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I'm on the market for a new gaming laptop, I put money down for a listing on Newegg sold by a third-party company, but it ended being not available (even though the listing is still up).

Here are my requirements:
- 4K display, 16"-17"
- 32+ GB memory
- 2+ TB SSD
- Keypad included in keyboard
- Budget: $2,800 - $3,200
- No Amazon
- Sold from the US

Can you #help me find a suitable offer? I've tried Newegg, B&H and Best Buy websites with disappointing results. Am I missing an obscure American electronics seller?

My current best choice is a tacky Mercedes-branded 16" MSI laptop which isn't ideal to me: https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16834156540?Item=N82E16834156540

#help
This entry was edited (11 months ago)
Pinky Floyd
Pinky Floyd  
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maybe try https://www.cdw.com/
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@Pinky Floyd Thanks, prices don't seem as attractive as on Newegg, maybe because of the B2B angle.
@Pinky Floyd
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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This listing caught my eye for how affordable it is compared to its specs: https://www.newegg.com/black-pd70snd-g-evoc-pd702b-hx-gaming-entertainment/p/2WC-002P-00E34?Item=9SIAFXNJMG9116

Problem: It is from a custom builder that buys laptops chassis from Clevo, and then adds in branded components. This means there's no professional review of these laptops which is a little worrying at this price point. They have a 1-year warranty which is nice but I'm still not entirely confident.

Has anyone had experience with this kind of custom builder?

Martijn Vos
Martijn Vos  
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Are you sure about the 4K on a laptop? I have a 4K laptop, and in my opinion 4K is wasted on a screen that small. It mostly eats up a ton of power, plus another ton from the GPU that has to power all those pixels.
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@Martijn Vos Thank you for your reply! I'm going for a 17" screen so I believe it's somewhat warranted. Besides, it's the main reason for spending that kind of money on a new machine that I don't really need. Either it's radically different from what I have now, or I probably shouldn't bother.

As for power, since 2012 I've only had bulky laptops that don't last more than an hour unplugged so I'm used to have them constantly plugged in in dedicated spots in my apartment. I can move them around from these places but they have never been meant to be used on the go.

@Martijn Vos
Martijn Vos
Martijn Vos  
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@Hypolite Petovan I can understand wanting more than 1080p on a 17" screen (although honestly, I think that's still fine), but 4K is really a lot. How about 1440p?

Keep in mind that more power also means more heat in a package that's too small for proper cooling. My Thinkpad X1E with 4K screen frequently throttles. Maybe that's a bit less of a problem if you buy something significantly bulkier so it can accommodate better cooling, but it's still going to demand a lot from your GPU. Especially if you play games where framerate matters. I've had some extreme framerate drops and now avoid using that laptop for gaming.

Although I think repasting the CPU might improve performance. (I keep putting that off. I've got a much better gaming PC now anyway.)

@Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@Martijn Vos Thank you for the heads-up. Some brand-name laptops have bespoke cooling solutions like the Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 with its slightly inclined keyboard to maximize the heat transfer surface below, or the MSI G77 with its 6 cooler pipes and 4 exhaust ports. That's also part of the reason I'm weary of custom builder using generic chassis that wouldn't have this kind of optimization.
@Martijn Vos
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@Martijn Vos Thanks to your suggestion to look into 1440p, I was able to find cheaper options for similar performances. I ended up opting for a 17.3" MSI Vector GP77 13VG laptop for "just" US $2,379: https://www.newegg.com/gray-msi-vector-gp77-13vg-096us-gaming-entertainment/p/2WC-000C-0GS76

This laptop is also prepared by a third-party builder so I'm ready for them not to have it available again, but at least it still is a brand-name chassis I was able to read reviews about and pick for its superior cooling/noise performances.

@Martijn Vos
This entry was edited (11 months ago)
Martijn Vos
Martijn Vos  
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@Hypolite Petovan Looks like a good laptop. I'm less familiar with modern Intel CPUs because I prefer AMD, but 17", 4070; I'm a bit jealous. My $3000 laptop is a bit old now and so powerful it kept overheating, and the 4K screen, while gorgeous, was a bad choice. I hope you're happier with yours than I am with mine.
@Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@Martijn Vos Thank you for blazing the trail. 🫡

I don't have a favorite between Intel and AMD but higher-end stuff tends to lean towards Intel and I've never had an issue with their hardware.

@Martijn Vos
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@Tek Thank you for the suggestion, I like the concept of Framework laptops but unfortunately it isn't for me. And I'm more of a mouse and keyboard gamer, so while nice, the Steam deck isn't really for me either.
@Tek aEvl
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@Tek I've only heard good things about the Steam Deck, both the original version and the more recent OLED version. I really am not one for console gaming though, joypad controls tend to be too hard on my fingers in general.
@Tek aEvl
This entry was edited (11 months ago)
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