I'm tempted to get a Gaming Laptop but not for Gaming should I?

Yes I am a gamer, no I don't want to use the Laptop for gaming.

The Laptop in question is the 'Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 Gen 7', I can't out right purchase it outright as any device is way to pricy for me. So it would be an monthly payment through 2 years.

Why do I want the Laptop?
I've been pushing myself to edit videos and have got to the stage that I have registered a company that I'll be doing this under. Sure my PC would do the ok job, it runs the programs I need such as Premiere Pro but I feel a more portable set up might be needed in the future for as my partner wants to go away to so many places in the future, the ability to move rooms in the house when I feel I no longer can work in the room such as my office to the sitting room as well as if it comes to it I can use the laptop for more 'high-end' gaming on the go in my spare time.

Why this Laptop?
Well I saw it on my phone providers website as I was checking when my current laptop is due to finish it's cycle (The laptop I have currently only have 4GB of ram and can barely open the internet) also it cost like ~£40 a month.

How much would I be paying?
The cost on the website is £42 a month with £10 upfront cost.

This does come with a 'bonus' of 2 year subscriptions of Microsoft Office 365 and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

BananaTrifleViolin, (edited )

So, alternative take. If you have a home PC would you be better upgrading it and getting a cheaper laptop for more basic use?

Basically do you really need a mobile work horse? If you're doing video work then you may be better with a graphics card or CPU upgrade £ for £. Do you really want to be editing videos on your sofa or in bed? It doesn't seem like the easiest or most productive way to work in that particular use.

You can also stream any game from your PC to a low power laptop (or other devices) using Steam or other streaming tech. The pc can be on but with the sound and screen off, while you're elsewhere streaming a game.

So maybe a PC upgrade and a shared basic laptop for video and internet would be enough? The only downside is if you genuinely think you would want to do full on video work on the go - out of the home or abroad for example. Then it makes more sense. But a powerful laptop around the house when you have a PC that does the same seems a bit pointless. It also means work drifts away into the rest of your home, whereas now when you're not at your PC you're not working.

But if this is more talking yourself into buying an expensive toy, there may be better toys to be had for far less. Like a steam deck - under £400 for a decent machine, play games anywhere in the home (on the device or streaming to the device), get a dock and plug it in to your telly.

Edit: other way to think of it: do you really need the laptop? What could you spend that money on instead? There is an opportunity cost if you spend that money or take on debt for something you don't really need. You could save that £42 a month and treat yourself to something else in 6 months or a year.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@BananaTrifleViolin Hey I get what you are trying to get at, My current PC set up is very basic and really outdated (And is only get even more outdated in the next few years), The problem I have is that due the previous owner of my PC the screws have been rounded off along with the case being to small for a new GPU making upgrading of the PC almost impossible if I can even find parts of a good affordable price.

As mentioned in my post, the reason I'm looking for a portable work horse is due to the need to move around, I hope to spend time in the evenings with my partner and then we go to bed, I then spend time replying to emails, messages on Kbin as well as editing videos (If I have any, sitting in bed next to my partner helps well doing the 'lighter' work but some is a bit taxing). The option to also pack up and go away for the weekend without struggling to work is a helpful thing for me as it means I shouldn't lose momentum as that slows me down so much even making projects take x100 more time.

Even know I don't want to use the laptop for gaming, it is an option from my experience you need both a really, really good connection to stream gaming and the games I enjoy playing are online competitive such as CS2 what that latency can really effect the results of your game.

But yes if I was to purchase a gaming portable device to mess around with I would be looking at something like a Steam Deck, I'm more thinking of the possible benefits it could give my Video Editing and possible money I could make from editing others content as my company i'm building is preparing to launch. (Also a Steam Deck can't be paid off by monthly payments)

I know saving is an option but even in a year that's only £504 sure enough for something like a Steam Deck outright but through that time I'm stuck with my PC that seems to be getting to the end of it's life (Had a few blue screens the past year, so maybe a year or so left on it) as well as possibly losing out on the opportunity to edit on the go like if I'm visiting family or friends for the weekend or need to go up to London (As I've had to do that a few times the past year due to Activist stuff - Travel Paid by someone else, so easier).

