Updated: 9 March 2022 - Will update again when there are a few decent ADL/Rembrandt models available

Here are all the decent gaming laptops you can buy.

How I rate gaming laptops: Thermals and performance first, followed by build quality

A few notes before reading:
If you need recommendations with special requirements (eg light weight) or have any questions about a specific laptop model, please post your questions in notebook recommendation thread.

Tip: Use Ctrl+F to find the GPU you wanted (eg '3060')

You can also refer to Gaming Laptop Tier List:
(2022) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1udz...t#gid=128323760
(2021) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18gf...kAkc/edit#gid=0
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RTX30 series Laptop / RX6000 series Mobile
RM3000-RM3999:
RM4000-RM4999:
RM5000-RM5999:
RM6000-RM6999:
RM7000-RM7999:
RM8000-RM9999:

Performance comparison (after dynamic boost)
95W 3050≈65W 2060MQ
95W 3050Ti≈80W 2060
100W 6600M≈95W 3060M
130W 3060M≈95W 3070M≈80W 3080M
140W 3070M≈110W 3080M[/size]
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1650/1650Ti:
Pending:
Awaiting more info/low priority:

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: Mar 9 2022, 04:39 PM

Parking for awesome thread

Worth the read, prove useful as a buying guide. But if you could add more details like the reason etc would be best

Already mentioned at the beginning of the post - basically anything that passes in build quality and cooling will be included

Sorry that not being specific enough, my details were like why you rate those laptop as such with more explanation etc, but yea, it will be troublesome.

I will explain only if somebody ask

Will you be updating this list on both forum sites (lowyat and LTT) or permanently moving the list here?

Permanently moving here. Future updates will be done here

Nice, thanks for this, just what I was looking for

Will update in these few days, sorry for the outdated version

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: May 2 2019, 12:01 AM

subscribed

look foward 4 the updated list

Not sure why you listed Asus FX505 in the list when you keep saying it has the worst cooling system in every other post.

if he doesn't list it, people will be like "where's the FX505"

See which section it's at

Also, I will update this list with 9th gen models soon and at the same time, remove 'mediocre cooling' section, therefore FX505 will not be included

What is your take on the new Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-54-5692)?

Spec as per link below:

https://www.acer.com/ac/en/MY/content/model/NH.Q59SM.003


is it better than the previous model u listed above?

Bad cooling, even worse than previous model (thick bezel+heavier version)

thanks. may i know how do u test the laptop's cooling? any software u can recommend?

I've changed the testing method a few times but this is how I test for now:
CPU:
Cinebench R15 (not using R20 since I'm more familiar with R15 scores)
Aida64 FPU only

GPU:
Unigine Valley (or Heaven, not using Superposition - file too big haha)

Heavy stress: FPU+Valley

Games:
Apex Legends
CSGO (can push up thermals quite easily despite an old game)
(there are better games to test but they are mostly paid games, and I don't own them)

Why no Prime95 and Furmark? These are too power hungry imo - not realistic. However, for the models I've never tested, I'll look at NBC stress test which is P95+Furmark and Witcher 3

Of course, there are many ways to test like OCCT which I didn't use

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: May 28 2019, 02:23 PM

Thank you for this list. I'm looking for it.

https://www.techarmory.my/v2/index.php?rout...&product_id=126

COMMANDOS KATANA 5 promotion at RM3699 seems good (for i7 and 1060 model).

I noticed it is considered weak CPU cooling, is it over 90 C?

Actually the cooling is very similar to Slate-15 (same chassis), CPU cooling is slightly worse due to less 1 heatpipe. Gaming should be OK. Of course you can use max fans if you want best thermals

https://pictr.com/images/2019/06/07/50mLJB.md.jpg

From this picture I can't tell which is which :lol: , I guess you mean 1 heat pipe instead of 2 for CPU?

New model has 3 heatpipe on CPU (extended from GPU heatpipe)

Hi.. im term of thermal which one better? Illegear prodigy or katana 5?

Katana should be slightly better

Just like to ask,

Is there a big difference between
240GB M.2 PCIe SSD and 256GB PM981 M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD?

is it worth it to put additionl cash for it? Thanks.

Which 240GB? PM981 is very fast but also very hot

The onenthat is used by illegear.
Oh, so if you will use pm981 the cooling system of the laptop shud be good, right?

In which model?

You misunderstood me...SSD with very fast speeds will have hotter temp too (in SSD, not CPU+GPU)

In Raven model.

I see.. noted.

That one you need to ask them. Anyway, a mediocre SSD is still faster than HDD

Super thread

Why no helios 300 (The new one). 2018 it was best value laptop from linustech

old model has bad cooling, new model has mixed reviews - will add if thermals are confirmed good

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: Jun 14 2019, 05:09 PM

https://www.lazada.com.my/products/dell-gam...s775486776.html

What about Dell G5 2060?

