Nvidia MX150 good enough for light gaming in the future? (1080p)

Nebell

2[H]4U
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Jul 20, 2015
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Honestly, the main concern is Diablo 4 (and other aRPGs), the requirements no one knows, but Blizard always has really good optimization on their games and low requirements.

So here I am, with 2 decisions.

I want a laptop that I can use stylus on for content creation.
I do like the XPS line, I'm typing this on XPS 15 9560, but XPS 9575 is way too expensive for its specs and out of the picture. It's €800 more expensive that Spectre x360 with Vega. Just not worth it.

I currently have HP Spectre x360 15 with Vega GPU on order, but they are insanely rare here in Sweden. I have been waiting for 2 weeks now for my retail to even receive it. Its price is roughly €2200.

Then there's a really good deal on the same x360 specs except with MX150 (and a slow CPU), that one is €1800.

And the third choice I'm considering is a refurbished Surface Book 2 13.5" (might be too small for content creation), this one has i7-8650U and GTX 1050. The price is €2500.

I would've pulled the trigger on that MX150 Spectre, but what I am concerned about is its CPU, which is an i7-8550u. It's a rather underpowered laptop, but the price is not that bad.

I live in Sweden, so there's no need to link me cheap laptops, I have only these 3 options :)
 
I would've pulled the trigger on that MX150 Spectre, but what I am concerned about is its CPU, which is an i7-8550u. It's a rather underpowered laptop, but the price is not that bad.

The i7-8550 in my Asus 13" 2-in-1 likes to run at 3.0GHz, regularly boosting to 4.0GHz, and with settings buried, runs League of Legends at 60FPS (to which I have it limited), with just the iGPU. The CPU, at least, is more than enough.

But I'd go with that refurb Surface Book 2 option. GTX1050 is going to be head-and-shoulders better than anything else on your list, and Microsoft hardware is damn nice.


[if Dell would have put out an XPS13 flipper that has 16GB/512GB and doesn't have the high-res screen, I'd have happily picked one up over the ASUS; the Microsoft hardware is just too rich for my tastes as I do not live on my laptop despite demanding that it be decent at photo editing on the road]
 
The i7-8550 in my Asus 13" 2-in-1 likes to run at 3.0GHz, regularly boosting to 4.0GHz, and with settings buried, runs League of Legends at 60FPS (to which I have it limited), with just the iGPU. The CPU, at least, is more than enough.

But I'd go with that refurb Surface Book 2 option. GTX1050 is going to be head-and-shoulders better than anything else on your list, and Microsoft hardware is damn nice.


[if Dell would have put out an XPS13 flipper that has 16GB/512GB and doesn't have the high-res screen, I'd have happily picked one up over the ASUS; the Microsoft hardware is just too rich for my tastes as I do not live on my laptop despite demanding that it be decent at photo editing on the road]

You don't think that 13" is too small for Photoshop/Lightroom?

I prefer to do some light gaming as well. Not much though as I have a 49" 4k TV with 1080Ti desktop for my main gaming (which I have spent 0 minutes doing since I got my camera).
The problem with 13" is that they often come with Intel 620 which is junk. I had a laptop with that gpu. Not going back to that again.
I also have a 4k drone and 620 is not good for editing videos.

That HP Spectre with Vega is actually more powerful than GTX 1050 and it does have a faster CPU. It's also a larger screen and is cheaper than even refurbished Surface 2 13.5" which is really stretching my budget.

My XPS has fantastic build quality. I played around last year with 2017 Spectre and it was fine. I just prefered the slim bezel of XPS. However 2in1 15" XPS is just too expensive.
 
You don't think that 13" is too small for Photoshop/Lightroom?

This is a function of distance; it's not a problem for me. The 13" laptops are also significantly lighter than say a 17" DTR.

15" might be a decent compromise in terms of price/performance, but one of my personal requirements that has kept me at 13" has been to keep a full mirrorless kit and accessories (see my EOS-M5 kit in sig) together with it in a smallish camera bag. With a travel tripod strapped to the bottom, I'm not really interested in any more weight, but that may not apply to you ;).

[the whole kit is fully carry-on worthy, flew under a Ryanair seat from Stanstead to Dublin last year]

That HP Spectre with Vega is actually more powerful than GTX 1050 and it does have a faster CPU.

I'll stand corrected; I'd thought it was sub-1050 performance, but more current links put it a bit above, and the higher-end unit at 1060 levels. I'd be more than happy with it!
 