Thanks you for the great feedback.

ryathal,

I would not finance a laptop. Especially if you are just starting. Wait until you have actual income before buying a new machine, and then buy it outright.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@ryathal I'd love to but my current machine is slowing down by the day to the point I can't actually update some of the programs I use day to day for business what not only causes security risk but also possible data loss and crashes.

cheese_greater,

Only if you’re a lawyer named Alina Habba

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@cheese_greater Not sure what you mean, also can't afford a lawyer

CmdrShepard,

I think it’s a reference to one of Trumps lawyers who used a gaming laptop in court.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@CmdrShepard Fair enough, couldn't really give a shit what Trump does. Don't care for the guy lol

cheese_greater,

The “legal practice” dude basically more obliquely said the same thing XD

kzhe,

One of Trump’s lawyers was seen with a big gaming laptop with RGB while in court and was criticized for it.

cheese_greater,

It was just peachy + I low key love her.

Sanctus,
@Sanctus@lemmy.world avatar

Might as well just buy a Mac with apple chipsets if you’re looking at this.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@Sanctus So there's a few reasons I will most likely not go for a Mac;

  1. Most of them you have to purchase out right
  2. Even know I plan on using it for Video Editing I still like having the option to download a game or two as I do enjoy games in my downtime.
  3. Mac Hardware are known to be very un user fixable to the stage you have to purchase a whole new device if something goes wrong in them
  4. Even know I plan on mainly using the Adobe Suite I still want to have the option for non-supported software as Apple's eco-system is known for being very closed to non-verified software
  5. You sometimes have to format external hard drives when moving between Mac and Windows what I would like the option to do as I do still enjoy my Windows Machine when working in my home office.

Mac wasn't the best option and the only place I could possibly get them on monthly payments is there website that minimum I'm looking at is about £50 a month and that's before apple care (what doesn't include water damage) as well as the 50 accessories that they try and add on, would love to be able to try mac but with the price point and the massive e-waste they become I'd rather stick with a PC I can always add Linux on in the future.

Sanctus,
@Sanctus@lemmy.world avatar

Have you checked out “workstation” laptops? Thoough those might be more geared towards rendering graphics. I only suggested the Mac because I have a relative in film school and its Macs all the way down.

You could try looking at HP Zbooks, Dell XPSs, or the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i. But Zbooks are more expensive than macs sometimes.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@Sanctus I have looked at a lot of other workstation based laptops in the past few months, HP I avoid as me and my mum have had no end of problems from there laptops in the past. The problem comes to the same thing in the end, is there a payment plan that allows me to pay it off per month for the next 1-2 years? No, Well can't outright buy it sadly. Thanks for trying, I think the deal that the laptop I've posted about is probably the best that I'm going to get (even if I have to purchase extra storage space and RAM to add to the laptop post purchase).

Sanctus,
@Sanctus@lemmy.world avatar

Just be careful of what other comments mentioned. That battery life means it will practically be a desktop in no time. Maybe have 2-3 charged spares.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@Sanctus I will keep that in mind, there isn't many locations that I can think of that will not have power so I'm lucky in that way. I will most likely change the battery inside of the laptop after a year or so to make sure that it's still able to boot without being plugged in when I need it for that bit of work.

TBH seems like most of the downsides are rather because of it being monthly payments instead of outright paying for it but I understand that but can't outright purchase atm (Maybe in the future with my edits).

and the other downsides is that it's a laptop so it has battery that can slowly degrade and won't last a long, long time. As well as the screen being not colour perfect, what I don't have on my current cheap monitors anyway, so really it's a massive upgrade for me.

BudgetBandit,

I‘m one of the old millennials who’d never buy something if I can’t afford it right away, I save for it, or save for the next gen of that thing. This laptop costs about £ 1020

Game pass is £ 360; MS Office is £ 140; Sums up to about £ 500;

This „reduces“ the price of the laptop to £ 520 or £ 22 per month.

So the price is pretty good but only if you do have use for MS office and the Game Pass, but also £ 40 per month is some high additional cost. The machine itself is good, tho.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@BudgetBandit Yeah, I wish I could save up the money for it but at the moment I need stuff like my editing to get off the ground in any form of way and can't wait 2 years to save the money for it. I know it's not really a smart move when it comes compared to outright purchasing and heck tomorrow I might be able to phone the company that's doing the deal and see if they can strike up another deal without the Gamepass and Office as I really don't need them for my day to day use, sure office is helpful and maybe I'd use Game Pass in my downtime to mess around with games but not massively interested especially if I already purchase games on Steam and there's free alternative software to office including Google's ones (That I actually prefer).

All I know is this seems to be a beacon towards something that I not only could possibly afford (Only by monthly payments) but also could be a way out of having to do things like monthly payments as well as worrying about money in the future. I know it's a big what if but it's probably the best thing I have atm with my partner up my ass about getting on with my career and stuff.

