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And what does "AMD Vega 7 + Nvidia MX450 2GB GDDR6 Graphics" even mean? Is one supposed to be driving built-in screen and the other driving external monitors?
I'd probably look at some notebook check benchmarks on games for both the mx450 and 1650 and see what you're comfortable with (which is how I'm also comparing them atm), but for me, I think the portability of the ZenBook is more favorable IMO, unless you could find something closer to the same battery life and size as the ZenBook with a 1650, still making a compromise in power but a bit more gaming performance. The benefit of the evoo is that you can add additional Ram, making it dual channel and making even improving the FPS a tiny bit. I hear battery life is terrible on evoo, but that's kind of expected for a entry level gaming laptop. I'm concerned with the longevity of a evoo laptop, so I wouldn't purchase without that extended warranty. Better yet, look at the gateway 2060 refurb at Walmart, which may be even better value for you (essentially same designed case I think with better gpu, slightly more money)
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06-21-2021 at 10:09 AM.
Quote
from Only1KW
:
As I stated, I plan to use it for "budget gaming". Why does the weight of the laptop prevent a comparison?
Usually because of TDP and heat. A lot of time the smaller thinner laptops use a lower wattage CPU so they can meet the weight, heat, and space requirements. A heavier larger laptop should have a better cooling solution and less thermal throttling and possibly up to a 45 watt cpu (like the i5-10300) where many ultra portables max out cpu wattage at 15 and total system at 25.
Without breaking down every aspect of the builds, the higher wattage 10300h and more classical 1650 will do a good bit more than the Ryzen with an MX450. The 10300h will be a larger, heavier, louder laptop. The tradeoff you are looking at here is a decreased performance in the Ryzen 5500u laptop in exchange for battery life and portability. If you are going to stay plugged in gaming, especially in one spot, the actual gaming laptop will preform better in games. As a side note, the MX450 is approaching what the previous generation gtx 1050 can do in game performance. So the 1650 is a bit up of an upgrade there too.
Side note: I know being told they do not compare is not helpful, at least not by itself. The other poster isn't totally wrong though, because work is done by power (wattage measured) and one of the options offers much less power draw from the wall, therefore it will never be able to do the same amount of work (computations/sec or whatever you want to call it) as components with similar technology/efficiency running at a higher wattage.
How much benefit do you get by having that mx450? Maybe 20% better performance? Some tests I've seen show the 5500u in dual channel performing about equivalent. You already have an AMD APU that's delivering comparable performance. Just for the hit in battery life and complexity for having a needless GPU I'd give this a pass.
How much benefit do you get by having that mx450? Maybe 20% better performance? Some tests I've seen show the 5500u in dual channel performing about equivalent. You already have an AMD APU that's delivering comparable performance. Just for the hit in battery life and complexity for having a needless GPU I'd give this a pass.
Yeah, the 5000 series APU is mean. To get that performance though, I think you would need a different ram setup. Ryzen is more affected by ram speed, you want 3200mhz+ and dual channel to get those results. I am in no way disagreeing with you, you're paying for a dedicated GPU to cover over the ram design. With that being said, these dedicated GPUs with their own ddr5/6 ram will help with framerate drops that iGPUs pushing the same max framerates will experience. So I guess if you do a lot of FPS or something like that you might want the stability.
Build material (plastic or aluminum)?
Will it last 4-6 hours if it is used for basic tasks such as attending classes, MS Word for note taking, exams on Internet Browsers? Any similar (or better) laptops under $600? If one has to buy laptops before the end of July, will I find better deals?
And I have seen some fantastic posts from you. May I ask how you get product information?
I broke my head trying to find these on Google, Asus' site, BestBuy chat: [Screen brightness (in nits)? Is the screen IPS or TN? Color coverage (in % sRGB)? Build material (plastic or aluminum)?
Battery capacity (in WHr)?]
Would the 2 gb dedicated video ram help keep the 8gb system ram freed up? I do some minor video editing(drone pics), but can never find a 16gb system with good battery, 300+nit screen and a strong(ish) processor. PS> I don't play games on it, so that isn't a factor.
Unfortunately the challenge is associated with the demands created by Windows 10 memory management. 8GB is not broken and should be fully functional for most applications. However, the long term functionality of this device could be limited by that 8GB selection. Today 4GB computers aren't broken, but they are hitting the page file enough that it does make such a system work harder than it might were it endowed with more RAM. Someday soon 8GB may create that issue... though for many users that day may never come!
