PC Sherdog Gaming Laptop & Review Thread (OP Updated Apr-2019)

[Andy Capp]

@avenue94 further to the above, I sort of neglected the "what apps do you use" question. I use MS apps, Excel, Word, Edge, and One Drive, among others, so I'm pretty committed to the Windows ecosystem.

 

[KaNesDeath]

@avenue94 further to the above, I sort of neglected the "what apps do you use" question. I use MS apps, Excel, Word, Edge, and One Drive, among others, so I'm pretty committed to the Windows ecosystem.

Next question is what size monitor you desire and do you use a secondary monitor?

 

[Andy Capp]

Next question is what size monitor you desire and do you use a secondary monitor?

The one I have now (for the desktop) is a 24" and it's perfectly adequate. No secondary monitor required.

 

[avenue94]

@avenue94 further to the above, I sort of neglected the "what apps do you use" question. I use MS apps, Excel, Word, Edge, and One Drive, among others, so I'm pretty committed to the Windows ecosystem.

Reason I asked is if you don't need to run other apps than those, Chromebooks or Android tablets (these will be the same OS next year) will be sufficient. It'll be a bit cheaper and streamlined, but you'll be locked in as far as app choice.

In your shoes I'd just get a cheap windows laptop of a Chromebook and then hook that up to a monitor you like.

So it really just comes down to budget and if you want Windows (more freedom) or Android (better integrated with your phone).

 

[Andy Capp]

Reason I asked is if you don't need to run other apps than those, Chromebooks or Android tablets (these will be the same OS next year) will be sufficient. It'll be a bit cheaper and streamlined, but you'll be locked in as far as app choice.

In your shoes I'd just get a cheap windows laptop of a Chromebook and then hook that up to a monitor you like.

So it really just comes down to budget and if you want Windows (more freedom) or Android (better integrated with your phone).

I think I need to clarify my preferences and questions.

Work laptop: I get that it's not likely worth repairing. Instead, for a new one, ideally I can connect an external keyboard or has full size keyboard with full-travel keys (as opposed to chicklets). Budget: around $1k up to about $1200.

Desktop: forget I mentioned the monitor--it looks like I can get a replacement power adapter fairly easily. The question is, should I upgrade the existing box, get a new one, or just make do with a laptop and hook up the existing monitor as a secondary to the presumed new laptop?

I'd prefer to keep the home office desktop and the work laptop separate but it might work to just use a laptop for everything.

 

[avenue94]

I think I need to clarify my preferences and questions.

Work laptop: I get that it's not likely worth repairing. Instead, for a new one, ideally I can connect an external keyboard or has full size keyboard with full-travel keys (as opposed to chicklets). Budget: around $1k up to about $1200.

Desktop: forget I mentioned the monitor--it looks like I can get a replacement power adapter fairly easily. The question is, should I upgrade the existing box, get a new one, or just make do with a laptop and hook up the existing monitor as a secondary to the presumed new laptop?

I'd prefer to keep the home office desktop and the work laptop separate but it might work to just use a laptop for everything.

Work Laptop: What size do you want? That budget will cover most devices and leave a little extra if you want an OLED display or some other quality of life bump. Or you can just save the money.

Desktop: If you're happy with your monitor (I'm assuming its 1920 x 1080???), you might as well keep it. Having said that, going to 1440p is pretty nice on on the eyes if you're staring at a monitor a lot and monitors themselves are fairly cheap these days. You're talking maybe 200 CAD or so for a 1440p 27inch monitor since you don't care about gaming.

If you're total budget is 1K CAD, I'd personally get a Windows laptop for and use what's left over for a Chromebook/Android tablet with a nicer display but less horsepower you can consume media on the couch. You can get a dongle to connect to your TV or just cast at that point.

 

[Andy Capp]

Work Laptop: What size do you want? That budget will cover most devices and leave a little extra if you want an OLED display or some other quality of life bump. Or you can just save the money.

Desktop: If you're happy with your monitor (I'm assuming its 1920 x 1080???), you might as well keep it. Having said that, going to 1440p is pretty nice on on the eyes if you're staring at a monitor a lot and monitors themselves are fairly cheap these days. You're talking maybe 200 CAD or so for a 1440p 27inch monitor since you don't care about gaming.

If you're total budget is 1K CAD, I'd personally get a Windows laptop for and use what's left over for a Chromebook/Android tablet with a nicer display but less horsepower you can consume media on the couch. You can get a dongle to connect to your TV or just cast at that point.

Thanks. I will definitely stick with the current monitor. It's 1080p. It's adequate for my needs. I'll have to give some thought to what to do with the PC.

