PC Sherdog Gaming Laptop & Review Thread (OP Updated Apr-2019)

[Andy Capp]

So, this is why I hate this kind of task. For the life of me I can't figure out where to compromise to get into my budget range and still have something satisfactory. Anything with a decent display that's in my budget is grossly under-powered in terms of CPU, e.g. i5-10210U and anything with a decently powerful CPU has a shitty display or it's again way out of budget. Ugh. Further to all of the above there might be some candidates with lower screen sizes than 15" also so I can't even decide if I can compromise there. Sigh.

 

[Andy Capp]

@Madmick
I need you to help me determine if this is as good as it looks or if it is too good to be true for some reason I'm missing if you don't mind,
https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops/thinkbook-series/Lenovo-ThinkBook-15-G2-ITL/p/20VE004LUS

Edit: better question, I guess, is the difference between the i5-1135 and the 1165 worth $110 CAD, do you think?
Edit: my own research says no and I should definitely go with the 1135 at that price.

 

[Madmick]

@Madmick
I need you to help me determine if this is as good as it looks or if it is too good to be true for some reason I'm missing if you don't mind,
https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops/thinkbook-series/Lenovo-ThinkBook-15-G2-ITL/p/20VE004LUS

Edit: better question, I guess, is the difference between the i5-1135 and the 1165 worth $110 CAD, do you think?
Edit: my own research says no and I should definitely go with the 1135 at that price.

Here is the full spec chart for all the variants of this model:
https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/ThinkBook/ThinkBook_15_G2_ITL/ThinkBook_15_G2_ITL_Spec.PDF
You said you didn't like the NTSC 45% color gamut. Unfortunately, this one is that. It is the 300-nits touchscreen variant. As you can see in the PDF, that is one of the variants carrying the 45% NTSC color gamut displays.

The i5-1135G7 isn't as powerful as the R7-4800H, R7-4800H, i7-10750H, i7-9750H (or even the i7-8750H before it), but it's still one of the better laptop processors out there.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

You caught a rare sale on a laptop with an IPS 1080p screen, a more powerful CPU, larger capacity SSD, and surprisingly great RAM without a discrete GPU. I still don't understand why more laptops like this aren't available in the $1000-$1500 range. They're what everyone who isn't a gamer should get (what they really want & need if they don't realize it). It even has a 2x2 WiFi 6 card. Terrific.

Just looks like it has a screen that doesn't meet your desire for color performance.

 

[Andy Capp]

Here is the full spec chart for all the variants of this model:
https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/ThinkBook/ThinkBook_15_G2_ITL/ThinkBook_15_G2_ITL_Spec.PDF
You said you didn't like the NTSC 45% color gamut. Unfortunately, this one is that. It is the 300-nits touchscreen variant. As you can see in the PDF, that is one of the variants carrying the 45% NTSC color gamut displays.

The i5-1135G7 isn't as powerful as the R7-4800H, R7-4800H, i7-10750H, i7-9750H (or even the i7-8750H before it), but it's still one of the better laptop processors out there.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

You caught a rare sale on a laptop with an IPS 1080p screen, a more powerful CPU, larger capacity SSD, and surprisingly great RAM without a discrete GPU. I still don't understand why more laptops like this aren't available in the $1000-$1500 range. They're what everyone who isn't a gamer should get (what they really want & need if they don't realize it). It even has a 2x2 WiFi 6 card. Terrific.

Just looks like it has a screen that doesn't meet your desire for color performance.

I wonder how they explain this, "The ThinkBook 15 Gen 2’s display offers FHD resolution and optional 100% sRGB colour gamut for lifelike visuals with accurate colour and contrast. It's built to be flicker-free and supports TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light. Choose a touchscreen model to enhance your user experience with intuitive navigation and interaction." Am I to understand this is an either/or statement?

Edit: so the lower brightness display (also at the lower price) without the touch screen has the better color gamut? If you would, please see this page and help me make sense of that.
https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/smbpro...ries/Lenovo-ThinkBook-15-G2-ITL/p/XXTBXTMI500

Edit 2: I just now had the weirdest case of deja vu. Anyway, if you can lead me to more spec sheets like what you posted that would be awesome too.
Edit 3: I'm on with support trying to get them to tell me which model actually supports full spectrum RGB.
Edit 4: arseholes don't even know their own machines, couldn't answer me.

