New Gaming Laptop

Last week a friend promoted a tweet that linked to a reasonably priced high powered gaming laptop – and I’ve been wanting one for a number of years now, so I jumped at the chance and bought it. It was priced in USD ($1299) but in CAD it was still respectable, even with the $95 I had to pay in duties to get it across the boarder. Specifics include:

Intel 9th gen i7 + RTX Graphics = real-time ray tracingKey Features

• 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7-9750H Six-Core
• 16GB DDR4 RAM | 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD
• 15.6″ 1920 x 1080 144 Hz IPS Display
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU (6GB)

The SSD was a key factor in my decision. Comparable computers had a 2070 or 2080 but only 512gb SSD – downgrading to the 2060 and adding a 1tb SSD put the price point $400 more expensive than the one I purchased, not including any taxes or duties.

It arrived yesterday – the box was pretty mangled and I got worried but I think the customs folks must have just gone a bit over the top with it. Inside everything was as it should and the gaming laptop runs like a dream. It gets a bit warm and loud when you really push it, but I’m not interested in gaming for 10+ hours a day with high intensity games, so it more than covers what I want it for. It’s quiet as a mouse for regular use, and sure the battery isn’t exactly the longest lasting thing out there but 99% of the time I’m using it next to a socket some place (even my balcony has an outlet). Overall, I’m incredibly impressed and I have zero negatives to say – the fact that the power cords go out the BACK of the machine is another HUGE bonus. Every single laptop I’ve ever owned has had them come out the side, which is annoying when I place my laptop on my desk or on a table.

I started installing games right away, Sims 4, the blizzard launcher, my steam launcher, and games from each. The 144 monitor is also a thing of beauty, my PC monitors are older, and I can definitely notice the difference.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!