My next gaming laptop

Associate
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5 Apr 2012
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110
I have a msi gt72 2pe dominator pro which I have been using for the last 2 years. Happy with it but now want an upgrade.

I am looking to spend around the 3.5K Mark what is currently the best at that price at the moment. It is purely for gaming and don’t care about battery.

just to add I would like the idea of 4K but not sure how it performs and what the image is like in none 4K

Many thanks for any advice
 
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Soldato
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Milton Keynes
This might not be what you want to hear, but I wouldn't bother spending that much on a laptop right now.

For ~£2.5K, you'll get something armed with an i9 8c (these are hot, so prepare to undervolt), 2080 8GB (MaxP if you look carefully - faster/hotter/higher power consumption than MaxQ), 32GB RAM, 500GB SSD and 144Hz 1080P Screen. Given how few things support SLI now, it's not really worth going for a dual GPU setup IMO. Spend a bit more and you'll usually get more storage, maybe another heatpipe, maybe even a 240Hz screen, but not much more, certainly the 2080 Max P is the fastest currently released mobile GPU so the only difference there is better cooling or a slightly higher power cap in VBIOS, but essentially same chip.

With rumours of a 2*** Super Laptops coming, I'd ball park the 2.5-3K region, and save the extra £1-1.5k towards your next machine and then either get something with a 2080 Max P, or hold out and see if the Ampere 3080 or 2080 Super Laptop chips appear in the coming few months :)

I would also recommend going 1080P in the machine, and then buying a 1440P/4K external screen. More flexible (as you can change the machine and keep the screen) and frankly on a 17.3" or less chassis, you only get so much mileage from a higher res screen, but it consumes a lot more performance (ergo more heat and noise) to maintain similar framerate. Laptop 4K screens in most cases are also only 60Hz.

A 2080 MaxP powered machine (NOT a MAXQ) will handle anything you throw at it even maxxed at 1080P, and many things at decent settings and framerate in 4K, its roughly a 2070-2070 Super in desktop equivalency.

Again, with the slow death of SLI, I can't really see the benefit of going much higher in price.

Paid just over £2.1K in the Black Friday Sales for my machine in spec (had 15% off); can't really see you'd get THAT much more even for double the price, not until new hardware comes along!

The only other option is grabbing one of the machines that is essentially desktop components crammed into a mobile chassis, these will be faster, but there are usually heat and power restraints, and again, yes it'll be faster, but it won't necessarily offer you that much performance for a rather substantial cost difference, IMO, that would be better put towards the next machine, when you feel the current one getting slow.
 
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Associate
OP
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Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Very much appreciated.

I could go the extra bit to 4-4.5k if there is a huge difference but I am struggling to tell the differences.

with regards to new kit coming out any ideas on timescales?

Thanks again.
 
Soldato
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Well the one I have is the HP Omen 17 CB0002NA, its on OCUK for £2500 right now.
Personally I think HP skimp a little on support and QC, but they'll replace your machine fairly quick if you find a fault on arrival; and from an affordability point; being able to upgrade to a 3 year warranty at £99 on a machine that expensive is great value.

The CPU in the CB0002NA does get hot though as the 9880H is a hot chip, and the GPU has more heatpipes than the CPU, but honestly I think you could do worse!
 
Man of Honour
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There are lots of options. I moved over from desktop to high performance laptops about ten years ago and haven't looked back. Sure they are expensive; they can bo noisy, the battery doesn't last. But they are fabulous too.

I've had a number of different makes, Asus and MSI have been very good for me. But be prepared to pay top dollar for both. I've got a MSI GL73 currently and whilst it is a compromise for me it was also a lot cheaper. If I recall it was about £1700. I owned a MSI GT and that was simply amazing, but they are £3k+. If I were able to take my pick now I'd go with either Asus or MSI, with a 17" 120hz screen and (important bit) a larger chassis. As has been said above, there are many cheaper options but they are usually a compromise. They might use cheaper slower memory, have less efficient cooling, a slightly worse screen etc. To the average person, they might not notice specifically, but to a seasoned gamer or a system builder you would. You do tend to get what you pay for. But granted the MSI GT is incredibly expensive now.

Any of these are good choices really, particularly the Asus ROG.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/gaming-laptops/gaming-laptops?ckFilters=6973-2143&ckTab=0&sSort=2
 
Soldato
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To be honest, even with the CPU cooling not being as good as the GPU, I still think the HP Omen, especially considering the option to upgrade the warranty for £100, is hands down the best value right now.
You do need to consider undervolting the CPU to get the best out of it though (and don't install the latest BIOS on HPs website, as it is one of the Plundervolt defeating ones manufacturers are rolling out which then stops CPU undervolting :(). Some people get good improvements with repasting with something like MX4 also but I've not touched that as don't want to take the heatsink off if I can help it.
It's not just HP that suffer this issue with the 9880H either, the current 8c Intel laptop CPUs are plain hot running little things; and once you remove/reduce the power limits they will happily pull 80-90W under load.

Once I undervolted the CPUs and derestricted the CPU wattage limits I am getting scores and benchmark results right up there with everyone else, and this is with fans set to auto and not to max which helps further. I could easily reduce my CPU temps further by either repasting, reducing my all core clocks slightly or restricting my power limits again a bit more towards TDP rating.

