Portable premium gaming laptop ideas

[alexhw]

Hi guys, I need a portable 14-15 inch gaming laptop for light gaming like Minecraft and counter strike. Budget $3000-3500 as company subsidised 50%. Prefer as lightweight ( less than 2kg) and quiet as possible during normal Excel use and web browsing as I work in coshared office. Is Asus G14 with the 3060 rtx suitable for my needs? Any deals now?

 

[GolferZzAxis]

Hi guys, I need a portable 14-15 inch gaming laptop for light gaming like Minecraft and counter strike. Budget $3000-3500 as company subsidised 50%. Prefer as lightweight ( less than 2kg) and quiet as possible during normal Excel use and web browsing as I work in coshared office. Is Asus G14 with the 3060 rtx suitable for my needs? Any deals now?

For less than 2kg, your only choices at the moment are the 14" gaming laptops - the Asus G14 or the Razer Blade 14. Both weighs around 1.7kg, and can use a separate USB-C PD charger if you don't want to carry around the bulky charger for gaming.

Asus G14 only has the Ryzen 9 / RTX3060 (with either FHD or QHD 120Hz), while Blade 14 has three configs available: Ryzen 9 / RTX 3060 with FHD 144Hz or RTX 3070 / 3080 with QHD 165Hz.

Pros and cons of both:
Asus G14:
- More affordable if you opt for the FHD 144Hz (white model), around $2.5k. The grey model with the 1440p display cost at least $3k
- No webcam
- Fingerprint sensor
- Slightly better thermals
- SSD and RAM is upgradable
- Longer battery life (76WHr battery)

Razer Blade 14
- Base model with RTX3060 cost $2.9k from Razer Store. The QHD RTX3070 and RTX3080 prices are through the roof, at $3.5k and $4k respectively
- Superior build quality & minimalist design with RGB lighting. Fingerprint magnet though
- Webcam + IR for Windows Hello
- Very hot thermals
- RAM is soldiered to the motherboard, cannot be upgraded. Stuck with 16GB
- Shorter battery life (61 WHr battery)
- Battery swelling issue is very prominent in the Blade 15 model. Its all over Razer's subreddit, so it might affect Blade 14 down the road

TLDR - Zephyrus G14 for better value for performance, razer blade 14 for best performance and better premium build quality with rgb lighting

 

[alexhw]

For less than 2kg, your only choices at the moment are the 14" gaming laptops - the Asus G14 or the Razer Blade 14. Both weighs around 1.7kg, and can use a separate USB-C PD charger if you don't want to carry around the bulky charger for gaming.

Asus G14 only has the Ryzen 9 / RTX3060 (with either FHD or QHD 120Hz), while Blade 14 has three configs available: Ryzen 9 / RTX 3060 with FHD 144Hz or RTX 3070 / 3080 with QHD 165Hz.

Pros and cons of both:
Asus G14:
- More affordable if you opt for the FHD 144Hz (white model), around $2.5k. The grey model with the 1440p display cost at least $3k
- No webcam
- Fingerprint sensor
- Slightly better thermals
- SSD and RAM is upgradable
- Longer battery life (76WHr battery)

Razer Blade 14
- Base model with RTX3060 cost $2.9k from Razer Store. The QHD RTX3070 and RTX3080 prices are through the roof, at $3.5k and $4k respectively
- Superior build quality & minimalist design with RGB lighting. Fingerprint magnet though
- Webcam + IR for Windows Hello
- Very hot thermals
- RAM is soldiered to the motherboard, cannot be upgraded. Stuck with 16GB
- Shorter battery life (61 WHr battery)
- Battery swelling issue is very prominent in the Blade 15 model. Its all over Razer's subreddit, so it might affect Blade 14 down the road

TLDR - Zephyrus G14 for better value for performance, razer blade 14 for best performance and better premium build quality with rgb lighting

Thanks, 3060 can play counter strike GO with no lag?

Also I found this USA website with 32GB and 1TB SSD, is it worth it to get it shipped to SG? Price is within my budget.

https://www.hidevolution.com/asus-r...zen-9-5900hs-rtx-3060-white-anime-matrix.html

 

[GolferZzAxis]

Thanks, 3060 can play counter strike GO with no lag?

Also I found this USA website with 32GB and 1TB SSD, is it worth it to get it shipped to SG? Price is within my budget.

https://www.hidevolution.com/asus-r...zen-9-5900hs-rtx-3060-white-anime-matrix.html

Ryzen 9 / RTX 3060 is overkill for CS GO and Minecraft. These are top of the line specs meant for AAA games at max settings as well as for professional use such as rendering or video editing. If you strictly only game on casual (non-intensive) games such as CS GO you're honestly better off saving your money on cheaper laptops instead.

