Laptop mainly for work but also gaming?

[mattdanielc]

HI all,

I have a limited budget - no more than £700. My laptop is primarily for doing work in the evenings - but would love to get back into gaming too. I only play games like Total War (Rome 2 is the latest I own) as well as Starcraft 1 / 2 and intend to get the remastered Command and Conquer when it releases. So I'm not playing the latest games - I just enjoy RTS.

Will this suffice?

(my PC which is currently in the loft has a GeForce GTX 750 Ti - it looks like the laptop won't play games as well as that one?)

Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 9300H (2.4GHz, 4.1GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® MX250 - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
1st Storage Drive
512GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 450MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 90W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Cosmos VIII Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN + WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH li
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo NH55RGQ (2GB MX-250, i5-9300H, 60Hz FHD IPS N4)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £659.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/cosmosVIII-15/R99R385du9/

 

[Scott]

I would probably buy off the shelf rather than have a custom build made for around that budget. There are ready made options that pack in a fair whack of tech for your cash.

For a PCS system I would be more recommending around £800 for a well rounded laptop with a 1050 GPU in it. £700 just isn't worth it when similar specs can be had for around £500-£600 elsewhere.

I would be looking at faster RAM, a faster M2 storage drive and the 1050 GPU additions to your build.

 

[Scott]

I understand this completely decimates your budget but I just want to point out what I would be more inclined to recommend in a laptop.

The trouble with laptops is that you cannot upgrade the main specs of the system once you have bought it. In order for it to be even remotely worth the outlay it needs to last a number of years functioning as intended (IMO). In order for that to be the case, you want to have the best CPU/GPU combination reasonably available at the time. In this case I wouldn't settle for anything less than a 6 core CPU with a reasonable frequency (Hence the i7).

With the GPU, even for moderate gaming and generic office work, I would always go with at least a bottom range gaming GPU so that the option is always there. You don't want to decide that you actually see a game you like only to be completely restricted by the GPU. You can't replace it so whatever you've chosen now...... you're stuck with until you replace the Laptop.

RAM & Storage can be upgraded but if you are reasonable right now, you'll never need to touch it other than perhaps plugging in an external drive. The option is always there to plug another drive in, which is very straight forward. With the RAM 16GB, I imagine, would see you to the end of life of the laptop. It's reasonably priced right now so I don't think there would be anything saved in the long run if it was just purchased now as part of the build and covered under warranty.

Speaking of the warranty, for a fiver... the silver warranty option is often a no brainer.

Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 9750H (2.6GHz, 4.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 - 3.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 120W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Cosmos VIII Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN + WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH li
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo NH55RHQ (3GB GTX-1050, i7-9750H, 60Hz FHD IPS N4)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £904.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/cosmosVIII-15/2hBKhx6HQw/

 

[mattdanielc]

I would probably buy off the shelf rather than have a custom build made for around that budget. There are ready made options that pack in a fair whack of tech for your cash.

For a PCS system I would be more recommending around £800 for a well rounded laptop with a 1050 GPU in it. £700 just isn't worth it when similar specs can be had for around £500-£600 elsewhere.

I would be looking at faster RAM, a faster M2 storage drive and the 1050 GPU additions to your build.

If I could stretch to £900 ish - would you still recommend off the shelf - or would you go for a spec like the other poster put in here? Thanks

 

[mattdanielc]

I understand this completely decimates your budget but I just want to point out what I would be more inclined to recommend in a laptop.

The trouble with laptops is that you cannot upgrade the main specs of the system once you have bought it. In order for it to be even remotely worth the outlay it needs to last a number of years functioning as intended (IMO). In order for that to be the case, you want to have the best CPU/GPU combination reasonably available at the time. In this case I wouldn't settle for anything less than a 6 core CPU with a reasonable frequency (Hence the i7).

With the GPU, even for moderate gaming and generic office work, I would always go with at least a bottom range gaming GPU so that the option is always there. You don't want to decide that you actually see a game you like only to be completely restricted by the GPU. You can't replace it so whatever you've chosen now...... you're stuck with until you replace the Laptop.

RAM & Storage can be upgraded but if you are reasonable right now, you'll never need to touch it other than perhaps plugging in an external drive. The option is always there to plug another drive in, which is very straight forward. With the RAM 16GB, I imagine, would see you to the end of life of the laptop. It's reasonably priced right now so I don't think there would be anything saved in the long run if it was just purchased now as part of the build and covered under warranty.

Speaking of the warranty, for a fiver... the silver warranty option is often a no brainer.

Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 9750H (2.6GHz, 4.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 - 3.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 120W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Cosmos VIII Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN + WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH li
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo NH55RHQ (3GB GTX-1050, i7-9750H, 60Hz FHD IPS N4)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £904.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/cosmosVIII-15/2hBKhx6HQw/

Thank you. Isn’t 16gb RAM overkill for the types of games I play though? (Forgive my ignorance) and also - happy to upgrade the GPU then - but is the upgrade to i7 really needed over the i5?

Is this spec ok? it's a bit cheaper than the one you posted.

Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 9750H (2.6GHz, 4.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 - 3.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
512GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 450MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 120W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Cosmos VIII Series 4 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo NH55RHQ (3GB GTX-1050, i7-9750H, 60Hz FHD IPS N4)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £859.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/cosmosVIII-15/sWahKwkcZ6/

 

[Scott]

If I could stretch to £900 ish - would you still recommend off the shelf - or would you go for a spec like the other poster put in here? Thanks

£900 ish builds you an excellent gaming laptop as per the above recommendation. Off the shelf will have comparable main specs but be missing some of the details and the build quality of the chassis. With a £900 budget I would be more likely to customise

Thank you. Isn’t 16gb RAM overkill for the types of games I play though? (Forgive my ignorance) and also - happy to upgrade the GPU then - but is the upgrade to i7 really needed over the i5?

