Which one to go for?

@puzzlezaddict I like the look of the Tracers and the Optimus. Do you know why laptops that work best for gaming are ones from brands that aren’t mainstream and why mainstream ones are no good for gaming?

@WallFlower26  I wouldn't say that mainstream brands are bad for gaming.  Some, like MSI, are very good.  Other companies make good high-end laptops and also cheaper options that don't always run games as well, probably because the manufacturer cut some corners to keep the price down.  But that all depends on the particular company and the specific model of laptop (or desktop).

The other issue is that many laptops are designed primarily for some other purpose, and gaming is kind of an afterthought.  A model designed to be lightweight and portable might not have the necessary cooling for games, and it probably won't have a strong enough graphics card either.  Even a laptop meant for graphic design or video editing will have hardware tailored to that, and not necessarily the best components to run games.  But gaming laptops are specifically for gaming, and as long as you get a quality one, you should be fine.

@puzzlezaddict I’ve just seen that the Tracers don’t have operating systems. On the Tracer laptop it says ‘(Note: We will install your Windows operating system on your fastest hard drive)’ do you know what that means? Do you know if the prices of the operating system and Microsoft office packages are one time costs or subscriptions on the Tracer laptop?

@WallFlower26  Cyberpower would build you the laptop of your choice, according to your instructions, then install Windows 10 on the fastest hard drive inside the laptop.  Windows is included in the price of the laptop and is a one-time purchase, just like any other time you buy a Windows 10 license.  If you want Office, you can pay extra for a yearlong subscription; the price depends on what version you want.  Scroll down to Software for a look.

@puzzlezaddict Is the hardware that’s selected on the Tracers the same as the MSI? Which is it: operating system included in the price of the laptop or a separate one off payment? This is what it shows on the software tab:

Is there more than one hard drive in laptops then? Do laptops need specific mouses? Or doesn’t it matter? Do the Tracers have a disk drive? I can’t tell.

@WallFlower26  That is strange; when I initially checked the configurations, they both listed Windows 10 as included.  (I even went back to the original page once.)  But you're right, it's not listed on the saved configurations.  You could have it added, or pick a different configuration, but it looks like the prices went up in the last couple of days.

I put the same hardware in both Cyberpower laptops that was in the MSI, as you requested.  Of course you could change the hard drives if you wanted, but as it stands, they each have two: a 256 GB SSD and a 1 TB mechanical drive.

Any mouse should work with any Windows laptop, excluding very old models that might not have driver support.  Even those are usually fine with the standard Windows driver though.

The Tracers do not have a disc drive, and I think they don't have room for one either.

If you like the other custom build company better, let me know, and I'll list the components to tweak so you can have exactly what you want.  I'd send you a saved configuration, but apparently you can't see it unless you login to the account that created it.

@puzzlezaddict That sucks ☹️

Pick a different configuration of what?

I’ll keep 2 hard drives.

I like the 17” Optimus.

@puzzlezaddict Did you miss the (email) notification that I replied to your last comment.

@puzzlezaddict I’ve ordered my laptop! 😃