G14 is overpriced in Singapore. In other countries such as US, most people advocate G14 over Blade 14 since Razer laptops tend to be very expensive for what it is worth. But in SG they're almost the same price. Nonetheless, i don't recommend buying laptops from overseas since warranty can be a huge hassle if your laptop is facing issues.

 

[royfrosty]

For asus, for warranty to work locally, you can only buy from China, Msia, Taiwan and within south east asia region. Buying from US, the warranty will only be in North and South America region only.

 

[alexhw]

Thanks, my company is subsidising my work laptop so I don't mind spending a bit more.

​

Work-wise I mostly use Excel and multiple web browsers opened. But must be quiet because I sit quite close to workmates and can't have noisy fans interrupting work.​

​

I was initially considering premium ultrabooks like Dell XPS 15 because they are quiet and lightweight, but I also play CS GO and Minecraft regularly so I thought I need a dedicated graphics card. I have an older Intel i7 ultrabook and CS GO lags horribly on it. Lightweight 1.2kg and super quiet though.​

Can you suggest the lowest graphics card I can go to play CS GO and Minecraft with no lag? And laptop models suggestions? Thanks.​

 

[GotBetrayed]

Any gaming laptop that has dedicated gpu will definitely have fan noise under load and a lot more power consumption.

best is go for integrated graphics, get surface laptop 4 i7 15 inch should be able to play your games without issues. 1.45kg also.

alternatively, get LG gram 16 inch which is 1190 grams, extremely lightweight, I don’t think it’s suitable for any gaming though but runs very quietly, can charge via USB C and super portable.

still got Lenovo yoga 7 pro also, 14 inch screen with ryzen 5900hx with oled display.

 

[firesong]

Thanks, my company is subsidising my work laptop so I don't mind spending a bit more.

​

Work-wise I mostly use Excel and multiple web browsers opened. But must be quiet because I sit quite close to workmates and can't have noisy fans interrupting work.​

​

I was initially considering premium ultrabooks like Dell XPS 15 because they are quiet and lightweight, but I also play CS GO and Minecraft regularly so I thought I need a dedicated graphics card. I have an older Intel i7 ultrabook and CS GO lags horribly on it. Lightweight 1.2kg and super quiet though.​

Can you suggest the lowest graphics card I can go to play CS GO and Minecraft with no lag? And laptop models suggestions? Thanks.​

I think Ryzen's Vega (with the 47xx/58xx series) and Intel's Xe (not really the G4 - aim for the G7) are much better improvements when compared with the older integrated graphics. In fact, they are comparable to the GeForce MX250 in some games.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/GeForce-MX250-vs-Vega-6_9561_10311.247598.0.html
While dedicated graphics is still better (especially with the 30x0), it's more possible to get by with integrated graphics these days. You also have the option of going with Intel/Thunderbolt and an external GPU and combine portability with performance when needed.

 

[alexhw]

I think Ryzen's Vega (with the 47xx/58xx series) and Intel's Xe (not really the G4 - aim for the G7) are much better improvements when compared with the older integrated graphics. In fact, they are comparable to the GeForce MX250 in some games.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/GeForce-MX250-vs-Vega-6_9561_10311.247598.0.html
While dedicated graphics is still better (especially with the 30x0), it's more possible to get by with integrated graphics these days. You also have the option of going with Intel/Thunderbolt and an external GPU and combine portability with performance when needed.

Thanks, any recommendations of such premium laptops with the integrated graphics ryzen Vegas or Intel Xe?

14-15 inch, <1.5kg, good screen, must be quiet, plays CS GO? Budget is $3k but can stretch if needed.

 

[ckctam]

G14

I think Ryzen's Vega (with the 47xx/58xx series) and Intel's Xe (not really the G4 - aim for the G7) are much better improvements when compared with the older integrated graphics. In fact, they are comparable to the GeForce MX250 in some games.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/GeForce-MX250-vs-Vega-6_9561_10311.247598.0.html
While dedicated graphics is still better (especially with the 30x0), it's more possible to get by with integrated graphics these days. You also have the option of going with Intel/Thunderbolt and an external GPU and combine portability with performance when needed.

Tb egpu is a bad idea. It is overally expensvie and you don't get the full power of the gpu. If you are considering that route, you may as well invest in a laptop w a powerful GPU.

A egpu going to run you at least, 500 dollars. A gpu alone is 1000+. That's 1500 for something that you can't get the full benefit.

1.5 kg and a price of 3k. You can get G14 or a bit more get the razer blade 14.

Or get a thin laptop with an iGPU and get a desktop.

