Explain This To Me... WHO is Buying Giant Laptops??

[@LilyLikesTech]

It is funny how you can find tons of these gaming style laptops in places where you wouldn’t really expect one. My mother’s dentistry clinic uses gaming laptops to run all of their testing and diagnostic tools. Always fun to see an RGB illuminated ROG laptop next to some medical testing equipment.

[@livegolfismygt]

Can confirm, we use Alienware laptops for 3D scans, for aligners and surgical guides.

[@username8644]

I find it weird that they don't turn off the RGB to save battery life.

[@alexmcdaniel116]

​@@username8644 they're probably plugged in and mostly stationary.

[@jeffwalsh3591]

​@Username it's cheap to buy off the shelf when your going to charge crazy medical supply mark up. If they sold them with rgb off it would add extra steps that would nibble at the ultra massive bottom line

[@LiamStojanovic]

This made me chortle

[@karolskrz]

Every engineering lecture sounds like a jet engine when over 100 students launch Solidworks on these lol

[@chuckyfox9284]

Yeah, and everyone hates the guy in the library with his gaming laptop running solidworks (or solidedge in our case).

[@karolskrz]

@@chuckyfox9284 Not to mention everybody fighting for the outlets because the battery life is trash lol

[@-ouv]

Man, I rememeber in college, launching auto cad and solid works, those desktops would fire up once those were launched lol

[@Herrcookiekiller]

Nooo why not FreeCAD😭😭

[@ydid687]

colleges have labs and aios

[@AnKangOoi]

As a pilot, gaming laptops provides us access to games to keep us sane during long standby hours at the airport. A lot of pilots actually buy these gaming laptops and just game at the crew room on standby or game with each other back at the hotel! I currently have the Asus M16 2023 w/4090 and man that thing can run anything!

[@isaac10231]

What kinda games do you play? You ever play a flight sim on an airplane?

[@tanmaypanadi1414]

@@isaac10231 I think a pilot I know has a portable flight stick and the acceleration thingy that they push up and down along with a Asus strix laptop 3070 running MSFT flight sim. He mostly ended up using it during CoViD or downtime. But during his day to day activities he usually plays COD and beamng with us.

[@AnKangOoi]

@@isaac10231 haha noo, during times in the cockpit there’re other jobs we still have to do like monitor the engine, radio calls, record some aircraft performance data!

[@AnKangOoi]

@@tanmaypanadi1414 haha that’s very ironic! That’s what my friend group do, we mostly play FPS and MMO games.

[@paulanderson929]

Very cool. Sounds fun.

[@m47kr3nt0n]

My roommates were engineering, architecture and film students. They had this massive, thick laptops. They didn't game much on it, but used mainly because it had lots of RAM. Remember 32Gb Alienwares? Dude those were the days.

[@azaimadil6670]

Facts, im in my 3rd year of learning architecture, the design studio is filled with these thick laptops lmao, usually MSI, ROG, and Omen

[@medialex78]

Being a freelancing writer, press photographer and videographer, I have been using these monsters with great joy (and success) for more than a decade now. Work-life-balance is much better when you know that you have all you need on you (in a backpack).

[@MH-is7eu]

They should be rioting for having to be forced buying these “gaming”-centric laptops when they just need those horsepower for work.

[@DEEZ_N4T]

@@MH-is7eu tbf these gaming laptops work as a good as cost effective workhorses, especially when it’s hard to afford the pricier studiobook laptops that are nearly 6times(6x) the price. Why should I buy a ProArt studiobook for more than half a million Philippine pesos(Php600k or $12k) when I can get a ROG gaming laptop for (Php100k or $2k) and just save up for extra SSD and external hard drives along the way... it’s honestly cost effective in the long run

[@thereallichking533]

​@azaimadil6670 doesn't change either, I work for a real estate development company and all of our rendering machines have 3090tis and 4090s

[@Arewmon]

I bought a massive laptop like this when I was going to college. I basically wanted a desktop I could actually bring with me in a carry-on that I could fly back home with twice a year during semester breaks. I only rarely brought it to class as I prefer taking notes by hand anyway. It was a nice large screen with a nice large keyboard that could sit right on my dorm desk without any other peripherals.

[@ShapeyFiend]

Yup this is when I had one of those as well. To be honest I could still have one today. I use a laptop in case I need to take it to an in person meeting but 99% of the time these days they're just zooms anyway.

[@reymundo4156]

I bought one for when i was the the military to take on rotations and now it just sits on my desk.

[@Stevonicus]

Yep, mine mostly stayed in the dorm but drew shocked looks the odd time I brought it out. My party piece was to turn it on its side and use it to read comics.

[@ardwg_]

Well that is I think the point of massive 'gaming' laptop. It's just easier moveable PC, not mobile easily xD

[@Tential1]

Yup, was the best purchase I made. It's the thing I beat the most games on and why I want a steam deck. Not everything needs to be a desktop, and while I understand money is tight but there is a point where some of us have salaries and can afford a nice thing every now and then. Not like I have other expenses....

[@lukeskywalket2894]

As an engineering student in college, I bought a gaming laptop specifically so I would be able to run the programs I need for my classes (Solidworks being the main one). To me, the ability to play games on it is really just an added bonus.

[@EkiToji]

Why not just SSH in to your college's server and run everything through an X11 terminal? If you can have a server do all of the work then that's faster anyway, though I can understand the appeal for something like Solidworks.

[@crackpotfox]

@EkiToji There's nothing in college you do so complex in solidworks that you need more than a mobile processor and integrated graphics. Students seem to buy laptops like they're going to be opening a full on car assembly... my 6200u got me through the CSWA exam no problem.

[@smileyguyz]

@@crackpotfox For most of us, college is the perfect excuse for people to buy some crazy computer they never had the chance to before. Though after helping my sister move her desktop into the dorm every year I'd much rather have a big dumb laptop lol.

[@macattack123mattc3]

@@crackpotfox True, a (relatively) weak PC got me through my CSWA and CSWP, but I still like having a very powerful system to run solidworks. It's mainly loading times, and for when I do renders, exports, or the occasional really big assembly. 2nd, @EkiToji some colleges don't offer servers. There eventually becomes a scale where for a college, having servers for each student is impractical. (Not to mention that with a local install, I can do whatever I want, not just class work.)

[@username8644]

​​​​@@EkiToji First. You have to be connected to a decently fast network, which is really annoying and often not possible if you are trying to do HW somewhere off campus or while traveling. Second, a lot of schools don't give you access to their servers with unrestrained access. That means you'll be severely performance limited as they are prioritizing many users having a somewhat usable performance versus a few users having insane performance. This means that your laptop will typically run a lot faster than whatever server access you have. Edit: also network latency while remotely interacting with a GUI is extremely annoying. Way better to run it locally. You can't do solidworks over SSH either, you need a GUI. If it's just SSH, then sure it's fine, even with some latency, but clicking around and having to wait a few seconds for it to happen is really annoying. And most schools don't have remote desktop setup. Edit: also you need a laptop for school anyways. Which will cost at least $1000 now even without a dGPU. So why not spend a bit more, get a dGPU, and have a good experience, that you can also do anywhere even without a network. You don't need a crazy laptop, you just need a dGPU as CPU rendering is not advisable lmao. Just get a laptop with an rtx 3060 or something, that is more than enough and barely costs more than a laptop without it.

[@OldRecordMedia]

I bought one of these a year back. I use it constantly and it has in fact replaced my desktop. The portability was tremendously helpful when it comes to having to constantly move around workspaces. I use it for programming, gaming, 3D design, basically everything. Aside from turning into a jet engine when running any modern game, it's held up nicely without issue. Definitely got my money's worth out of it.

[@EngineerWilky81]

I’m the same with an Alienware where work covered part of the cost as I use it for work as a software engineer so I can having it available at home, the office (which is seldom these days) and when I travel and visit family but still put in some time while out of town. I haven’t turned on my desktop that I put together back in 2014 for over two years now because I’ve been using laptops. I don’t worry about it not being as portable or battery life like the smaller thin and light laptops as I rarely sit with it on my lap or away from a charger. Works better with gaming than my desktop that has a GTX 980 Ti and i7-6600K cpu. My current desktop replacement has a i9-12900HK and RTX 3080 Ti mobile. I also went with higher specs as I’ve been getting into music production so the higher core count helps and I don’t have to switch between a laptop and a desktop when I want to do music away from home. I don’t see getting a new desktop or building a new one for quite sometime.

[@JamesLikesCoffee]

​@@TheRealMafoo I picture a dude playing Sea of Thieves on the side whilst sailing

[@WerewolfTV1]

Same here. I used to live in a small apartment, so I didn't have space for a desktop. A 17" gaming laptop did everything I needed. It's now about 5-6 years old and still works just fine. Had to re-paste it once, but that's about it.

