Four weeks ago, I published a post in which I asked myself the question: Do I need a gaming notebook? In that article, I came to the conclusion that a gaming notebook would be a good idea. In the meantime, I’ve looked into the matter more closely and have completely changed my mind.
The original budget was set at €2,000. For that price, you can get a gaming notebook with a 4070 and an i7 processor, a 1 TB SSD, and 16-32 GB of RAM. After some research, it became clear to me that the 4070 is a poor choice. It’s significantly more expensive than the 4060, but offers only a slight performance increase. So, I could either save money and go for a 4060, or—since I’m a nerd at heart—spend a bit more and go for a 4080. My inner nerd won out, and I started looking for notebooks with a 4080. And an i9 processor. And 32 GB of RAM.
Well, €2,000 quickly turned into €3,000. That’s 50% more than I had originally planned to spend. And even then, there were only two models, one of which, from MSI, was visually off-putting. Another one from ASUS would have been within budget thanks to a promotional discount. Just before ordering, I reconsidered my use case and started having doubts. First, the notebook should be usable on the go, especially on the train. But an i9 and a 4080 produce a lot of heat that needs to be dissipated. From a notebook chassis with radial fans. I doubted this could be done quietly, and according to tests, at 65dB and more, it’s not exactly quiet. My fellow passengers would not be thrilled.
The second problem: The notebook was supposed to replace my work laptop, meaning it should also be able to run via a USB-C dock without having to connect the included power adapter. The information on this was mixed. It should work, but nobody had really tested it. A lot of uncertainty for around €3,000. But what’s the alternative?
In my last post, I decided against GeForce Now, simply because it doesn’t work well on the go. But is that really true? I treated myself to the Ultimate tier and am currently testing GeForce Now. The verdict so far is mixed. If the internet is stable and fast, the gaming experience is superb. If the WiFi is too weak or the hotspot is unstable? Then you can hardly speak of gaming enjoyment. And that’s exactly the situation I face on the train. I will definitely report back in more detail on GeForce Now once I’ve had a chance to test it extensively.
Another alternative? A 4060 and a smaller processor. That’s actually more than enough for gaming, especially on a notebook screen on the go. But here too, I don’t find the current offers appealing. Either the notebooks look terrible, or they are very expensive again. At least, none of the notebooks have given me a positive feeling yet. I feel similarly about gaming handhelds, which would just be another extra device I’d have to lug around.
So, for now, it’s GeForce Now…