced insane "gaming" laptop just cause it says gaming on the branding, just buy a GOOD laptop. Buy one with at least a 7th gen i5 and maybe a 10th gen GPU if you can, 9th gen at the least. It doesn't have to be labeled gaming grade to have either of these, it's just dumb marketing and extremely over-designed laptop casings. Buy one with the specs you want from a well regarded company with high reviews and customer service, and don't bother with "gaming" branding

 

[Arnoxthe1]

If I were you, I'd just get a somewhat souped up HP business laptop for $700ish. (And I do specifically mean their business line of laptops. Their regular laptops are shoddily made.) It's not gonna play everything at all, but it'll definitely get you by. My laptop is an HP ProBook 450 G1. I've had it for over four years and still running. No problems except maybe some slight keyboard issues. And even then, that's pretty damn recent and it eventually went away. And I've been using it CONSTANTLY too.

Specs if you really wanna know but HP/Amazon has since replaced their stock with newer notebooks of course, so unless you go on Ebay, you're not gonna find my model for sale:

Intel Core i5-4200M
Intel HD Graphics 4600
4 GB RAM
500 GB Hybrid HDD
Windows 7 x64 Professional (It was kinda nice too because not only did they give me a copy of Windows 8.1 x64 Pro, they threw in a copy of Windows 7 x64 Pro completely for free at the time as well. The offer no longer exists though.)

EDIT: Being bored today, I decided to look at HP's most recent options for their ProBooks and holy hell, most of them don't have an optical drive. What an annoyance... So yeah. Nevermind. They don't get my recommendation anymore. Lotta AMD and nVidia external gfx though. Didn't find a single Intel gfx card among them.

EDIT 2: Found this [https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkPad-20EV002JUS-15-6-Inch-Processor/dp/B0178JBPK4/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&srs=13997023011&ie=UTF8&qid=1507312266&sr=1-3&refinements=p_36%3A2421889011] on Amazon. Right in the $750 price point with a dedicated AMD card, i7 processor, optical drive, plus Windows 7 x64 Professional for free if you want it. The gfx aren't gonna blow any socks off but should still get you in the door for the newer games and it's much cheaper, which is why I recommend it over the Predator mainly.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

I had my jimmies all rustled and was ready to tell you not to buy a gaming laptop, but since you will be moving around quite a bit your thinking makes a lot more sense than most of the gaming laptop threads that pop up here.

While I agree with Elvis in that you don't need to blow a ton of money on a G4M3R branded laptop, I don't see any harm in getting something from ROG or Predator or whoever for the right price.

Something like this would be good for you purposes. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y4GZS9C/ref=psdc_13896615011_t1_B01578ZN0Q

It has an i7, 16gb of RAM, and a 6gb 1060 (which is the one you want.) The 1060 is not a monster of a card but it should handle most games at 1080p quite well. Plus this laptop has an IPS panel for better colors which to me is one of the most noticeable upgrades you an get for a PC. The SSD is not very big so you might want to look into upgrading that or getting an external harddrive or something, but for $1000 this is actually not bad considering you're getting a monitor and a keyboard attached to the computer.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

If I were you, I'd just get a somewhat souped up HP business laptop for $700ish. (And I do specifically mean their business line of laptops. Their regular laptops are shoddily made.) It's not gonna play everything at all, but it'll definitely get you by. My laptop is an HP ProBook 450 G1. I've had it for over four years and still running. No problems except maybe some slight keyboard issues. And even then, that's pretty damn recent and it eventually went away. And I've been using it CONSTANTLY too.

Specs if you really wanna know but HP/Amazon has since replaced their stock with newer notebooks of course, so unless you go on Ebay, you're not gonna find my model for sale:

Intel Core i5-4200M
Intel HD Graphics 4600
4 GB RAM
500 GB Hybrid HDD
Windows 7 x64 Professional (It was kinda nice too because not only did they give me a copy of Windows 8.1 x64 Pro, they threw in a copy of Windows 7 x64 Pro completely for free at the time as well. The offer no longer exists though.)

Glad to hear your laptop has been good to you Arnox, but I couldn't disagree more with you on this point. The biggest thing OP needs is a dedicated GPU and the specs for your laptop (and even an updated newer version) are woefully underpowered for the likes of Rainbow Six, Doom, etc. No way you will get modern games like that running at anything close to acceptable quality and framerate on an integrated graphics chip like the Intel 4600.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Snip

That's a genuinely amazing laptop than I'm used to seeing for the price point. That'd be a great choice! I wonder if OP could get a similar one with a 1070

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Snip

That's a genuinely amazing laptop than I'm used to seeing for the price point. That'd be a great choice! I wonder if OP could get a similar one with a 1070

Right? We usually come into these threads with similar advice about staying away from laptops like the plague but a quick amazon search brought this one up and I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Glad to hear your laptop has been good to you Arnox, but I couldn't disagree more with you on this point. The biggest thing OP needs is a dedicated GPU and the specs for your laptop (and even an updated newer version) are woefully underpowered for the likes of Rainbow Six, Doom, etc. No way you will get modern games like that running at anything close to acceptable quality and framerate on an integrated graphics chip like the Intel 4600.

