Pls help pick a laptop ( PvE/ Fractals)

[zethra.8491]

Hey all,trying to decide on a laptop, Question;
Would there be a “significant” difference of GW 2 performance Between below Asus models ?Tuf model

Zephyrus model

If not much, I’d rather save $ 350 and go for Tuf model…(GPU not big difference, Memory 8 GB less, CPU and SSD size meh.. )

Also welcome your recommendation of makes/ models..

ty !

[Infusion.7149]

The TUF model has an Intel 4 core 8 thread chip so you're best not getting that for $800 and spending less than $1K to get something with at least 6 cores and ideally a Ryzen chip that is 4th/5th gen.

Intel spec sheetNotebook check CPU data on i5-10300HCinebench R20 single thread = 457 , multithread = 2117

The Ryzen chip in the Zephyrus G15 model you linked is 8 core 16 thread but 4th gen Ryzen and not 5th gen Ryzen with an instructions per cycle increase. It's about on par with the Intel chip in singlethreaded workloads.Notebook check CPU data on Ryzen 7 4800HSCinebench R20 single thread = 482 , multithread = 3869

If you're doing openworld metas or WvW and use D912pxy or DXVK then you're going to want 16GB RAM.https://github.com/megai2/d912pxy/wiki/Installing

Minimum:

Windows 7 64-bit with the Platform update or Windows 10 64-bit (update to the latest build) - No Windows 8 support folksDirectX 12 capable GPU with at least feature level 11_0 and shader model 5.1 support1GB VRAM6GB RAMCPU with AVX support (since v2.0)

That said a 4th or 5th gen Ryzen CPU with "H" designation is usually better than a 10th gen Intel CPU "H" designation in almost all cases at the same MSRP price points. Ryzen CPUs are on 7nm node right now, while Intel is stuck on 14nm so they're generally less power efficient which means for a given form factor you have less realized performance even if short duration non-intensive benchmarks may have the Intel chips ahead a bit sometimes.

U = 15W slim/ultrabookH = 35-45W typically discrete GPU

Some examples of <$1K laptops with a 6 or 8 core CPU (Guild Wars 2 is CPU bound, so unless the GPU is integrated or low end it is irrelevant typically):

• $899 from Microsoft Store Asus TUF F15 TUF506LU-US74 (Intel i7-10870H, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, GTX 1660 Ti) https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/asus-tuf-f15-tuf506lu-us74-gaming-laptop/8mp2nrr6rqgh?activetab=pivot:overviewtab
• $929 from B&H ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Series TUF506II (AMD Ryzen 7 4800H , 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, GTX 1650 Ti) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1561080-REG/asus_tuf506ii_bs74_ryzen_7_4800h_8gb.html
• $999 from Amazon directly not third party Lenovo Legion 5 (AMD Ryzen 7 4800H Processor, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GTX 1660Ti) https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-1920x1080-Processor-Windows-82B1000AUS/dp/B08BB9RWXD/

See also https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/comment/1400083#Comment_1400083

[zethra.8491]

@"Infusion.7149" said:

If you're doing openworld metas or WvW and use D912pxy or DXVK then you're going to want 16GB RAM.https://github.com/megai2/d912pxy/wiki/Installing

pardon me for confusion..assuming new laptop GPU supports DirectX12, Do I still need to install D912pxy ??and the laptop has DirectX12, Can I still just use 8 GB of RAM instead of 16 GB ?so I should focus on more CPU power than GPU ?

[Infusion.7149]

The game itself is DX9 not DX12 so you'd need a translation layer. If you plan on playing it without using a translation layer and using DX9 only, then 8GB is more than enough because it will top out around 4GB RAM use for the game.

GW2 is a CPU bound game and due to Amdahl's law of parallelization there are severe diminishing returns after 6 cores for most games. Unless it is a sub GTX 1650 Ti GPU then it really doesn't matter especially for 1080p or 1440p : if you have a GTX 1060 that is essentially equivalent to a GTX 980 which in turn is faster than anything built when the GW2 engine was made.

GTX 1650 Ti mobile is roughly a GTX 1060 mobile. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

[Dawdler.8521]

@"zethra.8491" said:so I should focus on more CPU power than GPU ?Which all depends on your budget. Any "meaningful" higher laptop CPU tier is probably around $2000 and the GPU is just a bonus (quick example, the rog zephyrus specced with a 5900HS and RTX3060 for $1800 on Amazon). Laptop CPUs in general are severly limited compared to their desktop counterparts and around $1000 they all pretty much run the same few variants. For the machines in the OP, I would prolly pick the ryzen one for more flexibility in other apps rather than just GW2 but I havent checked reviews for those particular machines. Cooling performance is extremely important here so you can actually maintain those boost speeds.

[Pacificterror.7805]

If you're looking at Acer, it may be worthwhile to check out the Predator Helios lineup. Depending on the level, they've got great specs for prices you'd expect from gaming laptops and the Predator Helios has a better-than-average cooling system for a laptop.

