Laptop comparisons

I've been in the US military for two years now, and find myself moving frequently. Right now, for example, I'm stationed in Korea and go on missions for weeks at a time quite often. I take my laptop, a dell inspiron 7000 series, which most would consider to be a dinosaur in modern age. I bought the laptop when I was a junior in HS, 4-5 years ago, for about 500$ which was like three months salary at that time.

Surprisingly, I can still play things like WoW on it, but obviously the graphics I play on and the graphics you're probably used to seeing are on different spectrums entirely.

The main course of discussion: I'm looking into a new laptop. I don't necessarily have a budget but I'd prefer for it to be at, or under, 3k.

Why a laptop? A PC would be cheaper for what you're getting, and would last longer down the road? Yes, I know. But I go on missions here often, which means for weeks on end I move into different barracks, different tents- fobs, whatever the case may be. It has to be versatile as I have to also. Don't take this as it has to be military proof durable though, because I baby my toys. If the conditions don't allow it, I wait until it's safe to bring out the toys.

What I'd say it probably needs to satisfy money being spent: i7 processor, preferably 6+ core considering that is what most higher end laptops are capable of now. At least 16GB RAM, bonus if it's upgradable. I would be more comfortable with 1TB Storage, but also can vary depending on the build. And a 1050Ti would suffice for graphics, but if it has better, I wouldn't argue.

I'm also taking Computer Science classes in my free time. Information Science focus, so web development aspect. Running IDEs, Compilers, and different editing environments.

My current thoughts are:
(mainly school focus, less gaming with, but still an excellent price: ) Dell XPS 15 9570
(a little high on the "budget", but has the specs to back it up: ) MSI GS75 Stealth
Razor Blade 15

And there are a few others, but those are the ones that spark my interest right now. Let me know if you find others as good an option!

i was looking at laptop just 2 weeks back .. i am currently using the old i7 without optane .. optane been out for quite a while and i heard my friends saying they are not too bad, so i started looking .. and they are not expensive, i am currently running 3 i7 on 3 separate monitors, and each i7 running 2-3 wow accounts at the same time, total 8 wow screens on these 3 monitors, and they perform just fine, including when a bg pop, i am still able to play without delays, if there is delay it is always from server side that affects everyone, normal speed is world and home 100ms, frame rate about 99, so bottomline is .. you dont need a super computer, unless you want to see max lvl graphic, most of the normal i7 is able to handle anything wow throws at you

the idea that a computer or laptop can last for a long time or goes for upgrade is outdated .. i think, you should set a price, buy one that gives you 2 years use, and then drop it, buy a new one, meaning dont budget it too high, once it reaches the 2 years or 3 years lifespan, it serves its purpose and anything beyond that is bonus, instead of buying a 3k laptop, check around to see if there is a 1.5 or 2k, after 2 years, even entry lvl unit will surpass in ability what the 3k one does .. when i was younger, in my 20s, my gaming computer are $25k units assembled with latest stuff .. thinking back .. its stupid lolol .. but i guess that is what gamers do when they are young

I do complete agree with you, Merlin. WoW can be ran A-OK on a U i7, or anything else under the newer line H series i7's, but this is more for best bang of your buck comparisons and longetivity. Like mentioned I've had the same laptop for 4-5 years, and expect the same for my next laptop- with better specs at purchase date. I'm probably still not going to be maxing any graphics on games, or running 60 tabs at once but I'd like the option, if available, to be there. Or just for the fact that the life expectancy will be longer than what I currently have going for me. I don't like the thought of purchasing one-up just to have to make another purchase in a shorter time frame, if I can make a bigger purchase now and be better off for longer.

Best piece of advice i can give when buying a laptop....if its advertised as a gaming laptop, avoid it. The premium edition of those same brands are the better buy.

Psilocybine said:

Best piece of advice i can give when buying a laptop....if its advertised as a gaming laptop, avoid it. The premium edition of those same brands are the better buy.

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haha, thanks for the advice. I do my research before purchasing. I know all of which I have mentioned are well accredited, I'm just wondering other people's thoughts and suggestions behind what they prefer.

I'd find a lightly used one and save a bunch which could allow you to afford more. My 2016 MacBook Pro does pretty well, but I'm not raiding or anything. So I imagine a decent new laptop would do well.

ghank said:

I'd find a lightly used one and save a bunch which could allow you to afford more. My 2016 MacBook Pro does pretty well, but I'm not raiding or anything. So I imagine a decent new laptop would do well.

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I can understand that phrase when purchasing a car, but a laptop, I'm not sure if the rules apply for my situation. By the time it would get to me (in Korea) it would void most return policies online purchasing.

Nevertheless, I appreciate your input on the Macbook Pro. The 2018 15" Macbook Pro has some very good specs. Unfortunately, to equate the 2018 MB Pro specs with the dell XPS 15 specs, the Macbook comes out 1-2,000$ more expensive. All in all, if you have the money to spend though, that is the glossy way to do so.

Ya a Macbook is not the way to go for Wow. Macs work, but PCs work a bit better. Didn't realize you were in Korea.

I've run into this problem recently working away from home. Confined to my laptop, WoW is playable but I've grown so accustomed to using other hardware such as a Naga and Orbweaver that going back to straight keyboard has been a challenge. I just haven't taken the time to set it up right, don't even have Twitch installed for addons. So have been relegated to mount farming, herb gathering and just fooling around with AH stuff, I leave the pvp to when I come home on the weekends.

Psilocybine said:

Best piece of advice i can give when buying a laptop....if its advertised as a gaming laptop, avoid it. The premium edition of those same brands are the better buy.

Click to expand...

