monkman76 wrote:Yeah, but obviously I'd not buy a shitbox like you did.  The CES rumours were that the 30x0 MAx-Q devices with their marketing bullshit "AI powered fans" actually did a reasonable job of managing acoustics. That, combined with my intention to under-utilise the hardware a little to further manage the thermals made me believe the dream might come true. But literally everyone I've said that to has just folded up in fits of laughter, so perhaps not. Edited by Phattso at 11:18:14 26-01-2021 |
Recommendation for Laptop
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Phattso 27,426 posts
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Registered 17 years ago -
Phattso 27,426 posts
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Registered 17 years agomrharvest wrote:
Interesting. Not sure that's going to meet my use cases too well, but I'll take a look. For the record: I already have laptops in the house for work and hobbies. Just not Windows ones.
Maybe try one of these streaming solutions, so you have first hand experience?
I've heard this is okay: https://parsec.app/ -
Phattso 27,426 posts
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Registered 17 years agoOh, missing piece of the puzzle: the dev work I need to do is VR and AR based. So direct connection to hardware for minimal latency is a must. If Apple hadn't shit the bed so spectacularly on this one I'd have been able to use the MBP for all of that. -
mrharvest 5,718 posts
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Registered 18 years agoSo let me get this right:
You need 16"+ screen
Heaps of CPU and GPU power
Minimal latency on IO
Quiet
Small enough to not clutter the flat
Luggable (I think actual mobility wasn't such a big need?)
I think that's a tough list. Usually quiet + powerful = big.
A streaming solution to a hefty PC in a closet would work within your flat if the latency is low enough, no?
Otherwise maybe a custom build PC in a cart?
Roll it with you to the sofa or the coffee shop like a boss.
Or yeah, maybe you've got it right and it just needs a 17" performance laptop that you then cap until its able to keep cool. I guess you could just buy something, see if it works and if not just send it back in the 14 day cooling period. -
Phattso 27,426 posts
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Registered 17 years agomrharvest wrote:
I'm a burly chap, I don't care if it's a tank. Honestly, it doesn't feel like that complex a list. High performance with effective cooling is what it boils down to. The I/O should be taken care of with USB-C.
I think that's a tough list. Usually quiet + powerful = big.
If I wanted to go the cupboard route I'd just update the CPU/GPU in my existing box. I don't want to go down that route. Also the one cupboard is already FULL TO THE RAFTERS..gif)
Let's see what happens with the reviews of the 2021 crop of laptops with the new AMD CPUs and Nvidia GPUs. Not long now.
...send it back in the 14 day cooling period.
I see what you did there. -
MMMarmite 1,659 posts
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Registered 15 years agoHigh performance with effective cooling/quiet in a small form factor is the holy grail of computing.
You can get two of the three easily, but all three will be tough. -
StixxUK 8,755 posts
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Registered 19 years agoWifi 6/ax and in-home streaming then? -
Phattso 27,426 posts
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Registered 17 years agoMMMarmite wrote:
SFF definitely not a requirement. As I said, I really don't care if it looks like the briefcase with the nuclear button in it.
High performance with effective cooling/quiet in a small form factor is the holy grail of computing.
You can get two of the three easily, but all three will be tough.
Sadly, and for predictable reasons, there aren't many mainstream options there. I thought The Lenovo Legion might be one of them, but for the report of the 2020 model being loud on the previous page. -
RunningWolf 39 posts
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Registered 7 months agoI could use the expertise of fellow PC gamers.
I just invested in a very nice Alienware laptop. Top-line specs are an RTX 2080 Super, 32GB RAM and i7 10875H processor.
I also bought a monitor to go with it which is 34" and capable of 1440p at 144hz. Now this is where I get confused.
With the specs I listed and an HDMI 2.0 cable, these should be more than sufficient to output to 1440p at high settings, right? Yet I just loaded up CoH2 (a 7 year old game) and when I attempted to play at this resolution, it slowed down considerably.