 

[Madmick]

I wonder how they explain this, "The ThinkBook 15 Gen 2’s display offers FHD resolution and optional 100% sRGB colour gamut for lifelike visuals with accurate colour and contrast. It's built to be flicker-free and supports TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light. Choose a touchscreen model to enhance your user experience with intuitive navigation and interaction." Am I to understand this is an either/or statement?

Edit: so the lower brightness display (also at the lower price) without the touch screen has the better color gamut? If you would, please see this page and help me make sense of that.
https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/smbpro...ries/Lenovo-ThinkBook-15-G2-ITL/p/XXTBXTMI500

Edit 2: I just now had the weirdest case of deja vu. Anyway, if you can lead me to more spec sheets like what you posted that would be awesome too.
Edit 3: I'm on with support trying to get them to tell me which model actually supports full spectrum RGB.
Edit 4: arseholes don't even know their own machines, couldn't answer me.

Read that carefully:
"The ThinkBook 15 Gen 2’s display offers FHD resolution and optional 100% sRGB colour gamut for lifelike visuals with accurate colour and contrast. It's built to be flicker-free and supports TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light. Choose a touchscreen model to enhance your user experience with intuitive navigation and interaction."

Sometimes they'll advertise the best component that comes with a variant of a model rather than the one you're purchasing. This is why when you buy laptops or desktops directly from manufacturers like HP or Lenovo, when you hit "Shop", it often takes you to a page where you choose one of several variants of the product as your starting point, and then may further customize that variant (ex. RAM size, drive size, etc.). Notice it mentions two different displays in the tech specs it lists, but if you inspect the PDF I linked, which contains more information, you see there are actually five different panels for that laptop. No, it isn't the less bright panel with the best color gamut. Four of the five come with 45% NTSC. Only a 300 nits non-touchscreen variant (one of two of these) carries the 100% SRGB color gamut. It also offers a better contrast ratio of 1200:1 than its alternative options.

In this case, they aren't offering the option to choose a different screen. Even if they did, I assure you, this massive discount wouldn't apply to the better screen after you customized it.

Here is the specific part number of the model on sale. This is verified if you Add to Cart:
20VE004LUS

That specific variant comes with the touchscreen panel, so it can't be the 100% SRGB one.

 

[Andy Capp]

Read that carefully:
"The ThinkBook 15 Gen 2’s display offers FHD resolution and optional 100% sRGB colour gamut for lifelike visuals with accurate colour and contrast. It's built to be flicker-free and supports TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light. Choose a touchscreen model to enhance your user experience with intuitive navigation and interaction."

Sometimes they'll advertise the best component that comes with a variant of a model rather than the one you're purchasing. This is why when you buy laptops or desktops directly from manufacturers like HP or Lenovo, when you hit "Shop", it often takes you to a page where you choose one of several variants of the product as your starting point, and then may further customize that variant (ex. RAM size, drive size, etc.). Notice it mentions two different displays in the tech specs it lists, but if you inspect the PDF I linked, which contains more information, you see there are actually five different panels for that laptop. No, it isn't the less bright panel with the best color gamut. Four of the five come with 45% NTSC. Only a 300 nits non-touchscreen variant (one of two of these) carries the 100% SRGB color gamut. It also offers a better contrast ratio of 1200:1 than its alternative options.

In this case, they aren't offering the option to choose a different screen. Even if they did, I assure you, this massive discount wouldn't apply to the better screen after you customized it.

Here is the specific part number of the model on sale. This is verified if you Add to Cart:
20VE004LUS

That specific variant comes with the touchscreen panel, so it can't be the 100% SRGB one.

Yes, I eventually figured that out but what threw me was saying it was an option when it clearly isn't. I'm pretty pissed off about that. It seems like a great bargain though. I have no idea what to do now. I had the intent to do light photographic work on it. Sigh.

 

[Andy Capp]

@Madmick I might be getting somewhere at last. I'm down to 2, aware of how their displays work (I think) with the cheaper one being barely acceptable and the more expensive one being very adequate. The first is a great price, around my original budget, with a compromise on image reproduction but a fair bit less so than on other machines. The second meets every need, but it's overkill and overbudget, yet unfortunately the best option I've been able to find that does everything I want. I think I should probably go with the cheaper option but do you care to opine? Is there a good value proposition in eating the extra cost since at least it's still about $400+ cheaper than all the other ones I saw that had serviceable CPUs and good display specs?