Tuss,

Do you have another job? Get one. Work fast, work hard, get a lot of money fast, buy a better pc. Get a notebook or something for browsing around the house.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@Tuss I have a browsing laptop that I've had for a while but that's all it's good for. Saying about another Job it's not really easy for someone like me to get a Job in the current climate of the UK so it's not really an option sadly, it's actually one of the reasons I am pushing for my Video Editing Business as not only is it a passion but it's something that some people seem to need, so there's profit to be made. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Tuss,

I mean you don’t need a full time job. Flipping burgers at mc donalds for a month or two would suffice to pay for a new pc if you don’t have to pay for housing and living during that time.

Now I don’t know where in the UK you live but its getting close to Christmas so they will need more people to sort post and packages for the next two months. Retail will also need more staff for the next two months.

Leading up to Christmas is one of the best times to find a job for extra cash.

If you’re also any good at photography and have a portfolio you could probably find a studio that is looking for an extra pair of hands with family photos and christmas cards.

Don’t put yourself in debt unnecessarily praying for a business to hopefully be successful enough to pay off the monthly payment on a laptop that you can’t actually afford.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@Tuss That's the thing I do, If I take on any more money I have to pay huge amounts of TAX on it. It's not that my company is going to take on the payments, it's that I've taken off a lot of un-necessary payments lately and feel this is one of the best tools that I most likely can get, sure for monthly payments but if my company does well I can always pay for the rest of it off in one go instead of waiting for it to finish and if it doesn't least I have a decent laptop to do the work on, as well as possibly game on.

Tuss,

If you are currently beneath the personal allowance limit of £12,570 then it’s still only 20% on anything above the limit until you reach 50k and then it’s 40% on anything above 50k. So 12,5k-50k is still 20% and anything under 12,5k is still tax free.

So if you do get a job to save up for a pc you would only pay lets say 200 in tax on 1k if you’re in the 20% bracket.

It’s not like they would force you to pay 20% on your whole allowance just because you hit the allowance limit.

You say TAX like it’s a big scary thing but the only difference is that you have to work a couple of extra hours to make up for the tax that you will be paying. If you get £10 per hour you would have to put in 2.5 more hours to make the same as you would before the 20% bracket.

I’m currently paying 34% on everything I make if I make over 3k. I would gladly take the allowance and put in a few extra hours if I hit the 20% bracket.

hperrin,

The upsides of a gaming PC are:

  • CPU power
  • GPU power
  • high refresh rate monitor

The downsides are:

  • clunky (much larger than an ultrabook)
  • abysmal battery life (that one has a 60Wh battery. You’re looking at maybe 2 hours)
  • generally bad trackpads (they’re designed to use with a gaming mouse, so the trackpad is an afterthought and usually sucks)
  • bad color accuracy (this could be a problem for video editing)
  • heavy (that one is 2.3 Kg. That’s really heavy)

If you’re cool with those downsides, go for it.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@hperrin TBH the downsides don't seem to bad (Other than the possible colour accuracy). The weight and chunkiness doesn't really matter as I already carry around a Canon 60D w/ Tripods and other gear when creating personal videos (not the newest hardware but does the job). The Battery life sure sucks but pretty much anywhere I go will most likely have power even the Trains in the UK have power for Laptops so long journey's aren't to bad if I were to go on them.

From the few videos I've saw so far people are saying on demanding stuff the battery lasts between 4-5 hours what is really good if that is the case but 2 hours is still good if not. The Trackpad I won't be using to often as I really hate them (One of the main things I hate about Laptops) so I will be most likely getting a mouse that will go along with the Laptop when I am out and about, tbh the downsides seem to be more of what sort of laptop I need as well as it being a laptop, no laptop is perfect unless it can turn into a full blown super computer for games, multiple monitors as well as last all day without being plugged in so I feel they are understandable downsides.

Thanks for the help.

cheese_greater,

Thanks, I hate it!

Kalinus,

Apparently they’re great for the legal practice

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@Kalinus That's good I guess, I know i'm looking to use it for Video Editing but from what I can see it's a good laptop for the moment but maybe outdated with ARM PCs in the nearish future (6 months)

Kalinus,

Imma be honest, I was just making a joke, saw an opportunity and couldn’t miss it

jerrimu,

Get a thinkpad, one with a graphics card made for that like a quadro

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@jerrimu They seem to be pretty good machines but I sadly can't buy outright atm so that's why I was questioning about the IdeaPad that I found.

jerrimu,

Lenovo has credit

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@jerrimu Couldn't find it on there website, is that only for America or the UK as well?

cheese_greater,

What is like the Macbook (Air) of non-Apple laptops Unix folks would suggest for use with Linux or might approximate?

simple,

If you’re going to do light work on it you don’t need a gaming laptop. The ideapad gaming is an alright gaming laptop but keep in mind gaming laptops get hot, have loud fans, and generally have a poor battery compared to normal laptops.

