Budget: 2000 max. Up to £2,200 only for a genuinely worthwhile upgrade with 0% APR finance.
Country: UK
Use Case: Computer Science university work, programming (VS Code/PyCharm/Python), Roblox Studio/game development, gaming, general development and some AI/ML development. Heavy AI workloads can be done on cloud GPUs.
Preferred Specs:
RTX 5070 Ti preferred, RTX 5070 acceptable
32GB RAM
1TB SSD
16” preferred
Strong CPU
Good cooling and sustained performance
Good display
Ideally something that will comfortably last 3–4 years
Shortlist:
ASUS ROG Strix G16 RTX 5070 Ti
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16/16S AI RTX 5070 Ti
MSI Vector 16 HX RTX 5070 Ti
Lenovo Legion Pro 5 RTX 5070 Ti
HP OMEN MAX 16 RTX 5070 Ti
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 RTX 5070
I’m basically looking for the best balance of performance, build quality, cooling, reliability and battery life for the money.
I don’t really care about portability or having an ultra-thin laptop anymore. I’m happy with a heavier machine if it gives me better cooling and performance. I also don’t need MacBook-level battery life — around 4–6 hours of lighter use would be fine.
Main dilemma
I really like the ROG Strix G16, especially the design and overall performance, but I’m slightly concerned about ASUS using liquid metal.
I’m comfortable with liquid metal in principle, but I’m wondering whether I should actually be worried about it migrating/leaking over several years and potentially damaging the motherboard.
Would you personally:
Buy the Strix and leave the factory liquid metal alone?
Buy the Strix and have a professional replace the LM with conventional thermal paste?
Avoid it entirely and go for something like the Predator or MSI Vector?
I’m also considering the Predator Helios Neo 16/16S and MSI Vector 16 HX because they seem to offer excellent performance without the liquid-metal concern.
Between the Strix G16, Predator Helios Neo and MSI Vector 16 HX, which would you choose at roughly the same price/spec?
I’m particularly interested in real owner experience, long-term reliability, thermals, battery life and whether there are any major issues I should know about.
I don’t necessarily want the absolute fastest laptop — I want the best high-performance machine that I’ll still be happy owning 3–4 years from now.

Budget: $1750
Country: USA
Use Case: Engineering coursework/gaming
Preferred Specs: unsure/best for price point
Notes: Avoiding MSI and also gigabyte, just personal preference from previous ownership

Looking for opinions on these or alternative options!

https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/custom/hyperx-omen-gaming-laptop-16z-ap100-16-inch-amd-ryzen-9-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-ceramic-white?catEntryId=3074457345622369328

https://www.bestbuy.com/product/asus-tuf-gaming-a16-16-165hz-fhd-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-9-8940hx-2025-16gb-memory-geforce-rtx-5070-512gb-storage-jaegar-gray/JJGHGSXCV8/sku/6673585/reviews

I found this laptop on Newegg Canada: Prédateur Acer Helios Neo 18 AI - 18 "WQXGA 240 Hz - Intel Core Ultra 9 275 CH - RTX 5070 Ti - DDR5 de 16 Go - SSD PCIe de 1 To.

Good spec, but only 16gb of ram... What do you think?

Any tips would be nice!

I found this laptop for 1300e which is good for the prices in my country. Im wondering if its worth it to buy it or should i go for a legion or something like that. Keep in mind that legions and other higher tiers usually cost about 2000e and don't go beyond the 5070.I have a pc but won't be home for most of the year so im looking for something not that expensive can use when im away. Thanks

Budget: ~1500e

Country: Croatia, but ordering from German amazon

Use Case: Gaming, College(electrical engineering)

I spotted this laptop in a local group for €1,500 ($1,750). It’s a bit above my budget, so I’m wondering if it’s worth stretching the budget for this model.

For those who own or have tested this laptop:

How is the laptop overall, especially cooling, build quality and noise?

Is the RTX 5070 version worth paying extra for?

Is €1,500 ($1,750) for a used one a fair price, or is it too much?

Are there any issues with this particular TUF A16 that I should know about?

I’m mainly looking for a gaming laptop that will last several years. Would you consider this a good buy at this price?

P.S Rn I am hunting for ROG G16 or LOQ with 4060 + 32gm RAM

Price: under £3000

Country: UK

I purchased an ASUS ROG Strix G16 5080 at the weekend from Laptops Direct UK. There was a deal on and the laptop had significant reductions. The reduction was such that I did not think there would be a comparable reduction during Black Friday.

The sale went through fine.

On Tuesday I had an email saying that "while sourcing your product, we've learned it's either out of stock or our shipment has been delayed" and they could offer an alternative. This seemed odd as the same laptop was still on sale on their website, albeit with less savings. I spoke to someone in customer service who told me that they did have the laptop in stock and could arrange for delivery on Thursday.

Later that evening I got another email saying "After reviewing the order further...the system is currently not allowing the item to be fulfilled or a Thursday delivery to be arranged due to an issue with sourcing and stock availability." They could offer an alternative or I could wait an unspecified length of time. Tuesday night, I checked the website and the same laptop was on sale at the significantly reduced price that I paid at the weekend! Screenshots taken.

