Which laptop brands are best?

I would recommend Lenovo's Thinkpads, but not their Ideapads (budget).

The Thinkpads are solidly constructed, as they always have been ever since IBM used to make them. I've always found the Thinkpad's Trackpoint pointing stick to be a far more accurate and precise mouse throughout the decades.

The Ideapads, on the other hand, feel awfully flimsy. You can feel the plastic casing flex significantly, and the keys feel mushy, at best. The glide pad built it in isn't very good, either.

Admittedly, when I bought an Ideapad in early 2020, I had to have something that very day, and for 200 bucks new, the S145 (AMD A6-based) seemed to be a good choice at the time, since it came with a 1 TB hard drive, wireless, etc. The CPU / APU was OK, for the most part, as long as I was just using really basic stuff, such as Office (just one app at a time) or surfing the internet, and it did work fine for Netflix.

However, it was a very limited platform, and eventually I simply gave it away to a friend who needed a laptop for her son's school remote school work, after about a year of use.

I took a look at some Ideapads recently at Costco, and while the specs look decent for the price, they still feel flimsy.

I replaced it with a Gen 2 Thinkpad E14 with its 512 GB SSD, AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, and 16 GB of memory for the cost of 700 bucks or so, and this laptop has been fantastic for me, even with plenty of apps open at the same time, and yes, even some gaming using reasonable eye candy levels.
 

ASUS - TUF DASH 15.6"​

ASUS - ROG Zephyrus G15 15.6​

Razer Blade 15 Gaming Laptop: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 - 11th. On Sale $1600​

Which one would you guys recommend between these? I am looking for this size laptop even if there is something better? The tuf version is almost half the price with the same components..?
 

ASUS - TUF DASH 15.6"​

ASUS - ROG Zephyrus G15 15.6​

Razer Blade 15 Gaming Laptop: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 - 11th. On Sale $1600​

Which one would you guys recommend between these? I am looking for this size laptop even if there is something better? The tuf version is almost half the price with the same components..?
IMO Razer is overpriced and has QA problems. Recommend one of the Asus models, what are the prices on those 2?
 
IMO Razer is overpriced and has QA problems. Recommend one of the Asus models, what are the prices on those 2?
I only mentioned the Razor bc it's the only laptop that seems to be made of aluminum while the others are plastic so I'm looking for best build quality here
The tuf is on sale for 899 the other is not on sale but regular price of 1499. Not sure what the diff between the two types is the build on zeph better quality over the tuf? They both have the exact same cpu, gpu, hdd, however the zeph is 165hz while tuf 144hz. I believe these will all be going on huge clearense sales with new models coming this fall
 
Okay, what I know about the Asus product lines is this. The Zephyrus laptops open slightly around the top of the keyboard in order to increase airflow and improve cooling. So, in theory they would perform a bit better. The TUF Asus line prioritizes value and cuts corners here and there to lower the price. You may want to read articles on the models over at notebookcheck.net. They are the best website I have seen for highly detailed breakdowns of laptops like these. Another place to check is jarrodstech on YouTube, he is quite detailed in his breakdowns of the various laptops.
https://www.youtube.com/c/JarrodsTech
 
Okay, what I know about the Asus product lines is this. The Zephyrus laptops open slightly around the top of the keyboard in order to increase airflow and improve cooling. So, in theory they would perform a bit better. The TUF Asus line prioritizes value and cuts corners here and there to lower the price. You may want to read articles on the models over at notebookcheck.net. They are the best website I have seen for highly detailed breakdowns of laptops like these. Another place to check is jarrodstech on YouTube, he is quite detailed in his breakdowns of the various laptops.
https://www.youtube.com/c/JarrodsTech
So what would you say based on those websites is the best laptop brand in terms of build quality, airflow and overall lasting for a long time? I kept coming to the Asus g15 bc I've seen them in person at best buy and really liked them. Several people were also telling me that a 3060 performs almost on par with a 3070 so I was thinking to just get the cheaper 3060.
 
So what would you say based on those websites is the best laptop brand in terms of build quality, airflow and overall lasting for a long time? I kept coming to the Asus g15 bc I've seen them in person at best buy and really liked them. Several people were also telling me that a 3060 performs almost on par with a 3070 so I was thinking to just get the cheaper 3060.
When I looked at surveys and data on reliability Asus was in the top half, sometimes top 3. The other companies move around from survey to survey. As a result it is hard to determine who is #1.