[mercury ranique.2170]

what would you consider a significant difference?I have a TUF and I'm happy with it. The game plays well on it.But it really depends on why you want a new laptop.In my case, when I bought the old laptop. I also had a PC that had excellent specs. The laptop ran GW2 okayish, but far from great. I then had a wive and a kid move in with me and the pc had to go to make room. So I was playing only on the notebook. When it died on me, we had to replace it and given the budget we had, this was a good pick for us as a family.

So what is your reason to replace your current system? What do you hope to gain from it? If you want to gave optimum graphics, please go ahead and buy the expensive one. I have no doubt it will be better. If you had a laptop since launch and want a replacement with an improved experience for a reasonable price, go for the Tuff.

[Kaltyn of Torbins Deep.294]

I bought an MSI GF63 with a GTX 1050 three years ago. Now, I did double the ram to 16 GB, which I consider a minimum for Windows 10 and doing anything, but GW2 ran fine on that last time I used it for GW2. In fact, I was able to multi-box on it while on the road so that I could hit my home instance on both of my accounts.

Whenever comparing laptops, if everything else is the same or comparable but the price and ram, go look up what doubling the ram would cost if you buy the ram and install it yourself. I bet you will find the RAM for that the cheaper laptop is less than the price difference for the more expensive one. And if you worry that you don't know how to install the ram, go search for a youtube video for replacing the ram for the specific model you want to get, you'll find several that will walk you through step by step.

[Infusion.7149]

Not all laptops have user-replaceable RAM. In addition opening one up usually voids your warranty. You're better off pre-configuring one and just adding the $50-60 for the RAM upgrade.The one in the original post is upgradable though it wouldn't be worth it anyway since you can't upgrade a notebook CPU unless it is a desktop replacement using a desktop socket. https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/asus/tuf-gaming-fx506liCost for a RAM upgrade = $50ishCost for a SSD upgrade = $60 to $80ish

$800 for what was listed in the original post is not worth it. You'd be running over $900 to upgrade and still have a 4 core 8 thread Intel CPU.

Even elsewhere on Amazon you would find you need $850ish to get a 512GB SSD + upgrade 8GB RAM (see https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-IPS-Type-Display-Keyboard-FA506II-AS53/dp/B08W2SJRZM/ for example)

[zethra.8491]

@"mercury ranique.2170" said:what would you consider a significant difference?I have a TUF and I'm happy with it. The game plays well on it.But it really depends on why you want a new laptop.In my case, when I bought the old laptop. I also had a PC that had excellent specs. The laptop ran GW2 okayish, but far from great. I then had a wive and a kid move in with me and the pc had to go to make room. So I was playing only on the notebook. When it died on me, we had to replace it and given the budget we had, this was a good pick for us as a family.

So what is your reason to replace your current system? What do you hope to gain from it? If you want to gave optimum graphics, please go ahead and buy the expensive one. I have no doubt it will be better. If you had a laptop since launch and want a replacement with an improved experience for a reasonable price, go for the Tuff.

not sure how to quantify " significant difference " , maybe just overall better performance of one over another within similar price range..for example--I like AMD chips over intel because of more value, and somewhat less heat b/c of smaller chip sizes.

Why a laptop ---- mobility/ travel.. current system is over 10 years old and about to crap out...and looking for a good " Value " /budget gaming laptop..

So, ...Which Asus Tuf model do you have ? specs ?

[mercury ranique.2170]

@zethra.8491 said:

@"mercury ranique.2170" said:what would you consider a significant difference?I have a TUF and I'm happy with it. The game plays well on it.But it really depends on why you want a new laptop.In my case, when I bought the old laptop. I also had a PC that had excellent specs. The laptop ran GW2 okayish, but far from great. I then had a wive and a kid move in with me and the pc had to go to make room. So I was playing only on the notebook. When it died on me, we had to replace it and given the budget we had, this was a good pick for us as a family.

So what is your reason to replace your current system? What do you hope to gain from it? If you want to gave optimum graphics, please go ahead and buy the expensive one. I have no doubt it will be better. If you had a laptop since launch and want a replacement with an improved experience for a reasonable price, go for the Tuff.

not sure how to quantify " significant difference " , maybe just overall better performance of one over another within similar price range..for example--I like AMD chips over intel because of more value, and somewhat less heat b/c of smaller chip sizes.

Why a laptop ---- mobility/ travel.. current system is over 10 years old and about to kitten out...and looking for a good " Value " /budget gaming laptop..

So, ...Which Asus Tuf model do you have ? specs ?

I have a version with a Ryzen CPU. It has the same GPU (although mine does not state it is the ti version, I think that is an ommission in the specs list as the ti indicates it is a mobile gpu). The only difference is the amount of gpu ram (8GB).The game runs fine for me. I have no problem in heavy area's like WvW and world bosses. The problem with incoming WvW-zergs still exists, but I doubt that any system will be quick enough to give me a decent timewindow to escape. (I still think that groups of 15 people or more in WvW should have a stampede sound and earthquake effect!).I agree with the temprature. Before I always had laptops running intel cpu's. with AMD ryzen the laptop stays a lot cooler.