Any thoughts on how to configure this properly? -
MMMarmite 1,659 posts
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Registered 15 years ago@Phattso By SFF I meant most laptops 
Even a wideboy laptop like the massive Alienware Area-51M is going to make a decent amount of noise when playing games.
Was going to suggest maybe using something like shadow.tech on a quiet laptop but I guess that doesn't fulfil the low IO latency requirement. -
MMMarmite 1,659 posts
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Registered 15 years ago@RunningWolf I'd check the documentation for the laptop, it probably has multiple display outputs like HDMI, DisplayPort, mini-DisplayPort. It could be that the HDMI is connected to the Intel GPU rather than the 2080 so you'd need to hook your monitor up to one of the other ports. -
Phattso 27,426 posts
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Registered 17 years agoRunningWolf wrote:
How noisy is it? Asking for a friend.
I just invested in a very nice Alienware laptop. Top-line specs are an RTX 2080 Super, 32GB RAM and i7 10875H processor..gif)
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RunningWolf 39 posts
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Registered 7 months agoThank you @MMMarmite. I'll do just that.
@Phattso: It depends on your tolerance. I've just invested in some over-ear headphones and to be honest I don't notice it at all. Especially when immersed.
It's not a Digital Foundry-esque measurement, but I'd say the fan can occasionally sound as loud as a PS4 playing a particularly demanding section.
I'm really happy with it. I know you pay over the odds for the brand but I got a good deal over Black Friday. And from performance to build quality, it's a lovely machine. The design is so much nicer than the earlier L33t appeal too. -
Pierre2k 1,466 posts
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Registered 9 years agoFor what it's worth, I briefly owned an Alienware m17 laptop with a 1070gtx. Ended up having to send it back.
On the plus side, it looked amazing, and was very solidly built. The keyboard is probably the best I've ever used on a laptop. It also had a QHD screen, despite this being talked about as a new thing...
On the negative:
- the screen had a common defect of having faint horizontal black lines across it.
- the CPU was overheating out of the box (+99oC just sitting on the desktop)
- Engineer came out and replaced the screen. CPU was found to be completely missing any thermal pads. Also, when replacing the motherboard, he broke all the RGB lighting. They tried replacing the motherboard and entire RGB circuitry which failed and ended up effectively recalling the laptop and gave me a refund.
The engineer was a friendly bloke, but the customer service in general was some of the absolute worst I've ever experienced (longer story there than I can be bothered writing). -
Rogueywon 12,387 posts
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Registered 16 years agoAlienware have been crap for at least a decade now. My final PC from them, which I bought in 2010 or so, had genuinely awful build quality and died horribly after 18 months or so of wheezy, fitful existence.
In my experience, other than CPU and GPU, they cheap out on all the other components and use the nastiest off-brand stuff they can. Their PSUs, in particular, are the Iceland own-brand Prawn Ring of computer hardware. -
Phattso 27,426 posts
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Registered 17 years agoBut we're 100% certain yours is gonna be fine, RunningWolf! The above stories were clearly the exception. -
Phattso 27,426 posts
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Registered 17 years ago(I bought one second hand off a forumite a few years back and is was utter, utter, wank) -
RunningWolf 39 posts
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Registered 7 months agoSounds like some bad experiences. Sorry to hear that.
I'm confident in my purchase though. It's averaging 4.4 from 1900 reviews so it can't be too bad. -
mrharvest 5,718 posts
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Registered 18 years agoPhattso wrote:
I've got a 2020 Lenovo Legion. I don't think it's particularly loud, especially if you throttle it. I can maybe try to get you some sound samples this evening if you like.
Sadly, and for predictable reasons, there aren't many mainstream options there. I thought The Lenovo Legion might be one of them, but for the report of the 2020 model being loud on the previous page.
It's just big and heavy which is why I resurrected my old laptop. I tried that Parsec app btw. This was from Manjaro KDE -> Win 10 via 5GHz wifi. Fast paced FPS (Shadow Warrior) had noticeable lag, it feels like it's running at 30fps and there were some small graphical glitches when there's a lot of action. A 2D game (Noita) was perfectly playable and anything slower paced than that worked perfectly. I'll test it with MechWarrior 5 still - it's a slow FPs so it might work just fine.