What manufacturer of Windows laptops do you recommend? Dell seems to offer better quality than, say, Acer, but I'm sure there are others I haven't considered.

This one looks pretty decent and was highly rated by PC Mag: [EDIT, found one that looks even better and replaced the URL]

Dell 16 Plus Business Laptop - Large Screen Work Laptop | Dell Canada

Shop the Dell 16 Plus business laptop with built-in AI, featuring a large screen and Intel Arc graphics, ideal for creators and developers.

www.dell.com

But this one is so much cheaper I wonder what's wrong with it:

Dell 16 Laptop | Dell Canada

Enjoy seamless productivity & entertainment with the Dell 16 laptop featuring the latest Intel® Core™ processors, Intel® graphics and built-in dual microphones powered by AI.

www.dell.com

I'm sure the higher priced one would be more than adequate, but if you'd care to have a look, does the lower priced one seem adequate to you? It looks to me like it'd be ok.

Edit:
By the way, these are the specs of my current laptop:
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7730U with Radeon Graphics (2.00 GHz)
Installed RAM 16.0 GB (15.4 GB usable)

 

[KaNesDeath]

Edit:
By the way, these are the specs of my current laptop:
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7730U with Radeon Graphics (2.00 GHz)
Installed RAM 16.0 GB (15.4 GB usable)

When you said two year old laptop i suspected a much older system that youve used for two years. Somethings wrong here. This laptop shouldnt be failing.

Previous to this system did you also use a laptop? Did it have a similar use lifecycle for you as the current one?

 

[Andy Capp]

When you said two year old laptop i suspected a much older system that youve used for two years. Somethings wrong here. This laptop shouldnt be failing.

Previous to this system did you also use a laptop? Did it have a similar use lifecycle for you as the current one?

Re: the bold, it is likely due to having suffered some... uh sigh... physical damage. Issues have been getting progressively worse. First, it would just stop being able to access the internet though it could connect to the router and quite often a reboot was necessary to get it working again. One day recently I resumed from hibernation and had no bluetooth, no wifi, and something else I can't remember--USB likely. But again, a reboot resolved that. It also spontaneously reboots on its own occasionally. But most recently, most of the time it will not charge when resuming from standby/hibernation. It usually needs to be shut down completely, and then after a cold boot, it can charge.

I'd open it up to look for loose wiring/components and broken solder, but I lack a good pry tool at the moment.

And no, the previous one lasted much longer. I didn't abuse it nearly as badly lol.

 

[KaNesDeath]

And no, the previous one lasted much longer. I didn't abuse it nearly as badly lol.

If you think this will be a persistent problem moving forward. Laptop manufacturers do design certain models to be robust. With the purpose of being more resistant to physical damage.

Other problems is a power settings conflict coming out of sleep mode. Which when you factor in the spontaneous reboots points to a OS corruption/conflict. Factory reset will either resolve it or brick the system since its internally hardware related, lol.

 

[avenue94]

Thanks. I will definitely stick with the current monitor. It's 1080p. It's adequate for my needs. I'll have to give some thought to what to do with the PC.

What manufacturer of Windows laptops do you recommend? Dell seems to offer better quality than, say, Acer, but I'm sure there are others I haven't considered.

This one looks pretty decent and was highly rated by PC Mag: [EDIT, found one that looks even better and replaced the URL]

Dell 16 Plus Business Laptop - Large Screen Work Laptop | Dell Canada

Shop the Dell 16 Plus business laptop with built-in AI, featuring a large screen and Intel Arc graphics, ideal for creators and developers.

www.dell.com

But this one is so much cheaper I wonder what's wrong with it:

Dell 16 Laptop | Dell Canada

Enjoy seamless productivity & entertainment with the Dell 16 laptop featuring the latest Intel® Core™ processors, Intel® graphics and built-in dual microphones powered by AI.

www.dell.com

I'm sure the higher priced one would be more than adequate, but if you'd care to have a look, does the lower priced one seem adequate to you? It looks to me like it'd be ok.

Edit:
By the way, these are the specs of my current laptop:
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7730U with Radeon Graphics (2.00 GHz)
Installed RAM 16.0 GB (15.4 GB usable)

You can't really go wrong with most manufacturers if you're expecting a couple years of use and aren't horribly abusing your device. My preference is Lenovo or Asus since there's a reason the former has gained so much share the past couple of years and Asus is particularly strong in Canada.

Difference between the two devices you found comes down mostly due to processor. Former is Lunar Lake, which will be much more battery efficient but is more expensive (Lunar Lake chips have memory on package which means it's more expensive for Dell to purchase from Intel) and is also more limited with storage options. It also has a 2.5K display instead of 2k, and it's a Copilot+ PC, which for your use case won't matter other than it means better inherently battery life.