If your current PC has 4GB of RAM and you actually have no complaints with its performance, then buy without remorse. If you are the kind of shopper who pays a premium for future-proofing consider a system that is either upgradeable or has 16GB onboard.
Personally, I'm still buying/considering 8GB systems. 4GB was a sweet spot for Windows 10 systems for nearly 5 years. I expect further optimizations on the part of Microsoft (who still sells 4GB and 8GB systems) to make 8GB a decent spec for most basic applications.
Picked this up today.. as I keep trying to find the perfect mid-range laptop this one probably isn't it for me either.
Pluses over last year's model are: Type-C charging (which was the dealbreaker for me then), better speakers, much more rigid body, faster CPU/GPU (but this is a given).
This year's negatives (for me): we get a worse screen, heavier body, same hard to see keycaps, and way more fan noise. And worst of all, EXTREME heat.. this sucker is HOT HOT HOT.. Cannot use it on my lap under any sort of load. And again, the fan is higher pitched/louder.
I think it's worth the cost overall, though.. it's just not the one for me, I don't like how much heat this creates (just installing Windows updates, its scorching).
Build material (plastic or aluminum)?
Will it last 4-6 hours if it is used for basic tasks such as attending classes, MS Word for note taking, exams on Internet Browsers? Any similar (or better) laptops under $600? If one has to buy laptops before the end of July, will I find better deals?
And I have seen some fantastic posts from you. May I ask how you get product information?
I broke my head trying to find these on Google, Asus' site, BestBuy chat: [Screen brightness (in nits)? Is the screen IPS or TN? Color coverage (in % sRGB)? Build material (plastic or aluminum)?
Battery capacity (in WHr)?]
All metal body, it's built like a tank. It'll easily last 8+ hours according to my analysis of it's 63watt/hour batt and tests i've conducted. I can't think of anything better for around this cost at the moment.. Although i'm very sensitive to heat and fan noise and this thing dishes it out, last year's model ran much cooler and quieter during my tests.
Screen is closer to 280-300nits in my testing.. i'm not detecting any PWM either (but the sticker on the laptop says flicker free, confirming that as well). It has Windows Hello just like last years model. Screen is made by Panda, a newer panel maker and it has decent sRGB coverage, i'd rate it close to 90% max. I can't get a good measurement from my Colormunki but it's pretty good for being a budget panel. It's IPS.
The MX450 in this unit is 15 watts TGP. It's not a whole lot faster than the Vega7 built in.. but in some titles it outpaces the Vega7 a lot.
How much benefit do you get by having that mx450? Maybe 20% better performance? Some tests I've seen show the 5500u in dual channel performing about equivalent. You already have an AMD APU that's delivering comparable performance. Just for the hit in battery life and complexity for having a needless GPU I'd give this a pass.
Don't make up things and benchmarks. MX450 is over 30% faster than even Intel Iris Xe 96 EU Graphics in Core i7, which in turns, almost 20% faster than Vega 7 in 5500U. These type posts doesn't show your tech knowledge but highlights the lack of it.
And regarding battery life complain, have you heard the term Optimus?
Yeah, the 5000 series APU is mean. To get that performance though, I think you would need a different ram setup. Ryzen is more affected by ram speed, you want 3200mhz+ and dual channel to get those results. I am in no way disagreeing with you, you're paying for a dedicated GPU to cover over the ram design. With that being said, these dedicated GPUs with their own ddr5/6 ram will help with framerate drops that iGPUs pushing the same max framerates will experience. So I guess if you do a lot of FPS or something like that you might want the stability.
I am not sure what the hell you are talking about the GPU of the Ryzen 5 5500U. MX450 is nearly 40% more powerful than the Vega 7 in this 5500U, running in dual channel with the highest spaced 4266 MHz LPDDR4X Ram.
Now why you need a different Ram setup? LPDDR memory configuration are always done in Dual channel and this is as well. a 4266 MHz dual channel LPDDR4X will always perform better than a normal DDR4 3200 MHz Ram in dual channel. From where did you get the idea that this one not running in dual channel? The only complain is that the Ram is limited to 8GB.
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And what does "AMD Vega 7 + Nvidia MX450 2GB GDDR6 Graphics" even mean? Is one supposed to be driving built-in screen and the other driving external monitors?