TLDR: Parsec works but isn't good enough for FPS. -
Dirtbox 92,595 posts
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Registered 19 years agoAs brands go, Gigabyte is fucking amazing at gaming laptops. I've had one for 7 years and it's a trooper. Still runs games at a pretty good clip too. -
Phattso 27,426 posts
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Registered 17 years agomrharvest wrote:
Don't go out of your way, but if you happened to be using it at full pelt and had a means of recording the ambient noise that'd be greatly appreciated! Ta!
I've got a 2020 Lenovo Legion. I don't think it's particularly loud, especially if you throttle it. I can maybe try to get you some sound samples this evening if you like. -
monkman76 18,987 posts
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Registered 13 years agoSeriously dude, if a fairly quiet console is too much for you, forget the gaming laptop. I don't have a Legion but I do have one with similar acoustics judging by most reviews. It's way louder than even a loud PS4.
https://youtu.be/bvLF1pp3pRw?t=491 -
Phattso 27,426 posts
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Registered 17 years agomonkman76 wrote:
Indeed, and I am aware. However there's a MASSIVE difference between a noisy laptop that I can take anywhere in the house, and a noisy console that's static in the most-trafficked room in the house.
Seriously dude, if a fairly quiet console is too much for you, forget the gaming laptop. I don't have a Legion but I do have one with similar acoustics judging by most reviews. It's way louder than even a loud PS4.
That is the prime motivator behind me not wanting a noisy console - if I'm gaming on it, or a laptop, I can just put headphones on. Not wanting other people, who don't give two figs for gaming, to have to listen to epic airflow and coil whine is just basic human consideration.
Also: it won't be pumping out all that noise while I'm working on it, only while gaming. -
monkman76 18,987 posts
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Registered 13 years agoFair enough. And tbf I did just find a comparison video by the same guy between the Legion and my laptop (Omen 15) which says the Legion runs slightly hotter and slightly quieter. Fwiw I do love my laptop despite the noise. -
monkman76 18,987 posts
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Registered 13 years agoOr you could just murder your housemates. As noisily as you like. -
Phattso 27,426 posts
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Registered 17 years agomonkman76 wrote:
The thought has occurred.
Or you could just murder your housemates. As noisily as you like.
"Where can I buy an untraceable gun...? Asking for a friend." -
freddymercurystwin 2,825 posts
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Registered 17 years agoI'm a bit of a laptop spec noob, we could do with getting the eldest a laptop, I've considered eBay and marketplace but though there's plenty of choice in the £150-200 range they often seem to be about 6 years old or thereabouts so I was thinking if there might be anything suitable for new up to say £300. Any thoughts or links welcome. There's plenty of non branded on Amazon for less than £300, typically they're 4GB with say 250gb hard drive. I don't want it to run like a dog though as he'll just give me grief and I'll end up upgrading it. -
THFourteen 54,987 posts
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Registered 16 years ago@freddymercurystwin
Not an expert but this looks ok
https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/lenovo-v15-amd-3020e-8gb-256gb-ssd-15.6-inch-free-dos-laptop-82c7009duk/version.asp
He’s not going to be doing much gaming on it and you’ll need to buy a windows key and install windows etc.
And it’s only dual core so not much multitasking... what do they need it for? Aren’t chrome books the thing for kids thesedays?
Edited by THFourteen at 20:26:47 13-02-2021 -
freddymercurystwin 2,825 posts
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Registered 17 years ago@THFourteen thanks but I don't know what a windows key is or how to install windows etc. -
I’ve gone a bit mad and ordered a new Strix Scar, should be getting it around end of feb. Heard great reviews on it. I have a pretty snappy custom PC but I feel the need for a gaming laptop for some reason. I’ll tell the missus it was just a touch above a grand 😉 ( recently sold a guitar for £1k)
https://www.box.co.uk/G533QR-HQ005T-ASUS-ROG-STRIX-SCAR-15_3557525.html
Roll it with you to the sofa or the coffee shop like a boss..gif)
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