It is actually pretty complicated to determine 3060 vs 3070. Reason is that in the 30 series laptops the wattage makes a huge difference. You will sometimes have a 3060 performing on par with a 3070 when the 3060 is high wattage and the 3070 is low wattage. That said, as a general rule I recommend:
1. Avoid super thin laptops, they use lower wattage and have lower performance.
2. 3060 for 1080p, 3070 for 1440p.
3. Watch out for cheap components on 3060 laptops, like 45% color coverage displays. Avoid those.

Full disclosure, I got a 3070 Asus G17 but after seeing the benchmarks I believe that a decent wattage 3060 would have been fine. The benchmarks are not too different at 1080p in most games.
 
When I looked at surveys and data on reliability Asus was in the top half, sometimes top 3. The other companies move around from survey to survey. As a result it is hard to determine who is #1.

It is actually pretty complicated to determine 3060 vs 3070. Reason is that in the 30 series laptops the wattage makes a huge difference. You will sometimes have a 3060 performing on par with a 3070 when the 3060 is high wattage and the 3070 is low wattage. That said, as a general rule I recommend:
1. Avoid super thin laptops, they use lower wattage and have lower performance.
2. 3060 for 1080p, 3070 for 1440p.
3. Watch out for cheap components on 3060 laptops, like 45% color coverage displays. Avoid those.

Full disclosure, I got a 3070 Asus G17 but after seeing the benchmarks I believe that a decent wattage 3060 would have been fine. The benchmarks are not too different at 1080p in most games.
Unfortunately I plan to use this for work so it needs to be light since I will be carrying it to work and back all the time.
 
Unfortunately I plan to use this for work so it needs to be light since I will be carrying it to work and back all the time.
Understood, you may want to find a store to check on the portability of the various models. With few exceptions most laptops are thinner than they used to be, in part due to the removal of the optical drive. Just keep in mind the tradeoff for increased portability is louder fans and lower game performance.
 
I'd just get a Costco membership. $50 and you get the best service (concierge), returns (90 days, no questions), and warranty options. Costco backs everything they sell. You can go into any warehouse and see most of their laptops although you may need to go online and buy to get exactly what you want. I've returned multiple gaming laptops that I've bought online in-store with no issue and they even refund shipping. They're great. I send everyone there.
 

ASUS - ROG Zephyrus G15 15.6" QHD Laptop - AMD Ryzen 9 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 - 512GB Solid State Drive - Eclipse Gray​

Model:GA503QMBS94Q
$1,199.99Your price for this item is $1,199.99
Save $300
Was $1,499.99

Is this as good as it gets for 15 inch?
 
My choice from over years it would be Dell or HP, however a Late Dell I bought the battery did not last as long as I would liked, but otherwise good. I still has an HP with AMD its tuff and will not die, the disk showed signs(Bad block) but after "error-repared" it with Win 7 Laptop, its going strong again. I bought some no name Laptop with I7 Win-7 some years ago, it was problematic from early on, in the end the motherboard failed after two disc drives, never again.
 
Well Im just thinking the 3060 will be good enough.. I'm also looking for 1k but the one you posted is actually 1250.
 
I will be looking at getting a 16 core dragon cpu with 4070 next year what brand to get? Don't care about it being thin and light just want something that performs well and lasts a long time. Intel just runs to hot. I haven't been to happy with Dell heat problems lately. Current laptop runs at 100 degrees under load sitting on a cooling pad and the Dell tech says that's normal. I have had good experience with IBM Thinkpad and Sony Viao but none of those are available anymore.

Costco carries Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, LG, MSI.

Wouldn't touch MSI remember when they were the bargain basement brand that the store in Chinatown used $35 MSI motherboards as the default before they switched to foxconn.
 
I will be looking at getting a 16 core dragon cpu with 4070 next year what brand to get? Don't care about it being thin and light just want something that performs well and lasts a long time. Intel just runs to hot. I haven't been to happy with Dell heat problems lately. Current laptop runs at 100 degrees under load sitting on a cooling pad and the Dell tech says that's normal. I have had good experience with IBM Thinkpad and Sony Viao but none of those are available anymore.

Costco carries Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, LG, MSI.

