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Any suggestions for a good laptop under 130K capable of handling content creation leading from light weight to medium weight renders and medium weights server runs for application services.
The Laptop for creators
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Fill this first:
*geek.digit.in/community/threads/questionnaire-for-laptop-notebook-purchase.156722/
Wait for Ryzen 4000 series laptops. They have 8C/16T processors which should have better rendering speeds.
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1) What is your budget?
In INR - 90 to 120 K
2) What size & weight consideration (if any) would you prefer?
3) What are the primary tasks you will be performing with this notebook?
Application development (I will be using Windows Subsytem for Linux for standalone servers), mild ML projects, After Effect Renders and Illustrator projects. Maya Renders are also in scope.
5) Any typical configuration in your mind you're eying for ?
SSDs with capacity of a terabyte (Suggest better options, if any), 16 GBs of RAM is a must, would prefer a strong CPU - GPU pair, AMD or Intel, doesn't matter.
4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: Any Brand will do
b. Dislike:
6) Anything else you would like to say?
In INR - 90 to 120 K
2) What size & weight consideration (if any) would you prefer?
- Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) What are the primary tasks you will be performing with this notebook?
Application development (I will be using Windows Subsytem for Linux for standalone servers), mild ML projects, After Effect Renders and Illustrator projects. Maya Renders are also in scope.
5) Any typical configuration in your mind you're eying for ?
SSDs with capacity of a terabyte (Suggest better options, if any), 16 GBs of RAM is a must, would prefer a strong CPU - GPU pair, AMD or Intel, doesn't matter.
4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: Any Brand will do
b. Dislike:
6) Anything else you would like to say?
- Screen resolution (1080p (Full HD) )
- Battery back up ( normal (3-4hrs) / extended (5-7hrs) )
- Purchase place ( Online (eg - flipkart, infibeam) ) )
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Thanks for the heads up
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*www.amazon.in/Lenovo-Windows-RTX2060-Graphics-81SX00G6IN/dp/B07VQ97B9Z/
*www.amazon.in/gp/customer-reviews/RKPITG2UIYO3H/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07VQ97B9Z
*www.amazon.in/G531GU-Graphics-i7-9...ild=1&qid=1589554884&s=computers&sr=1-29&th=1
*www.amazon.in/HP-Pavilion-15-dk0052TX-15-6-inch-i7-9750H/dp/B07SNVKKYM/
*www.amazon.in/Lenovo-Y540-Windows-Graphics-81SX00F0IN/dp/B07T7NLLJJ/
*www.amazon.in/gp/customer-reviews/R1FW4SD9OOMDWC/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07T7NLLJJ
*www.amazon.in/gp/customer-reviews/R1L8OYIYBLMFA0/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07T7NLLJJ
*www.amazon.in/gp/customer-reviews/RRLL9JSTS54DD/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07T7NLLJJ
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Any suggestions in DELL or ASUS (Specifically)? bad relation with Pavillion Series.
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Any AMD Suggestion? I have tried some AMD machines and have experienced much better performance than some of the Intel's counterparts when undergoing long duration runs (I tend to leave my machine running overnight with Servers running).
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I suggest to check lenovo models I posted above.
Very few ryzen gaming laptops & all of them with ryzen 7 3750H which is quite a bit slower than core i7 9750H found in intel gaming laptops within your budget.
*cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-9750H-vs-AMD-Ryzen-7-3750H/m766364vsm786211
*www.amazon.in/ASUS-Zephyrus-GA502DU-AL025T-Graphics-Windows/dp/B085Y772L4/
Dell laptops are overpriced
No Ryzen 4000 Series laptop in India yet. 3000 Series are not worth it now.
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Now that I have searched for ryzen laptops I think they were never worth it, at least for someone with budget of 80-90k. All ryzen laptops currently available in India comes at max with ryzen 3750H which is quite a bit slower than i7 9750H which is the standard for intel gaming laptops in this price range.
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Your suggestions were great but I would like to get few more options (No pavillion please, I am currently using one and I hate that fact)
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What are you thoughts on Asus Zenbook Duo/ Pro Duo?
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They are mostly for portability/style factor, not for someone looking for raw cpu & gpu power which can only be found in a typical high end gaming laptop.
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Not many options:
Lenovo--already suggested
Dell--overpriced plus not so good thermal performance
Acer--alright but acer nitro has inferior thermal performance & predator helios costs more than lenovo.
Asus--suggested a model above but currently out of stock, 256gb ssd+1tb sshd version of this model is available but price is just a little less than lenovo model which comes with RTX2060.
