25w MX230/MX150:
Acer Swift 3 SF314-54G-52L8 / 59WJ +RAM
HP Pavilion 15-CS1026TX +RAM+SSD, 15-CS2010TX +RAM - poor battery life
Lenovo Ideapad S340-14IWL 81N7006RMJ
Lenovo Ideapad S340-15IWL 81N80079MJ

MX130:
HP Pavilion 14-CE0082TX / CE0083TX - poor battery life

Vega 8/10:
Lenovo Thinkpad A485 customize - SSD/HDD only, must get 96Wh battery to get good battery life
Lenovo Thinkpad E495/595 customize - OKish battery life
Lenovo Thinkpad E485/585 customize - poor battery life
Lenovo Ideapad S540-14API 81NH000MMJ, 81NH000NMJ - SSD only, OKish battery life
Lenovo Ideapad C340-14API 81N60011MJ, 81N60012MJ - SSD only, OKish battery life

Personally I don't like Pavilion since they tend to have more QC issues even compared to budget line like Ideapad

This post has been edited by ZM Fong: Jun 25 2019, 05:08 PM

Battery hour dont matter, max weight - as light as possible for my spec requirement, as i know super lightweight like ultrabook cannot play my games smoothly

This post has been edited by skzisghost: Jun 25 2019, 05:36 PM

Illegear Raven SE (need to solve power limit issue manually) or Commandos Katana 5 (weaker CPU cooling)

Upgrade RAM/storage by yourself if the cost is cheaper

BTW there is no future proofing in laptops unless you go for highest spec / super expensive models with upgradeable CPU+GPU

Curious if anyone has a hands-on or have more insight why choose one over the other in a comparison of these two ASUS laptops:

TUF 505DU (MSRP:RM4399)

vs

ROG Zephyrus G GA502 (MSRP: RM4999)

They seem quite evenly matched, only difference I can seem to tell off their website is the GA502 has an additional USB-C port and the 120Hz screen versus the TUF which is supposed to be more "tahan" to everyday use and knocks.

Aesthetics and look of the laptop itself isn't a major concern, as I value functionality and of course cooling/reliability for my workhorse laptop for work/play. And of course after-sales service should hopefully not totally suck as well would be ideal.


I'm currently still (barely) surviving on my 5-ish year old Lenovo Y510p but feel like it might be time to look for a replacement soon-ish.

Also open to other suggestions for similar range/specced laptops with good value for money from other brands as well for consideration.

Thanks for your time.

This post has been edited by genecor: Jun 27 2019, 05:41 AM

TUF is just a marketing bro...nothing such as more tahan. Tried it personally - feels cheap despite OK rigidity

GA502 cheap out on many things including cooling

That 120Hz panel is very poor - low sRGB, high response times, low brightness. Only Asus use it. Moreover, Asus QC+aftersales are also poor

What's your budget? Usage? Any preference on weight and battery life? No one can guarantee on reliability in consumer grade laptops fyi

LOL yeah figured as much on TUF just being marketing buzzword, but thought I'll check it with you guys here.

Budget: Around RM4-4.5K (can stretch to RM5k if push comes to shove).
Size/weight: prefer to stick to 15.6" size max, weight is kinda flexible, battery life as long as decent I'm ok, I generally use my laptop plugged in like 90% of the time.

Using it mainly for productivity, I do/used to dabble in photo editing and still do some graphics (PS/AI) but no video editing. I would prefer if some light to moderate level gaming capability would be possible too.. I mean I can play Witcher 3 on my current Rig, but it sucks.. I'm realistic about the trade off in terms of graphic/performance and $$$.

as for the 120Hz display, good info.. not too important to me, as I'm not really into things like FPS or racing game per se.

Yeah. reliability is kinda luck and all, but if a brand offers extendable warranty, lagi best la.. but that one is a supplementary point for this discussion.

Look forward to your feedback.

I though there is a list on some website like notebookcheck which list out 10 rma notebook.

Mind low sRGB display? Are you a student? Fine with 1050TI GPU (which is older)?

I think 1060 6Gb is my baseline or reference point for GPU side of things. Nah not a student, just not looking to blow thousands on a laptop at the moment. how low are we talking about in terms of sRGB though?

Getting 1060 is a bit difficult for your budget...only option is Commandos Katana 5 (weak CPU cooling)

low sRGB is 50-60% range

Thank you for the recommendation.
Mind if I ask what's the power limit issue face by Raven SE?
I would prefer to go for higher end GPU.

Ok so let's see what options there are with low sRGB options that suit my budget, and what other options are just above my budget for the sake of conversation/consideration?

Read my review to know more

So you want at least 1060 or higher GPU? Can increase budget further?
Lenovo Legion Y530 81LB001GMJ - low sRGB

5k-5.5k:
Level51 Forge 15 Pro
Lenovo Legion Y540 81SX004WMJ
Illegear Rogue

1. Budget : Below RM 3800
2. Usage : Programming, video streaming, web surfing (mostly reddit)
3. Requirements :
i) Display : No preference
ii) Battery life: Standard
iii) Ram : 8GB (or 4GB + upgrade to 8GB)
iv) Storage : SSD + HDD
v) Weight : Prefer light weight
vi) Processor: No preference

Define 'standard' - min how many hours of battery life?
How light weight? Give max weight in kg

Mind low sRGB display and non-upgradeable RAM? No preference on display size?

Commandos Katana 5 (weaker CPU cooling) what need to do to solve it? reapplied thermal paste?

probably LM

out of these three, what would set them apart from one another? i.e. why would you choose one over the other two?

While I'm currently using Lenovo, I am not opposed to Illegear or Level 51, though being from the South, I do wonder for those two brands, if I might opt for Level 51 just due to the fact of proximity to Singapore (assuming I can carry in there for any warranty concerns, etc).

Open to any insights and thoughts on these aspects.

Battery should last about 3-5 hours,
Weight below 3kg,
not sure about sRGB,
non-upgradable 8gb ram is fine.
15 inch for display

This post has been edited by StevenMiracle: Jun 27 2019, 11:34 AM

actually all of them are good, it's hard to compare, though Lenovo has onsite warranty while Illegear/Level51 gives you more user control (can do upgrades by yourself/do maintenance without voiding warranty etc)