Need your help choosing a gaming laptop please! I have options.

[amc01]

Hi all

I’m new to the forum but not new to gaming.

I have been Xbox based for a while but used to do a bit of pc gaming when I was younger so I know the basic requirements.

I’m getting a new laptop and would like it to be decent for gaming as I’d like to get back into it but can’t get a PC and a laptop.

I have found two options at a decent price. The main differences are (I think!) are between the processor and the graphics card. Aside from that they appear fairly similar. I’ve given the links and set out key differences:

Option 1 is a Asus TUF A16 Advantage Edition (https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/ref...hs-16gb-1tb-ssd-a1-fa617xs-n4036w/version.asp)

- the processor is an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS which I believe has 8 cores and 16 threads. I think it’s basic clock speed is 4GHz
- the graphics card is an AMD Radeon RX 7600S

Option 2 is a Acer Predator Helios 300 (https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/ref...tb-ssd-rtx-3070-1-a1-nh.qb7ek.00c/version.asp)

- the processor is a Core i9-11900H and I believe has the same cores and thread count as the above laptop. However it’s basic clock speed is 2.5ghz ( I think that is the right phrase ). This processor is also older than the AMD one by around 2-3 years.
- the graphics card is a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070

Option 1 is slightly cheaper. I did a comparison and the AMD processor is coming out as having a better spec than the intel one in terms of speed and it’s also a lot newer although I know most say intel is the better processor to go with but the spec doesn’t suggest that’s true here.

However the Nvidia graphics card is coming out much better if you’re going beyond 1080p. I also think the TGP is meant to be better on the Nvidia although I’m a bit stuck where to find that info - I have just read it is better.

I admit I’m a bit confused because the Amd processor seems a lot better and it’s much newer. But the nvidia graphics card is coming out more superior. I don’t want to have to replace the laptop in 2-3 years but equally I don’t want it to struggle to run the latest games. Also, option 2 doesn’t even have capability to run games on a resolution beyond 1080p I think, so wouldn’t that mean I wouldn’t be able to make use of the aspects of the nvidia graphics card that are better anyway? Option 1 looks better aesthetically…and the processor and graphics card are newer than option 2.

I ran a report on PC Game Benchmark and option 2 came out at 98% (higher the better) and option 1 came out at 90%. Im confused why as the Amd processor seems so much better than the intel. Both can run practically most games on the market - looking to have beyond the minimum requirements.

I’m not a hardcore gamer but obviously don’t want to waste my money. Equally I can’t spend a huge amount. Sorry , very fussy!

Could anyone please give me their opinion? If you can say which one you think would better and why that would be ideal as I am stuck!

Cheers

 

[amc01]

(Also p.s. the sticky threads are really useful but the best value one on that I think has an intel i5 or i7 which is older than these options. The others are out of budget)

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Generally the CPU isn't as important in gaming past a certain point, so the faster GPU will be more important in most games.

Thing is with laptops you have other stuff to take into account like build quality, screen quality and so on. For that you'd need to look into reviews and customer reviews for the specific models.

 

[amc01]

Generally the CPU isn't as important in gaming past a certain point, so the faster GPU will be more important in most games.

Thing is with laptops you have other stuff to take into account like build quality, screen quality and so on. For that you'd need to look into reviews and customer reviews for the specific models.

Cheers for the reply - the nvidia GPU is far better on option 2 (the one with i9 cpu). But I read it’s important to have a good base frequency as well as turbo - the i9 base frequency is 2.5ghz whereas the Amd is around 4. Maybe I’ve misunderstood?

The review of option 1 I read (amd build) is generally quite good and actually one review was not very keen on the build quality of option 2. It’s quite clunky. Screen quality is better on the Amd build…I think option two is 1080p but I could always get a better monitor I think

So I am quite stuck. I’m leaning towards the option 2 due to the GPU if the difference in cpu won’t make any difference at all and will last

Which would you choose if you don’t mind me asking? I won’t hold you to it!

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

From what I can tell about the 3070 mobile vs the 7600S theres not a huge difference. It also depends on how good the cooling is in the laptop and what power budget the manufacturer allowed. Basically every 3070 mobile is not necessarily equal.

CPU clock speed isnt as simple as more GHZ is better when comparing CPU's either, and thats also partially dependent on cooling anyway..

Based on that if the Asus is reviewed as being of higher build quality then I would take it over the Acer.

 

[amc01]

Thanks very much. That’s helpful. The cooling system on the Acer is meant to be incredibly loud so I think I’ll go with the Asus.

From what I can tell about the 3070 mobile vs the 7600S theres not a huge difference. It also depends on how good the cooling is in the laptop and what power budget the manufacturer allowed. Basically every 3070 mobile is not necessarily equal.

CPU clock speed isnt as simple as more GHZ is better when comparing CPU's either, and thats also partially dependent on cooling anyway..

Based on that if the Asus is reviewed as being of higher build quality then I would take it over the Acer.