MSI--won't suggest it at all because of their very poor after sales support in India currently.
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Again, thanks for the heads up.
No, Y540 ain't better than Helios 300. It surely looks more professional, biggest advantage IMO, but Helios 300 has better thermals, build & has 2x M.2 slots. Tweaking a lot surely causes some conflicts with Predator Sense, but why do you need to do that when thermals are good & GPU OC option is available? Using Throttlestop to undervolt further or limit freq doesn't cause conflicts. Main conflict is with MSI Afterburner for GPU control, which you don't need to do as GPU OC is available.
Helios has Optimus. Acer's warranty void can be considered another con, but they charge 500 to open it up. That review is misleading. Jarrod Tech has a good Helios 300 vs Y540.
My friend has Helios 300 & it surely has much better thermals than my m15 & even outperforms it (because I have to limit CPU & GPU on my laptop to avoid overheating).
If you can, wait for Ryzen 4000 laptops. R7 4800H outperforms desktop R5 3600 & similar to R7 2700X. Intel's 8 core i7 10875H will be in more expensive laptops, i7 10750H is a hexa core CPU.
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I think I will go with Legion Y540-15IRH-PG0, made some modifications to the specs like 16 GBs of RAM, 1 TB 7200 RPM HDD, 512 GBs SSD M.2 2280.
I hope this will be a good selection. Also please suggest something better if you have any in mind.
I hope this will be a good selection. Also please suggest something better if you have any in mind.
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*www.flipkart.com/acer-predator-hel...h317-53-77ux-gaming-laptop/p/itmfb69f6eae0fc2
@omega44-xt Above comes with 1660Ti while lenovo Y540 with RTX2060 model I suggested earlier cost ~8k more.
Almost every Ryzen 4000 series laptop is supposed to be cheaper and better than Intel counterparts as evident by global prices.
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But how long you think it will take for them to come to India as i think even ryzen 3500u laptop took quite a time to launch here & even then their availability was & still not so good.
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That is true. And I am not even sure if we are going to get any Ryzen 4000 Series this year.
Also I am not sure if getting the Y540 2060 model will do me any good as I am not going to use the laptop for any extensive gaming and I can use the extra money to upgrade my current graphic tablet (BTW I am currently using a WACOM Intuos).
But again, I will welcome any suggestion over this.
Modifying in manufacturer website is usually pretty expensive, but if you can't do it on your own, that is the way.
2060 80W is not even 10% better than 1660Ti 80W. Even at full performance of my laptop, my friend's Helios 300 runs similar to my laptop with GPU OC. If Helios 300 goes on sale, it will surely be much cheaper for the 1660Ti variant. If not, Y540 is definitely good.
But i7 Helios 300 is surely expensive right now considering the i5 variant is at 90k.
My estimate is a month or two for new laptops, even Intel's 10th gen is out. So older laptops will go on sale. But right not only Asus launched a lot of Ryzen laptops in US, other companies are yet to give AMD as a proper option rather than budget one. There were rumours of Intel bribing companies to not pair AMD CPUs with higher end GPU like 1660Ti or better. There are very few laptops with Ryzen 4000 + 1660Ti or 2060, right now, maybe no laptop with 2070 & 2080.
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You mean Y540 1660Ti version which is much cheaper than current Helios 300 1660Ti version?
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I think he did. I had my chance to run both the machines before lockdown started and I think Y540 was more stable than Helios 300. I mean you can literally hear Helios's fans when they start to throttle. Though it stays cool but the noise is bit weird when you are paying that much. BTW I ran 3D mark on both the devices. Also running games on both the machine clearly showed that the load on the CPU was higher on Helios 300 than what was on Y540.
Yes, i7 Helios 300 is too overpriced right now considering i5 variant with 144Hz display is 90k.
Sadly Intel is to be blamed for hot CPUs for which you need a good thermal system, which usually means louder fans. Use a headphone, thank me later.
Helios 300 has one of the best thermals in a 15.6" laptop right now. Moreover, it pushes 55W to CPU in turbo mode vs Intel's 45W TDP or 35W set by some manufacturers. Maybe that's why higher load on Helios, or case of a better-binned CPU in Y540 resulting in similar performance for lower voltage. Need much more data to give a conclusion.
Check Jarrod Tech's reviews & comparison.
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I think it would be better if I wait till September, I might get to see the new Legion Machines with 4800s.
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Then wait till Oct because you won't get cheaper price than biggest sale of the year aka oct sale of flipkart(big billion) & amazon(great Indian shopping).
