Need a New 16" Laptop to Use When Travelling

Aetheriance on 02/02/2025 - 01:00
Last edited 02/02/2025 - 10:29 by 1 other user

Hi all, I'm looking to buy a new laptop to use whilst travelling.

TLDR:
Don't really want to spend $5000 AUD on a laptop. Need to decide on full performance unlocked power to GPU and a bit more weight or something light weight, better build quality, more expensive and potentially throttled performance. A quality screen is important, the MSI doesn't list the NITS on that screen, and the build quality may be less durable than say a MacBook or Zephyrus.

I'm planning to go for 16" screen, seems like it strikes the right balance between weight and size. This will be my primary computer moving forward and will be used for 4k rendering, maybe experiment with local AI if the GPU is powerful enough and occasional gaming.

Requirements:
32GB of RAM or more, or upgradeable to it.
High end CPU.
Mid to high end GPU, I think I would like to get a 5080/5070ti/4080/ in that order of preference but depending on cost.
Light weight.

How important is the laptop build quality when it comes to durability when travelling? I wonder if it's a bad idea to have an expensive plastic built laptop in a backpack while travelling, I wonder about potential flex or pressure on the laptop. Is it better to spend more and get something more durable?
Lenovo Legion laptops look like good build quality as do Asus Zephyrus from what I have seen.

Some laptops are power capped TGP on their GPU. A Zephyrus might come in at 2kg and be power capped or a Lenovo may weigh 2.5kg but have the graphics card completely unrestricted for full performance. If spending so much money on a Laptop primary PC as a multi year investment, do you think it is better to get the heavier laptop and try and reduce weight in other areas such as using a SlimQ GAN charging brick and cutting weight in other personal possessions? (to get the full GPU power) I would need to keep my laptop with me on flights so my overall tech bag/important goods need to come in at 7kg or less for carry on luggage.

Another thing I am concerned about is the price to get something light weight, a 2025 Zephyrus on release looks to be crazy expensive. I'm liking the look of the Stix HALO AMD CPU but I don't think this will be available in a 16" Ultrabook device anytime soon. I could wait and buy a ROG Flow and use a portable 16" monitor for travel, but the price is probably going to be $4500 AUD anyway, so a dedicated GPU is probably better.

Looking at Best BUY USA and ASUS USA store a 5080 laptop in Australia is probably going to cost $4500 AUD for an ASUS Strix on launch. A Zephyrus even more at $5200 AUD.

I can buy an MSI 4080 laptop today for $3200 AUD with a 14900HX.

Looking at some of the comparison videos of the desktop cards, the 4080 should do better than the 5070ti, correct me if I am wrong. The MSI laptop boosts all the way to 175W on GPU, full performance where as the Zephyrus may get less.

Any thoughts on my points?

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • localhost on 02/02/2025 - 01:37

    Check when this deal will be back - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/874368

    Or check HP ebay store for 16' laptops with 4080 https://www.ebay.com.au/str/hpofficial?_trksid=p4429486.m356…

    • Aetheriance on 02/02/2025 - 01:48

      thats an incredible deal on a 4090, shame i missed that. thanks.

  • ChipsChicky on 02/02/2025 - 01:52
    +1

    Laptop bag isn't considered in Carryon 7kg luggage, both are separate - My laptop bag is never weighted on any airport.

    • Aetheriance on 02/02/2025 - 01:54

      True, thanks

      As per Qantas site:

      "Plus, one small personal item
      You may also bring onboard one small personal item to be placed under the seat in front. Personal items include:

      A purse or handbag,
      a laptop carried in a slim case,*"

      I wonder about international airline policies on this.

      • ChipsChicky on 02/02/2025 - 01:59

        I have used laptop bag to keep extra clothes aswell, along with laptop etc & no one ever asked to weigh it.
        You are also allowed to take your pillow in-flight & you can stuff your clothes in a pillow cover to make a pillow.

  • Aetheriance on 02/02/2025 - 01:58

    Found this video on GPU watts for laptops, maybe 140W is not required for a GPU after all.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMMrh6PpLI4

    Seems like no further gains after 100w.

    • Guybrush57 on 02/02/2025 - 11:07
      +1

      That's only true for low-end GPUs

  • MS Paint on 02/02/2025 - 08:20

    Need a new 16" laptop to use when travelling.

    What happened to your old one?

    • Aetheriance on 02/02/2025 - 10:42

      I sold my desktop recently and have been using a 14" laptop with an i5-1240p CPU. Not great.

  • 87percent on 02/02/2025 - 08:40

    When did 16” become a “travelling laptop”?

    • Aetheriance on 02/02/2025 - 10:43

      It's not for travelling, it's to be used while travelling. I need a fully capable device.

  • samyall on 02/02/2025 - 08:44
    +1

    Your main concerns seem to be 4k rendering and portability. Have you considered a Macbook Pro?

    No other laptop on the market is close in durability or will hold their value like one.

    You obviously need to check your workflows and see if you can use MacOS but something like this might fit the bill.

    • Aetheriance on 02/02/2025 - 10:59

      The build quality and weight looks good. I know Apple silicon runs well and is great for editing.

      I think I still may want to run a Windows ecosystem for some things, having the ability to virtualize it. Parallels is $169 a year but I can get it with a student discount for $84 a year, at least for the first year.

      Windows 11 is $180.

      I can get a student discount on a MacBook Pro.

      I could probably stretch to these two options:
      https://www.apple.com/au-edu/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/16-inc…

      https://www.apple.com/au-edu/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/16-inc…

      Still an obscene amount of money, but it's a primary computer and weight is a big deal when travelling.
      I'm not fully up to speed with how Mac memory works but I wouldn't want a laptop with less than 32GB of RAM, so maybe the 48GB option.