[@baumkp7027]

@@WerewolfTV1 this may be sound dumb to you and I’m sorry for that, but how did you track down thermal paste as the culprit and not, let’s say dust and hair wrapped inside the finicky fans? Trial and error?

[@WerewolfTV1]

​@@baumkp7027 Step 1 was to open the laptop and thoroughly clean out all the dust. I do this often, so it rarely builds up. Also, helps keep the fans from breaking down. Once I was sure there is no airflow problems and that all the fans work, I ran a few diagnostics that clearly showed that my CPU is thermal throttling. Laptop is an Intel i7, and I used an Intel diagnostics software to see this. Can't remember the exact name.

[@disharoy4534]

Mechanical Engineering Students.

[@WindyHeavy]

@@disharoy4534 darn right.

[@coastguardghost2190]

Yessir

[@takatakboy]

Personally never been a fan of huge laptops but after being given the opportunity to live abroad with no certainty of when I can confidently say "I'm staying in this place", huge laptops allowed me to carry my "digital life" overseas and has given me the flexibility to move across the country with little to no concern of where do I need to put my machine every time I move. Also the huge ass gaming laptop has been by far the most stable workhorse I've had in years of building PCs which makes me so glad I bought it in the first place.

[@gntyh]

Literally me. Im living overseas for uni right now and i was gonna get a desktop but its just way too much of a hassle

[@kuroyurimusashi3843]

So true.

[@julianfull280]

Exactly the same. I'm in a job that requires me to move from city to city every 2 weeks, and for a while I was so pissed off my colleagues were able to play everything they wanted in the pc master race, but not me.... now I can do whatever I want whenever I see fit and combine bussiness days, beach afternoons/park jogging, and gaming nights. Only requirement is an electric outlet lol. And I also love the stability in terms of software. Asus updates are bug-free and automatic. Never had the same hassle-free experience on desktops, built by me or prebuilt, on any brand.

[@TheInsomniaddict]

Gaming laptops were crap up until around 2nd to 4th gen Intel. It's around that point that performance for laptop discrete GPU and CPU started being pretty comparable to desktops. You still pay more for it, but you get the ability to move around a lot easier while also getting a built-in UPS. Plus thermal issues are rare when compared to the thinner gaming ultrabooks (which often cost more).

[@dzenacs2011]

And you wouldnt destroy your eyes gaming on laptop than on Steam Deck which is even worse than phone gaming for eyes health

[@TheDiabolocraft]

I had one of these overtly massive MSI gaming laptops as my daily driver in college. It didnt fit into my bag, it weighed 500 kilos & the awkwardness in class when the fans ramped up and everyone started looking…

[@adrianstjarnfaldt9895]

Haahahahaha

[@EiZoLp]

xD

[@TheDiabolocraft]

@@corporealcasimir4885 🤓

[@morganmitchell4017]

@@corporealcasimir4885 I really thought you were saying the laptop only weighed 55kg for a moment

[@TheDiabolocraft]

@@kaya-sem So the ramping & temps drop when you run on integrated graphics on a choked cpu? *Surprised Pikachu Face*

[@Meoiswa]

I used machines like these for years during uni. Being out of home for the vast majority of the day, a long commute, and with a messy schedule with tons of empty periods free to work or game, it allowed me to make the most of my day by utilizing downtime for recreation. Later years I was also working as a software dev, which meant I had my entire setup, tools config and all, always in my bag pack, ready for work or gaming

[@bearwynn]

was gonna say, I saw these giant style laptops rampant at university

[@Gege547]

@@bearwynn because unicersities schedules are shit. I had a "gaming" laptop at the uni too. But is because all of sudden a blender class or an autocad class popped out. 99% of the time I didn't needed the extra perormancr but there wer this 2 classes.where you fail if you didn't had the hadrvare. AldotI am software dev now and I don't need a gaming laptop. I need a light laptop with decent battery time. Sql server, docker and Visual studio is not that demanding and I can run 2 vm-s from may 6 core proc. If need the extra horsepower I just remote desktop.to my desk.pc.

[@MrRecorder1]

@@Gege547 Joining this club here. I also enjoyed the big 17'' monitors these come with a lot! Easy to put two documents side by side - or more the reference doc and your code-editor!

[@SUNGOLDSV]

This is exactly how it is me for rn, I'm using a chonky Dell G5 SE. With the long commutes, free time between classes, that's exactly how it is for me too

[@felixg3]

@@Gege547 I am quite surprised by this. When we have a compute intensive class, we usually get RDP access to a very powerful server with all the necessary software preinstalled. I guess it is part of the idea that less affluent student should be able to reach the same results.

[@Nullmoose]

I run a consumer electronics repair shop and I can say, by far, the vast majority of my customers that bring these in for service are architects and engineers.

[@JarrodsTech]

Something important to note is that the RTX 4090 laptop GPU can run between 80 and 175W. Even at the minimum 80W power limit, it still beats the 3080 Ti laptop GPU from last gen at 175W (in Timespy graphics score). In theory this means that even a much smaller and thinner 4090 laptop should still destroy the chonkers from last gen.

[@jazzprox8003]

Hi

[@krash4291]

And this year's 4090 mobile is actually cooler than 4080 mobile thanks to bigger die size, for example, on Strix Scar 16, the 4090 config is around 5 degree cooler than the 4080 ones, rarely going above 80 degree Celsius which is quite amazing.

[@mcslender2965]

The Aussie laptop guy is here! Seriously though this makes me hyped for the max specs Zephyrus g14, assuming that they actually delivered the 4090 variants

[@trowawayacc]

I see you.

[@zethloveless7238]

@@N0N0111 Samsung silicon is crap

[@camael4209]

I used to have a clevo gaming laptop with a 6700k desktop cpu and gtx 1070. The thing was a beast, almost 5kg and a battery life that was gone in a flash of an eye. I sold my arguably better desktop and my old laptop for it. The reason I did this was because I had gotten sick. I went back to my parents often, switching between the hospital, my apartment, my dad's house and my mom's. This means something portable was needed. The thing was impractical but it helped me trough some rough times. Giving me entertainment and allowing me to keep in contact with friends. I loved the thing.

[@Winnetou17]

I have something very close to that! An Asus ROG V752GM that's a bit more than 6 years old and still going strong, though in some places it shows its age. I still congratulate myself for the purchase. Yeah, the battery is just a nice UPS, but other than that, I can do ANYTHING on it. Only i7 6700HQ and GTX 1060 mobile (which was actually very close to GTX 1060 desktop, unlike that RTX 4090). I have all the ports I need (and I do use most of them). Nice cooling, stays pretty quiet. To be fair, recently I lowered his maximum power a bit. And yeah, mine has 4 to 4.5 kg and the power brick I think it's another 1 to 2 kg. But I have no problem carrying it around. I had many times when I carried it from home to work. So nice to not have to sync things between 2 computers, just have and do everything on this one. My next laptop will be a desktop replacement again. Or that Framework 16".

[@TommyFenstermacher5150]

Had one of those bad boys too but with a 1080 instead of a 1070. The battery is basically shot now, but it still runs like a champ, especially with the 6700k delidded and undervolted. Man, it could use more CPU cores, though.

[@plukerpluck]

I had almost an identical clevo gaming laptop, and I bought it specifically because I was travelling around, both abroad and domestic, and needed something semi-portable. Didn't have to be fully portable, just mostly portable, and that laptop was perfect. Such a good laptop, and I do still use it for the "semi-portable" situations I find myself in (where a Steam Deck just isn't good enough), but it really was good.

[@1eyedwilli3]

I hope youre doing better now.

[@redbuIIracing33]

How is the durability? There are rebadged Clevo laptops being sold here for 900 dollar brand new.

[@SrgtMuller14]

Having solid gaming performance combined with the portability of a laptop is amazing for anyone who travels. It’s a massive stress relief to be able to get in the hotel at night and quickly pull my laptop, mouse, headphones out and just play a few games before bed. This and the steamdeck are my personal bread and butter for unwinding at night on the go (being an airline pilot means always being on the go).

[@Noface603]

I travel for work and this puppy is on my list!

[@cathat9622]

I was on a flight a while ago and I remember walking down the isle and seeing either a flight attendant or pilot who was just going home watching ltt lol

[@seaniesean5]

Truck driver here, can confirm, a good laptop like that is a game changer.