Obviously & hopefully many Ryzen 4000 options. R5 4600H + 1660Ti would be great for mid range gaming.
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That's a powerful suggestion, but I need more power (number of threads actually) so I will probably go with a machine housing an R7 4800H processor
Would be great to get R7 4800H + 1660Ti for under 1 lakh. Remember that R5 4600H is like 10-20% better than i7 9750H/10750H, so not a slow CPU, performs similar to desktop R5 2600X.
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So I came across the new Dell G5 15/ 15 SE laptops. Any suggestions on this?
The laptop houses Ryzen R7 CPU and a Radeon GPU.
The laptop houses Ryzen R7 CPU and a Radeon GPU.
4th gen Ryzen mobile is a defining moment for AMD, would suggest waiting for that.
Its like the jump between 1st gen intel i series to 2nd gen.
Its like the jump between 1st gen intel i series to 2nd gen.
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Yep, definitely looking forward for the G5 15 SE. It is way cheaper than any 2060 gaming laptop in the market and surpassed nearly all of them.
*www.notebookcheck.net/GeForce-RTX-...Radeon-RX-5600M_9611_9581_10054.247598.0.html
Nah, 2060 90W and refreshed 115W 2060 are still better. But, if that 5600M laptop is considerably cheaper, say at around 70k, then it would make no sense to go for anything priced higher just for raw performance.
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I don't remember any gaming laptop with amd card in 60-70k+ price range launched in India in last 1-2 years. As far as I remember RX560X was the limit for amd card gaming laptops in India.
That's because AMD didn't make "mobile" variants of higher polaris GPUs and the highest end was RX 580 (in few Asus laptops) which came with desktop CPUs, not exactly good for laptop form factor.
Doesn't matter much if it isn't launched here. Also considering how Dell overprices their laptops in India, I'm sure it will be expensive compared to the competition. The GPU can compete with 1660Ti, not 2060. Say R5 4600H + 5600M at even 85k will be a great deal for India. I feel Asus & Acer will give us the VFM options as usual. Asus already has A15 lineup. Acer is yet to update Nitro 5.
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So I checked and apparently Dell launched the R5 variant for around 70k. And for the R7 variant it was around 87k. These prices are as per current US launch price.
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Indian prices for similar laptop models are almost always at least 20-30% more than US prices.
Don't dream. No way they will be launched at converted price. General calculation is $1 = ₹100 for electronics because of duties (maybe 30%) & tax (18%).
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Well let's just hope they don't get too costly.
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So Asus TUF A15 was launched. Should I go for it (R7+2060) or should I wait for other entries?
It seems expensive for higher end models. It has a bad display for price.
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That is true. Apparently waiting few more months might bring something good in the market.On the other hand I am thinking about going full AMD, let's wait till the G5 is launched.
Right now, Asus enjoys no competition as no one else launched Ryzen 4000 powered laptops in India. Hence the higher price. I'm expecting price cuts when competition arrives. Nvidia has cut prices for their GPUs as well, so I'm really expecting 1660Ti at a cheaper price, maybe R5 4600H + 1660Ti at 80k with A15 seems good.
For entry-level model, A15 with R5 4600H + 1650Ti + 144Hz is priced at 71k, its price cut to even 65k would be a good deal. Surely lower the better.
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What I was planning is to get an R7 with 1660, 8 GB ram (will upgrade on my own), and 512 gb ssd build (adding an hdd later on). I do not have extensive gaming usages but again the color accuracy is not that great for the A15 which I definitely do need. Also the TUF series has always been costlier than other series from Asus due to the acclaimed added durability. Let's see what Lenovo has to offer, heard they will be releasing the Legion 5 in September. Don't see great options with HP and I am praying for Dell to not go super with the G5's price, like they always do.
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@omega44-xt may better comment on this in laptop segment but as far as mobos & graphics cards are concerned I can tell you that asus tuf series got some of the worst models(both in performance & build quality) in past 2-3 years.
It is a cheap entry-level laptop, so surely quality isn't as good as mid-range ones like Lenovo Y540. Its comparable to Acer Nitro 5 & HP Pavilion gaming, definitely a better choice than Lenovo L340.
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So basically nothing that justifies the fancy "TUF" branding unlike "STRIX" which at least has lots of rgb.
ROG is higher priced in Asus lineup of gaming laptops. As I said earlier, TUF is entry-level. I think the "durability" claims are marketing BS.
If you go for TUF or even Dell G5 SE (which will have an average display, similar quality likely), you can hook up an external monitor, if possible.