OK so there's three things to keep in mind.

1. The 4600 IS pretty underpowered in terms of today's market and OP definitely should think about getting a more recent laptop. No argument from me. But as I've already stated, you can't get a laptop with the HD 4600 on amazon anymore anyway even if you tried. Everything's been updated. Furthermore, Intel HAS gotten better at their gfx card offerings. Sure, they're still not really at the heights of nVidia or AMD yet but they're really not far behind anymore. When the HD 4600 came out, it was actually in the mid-rangeish class.

2. The laptop you specified does not have any sort of optical drive. While this may not seem like a problem today, having an optical drive can be incredibly convenient for recovery, Linux LiveDVDs, Windows installs, and miscellaneous backup needs. Furthermore, if OP has any old games or movies lying around, he can use those too.

3. The laptop you specified is a $1000ish dollars. I could buy myself quite a decent desktop rig with that money. Also, he's going away on a temporary trip. He's not gonna use it as his main way of gaming, so it seems quite silly to dump that much on a system that he's not gonna use for all that long.

EDIT: Being bored today, I decided to look at HP's most recent options for their ProBooks and holy hell, most of them don't have an optical drive. What an annoyance... So yeah. Nevermind. They don't get my recommendation anymore. Lotta AMD and nVidia external gfx though. Didn't find a single Intel gfx card among them.

EDIT 2: Found this [https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkPad-20EV002JUS-15-6-Inch-Processor/dp/B0178JBPK4/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&srs=13997023011&ie=UTF8&qid=1507312266&sr=1-3&refinements=p_36%3A2421889011] on Amazon. Right in the $750 price point with a dedicated AMD card, i7 processor, optical drive, plus Windows 7 x64 Professional for free if you want it. The gfx aren't gonna blow any socks off but should still get you in the door for the newer games and it's much cheaper, which is why I recommend it over the Predator mainly.

 

[Callate]

Costco has the Acer Predator Helios 300 for $ 1,199 right now. GTX 1060 6 GB, i7 7700 2.8GHz, runs GTA V at 1080p Ultra at 49 FPS.

Review: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/acer-predator-helios-300

One could do worse, especially at the price point.

 

[EscapeTheRoom]

Costco has the Acer Predator Helios 300 for $ 1,199 right now. GTX 1060 6 GB, i7 7700 2.8GHz, runs GTA V at 1080p Ultra at 49 FPS.

Review: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/acer-predator-helios-300

One could do worse, especially at the price point.

Amazon is selling it atm for $1050

 

[Tanis]

Nice thread.

I'm in the market myself, it's just a shame 15.6in are the default.

I LOVE my 17in and can't see myself going back to a smaller screen.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Nice thread.

I'm in the market myself, it's just a shame 15.6in are the default.

I LOVE my 17in and can't see myself going back to a smaller screen.

I think on Amazon, you can specify the screen size you want.

 

[major_chaos]

EDIT 2: Found this [https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkPad-20EV002JUS-15-6-Inch-Processor/dp/B0178JBPK4/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&srs=13997023011&ie=UTF8&qid=1507312266&sr=1-3&refinements=p_36%3A2421889011] on Amazon. Right in the $750 price point with a dedicated AMD card, i7 processor, optical drive, plus Windows 7 x64 Professional for free if you want it. The gfx aren't gonna blow any socks off but should still get you in the door for the newer games and it's much cheaper, which is why I recommend it over the Predator mainly.

Ehhhhh. This is somewhat anecdotal, but I have a lot of Lenovo products cross my bench at work and my impression has been that they are shoddily made and prone to manufacture defect. In terms of business products HP seems to have a much higher overall quality.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Ehhhhh. This is somewhat anecdotal, but I have a lot of Lenovo products cross my bench at work and my impression has been that they are shoddily made and prone to manufacture defect. In terms of business products HP seems to have a much higher overall quality.

You're most likely right, but HP laptops are almost universally skimping out on the optical drive. If OP really doesn't care then full steam ahead I guess but for me personally, it's a deal breaker.

 

[EscapeTheRoom]

If I were you, I'd just get a somewhat souped up HP business laptop for $700ish. (And I do specifically mean their business line of laptops. Their regular laptops are shoddily made.) It's not gonna play everything at all, but it'll definitely get you by. My laptop is an HP ProBook 450 G1. I've had it for over four years and still running. No problems except maybe some slight keyboard issues. And even then, that's pretty damn recent and it eventually went away. And I've been using it CONSTANTLY too.

Specs if you really wanna know but HP/Amazon has since replaced their stock with newer notebooks of course, so unless you go on Ebay, you're not gonna find my model for sale:

Intel Core i5-4200M
Intel HD Graphics 4600
4 GB RAM
500 GB Hybrid HDD
Windows 7 x64 Professional (It was kinda nice too because not only did they give me a copy of Windows 8.1 x64 Pro, they threw in a copy of Windows 7 x64 Pro completely for free at the time as well. The offer no longer exists though.)