[@GoldenDoodleDelights]

What laptop did you end up going with. I’m also a pilot and trying to decide between zephyrus g16 4090 and a Lenovo legion 4090

[@kelpat871]

Love that you brought these up! I got my Sager for this reason in 2021. I needed it in a small space living in an RV. It has the Intel i7 10870H and Nvidia GeForce 3060 mobile 6 GB with 32 GB RAM and 1 TB nvme with a 1 TB SSD expanded. It hardly leaves the cooling pad to be a “laptop” though so no weight problem for me most of the time and no real heat issues. It has never given any hitch during work or gameplay though, so I love the reliability of it as well.

[@BrandonGiesing]

One big point, it's still more compact. Even if you never leave the house with it (treating it like a standard desktop), having everything self contained takes up way less space than a separate monitor, tower, keyboard, mouse, etc. even with these things being so chonky. Exactly why my mom got one recently, she knew it would be cheaper for me to build her a desktop but she just doesn't have the space to put a monitor or giant tower anywhere.

[@dzenacs2011]

And you wouldnt ruin your eyes on laptop gaming as with Steam Deck small screen

[@jimmyngo2191]

​@@dzenacs2011so? I works, so don't be paranoid about thing didn't happen.

[@benlaine400]

This is exactly why I got a laptop instead of a desktop. My current setup has everything hooked up to a USBC docking hub that's tucked away and then I have one cable on my desk for plugging into the computer. I share this space between my work and personal computers and I haven't been able to find a desktop that supports USBC displayout, meaning I would have to reconfigure my entire setup and wouldn't be able to quickly and conveniently switch between the two devices.

[@AndrewBrowner]

i dont even notice the difference... i dont understand this trend to slim franctions of an inch off a laptops thickness while murdering performance, durability, upgradability ect in exchange... its maddening for someone who wants a desktop replacement but theyre so few and far between with huge markups because theyre not sold as often i suppose.... go like at exactly the same spec'd laptops in 16" and 18" theres what a 40-50% jump in price for a sliver of extra screen

[@dabadoo7631]

portability is key for me for music studio sessions away from my home studio, ill take the perf hit for that

[@charliekealoha]

As someone who purchased something like this about 7 years ago, I will say that it was really worth it to be able to on break at work, do work for the side hustle I was doing making commercials and editing audio. Saved me from having to deal with it after or before work.

[@UnusualVariable]

I work in IT for an MSP; many of our clients are Engineers and Architects. We load them up with Strix Gaming Laptops. They need to be able to work from home and show up at the location. They love them. We also noticed the RMA dropped substantially with Asus VS what we had with HP.

[@thelazarous]

My company went with HP Omen laptops and while they are ok, it was hard to convince them that Lenovo's pack more punch for the same price.

[@glitchy8429]

Def love my g15 advantage edition. Loads of power for $1000.

[@UnusualVariable]

@Lazlow Behen Lenovo is definitely underrated, as long as you keep them updated (and they made the Vantage App), they are a solid choice for the price.

[@thelazarous]

@@UnusualVariable For the price, it's very hard to beat them. Only issue is when you look at their more corporate looking options you lose a lot of performance per dollar.

[@yuxuanhuang3523]

@@UnusualVariable Lenovo and Asus both make pretty good laptops. In almost every engineering college in China, it's mostly either a Lenovo legion or some Asus TUF or even their more high-end gaming machines. I even saw someone with a ProArt once. Macs don't support all the tools we need. Some do use those thinner ones with something like a MX450 GPU, but those struggle with CAD and code compilation. There is a few Alienware and Omen, but not really common, because Lenovo and Asus are really dominant in China. My TUF with a 2060 and a ryzen 4800H can still beat any thin and light when compiling with keil and vscode, and editing any 3D file is way faster.

[@Vercingetorix45]

As an aeroplane pilot, being able to open my personal bag and set up one of these with a mouse, a thunderbolt dock with my iPad to the side on its stand and, possibly, connect it to the hotel room TV via HDMI creating a mobile office in a matter of minutes is just incredible. I've got my super-hyper-ultra powerful desktop at home, but I can't certainly move that thing around Europe. And if I ever need anything from my main rig or my NAS I can just remote connect to it and get whatever I need

[@ArpanDe]

Damn Your Life's Set

[@Kringlord97]

My best friend is in the Army Reserves, and when he had $2000 to spend on a computer a desktop was completely out of the question. He couldn't take it with him to drill or anywhere else when he was on duty, and it took 4 additional years after buying said laptop for a desktop to be even slightly feasible. Not to mention he could take his laptop over to my house for LAN parties which was always nice.

[@nerd20fromdiscord]

Ya as a gaming laptop user i can flex that my setup goes with me everywhere i go, i also own a quest 2 and my laptop is more than capable of pcvr so vr gaming on the go baby!!!!

[@VollkinSea]

@@nerd20fromdiscord could double flex if you get a backpack with good ventilation - VR backpack

[@Yewtewba]

@@VollkinSea just carry a Jackery with you

[@chistinelane]

​@@nerd20fromdiscordmy laptop is better at vr than my desktop even though my desktop cost a bit more.

[@nerd20fromdiscord]

@@VollkinSea btw that doesn’t actually work cuz laptops are a shit tonne slower on battery power and this gaming laptop was such a beast it would only last an hour while gaming despite having basically nearly the largest battery you can legally take with you on a plane RIP that laptop

[@matthewcornfield2150]

Last year I bought the HP Victus 16 with an i5 and 3050-ti. I was looking at getting a laptop for university to do assignments on, but found that if I wanted half decent specs I'd be paying about £700. Then I found the Victus with a full blown graphics card and cooling solution for £722, and thought it was a no brainer. It fits inside of my rucksack, can run AutoCAD and Revit perfectly, and as a side I can play Civilization V on the 3hr train ride to my placement office. Perfect.

[@raitaigeinji]

I have one of those too! (ryzen one) Basically I wanted something I could both work and play games ones, but also take to my friend's place, use in my hotel room during a work trip, etc

[@НатальяПолитова-у9м]

This laptop is great value. A friend of mine who works in IT bought one too. He can even play cyberpunk without RT at decent frame rate. Also that 144hz screen is so smooth.

[@broodjenoodles]

Does it also have charging and displayport functionality via usb c? Or maybe even thunderbolt?

[@matthewcornfield2150]

@@broodjenoodles I believe it has Thunderbolt via the USB-C port yes, and unfortunately it does not allow charging over that port. As far as I know, USB-C doesn't allow charging up to 200W yet.

[@scanialover]

I bought the 3050Ti and Ryzen 7 one. Blown CPU after 6 months. Biggest regret of my entire life.

[@captainstormy77]

You hit it exactly. I see a lot of these things in industry. I also owned a desktop replacement gaming laptop myself once. I used to have a job where I traveled 40 weeks a year. I took a personal gaming laptop with me so I could keep gaming of a night after work instead of just drinking at a local bar or watching TV in the hotel room. Sure, they aren't super portable per say but it isn't like we are trying to move a fridge either. They are portable enough to carry around if you want.

[@MyEverydayTech]

had a friend work in the oil & gas industry, he absolutely love his GT76

[@virgil91]

@@MyEverydayTech same here, most of my colleagues that are into gaming or other heavy use scenarios have desktop replacement for when we are in a 4 man room on a Oil Platform or a Hotel room. When I'm home I just hook it up to a "hub" and voilà, more or less a desktop pc and in the office I have just a monitor-keyboard-mouse... So with just 1 laptop I can deploy 3 workstation, plus al other places where I can use the laptop without any accessories needed (apart from a power outlet).

[@karlanthonymargate7362]

And theyre much lighter than the laptops we owned 10-15 years ago

[@reallukki]

Can definitely relate to most of this, I don't really have a place to call my own home yet, so whenever I gotta be away, a laptop is far better than a desktop that you can't carry with you. These days prices are biting a lot, that's for sure, but like you said if you can't use your system at all then what's the point even.

[@TheDwarvenGameing]

I think Linus forgot about the sad reality of kids in split families. I knew a bunch of kids in school who were at one parents house one week and another the other week and went with one of these laptops rather than two separate desktops

[@fishguts9617]

Exactly I got a desktop and a laptop still but the laptop is amazing for moving to and from each house every week and I love the bigger screens so it’s perfect for me

[@TheRubsi]

If the parents can afford them such a laptop that's not too bad. I imagine most just bring their playstation or xbox over to the other parents house.

[@Lizlodude]

Given that he's from one, I'd have expected a mention as well, but he's talked about it on WAN a few times I think.

[@johnd.1618]

Probably there are 100 more reasons for someone to buy a gaming laptop and while not as sad as the one you mention, it's impossible to mention all of them.

[@Nach0s187]

Fr games only thing that got me through it and being able to take it house to house with 10 minutes notice was godsend

[@unfilthy]

The first giant laptop I got was because my life was split between two countries, and I needed to be able to take my main computer with me. The one I have now is because I needed a gaming computer and we didn't have room at home for two full set ups (my husband actually needs the office space), and I wanted a machine that was as big & strong as I could get while not caring about how heavy or portable it is. It's also only noisy while I'm gaming, which I do with headphones, so I don't care about that either.