The "durability" claims are marketing BS IMOSo basically nothing that justifies the fancy "TUF" branding unlike "STRIX" which at least has lots of rgb.
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Yes but at least even there they could have make some efforts like Strix which may or may not have the best build quality in its price range but it always has lots of rgb to at least make it look different. This is of course assuming asus doesn't make TUF series exclusively in certain military camouflage like colour design(I think some earlier asus B350 tuf mobos were like this) which can somewhat explain the "TUF" branding.
Asus disappointed me. TUF series is supposed to be cheaper option to ROG series. 
They tweeted starting price to be ~60k but launched at ~72k.
17.3" variant doesn't have 144Hz or RTX 2060 option.
They tweeted starting price to be ~60k but launched at ~72k.
17.3" variant doesn't have 144Hz or RTX 2060 option.
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The 17" variant does not even have the option to opt for the R9, unlike the 15" variant. Also the prices were not as expected.Asus disappointed me. TUF series is supposed to be cheaper option to ROG series.
They tweeted starting price to be ~60k but launched at ~72k.
17.3" variant doesn't have 144Hz or RTX 2060 option.
It's very critical time for us laptop buyers, we saw many entries from many manufacturers, now we wait for Lenovo to releas the Legion 5 and I hope it's better.
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Also Lenovo only provides the 1650 TI as graphics processor option for the Legion 5. So practically worse than Asus on price point.
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As per the current lists of laptops available with the 4000 processors, Zephyrus G14/15 looks most promising. The current US market prices are acceptable considering a Pantone Validated Display and R7+2060 combination. Looking forward to this one in Indian market.
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@SaiyanGoku @omega44-xt found this asus model claiming to have 240Hz screen, is this really correct because even on amazon international I see similar models with 144Hz screen only.
*www.amazon.in/Zephyrus-Graphics-i7-9750H-Windows-GX531GWR-AZ044T/dp/B07S23X558
Hp finally upgraded their design for omen, hp omen 15 look a lot better now.
Question is, how will their pricing be
Question is, how will their pricing be
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From what I assume the new Omen laptops are going to be costly. I looked around for the spec list and apparently the base model is just not good for the price they are charging. Also HP provides one of the best on website customisation options (talking about screen and stuff) that you won't get on any of the seller websites. So if you are buying one from not the HP store, don't expect to get a good machine or something that you want.
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There are two models that are currently available for this. One is 9th Gen Intel with the 240HZ display, the GWR one, and another is the 8th Gen Intel with 144HZ display, the GW one. So if you are willing to pay around 170k for this then yes you can get the 240HZ and truth be told, the price is reasonable, spec wise.
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Yes but I don't see this/similar models on amazon US which is surprising because it is is highly unlikely that a laptop with superior screen/hardware has more availability in India than USA & hence the doubt.
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Might be, but that is the case for this. Check out Best buy, they might have the 240HZ model.
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Finally found the same model on amazon US, it is about 39% cheaper than Indian price.
*www.amazon.com/Zephyrus-Portable-GeForce-i7-9750H-GU502GW-AH76/dp/B07VF88TMR/
P.S. while searching on bestbuy I came across this question:
*www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-zeph...-q-1tb-ssd-prism-gray/6403815.p?skuId=6403815
Found out this is the feature & it looks really cool, never knew about it before. @SaiyanGoku @omega44-xt
I saw that in LTT/Dave2D/Austin Evans video. Felt meh to me. I'd rather have a screen with higher color accuracy than a led array on the back.
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That I know but ideal situation would be such a screen with this led array on the back.
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I would rather go with a plain back like the one Asus Tuf A15 is offering. Although the LED array looks cool on the G14 but thats that.
Also one really bad feature of the new Zephyrus G14 and G15 is offering is the location of one of the exhausts. It directly throws the heat on the screen. So overtime the screen is meant to go bad.
So compared all 4000 based laptops and truth be told the Dell G5 15 SE looks most promising if it has a reasonable price.
Is Asus sabotaging it's AMD laptops?Asus disappointed me. TUF series is supposed to be cheaper option to ROG series.
They tweeted starting price to be ~60k but launched at ~72k.
17.3" variant doesn't have 144Hz or RTX 2060 option.
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It's like Asus is deliberately trying to downgrade the 4000 series APU's performance. For every AMD 4000 series laptops that Asus launched, they have messed up the Heat Exhaust big time and display panels are not worth mentioning and the fact that they soldered the Dual Channel RAM chips reducing the upgradability of the machine is just bad.
Let's just hope other manufacturers treat the 4000 APUs better.