Dell G5 SE, getting a deal at $980,
https://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/cty/pdp/spd/g-series-15-5505-laptop/ng155505_sesb_s1400e
In brief,
AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600H Mobile Processor with Radeon™ Graphics
AMD Radeon™ RX 5600M 6GB GDDR6
8GB, 2x4GB, DDR4, 3200MHz
256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive
Supernova Silver Cover with mDP and with USB-C
According to Dell the display has a color gamut of 72% of sRGB

Or,
Lenovo Legion 5, at $1390 (or possibly lower if I can mange it)
https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptop...Legion-5-15ARH05/p/82B1CTO1WWENCA0/customize?
AMD® Ryzen™ 5 4600H Processor (3.00 GHz, up to 4.00 GHz Max Boost, 6 Cores, 12 Threads, 8 MB Cache)
8 GB DDR4 3200MHz
256 GB PCIe SSD
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, anti-glare, 300 nits, 60Hz (the spec sheet here says that one should have 100% RGB coverage and please correct me if I'm wrong--I realized earlier how you found that before)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti 6GB
256 GB PCIe SSD
720p HD

 

[Madmick]

@Madmick I might be getting somewhere at last. I'm down to 2, aware of how their displays work (I think) with the cheaper one being barely acceptable and the more expensive one being very adequate. The first is a great price, around my original budget, with a compromise on image reproduction but a fair bit less so than on other machines. The second meets every need, but it's overkill and overbudget, yet unfortunately the best option I've been able to find that does everything I want. I think I should probably go with the cheaper option but do you care to opine? Is there a good value proposition in eating the extra cost since at least it's still about $400+ cheaper than all the other ones I saw that had serviceable CPUs and good display specs?

Dell G5 SE, getting a deal at $980,
https://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/cty/pdp/spd/g-series-15-5505-laptop/ng155505_sesb_s1400e
In brief,
AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600H Mobile Processor with Radeon™ Graphics
AMD Radeon™ RX 5600M 6GB GDDR6
8GB, 2x4GB, DDR4, 3200MHz
256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive
Supernova Silver Cover with mDP and with USB-C
According to Dell the display has a color gamut of 72% of sRGB

Or,
Lenovo Legion 5, at $1390 (or possibly lower if I can mange it)
https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptop...Legion-5-15ARH05/p/82B1CTO1WWENCA0/customize?
AMD® Ryzen™ 5 4600H Processor (3.00 GHz, up to 4.00 GHz Max Boost, 6 Cores, 12 Threads, 8 MB Cache)
8 GB DDR4 3200MHz
256 GB PCIe SSD
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, anti-glare, 300 nits, 60Hz (the spec sheet here says that one should have 100% RGB coverage and please correct me if I'm wrong--I realized earlier how you found that before)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti 6GB
256 GB PCIe SSD
720p HD

I still don't know what you're doing with your comp, but I think the first one is what you've been after. If you're not video editing or photo editing I can't imagine what you're doing that would exhaust 8GB of RAM. It would be nice if it was IPS instead of VA, but I don't think you're going to check every box down at this budget. That's why I said to expect to spend well above your budget range if you wanted to achieve that. This is as close as you're going to get.

*Edit*
Also, remember, you can always upgrade the RAM (whether adding a stick or replacing both) with a bit of cash.

1. ($75 CAD) 2x8GB DDR4-2400 CAS16 [13.33ns]
2. ($90 CAD) 2x8GB DDR4-3000 CAS16 [10.67ns]

 

[Andy Capp]

I still don't know what you're doing with your comp, but I think the first one is what you've been after. If you're not video editing or photo editing I can't imagine what you're doing that would exhaust 8GB of RAM. It would be nice if it was IPS instead of VA, but I don't think you're going to check every box down at this budget. That's why I said to expect to spend well above your budget range if you wanted to achieve that. This is as close as you're going to get.

*Edit*
Also, remember, you can always upgrade the RAM (whether adding a stick or replacing both) with a bit of cash.