[@nerd20fromdiscord]

Ya the whole “but it loud” argument is the dumbest one anyone has ever made while trying to say a gaming laptop was a bad choice for me, but seriously its not like they where going to look me in the eyes and tell me they use their pc speakers while gaming lol

[@flashlightning6742]

@@nerd20fromdiscord also, as a desktop user, unless you are going with water cooling or something which most don’t, the6 are still going to get pretty damn loud when gaming if the game is very demanding.

[@andrewcheng1998]

@@flashlightning6742 desktop are quieter with more of a mediocre setup like ryzen5 and rtx 60/70s along with a good air cooler and built right. It also fit most people’s budget too.

[@flashlightning6742]

@@andrewcheng1998 Maybe I am doing something wrong, I have a ryzen 5 5600 and rtxe 3070ti and it can get pretty loud.

[@syncmonism]

@@flashlightning6742 You might have poor case ventilation, or you might need to tweak your graphic's card fan settings or, or even the graphics card's power settings (undervolting or underclocking).

[@SamanBahrampoor]

A few years ago, in my Electronics design engineering job, I was given a gaming 17 inch laptop with a GTX980 (which was I think the fastest laptop gpu at the time). I used it every day, and even though carying it home wasn't easy, I couldnt be happier. Just because of how powerful it was for my daily tasks.

[@gasoau]

Anddd you get to game on the go

[@doggo_woo]

@@gasoau And you get a workout as well trying to lug that thing around! Best of all worlds!

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

They could have given you a Dell Precision with some juice and you would probably have had the same if not better performance with nicer looks.

[@MainChannel1999]

This must have been 7-9 years ago lol

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

@JordanEmpireFOREVER💥 #aprilfoolsday #roadto1ksubs performance power

[@ElZamo92]

Giant laptops are nice desktop replacements. Not too much for the performance because it’s not the same, but the size of both the screen and the keyboard are REALLY nice when you have to look at a bunch of spreadsheets or a bunch of code.

[@Dexter-ix1cx]

my engineering university life was saved by massive 17 inch 8 kg (10 with charger and accessories) monster of a laptop, finishing a solidworks lesson before the profs pc even booted always made me smile. even now working with a company issued 13 inch toaster all day I still drive a (admittedly newer) 17 inch powerhouse at home, being able to just chuck it in a backpack for vacations, family/friend gatherings and whatever is just priceless

[@RandomUser2401]

and it lasted a full hour on battery you say? wow „it blows away M1 Max“, yeah guess what, at which power consumption exactly?

[@VFuzball]

@@RandomUser2401as a gaming laptop owner, battery life is kind of irrelevant. What I use my laptop as is a stationary but portable computer. I take it to my job, I take it to class, but I always plug it in when I get to where I need to go. I rarely run it on battery.

[@RandomUser2401]

@@VFuzball so it‘s not a laptop..

[@Magnetik_moto]

@@RandomUser2401 But a gaming laptop is clearly easier to fit in a backpack than a desktop PC. If you need to have the same computer in many places where AC sockets are available battery life really isn't a problem. They also usually have some 'eco' or 'silent' mode that makes them usable for a few hours on battery.

[@SillyLittleMe]

​@@RandomUser2401 didn't know you can carry desktop like that but hey this guy says so then it must be true

[@Chewychaca]

Something significant that wasn't mentioned was that many people who need laptops buy both desktops and laptops. You would spend more overall if you want both to be fairly capable. OR you can pour it all into one. Also switching computers doesn't become a variable when running programs, because you are always using the same computer. The computer you test it on is the computer you present on.

[@vwts]

Yeah and rich gamers will totally have both. You can game on the couch, go to friends’ houses and play networked with them, or host friends and have they game with you. If you have a large house/apartment generally, you might want to game in a garden/courtyard in a nice day, or simply in another room for any reason. Can also take it to the kitchen for cooking recipes, the grease and smells make the video card more lubricated and faster over time.

[@loganricherson]

​@@vwtsa very common thing is to have a budget gaming laptop (like with a 1650 or 3050) for traveling but have a more powerful desktop for when at home

[@Deathrape2001]

WTF? Like U can't play a video or something because 'not the same machine' =)) U R insane! =;-o

[@Chewychaca]

@@Deathrape2001 It can be a PowerPoint, or even an advanced simulation or program.

[@Deathrape2001]

​@@Chewychaca Nobody who is not totally incompetent ever uses 'an advanced simulation program' 4 a 'presentation'. Instead they use VIDEO clips like everybody else =) U can use laptops 2 do speedy things with (some of) their awesome 'not available for desktop' low power CPUs (ahead of the curve = 'future' desktop tech =) but it's always way more expensive than doing the same thing with a desktop. Using a laptop 4 N E thing more than 'taking notes' & 'keeping in touch' is pretty much retarded, work-wise, or something a little faster (but not much) 4 playing videos like 'presentations' & 'slide shows' & movies & youtube, etc. =)

[@andrewnickols4935]

I am a computer science major, got one of these to use to use through college so I could play games and do my work. I now have a desktop, but I still use my laptop for LAN playing or if I just need out of my room for awhile. It also works as a good testing device to make sure things work on not just my desktop. Not for everyone, but definitely worked for me

[@syndicatepenguin8420]

What was your laptop model?

[@williammadisondavis]

I think people always imagine software developers as the core audience for these laptops - but generally, especially as a student, you aren’t compiling anything near large enough to warrant a 16 core i9 or whatever. Most of the projects I worked on in college would compile in a minute or less on a 8 year old i5 lol. It’s overkill 99% of the time. If you do video / 3D work, that changes of course. I mean… the people who built the original Macintosh and windows machines - did so on basically a graphing calculator lol…

[@andrewnickols4935]

@@williammadisondavis Fair point! Many projects I worked on especially in early school a beefy gpu nor an i9 was necessary (was just i7 back then). However, the games I played did need it and I didn't have to buy two computers this way (one for school and one for games). And in a computer science major, you dabble in a bit everythin. I did a lot of compiling code, but I also built unreal and unity, and even made some blender assets. Definitely important to look at what you'll be doing before you buy hardware though. If all you're doing is compiling code, don't spend unnecessary money. Totally right. There's also the joy that I still use the same laptop now, and it's not outdated or too slow to do much.

[@zerofox2967]

I have an 18in laptop because I use it for work, taking my office with me and my gaming when I am in my hotel. It has also replaced my bulky tower and fits my minimumalist lifestyle. Also, I have one eye. My eyesight isn't that great. I bought it for its screen size. But I wanted it to produce a great gaming experience. I am on the go and busy. People are like it's so big and heavy. It's not that heavy in comparison to what they used to manufacture. 7.5lbs is not that heavy next to a bulky desktop. Even small bulky office desk tops weigh more. As a casual gamer, work and bad eyesight. It's a win.

[@Beegpapijimbo]

I quit on oversized laptops when I built a gaming desktop, but these days, I'm actually frustrated with the lower popularity of large laptops for a totally different reason. I like to carry around my Akai MPC Live II for making music on and 18" laptop bags are the perfect size for carrying it without buying a DJ/Producer specific bag, which is usually VERY expensive. Using an Everki right now and it's great

[@DNYLNY]

I throw my live 2 in my backpack. Love it.

[@andrewstambaugh240]

*Good choice of backpack.* I can't seem to find a good replacement backpack, because my 8 year old everki backback for an 18" laptop is nicer than everything in stores. I use it for hiking, motorcycling, etc. *I've hauled 3x 12packs of pop + a half gallon of milk inside* and an external bag with bread looped to the outside.

[@Kevfactor]

Try taking the desk pc with you overseas

[@Nightingale33]

My use of giant laptops covered the situation when I was effectively moving setup location every few weeks. It's not suitable for lectures/work etc. But it worked great for when I needed something that could be put in a backpack and hauled to a new location for a week.

[@TechDaddyFr]

Curious to see what Framework will do (if anything) to compete with these. If I have to pay that much for a laptop, I want to be able to upgrade my components along the way and not have to buy a new one every few years.

[@vmafarah9473]

I only wanted Upgradable GPU, doesnt matter if ram is soldered . GPU become obsolete every gen if you use 70 class gpu with cheapest, excellent price to performance ratio on thinner and lighter side.

[@TechDaddyFr]

@@vmafarah9473 GPU from last gen are still good and are a much better value in my opinion. I'd like to be able to upgrade CPU too, but it might imply changing the whole motherboard/CPU/RAM depending on the generation.

