- Oct 23, 2000
- 9,200
- 765
- 126
My wife plays Elder Scrolls Online and enjoys it but I'd like to let her enjoy it more with a better laptop.
She is currently using a laptop with an i7-6820HQ CPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD, and no dedicated GPU.
I honestly think that the rest of the system is adequate, but the Intel HD 530 integrated graphics just can't keep up and she has to put all of the quality settings on medium or low and then only rarely sees better than 20 FPS.
My desktop PC with an i7-3770 and a GTX 1060 3GB gets between 40 and 70FPS (depending on location in the game) with all quality settings at maximum. I'd like to get similar performance out of a laptop for my wife.
Both systems are running 1080p resolution.
I really want to keep the budget below $1000. I know that limits my options, but spending $1000 is already pushing it quite a bit and lower would be better if there's a good option out there.
8GB RAM is probably enough, although more is better (of course). Prefer to have at least a 256GB SSD since the game uses almost 80GB on its own.
I've been looking at laptops with 9th gen i5 CPU and GTX 1650 and 1660 Ti. There aren't a lot with the 1660 Ti under $1000 but I did find a few so it's tempting since the 1660 is a lot faster than the 1650. The question is whether the extra $200-$300 is worth the premium for the 1660 Ti or if it would be wasted on a game like ESO since she really doesn't play (or have plans to play) anything more demanding at any time in the near future.
I've found some options that seem to have consistently good reviews and that fit the price range. But most reviews just focus on the specs and benchmarks and don't say anything about build quality and durability, and those are also important since my girls sometimes borrow her laptop and they aren't always as careful with electronics as I'd like them to be.
Also, she usually plays while sitting on a couch or on our bed so she will be holding the laptop in her lap. I have a lap board that she uses now to keep the current laptop from burning her knees as it does get pretty hot and it sucks and blows air through vents on the bottom of the computer. A laptop that doesn't rely exclusively on bottom mounted fans and vents would be a definite plus.
I'd love to have some outside input, particularly if you actually own a laptop that fits my needs so you can give a personal recommendation.
The models I've been looking at so far are:
Acer Nitro 5, i5-9300H, 8 GB RAM, GTX 1650, 512GB SSD - $779
Not a fan of that bright red keyboard, but it can be turned off. Reviews say the screen is very good and cooling is excellent, although benchmark performance is a little below average. Terrible touchpad, but that will rarely be used.
Asus TUF FX505DT, Ryzen 5 R5-3550H, GTX 1650, 8GB RAM, 256GB PCIe SSD - $643
The price is definitely a plus on this one. Looks nice, too. But the small cooling vents on the back (and none on the sides) makes me think it might be prone to overheating. The Ryzen is also a bit slower in benchmarks than the i5 in the other options. 120hz screen, but not great color reproduction, about the same as the Dell G3.
Edit: Searching more reviews it seems that the cooling on this computer is actually fairly good. The vents on the bottom of the case aren't very big, but they seem to be well placed next to the separated CPU and GPU and keep the laptop evenly cooled so it still gets warm but doesn't have any uncomfortable hot spots. Using a cooling pad lowered temperatures slightly.
Dell G3, i5-9300H, GTX 1650, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD + 1TB HD - $691 (price includes a 17% off coupon/sale at Dell.com)
SSD/HD configuration is not ideal, but I don't see a way to change it on Dell's site. I do have a few spare 256GB SATA SSDs so I can just toss one in there instead of the spinning drive. Reviews say that cooling and performance are decent, but color reproduction on the screen is well below average.
Dell G3, i5-9300H, GTX 1660Ti, 8 GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $886 (including the 17% off coupon)
Can upgrade this to an i7-9750H for $976, or the i7 and 16GB RAM makes it $1098 (too much)
Edit: I just found this exact same model with i5, 1660Ti, and 8GB RAM at BestBuy for $799!
Additional reviews say the laptop gets hot enough to start thermal throttling while running stress tests. Using a cooling pad makes a huge difference (10+ degrees C lower), probably because the cooling fans are a bit smaller than average for a gaming laptop (also very quiet compared to most).
Lenovo L340, i5-9300, GTX 1650, 8 GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $723 (direct link messes up the post formatting for some reason)
Specs look pretty good in general. Benchmarks are respectable. Overall build is attractive but simple so it doesn't look like a 'gaudy' gaming machine. Only has a 60hz screen, which is not a huge deal but is worth considering. Biggest negative I can see is that it only has one RAM slot so it can't run dual channel RAM. As far as I can tell all of the other models support dual channel.
MSI GF63, i5-9300H, GTX 1650, 8 GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $692
Only a 60hz screen, but color reproduction is slightly better than the Dell and Asus models.
MSI GF65, i7-9750H, GTX 1660Ti, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $949
This one has the best specs I can find for under $1000, but it makes me wonder if it's legit since the listed specs (i7 and 16GB RAM) are better than everything else in the price range. Reviews are generally good, but say the laptop tends to get hot.