Wouldn't touch MSI remember when they were the bargain basement brand that the store in Chinatown used $35 MSI motherboards as the default before they switched to foxconn.
It's not unusual for thin and light laptops to go to 100C under load with 11th+ gen i5+ Intel. The alternative? Buy a lesser CPU. Or cap power (which will lessen performance as well). Strangely, if you look at reviews, there are plenty of "others" with even more heat issues. Dell's "maker" (eg Compal) doesn't do to bad on cooling designs. Some others are really bad. The problem with most thick and heavy laptops is that they are focused on gaming, so... more heat (a lot more heat). My Dell XPS 13 9310 running Linux runs very cool, but that's because by default it doesn't "release the beast".... I have a script that does that for the purpose of benchmarking, but in general, I just let it do it's normal thing. I will say this, in those ultra thin and light laptops of the 11th+ gen, go with the i5, as a power/thermal throttled i7+ often times performs worse (not worth the extra money).

If you want something barn blazing hot, you get something that's barn blazing hot. And the whole "portable" aspect of the laptop is lost (short battery life, high power draw, weight, size and heat).

But do let us know if you think "you've found the answer" to your needs. As others are looking for the unicorn as well.

Also, typical places like Costco don't carry anything you actually want. The "big stores" are popular dumping grounds for the "meh" models of laptops.
 
cjcox
Thank you. I have a Precision 7560 its not exactly thin or light. I work with Lightroom, Photoshop, Davinci Resolve, Premiere plus play some games so like the extra power. I haven't actually bought any of my laptops at Costco someone mentioned trying to get something there because of the generous return policy. Buy mostly food at Costco. I did get the Metaquest 256 gb for $399 at costco though. If I got a new laptop, I'd be looking at the at a 16 core AMD dragon cpu or the 13900hk with hopefully a 4070. Quite a few of my friends have XMG Apex 15 with 3950x 2070 or Eurocom Nightsky ARX315 with 5950x 3070 so I was looking at those they run cool but are noisy and battery isn't good. I think those are Tong Fang chassis the pc store in Chinatown also carries them I was looking at a 5950x 64 gb ram 4k screen 3080 machine but with the 16 core dragon releasing soon didn't seem to make much sense to get one of those though.
 
Currently typing this from an MSI Raider GE76, and I agree with a few of the other posters sentiments, it was a good value for the included hardware. Overall I'm quite happy with it. recently spec'd and ordered Thinkpad Carbon X1's for the office and I was very happy with the overall build quality. Very sturdy and portable.
 
recently spec'd and ordered Thinkpad Carbon X1's for the office and I was very happy with the overall build quality. Very sturdy and portable.
Integrated graphics make me want to stab out my eyes, but I'm glad it's working for you.
 
Integrated graphics make me want to stab out my eyes, but I'm glad it's working for you.
I don't disagree, but to clarify our end users are using these primarily for MS office, web browsing, and presentations. Tasks all well suited to IG.
 
Integrated graphics make me want to stab out my eyes, but I'm glad it's working for you.
The good news is that you can use your gaming laptop's exhaust to sterilize the needle. But then, I suppose you wouldn't need the needle... sigh... catch 22.
 
The good news is that you can use your gaming laptop's exhaust to sterilize the needle. But then, I suppose you wouldn't need the needle... sigh... catch 22.
I get about 9-10 hours of battery life out of my Zephyrus G14 for non-gaming type work and that isn't even as efficient as the latest chips. It does get hot when gaming, but then gain, pretty much any Windows laptops gets hot compared to Macs. My Mac laptop is cold to warm most of the time, but I just can't stand Apple products anymore.
 
I get about 9-10 hours of battery life out of my Zephyrus G14 for non-gaming type work and that isn't even as efficient as the latest chips. It does get hot when gaming, but then gain, pretty much any Windows laptops gets hot compared to Macs. My Mac laptop is cold to warm most of the time, but I just can't stand Apple products anymore.
Those are nice laptops. I had one of those a couple gens ago. Really liked it. This time around I went with a Razer Blade 14 (I know - Razer) but I juiced the warranty on it. I have been super happy with it. Waiting for 4xxx chips on the 14 and I may make the move. I need to have a thinner and lighter laptop since I need my work MacBook Air M2, as well.
 
My Mac laptop is cold to warm most of the time, but I just can't stand Apple products anymore.
Can you elaborate on why? I’m finally fed up enough with Windows to switch, and the M1 chips finally give me a reason to suck up the additional cost and learning curve.
 
Can you elaborate on why? I’m finally fed up enough with Windows to switch, and the M1 chips finally give me a reason to suck up the additional cost and learning curve.