If you're just doing spreadsheets and nothing crazy, the cheaper device will do that just fine. FYI, the HDMI port is limited to FHD. Don't quote me, but I believe the Dell 16's RAM and SSD are user upgradeable too.

I'm assuming this is for your work device?

If your requirements for that are 16" and Ryzen 7 or the Intel equivalent. This is what Best Buy sells first party that meets those criteria (I added in R5 and Core Ultra 5 as well), it's mostly Asus at this price. I personally would recommend waiting until Boxing Day, maybe Black Friday, if you can.

I would say this Asus notebook is a better buy on paper for its sale prices. Keep in mind manufacturer direct sites usually inflate their prices some so their discounts look better. This option from Acer is similar too if you're willing to go down to 14".

@Madmick can probably tell you more about product quality if you need help, that's not really my forte.

 

[Andy Capp]

You can't really go wrong with most manufacturers if you're expecting a couple years of use and aren't horribly abusing your device. My preference is Lenovo or Asus since there's a reason the former has gained so much share the past couple of years and Asus is particularly strong in Canada.

Difference between the two devices you found comes down mostly due to processor. Former is Lunar Lake, which will be much more battery efficient but is more expensive (Lunar Lake chips have memory on package which means it's more expensive for Dell to purchase from Intel) and is also more limited with storage options. It also has a 2.5K display instead of 2k, and it's a Copilot+ PC, which for your use case won't matter other than it means better inherently battery life.

If you're just doing spreadsheets and nothing crazy, the cheaper device will do that just fine. FYI, the HDMI port is limited to FHD. Don't quote me, but I believe the Dell 16's RAM and SSD are user upgradeable too.

I'm assuming this is for your work device?

If your requirements for that are 16" and Ryzen 7 or the Intel equivalent. This is what Best Buy sells first party that meets those criteria (I added in R5 and Core Ultra 5 as well), it's mostly Asus at this price. I personally would recommend waiting until Boxing Day, maybe Black Friday, if you can.

I would say this Asus notebook is a better buy on paper for its sale prices. Keep in mind manufacturer direct sites usually inflate their prices some so their discounts look better. This option from Acer is similar too if you're willing to go down to 14".

@Madmick can probably tell you more about product quality if you need help, that's not really my forte.

Sadly, I saw this message too late. The battery would not charge even after a cold boot, and unlike last time that happened, resetting the battery didn't resolve it this time. Maybe a battery reset will work better once it completely runs out of power but I can hardly count on that.

So, I had go ahead and make a decision. I knew I should check out other manufacturers--Asus, as you suggest, and perhaps HP, but I hate shopping and that sort of thing is a pain to do from a phone, so I just went ahead and pulled the trigger last night on the higher priced Dell since the sooner I place the order, the sooner it gets delivered. Hopefully it will last a lot more than 2 years. I expect it to, knock on wood. My PC remained useful for over 10 years because I originally kitted it out as a gaming machine so it continued to perform well for more mundane tasks for a long time--still does, really, if not for Windows 10 reaching EOL.

Thanks though, I appreciate the advice in any event--if only I'd had time to take it.

 

[avenue94]

Sadly, I saw this message too late. The battery would not charge even after a cold boot, and unlike last time that happened, resetting the battery didn't resolve it this time. Maybe a battery reset will work better once it completely runs out of power but I can hardly count on that.

So, I had go ahead and make a decision. I knew I should check out other manufacturers--Asus, as you suggest, and perhaps HP, but I hate shopping and that sort of thing is a pain to do from a phone, so I just went ahead and pulled the trigger last night on the higher priced Dell since the sooner I place the order, the sooner it gets delivered. Hopefully it will last a lot more than 2 years. I expect it to, knock on wood. My PC remained useful for over 10 years because I originally kitted it out as a gaming machine so it continued to perform well for more mundane tasks for a long time--still does, really, if not for Windows 10 reaching EOL.

Thanks though, I appreciate the advice in any event--if only I'd had time to take it.

You'll be fine, it's like a TV. The best one is the one you got, and at any rate there's a signing chance that the Dell device is sourced and manufactured by the same folks as Asus or any other brand.

 

[Andy Capp]

You'll be fine, it's like a TV. The best one is the one you got, and at any rate there's a signing chance that the Dell device is sourced and manufactured by the same folks as Asus or any other brand.

Sure, but there's no denying the FOMO on a better option nor the belief that I didn't need to spend that much to get something comparable.