1. ($75 CAD) 2x8GB DDR4-2400 CAS16 [13.33ns]
2. ($90 CAD) 2x8GB DDR4-3000 CAS16 [10.67ns]

Oh yes, I was able to verify the ability to upgrade memory along the way. Turns out Lenovo's customer services suck donkey dick so I'm not going to buy from them now anyway just on principle. The main issue with only 8GB (minus what is allotted for 2d video) RAM is that I tend to keep about 47000 tabs open and Chrome is a nasty ass bitch for leaking memory even when I don't. I have definitely run out of RAM on the current box which has about 7GB useable out of 8. But that's only my poor management and it's something I can fix. Or later on I can upgrade. Currently it's 4GBx2 sticks, so that's advantageous as well, as you helpfully pointed out--that's something I would have already known back in the day but the ol' grey matter just ain't what it used to be. Anyway, it's got 72% coverage of the color gamut apparently, and that's better than I've seen in other systems for that cost, but with the same snappy CPU or better than those other laptops, so I should be satisfied. I had intended to do some like photographic work, and for what I have in mind it still might be sufficient with proper calibration and with the connection of another display to check results.

I appreciate all the help. I had this vain hope I would post what I need and you'd just point me at a system and poof, but of course that was wishful thinking. Instead, I'm somewhat more educated on the subject and more confident in my purchase, which is always a good thing when paying out $1000 for anything. Funny though, they still engaged in a bit of shenanigans with their online marketing of the display on that system, but at least their sales rep was knowledgeable and thorough enough to provide the correct information and prevent another extremely dissatisfying and frustrating experience for Ol' Andy.

One last question: Let's say I can cajole Lenovo into giving me a discount on the Legion 5, how much would the price need to come down before you would consider it worth the jump? Any idea?

 

[Madmick]

Oh yes, I was able to verify the ability to upgrade memory along the way. Turns out Lenovo's customer services suck donkey dick so I'm not going to buy from them now anyway just on principle. The main issue with only 8GB (minus what is allotted for 2d video) RAM is that I tend to keep about 47000 tabs open and Chrome is a nasty ass bitch for leaking memory even when I don't. I have definitely run out of RAM on the current box which has about 7GB useable out of 8. But that's only my poor management and it's something I can fix. Or later on I can upgrade. Currently it's 4GBx2 sticks, so that's advantageous as well, as you helpfully pointed out--that's something I would have already known back in the day but the ol' grey matter just ain't what it used to be. Anyway, it's got 72% coverage of the color gamut apparently, and that's better than I've seen in other systems for that cost, but with the same snappy CPU or better than those other laptops, so I should be satisfied. I had intended to do some like photographic work, and for what I have in mind it still might be sufficient with proper calibration and with the connection of another display to check results.

I appreciate all the help. I had this vain hope I would post what I need and you'd just point me at a system and poof, but of course that was wishful thinking. Instead, I'm somewhat more educated on the subject and more confident in my purchase, which is always a good thing when paying out $1000 for anything. Funny though, they still engaged in a bit of shenanigans with their online marketing of the display on that system, but at least their sales rep was knowledgeable and thorough enough to provide the correct information and prevent another extremely dissatisfying and frustrating experience for Ol' Andy.

One last question: Let's say I can cajole Lenovo into giving me a discount on the Legion 5, how much would the price need to come down before you would consider it worth the jump? Any idea?

The 5600M is slightly better than the GTX 1660 Ti (Mobile). Everything else looks about the same except the Legion has WiFi 6.

So the Legion's only advantage is the screen. I wouldn't want to pay more than a $200 premium for that. So $1175. I doubt you'll be able to pull that off.

Better to get the Dell, and put that money into 2x16GB RAM sticks since you're such a RAM hog. Plus 256GB storage isn't much. A 2.5" HDD is economical, but if you check the service manual, you also might be able to upgrade with a 2.5" SSD.

 

[Andy Capp]

The 5600M is slightly better than the GTX 1660 Ti (Mobile). Everything else looks about the same except the Legion has WiFi 6.

So the Legion's only advantage is the screen. I wouldn't want to pay more than a $200 premium for that. So $1175. I doubt you'll be able to pull that off.

Better to get the Dell, and put that money into 2x16GB RAM sticks since you're such a RAM hog. Plus 256GB storage isn't much. A 2.5" HDD is economical, but if you check the service manual, you also might be able to upgrade with a 2.5" SSD.