I'll say this: while I'm alright with Windows and even know what I'd likely use if I switched, I prefer Macs... particularly for laptops. Good performance even on battery power, some of the best keyboards and trackpads in the business and very strong displays and speakers. That's without including the integration with other Apple products, if you're invested in the ecosystem.

On that note: I still have a beef with Windows laptop manufacturers whose display choices tend to be split between a mediocre 1080p LCD and a 4K OLED touchscreen of death that cuts the battery life in half. You do find some well-balanced Windows portables out there, but I like Apple in part because it chooses a happy middle ground.
 
Can you elaborate on why? I’m finally fed up enough with Windows to switch, and the M1 chips finally give me a reason to suck up the additional cost and learning curve.
I don't like being tied to the ecosystem. I've over it.

Those are nice laptops. I had one of those a couple gens ago. Really liked it. This time around I went with a Razer Blade 14 (I know - Razer) but I juiced the warranty on it. I have been super happy with it. Waiting for 4xxx chips on the 14 and I may make the move. I need to have a thinner and lighter laptop since I need my work MacBook Air M2, as well.
I just ordered the last gen ROG Strix Scar because it was 500 bucks off. Ryzen 9, RTX 3080, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD for 1500 bucks. Had to snag it.
 
I don't like being tied to the ecosystem. I've over it.


I just ordered the last gen ROG Strix Scar because it was 500 bucks off. Ryzen 9, RTX 3080, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD for 1500 bucks. Had to snag it.
Found it on best buy. Why did they totally gimp out on the screen resolution lol.. You got a 3080 running at 1080p,trash it should be minimum 1440p totally ruins it & how did Asus even call this a gaming laptop lol
 
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Found it on best buy. Why did they totally gimp out on the screen resolution lol.. You got a 3080 running at 1080p,trash it should be minimum 1440p totally ruins it & how did Asus even call this a gaming laptop lol
Depends on your needs. I’d love that resolution (with high refresh rate) since I play Fortnite. Mobile GPUs need all the help they can.

One of my rigs is on a 1080p / 360Hz monitor and powered by a 7950X / RTX 4090.
 
Found it on best buy. Why did they totally gimp out on the screen resolution lol.. You got a 3080 running at 1080p,trash it should be minimum 1440p totally ruins it & how did Asus even call this a gaming laptop lol
I don’t want 1440p on my screen. I play at extremely high refresh rate and most of the time I’m hooked up to an external monitor (also 1080p high refresh rate). If I want to do 4k, I have a 75” 4K gaming TV. It’s not a deal breaker to me. Just you. It can also charge via USB-C so when I’m on a plane I can use my beefy 100W, 24500 charging battery and watch movies the whole flight.
 
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Unfortunately everything out there on the "buy now" market is a crap shoot.

At home, we had a Lenovo Flex 5 from 2015. Worked great. Just started getting long in the tooth. Replaced it with another Lenovo in Febuary 2022. It should have been better but it wasn't. My wife and I purchased a Yoga for my daughter in 2020 for her school work since remote learning was a thing. However, it was pretty basic for the price point. Not a fan of on board memory since most laptop companies don't implement it correctly. I just found the last 2 Lenovos we bought are going to be our last 2 lenovos. I have a Lenovo for work. I am not impressed with the build quality. Working in industrial environments, I don't see them holding up too well. Heck even after 8 months of service. The battery feels like it's starting to wear out. Other techs have had other issues with thiers including cracked screens.

Right now I am thinking about getting another HP Probook. I had purchased one for work. (Long story) It was easily upgradable and servicable. HP has tons of techinical documents available to the end user. Never had a problem with dealing with their support. Then again I also dealt with a different division in commerical low volume wide format printing. However, HP just had a better experience. Generally built better too. Good luck...
 
I thought the AMD processors were better bc they run cooler in laptops? Also it's 1399 on Amazon so how is it a savings of 900 lol lies! I was leaning towards 15 over a large 17..
 
I thought the AMD processors were better bc they run cooler in laptops? Also it's 1399 on Amazon so how is it a savings of 900 lol lies! I was leaning towards 15 over a large 17..
In general - yes this is true. But they’re both hot. If you’re gaming there’s a slight edge to Intel depending on what you play (single core advantage). Productivity - AMD is king.

My knowledge is around the new 16” laptops and the $3,000 range (went through 6) so I’m not as savvy in other areas.
 
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