Re: Best Gaming Laptop?

@AllyyC  No worries about the late reply; you're welcome to come back whenever you have time.  And you're not being blunt, either, just straightforward about what you want and what details you're not sure about.  That actually makes things easier for me.

I started looking at laptop, and it's hard to find good options in the range of what you're looking for.  There are plenty of cheaper models with weaker graphics cards, but with your budget, you can do better than an Nvidia 1050 ti, and you may want to for the sake of futureproofing.  The issue is that the 1060 is starting to go out of stock (one site is sold out of it entirely), and the newer 1660 hasn't started to come down in price.

Anyway, here are the best laptop options, if you want to see what's currently out there. This one is the cheapest, at $1050, but a $150 rebate card brings the total down to $900 in the end.  Its disadvantages are its 1060 3 GB, which may not quite be strong enough by the time TS4 has finished its run; and the fact that its solid state drive is too small for games.  You'd need to install everything on the slower HDD, which wouldn't make a difference to TS4, but you would probably notice the slow speed with other apps.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16834154829?Item=N82E16834154829

This one has the weakest processor of the bunch (still fine, but not the same as the others) and the strongest graphics card.  Its SSD is larger (256 GB), so you could install a couple of programs there and keep all spare files on the HDD.  You'd still need to be careful to manage your SSD storage though.  It's $1100.

https://www.newegg.com/gold-steel-asus-tuf-gaming-tuf505du-eb74-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834235196?Item=N82E16834235196

Or you could get the same model as above, for the same price, but with a single 512 GB SSD instead.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16834235193?Item=N82E16834235193

This MSi is on sale for $1150, plus it has a rebate card for an additional $100 off.  It has a 256 GB SSD, a 1 TB HDD, and a 1060 6 GB.

https://www.newegg.com/rgb-a-cover-aluminum-black-msi-ge-series-ge63-raider-rgb-011-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834154812?Item=N82E16834154812

I checked a few other sites, and the prices are higher for the same specs, at least right now.

———————————————————————

For a desktop, on the other hand, you could do much better for your money.  There are too many options to list everything, but here's an overview.

If you're comfortable adding a couple of parts yourself, when you want them, then this would be a great budget option, at $650.  It has an an AMD Ryzen 2600 processor, an AMD 580 4 GB graphics card, and a single 500 GB SSD.  Unlike with laptops, it's easy to add a second hard drive to a desktop, whenever you decide you need it.  A quality 1 TB HDD might cost you $50; a 1 TB SSD might be $110.  RAM is also very easy to add, so you could get an additional 8 GB stick for $40-50, depending on the model that comes in the computer (you'd have to match it exactly, but that's what Amazon is for).

https://www.newegg.com/p/1VK-005B-000E1?Item=1VK-005B-000E1

The same computer except with an Nvidia 1660.  The RX 580 4 GB version has benchmarks equivalent to or slightly below a 1060 6 GB, depending on the game.  A 1660 is the newer and slightly better version of the 1060 6 GB.  TS4 will never need any more power than a 1060 6 GB, so this only matters if you plan to play other games.

https://www.amazon.com/SkyTech-Blaze-Gaming-Computer-Desktop/dp/B07RHBLV7F

This is a similar model as the one above (the processors are equal), except it comes with 16 GB RAM and a 1660 ti, which is somewhat stronger than the non-ti variant.  The upgrade is a good deal, but only if better card matters to you.

https://www.amazon.com/SkyTech-Legacy-Mini-Computer-Desktop/dp/B07PJMD5GX

Just in case you want a really powerful card, you could get a model with a 2060 for $1000.  Again, it won't make any difference to TS4, but you might have other purposes in mind, now or later.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16883230424?Item=N82E16883230424

The other possibility is to customize your own computer.  (I could pick the parts for you if you wanted.)  It's not always cheaper, but if you want to get the RAM and drive space preinstalled, it might be worth your money.  For example, $875 would get you:

• an AMD Ryzen 2600 processor (the same as or equal to the others listed above)
• 16 GB RAM
• an AMD RX 580 8 GB, which has benchmarks equivalent to an Nvidia 1660
• a 1 TB solid state drive
• liquid CPU cooling and a 600W Gold certified power supply (if you're not interested in the details, both will take great care of your computer)
• an option to add more storage, if you want it, now or later

I know this is a lot of information, but hopefully you'll get a sense of what you want.  And, of course, feel free to ask more questions about any of the details.