I have only these 3 options :)

Find something better, or even better a used laptop and pony up for the $100 ish shipping from the US. Worst case is you'd need to get a different power adapter. The Spectre you want is half the price and prevalent here
 
Find something better, or even better a used laptop and pony up for the $100 ish shipping from the US. Worst case is you'd need to get a different power adapter. The Spectre you want is half the price and prevalent here

Import fee and vat etc all negate the lower cost. My XPS was bought in the US. Battery died and its such a hassle with the warranty. I need to transfer ownership (from one country to another).
Besides, the US keyboard is quite different from Scandinavian, I keep hitting the wrong buttons :)
 
This is a function of distance; it's not a problem for me. The 13" laptops are also significantly lighter than say a 17" DTR.

15" might be a decent compromise in terms of price/performance, but one of my personal requirements that has kept me at 13" has been to keep a full mirrorless kit and accessories (see my EOS-M5 kit in sig) together with it in a smallish camera bag. With a travel tripod strapped to the bottom, I'm not really interested in any more weight, but that may not apply to you ;).

[the whole kit is fully carry-on worthy, flew under a Ryanair seat from Stanstead to Dublin last year]



I'll stand corrected; I'd thought it was sub-1050 performance, but more current links put it a bit above, and the higher-end unit at 1060 levels. I'd be more than happy with it!

Fair point about the size/weight. It's also one of the reasons why I was considering 13". But that Intel 620... It's good for battery life, but not for much else.
I'm a gamer at heart. I know that one day I will regret not having a bit more powerful gpu in my laptop.
But I don't usually carry a laptop with me around, unless I am travelling. It's mostly for home convenience.
 
keep an eye on Dell and HP certified refurbs (from their own sites, Amazon, or even eBay stores)...they both run their refurbs through the same validation processes as brand new PCs. You can score a 14-17" gaming laptop with a 1050 or 1060 class GPU for dirt cheap (and you can usually tack on a 1-3 year extended warranty for relatively little), compared to even new laptops with the much weaker MX150.
 
But that Intel 620... It's good for battery life, but not for much else.

Not sure this is much of an issue. Video editing is still largely CPU dependent, as is photo editing.

But I don't usually carry a laptop with me around, unless I am travelling. It's mostly for home convenience.

Honestly, the ultrabook-like 15" models shouldn't be too bad, or the odd 14" model. Just be clear on the total weight of the laptop and power adapter combined.

Something like Razer's current Blade 15 would be just about right for a 'mobile workstation', if it included G-Sync (or FreeSync...).
 
Not sure this is much of an issue. Video editing is still largely CPU dependent, as is photo editing.



Honestly, the ultrabook-like 15" models shouldn't be too bad, or the odd 14" model. Just be clear on the total weight of the laptop and power adapter combined.

Something like Razer's current Blade 15 would be just about right for a 'mobile workstation', if it included G-Sync (or FreeSync...).

And the Gigabyte Aero lineup. I'd love to get my hands on a 15X...
 
Not sure this is much of an issue. Video editing is still largely CPU dependent, as is photo editing.



Honestly, the ultrabook-like 15" models shouldn't be too bad, or the odd 14" model. Just be clear on the total weight of the laptop and power adapter combined.

Something like Razer's current Blade 15 would be just about right for a 'mobile workstation', if it included G-Sync (or FreeSync...).

Hmm, Razer Blade 15 does look nice especially with that GTX 1060.
The model with normal 60hz screen and 256gb ssd is about the same price as Dell XPS 15 9570 (512gb ssd), both with 1080p screen.
I don't need a big SSD as I use both external HDD and have my own NAS server where I store all the photos.
Dell is available now, Razer is coming at the end of the month.

Neither of them have pen support. But then again, I don't use the pet with my current XPS. Touchscreen is a nice... touch though. I like having that option.

There's only one model of Gigabyte Aero 15x here (besides the old 15), it's with 7700k and 1070. The price is too expensive.
 
Neither of them have pen support.

Well, there's that- but since it's not a 2-in-1, a digitizer seems a bit useless. On my XPS13 touch, I disabled the touchscreen in the BIOS; the narrow bezels had me making too many unintended inputs.

So the Razer would not fill that gap; it's just a nice machine.

Now, if they'd used say an i7-8809G in the near future, and gave it a 120Hz Freesync panel, I might not be able to resist ;).
 
Well, there's that- but since it's not a 2-in-1, a digitizer seems a bit useless. On my XPS13 touch, I disabled the touchscreen in the BIOS; the narrow bezels had me making too many unintended inputs.

So the Razer would not fill that gap; it's just a nice machine.

Now, if they'd used say an i7-8809G in the near future, and gave it a 120Hz Freesync panel, I might not be able to resist ;).

Yeah that 8809g would be really nice. But currently only available in some NUC.

Anyway, with Nvidias next gen probably releasing late 2018 I think that I might wait a year and see what's available then.
Besides, maybe we will get some Diablo 4 news on Blizzcon this year, one can only hope :)
 
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