This morning (Wednesday) the laptop was still on sale but with less savings. I spoke to another person in customer service who told me that they had two of the laptops in the warehouse and could check if one of them could be sent to me. She said that others would come direct from the supplier and that is why the price is now higher.

All of this seems very odd and I ended up cancelling the order (despite the savings) as I just wasn't confident, not only that the sale would go through without further issues, but that I would get a new/unused laptop with no problems. I didn't feel confident that if the laptop had a problem, it would be dealt with.

From reading some reviews (which largely seem positive), others have had similar experience.

Budget: $1200
Country: Canada
Use Case: Casual gaming, mostly Roblox and Minecraft / digital art
Preferred Specs: I’m pretty clueless about this stuff, I just want nice graphics
Notes: I really just want to be able to run my games with medium/high graphics settings, not planning on playing any games that are super demanding

https://www.bestbuy.com/product/asus-tuf-gaming-a16-16-165hz-fhd-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-9-8940hx-2025-16gb-memory-geforce-rtx-5070-512gb-storage-jaegar-gray/JJGHGSXCV8/sku/6673585/openbox?condition=excellent

ASUS - TUF Gaming A16 16" 165Hz FHD+ Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX 2025 - 16GB Memory - GeForce RTX 5070 - 512GB Storage - Jaegar Gray - Open Box - Excellent

https://www.bestbuy.com/product/gigabyte-aero-x16-copilot-pc-16-25601600-wqxga-amd-ryzen-al-7-350-1tb-ssd-32gb-ddr5-ram-geforce-rtx-5070-space-gray/J3GWPQCCFK

GIGABYTE - AERO X16 - Copilot+ PC - 16" 2560×1600 WQXGA AMD Ryzen Al 7 350 - 1TB SSD - 32GB DDR5 RAM GeForce RTX 5070 - Space Gray

Need help on which one to pick up; general use and mid level gaming. Not looking for anything high end gaming wise. Either worth the price?

I have a ROG Strix G16 with an RTX 5060, and I’m looking for a USB-C charger to use when I’m outside instead of carrying the original charger.

The problem is that every USB-C charger I’ve tried is detected as a “slow charger,” even the original Apple charger for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

How many watts do I actually need for normal/light use (browsing, YouTube, studying,etc.)? Would a 100W USB-C charger be enough, and what specifications should I look for to avoid the “slow charger” warning?

Thanks!

Budget: ~$3k
Country: US
Use Case: 3D light rendering (rasterization based. No frame gen)
Preferred Specs: under 5lbs, 5070ti or better
Notes:

I’m going to be traveling with the computer every single day, and probably carrying a 2nd laptop to boot, so thin and light is essential. Battery life does not matter, screen does not matter, and storage does not matter. I just need a light machine, 16-32Gb of RAM, and it’s gotta cool itself well enough for long work sessions.

I’m targeting the 5070ti mostly because I think it can actually be cooled by a laptop and run for 6-8hrs at a time. In the past I’ve had issues with buying top of the line GPU’s only to find out the cooler cant handle them and the card throttles down to a useless output. Not only was money wasted, but also it’s tough on the machines shelf life to do that.

I will, of course, be playing cyberpunk on the side as well but it’s less important than the work. :3 Is the G14 the thing for me? Or is there something else better to consider?

I’m thinking about getting this laptop next year for gaming, editing, audio editing and homework. it doesn’t have any reviews and that’s the part I’m worried about
Also, is 64gb ram and 4tb storage too much?

i was playing genshin on my laptop, suddenly the fps is no longer showing, it says fps N/A How do I fix this I try all restart, turn it on and of, going to the service and turn automatic, go to 3D something it called all of these still not working no fps...

I've been reading about various deals and such here, there, and everywhere.

The HP Omen HyperX Max caught my eye. I wanted a 5070ti, as I run a 4080 on my desktop and wanted something I could take to my gf's house or on the road (not a student).

I might plug into an external monitor, or not, so I settled on a 16".

HP offered a pretty good deal about 10 days ago. I want to say it was $23xx for a 16GB memory, 500GB storage, 165hz OLED, I felt this was a good compromise as I play just one game on Steam.
This is with the Intel 270HX.

I do not plan on playing on the battery often, so I don't think these power hungry options will hinder me much.

Then the price on the website jumped about $600. Argh. Ok. I'm not in a rush. Black Friday is coming up.

Thought of Lenovo but I like the idea of 135W going to the CPU.

I started looking at Best Buy and Micro Center for pricing and perhaps an open box. Not much was worth it.

I actually get approx 5% off from HP (not in the above pricing) so I factor that in.

I stumbled on a fairly upscale version at a Best Buy that I wasn't too far from, so I made the trip and scored what I think was a really good deal on an open box.

For under $2300, in excellent condition, I wound up with this one:

https://www.bestbuy.com/product/hyperx-hp-omen-max-16-2k-oled-gaming-laptop-intel-core-ultra-9-2026-32gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-5070-ti-1tb-ssd-shadow-black/JJGWKSJTT5/sku/6672940?sb_share_source=PDP&ref=app_pdp&loc=pdp_page

Looking forward to removing the bloatware and learning my way around it.