Hi, I'm back again, as you can see. First off, I don't know why I didn't say thank you after what you sent me. I think I must have forgotten but I didn't mean to just ignore you like that. Second, I've been talking with a friend of mine who has always done a good job with computers. She sent me all of her specs, besides her monitor, and I was wondering if you could by any chance go over them and see if I'm missing something or if there are cheaper alternatives for the same performance?

Also please note, I live in the US, my friend lives in Australia and on the last two items I failed to find the exact ones besides through an AU website so that's why I have "?" as the price for the last two. I also don't need the exact items but she also was very ecstatic to tell me how well it worked so I was just using her setup as a base. As most of this is very confusing to me, I don't know what the last two items are for(or any for that matter but as the last two are missing American links, those are all that matter at the moment) so I can't look up alternatives and even if I could, I worry that it wouldn't be a very good one.

• Deepcool Gammaxx 400 CPU Cooler
• Price: $19.99
• Link: Amazon
• Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64bit OEM DVD
• Price: $99.99
• Link: Best Buy
• Cooler Master 650W MWE 80+ Bronze Power Supply
• Price: $73.49
• Link: Amazon

~note: there are some with lower W but I don’t know how much it affects it in the long run~ || This is mainly a note to self but I feel like it should stay in this forum|

• Deepcool Tesseract SW Mid Tower Blue
• Price: $49.99
• Link: Amazon
• Intel Core i7 8700 Six Core LGA 1151 3.2 GHz CPU Processor
• Price: $299.99
• Link: Best Buy
• Crucial MX500 500GB 3D NAND SATA 6Gbps 2.5” SSD 560MB/s 510MB/s
• Price: $59.99
• Link: Amazon
• ASUS TUF H310-PLUS Gaming LGA 1151 ATX Motherboard
• Price: $86.43
• Link: Walmart

This is where I can't get things in America. When I look up the names, things will appear from different parts of the internet however they aren't the same and I'm not even sure if they're supposed to do the same thing.

• Silicon Power 16GB(8GB x2) DDR4-2666 MHz UDIMM(Dual Kit)
• Price: ?
• Link: Umart
• Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Windforce 6G OC Graphics Card
• Price: ?
• Link: Umart

I'm sorry to come out of the blue again and I'm sorry for not thanking you before, thank you :D

@AllyyC  It's fine to drop in when you get a chance; don't worry about it.

Also:

https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-geforce-rtx-2060-gv-n2060oc-6gd/p/N82E16814932115

https://www.silicon-power.com/web/product-DDR4_288PIN_Unbuffered_DIMM_Dual_Channel_Kit

I can't find a 2x8GB kit of 2666 MHz Silicon Power RAM; the closest is a single 16 GB stick (2666 MHz) or a 2x8 GB 2400 MHz kit.

https://www.newegg.com/silicon-power-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820301386

(This is a stupidly long Amazon link and I don't feel like finding the short one.)

It's probably just an issue of the brand not having a big presence here, but it doesn't matter—you could pick pretty much any compatible memory kit, and besides, you can do better than 2666 MHz these days, if you want.  RAM is certified up to 3200 MHz, and you can enable an extreme memory profile in BIOS with a couple of clicks.

Anyway, everything you listed plus the graphics card woul run you $1050, plus whatever you decided for RAM.  There are a few things to consider here. 

The first is the CPU cooler.  An 8700 isn't going to overheat the way some other models would, but you might want to spend a bit more on liquid cooling just to be safe.  If nothing else, you've bought yourself a bit of breathing room and some peace of mind.  Not everyone wants to constantly monitor temperatures.

The second is the case.  It looks okay to me, but I'm not an expert at the actual building process.  If you've never done it before, it can be difficult to work with some cases (and some motherboards) to fit everything properly.  Your friend can tell you more, but if this is a do-it-yourself project, make sure it's not overly complicated.