[@Kitteh.B]

@@vmafarah9473 obsolete every generation? Tell that to all the 1080ti users from like five years ago that are still going strong lol

[@thomashenderson3326]

My next laptop is going to be the new large chassis framework, and if they deliver on the upgradeability they will sell about a dozen more to my friends over the following year and I will never buy another brand again. I’ve been pissed at laptop manufacturers for years and they have all gotten worse and worse.

[@technus147]

​@@Kitteh.B he said 70 series, not 80 series

[@MiguelMartinez-hs6ql]

I got a razer blade to avoid the chonkiness but it's still heavy AF. Worth it tho, as I'm a traveling nurse and in the past seven months I've only been home for a total of 6 days. Granted i don't do much work on it but like Linus stated, it's nice to get some actual gaming done. Especially on those rough says when I miss home.

[@KostasPapadopouloskwpap]

For video editing this idea made a lot of sense even when the hardware was much worse... Also, small suggestion. Could you please also include Davinci resolve in tie testing routine?

[@LeviWarkentin]

Yes agree on davinci, it's now a major stakeholder for nle's, and in my opinion way out preforms premier. It also is GPU based making for a new perspective

[@jamieknight326]

A few years back I worked at the BBC doing VR / XR accessibility research. We traveled the country running sessions using various VR kit and the whole lot (including a ASUS gaming laptop similar to this) packed into a custom pelicase. It was a brilliant project made much easier by this sort of hardware.

[@PsRohrbaugh]

My wife likes BBC

[@joshphillips1749]

Living in Japan as a remote security engineer here: I use a gaming laptop and while I do game, It's much more useful for portable VM usage. It's very useful to spin up labs for others that lack the skill set to make them. 64GB on a laptop? Hell yes.

[@Miretazam]

You do gaming while working as remote security engineer? Hell yes.

[@mongstyt9946]

Are you certified, sir?

[@joshphillips1749]

@@mongstyt9946 certified in what? Because most likely, yes, lol.

[@mongstyt9946]

@@joshphillips1749 I meant like how did you get into the field, did you do any CCNA/CISSP CERTIFICATION. Please respond I am trying to get into the cybersecurity space, but I need some guidance

[@joshphillips1749]

@@mongstyt9946 I do have all of those now, but CISSP is an expert level credential. I would recommend starting with Net+ for a foundation, then move on to Security+, then maybe SSCP from ISC. These are if you're looking for a certification pathway. Also, the CEH isn't bad there is a written as well as a practical.

[@wedmunds]

A powerful laptop is a life saver for students who have to travel a lot. In this context, “portability” is being able to stuff your setup into your backpack and work anywhere with an outlet.

[@DAh-xo8zm]

I bought an 18inch Alienware laptop back in 2012 ...ish. The thing was screaming fast - SLI 780M, 32gig ram, cant remember the CPU but it was top tier. 5k roughly. This thing still works to this day. The heating solutions built into the bigger chassis ensured it was never heat stressed. Great laptop. I gamed on it and ran Adobe suite as a designer (throwing around huge photoshop files) for close to a decade and it NEVER failed me. Did I mention it still works! I considered upgrading it with 980M's but the prices were stupid second hand. Oh, and I forgot to mention, I had a 30inch and 24 inch Dell monitor attached to it. Ahh good times ;)

[@avieshek]

What a beautiful timing when 18-inchers are back from Asus to Razer with AMD CPU to max out the performance of Nvidia GPUs as well. I would only add that time has changed where Asus ROG series is the new GOAT if you were making a purchase of the same category instead of Alienware.

[@intraspec]

My dad still uses his Alienware 18 he bought a decade ago. He upgraded it to two 970M's in SLI when one the original GPUs died. It's showing it's age but still useable for gaming.

[@Bootystank99659]

The swag

[@clbr4458]

Yep, I owned that one. It was 2013 model with 780m sli.

[@TheGuy3-D]

My first "PC" was a huge gaming laptop from Asus in 2013 or 2014. I used it all the way until 2019, when it was worn out (I didn't take good care of it) and replaced it with an actual PC. These laptops aren't that bad an investment imo.

[@l3v1ckUK]

I can agree with this. I spend half the year away from home for work, so a high end laptop is aimed right at me. I just bought the 4080 version of the Zephyrus M16. It's perfect for my needs.

[@fedyaf2710]

Zephyrus are almost ultrabooks, i'm having g14 with 1650

[@zen5751]

I travel quite a bit as well and have been using desktop replacement laptops for the past few years. I currently have the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 with the Nebula HDR display. This thing is incredible and runs circles around my previous Alienware X17 R1.

[@MrRecorder1]

Love to see that LTT actually does understand the need for big laptops as well 🙂

[@getitorgetgotten]

Yeah, but really hating the clickbait lately...

[@BloonMan137]

@@getitorgetgotten ??? This isn’t clickbait at all it’s called an interesting title

[@garrett3108]

​@@getitorgetgotten Blame KZbin algorithm, not the creators trying to get the most out of a shitty system; especially when it's not really clickbait.

[@rocketjumper5419]

My company recently got 3D scanning equipment for collecting samples in the field. To go with it, a brand new gaming laptop. FUnnies part about it is that compared to the cost of the scanner (and the required software subscription) it's next to nothing.

[@jiriwichern]

I use one of these for development work. For one of my employers I work with sentence translation / language models. The GPU is very useful for fast inference and at least suitable for testing the software for custom model generation (although we haven't yet found a way to generate the largest models because of memory limitations). And the fast CPU and ample system memory are useful for all projects in which I have to compile and test large(ish) code bases. Also I need to be mobile and also often work from home and not all employers I work for have a hardware setup I can actually do my work on. So the gaming laptop can handle all environments I need / want to work in.

[@richardrisner921]

Thank you for taking off the "gaming" blinders and making a video for the rest of us! Very refreshing and honestly appreciated.

[@TippyHippy]

I put my hamster in a sock and slammed it against the furniture.

[@ElNegus9985]

@@TippyHippy I like to eat dogs.

[@DestroyerOff]

@@TippyHippy you should try roasting it after. Use some tahini for extra flavor.

[@prospersikhwari5289]

I game on console so these gaming benchmarks mean nothing to me, but I do need a powerful pc for my work and I’m interested in knowing how solidworks etc will perform so this is refreshing.

[@nadpro16]

I had a laptop/ portable desktop like this when I was in the Navy. When space is a premium it was well worth the cost. Also being able to bring it back to my barracks and connect it to a monitor, keyoard, and mouse and just use it like a desktop was great. Having a separate desktop and a laptop while out at see left me wanting to get back to shore even more.

[@njpme]

They always have those big ass laptop at the exchange

[@crikxouba]

I use one permanently connected to a TV to play games, browsing, etc. I chose it because it is much smaller than a PC of equivalent power and I can easily fit it in the cabinet

[@yellow9w8e53]

As a seafarer, I am glad someone finally talked about mobility, as a great advantage. Got MSI gp66 by the end of last year with i9 12th generation and 3070ti, cause thought that it will run games efficiently for 4 to 5 years and it won't be a bother to carry laptop around

[@wemartin12]

I'm guessing you're an officer? I wouldn't guess that regular merchant seamen could afford expensive hardware like that.

[@richardtargett4128]

@@wemartin12 you would be surprised.

[@GonePh1shing]

​@@wemartin12 Commercial marine crew get paid extremely well, at least the guys here in Australia do). Not so true for international shipping and cruise ship crew, as they're often from poor countries and routinely get exploited. But yeah, the domestic guys working offshore construction, supporting ROV crews, and fisheries often get paid very good six figure salaries.

[@wemartin12]

@@GonePh1shing Yeah I was thinking of international shipping staffed largely by Filipinos etc making close to Third World wages. But I guess crews on American flagged ships here make decent money.

[@zelda-kp8nr]

100% the reason I have mine. I have nowhere onboard I could set up a personal desktop and not be in someone's way. With the laptop I can use it pretty much anywhere I have convenience power and the stow it out of sight when I'm done.

[@Tom_Quixote]

Two words: Desktop Replacement. So many people are talking about portability, but for me, gaming on a laptop just means less clutter in my small apartment. I do my gaming on the dinner table and can quickly put the laptop away when I have guests. So I love my giant heavy gaming laptop and never go anywhere with it. I used to game on desktops and of course they are much better bang for the buck, but then I need a case, a screen, a keyboard, speakers, and wires everywhere.

[@Benny-jt9cj]

THANK YOU FOR POINTING THIS OUT. Im still baffled by the fact that there's people who still fail to understand the concept behind the creation of these machines. As a matter of fact, people like us need a different type of portability: not a thin and light laptop to carry around like at business meetings, just something that can be moved around with ease or transported at someone's home, for example a friend. People will keep whining about the fact that these laptops remain too expensive (which is in part true) and how a desktop simply perform better, but they will never understand because unlike us they have all the space they want for their ridiculous, super equipped, extra wide desk.

