this post was submitted on 31 Oct 2023
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I'm tempted to get a Gaming Laptop but not for Gaming should I? (media.kbin.run)
submitted 1 year ago by SamXavia@kbin.run to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
17 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Yes I am a gamer, no I don't want to use the Laptop for gaming.

The Laptop in question is the 'Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 Gen 7', I can't out right purchase it outright as any device is way to pricy for me. So it would be an monthly payment through 2 years.

Why do I want the Laptop?
I've been pushing myself to edit videos and have got to the stage that I have registered a company that I'll be doing this under. Sure my PC would do the ok job, it runs the programs I need such as Premiere Pro but I feel a more portable set up might be needed in the future for as my partner wants to go away to so many places in the future, the ability to move rooms in the house when I feel I no longer can work in the room such as my office to the sitting room as well as if it comes to it I can use the laptop for more 'high-end' gaming on the go in my spare time.

Why this Laptop?
Well I saw it on my phone providers website as I was checking when my current laptop is due to finish it's cycle (The laptop I have currently only have 4GB of ram and can barely open the internet) also it cost like ~£40 a month.

How much would I be paying?
The cost on the website is £42 a month with £10 upfront cost.

This does come with a 'bonus' of 2 year subscriptions of Microsoft Office 365 and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

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[–] BananaTrifleViolin@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

So, alternative take. If you have a home PC would you be better upgrading it and getting a cheaper laptop for more basic use?

Basically do you really need a mobile work horse? If you're doing video work then you may be better with a graphics card or CPU upgrade £ for £. Do you really want to be editing videos on your sofa or in bed? It doesn't seem like the easiest or most productive way to work in that particular use.

You can also stream any game from your PC to a low power laptop (or other devices) using Steam or other streaming tech. The pc can be on but with the sound and screen off, while you're elsewhere streaming a game.

So maybe a PC upgrade and a shared basic laptop for video and internet would be enough? The only downside is if you genuinely think you would want to do full on video work on the go - out of the home or abroad for example. Then it makes more sense. But a powerful laptop around the house when you have a PC that does the same seems a bit pointless. It also means work drifts away into the rest of your home, whereas now when you're not at your PC you're not working.

But if this is more talking yourself into buying an expensive toy, there may be better toys to be had for far less. Like a steam deck - under £400 for a decent machine, play games anywhere in the home (on the device or streaming to the device), get a dock and plug it in to your telly.

Edit: other way to think of it: do you really need the laptop? What could you spend that money on instead? There is an opportunity cost if you spend that money or take on debt for something you don't really need. You could save that £42 a month and treat yourself to something else in 6 months or a year.

[–] SamXavia@kbin.run 2 points 1 year ago

@BananaTrifleViolin Hey I get what you are trying to get at, My current PC set up is very basic and really outdated (And is only get even more outdated in the next few years), The problem I have is that due the previous owner of my PC the screws have been rounded off along with the case being to small for a new GPU making upgrading of the PC almost impossible if I can even find parts of a good affordable price.

As mentioned in my post, the reason I'm looking for a portable work horse is due to the need to move around, I hope to spend time in the evenings with my partner and then we go to bed, I then spend time replying to emails, messages on Kbin as well as editing videos (If I have any, sitting in bed next to my partner helps well doing the 'lighter' work but some is a bit taxing). The option to also pack up and go away for the weekend without struggling to work is a helpful thing for me as it means I shouldn't lose momentum as that slows me down so much even making projects take x100 more time.

Even know I don't want to use the laptop for gaming, it is an option from my experience you need both a really, really good connection to stream gaming and the games I enjoy playing are online competitive such as CS2 what that latency can really effect the results of your game.

But yes if I was to purchase a gaming portable device to mess around with I would be looking at something like a Steam Deck, I'm more thinking of the possible benefits it could give my Video Editing and possible money I could make from editing others content as my company i'm building is preparing to launch. (Also a Steam Deck can't be paid off by monthly payments)

I know saving is an option but even in a year that's only £504 sure enough for something like a Steam Deck outright but through that time I'm stuck with my PC that seems to be getting to the end of it's life (Had a few blue screens the past year, so maybe a year or so left on it) as well as possibly losing out on the opportunity to edit on the go like if I'm visiting family or friends for the weekend or need to go up to London (As I've had to do that a few times the past year due to Activist stuff - Travel Paid by someone else, so easier).

Thanks you for the great feedback.

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I looked it up for specs and seems like it has 16GB of RAM? Do you think that will be enough? I built my own PC in 2016 and went with 32GB to future-proof it (somewhat), and I could always upgrade if needed. I don't think you have that option with a laptop and will just be putting yourself in the same position again in the near future.

[–] SamXavia@kbin.run 2 points 1 year ago

@eezeebee The one that I'm looking at has 8GB of RAM with the upgrade slot accessible to add another 8GB. Yes it would be annoying if I have to update in the near future but knowing a 3050ti is inside of it so that I'm not relying on the CPU & RAM alone I think it should manage it. The other downside is the Storage but there is a empty slot I can add a 1TB SSD into when I can afford it what at least will help, that an External Hard Drives are a thing.

[–] moreeni@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

16Gb is good for most people. 32 would better suit graphic/game designers, people who never close applications etc.

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[–] Kalinus@lemmings.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Apparently they're great for the legal practice

[–] SamXavia@kbin.run 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@Kalinus That's good I guess, I know i'm looking to use it for Video Editing but from what I can see it's a good laptop for the moment but maybe outdated with ARM PCs in the nearish future (6 months)

[–] Kalinus@lemmings.world 1 points 1 year ago

Imma be honest, I was just making a joke, saw an opportunity and couldn't miss it

[–] simple@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you're going to do light work on it you don't need a gaming laptop. The ideapad gaming is an alright gaming laptop but keep in mind gaming laptops get hot, have loud fans, and generally have a poor battery compared to normal laptops.

If you're going to do a lot of video editing I'd say it's worth it, but if you're going to edit a video every now and then I'd say eehhh.

Worth keeping in mind that ARM windows laptops will happen in 2024, so if you don't need it now it may be worth waiting half a year or so if you want a laptop that's light and decently powerful and can last a long time.

[–] SamXavia@kbin.run 2 points 1 year ago

@simple I will keep the ARM laptops in mind, I know if I kept it (as much as possible) a Video Editing laptop then I will most likely get work done faster and without issues of getting distracted so it might be a worth while purchase, Thanks.