Finally, how much is it worth to you to not have to build it yourself?  If you're interested in a custom build, I can configure a system for you.  It's too late for me to play around with it now, but I will in the morning if it's something you'd like to see.  Let me know, and tell me how much you care about matching your friend's specs exactly.  For example, it would probably be a bit cheaper to go with an AMD processor, or you could get a better one for the same price.  And I don't see the same GPU listed, but you could get an overclocked MSI 2060 instead.

I'm happy to look in the morning, or if you'd rather build the system yourself, go over the parts again when I'm not half asleep.

I don't necessarily want to match her, I just worry about doing things myself and then being disappointed with the outcome, so that's why I just used everything she had as I knew it would work. A custom build would be cool though!

Just on an extra note, a lot of these words don't make sense to me so sorry if I end up looking over it or sounding stupid. And, with liquid cooling, what about the possibilities of it leaking? And that isn't something I'd have to keep up with, right? Cause I feel like I'd fail to notice when it need maintenance...  

@AllyyC  Any computer you buy will need maintenance.  You'll need to clean the case fans for sure, and the air cooler's fan(s) as well eventually.  Liquid cooling doesn't need to be maintained the same way, although in either case, you may need to reapply thermal paste eventually.  (This would be the case for any desktop, no matter who built it.)  You can ask your friend about maintenance if you want to get a sense of how it goes.

Yes, the disadvantage of liquid cooling is the possibility of leaks.  Personally, I think the trade-off is worth it considering how much more efficient it can be when compared to air cooling.  But this may be a case for ordering a custom computer rather than building one yourself.  For example, the site I'd recommend, CyberpowerPC, has a three year guarantee for labor (one year for parts), so if someone installs the cooler incorrectly, you're covered.

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/company/warranty.aspx

Feel free to ask me about hardware as well.  It can get a bit complicated though, so if you want the short version, I can just pick you the best hardware for your budget.  (I don't feel comfortable picking out a monitor though, since everyone's taste is different, so leave yourself some room for that.)  Or you can tell me one or two parts that you absolutely want, and I can build around that.  For example, maybe you want an overclocked graphics card, or maybe you're fine with a cheaper version.  On that subject, you don't need a 2060 for Sims 4, but you may want one for other reasons.

Let me know what you're looking for, and I'll poke around and see what I can find.

That all sounds cool but that's where the problem begins (mainly for you as I'm sure explaining isn't a lot of fun), I don't know what some stuff you're talking about is. Like an overclocked graphics card?

Also, that website is really cool, so thanks!

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Gamer-Dragon

I found that on the website and the price stood out to me, (I know I sound really cheap but I still live with my parents and no matter if it's my money or not, my parents like to know WHAT I'm purchasing and my dad always tries to get things for extra cheap :/ ) But how well would that work? Or is it missing something that's expensive and would therefore bump the price up by a long shot?

@AllyyC  Yes, there's one critical thing that computer is missing: a decent graphics card.  The Nvidia 1030 wouldn't run TS4 and all packs on ultra settings now, and probably not even on high, depending on your tolerance for lag.  A strong card will drive up the price significantly.

I'm also not all that impressed with the processor.  It's fine for Sims 4, more than fine actually, but it will fall behind in a couple of years, if not with the game then with other tasks.  It's also not really even in the same class as the one your friend has, if that makes a difference.  If you have the money, I'd recommend getting a better processor now, one that will last you longer.  After a few years, getting a new processor usually means you'll need a new motherboard too, and therefore new cooling, and possibly new RAM or even a new power supply

(And, you know, you can tell your dad you're paying a bit more so that your processor, board, etc. will last 3 years longer than they would otherwise.  I see people still playing on third-generation Intel Core processors, which are six years old by now, but they're almost always the ones that were high-end at the time.)

It doesn't matter to TS4, but this model also only has a slow mechanical hard drive, rather than a solid state drive.  TS4 will run the same on either kind of drive, but Windows and many other programs will be much faster on an SSD.

