Hi all,

Need some guidance from anyone with experience...

I'm looking to buy a new laptop for university that will last me at least 5 yrs. I play mostly 4X games with huge maps so I'm looking for a more capable GPU that wont stutter with end game large maps even on low settings (which my desktop's 1050 2GB+ 16gb ram+ i5 4th gen is doing now).

I have a budget of RM7k thereabouts.

My wants are:

- 15 inch
- 8th gen CPU (preferably i7)
- 8-16 gb RAM
- GTX 1060 seems to be a sweet spot and sorta futureproof while still being within my budget
- Don't need a monitor more than 120hz tbh
- thin & relatively light (2.5kg with adapter would be amazing)
- good cooling system with not so obnoxious fan noise since I will be using it in class
- I know battery life will be sacrificed with a 1060 but if i can get 5 hours on battery it would be amazing.
- international warranty since I will be studying abroad.

So far I think the MSI GE63 Raider and the newly-released Asus ROG Strix Scar II would fit most of my needs however I haven't found a shop that has the Scar II on display yet. Of the two brands which would be better for my situation? I heard Asus has bad cooling system compared to MSI and tends to run a little hot?

Thanks in advance for your help.

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UPDATE: Scar II 1060 releases after my flight date so instead I chose Asus ROG Zephyrus-M (GTX 1060 ver). On Optimus + Power Saver with screen brightness at 40%, keyboard backlighting on - battery expectancy was 3Hr 50+ mins while browsing + watching 1080p Youtube videos. Need to do more battery tests to make sure. Keyboard keys are soft on pressing and not too loud. Only tried minimal gaming so far but no lags or stutter playing early game huge map on Civ 5 with 12 AI players + 24 City-States which I am very happy about (and this was on Optimus). Fan is not so loud but like I said I only played minimal games.

Too lazy to upload pics, just PM if you need one.

This post has been edited by Mizu: Jul 8 2018, 02:02 PM

Sweet budget,.,suggesting u take Asus gm501 g instead

Thanks for your suggestion. Yeah was considering this model before the Scar II, but Scar II seems to have slightly updated specs. I do like the appearance of the Zeph-M though, very thin but still keeping weight the same.

However I've watched a few reviews where they say battery life on Zeph-M is way below average in this class. But that was on 1070 model so not sure if 1060 model has better life.

Someone also recommended Illegear Onyx to me but the lack of physical store makes it hard to check the laptop out.

Asus GL lineup is mediocre especially cooling. Zephyrus M is better despite thinner chassis. It has Optimus switch, however battery life is only around 4 hours

Illegear has physical store

You can't get all of that. Cooling will not be great in thin chassis. Also there are not many thin gaming laptops with good battery life

GE Raider is better than Asus GL series

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: Jul 2 2018, 07:00 PM

Thanks for the advice and suggestions!

I see... so for the sake of long term use better get a slightly thicker laptop right? I guess I don't mind as long as the weight is kept low... thin laptops are only for appearances' sake after all.

The ROG shop in LYP sells the 1070 version of the scar 2 so i managed to check. Its not quite as thin as the Zeph-M, maybe about 1/2 cm more thick. so maybe the cooling will be better, but you never really know unless you have more time with it...

So track record wise MSI > ROG?

This post has been edited by Mizu: Jul 2 2018, 07:11 PM

Yes thicker laptops with better cooling are better for long term. If weight isn't an issue, Dell G7 is a good choice, though it has entry level IPS panel. Alienware 15 is on sale now, however it has cooling issues like heatsink issue, bad stock paste etc. Keep in mind that not every thick/heavy gaming laptop has good cooling.

As I said above, Zephyrus M has slightly better cooling despite thinner chassis.

Both lineup have potential QC issues (almost every gaming laptop is like this)

Weight is unfortunately an issue... I'm going to treat the laptop as my daily driver through long commutes so I've been warring with myself a lot re: light laptop vs gaming laptop. So the best compromise is to check out gaming laptops that are lighter to begin with. Hence Raider vs Scar II (2.3kg vs 2.4kg respectively without adapter), which are apparently all new models.

If I apply new thermal paste to the laptop I choose, would that help with the cooling issue? I plan to upgrade the RAM/storage anyway if I finally choose a laptop so at the same time can just apply new thermal paste.

I will definitely look at the Zeph-M a bit closer. Had abandoned that choice due to the poor 55WHr 4-cell battery, but if I have no better choice... Giving the Scar II 1060 ver until Friday to arrive, (apparently battery is an improvement- 66WHr Lith-ion) if not I'll make a move either way for MSI or Zeph-M. Thanks again for your help

I don't think GE Raider and Scar II have enough battery life for your needs. Repaste will help, but throttling may still occur since the cooling in Asus GL series is really mediocre. Make sure you buy a quality paste too, some paste don't work well with laptops. Battery capacity don't 100% reflect actual battery life

Yeah I figured the same re: battery life but that's the best compromise I can make I'm kinda resigned to carrying the adapter around with me, hence the emphasis on lighter weight.

Of course I could also try and build a desktop for gaming and keep a dumb laptop for use in class but PC parts are expensive where I'm going, and the custom PC-building services are hardly any cheaper.

I will keep everything you've told me in mind, very grateful for all the guidance. It's my first time getting a new laptop in like 6+ years so I can't remember what it's like to live with one, but I suspect I'll adapt in any case.

If the QC is mediocre on both MSI & Asus, seems like I'll be getting the Scar II since I like the look of it better and it's a couple of hundred bucks cheaper than the GE63 RGB. But if it doesn't arrive soon, the Zeph-M will be my second choice.

Already told you that the cooling is mediocre. Look so important?

From your experience, which laptop has better cooling in this price range?
looking for laptop with gtx1070, non max-Q
Interested to buy scar II too, so far review look promising from dave2D review

Depends on whether you need portability or not. For thin gaming laptops, Zephyrus M probably has the best cooling, however you need to replace the thermal pads on VRMs (Asus uses thermal paste for whatever reason). Also you need to undervolt+repaste (preferably LM) in thin gaming laptops to prevent any throttling in any load.

One of the weak points in Dave2D reviews is thermal test. 3DMark isn't a good test for thermals, load not heavy enough.

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: Jul 3 2018, 12:18 AM

you asked him about experience ? i can confirm he not even on hand/ test any single unit from those laptops model

Haha this. No reply liao him