This or That, help me choose.

Ragnaraz · 5 Feb 2021 at 15:58

TUF DASH F15 FX516PM
vs
ROG STRIX G15 G513IR

Please leave all fan boy stuff by the door, I need answers on specs, please.

The F15 is an i7 quad core with hyperthreading and a 3060, it also has thunderbolt 4 but only 8gb of ram.

The G15 has a R7 4800h 8 core hyperthreading and a 3070, no thunderbolt, but 16gb of ram.

People commented that the F15 "is trash" cause of that processor. but before we get into that, I will tell you my needs and I want an opinion on whether I should change my order, or if the F15 will be a good choice over the ROG.

I wanted a laptop capable of gaming if I wanted to, even if I do, I do not need everything on max graphics with 300fps I'm just not fussed. Generally I want it to be a competent all rounder and I want to be able to keep it functional for years to come, which is why the Thunderbolt interested me, so I could get an eGPU later down the line if I wanted more gaming power. I occasionally emulate games too which can be taxing depending on what is being emulated, I guess option for streaming would be nice in case I ever think it might be a fun idea. It's essentially a powerful all rounder I'm looking for.

Not a trick question, will that i7 really limit the future capabilities even with thunderbolt?
Is that ROG G15 laptop gunna last longer than the F15?
I don't mind the £300 difference if it is actually worth it for my aims, my main worry in the CPU and keeping them cool, the G15 looks to have odd intake placement.

Please help still my turbulent mind on this topic lol

Benchpass · 5 Feb 2021 at 16:23

If it was me, I would stay away from the 8GB of RAM. Unless you plan to upgrade it that's going to get old pretty fast. I know you're not fussed on out of this world graphics, but in terms of futureproofing I would opt for the G15. 32 GB now becoming more and more prevalent in over the counter laptops. While the thunderbolt does open the door to eGPUs in the future, I think the 8GB RAM will begin to sting before the 3060 becomes outdated.

Just my humble opinion, happy to be challenged!

Kohaashi · 5 Feb 2021 at 16:34

Do you need thunderbolt?
If not, I’d go with the Strix G15. It’s part of the ROG range which is more premium than the TUF lineup, AMD chip (and a good one, the 4800H, although 2020 model but still v.good) which has more cores so is better for productivity and is meant to be more thermally efficient compared to Intel, and it has a better GPU, plus more ram.

Ragnaraz · 5 Feb 2021 at 22:00

@Kohaashi not really, it was more if I wanted to use and eGPU later on so basically negating the use of the internal GPU so the CPU can perform better.
Short answer, not for anything but a eGPU but that wouldn't be needed for years.

So, the G15 seem like a big leap over the F15, double the cores, threads and ram and a step up on the GPU which would probably be better utilised by the CPU too.

I'm only thrown into doubt because certain peeps here reckon the i7 is trash cause of only being the quad core version. I just want a decent futureproof.

Kohaashi · 5 Feb 2021 at 22:48

I don’t see the real benefit of an eGPU. To get the most benefit you need to use an external display with it anyway, and even then the eGPU doesn’t perform as well as inside a desktop PC. You would be better off getting a cheap RTX 2060 gaming laptop and a gaming PC if you want to game on both.

If your aim is to game on your laptop display then a better internal GPU works best IMO and the 3070 is decent. Last gen you would probably be spending £1300 for a 2060, never mind a 3070.

Obviously do your own research, but I’d choose the Amd CPU with the 3070 out of those two.

Also, I don’t hate Intel, I’m actually considering purchasing a Razer Blade Pro 17 which still uses 10th gen Intel - although I do wish they swapped to Amd, just because Amd are so much better these last couple of years.