Poor cooling

Any news on the Legion Y540 RTX 2060? Is it worth the purchase? Thanks in advance

Should be decent based on early reviews

Asus GL504G-VES044T vs Asus rog strix g531 1660ti

not sure which is better investment for longrun

GL504GV

Must it be Asus though

I like asus design more 😅. Y740 ok too but over budget

Usually I will warn this if you want to buy Asus

Taken from SuugestALaptop:
"Generally, however, most ASUS units have a lot of quality control issues or don't last very long in an optimal state, and ASUS support is generally quite incompetent"

Hi ZM Fong,

what do you think with Asus TUF FX505G.

15.6" FHD 144Hz
i7-8750H
GTX1050Ti

Bad cooling, build quality feels cheap etc. Also read this:

Which is your recommend slate 15 or forge 15 pro

Personally I feel the list will help me more if its list by price.

Highest to lowest.

So that a buyer with say 7000 budget can look up this list and immediately zoom in on a few units that he should focus/research on.

I would find price to be more of a determinant than which chip it uses etc...

problem is ... price is always changing and unless somebody codes a program with an alogirthms that scans all the major ecomence platforms daily for the best prices excluding the obvious scams, it is very unfessible to list by price.

Do you need thin and light?

Actually if you look closely, most of the sections are sorted based on lowest to highest price. Prices will keep changing too so I can't update everyday

Anyway, I will take your suggestion into consideration

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: Jun 21 2019, 11:56 AM

Totally understand prices fluctuates (especially so for IT related stuff) so its going to be too much work to continuously update it.

If it could be a list say for Jun.

1. xxxx @ RM8000
2. xxxx @ RM7500
3.
4.
5. xxxx @ RM5500
etc

So someone who come in they can see.. top is 8k, mid is 5k... if his budget is 5k, he will probably zoom in on say # 6~8.. the list's positioning will not jump around too much, #6 on the pricey list will not suddenly jump to #1... so the positioning of the list will be fairly stable and you shouldnt need to keep updating/move it around too much.

Ofcourse once I zoom into the few items within my budget I will search further for the "current" price... so this list will help greatly in pointing me to the right direction as the laptop market can be HUGE and intimidating..

Anyway, thanks for doing this list, its mighty helpful

I do need better cooling for gaming.

great thread!
i was on a 13 hour flight sitting next to this young man who took out what seemed like a gaming laptop.
good thing there was a power outlet on the seats, he was playing video games the whole flight!
very envious.

Then Forge 15 Pro

What do you think of HP Omen 15-dc1071tx?

Read thoroughly before asking, thanks

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: Jun 25 2019, 12:17 AM

Do you have any plan putting AMD CPU laptop into your list?

Hi,

I am looking at HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0010tx and HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0011tx.

https://store.hp.com/my-en/default/laptops-...ets/gaming.html

I don't see it in the recommendation list. So perhaps can shine some lights? Whether what kind of downside these HP laptop are having?

Repeat: Read thoroughly before asking, thanks
Because it's bad

Commandos Glock 5
is this laptop good? seen on website have clearance very cheap

Yes

Want to seek your opinion on Acer Predator Triton 500 (PT515-51-73YN).

RRP is RM 7,599, with i7-9750H and RTX 2060 in thin form factor. Is it worth that price tag?

Acer Predator Triton 500

never buy at msrp

just need to take note that the cpu cooling will be weaker due to thin profile - might require repaste

I see, if we use the MSRP as a comparative reference or price positioning for below 2 laptops:

Acer Predator Triton 500 (PT515-51-73YN) RM 7,599
Source
512 GB SSD
144 Hz refresh rate
17.9 mm height
no Numpad

MSI GE65 Raider 9SE 005MY RM 8,099
Source
1 TB SSD
240 Hz refresh rate
27 mm height
with Numpad

CPU, GPU and RAM are the same (i7-9750H, RTX 2060, 16 GB)

Which one is the better value buy based on these paper specs from your perpsective?

MSI new laptops are overpriced, there are other good models for less price

Triton 500 is thin and light, therefore not comparable directly

Any compromises on Raven SE (1650)? Seems to be the lightest budget gaming laptop

Power limit issue which can be solved manually

could u suggest which 1 should i go for?

raven se
strix g531
nitro 5
forge 15

all with the spec as below:
i5 9300H
8gb ram
512 ssd (except nitro 5 comes with 256gb)
gtx1650

based on ur list, i think u would suggest raven se.. hehe.. but just wanted ur opinion in tern of performance, cooling and reliability for long term. (for working with database n coding, occasional gaming)

here's my thought:
raven se - for me its like combination from nitro5 and g531 (full kb+rgb)

strix g531 - design but lose on kb

nitro 5 - cooling prob (as u said) but i saw a review said that nitro5 cooling is very good.. so a bit confuse

forge 15 - no idea cos not many review i found.

please help me to choose

Would avoid Asus if possible due to poor QC and after sales, moreover G531 1050/1650 model doesn't seem to have good cooling

Nitro 5 has bad cooling - which review says it's good?