LOL check this out, I goofed. The legion 5 has the option to get the better display on the cheaper model.
How about @ $1200
Ryzen 5 4600H
8 GB DDR4 3200MHz
128 GB PCIe SSD
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, anti-glare, 300 nits, 60Hz (full color gamut confirmed)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 4GB (don't care about gaming)
802.11AX (2 x 2) & Bluetooth® 5.0

It's pretty close to what you said. Thumps up or down? FYI I have options to deal with the smaller SSD and of course I can always get another RAM stick to match the one already there (unless it's also 2x4GB but it's not in the spec.) Right now I'm on with Lenovo seeing if I can talk them down further.

Edit: No joy. They were very apologetic for their shitty service and misleading advertising but there was only so much room to move on price and they'd already done that. Dell G5 it is.

 

[Madmick]

LOL check this out, I goofed. The legion 5 has the option to get the better display on the cheaper model.
How about @ $1200
Ryzen 5 4600H
8 GB DDR4 3200MHz
128 GB PCIe SSD
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, anti-glare, 300 nits, 60Hz (full color gamut confirmed)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 4GB (don't care about gaming)
802.11AX (2 x 2) & Bluetooth® 5.0

It's pretty close to what you said. Thumps up or down? FYI I have options to deal with the smaller SSD and of course I can always get another RAM stick to match the one already there (unless it's also 2x4GB but it's not in the spec.) Right now I'm on with Lenovo seeing if I can talk them down further.

Edit: No joy. They were very apologetic for their shitty service and misleading advertising but there was only so much room to move on price and they'd already done that. Dell G5 it is.

Yeah, makes sense. That was my rough valuation, but not because I have any idea what the actual BOM is on these screens. On 15" laptops the IPS upgrade (vs. TN or VA) will typically run you ~$150. I guessimated the extra color gamut was worth an extra ~$50.

For a computer monitor, I will always favor the IPS screens, but especially for a laptop since replacing the screen-- if it's even possible-- is such a costly affair. It's always easy to pick the more expensive option, but at those price points I think they're about evenly footed.

 

[Andy Capp]

Yeah, makes sense. That was my rough valuation, but not because I have any idea what the actual BOM is on these screens. On 15" laptops the IPS upgrade (vs. TN or VA) will typically run you ~$150. I guessimated the extra color gamut was worth an extra ~$50.

For a computer monitor, I will always favor the IPS screens, but especially for a laptop since replacing the screen-- if it's even possible-- is such a costly affair. It's always easy to pick the more expensive option, but at those price points I think they're about evenly footed.

Funny that after the shitty experience I had with Lenovo and the great experience I had with Dell the decision was made for me, almost.

So, now that we have all that out of the way can you please explain WTF happened to RAM requirements? Years ago, every time I got a new computer or did an upgrade it needed more RAM than the last time. 1GB RAM used to be a massive amount but it wasn't long before you needed 2GB just to get going. And then that changed seemingly, around when I bought this PC or perhaps somewhat before. At the time I thought I needed 16GB just to keep up but even for games I've probably never needed all of it. It looks like something changed and 8GB appears to have remained standard ever since, particularly in laptops. The last several the wife and I have owned all had 8GB and that's over a span of a decade approximately. Am I imagining that?

 

[Madmick]

Funny that after the shitty experience I had with Lenovo and the great experience I had with Dell the decision was made for me, almost.

So, now that we have all that out of the way can you please explain WTF happened to RAM requirements? Years ago, every time I got a new computer or did an upgrade it needed more RAM than the last time. 1GB RAM used to be a massive amount but it wasn't long before you needed 2GB just to get going. And then that changed seemingly, around when I bought this PC or perhaps somewhat before. At the time I thought I needed 16GB just to keep up but even for games I've probably never needed all of it. It looks like something changed and 8GB appears to have remained standard ever since, particularly in laptops. The last several the wife and I have owned all had 8GB and that's over a span of a decade approximately. Am I imagining that?

I don't know enough to explain that meaningfully. I think it's probably a combination of things: this was how much combined VRAM & System RAM were in the PS4/XB1, and the typical screen resolution for computers has also stayed static at 1080p since those launched. Meanwhile, smartphones were playing catchup.

