Upgrading to new laptop

Albz

New member
Hi all,
In early 2018 I got myself a gaming laptop from PCSpecialist and it has been amazing. It converted me to a laptop over a 'proper' PC (I know there are pros and cons to both, but a laptop suits my needs better). The specs I got were:
Chassis & Display
Proteus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 7700HQ (2.8GHz, 3.8GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB WD Black™ M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 2050MB/s R | 700MB/s W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SERIAL ATA III 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 32MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
Battery
Proteus V Series Lithium Ion Battery (7180mAh)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 3.1 Type C PORT AS STANDARD
Now, I am looking at upgrading. There is nothing wrong with my current (albeit dated) laptop, and it's got me through a lot of VR, but I feel like now is a good time to upgrade so I can continue playing some of the newest games out (and will be nice to play VR at a better framerate).

The specs I am looking at currently are:

Chassis & Display
Recoil Series: 17" Matte QHD 240Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1600)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 24 Core Processor 13900HX (5.4GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 4800MHz SODIMM DDR5 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4070 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3300 MB/R, 2900 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3300 MB/R, 2900 MB/W)
Thermal Paste
LIQUID METAL PERFORMANCE COOLING
Sound Card
Nahimic by SteelSeries 2 Channel HD Audio
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.3
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x THUNDERBOLT 4 PORT + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS

My questions are essentially do you think it is worth it for the price, and are there any upgrades to this you would recommend over what I have spec'd currently, and if so, what? It comes to just over £2000 so I'd like to try and keep the price similar if possible if there are any changes.
Thanks all in advance for your help!

Edit: Link to the config: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/recoil-VII-17/!8405pgqxV/
 

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Honestly mate with this kind of money you really should just get a desktop. You'd be leaving massive amounts of performance on the table especially with VR considered.

It wont be much of an improvement to be worth spending £2K on the laptop

£2K on a desktop whoever would be a whole nother world of gaming and VR experience. They wouldn't even be comparable

A Ford Fiesta 2021 is a upgrade over a Ford Fiesta 2018. This is what this is comparing too

Whereas a Porsche 911 would cost you the same why not get the Porsche. That's the kind of analogy that comes to mind in this case
 

Albz

New member
Honestly mate with this kind of money you really should just get a desktop. You'd be leaving massive amounts of performance on the table especially with VR considered.

It wont be much of an improvement to be worth spending £2K on the laptop

£2K on a desktop whoever would be a whole nother world of gaming and VR experience. They wouldn't even be comparable
Thanks for taking a look! I know I am essentially "throwing money away" at this price range for what I can get with a PC, but I do move my laptop around a lot. I take my VR to friend's houses and move around my flat often. Maybe a small form factor PC is something I could look at. It's something I will consider on the side too, especially depending on what the overall opinion here is on it. Appreciate the feedback!
 
Albz, 2019 I was in a similar position, got myself a gaming laptop because the home situation meant there was physically nowhere to keep a desktop and screen. I was limited to using the laptop at either the table (needed to be packed away after use), on the sofa or in bed.

While this worked for a while the laptop just wasn't designed for the level of components, it would overheat occasionally and definitely didn't delivery anywhere near good value for money.

I have now moved and have a dedicated home office so priority number 1 is getting a desktop (with any luck it dispatches tomorrow).

Short version, if you are able to get a desktop do it, it will be better value for money, easier to upgrade, better performance at all price points.

I cant recommend enough going for a desktop if it is an option.
 

Albz

New member
Thank you, I did some thinking and I think you both are right. Its a shame PC Specialist doesn't do 40XX graphics cards in their small form factor builds, but I will look around and see what I can find. Really appreciate your help!
 
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