What is more important for a gaming laptop - performance or features?
Modern gaming laptops with Nvidia's new RTX 5000 GPUs are very expensive. We would all like to have the fastest components combined with the best features, but current high-end devices with prices north of $4000 are simply way too expensive for the majority of users. If you still want a modern gaming laptop, you simply have to make some compromises, which can be in terms of features or performance (or both). We just reviewed the two large gaming notebooks XMG Focus 17 and Asus ROG Strix G18, which are priced between $2000 and $2300, but have completely different approaches.
Asus decided to equip the 18-inch gamer with a very fast AMD processor (Ryzen 9 9955HX) and a comprehensive set of features. This includes Advanced Optimus GPU switching and a high-quality IPS panel with 240 Hz and G-Sync, but only in combination with the GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop and 8 GB VRAM. On the other hand we have the XMG Focus 17, which is always shipped with the more powerful RTX 5070 Ti laptop and 12 GB VRAM. However, it is combined with an older HX processor from Intel and Advanced Optimus is not supported, either (a MUX switch is included), and the display brightness is lower. It is also a 240 Hz display though. The 5070 Ti does have an advantage, especially in higher resolutions and is better equipped for future games with 12 GB VRAM.
Now the question is what is more important for a gaming notebook. Obviously this is a personal choice, but considering the gaming performance and the fact that you will probably use your laptop for a couple of years and you cannot upgrade the hardware, we would always prefer the higher graphics performance. Games are getting more demanding and there are already titles where 8 GB VRAM will result in issues like frame drops, especially in the QHD resolution.
But what do you prefer? A better screen and more features or the faster GPU option? Please leave a comment and tell us what you would choose. Please see our comprehensive reviews for more information on the two devices:
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