An overclocked component is one that can run faster than its normal equivalent.  So an overclocked Nvidia 2060 will perform better than a basic 2060, but not as well as a basic 2070.  Your friend's 2060 is overclocked (that's the OC in the name), but a basic 2060 will always be more than good enough for TS4.

I would be happy to customize a system for you, as long as I know your budget.  You can tell me what details matter to you, like the strength of the graphics card or whether you'd want a computer that you can upgrade later (swapping out a graphics card isn't complicated, and adding RAM is even simpler.)  Then you can look it over and let me know what you think, if you have any questions or would like to swap out parts.  Also let me know whether you'd prefer to have a single hard drive, or if you're comfortable managing two of them.  It's not that hard, but it's certainly more convenient not to have to keep track of space on both drives and custom install apps on the secondary drive.

Yeah so then I'll nix that idea as I'd just be saving money to end up losing more money in the long run. My budget would preferrable be around 1,200 (it's changed since last time) but I would be willing to go to 1,500 depending on the pluses of doing so. I know it's hard to work off of "works perfectly with sims 4 and 3 and minecraft" but that's all that I really have to work off of since I don't know about all of this stuff. I don't know else I'd play but I'd still love to play other games. I'd like to be able to edit as well but I'd assume if a computer can run those games without a flaw then it'd probably be able to get a good editor? Just lag irks me (as does everyone) and can ruin the fun of a game depending on what it is. As I mentioned, I had a good laptop at one point so I'll for it to see if you could look into the specs? I'm not sure if it was refurbished though but maybe it would still help?

@AllyyC  I had an extended look around to see what was available, at what prices, for various hardware configurations.  Unsurprisingly, the cheapest prebuilt models cost less than a similar custom configuration, usually by a large margin.  For example, this SkyTech costs $1138 and has an AMD Ryzen 2700, an Nvidia 2070, 16 GB RAM, and a 1 TB solid state drive.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16883289031?Item=N82E16883289031

There's no configuration from Cyberpower that can come close to that price; even with the cheapest parts, the total would be $1301.  But the difference is, you could add liquid cooling and a higher quality power supply, plus upgrade the processor if you wanted.  And the default motherboard has more expansion slots, and more ports, than the one in the SkyTech.  You might never use them, of course; the question is whether you'd like the option.

Those three upgrades (plus the better motherboard) would cost you $1389, or $1411 if you wanted to futureproof the power supply even more.  But you could bring the price down to $1261 by getting an overclocked MSI-made 2060 graphics card.  Its benchmarks are still a bit behind the cheapest 2070s, but MSI products are probably higher quality than whatever is in the SkyTech.  (The product page doesn't say, but it's in all likelihood the cheapest card available.)

On the other hand, that's a lot of money to spend, and it may not be worth it if you're not planning to upgrade this computer at any point, or you're thinking you'll get a new one in a few years.  The point is, you need to decide what you want.  With your budget, you have plenty of options, but not all of them may matter to you.

And, of course, this is just one example.  You could get the same SkyTech but with a 2060 for $1020, and the same principle applies to the Cyberpower equivalent.

If you have more questions, please feel free to ask.

I'm sorry a lot of that confused me :/

When you said "There's no configuration from Cyberpower that can come close to that price; even with the cheapest parts, the total would be $1301.  But the difference is, you could add liquid cooling and a higher quality power supply, plus upgrade the processor if you wanted.  And the default motherboard has more expansion slots, and more ports, than the one in the SkyTech.  You might never use them, of course; the question is whether you'd like the option." Was that you saying that CyberPower had better prices or that SkyTech did? Like would I be adding the things mentioned to CP computer or ST computer?

 Just to add on, my dad seemed quite excited with the price of the 700 dollar pc (just to give a ballpark on where HE is with prices but it seemed like he had some space to bargain with). And with the CyberPower computers, would there still be room to change things, ie add liquid cooling?