[@miko1059]

What Laptop do you have in wanting to buy one

[@ProAvgeek6328]

I am not obsessed with portability and weight. I don't want a tiny screen with only usb c ports that gets me seconds per frame. I want performance, lots of ports, good cooling, and a huge screen. If it fits in my 55 liter backpack then I am satisfied.

[@ProAvgeek6328]

@@drini9087 doesn't fit in my backpack

[@carlosdgutierrez6570]

​@ProAvgeek6328 get a bigger backpack.

[@ejeckk]

My last 3 out of 4 system were 'desktop replacements' (DR). I can only speak for myself, but my reason for purchasing a DR, is very simple: I was extremely limited on space. I was able to place all the latest games (albeit a lower settings), brows, record, and use productive software in a small, easy-to-store package. For my circumstances, the compact size to power ratio was perfect even if I had to pay a little bit more and sacrifice performance. A desk top would have been unworkable.

[@CalogeroZarbo]

I'm a professional in machine learning, currently relocating and the Asus Rog Strix 17" with the latest AMD CPU and the 4090 is absolutely phenomenal both for work and gaming.

[@bubblez_x_beast8721]

Yeah they're definitely a better deal than what they try to sell as "business only" laptops. Specifically from an architecture viewpoint I see them around a lot since we typically have a ton of rendering and modeling to do for projects. Great bang for the buck, just sucks having to lug them around and always having to plug them in but ya win some ya lose some

[@Fejszi]

But you are missing out on improved durability, especially older business laptops were unkillable; these big a** laptops are fairly fragile

[@bubblez_x_beast8721]

@nexin9732 there aren't many laptops that are super durable in my opinion anymore. At my current work I use a Microsoft surface pro that has a huge case on it. Most of the other trades use iPads with also large cases. Anyone that is out on a jobsite often enough primarily won't be needing something like those laptops anyways. Most keep them in the trailer. I don't think it makes sense to shell out literally thousands more just for slightly improved durability

[@MGrey-qb5xz]

i would just use it for portable gaming and general entertainment, doesn't have to be about work

[@MGrey-qb5xz]

@@Fejszi uh it's the opposite??

[@Neoxon619]

I know I mention fighting games a lot, but fighting game tournaments are actually a great use case for these kinds of laptops (albeit plugged into a monitor). This is especially true when you pair them with a Brook Wingman XB2 adapter, which allows for hot-swapping controllers when multiple people go to & from each laptop. MSI actually sponsors a few tournaments by providing laptops to the organizers, and the ones with beefier GPUs will be especially useful with newer fighting games like Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, & Mortal Kombat 12.

[@thyseice]

do fighting games needed the highest end performance?

[@Neoxon619]

@@thyseice The newer ones with more realistic art styles do, especially current-gen only games like Tekken 8 (though that likely isn’t coming until early next year). But more stylized games like Guilty Gear: Strive & The King of Fighters XV can get away with lower-end specs. As for refresh rates, most fighting games use higher refresh rates monitors for decreased input delay. Street Fighter 6’s current recommended specs from the beta are pretty beefy despite a PS4 version (that we’ve never seen as of when this comment was made) being planned, but that’ll likely be comparable to RE4 Remake (which is on the same systems). Mortal Kombat 12 is the X-Factor here, seeing as we haven’t actually *seen* the game despite its existence already being confirmed (with a 2023 release at that) via a WBD financial briefing.

[@BBROPHOTO]

Can confirm as someone who has been a photographer at a Tekken esports tournament

[@jesusbarrera6916]

@@thyseice no, FIGHTING games are notoriously easy to run..... but there can't be even a single frame running below 130fps AT LEAST in the background, they need to remain at 60fps forever

[@Junglez1001]

I actually have owned a gaming laptop ever since I went to university. The fact, that I can pack it into one bag and take it back to my parents in the breaks makes it good. After graduating, my job required me to move workplaces a lot + travelling home on the weekends made it way more convenient (at a high price tho)

[@hahagager]

Explain this to me. Who is buying tiny desktops.

[@timm9956]

I've actually convinced my dad to buy a such a huge gaming laptop because he often travels for work and does a lot of engineering projects and was looking for a new computer. Not to mention that those professional workstation replacements cost here (Poland) about 50% more just because and are hard to come by because of the comparably niche class they are in

[@smurfepower992]

then taking a trip to EU, say Germany or Netherlands, they are lot cheaper there. the 50% price difference would be a free weekend trip for you and your dad ;)

[@timm9956]

@@smurfepower992 We actually found a local laptop manufacturer who's focus was this kind of laptops so we got a really good deal for the bleading edge in stead of last gen in all the importet models. But I'll keep this tip in mind for when I'll be looking for an upgrade!

[@patrikgubeljak9416]

@@timm9956 Hi, what's the manufacturer if you don't mind me asking? :)

[@timm9956]

@@patrikgubeljak9416 It's a company called Hyperbook

[@DoomedRequiem]

Recently had to buy a laptop for a friend and had to get one of those beefy boys (MSI Workstation Laptop). I almost picked a gaming laptop with comparable specs, but they really wanted the "professional one". Updating the ram and storage was quite the experience.

[@DoomedRequiem]

@@Prophes0r oh they started grad school in architecture. They couldn't afford it at the moment so I helped them out.

[@jeroencox6264]

​@@Prophes0r I need the performance at the Uni workshop, in the normal classroom for CAD, go home in the weekends where I need it for development. Battery is pretty good as I dual boot pop! OS

[@amistrophy]

​@@Prophes0r the performance you get to use is better than the performance you "have". And remote desktop is a bitch to use you wouldn't understand; idling yer desktop all day is cringe. Also you can find i9 and 4090 laptops for 3.5k but you give up a few small comforts obv, still a very top end system they don't take away much

[@DoomedRequiem]

@@Prophes0r I agree with your assessment. They just really wanted something portable (or as portable as those things are) and considered getting a tower in the future.

[@amistrophy]

@@Prophes0r i guess it's good they have someone to manage it otherwise it would just be too much to deal with.

[@latt.qcd9221]

Friend of mine bought a large gaming laptop like this about a decade ago because he wanted the portability for gaming while going back and forth to college, instead of having to haul a desktop with him. I also used to have a hefty 17" laptop -- and still prefer them -- but never used "gaming" laptops. I just like having a large screen and a sizeable keyboard while working, as I generally do tons of multitasking. Now I work mostly on my T530 Thinkpad and get judging stares from people for different reasons.

[@athanoskerensky6778]

The use case is pretty unique for this type of footprint. For me, a desktop doesn’t make sense because I live on a sailboat so a laptop that can come as close to a desktop is perfect for my use case.

[@celestewilliams5681]

That was a great summary on using those devices. I used to own one, but the compromises I made with that laptop, it ended up getting replaced by a desktop after I didn't need to move around as much. Now though, I feel like a powerful desktop + Steam Deck config works really well.

[@shakeval]

i spent almost 10 years as an over the road trucker and had a massive 18" alienware laptop for most of that time, was able to do some upgrades and was very happy to have it.

[@MrInstinctGamer]

So many engineering college students have the crazy portable desktops, it makes sense for them. I think you'll also often see them in remote workers/gamers that need the horsepower. I do wonder how insane the market is, especially after thin 'n' light laptops have gotten so good.

[@afriendofafriend223]

It's great for people who do remote work outside of the country, because if you transport a tower to your second home - you can potentially be hit with massive import taxes on components, but be able to move a laptop no problem.

[@atellismarin4607]

Reminds me of the military days. Desktop replacement circa 2005 is what all us younger guys in our platoon did. The battery life was more a built in UPS and we were fine with that (ready access to generators that had to be kept running). We all used pelican cases for them to so the extra bulk of a larger laptop meant little. We were under flight restrictions for duty time in Iraq so we had time to do a lot of gaming. We actually had a I think a 20 port hub and a roll of cable with connectors, we could and did set up 10+ player LAN parties anywhere.

[@Unicorn161]

And once people were able to buy local internet connections, often satellite, they could do some online gaming and streaming (less back then in the early days). Even when not gaming those large screens were nice for watching movies.

[@matthewmalaker477]

I actually daily-drove a laptop like this when I was a teenager because my parents were divorced. I saw no point building a desktop when I could only use it every other week, and frankly, the mobile 4700 and 770m were enough performance for a long time. I got a good 4 years out of that machine. Granted, that was in part due to intel stagnating on the cpu side, but still. Basically having a desktop that I could move, which, while cumbersome, I only had to do once per week, was the obvious choice. I moved straight to desktop once I got the chance though.

