Recommend me a casual gaming notebook

[viper0419]

Hi there,

Can anyone recommend me a notebook based on the following requirement :-

1. play games like dawn of war 3, company of heroes 2, etc. FPS are played on Xbox one or PS4 so I would say AAA will not be played on this notebook.

2. Aside from that will be normal surfing and ms office work.

3. Want it to be lightweight and can be between 12"-15".

4. budget - best bang for bucks

Based on my research, the best fit seems to be xps 13? correct me if i am wrong but the price is rather premium.

Thanks.

 

[viper0419]

no reply so I'm gonna add on more info myself hoping to zoom down..

* I really like the form factor of ultrabook like xps, zenbook, etc. not looking at gaming notebook design e.g legion y520 or alienware type of look

* also prefer a frame-less screen.

* a dedicated graphics card like 940m or 940mx should be fine and not too ex

 

[Irenicus]

The XPS 13 only comes with integrated graphics, so it's not very suitable for playing those games that you suggested.

Other laptops with slim bezels and dedicated graphics card that you can consider are:

(1) Asus UX430UQ
(2) Asus Vivobook Pro 15 N580VD
(3) Asus Vivobook S15 S510UQ
(4) Lenovo Ideapad 710S Plus
(5) Lenovo Ideapad 720S
(6) Lenovo Ideapad 520S
(7) Lenovo Yoga 720

No. (2) & (7) comes with GTX 1050 graphics card which will be able to handle modern games much better, the rest are Geforce 940MX.

 

[viper0419]

The XPS 13 only comes with integrated graphics, so it's not very suitable for playing those games that you suggested.

Other laptops with slim bezels and dedicated graphics card that you can consider are:

(1) Asus UX430UQ
(2) Asus Vivobook Pro 15 N580VD
(3) Asus Vivobook S15 S510UQ
(4) Lenovo Ideapad 710S Plus
(5) Lenovo Ideapad 720S
(6) Lenovo Ideapad 520S
(7) Lenovo Yoga 720

No. (2) & (7) comes with GTX 1050 graphics card which will be able to handle modern games much better, the rest are Geforce 940MX.

I've actually looked at the specs of each of them and (2)'s specs actually looks quite good for the price. But based on the few places that I have seen, it doesn't comes with 4k screens as advertised on asus page.

anyone else knows where got 0% interest installment aside from courts and challenger online?

 

[Irenicus]

I've actually looked at the specs of each of them and (2)'s specs actually looks quite good for the price. But based on the few places that I have seen, it doesn't comes with 4k screens as advertised on asus page.

anyone else knows where got 0% interest installment aside from courts and challenger online?

Please take note that the GTX 1050 is not powerful enough for games at 4K resolution.

 

[viper0419]

Please take note that the GTX 1050 is not powerful enough for games at 4K resolution.

Thanks for the heads up. Incidentally, I do not think Asus has any 4k screens on their product here. At least based on what I've seen.

 

[viper0419]

I've narrow down my choice to the following :-

1. N580VD - good specs for the money ($1798) but its heavy and the screen is ugly due to the frame.

2. UX530 - good specs but not as good as N580VD. Very nice looking but at a premum price of $2098.

3. UX430 - nice form factor but only comes with GT940M.

Anyone knows if GT940M is good enough to play games like Dawn of War 3 type of games. i.e. modern but strategy type games.

 

[chiaRH]

Anyone knows if GT940M is good enough to play games like Dawn of War 3 type of games. i.e. modern but strategy type games.

This is the 940MX
https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-940MX.156033.0.html

Look at the numbers for Dawn of War III, that is the reality check needed to remind that 940 or anything from nvidia whose 2nd digit is smaller than '5', is not a gaming GPU.

Another reality check: DoW III is a more demanding title than other FPS titles like Battlefield 1 or even some RPG titles, it will require high end hardware for comfortable playing experience, unless you are ok to dial down settings to absolute minimum (and even drop the screen resolution)

It is near impossible to recommend stuff since the criteria of 'no gaming aesthetic' immediately rules out entire brands, but I can suggest the Inspiron 15 7000 from Dell, even with a 1050Ti config it should not cost too much. Screen quality has a reputation for being horrible quality but hey lower budget means lower standards/expectations. Do not play at high/ultra as it is beyond the 1050 capability.

If you have more money (about 2.4k-ish) the Zenbook Pro is an option too. Although its 4k screen is worthless for gaming at native res with the 1050ti.

 

[knightshaz]

Dell XPS 15 or Razer Blade

 

[ocping]

You want it to handle midrange games with 4k, lightweight and cheap? Might wanna get a reality check... if your budget raise to $2.5-3k maybe can find, otherwise just cross out gaming unless you don't mind playing at super low graphics which is what the 940mx is for.

 

[halocast]

Full HD still can. 4k difficult.

 

[viper0419]

Thanks for the info on the 940mx.

Based on the same site's finding, even gtx1050 can handle dawn of war 3 only in low setting.

I'm really not expecting to use this notebook to play fps games hence I won't consider getting a gaming notebook. Just didn't know that even strategy games these days are so power intensive.

I guess it has then narrowed my choice down to ux530 because:-

1. It's 15.6" but feels like 14"
2. Reasonably lightweight and nice
3. Gtx950 is okay for most type of games I'm going to play on it.
4. Similar smaller one ux430 is not priced further away

Either this or wait for ux550 which should have the gtx1050ti.

 

[Irenicus]

Do take note performance of the gtx950m is worse than the gtx1050

 

[chiaRH]

I'm really not expecting to use this notebook to play fps games hence I won't consider getting a gaming notebook. Just didn't know that even strategy games these days are so power intensive.

The thing is that gaming notebooks are designed for all games, not 'only' for FPS.

You might find the same CPU in a "non-gaming" laptop, but you will never find the same GPU there. Maybe for entry level gaming like the 1050/1050ti, some non-gaming laptops like the Zenbook Pro may have it, but it is still a very rare case.

 

[kohanson]

How about these laptops:

Affordable laptop with GTX1060 but not light weight.
https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-Helios-GeForce-G3-571-77QK/dp/B06Y4GZS9C

Gigabyte laptop gtx1060 with very slim bezel.
http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/tech...cks-large-edge-edge-display-slim-14-inch-body

 

[viper0419]

How about these laptops:

Affordable laptop with GTX1060 but not light weight.
https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-Helios-GeForce-G3-571-77QK/dp/B06Y4GZS9C

Gigabyte laptop gtx1060 with very slim bezel.
http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/tech...cks-large-edge-edge-display-slim-14-inch-body

Thanks for the recommendation, the Predator is massive which is total against what I was going for. the Gigabyte is $3099 which a bit too overkill.

will see what UX550 cost before deciding. It has 1050ti so hopefully not so ex.

 

[Jian19]

For the games u wan to play and the type of ultra portable ungaming like laptop simply dun exist. Aftershock prime 15 will be a decent contender, or u should look for something with at least a gtx1050 or mx150. And since u wan it slim and light it won't going to be cheap

 

[MoosePlus]

What about the aftershock p-14? Am personally looking to get one, it's not ridiculously heavy at 2kg and has a gtx 1050 (2gb).

 

[viper0419]

For the games u wan to play and the type of ultra portable ungaming like laptop simply dun exist. Aftershock prime 15 will be a decent contender, or u should look for something with at least a gtx1050 or mx150. And since u wan it slim and light it won't going to be cheap

UX-550 will come with gtx1050ti.
Actually nowadays they do slim gaming laptops based on MaxQ, but I believe they will be priced very high.

 

[autoexe]

actually u can get any specs if only casual gaming, just avoid celeron.