If you’re going to do a lot of video editing I’d say it’s worth it, but if you’re going to edit a video every now and then I’d say eehhh.

Worth keeping in mind that ARM windows laptops will happen in 2024, so if you don’t need it now it may be worth waiting half a year or so if you want a laptop that’s light and decently powerful and can last a long time.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@simple I will keep the ARM laptops in mind, I know if I kept it (as much as possible) a Video Editing laptop then I will most likely get work done faster and without issues of getting distracted so it might be a worth while purchase, Thanks.

eezeebee,
@eezeebee@lemmy.ca avatar

I looked it up for specs and seems like it has 16GB of RAM? Do you think that will be enough? I built my own PC in 2016 and went with 32GB to future-proof it (somewhat), and I could always upgrade if needed. I don’t think you have that option with a laptop and will just be putting yourself in the same position again in the near future.

moreeni,

16Gb is good for most people. 32 would better suit graphic/game designers, people who never close applications etc.

MJBrune,

32 isn’t enough for a lot of game developer jobs. I’ve had 64 GB of RAM since 2020. Although I’m an engineer who deals with memory stomps and memory stomp detection takes double the RAM. Even without that, my RAM is usually 75% in use, so when I do memory stomp detection it’s pretty much using pagefiling for a bit of it.

That said, video editors need just as much if not more RAM than game developers usually do. They have to load up 1-2 GB videos and duplicate them. If you are making stream compilations it can easily take over 32 GB of ram.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@MJBrune @moreeni I know 8GB isn't enough that's why I'll upgrade to the the max (from what I can see) 16GB on that laptop. I would love to have anywhere between 32 - 128GB on a laptop to work on but knowing I'm working with about 16GB and a much worse GPU than a 3050ti that is in the laptop I feel that this is the best 'upgrade' I can do for myself ATM really. I do wonder what sort of game developed / video editing portable rig you can find with something close to 64GB Ram.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@eezeebee The one that I'm looking at has 8GB of RAM with the upgrade slot accessible to add another 8GB. Yes it would be annoying if I have to update in the near future but knowing a 3050ti is inside of it so that I'm not relying on the CPU & RAM alone I think it should manage it. The other downside is the Storage but there is a empty slot I can add a 1TB SSD into when I can afford it what at least will help, that an External Hard Drives are a thing.

Tosti,
@Tosti@feddit.nl avatar

If this is indeed not an ad,

I don’t think a very portable laptop would be the go to choice for video editing.

  • I would imagine checking that the notebook actually uses SoDimm memory and not memory that is soldered I to the device.
  • processor wise you can also look for a notebook with a desktop processor. Although this makes the device bulky.
  • the IdeaPad is the home user quality and does not compare to ThinkPads in therms of build quality. So if you will be taking this everywhere, it will probably not live as long as a Thinkpad.

Also keep in mind with the office 365. The home versions are not for business use.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@Tosti Hey yeah, so it looks like there is space to add more RAM the one I was looking at have about 8GB of RAM and I would love to purchase an extra 8GB if I do get it as I'd like to make it run a little faster.

TBH I think the one that I've been looking at does have a Desktop processor as it is on the bulkier side with added bonuses of a Ethernet port and stuff so that's good.

I will keep in mind about the IdeaPad and will try and do some research on them as I don't think I can get them on a monthly payment anywhere.

CmdrShepard,

If the (intel) processor has a U at the end then its a lower powered mobile processor just FYI.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@CmdrShepard Thank you, It doesn't seem like it is but it's an AMD processor so probably not the same rule.

CmdrShepard,

Probably not and I’m not familiar enough with the current AMD line to know the differences.

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@CmdrShepard Thanks for the help either way, I will most likely be phoning up the company that is selling the laptop tomorrow to see if I can get some more information as some information is saying it's one processor and others say it's another probably two different laptops with the same name.

CmdrShepard,

Yeah it’s not uncommon for laptops to have different tiers of hardware under the same model name similar to the iPhone/IPhone max.

Stovetop,

Begone, ad!

SamXavia,
@SamXavia@kbin.run avatar

@Stovetop Hey I'm not an ad, I'm generally have the question

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