It has moved forward. If building today 16GB is recommended the way 8GB was for most of the previous 7 years. Incredibly few games will use that at even 4K, but the recommendation was always overshot to afford RAM overhead.

 

[Andy Capp]

FWIW @Madmick just for your future use ITT and to whomever else might be thinking about buying a new laptop in the $1200 price range, here's hoping this will save y'all from duplicating the effort I put in over the last week or so.

This system I originally posted,

The cheaper of the new alternatives, also slight correction on the price, @ $1199
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0...title_huc_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB

and the approximately $1200 Lenovo Legion 5 15 (with the display upgrade option), are an interesting study in needs assessment, to me. The price difference is negligible. The image quality on the TUF has been universally panned in every review I read but it has the superior CPU, double the RAM, and quadruple the storage, all extra-cost options on the Legion 5 15. Of the two, I would choose the Legion 5 because if you're trying to future proof, you can get what's sufficient for you now and upgrade as you go, instead of, as with the TUF, only being able to improve what's already good while forever being stuck with the less desirable bits.

I will always feel a bit like I should have gone with the Legion 5 myself for all these reasons, but I can't accept such shitty service from a company I am going to hand $1200 over to. YMMV. At $200 less my Dell G5 15 will undoubtedly be more than satisfactory for years to come so I will get over it eventually. Just be aware Lenovo seem to suck to deal with from my experience. That may not matter to anyone but me though, admittedly.

Aside from that one aspect of the situation, the Legion 5 15 is without doubt* in my mind the best value in the $1000-1500 price range when you take into account you have upgrade options for pretty much everything, CPU, RAM, storage, display, etc. It gives far better flexibility to adapt to your particular needs than a bespoke system.

If I'm to be objective, I have to say that you'll pay a fair bit more to bring the specs on the Legion 5 up to the TUF but to me it seems to me the Legion 5 offers the better overall product quality so it might be worth the extra cost. On this one point I will not mind at all to to be contradicted for my edification.

I also learned that aside from checking against 3rd parties for price matching reasons, it's best to deal directly with the manufacturer right now for the best prices and configurations. I searched for days and days and didn't see anything worth a damn until I started visiting the manufacturers' own sites. I'm no expert, obviously, but this is what I gleaned from doing pretty much nothing but pour over laptop specs and read reviews for the last several days and compare it with info provided by Madmick.


*Disclaimer: I stress that I mean right now since things change, especially pricing, all the time. I looked at perhaps 500 different systems or more in the $700-$2000 range. Unless you're limited to systems under $900 there's not one that I saw that beats the combo of optional choices for the Legion 5. Also, these are Boxing Day specials so delivery times are in the area of 1 to 2 months. That could be a deal breaker if you're in a hurry.

 

[Madmick]

It's a classic trade-off: a slower but better image-quality IPS screen vs. a faster TN/VA panel with the IPS costing significantly more.

I did miss that the Legion is only 128GB. Ouch, that hurts, but yeah, there should be a 2.5" bay for expansion.

 

[Andy Capp]

It's a classic trade-off: a slower but better image-quality IPS screen vs. a faster TN/VA panel with the IPS costing significantly more.

I did miss that the Legion is only 128GB. Ouch, that hurts, but yeah, there should be a 2.5" bay for expansion.

You can go to 512GB for less than $100 and even add a second one.

 

[Madmick]

You can go to 512GB for less than $100 and even add a second one.

Yes, I saw that, but I wasn't sure if this violated your budget ceiling, and the 128GB second drive is chosen by default. Like RAM, it's almost always much cheaper to expand storage yourself.

Here is the product support depot for the Legion:
https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/ec/en/.../legion-5-15arh05/documentation/doc_userguide
Service manual here:
https://download.lenovo.com/consumer/mobiles_pub/legion_5_15_hmm_202004.pdf
Compatible Parts list here:
https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/ec/en/...egion-5-15arh05/82b5/parts/display/compatible

It takes both m.2-2280 and m.2-2242 SSD drives. It takes 2.5" HDDs. It should support a 2.5" SSD in this bay, but it's possible a laptop motherboard doesn't offer driver support via the SATA slot for SSDs. It's safest to stick to the HDD, and search the web for another owner who testifies that he has verified a 2.5" SSD can work in that slot.