Cause customization does sound cool but at the same time very difficult and confusing especially over a forum like this. With CyberPower, I'm mainly just enjoying it so much cause it's all put together and though the keyboard and mouse aren't necessary by any means (as I already have my own) they're just a cool and fun touch (and I'm sure that's part as to why CP includes them. But MAINLY, I'm attracted to the computers being made and their high ratings. Then it would done and dealt with (unless I decide to make changes in the future/if I am able to make changes with CyberPower computers). It's not that I'm not willing to customize it but it's just hard to work with you since you know so much and for you to work with me since I know so little.

Like, as an example, what would be 'wrong', for lack of better words, with this one? https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Syber-M-Core-100

~I'm so sorry for choosing the cheaper ones but I'd rather have my dad just kinda go with it instead of try to save money~

Thank you for all your help!

Or these three (I found them on a website my dad told me to look at and I don't want to NOT give those options a try)

Best Buy | Opt. 1

Amazon | Opt. 2

Lenovo | Opt. 3

Sorry for sending this in a different message, I thought I was done when I sent the last one.

@AllyyC  The basic idea is, SkyTech computers are cheaper than CyberpowerPC models.  This is because SkyTech pairs high-end flashy components (processor, graphics card, hard drive) with cheap other parts (motherboard, power supply, cooling, maybe the case).  Cyberpower doesn't even offer some of these components—even the cheapest options are good quality.  So what I was saying is, you couldn't configure a Cyberpower computer with the same parts as a SkyTech computer.  There's no way to compare the two.

The result is, given the same processor and graphics card, the SkyTech option will be significantly cheaper than the cheapest Cyberpower option.  But the tradeoff is those cheaper parts in the SkyTech won't support as many upgrade options.  For example, in the one that I linked, the power supply is the minimum necessary to support the other hardware.  The computer will run fine, but if you, say, wanted to upgrade the graphics card, you'd need a new power supply as well.  There are other components I can explain as well, but only if you're curious.

If you don't want to think about the individual parts, that's fine—this is why I offered to pick them out for you.  But I do need to know whether you want to spend more money to get the higher quality parts that support upgrades.  I also need to know what your actual budget is.  You've said $1200 or maybe more, your dad wants $700... that's a huge range, covering completely different classes of computers, and frankly it's hard to work with.  I'm not trying to be critical, and I do understand the position you're in.  But there's no way to give you useful suggestions unless I know what you're willing to pay, and whether you're willing to pay more for higher quality parts.

If it helps, I can give you an impressive-sounding set of reasons to justify whatever you pick out.  Still, I can't do that unless I know what the "right" answer for you is supposed to look like.

On the subject of the three computers you listed: no, no, and not really.

• The first is cheap, but doesn't even have a dedicated graphics card, and it doesn't have a strong enough power supply to support a strong one.  I also doubt that the case has good enough cooling to support a high-end card.
• The second is better; its dedicated card is enough for TS4 now, but it might not be in a few years.  Its power supply is even weaker than the one above, so you'd need to replace it if you wanted a stronger card later.  (Also, you can get a better card for cheaper.)
• The third is actually a set of configurations, most of which would be great.  But for any of them, I can get you much better parts for your money, or the same parts for cheaper.

I know this is hard; that's why I'm offering to help.  If you want a Cyberpower, tell me the price and the amount of storage you want, and I'll send you a link for the configuration.  If you want a SkyTech, or a prebuilt computer in general, tell me the price and I'll send you a link for the best option for your money.

I’m willing to pay 1200 dollars and around. My dad won’t be paying but he loves to monitor what I’m doing so if I could also have the reasons as to why the price is good, that would be super helpful. 

Id like to have a CyberPower and SkyTech, so i have both sides of the spectrum? They don’t have to be the same of course, but on the same scale, you know? (Oh, looking back, not those two companies necessarily, just prebuilt would be super nice)

Space is confusing for me since space on computers is completely different than like a phone. My current laptop has 32, maybe 64 gb of Ram and then 400 mb of ROM? According to my dad. So that would be the minimum as it seems to work well. 

@AllyyC  Okay, then that makes it easier.  There are two routes you can go—prebuilt or custom build—and I'll list a couple of options for each, along with the benefits of each.