I'd probably look at some notebook check benchmarks on games for both the mx450 and 1650 and see what you're comfortable with (which is how I'm also comparing them atm), but for me, I think the portability of the ZenBook is more favorable IMO, unless you could find something closer to the same battery life and size as the ZenBook with a 1650, still making a compromise in power but a bit more gaming performance. The benefit of the evoo is that you can add additional Ram, making it dual channel and making even improving the FPS a tiny bit. I hear battery life is terrible on evoo, but that's kind of expected for a entry level gaming laptop. I'm concerned with the longevity of a evoo laptop, so I wouldn't purchase without that extended warranty. Better yet, look at the gateway 2060 refurb at Walmart, which may be even better value for you (essentially same designed case I think with better gpu, slightly more money)
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank GBOVFL
Without breaking down every aspect of the builds, the higher wattage 10300h and more classical 1650 will do a good bit more than the Ryzen with an MX450. The 10300h will be a larger, heavier, louder laptop. The tradeoff you are looking at here is a decreased performance in the Ryzen 5500u laptop in exchange for battery life and portability. If you are going to stay plugged in gaming, especially in one spot, the actual gaming laptop will preform better in games. As a side note, the MX450 is approaching what the previous generation gtx 1050 can do in game performance. So the 1650 is a bit up of an upgrade there too.
Side note: I know being told they do not compare is not helpful, at least not by itself. The other poster isn't totally wrong though, because work is done by power (wattage measured) and one of the options offers much less power draw from the wall, therefore it will never be able to do the same amount of work (computations/sec or whatever you want to call it) as components with similar technology/efficiency running at a higher wattage.
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Will it last 4-6 hours if it is used for basic tasks such as attending classes, MS Word for note taking, exams on Internet Browsers? Any similar (or better) laptops under $600? If one has to buy laptops before the end of July, will I find better deals?
And I have seen some fantastic posts from you. May I ask how you get product information?
I broke my head trying to find these on Google, Asus' site, BestBuy chat: [Screen brightness (in nits)? Is the screen IPS or TN? Color coverage (in % sRGB)? Build material (plastic or aluminum)?
Battery capacity (in WHr)?]
If your current PC has 4GB of RAM and you actually have no complaints with its performance, then buy without remorse. If you are the kind of shopper who pays a premium for future-proofing consider a system that is either upgradeable or has 16GB onboard.
Personally, I'm still buying/considering 8GB systems. 4GB was a sweet spot for Windows 10 systems for nearly 5 years. I expect further optimizations on the part of Microsoft (who still sells 4GB and 8GB systems) to make 8GB a decent spec for most basic applications.
Good luck!
Jon
Pluses over last year's model are: Type-C charging (which was the dealbreaker for me then), better speakers, much more rigid body, faster CPU/GPU (but this is a given).
This year's negatives (for me): we get a worse screen, heavier body, same hard to see keycaps, and way more fan noise. And worst of all, EXTREME heat.. this sucker is HOT HOT HOT.. Cannot use it on my lap under any sort of load. And again, the fan is higher pitched/louder.
I think it's worth the cost overall, though.. it's just not the one for me, I don't like how much heat this creates (just installing Windows updates, its scorching).
Will it last 4-6 hours if it is used for basic tasks such as attending classes, MS Word for note taking, exams on Internet Browsers? Any similar (or better) laptops under $600? If one has to buy laptops before the end of July, will I find better deals?
And I have seen some fantastic posts from you. May I ask how you get product information?
I broke my head trying to find these on Google, Asus' site, BestBuy chat: [Screen brightness (in nits)? Is the screen IPS or TN? Color coverage (in % sRGB)? Build material (plastic or aluminum)?
Battery capacity (in WHr)?]
Screen is closer to 280-300nits in my testing.. i'm not detecting any PWM either (but the sticker on the laptop says flicker free, confirming that as well). It has Windows Hello just like last years model. Screen is made by Panda, a newer panel maker and it has decent sRGB coverage, i'd rate it close to 90% max. I can't get a good measurement from my Colormunki but it's pretty good for being a budget panel. It's IPS.
The MX450 in this unit is 15 watts TGP. It's not a whole lot faster than the Vega7 built in.. but in some titles it outpaces the Vega7 a lot.
And regarding battery life complain, have you heard the term Optimus?
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Now why you need a different Ram setup? LPDDR memory configuration are always done in Dual channel and this is as well. a 4266 MHz dual channel LPDDR4X will always perform better than a normal DDR4 3200 MHz Ram in dual channel. From where did you get the idea that this one not running in dual channel? The only complain is that the Ram is limited to 8GB.