I really like Dell's on-site support warranty, but it's not a deal breaker, especially if a less expensive laptop with a better screen is a viable option.
She is currently using a laptop with an i7-6820HQ CPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD, and no dedicated GPU.
I honestly think that the rest of the system is adequate, but the Intel HD 530 integrated graphics just can't keep up and she has to put all of the quality settings on medium or low and then only rarely sees better than 20 FPS.
My desktop PC with an i7-3770 and a GTX 1060 3GB gets between 40 and 70FPS (depending on location in the game) with all quality settings at maximum. I'd like to get similar performance out of a laptop for my wife.
Both systems are running 1080p resolution.
I really want to keep the budget below $1000. I know that limits my options, but spending $1000 is already pushing it quite a bit and lower would be better if there's a good option out there.
8GB RAM is probably enough, although more is better (of course). Prefer to have at least a 256GB SSD since the game uses almost 80GB on its own.
I've been looking at laptops with 9th gen i5 CPU and GTX 1650 and 1660 Ti. There aren't a lot with the 1660 Ti under $1000 but I did find a few so it's tempting since the 1660 is a lot faster than the 1650. The question is whether the extra $200-$300 is worth the premium for the 1660 Ti or if it would be wasted on a game like ESO since she really doesn't play (or have plans to play) anything more demanding at any time in the near future.
I've found some options that seem to have consistently good reviews and that fit the price range. But most reviews just focus on the specs and benchmarks and don't say anything about build quality and durability, and those are also important since my girls sometimes borrow her laptop and they aren't always as careful with electronics as I'd like them to be.
Also, she usually plays while sitting on a couch or on our bed so she will be holding the laptop in her lap. I have a lap board that she uses now to keep the current laptop from burning her knees as it does get pretty hot and it sucks and blows air through vents on the bottom of the computer. A laptop that doesn't rely exclusively on bottom mounted fans and vents would be a definite plus.
I'd love to have some outside input, particularly if you actually own a laptop that fits my needs so you can give a personal recommendation.
The models I've been looking at so far are:
Acer Nitro 5, i5-9300H, 8 GB RAM, GTX 1650, 512GB SSD - $779
Not a fan of that bright red keyboard, but it can be turned off. Reviews say the screen is very good and cooling is excellent, although benchmark performance is a little below average. Terrible touchpad, but that will rarely be used.
Asus TUF FX505DT, Ryzen 5 R5-3550H, GTX 1650, 8GB RAM, 256GB PCIe SSD - $643
The price is definitely a plus on this one. Looks nice, too. But the small cooling vents on the back (and none on the sides) makes me think it might be prone to overheating. The Ryzen is also a bit slower in benchmarks than the i5 in the other options. 120hz screen, but not great color reproduction, about the same as the Dell G3.
Edit: Searching more reviews it seems that the cooling on this computer is actually fairly good. The vents on the bottom of the case aren't very big, but they seem to be well placed next to the separated CPU and GPU and keep the laptop evenly cooled so it still gets warm but doesn't have any uncomfortable hot spots. Using a cooling pad lowered temperatures slightly.
Dell G3, i5-9300H, GTX 1650, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD + 1TB HD - $691 (price includes a 17% off coupon/sale at Dell.com)
SSD/HD configuration is not ideal, but I don't see a way to change it on Dell's site. I do have a few spare 256GB SATA SSDs so I can just toss one in there instead of the spinning drive. Reviews say that cooling and performance are decent, but color reproduction on the screen is well below average.
Dell G3, i5-9300H, GTX 1660Ti, 8 GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $886 (including the 17% off coupon)
Can upgrade this to an i7-9750H for $976, or the i7 and 16GB RAM makes it $1098 (too much)
Edit: I just found this exact same model with i5, 1660Ti, and 8GB RAM at BestBuy for $799!
Additional reviews say the laptop gets hot enough to start thermal throttling while running stress tests. Using a cooling pad makes a huge difference (10+ degrees C lower), probably because the cooling fans are a bit smaller than average for a gaming laptop (also very quiet compared to most).
Lenovo L340, i5-9300, GTX 1650, 8 GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $723 (direct link messes up the post formatting for some reason)
Specs look pretty good in general. Benchmarks are respectable. Overall build is attractive but simple so it doesn't look like a 'gaudy' gaming machine. Only has a 60hz screen, which is not a huge deal but is worth considering. Biggest negative I can see is that it only has one RAM slot so it can't run dual channel RAM. As far as I can tell all of the other models support dual channel.
MSI GF63, i5-9300H, GTX 1650, 8 GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $692
Only a 60hz screen, but color reproduction is slightly better than the Dell and Asus models.
MSI GF65, i7-9750H, GTX 1660Ti, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $949
This one has the best specs I can find for under $1000, but it makes me wonder if it's legit since the listed specs (i7 and 16GB RAM) are better than everything else in the price range. Reviews are generally good, but say the laptop tends to get hot.
I really like Dell's on-site support warranty, but it's not a deal breaker, especially if a less expensive laptop with a better screen is a viable option.
Last edited:
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