Is this spec ok? it's a bit cheaper than the one you posted.

16GB is just the normal recommendation nowadays. You can happily get away with 8GB but you will end up purchasing another 8GB down the line. IMO it's simpler to just get the matched set right now

The i7 isn't needed over the i5, I stress my point that once you get the i5.... you're stuck with it. It's a toss up for you whether you want to put the money towards it. Best case scenario, you don't need it. Worst case scenario, you find yourself limited by performance in a year or so down the line. You need to buy a new laptop to bump up the power at a cost of £££. You need to weigh it up, it's all individual choice. My personal preference would be to max out what I could afford now that's reasonable. The bump from the i5 to the i7 isn't unreasonable at £60 IMO.

The spec is cheaper because it's not as good. You have selected a single 16GB low speed stick over the high speed 2x8GB option I selected.
The Storage you have selected is far slower than the M2 drive I selected. It also leaves the drive bay spare for a conventional HDD should you need extra storage. The only option with the M2 slot is fast SSD drives.
You left out the £5 warranty option that I put in. For £5 it gives a lot of peace of mind.

 

[mattdanielc]

£900 ish builds you an excellent gaming laptop as per the above recommendation. Off the shelf will have comparable main specs but be missing some of the details and the build quality of the chassis. With a £900 budget I would be more likely to customise



16GB is just the normal recommendation nowadays. You can happily get away with 8GB but you will end up purchasing another 8GB down the line. IMO it's simpler to just get the matched set right now

The i7 isn't needed over the i5, I stress my point that once you get the i5.... you're stuck with it. It's a toss up for you whether you want to put the money towards it. Best case scenario, you don't need it. Worst case scenario, you find yourself limited by performance in a year or so down the line. You need to buy a new laptop to bump up the power at a cost of £££. You need to weigh it up, it's all individual choice. My personal preference would be to max out what I could afford now that's reasonable. The bump from the i5 to the i7 isn't unreasonable at £60 IMO.

The spec is cheaper because it's not as good. You have selected a single 16GB low speed stick over the high speed 2x8GB option I selected.
The Storage you have selected is far slower than the M2 drive I selected. It also leaves the drive bay spare for a conventional HDD should you need extra storage. The only option with the M2 slot is fast SSD drives.
You left out the £5 warranty option that I put in. For £5 it gives a lot of peace of mind.

Thank you for your advice - really appreciate it. Will stick with your build, all of your reasoning makes sense. One final question I hope - I've jsut googled M2 SSD as I didn't know what this is.

So regarding the conventional HDD...

a) I'm tempted to spend a bit more and add a storage drive now - I would use it as my storage for my 'archive' etc. if I added a storage drive option would PCS install Windows etc on it even though I have also got the M2 SSD which is quicker?

b) If I did add more storage - presume you'd recommend another M2 SSD instead of the storage drive?

 

[Scott]

An archive HDD is always a good option. If speed is not essential then a conventional HDD is often the best choice as they are very cheap for the amount of storage you can get.

If it's just a normal HDD you are looking for, I would just order a 2.5" conventional 1 or 2TB drive. If you're looking for fast storage then consider a second M2 drive. That way you keep the bay free for adding mass conventional storage down the line if you wish to.

 

[mattdanielc]

An archive HDD is always a good option. If speed is not essential then a conventional HDD is often the best choice as they are very cheap for the amount of storage you can get.

If it's just a normal HDD you are looking for, I would just order a 2.5" conventional 1 or 2TB drive. If you're looking for fast storage then consider a second M2 drive. That way you keep the bay free for adding mass conventional storage down the line if you wish to.

Thank you again. I bought this for my PC in the loft:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00P736UEU/

Would I be able to fit this in the laptop? Is it easy to do? It has Windows installed on it at the minute etc - would I need to wipe it somehow before installing it in the laptop? Thanks

 

[Scott]

It will fit and it's very easy to do but 250GB is a bit of a waste of the slot to be honest. 250GB is not a lot of storage nowadays, it would often only be used for a Windows installation rather than storage.

 

[Oussebon]

If it's not too late, don't buy the Cosmos for gaming. The GTX 1050 will struggle with modern titles, and if you like Rome II Total War there's a fairly high chance you'll pick up a newer TW title at some point (they publish them pretty much every year) which a 1050 would struggle with on all but rather low settings. And might even struggle with those in future iterations, given what Thee Kingdoms is like.

With a £900 budget, the Optimus would be the way to go so you can squeeze in a GTX 1650. Not a powerful GPu by any means, but it has a heck of a lot more headroom than a 1050.

Assuming i7 CPU, 16gb RAM, 512gb M.2 SSD:
Cosmos 15.6" (GTX 1050): £889 - GPU 6549 firestrike score
Optimus 15.6" (GTX 1650) £959 - 9153
Optimus 15.6" (GTX 1660 ti) - 1093 - 14684

Versus Cosmos 1050, Optimus 1650 gives ~40% more performance for ~8% cost increase, Optimus 1660 ti gives 125% more performance for 23% cost increase.

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 120Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 9750H (2.6GHz, 4.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
...etc..
Price: £909.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/optimusX-15/JyEN0n7c7s/

You can add RAM, you can add storage, but the GPU you're stuck with.