      • samyall on 03/02/2025 - 08:09
        +1

        There is a lot of debate about macbook memory as it is unified meaning that the CPU and GPU share the same memory. The main benefit is that you dont need to duplicate things on the memory and vram as they can simply access the same memory. Some say this means you need a lot less and others that it means nothing.

        Again, you should look at your heavy tasks and see what reviews and user stories say.

        What is your need for a Windows ecosystem? I believe you can only run Windows for ARM, so depending on what it is, Apple Silicon could be out.

        If you are seriously considering this option, I would look really look at what you plan to do and see how it changes on Apple Silicon. My experience is that almost everything except legacy software (the big one for me is proprietary scientific instrument software) and some gaming is just as available on Apple Silicon.

        • Aetheriance on 03/02/2025 - 10:24

          I think you are right about this, it clearly says on the Apple website that a 16" MacBook Pro M4 base model will handle:

          "Manipulate gigapixel panoramas, compile millions of lines of code
          Edit multiple streams of 8K video"

          That's plenty of compute power for what i need. I was also thinking that it's very easy to increase the specs on these devices beyond what is required and pay a premium for it. You may also harm resale value if you increase specs beyond standard to an extent. I would expect it would be easier to sell a base M4 Pro MacBook than one with upgraded RAM to the average consumer. Any Windows non ARM laptop can't compete with Apple chips on Battery life, even if I could get a gaming laptop It's not necessarily going to be fun having to be tied to a wall socket with a 4 hour battery life in a hostel for example. MacBook Pro can get 22 hours of battery life and the display quality is incredible.

          When deciding between 24gb vs 48gb of RAM, you are right, i need to look at my workflow. For an hour max 4k render for Youtube, I probably don't need 48GB of RAM, I'm not making feature length films. For the casual gaming that i do, games do exist for Mac and they can run well. As long as I have some options to play something, i think i would be just fine. World of Warcraft for Mac as an example, there are options. I'm not hard set on needing to play a specific game.

          I looked at the Windows virtualization on Mac and it looks ok. I could go through and audit the programs I use and check for incompatibilities. In my opinion Windows has been declining for a while, i have noticed ever since you had bloatware popping up in the start menu and now all the cloud connected experiences being pushed on you, right down to signing in with a Microsoft Account.
          I know Apple has some of this too but it's not at the same level and it's different.

          The technology does exist today for incredible Windows laptops. We could have Ryzen Ai HX series laptops with great battery life and great integrated graphics, but the options just aren't there. The Asus Vivobook S16 with it's Ryzen Ai 365 processor looked good but there are mixed reviews on build quality, drivers and other issues. I just don't need that in a new laptop at this point in my life. I think the Windows laptops will get there, but it may be a year a way and in the mean time the MacBook should work well. I could always trade it in within a year and get reasonable store credit for use with a Phone later down the track if i had to, or resell it. I don't think the depreciation would be the same as a Windows laptop, depending on how i buy, could easily lose $750-1000 on the price of a Windows laptop over the course of year, especially in the Ultrabook segment without dedicated fancy GPU's. A Macbook Pro may only lose $500. As a calculated decision to find a device to tie me over with before decent Windows laptops become available, this doesn't sound too bad.

          I think I will wait till the end of the month to decide and see what prices look like here for the next gen laptops, but I am becoming more open to the MacBook Pro.

          • Aetheriance on 03/02/2025 - 14:25

            @Aetheriance: I see the MacBook Air M4 is just around the corner too, a 15" MacBook Air may be a device I can live with for a while, ticking a lot of boxes until decent Windows laptops are available at an appropriate price.

            • samyall on 03/02/2025 - 16:20
              +1

              @Aetheriance: I have the 13" M3 MBA and I love it. The only warning I will give is that everything else feels big and heavy after you get used to it.

              The one caveat with the Air is that it doesnt have active cooling and so will have a performance hit compared to the same chip in a Pro.

              If you are seriously considering this I would recommend looking at the refurbished laptops in the first link I sent you (e.g. this). They are as good as new. Otherwise the education store is another good option or waiting for the very very occasional sale at other retailers where you can combine with discounted gift cards.

  • Aetheriance on 02/02/2025 - 11:57

    I say casual gaming but it's really an afterthought, I probably don't have the time for it anymore. Suppose i Bought a MacBook Pro, I could use it for a year and if it wasn't great could always on sell it if it holds it's value well. By then newer laptops should be more available and cheaper in price. Maybe this is the winning strategy.

    • Guybrush57 on 02/02/2025 - 12:45

      I'd go for the laptop in the first comment above. It's what I have. It's powerful (Nvidia 4090) and really good value for money.

  • frondono on 02/02/2025 - 14:55

    Have a look at this website.

    https://www.notebookcheck.net/

  • fantombloo on 02/02/2025 - 18:29

    Maybe consider a smaller screen (more cost effective?) laptop and carry an extra portable 16+" screen - laptop screen for general things, 16+" for the graphics, suffer with just the laptop screen only while flying.

  • CrispyChrispy on 03/02/2025 - 01:57
    +1

    Looking at some of the comparison videos of the desktop cards, the 4080 should do better than the 5070ti, correct me if I am wrong.

    Just an FYI, desktop and mobile GPUs are really similar only in name, and nothing else. It is impossible to hold that the mobile 5070Ti will be worse than the mobile 4080 just because the desktop cards are that way.

    If you can wait a bit longer, I'd suggest holding out till the RTX 5000 laptops do start rolling out. Or if you just go the MacBook route then by all means

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join