hey peeps, new here and hoping you can help me out! Been saving up for a gaming laptop for a while now and I’m finally ready to make the purchase but tbh, I’m a little overwhelmed with all the specs. Nvidia or AMD for graphics card? Is a 2-in-1 model worth it (you know, for lazy Netflix days too)?

And should I go all out on disk space or can I make-do with an external hard drive? Also heard something about solid state drives offering speed but not sure about that and and considering winter’s here and how much I’ll be indoors, I think I want to finalize this purchase ASAP.

My budget’s not sky-high, around $1300 or so. The laptop wouldn’t just be for gaming, It will double as my work system so yeah, need to keep it balanced not too heavy but not a sloth either. It’d be great if I can run high-end games like Cyberpunk 2077 smoothly but also switch to work mode with multiple tabs open in Chrome (gosh I wish chrome didn’t eat up so much ram!).

What are your thoughts on antivirus software too? Worth it? I’m open to all opinions and suggestions here, guys. Cheers in advance for the tips - I know I can count on the collective wisdom of this forum!

I see where you’re coming from. Buying a gaming laptop is a big choice especially when it’s gonna double as your work rig. As for graphics, Nvidia’s typically more powerful, but AMD offers better value for your money. So depends on what you value more.

2-in-1 laptops? Eh, I would say they’re cool but not super necessary. Besides, gaming rigs aren’t usually too flexible in that area given they need the space for cooling and all.

Disk space is very much personal preference, external hard drives come in handy sure, but you want your games and OS on an SSD to speed things up, trust me on this.

As for the whole antivirus debate, it gets touchy. The in-built Windows defender works pretty well for most, but if you’re worried, snagging a subscription to something like Norton wouldn’t hurt. Oh, and Chrome… I feel ya, maybe give Firefox a try?

Ultimately, the choice is yours, pal. Hope this helps! Best of luck, and remember to show us your new rig when you get it!

This is quite a conundrum, huh? Graphics are indeed a balancing act between power and cost. Nvidia has some slick features, ray tracing comes to mind. But ye, AMD’s value is hard to ignore.

2-in-1 laptop for gaming? Maybe if you’re into light stuff, but anything heavy’s gonna melt it faster than a snowball in a desert.

Fully agree on the SSD part. ’Twas a game changer when I upgraded, felt like I was running on Usain Bolt’s legs suddenly.

Antivirus, well, better safe than sorry. I cycle between a few, but Defender’s been pretty solid.

And for browsing, I’m a proud Firefox user. It’s like the comfy old chair, you know? Fits just right.

Do let us know what rig you end up with. Always fun seeing what others went for. Good luck, mate. May your FPS be high and your temperature be low.

Totally get where you’re coming from with the whole graphics conundrum. Nvidia does have the edge when it comes to features, but can’t argue with the value of AMD. And yeah, using a 2-in-1 for heavy gaming sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, lol.

That SSD upgrade sounds like a dream come true. Makes all the difference, doesn’t it? As for antivirus, better safe than sorry indeed. I’ve been using Avast for years and it’s never let me down.

My mantra: Google Chrome all the way for browsing. But hey, to each their own. As long as the browser gets the job done, right?

eager to see what beast of a rig you end up with. May your gaming sessions be lag-free and oh so smooth! Keep us posted!

@Sam does a lot of gaming - any ideas?

Laptops are just not great, that’s the fact - if possible spend a similar amount even on an entry level desktop PC and it’d be better in my opinion.

Sam Fair enough, just thought you might have some more ideas