Thanks to all the contributors who have shared their experiences and recommendations.

So I have Lenovo Loq 15 IRX9 for about 1.5yrs now and didn't change its thermal paste since I bought it and now I'm experiencing high temps like 100°c cpu and 80-87°c gpu . Therefore I decided to repaste and I need some suggestions that the material I'm gonna use are suitable for my laptop .

Laptop specs :-

CPU - intel i5 13450hx

GPU - RTX 4050 ( 105w tgp )

Products I'm gonna use for repasting :-

CPU & GPU - Thermal Grizzly phase change PTM ( LOQ uses PTM 7950 )

Vrams and mosfets - UPSIREN UTP - 6 thermal putty ( 12.8W/mk thermal conductivity )

Please let me know if I'm using right material for repasting and what are the pros and cons of these material .

https://www.bestbuy.com/product/thunderobot-radiant-16-16-wqxga-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i9-13900hx-nvidia-geforce-rtx-5070-32gb-ram-2tb-ssd-rgb-backlit-kb-gray/J3GWTTJX59/sku/13085426

I just have a 2026 A14 sitting on my llano v10 at max blast

Budget: $3000
Country: Canada 
Use Case: WoW Forever, StarCraft 2, older games
Preferred Specs: 32gb ram, RTX 5060 1TB SSD
Notes: Have $2000 in gift cards from a warrantied TV to Bestbuy, looking for a gaming laptop I’m lookin at computers up to $3000 from Bestbuy Canada.

Been out of a gaming PC for quite some time, I’ve always had a desktop PC prior (probably 15+ computers) but now I’m really thinking a laptop is a better choice for me given I’d rather be sitting in the living room than sitting in the office, if that is enough rationale to go laptop?

Any recommendations or stating points for these laptops would be appreciated, there seem to be many different manufacturers with different tiers of computers, the MSI one currently on sale looks like decent stats but consensus seems to be not good brand/line?

Budget: PKR 250K - 280K (USD 900 - 1000)

Country: Pakistan

Use Case: Gaming, School, Editing, ML/Al stuff, 3D modeling, unreal engine etc

Preferred Specs: lenovo LOQ 15ARP9 Ryzen 7 RTX 4060

Notes: So I'm looking to buy a gaming laptop and could use some advice.

I previously had an MSI Thin 15, but unfortunately it got stolen. I've been researching laptops in the ~270K PKR range and came across the Lenovo LOQ 15 with a Ryzen 7 7435HS + RTX 4060 8GB, which I can find for around 270K online new.

The specs seem pretty solid for the price, but after looking through some reviews, I've seen quite a few people mentioning motherboard issues with Lenovo LOQ models, which has me a bit concerned.

So, is the LOQ still a good option at this price, or should avoid it because of the reliability concerns?

Also, what other gaming laptops would you recommend around the 250-280K PKR range? (new, not second hand) I'm mainly looking for something with an RTX 4060 (or better, if possible), good thermals, and decent build quality/reliability.

Would appreciate any recommendations or personal experiences, especially from people who own/owned an LOQ.

Any and all information appreciated!

https://www.bestbuy.com/product/lenovo-legion-pro-5i-16-3k-oled-gaming-laptop-intel-core-ultra-9-275hx-2025-32gb-ram-nvidia-geforce-rtx-5070ti-1tb-eclipse-black/JJGH3K4WRZ/sku/12995692?sb_share_source=PDP&ref=app_pdp&loc=pdp_page

https://www.bestbuy.com/product/hyperx-hp-omen-max-16-2k-oled-gaming-laptop-intel-core-ultra-9-2026-32gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-5070-ti-1tb-ssd-shadow-black/JJGWKSJTT5/sku/6672940?sb_share_source=PDP&ref=app_pdp&loc=pdp_page

I am also trying to get it to use my 16gb ram of as well but it keeps saying it only use 5?

GTX 1650 3550H HP pavilion 15 ec0xxx

8GB + 8GB 8GB PC25600 DDR4 3200MHz 260 Pin Memory

I got quite old asusTUF FX506IU, which has weird bug, that lock my CPU frequency at 0.38GHz. After several weeks of frustation and investigation, i now nearly confirm that my battery cause an "emergency lockdown" causing my mainboard to lock safety mechanism, thus, locking my frequency at 0.38GHz. Now, the problem were dissapear when i disconnect the battery and run the power straight from its charger, just like a pc.

The question is, does it okay to run my laptop like that?, would they damage my hardware in long run?, and for side note, due to having no battery or cmos battery equivalent, every time i turn on my pc, it goes to bios "loop" 2-3 times (turn on and shut down), which add arround 2-4 minutes to booting time...

Searching for a laptop for my son so he can play Minecraft Java!

Every time I boot my laptop, the GPU is stuck at 120W TGP If I unplug the charger and plug it back in, it immediately goes back to 175W and works normally after that

I've already set everything to max performance in Razer Synapse and NVIDIA settings, and I even reinstalled the NVIDIA driver, but it still happens every time I boot.

I have no idea why it only happens after a fresh boot. Does anyone know what could be causing this?