Spec for £2500:
i9-9880H
32GB RAM (2x2666MHz Samsung, admittedly not great latencies but don't think anything comes with anything that great as default TBH)
144Hz Gsync IPS panel
RTX 2080 Max P (none of the MaxQ rubbish) - and the VRMs in this machine are better than Alienware so some people are flashing this machine with higher power VBIOS, up from default 150W to 190/200W!
500GB NVME SSD (there is meant to be a 2nd NVME slot also in this machine so can fit a second, I've not opened her up to check yet).
1TB 7200RPM Storage HDD
330W Power Brick

Given the literal hundreds of pounds difference between some of the other models and this with the same spec, I can accept the fact that it might take a little bit of back and forward or a replacement at the start to get a perfect machine.

There just literally is not enough improvement, for me, in any other machine worth the exhorbitant increases in price. Consider I bought my machine on a Black Friday special for just over £2100, WITH the 3 year warranty, there was simply NOTHING that could touch it performance to price [and I spent a lot of time looking], and it's up there with the very best of laptops (excluding the desktop in laptop chassis machines).

Get this, save the rest of you money towards the next machine in 2 years (that's half of it saved already!)
 
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Associate
Joined
30 Nov 2013
Posts
1,485
Location
UK
Display
17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080) + G-Sync

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Eight Core Processor i9-9900K (3.6GHz) 16MB Cache

Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)

Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2080 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1

1st Storage Drive
4TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)

2nd Storage Drive
4TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)

1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)

2nd M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)

AC Adaptor
1 x 330W AC Adaptor

Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Battery
8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (82WH)

Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack

Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0

USB/Thunderbolt Options
4 x USB 3.0 Ports + 2 x USB 3.1 Type C Ports

Keyboard Language
BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD

Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence

Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Price £3,535.00 inc VAT and Delivery

Or swap the panel to 17.3" Matte 4K LED 60Hz 72% NTSC Widescreen (3840x2160) for an extra £150.

And who doesn't need 10TB of SSD goodness, a I9-9900k desktop CPU, a 144Hz display, and an RTX 2080 in a laptop?
 
Soldato
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See and this is the desktop hardware in a laptop chassis option I mentioned :)
Honestly, go 2.5K for a laptop, 3.5K for desktop components laptop, do NOT go 3.5K for laptop components laptop. You are screwing yourself bigtime.

Please note though, the desktop components chassis still uses a MaxP laptop 2080, so in raw GPU grunt, the only difference will be potentially better boost if the cooling is better/the power limits are higher, but you of course get better CPU/Storage Options!
 
Associate
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See and this is the desktop hardware in a laptop chassis option I mentioned :)
Honestly, go 2.5K for a laptop, 3.5K for desktop components laptop, do NOT go 3.5K for laptop components laptop. You are screwing yourself bigtime.

Please note though, the desktop components chassis still uses a MaxP laptop 2080, so in raw GPU grunt, the only difference will be potentially better boost if the cooling is better/the power limits are higher, but you of course get better CPU/Storage Options!

I agree.

Except you don't need to spend £3,500 on a DTR laptop.

My laptop (I7-9700K, 16GB 2666, 2 x 500G 970 EVO, RTX 2080, 144Hz) cost just under £2.5K with desktop components.

See sig for benchmarks.
 
Soldato
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True, but often tends to be the ballpark quoted. Honestly once you start looking at the mega sized MSI options for example, the DTR desktop parts laptops seem more sensible buys by comparison, as long as you don't need long battery life.
The overclock you have on your laptop is also rather impressive :)

My 9880H can't touch it, but again, I paid £2125 with 3 year warranty, so I got what I paid for :)
 
Soldato
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I don't think any laptop over 1500 is justifiable unless it has RTX 2080 + 4K OLED screen and upgradability, problem is, the up gradable laptops run hot and can't run the kit at full capacity and secondly the future proofness of the sockets / GPU upgrades are questionable. On this basis I'd say a 1.5K laptop such as what I have seems about ideal 1080P screen, 2070 MQ, i7 9750, runs everything you throw at it and will last 1-2 years by that time an upgrade would be a good upgrade at another 1.5, that's 3K for 4 years, I think you'd get more mileage that way than lumping on one laptop.
 
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OP
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Last edited:
Associate
Joined
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Posts
1,485
Location
UK
Are you obligated to buy a specific brand?


Chassis & Display
17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080) + G-Sync
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Eight Core Processor i9-9900K (3.6GHz) 16MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2080 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
4TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Storage Drive
4TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 330W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery
8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (82WH)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
4 x USB 3.0 Ports + 2 x USB 3.1 Type C Ports
Keyboard Language
BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

That's what £4K will buy you, why settle for less?
 
Last edited:
Associate
OP
Joined
5 Apr 2012
Posts
110
Are you obligated to buy a specific brand?


Chassis & Display
17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080) + G-Sync
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Eight Core Processor i9-9900K (3.6GHz) 16MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2080 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
4TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Storage Drive
4TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 330W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery
8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (82WH)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
4 x USB 3.0 Ports + 2 x USB 3.1 Type C Ports
Keyboard Language
BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

That's what £4K will buy you, why settle for less?

No not at all any brand. That looks fantastic what is that?
 
Associate
Joined
30 Nov 2013
Posts
1,485
Location
UK
This message has been removed from public view for the following reason: If you keep on with this you will be banned.

I do not wish to be banned. Could you please send me a PM explaining how my last post broke the forum rules as I do not wish to break the rules.

Many thanks.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
5 Apr 2012
Posts
110
Still looking sadly. There seems to be a major lack of new stuff. OC have very limited with a 2080. I don’t see any news of anything new on the horizon.
 
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