This is good advice. Personally I've used a $600 Laptop from HP for about 6+ years and I'd say it's pretty good. My main tips are:
1.Stay away from Chromebooks, Ultrabooks, and "books" in general.

2. If you want a good gaming laptop make sure it has a Discrete graphics card (not integrated like the Dell XPS you linked).

3. Learn how to maintain your laptop. I've broken my screen and keyboard before, the screen was $60 to replace and the keyboard was $20. Because of this, you might want to stay away from "slim-form" or tablet-like Laptops because their parts are likely unique to their models and harder to repair.
Buy some Compressed Air Dusters.

4. Prefer Intel/Nvidia (usually more expensive) over AMD. I have nothing against AMD( I am using AMD), but most developers develop on Intel CPUs, which sometimes hurt AMD CPUs. It's not the end of the world, and if you are Technical enough, you can find workarounds, but for the average user this isn't always fun.

As for recommendations, I can't really give any solid ones, maybe just stay away from Razer (Gaming brands) and focus on the specs, rather than the name. Here is a good site to look at Laptop GFX card benchmarks https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html. A good price range for a decent high-end laptop should be 1-1.5k USD (can change based on location + shipping costs)

Also, if you spill some liquid on your laptop, make sure not to turn it on while it's wet and to take out the CMOS battery ASAP until the laptop is fully dry. If your laptop overheats while on AC adapter, try removing the battery, some laptops have poor battery management. Also, that high heat is not good for your battery.

Thank you for the feedback. I don’t think people are quite getting the point I’m trying to focus on though. I’m not looking for a laptop for only gaming. I lightly game, and mediocre graphics work fine with me, I just want the option to turn it up to be there. I am in courses for computer science, so my main priority while on the laptop would be development purposes. The Dell XPS linked above, as I stated in the OP, is more focused on the development and light gaming whereas the MSi would be more so focused gaming.

I’m not looking for general rules and tips on what to look for, but more so recommendations of specific models and specs that others prefer. I understand the ins and outs of PCs, brands, and that type of stuff. I’m lacking first person experienced knowledge on their preferred build.

Don't go with the MSI, I've got 2 of those and the build quality is not going to hold up over time.

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-e-series/E490/p/22TP2TEE490
ThinkPad E490 base price $656.10 right now. However you can upgrade all the pieces. for example-

i3-i7 $210 (worth it) --> total $845.10
8GB-16GB memory (worth it and you can go up to 32GB) ---> total $940.50
500GB-1T storage for a measly $15 ----> total $955.50
+antiglare screen ---> 990.50

this is a good laptop that allows plenty of customization(therefore, optimization) while maintaining a very modest total price.
I would highly recommend although I'm not sure if this would be optimal for gaming, as the graphics card is unchangeable at Integrated Intel® UHD 620 graphics. idk much about graphics cards but I'm sure this one would be plenty capable for wow.

best of luck

I would suggest getting external monitor .. these days the 24" are relatively cheap .. if you are willing to pay a little more then get the 30+" .. Same for keyboard .. I cannot imagine how one can play wow on a laptop keyboard when key slamming is a routine .. the laptop keys won't last very long

I bought a very lightly used alienware 15 r3 2-3 weeks ago for 700$ (in sweden) (including a AW graphics amplifier). It has 16 GB ram DDR3, an M3 SSD and another evo, as well as a GTX 1060 6GB. 120Hz monitor. I have always been a fan of the later models of alienwares due to their crazy good build quality. Generally not recommended to buy brand new, but refurbished is good value. The graphics amplifier is also a nice alternative if you want to boost your PC at home, using a desktop GPU.

Worth noting though that these proper gaming laptops are never really recommended to take with you in any sort of study environment. Battery time sucks balls, it's just excellent for taking up little space on the desk, easy to move from one place to the other. This one is 15" but thats just the screen size, if you look at the actual laptop size its more in terms of 17", this is also kinda common with gaming laptops. That they are bulky. And they can get loud. If it has gsync as well then you cant shut off the nvidia graphics card, so it will hog more battery unplugged than just running on integrated graphics.

I had an AW 17 before that, from 2013. 780M, i was very very happy with it. Also bought refurbished but this time from UK, ebay.

I am really happy about my purchase, it also pulls of VR well in games i tried.

Thankful for the recent posts! I enjoy hearing your builds and preferences, it has got me looking at many different laptops, and environments. I was also thinking if I was just to settle on a more class oriented laptop, like the XPS for example, an eGPU could always be an option.

I've noticed most devices that can pull off VR well are typically good for gaming pcs.

Also Merlin, I do agree. With whatever purchase I decide on I also plan to purchase a vertical 24" and a 24(+) horizontal monitor. And currently use an external mouse and keyboard.

Check out SagerNotebook or HiDEvolution for your laptop needs, other competition can't compare. HiDEvolution reps have been known to provide discounts to notebookreview accounts through their forums, poss military aswell. HiD also offers/provides warranties for delidded cpus and vapor chambers.

You'll be set with a 9600K/RTX 2060+(stay away from laptops listed with 'Max-Q' gpus)/3k panel/and a Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe SSD for primary storage. Sites overcharge ram so you can buy it separately install it yourself, just figure out the limitation of the motherboard with whatever model you choose. If you decide to stick with the retailer ram options verify it states "(2 x Sticks)" for dual channel as most sites default is 1 stick/single channel, this normally costs 10-20$ more.

i got out of the army in 2011. prior to that i was using a heavy xps m1730 laptop that i bought in 2009 to play WoW in Afghanistan.

i just bought a dell g7 15 (5788) laptop to replace that, and the only real excuse for getting it was because i've been a Dell customer since 2001 when i bought my first laptop, an Inspiron 8000, back then when i was fresh outta AIT.