[@alangarde2928]

Yup, got my kid one too for the exact same reason, it was easy for him to move between his Mum's house in the week and mine at the weekends. Maybe half the time he wouldn't touch it and it would stay in the rucksack, but it made it no hassle and a no brainer (and no arguments). Even lasted him through the start of Uni before he went to a thin and light for day to day use and then a desktop when he graduated.

[@amistrophy]

I really didn't realize intel stagnated cpus for like 6 fucking generations didn't they?

[@granatmof]

Honestly the years of Intel stagnation was actually sort of a good time. Your cpu was effective for like half a decade, with maybe a gpu upgrade a few years later.

[@f1nal_c4ll75]

I work as a designer mainly focusing on 3D. I often get sent to other offices to work with marketing teams and execs. Around the time Intel released 7th gen CPUs, I somehow convinced IT to let me buy an MSI gaming laptop (Instead of the usual MacBook) and I loved the power it gave me. I'm currently running an Asus Zephyrus 11th gen and I'm due to upgrade again soon. With that being said - I would never buy one of these laptops for personal use/for myself. I've only played a handful of games on my work laptops over the years and I honestly can't say I enjoyed it too much. I would rather bring my Switch for gaming on the go.

[@avieshek]

It's said that MacBooks are pretty much useless at their premium beyond those that make living out of KZbin like iJustine.

[@GSMaloo]

Had that back in the days I was a VR student, it is a good compromise : - You can game pretty decently on it with good looking graphics - It is transportable - Consume a lot less power - Don't need a huge desk I remember I made a custom dock for it when I was home to play on a bigger screen and use usb keyboard/mouse.

[@Behdad47]

I'm gonna give you another use case: A friend of mine bought an Asus ROG GX700 (I forgot the name of the model. He bought the air-cooled version) for gaming and, get this, satellite design when we were freshmen. He's only 5 ft 6 in and the laptop and its stuff weighed 1/3 of his own weight but he carried them everywhere he went. He kept a nice balance between work and his hardware design. He sadly shorted the motherboard while working on another project.

[@complete-mayhem-x64]

I got a 13th gen core i9 and a 4080 laptop mostly due to content creation needs. I do some videos on my own channel, but I have two side jobs editing youtube videos that I need to work on while not at my home. The dual encoders in the 4080 and massive cpu genuinely increased the speed of my work more than 2 fold compared to my older 8750h 6 core cpu. I don't tend to use it for gaming however.

[@fooktade]

The biggest reason I got one of those is because I travel a lot and want to be able to video edit and game without it freezing or being thermal throttled.

[@madlad4206]

just get a mac

[@Stix_Zidinia]

lol it's probably power and thermal throttling if you aren't plugged.

[@fooktade]

@MadLad lololol for worse specs, less compatability, and no upgrades paths, not yo mention the lack of repair pathways I have. Plus these come with better io and il not locked into a toxic ecosystem

[@kodamatrain]

​@@madlad4206 Lol Mac for gaming?

[@imortalXsoul]

@@fooktade If video editing is what you primarily need it for, macs are better as a portable device. I have an RTX 3070, 32GB ram and a Ryzen 3700X in my PC and a Ryzen 5800H/RTX 3070, 16GB ram in my gaming laptop and they both struggle with projects that my M2 macbook air clears. Obviously, macs can't game lol. Just depends on what you need it for, and macs are infinitely more portable than any powerful windows gaming laptop.

[@ignatius2510]

I am a PhD student in cognitive psychology and just bought an MSI gigantic laptop a couple months ago for experiment purposes. I need something cost-efficient, a widescreen with a high refresh rate, and proper GPU, CPU and RAM to run my psychology experiments. I could not go for desktop options since I wish to be mobile for my data collection process. That laptop met all the requirements and was on sale (for less than 900 British pounds). I do all my other tasks on a 14-inch MacBook Pro, but that MSI laptop is still a must for my work.

[@rexx273]

Just built my first pc for gaming with 5 5600 and gtx 1650s, it gets the job done for a casual gamer like me. just wanted to say i couldn't have done it this easily without your videos Linus and everyone in LMG, thanks for the information and keep making more informational video 🎉

[@Daniel-dj7fh]

Me with my 5 3600 and 3060 can say the same. Only Minecraft likes to clock render to +80Chunks after every second update for some reason, which kills my cpu abit.

[@StevenEveral]

As someone who travels a lot, having a (relatively) portable gaming laptop is a lifesaver. If you turn down the settings while it's on battery you can get some decent battery life out of a gaming laptop with general productivity. When I have some downtime, all I have to do is break out the charger (which I always keep in my carry-on bag) and play some games or edit videos to pass the time at a hostel or an airport. It's obviously not as convenient as an ultrabook, but having a powerful laptop that can go anywhere is quite convenient.

[@jonathantroyer7056]

Really love the depth of field on the head shot, makes it look much more "HD". Love seeing LTT constantly up their standards for quality.

[@barry-allan]

I really enjoy this style, as well as the green screen portions

[@nicolas.predella]

I'm a 3d generalist, who does a mix of rendering, VR, and AI-based graphics: it was imperative for me to get myself a capacious and powerful GPU and at the same time have a mobile device, to be able to make VR demos and iterate on models in-person for instance. However, not being a huge fan of the build quality of gaming laptops, and needing the extra VRAM from a quadro-class GPU, i went for a thinkpad P series instead. At home i still always preferred using a laptop due to lower noise and power draw, and lower use of space.

[@michaelmunday1171]

I work in live production and these desktop replacements are very commonplace. Whether it's Vectorworks rendering, Resolume graphics platform, audio recording, or lighting as either a rendering pre-vis machine or as a redundant backup to your main console, I don't mind the weight. I would probably carry it in a Pelican with all the other gear anyway.

[@JasperSchwinghammer]

Id still use a desktop for resolume as i need multiple outputs and dont trust dongles in a live production setting though

[@jpjapers]

Still puzzles me why vectorworks has such a foothold in production!

[@michaelmunday1171]

@@jpjapers It mostly has to do with their "Spotlight" features, visualization engine and entertainment plugins for theatre and touring. Especially with the GrandMA console. Apparently they can do truss load calculations now. Honestly it's pretty easy to use for how feature rich it is. Honestly it's pretty great to have a laptop loaded up with it on top of having the GP printed.

[@michaelmunday1171]

​@@JasperSchwinghammerYeah the way laptops are going these days were lucky to have a full sized HDMI port. You could use something like a bunch of AJA T-Taps with a thunderbolt dock, but that seems almost as clunky as a desktop with a Decklink card

[@JasperSchwinghammer]

@@jpjapers why? What would be the alternative?

[@Hurkes]

It's not even entirely about performance as much as it is about portability, they're essentially 2 completely different categories. ❤

[@Raiko01]

That shit not even portable

[@MylesKillis]

@@Raiko01it’s more portable than a desktop

[@DanorDave]

I think the reason for most people to buy those laptops including me, would be how easy it is to set up and how clean and simple they look and feel

[@1_ekul]

I can feel the sarcastic tone through my phone

[@DanorDave]

@@1_ekul but they are clean, just not easy to fix

[@1_ekul]

@@DanorDave the design of any gaming portable workstation laptop can not be described as clean. Something clean would be a MacBook Air for example.

[@FR4NKL1NCODMWII]

​@@1_ekulor Asus ROG Flow devices or Microsoft surface devices

[@IO-_-Ol]

The main people buying these things are students studying engineering. The others could be gamers who don’t have much desk space. It’s super cool for general programming and simulation applications though.

[@Theckonestroh]

Director of the plant was using a gaming laptop with 16" screen that he used on (2) 42" monitors in his office. The whole business conference chats one monitor with other to actually pull up paperwork or engineering models. Most of the time take it home for work ,but in their till 5pm or later. Secretary was the only one complaining on a 16" LCD. Old school was still using post-its around the Monitor.

[@SamuraiMujuru]

I can answer this very question from at least one perspective. For a good while I stuck to big beefy gaming laptops because because I wanted a machine that could game well but space was extremely limited and I was regularly on the move so the increased price was worth having the "smaller", more flexible footprint.

[@l_burn]

I bought a Lenovo Legion 5 Pro with a 3070 and 5800h for $1,200USD last year and I'm very happy with it. I added a second 1tb SSD and upgraded the RAM to 32gb dual rank for about $200 more. It's handled every game I've thrown at it (usually at max settings) with no issues at all, except the RTX version of Portal. That one kicked the laptops ass until I turned a lot of settings down. I chose this over a desktop because the only place I had to setup was an unfinished basement that leaks/floods and I wanted to be able to easily move the important bits to a less damp environment when the issue arises. I got the bonus of being able to take my PC gaming setup anywhere. Once I get some sump pumps installed I'll probably just build a new desktop but I don't plan on getting rid of this laptop until it dies. I've already got a 27" monitor and little desk setup down there. I'll have to take some pictures and post it to get it roasted by LTT because the whole area is about as jank as you can get without being built from duct tape.