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If Asus is like this then don't expect other manufactures to behave differently. At best you can hope for at least usual performance/design at higher prices.
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Tell me one thing, will it be better to get a Gaming Laptop and a good OLED monitor for content creation or will it be better to get one on the laptop.
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First of all there are no OLED monitors. Second, no matter how good a laptop screen is it will never be able to match a dedicated monitor with same/superior panel type(unless price difference is huge).
Where are you finding OLED monitors in India?
If possible prefer getting a good gaming laptop + an external monitor. Like if you want something now. get this:
Buy ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Laptop 15.6" FHD 144Hz Ryzen 7 4800H, GTX 1650Ti 4GB Graphics (8GB RAM/512GB NVMe SSD/Windows 10/Bonfire Black/2.30 Kg), FA506II-HN152T Online at Low Prices in India - Amazon.in
Attach it to a good monitor, there are 100% sRGB coverage 24" monitors for 10k, like BenQ GW2480 or something like Acer VG271P for 19k. Add additional 8GB RAM & another SSD to it, you will have a great setup on your desk. You can carry it when required. IF portability isn't required, get a desktop.
Surely TUF A15 doesn't have best of thermals, but put it on a cooling pad & maybe create vents on the bottom panel if you have DIY spirit.
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To be honest this isn't such a good idea as in my experience pushing such poor thermal design laptops to do what they were meant to do(aka gaming) will most probably reduce their life by at least 1-2 years. Also that DIY spirit will certainly result in a void warranty & you do not want that for such a laptop.
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I have seen those vents on the TUF A15, they are first of all not aligned to the exhaust and second the exhaust grills have very small opening for air to get in so if I try something in it will mean messing up the warranty big time. Also I am planning to wait a little more for more entries to come into the market, selecting from a bigger list is always better.
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Also I will wait for the R7 + 1660 TI variant to be launched in India. I mean if I am spending around 75K for 1650, why not just pay a little more to get the 1660. R9 are better paired with the 2060 or better, but the combination is costly.
Now uptill today, Acer and Asus both have launched 1-1 laptops with the new 4000 series CPUs in India, lets wait and see what Dell, HP and Lenovo have in their buckets. Will it be worse or will it be better?
Now uptill today, Acer and Asus both have launched 1-1 laptops with the new 4000 series CPUs in India, lets wait and see what Dell, HP and Lenovo have in their buckets. Will it be worse or will it be better?
Dell G5 15SE is worse than TUF A15 thermally, Steven of Ownordisown has a unit already & put its thermal review. It runs at 100C while maintaining 3GHz on load (he said that the power readings are wrong in a post).
Waiting for more models is surely the only sensible option now, if you can wait.
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Yes waiting seems to be the only option right now, might expect better devices at the end of 2020. Also nothing on the new Legion 5/ 5i, if anyone gets some good reviews on them please share.
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Asus just now announced that they will probably be releasing the 60k variant of the TUF A15 next week. They also said that we can expect the R7+2060 and R7+1660TI variants by then on Amazon.
An Asus India rep said that A15 with R7 + 2060 was supposed to be priced 95k in a comment on Reddit.
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That I did not know, thanks for the information.
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Saw a review on Lenovo Legion 5 15. It has 1 SSD slot, one HDD slot, a set of Dual Channel RAM. What impressed me was the thermal options. The 5 15 can be considered to have best thermal options among all AMD laptops launched this year. Along with having exhausts that are not blocked at all, properly aligned fan vents and dedicated heat sinks along with with a common heat sink unlike the ones offered by Asus and Dell in their AMD laptops, pushing the AMD CPUs to the limit they are meant to be at.
For better reviews we will have to wait for their formal launches.
For better reviews we will have to wait for their formal launches.
Problem is, max GPU option is capped at GTX 1650Ti & prices are high.
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Yes that is the only issue I can see for this variant as TUF A15 on same specs is way cheaper. It appears to me that by the end of September we will have a fair amount of machines available on AMD 4000 series APUs to chose from.
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Lets hope so. I have been tracking the Ryzen 4000 globally and to tell you the truth not a single machine launched up till today is in any way good. Lenovo's Legion looked some what promising if they price the machine reasonably. The G14 and G15 although are impressive but the exhausts and soldered RAMs beat them down heavily. Acer's Nitro 5 might be something to go for considering the price that we have seen for Acer machines. If my source is correct then it's going to have similar specs as of Legion 5. We might also see an entry from HP but this one might not have a Dedicated GPU. Not going to mention the Razor, MSI entries for Indian markets, no point buying them.