These two SkyTech computers are the cheapest options for their hardware.  The first one has an Nvidia 2060 graphics card, 8 GB RAM, and 500 GB SSD, for $850.  The second one has an Nvidia 2070 (a much stronger card), a newer and stronger processor, 8 GB RAM, and a 1 TB SSD, for $1050.

https://www.amazon.com/SkyTech-Azure-Computer-Desktop-GeForce/dp/B07NV1PY1L

https://www.amazon.com/SkyTech-Shadow-Computer-Desktop-GeForce/dp/B07RHQ4Q8G

The main benefit of these systems is that you won't find an equal processor and graphics card for anywhere near as low a price.  They also have solid state drives (SSDs), which are much faster (and more expensive) than mechanical (HDD) drives, and still faster than hybrid (SSHD) drives.  While they only have 8 GB of memory, you could add more easily enough.  Secondary hard drives are also easy to install.

The downside is that the price is low because SkyTech uses cheap parts.  The graphics cards will be the lowest level in the category, and probably the motherboards and CPU coolers as well.  The power supplies won't support a stronger graphics card, so if you want to upgrade it in a few years, you'll need to get a stronger PSU.  (I have no idea if the cases would even fit a longer card, either.)

If you want to go custom, it will cost more, but you'll get better parts all around.  The cheapest way to go would be to start with this model, and tweak it so that it has:

• an AMD Ryzen 2700 processor, the same as the second SkyTech
• liquid cooling for the processor
• 16 GB RAM (with a free upgrade to a high quality brand)
• your choice of whatever storage option(s) you want
• an Asus motherboard with extra space for adding or upgrading hardware
• a 750W gold-certified power supply that will support multiple upgrades
• a case that will fit all but the very largest graphics cards

Cyberpower has a different sale every day, so the exact price varies a bit.  For example, yesterday, upgrading from 8 to 16 GB RAM was free; today it's a free 500 GB NVMe SSD.  (NVMe is the fastest kind of SSD.)  But to give you an idea, the above parts, with that free SSD and a 1 TB HDD, plus an overclocked (i.e. faster than standard) Nvidia 1660 ti would cost $1047.  Getting an overclocked MSI 2060 instead would cost $1148.  The best 2060 is still not as powerful as the cheapest 2070, of course, but the higher quality ones will perform better for longer.  And if you're just thinking about Sims 4, it won't ever need more than a 1660 (without the ti boost), so you could save even more now and add a better card later if you wanted.  (The version with a non-ti 1660 is $999.)

If you do want a Cyberpower system, let me know on the day when you're ready to buy, so I can add in whatever freebies are offered that day.  (Or you could watch yourself for the sales, if you're comfortable selecting the other parts.)  Otherwise, those SkyTech computers are the cheapest options.  I also saw more expensive versions with 16 GB RAM, so let me know if you want to check those out as well.

@AllyyC  The price today is actually a lot higher than it was yesterday, because the free offer changed.  But if you time it right, which shouldn't take more than a few days, you can get your 500 GB SSD for free, which looks like something around a $64 value.  (Today's free offer is a $50 American Express gift card, which may or may not be something you'd want.)  Also, this coming weekend might have even better sales overall, if you want to wait.  Otherwise, I listed the best prices you'll find on that particular configuration for either an overclocked 1660 ti or 2060.

Yes, this configuration has liquid cooling.  (It's two entries after CPU and two before motherboard.)  It only has 8 GB RAM by default (after motherboard), but upgrading to 16 GB costs $42, which is probably less than you'd pay to do it yourself, given the brand.

And this computer with either a 1660 ti or a 2060 would absolutely run TS3, TS4, and Minecraft with no lag.  If you added other games in a couple of years that needed a stronger graphics card, you could swap it out without changing any of the other parts.

Hi, sorry it's been so long, I've been being lazy, doing nothing I should be. I showed my dad the most recent pc you shared, we almost got it but he stopped after the pricing for shipping and tax. We got a different one though, on Amazon, and some things worry me but then I also realized that it will at least be surely better than my laptop. Though I didn't get the pc you recommended, you still were a huge help in the end! He got it with prime so it'll be here soon, I'll let you know how it works. Thank you again, so much!