I am looking for a gaming laptop with the following characteristics (budget is not an issue):
- At least 15"6/16" screen, ideally 4K/UHD
- Ideally not too heavy and the thinner the better although it is a bit contradictory with the next point...
- ...as ideally I would like it to remain rather silent when not gaming or doing light gaming (dead cells, slipways, monster train...).
- I do not necessarily need the very best performance as I don't play that many AAA games, although I would like to play a bit more (such as Elden Ring, maybe Cyberpunk 2077) and ideally at 4K (I also have a close to 4K resolution ultra wide 34" screen at home). I also do some light Python/Matlab programming, and I usually have Evernote, Notion, Chrome (with quite a few tabs) and Excel opened at the same time and I like my laptops to be reactive;
- USB C chargeable as I don't want to have to lug the brick everywhere. Ideally, it should be able to play a few light games (the aforementioned ones) with the USB C charger (basically games that run on non-dedicated graphics laptops). Also, when I work at home I will connect it through thunderbolt 4 to a dock that is connected to a printer, a screen...and that is supposed to charge it as well
- Ideally not too ostentatious in terms of gaming "attributes"
- When I connect it to a screen at home, I usually close the laptop and put it vertically in a stand, so that it's better are not on top of the laptop (such as the Zephyrus Duo)
I have selected a few models already:
- Razer blade advanced 15": Pros: thin, powerful, 4K 120Hz (but only with 3080Ti); Cons: eye watering price, 16:9 screen, battery bloat ? Poor customer support ?
- Razer blade 17": Pros: thin, powerful, beautiful and huge 4K 120Hz (but only with 3080Ti), cooler than 15"; Cons: eye watering price, battery bloat ? Poor customer support ?, heavy
- Asus Zephyrus M16 (btw, I saw this reference in my country on sale, but I don't see it on Asus website: ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS M16 GU603ZW-084W; unless, I am mistaken, it's a 12h gen one, so I am a bit surprised by the price, i.e., 2300 EUR instead of 3000): Pros: beautiful 16:10 16" screen with very thin bezels; Cons: loud fans, underperformance (of the previous version)
- Asus Zephyrus duo: Pros: nice 16" screen with thin bezels, dual screen; Cons: heavy and large for a 15", gimmicky second screen, not possible to use it with a close lid it seems (as some fans are below the 2nd screen)
- MSI GE66 raider: good performance, 4K but a bit thick and heavy and a very gaming-oriented design
- Asus Rog Scar 15: I have to investigate this one a bit more
Any comments on my Pros and cons for Razer vs other laptops ?
Before buying a Razer laptop, did you hesitate between similar laptops ?