Anyone using a gaming laptop for work?

[Redd]

Does it make sense to get a gaming laptop for work (general MS Office, browsing, presentations, etc)?

Share your experiences here.

[zx10guy]

No. The laptop wasn't a gaming laptop but a mobile workstation that I got for work with the prodding of my manager. I hated the thing. Yes, it was powerful with a big processor, NVMe SSD, 16 GB of RAM, and a dedicated GPU. But for work stuff, I never made it break a sweat which is inline with what you mentioned above. In return, the thing was heavy and big. I would have preferred a smaller/lighter laptop. Especially since I was mobile quite a bit traveling to client sites and the weight/size thing really became an issue when flying.

[Redd]

The gaming laptop I'm looking at is 14" and 3.x lbs. I think size and weight will be ok.

[ashmostro]

Check the battery life compared to competing non-gaming laptops. Most gaming laptops will have a shorter battery life due to the higher power demands of the CPU, display and GPU. If you travel with your laptop and work off battery a lot, this could be an important consideration.

They also tend to have fans that stay on all the time, at least to some degree. If noise bothers you, this is another reason to research non-gaming options (do your homework, because many of them are loud under load too).

[TurboSid]

I use a 17" MSI RTX 2080 laptop for the past two years and its good bc im in the creative industry and use it for work and play. Only downside is for quick portable work or vacation I don't like to lug it around and power source is pretty much required. Cant take it out on a plane or even use it on the lap anywhere else.

Next purchase will probably be a M2 macbook pro for more portability

[Redd]

Thanks for all the feedback. Looking at Asus Zephyrus G14 with RTX3060. Seems to be small and light enough to carry about.

[SRod321]

I bought a gaming laptop mostly because it had the specs to do some minor video editing for my GoPro motorcycle rides and eventually some gaming. I'm a console gamer but have been thinking about taking the plunge with PC gaming. Anyhow, I have done very little/minor "editing", and literally NO gaming with my laptop smdh. Done mostly work stuff on it and it's very good with minor tasks. Looking to start gaming in the next few months with it.

[TractionControlDelete]

Sure do! Work pays for it so who am I to object lol. I use the Razer Blade 17. I would've liked a lighter laptop but a lot of smaller gaming laptops don't have a camera for video conferences (which is necessary for my job)

[george_d]

absolutely worth it. bought a asus gaming laptop and now using it for work. it's fast, and looks cool )

[Redd]

Got the Asus Zephyrus G15 RTX3080 for work. What a beast! It's not that much larger than a comparable 15" laptop but the performance under the hood is insane. Definitely no regrets.

[Redd]

Yeah checked out the G14 as well. But I really wanted an RTX and the G14 max GPU is lower than the G15 (cooling considerations probably). Very happy with my G15. It's a bit bigger than my old ThinkPad E14, but not by much.

[Rocket455]

I briefly used a gaming laptop for work/school way back in 2002. This thing was a beast: 17.1" UXGA screen, 256 MB dedicated Ati Radeon 9000 graphic card, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD, and a whopping 11 lbs. After just 1 month, I decided that it ran consistently too hot, was way too noisy, and stupidly cumbersome. About 10 years later I repeated the attempt with another gaming laptop (this time solely for work), and my conclusions were the same: too hot, loud and bulky, and I reverted right back to my Lenovo ThinkPad. Just my 2 cents =P

[shawnhayes]

I used a lenovo legion 7i for some time for work. i9 processor, nvidia graphics. Great machine, when plugged up. Short battery life to keep the hungry hungry hippo the i9 alive. Wasn't heavy, but was rugged.

I like Lenovo so much, when the 7i got a little old(ish) I upgraded to a Lenovo ThinkPad P16. More battery life, but this thing is a BEAST. Heavy, and HOT. It's a "bleeding edge" machine, but it's nice.

Both have their place. A good small gaming laptop will serve you well. Looks like you have chosen the "niche" for smaller gaming laptops, which generally don't suffer from the bleeding edge gamer rigs.

Shawn

[Redd]

Originally Posted by shawnhayes

I used a lenovo legion 7i for some time for work. i9 processor, nvidia graphics. Great machine, when plugged up. Short battery life to keep the hungry hungry hippo the i9 alive. Wasn't heavy, but was rugged.

I like Lenovo so much, when the 7i got a little old(ish) I upgraded to a Lenovo ThinkPad P16. More battery life, but this thing is a BEAST. Heavy, and HOT. It's a "bleeding edge" machine, but it's nice.

Both have their place. A good small gaming laptop will serve you well. Looks like you have chosen the "niche" for smaller gaming laptops, which generally don't suffer from the bleeding edge gamer rigs.

Shawn

Yeah I was looking at the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i at first for just how thin it was and still able to cram an RTX3070 inside. Got a good deal I couldnt pass up on an RTX3080 Asus G15 and haven't looked back.

True that while these smaller gaming laptops are not as bulky and traditional gaming laptops, they are still not as light as an ultra book. Battery life and noise can be managed thru using one of the lower power consumption power profiles for work. Another problem is the power brick which tends to be literally the size of a brick for most gaming laptops. I rarely game on the go, so I got a tiny 65W GaN charger to keep it juiced up when I'm out for work and left the brick at home.

[shawnhayes]

Originally Posted by Redd

Yeah I was looking at the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i at first for just how thin it was and still able to cram an RTX3070 inside. Got a good deal I couldnt pass up on an RTX3080 Asus G15 and haven't looked back.

True that while these smaller gaming laptops are not as bulky and traditional gaming laptops, they are still not as light as an ultra book. Battery life and noise can be managed thru using one of the lower power consumption power profiles for work. Another problem is the power brick which tends to be literally the size of a brick for most gaming laptops. I rarely game on the go, so I got a tiny 65W GaN charger to keep it juiced up when I'm out for work and left the brick at home.

You won't be disappointed with the RTX 3080.

The legion slim uses as mobile RTX3070. Not the same as the desktop version. Nice, but upgradability for most practical purposes = 0

[Redd]

Yeah the mobile GPUs are a fair bit less powerful than their desktop siblings but that's what u get for portability. The RTX3080 is still plenty to run Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p High with RTX on at 60+ fps. I'm not one to chase the highest framerates, just need a do it all machine that's not too huge/heavy.