Though both the RAM & Storage expansion costs for this unit are among the most reasonable I've ever seen. $70 CAD is only +$20 vs. the open market for RAM, and $80 CAD is +$18 vs. the best price on a 512GB SSD. Furthermore, for RAM, the open market don't share precise default timings according to Crucial's database, so unless you take the single stick option because you're going to replace it with 2x16GB for a major expansion, it makes sense to just upgrade while buying.

So, agreed, if your budget permits it, unless you plan really large expansions for RAM or storage, avoid the hassle and just take the upgrades at checkout.

 

[Madmick]

This is a better gaming laptop deal than I saw during Black Friday and Cyber Week this year (and this year was much better than the last two for electronics). $699 for a laptop this powerful is fantastically low.

These are made by the same EVOO manufacturer (aka Tonfang) that has been making the other budget gaming laptops sold by Wal-Mart that have received high marks from reviewers like LinusTechTips. The normal price, which already has it beating all competition for the specs, is $999, so this is a massive 30% discount:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gateway-...ass-PC-HD-Webcam-Cortana-Windows-10/425492039

• 15.6" 1080p 120Hz IPS display (THX tuned)
• i5-10300H
• RTX 2060 6GB (Mobile)
• 1x8GB DDR4-3200MHz Micron RAM [expandable]
• 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD [expandable]
• Ports:
  • 1 x HDMI 2.0
  • 2 x mini-DisplayPort 1.4
  • 1 x USB-C 3.2 w/DisplayPort (Charge & Data)
  • 2 x USB-A 3.1
  • Gigabit RJ-45 Ethernet
  • 3.5mm microphone + 3.5mm headphones
  • SD card reader
• WiFi 6 + Bluetooth 5.1 (Intel 201AX)
• 720p Webcam
• Stereo Speakers (THX Tuned)
• Kensington Lock
• 14.2” x 9.7” x 0.8”
• 4 lbs
• Bonus: 1-month Game Pass for PC

Official Gateway page:
https://gatewayusa.com/GWTN156-3.html

Notebookcheck review:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Walma...rce-RTX-2060-For-Under-1000-USD.496254.0.html

Verdict
A thin-and-light laptop with 10th gen Intel and GeForce RTX 2060 graphics for under $1000 USD is understandably tempting. However, there are one too many cut corners that bring down the Gateway system. Color space, for example, is just a fraction of sRGB which most digital artists will balk at. Secondly, ghosting is noticeable due to the average response times which will impact gaming. For a laptop targeting gamers and creators, these drawbacks will be hard to overlook.

Lastly, the paltry 8 GB of system RAM and 256 GB SSD are half the size of what most other gaming laptops offer in this same price range. Adding more RAM and storage yourself is an easy process on this chassis, but this will unfortunately void the warranty.

An even better Gateway Creator SKU would have been to offer the Ryzen 5 4600H CPU, GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, and higher quality 1080p display for the same or similar $1000 price target.

The Gateway Creator 15 is a bargain if your intentions are to maximize performance-per-dollar and performance-per-weight. Just keep in mind that you'll be stuck with a mediocre display and both minimal RAM and storage until the warranty ends.

Gateway Creator Series 15.6 GWTN156-3BK - 10/02/2020 v7
Allen Ngo

Additional:

The highlight of the deal is its high performance-per-dollar as most gaming laptops in this price range would typically come with the much slower GeForce GTX 1650 instead. The Walmart system even includes a 120 Hz IPS display to reduce screen tearing and increase responsiveness.

Of course, there are some drawbacks to keep in mind. The Core i5-10300H CPU, for example, isn't nearly as fast as the latest Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 CPUs. Furthermore, the configuration comes with just 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of PCIe SSD storage which are barely enough for the latest games. These modules are thankfully user-upgradeable, but warranty may be impacted.

We also can't confirm if the 120 Hz display is a Panda panel. Such panels tend to offer high refresh rates but with poor colors and slow black-white response times. Note that the Gateway laptop utilizes a Tongfang white label chassis similar to some Schenker laptops.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

https://www.pcgamer.com/amp/german-...tx-3080-mobile-gpu/?__twitter_impression=true

German retailer tips a gaming laptop with a Ryzen 7 5800H CPU and RTX 3080 mobile GPU