Glad to hear your laptop has been good to you Arnox, but I couldn't disagree more with you on this point. The biggest thing OP needs is a dedicated GPU and the specs for your laptop (and even an updated newer version) are woefully underpowered for the likes of Rainbow Six, Doom, etc. No way you will get modern games like that running at anything close to acceptable quality and framerate on an integrated graphics chip like the Intel 4600.

According to the development release you can't even use Dolphin Gamecube Emulator with dedicated Intel HD Graphics. You need anything but essentially. I would for sure be wanting to get a dedicated Nvidia card, my brother has an older laptop with a 660M in it and that is just starting to get outdated for him.

 

[EscapeTheRoom]

Costco has the Acer Predator Helios 300 for $ 1,199 right now. GTX 1060 6 GB, i7 7700 2.8GHz, runs GTA V at 1080p Ultra at 49 FPS.

Review: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/acer-predator-helios-300

One could do worse, especially at the price point.

Amazon is selling it atm for $1050

Going to take a closer look at that one as it ticks all the boxes. Thanks guys!

 

[troop09]

asus rog gaming laptop are pretty good in my expierence

 

[troop09]

Couple of suggestions from this page: https://pc4u.org/best-gaming-laptop-under-1500-dollars/

 

[EscapeTheRoom]

asus rog gaming laptop are pretty good in my expierence

Fairly sure this one is a bot - leaves this comment then follows up with a second post linking the same site on several forums

Costco has the Acer Predator Helios 300 for $ 1,199 right now. GTX 1060 6 GB, i7 7700 2.8GHz, runs GTA V at 1080p Ultra at 49 FPS.

Review: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/acer-predator-helios-300

One could do worse, especially at the price point.

Amazon is selling it atm for $1050

Going to take a closer look at that one as it ticks all the boxes. Thanks guys!

Take note that camelcamelcamel has it on record that the lowest price amazon was selling it for as $900 back in July - not a guarantee of course but they might bring it back down again near BF - saving money is always good

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Glad to hear your laptop has been good to you Arnox, but I couldn't disagree more with you on this point. The biggest thing OP needs is a dedicated GPU and the specs for your laptop (and even an updated newer version) are woefully underpowered for the likes of Rainbow Six, Doom, etc. No way you will get modern games like that running at anything close to acceptable quality and framerate on an integrated graphics chip like the Intel 4600.

OK so there's three things to keep in mind.

1. The 4600 IS pretty underpowered in terms of today's market and OP definitely should think about getting a more recent laptop. No argument from me. But as I've already stated, you can't get a laptop with the HD 4600 on amazon anymore anyway even if you tried. Everything's been updated. Furthermore, Intel HAS gotten better at their gfx card offerings. Sure, they're still not really at the heights of nVidia or AMD yet but they're really not far behind anymore. When the HD 4600 came out, it was actually in the mid-rangeish class.

2. The laptop you specified does not have any sort of optical drive. While this may not seem like a problem today, having an optical drive can be incredibly convenient for recovery, Linux LiveDVDs, Windows installs, and miscellaneous backup needs. Furthermore, if OP has any old games or movies lying around, he can use those too.

3. The laptop you specified is a $1000ish dollars. I could buy myself quite a decent desktop rig with that money. Also, he's going away on a temporary trip. He's not gonna use it as his main way of gaming, so it seems quite silly to dump that much on a system that he's not gonna use for all that long.

EDIT: Being bored today, I decided to look at HP's most recent options for their ProBooks and holy hell, most of them don't have an optical drive. What an annoyance... So yeah. Nevermind. They don't get my recommendation anymore. Lotta AMD and nVidia external gfx though. Didn't find a single Intel gfx card among them.

EDIT 2: Found this [https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkPad-20EV002JUS-15-6-Inch-Processor/dp/B0178JBPK4/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&srs=13997023011&ie=UTF8&qid=1507312266&sr=1-3&refinements=p_36%3A2421889011] on Amazon. Right in the $750 price point with a dedicated AMD card, i7 processor, optical drive, plus Windows 7 x64 Professional for free if you want it. The gfx aren't gonna blow any socks off but should still get you in the door for the newer games and it's much cheaper, which is why I recommend it over the Predator mainly.

1. I can appreciate what you're saying and I'm well aware that the 4600 has a more modern integrated gpu equivalent in current laptops. But saying Intel's integrated chips aren't far behind dedicated GPUs from Nvidia or AMD is just not true.

2. I definitely see your point here. If OP needs an optical drive he can always get an external one for like $20.00

3. I would ALWAYS recommend building a desktop to buying a laptop, but that is what OP wants and is the whole point of the thread. $1000 may not be chump change but it comes in way below his stated budget.

Response to Edit 2: It may be an integrated gpu but that is nowhere near the caliber of a full size desktop gpu like the 1060. It's a mobile gpu with 2gb of VRAM which was outdated 3-4 years ago. For $250.00 more you get a better processor, a GPU in an entirely different weight class, and SSD, double the RAM, and an IPS display.