[@tharun7290]

How did you get the higher spec version for $1200 !? You are lucky. Maybe it’s due to the silicon shortage but I paid $1300 for the 3060 version in Jan 2022🥲

[@l_burn]

@@tharun7290 it was later in 2022 when I bought mine. ANTOnline was running a sale on their eBay store. Originally it had the 1tb SSD and 16gb RAM. What pissed me off a little was that for about $1400 I could have gotten the 3070ti and 6800h version. I just didn't see that and they don't give full refunds. They don't call it a restocking fee anymore because eBay said they weren't allowed to do that but your returned items that have been opened immediately become "used" so you don't get a full refund.

[@DystopianOverture]

I'm a photographer, and back in 2021 I needed an upgrade. When I started looking up laptops via the specs I needed gaming laptops showed up the most and was better value. Being able to play my faves is a bonus that I often take advantage of lmao

[@CarlosMatheus-gz4te]

Last year i was going to job ( about 40min from my engineering class) to work every single day. I bought a rtx 4050 + i5 12500h, dropped some undervolt to keep temperatures and noisy down, and now im working mostly from class or in some random college room, saving me a lot of travel time.

[@jhobden]

Thank you David for all your hard work making these entertaining cutaways! The silent hero of some of these edits...

[@Toobst8ker]

I agree.. I enjoyed this video more because of these cutaways

[@hadrienhartgers3498]

Only issue with these machines was usually their poor battery life. Don't know if it has changed. The other major drawback is that they are so heavy to transport and so bulky that you can't use them properly in situations like a train or your own laps. But I get the appeal, they allow for so much power under the hood that they are easily the best solution for anyone needing a small machine that can be at times transported.

[@runbohe]

Another huge issue is that because of its battery life, you need to then bring the charging adapter which is also heavy and large, which just adds to the inconvenience. But it's still the only way to go if you need to bring a powerful machine around.

[@dodo19923]

@@runbohe Depends on use case for me. Personally, i'm moving house and travel to see family a lot. A laptop with comparable performance or significantly more than my 2080ti desktop i use for gaming/media consumption etc that i can plug a controller into and a headset and game while i'm away but then plug into my tv at home and use as a desktop replacement (for my own personal use case) makes more sense to me.

[@Ben-ig3bf]

I bought Gaming Laptops all the time when my housing situation was still temporary (because I swiched a whole lot when starting out with Uni, also when I was a teenager and my parents were seperated and i switched every week). Its for the people that have multiple places where they might sleep, and its more people than one would think

[@Sabre_Wulf1]

I just purchased the m18 r1 alienware 4090. Loving it...so they are selling. I didn't have room for a fat desktop, but didn't want to compromise my gaming. So far its running cyberpunk in 1440p at over 170 fps with rt. I am loving the laptop.

[@hadymohamed1538]

Cyberpunk 1440p 170fps with rt on is so crazy man

[@siutingkwan2894]

For me, the good side of the gaming laptops are able to allow me to shift from bedroom to living room easily, that's why I have been using it from 2016. But the premium paid and the discount of performance is the major sadness. Although the gap has been narrowing, but still caped by the thermal and the battery powering limits

[@PADB]

Watching this video makes me proud to own my Clevo P870. Company I bought it from told me “it’s gonna last for a long time for what you want to do”. Might have to jump ship to framework next time since I was hooked on that MXM upgrade ability.

[@snowmean1]

Clevo are amazing laptops, but what I specifically like about them is how they are Linux friendly across the entire line. System76 and Tuxedo are both using Clevo chassis, and any tools from them are working absolutely fine. I'm using Tuxedo-Keyboard and Tuxedo Control Center on my Metabox, so I can even control how many cores to enable, adjust core clocks, pick keyboard light color etc etc.

[@KerbalRocketry]

I've seen them in use at work, they're useful for moderate workloads while retaining flexible desks! rather than needing a whole desk for the desktop you can have a luggable you can take with you to remote work sites, presentation rooms, or use with flexible desking

[@yangkerino4473]

I have one of these massive MSI laptop. My main reason for choosing it over a cheaper desktop for the same specs is the portability as I travel weekly. Being able to work and not miss out on gaming is always a plus to me.

[@nicehaircutmrsvarog]

Same. I'd buy a gaming laptop over a gaming desktop every time just from the portability alone.

[@dh8203]

I used to be the guy buying these. Back then I traveled and moved a lot, even a giant brick of a laptop was far easier to take with me than any desktop. It does help that my spine is strong enough to take the weight.

[@MtnNerd]

Watching this on my ROG Strix laptop. I just like the simplicity of gaming on the couch with my laptop on a small stand. Also during the long GPU shortage, the finances for a laptop and an equivalent desktop were the same if not better. Even now the the cost isn't that much higher.

[@aaronogden9900]

Yes I was pricing up for a desktop 2 years ago and just couldn’t match the performance I could get out of the laptop I ended up buying for the same money. I’ll be going desktop again next upgrade but I’ve been happy with my laptop and I wear head phones anyway so the jet engine simulator doesn’t bother me😂

[@rpis2op102]

As a student studying game design who shifted to the UK from India, it wasn’t possible for me to build a PC here or shift it as I also needed something to carry to class. I’ve got a zephyrus G15 with an rtx 3070ti and honestly no complains. Great performance and I just hook it up to a 1440p 240hz monitor when I’m in my room

[@JudeTheYoutubePoopersubscribe]

I'd be very worried about having 8gb of vram and no way to upgrade it

[@adnanbezerra6014]

I watched this video because one colleague of mine, an architect, actually bought one of these laptops. I'm the IT guy and his computer would smash mine. I felt like I was flying a jet when I went to configure our printer for him. insane

[@thomashenderson3326]

As one of those consumers, I cross the Atlantic multiple times a year for months at a time. Would I prefer a desktop for upgradability and a much better cost/performance ratio? Absolutely, without a second thought. But it's kind of hard to fit a desktop into my backpack. I do fit a fat gaming laptop and 2x 17" monitor just fine, even though the TSA always freaks out when I pull out 3 "laptops" and I almost always have to explain 2 of them are portable 17" monitors. And then they look at me funny. (And yeah, I miss when I had a 27 main + 2x 24 side monitors. But again, hard to fit the whole setup in a backpack. I know I'm not alone in the cry for upgradability on laptops. It's gotten stupid with ram soldered directly to the motherboard and buying on one continent means 0 support on the other so I have to fix any issues entirely myself because, quite frankly, laptop manufacturers are shit when crossing regions. Yes, all of them.

[@andrewstambaugh240]

Having been a Naval Architect & draftsman: *the 18" high resolution screen was worth it. *The desktop processor helped a lot with speed when commonly opening multiple files at once (eg merging hi-res large file size blueprint scans into cad files) *And merging multiple computers constantly is a big pain.* *And I gamed in evenings and listen to music or watched movies in the background while I worked. *And having newer faster transfer speeds helped, as I would leave each week with a full copy of my work files (approx 150 GB), that If thought about 1st could be cut to a 15min operation. I also was a commercial fisherman, so it came in handy out on the water too. (the captain was tempted to get one for our newer navigation software). PS if you are rocking around on a boat, set your plug/unplug actions to change screen brightness, so you know when the cord falls out. It's a different mindset than a tablet: A tablet is generally a check emails or goof off device that has long battery life and can be used almost anywhere. A desktop replacement laptop is for work or serious play. It can be powered on for a quick check on the go, but normally you setup somewhere comfortable to work, and you are always looking for a power outlet. My 8+ year old DRLaptop is _still_ faster than most new non-gaming laptops friends buy, and a lot of good games on steam don't require much to run. The only issue is games requiring dx12 or games that _need_ a decent gaming system level of power to run (notably, my _10year old OC desktop system_ + upgraded to modern gpu runs most on high graphics at 1080. Tells you how little cpu's have actually improved other than core count and power consumption)

[@forrest225]

I used one for engineering school, but in 2013 there weren’t any smaller options that could provide the same sort of performance.

[@EOSZash]

As a 3D artist, I gotta say that is extremely interesting, I would love to be a digital nomad, moving a lot, traveling, visiting places, but I have to stick to my home to work on my setup (4090, 14900KS, 128gb ram etc) because I wouldn't find anything as powerful while being portable. I thought about going for the new M4 MacBook hoping it would be enough but idk, but with this computer tho? I'm considering waiting for the 5090 version and start flying around the world, for sure!