I have reviewed Raven SE and Forge 15

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: Jul 4 2019, 01:02 AM

monaliza

so i think i will go for raven se.. tq boss

lol...do you think his review is good

haha.. no la boss..just stating that i saw a review mentioning nitro 5 cooling was good.. 😁

basically its either forge15 or raven se is good right?

haha.. no la boss..just stating that i saw a review mentioning nitro 5 cooling was good.. 😁

basically its either forge15 or raven se is good right?

Value wise, yes. Also consider Raven non SE

yup.. ok bos..will take that into consideration

Hey ZM Fong,

Unlike other k/, i sadly have to limit my spending by putting a max budget of 5-6k laptop and is seriously considering the 2 below:

1. Lenovo Legion Series (Y540, Y740 etc)
2. Asus RoG Strix G Series (G531 etc)

Here's my dillemma, I saw that you wrote that Asus has bad after sales support and I think you're right but its also slightly cheaper than Lenovo's. If you were to invest in your hard earned sweaty ringgits, which would you recommend sensei?

Zaijian laoban

Why only these 2 models? For this budget you have many choices

Asus laptops have poorer QC+QA compared to competition. The bad after sales also don't help. If you want to take higher risk then feel free to do so, however G531 only 1660TI/2060 models are decent

Usage? Any preference on weight and battery life?

No preference except for:

1. Screen colour accuracy (Adobe sRGB)
2. Screen refresh rate
3. Cooling and fan capacity
4. Whether undervolted or not
5. Specs
6. Build quality

So far am inching towards Y740 or Y540 tbh, still cant decide.

Edit: Mainly for gaming. Looking forward to Cyberpunk 2077

This post has been edited by UrbanGraduate: Jul 8 2019, 08:44 PM

Y740 is out of your budget

Level51 Slate-15 - thin and light (weaker CPU cooling)
Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-52-76CQ
Illegear Rogue
Lenovo Legion Y540 15 customize / 81SX004XMJ
Level51 Forge 15 Pro
Asus GL504G-VES044T

Thanks for the recommendations!

Hi ZM Fong, currently I am looking for gaming laptop, and now considering on Acer Helios 300 (2019).

As I check the spec and price on (MSRP & retailer), both models (54KG & 76CQ) is RM800 apart, the only difference is the CPU (i5 9300H vs i7 9750H).
If I want buy it for normal usage and gaming* only, is i5 version is good enough or is it worth to spend another RM800 for i7 version?
Also is RTX2060 a good GPU, in terms of thermal and performance? I am hoping for 1660Ti version, but Acer not offer it for Malaysia market.


Gaming: More on strategy/management game like DOW3, EU4, HOI4, Total war TK, FM series, possible some FPS/ARPG/Stealth game.


Other than Acer, Lenovo Legion series & custom gaming model also under consideration, just:
Lenovo Y540: Very little review on it. Just know that Jarrod'sTech has just buy it, now waiting him to get his laptop to review.
Lenovo Y545: From BOAT review, repaste and undervolt don't seems to help much on thermal.
Lenovo Y740: The price is high.
Custom gaming: after sales service difficulties, coz I live on the Northern region.

Would suggest getting the i7 to avoid any potential botttleneck. 1660TI can be faster than 2060 depending on the GPU power limit

Y540 is decent while Y545 isn't available in Malaysia. Stock paste is good in Legion models unless you got a lemon (like mine). Can opt for onsite warranty for custom laptops

I see, just Acer did not bring in the 1660TI (not sure about future), may have to reconsider again if needed...

Anyway, thanks for the clarification.

RAVEN SE-R

15.6″ FHD IPS sRGB 100% Display with INFINIVISION Bezel-less Technology (144Hz)
9th gen. Intel i7-9750H
Nvidia RTX2060 6GB
8GB DDR4 RAM (up to 32GB)
512GB NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 6TB)
RGB Chiclet Keyboard
1.9kg | 20mm
from RM5,099

http://store.illegear.com/game-ready-perfo...raven-se-r.html

Hi,

I saw your review of Illegear's Raven SE.
Any additional thoughts about the newly released Raven SE-R?

Guy, wanna ask HP Pavillion 15-dk0011tx?
Pricing and spec quite tempting.

Will review soon
Mediocre model due to cooling

you mean the cooling not that good?
but if not using it for heavy gaming? what do you think?
because i couldnt get similar or near-to-it spec when comparing other brands with this current HP.
but as far as i know, HP is not well known for their cooling. lol.
correct me if im wrong for above statement.

There are better options, moreover Pavilion line has questionable QC. Buying laptop isn't just specs

Thermals depends on models

Thanks for the advice. If in this case, mind to share any gaming laptop with decent performance with around same price as HP above? Around RM2,800.

see the list lol

anyway, Commandos Glock 5 is currently on promo now...good cooling