 

[GotBetrayed]

Now best Denki vivocity got some Razer experience promo. Rtx 3070, 2k screen 512gb Razer blade 15 going for 2899, usually is 3799. 2.1kg, can game for quite a bit also, one of the lighter gaming laptops with better thermals and weight.

3080 version is 3899, can play anything

 

[ckctam]

Now best Denki vivocity got some Razer experience promo. Rtx 3070, 2k screen 512gb Razer blade 15 going for 2899, usually is 3799. 2.1kg, can game for quite a bit also, one of the lighter gaming laptops with better thermals and weight.

3080 version is 3899, can play anything

That's a good deal.

 

[GotBetrayed]

That's a good deal.

Yeah prices are closer to lenovo 3070 2k screen, which is 2.7k and 2.45 kg, weak battery life

 

[firesong]

G14

Tb egpu is a bad idea. It is overally expensvie and you don't get the full power of the gpu. If you are considering that route, you may as well invest in a laptop w a powerful GPU.

A egpu going to run you at least, 500 dollars. A gpu alone is 1000+. That's 1500 for something that you can't get the full benefit.

1.5 kg and a price of 3k. You can get G14 or a bit more get the razer blade 14.

Or get a thin laptop with an iGPU and get a desktop.

The other argument is also true - the integrated dedicated graphics on laptops is limited because of thermal and design considerations.

Laptop 3070 will definitely not outperform desktop 3070. So it depends on what you want. It's more there in name rather than in fact.

 

[firesong]

Thanks, any recommendations of such premium laptops with the integrated graphics ryzen Vegas or Intel Xe?

14-15 inch, <1.5kg, good screen, must be quiet, plays CS GO? Budget is $3k but can stretch if needed.

For CS Go, you don't really need a very strong GPU. It's not one of the most intensive games. Even an old Ryzen 2xxx GPU handles it quite well.

 

[Kairos]

For less than 2kg, your only choices at the moment are the 14" gaming laptops - the Asus G14 or the Razer Blade 14. Both weighs around 1.7kg, and can use a separate USB-C PD charger if you don't want to carry around the bulky charger for gaming.

...

Agree.

I would recommend G14 because there is no SG RazerCare for B14.

 

[pawn_king]

yr gaming requirements quite low, don't really require a strong GPU. Since you mentioned "working in coshared office" and "company is subsidizing 50%", how about an alternative view from the full fledged gaming laptops recommended.

1.5kg thinkpad p14s with NVIDIA Quadro® T500
i7, 24gb ram, 1TB ssd and still under $2.5k. maybe max out the warranty if you wish.

lower-end gfx card = less heat
thinkpad + quadro = better durability, usually

my experience with consumer grade gaming laptops with higher-end gfx card is always death at the end of its useful (warranty coverage) life.

 

[alexhw]

yr gaming requirements quite low, don't really require a strong GPU. Since you mentioned "working in coshared office" and "company is subsidizing 50%", how about an alternative view from the full fledged gaming laptops recommended.

1.5kg thinkpad p14s with NVIDIA Quadro® T500
i7, 24gb ram, 1TB ssd and still under $2.5k. maybe max out the warranty if you wish.

lower-end gfx card = less heat
thinkpad + quadro = better durability, usually

my experience with consumer grade gaming laptops with higher-end gfx card is always death at the end of its useful (warranty coverage) life.

Thanks, this is an interesting recommendation I'll look more into this! Yes I'm very keen to keep this laptop for >5 years or so.

I've never heard of the Quadro T500 graphics card, how does it compare to the 2060 or 3060?

Any other laptops with mid level graphics card that produces less heat/noise? Don't mind paying abit more for quality that can last >5 years.

 

[pawn_king]

t500 a step below 1650/1060, which means 2 steps below 2060.

t500 power consumption about 50+watt, 2060 about triple, 160+watt

fps comparison in dota. cs go requirement should be lower. no problems in high settings.

 

[firesong]

Thanks, this is an interesting recommendation I'll look more into this! Yes I'm very keen to keep this laptop for >5 years or so.

I've never heard of the Quadro T500 graphics card, how does it compare to the 2060 or 3060?

Any other laptops with mid level graphics card that produces less heat/noise? Don't mind paying abit more for quality that can last >5 years.

If you're not going to do any pro design work, paying the Quadro premium might not be worth it.

https://www.nvidia.com/en-sg/design-visualization/desktop-graphics/

NVIDIA RTX and NVIDIA Quadro® professional desktop products are designed, built and engineered to accelerate any professional workflow, making it the top choice for millions of creative and technical users. Get an unparalleled desktop experience with the world’s most powerful GPUs for visualization, featuring large memory, advanced enterprise features, optimized drivers, and certification for over 100 professional applications.