Buying new laptop for Civ6 (and other games) - what to buy

[Sporally]

So I've decided to buy a new laptop PC for Civ6 and as I love the Anno-series and bought Anno 2205 almost a year ago I am really keen on buying a new PC in a few days (or even today).

I've had these two PCs suggested by two friends. What are your thoughts on them? (Sorry, they are in Danish, but you can see the specs still).
- https://www.komplett.dk/product/8776...73-full-hd-mat
- https://www.fcomputer.dk/computer/b%...3%A5-sort.html

Anno 2205 won't even start on my current PC and I also had a problem on one of my PCs with Beyond Earth (seems I weren't the only one on this forum). Not only because my PC wasn't fast enough, but also due to some other software issues obviously.

If I buy one of the PCs above, should I be worried that Civ6 could not run due to some software issues or shouldn't that be a worry to me at all? I know they both will be fast enough, but could you imagine a scenario in which one of the PCs could not run it for some other reason? I would be devastated if I couldn't run Civ6 on it.

 

[Aheadatime]

Both links are broken it seems.

 

[Sporally]

Oh, sorry. Here you go:
- https://www.fcomputer.dk/computer/b...#8243;-gtx960m-2gb-gamer-bærbar-grå-sort.html
- https://www.komplett.dk/product/877675/pcer/pc-baerbar/gaming-laptops/msi-gl72-173-full-hd-mat

 

[Gambito]

I just bought an Asus man, and I'm playing Assassin's Creed Syndicate with everything set to high and it's awesome.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FFRD220/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[darko82]

How much money do you want to spend? That's the fundamental question.

 

[Wizard-Bob]

Earlier this month, I picked up a new laptop. Looking forward to Civ 6 on it.

MSI GE62 6QF Apache Pro
i7-6700HQ, 16 GB Ram, GTX970M, 128 SSD + 1 TB 7200 HDD

So far VERY happy with this machine. Nice added gaming extras.

 

[Aheadatime]

I've had an alienware M17xr4 for over four years now, and it's still in perfect condition. I know very well that alienwares are overpriced in comparison to PCs, but the performance has been top notch and I appreciate the fact that it's very disassemble-able(?).

You can clean/replace/upgrade the fans, replace/upgrade the RAM, two hard drive slots for SS drives, easy access to processor/GPU for thermal paste application, heatsink is removable, there's access to keyboard/chassis so you can clean/replace/re-wire in case of spills, the audio system is top notch for a keyboard, and they're pretty well-known as some of the best (but most expensive unfortunately) gaming laptops out there.

The obvious drawback is that you cannot upgrade your processor or GPU as the machinery becomes obsolete, which it will. But this is the case with all laptops.

 

[Dark_Jedi06]

I'd say take your budget and forget about the laptop...use the same amount of money to build yourself an infinitely better gaming desktop. If you're serious about PC gaming a desktop is the way to go...

Just my $0.02.

Edit: Also, if your main goal is running Civ VI I would wait to buy until after the system requirements are released.

 

[Haggbart]

Buy the ASUS ROG. I've had a ROG-laptop for a couple of years now (17,3in, G750JZ) , and I'm very happy with it.
It's the first laptop I've ever owned through 15 years that has never had any heating issue whatsoever. Also extremely well built and great performance.

 

[chaotoroboto]

Nvidia has finally released mobile chips for the 1060, 1070, and 1080, and they appear to be a significant performance upgrade over the 960m that's in both of those laptops.

I think it's worth looking at a laptop with the 1060 if your goal is to have a future-proof gaming machine; although the ROG and MSI laptops that use them are higher-priced than the 960M models - starting at about 1500USD. No clue on European pricing.

I'm planning on doing a round-up of gaming laptops when the full system specifications are posted similar to the one I did for Civ 5, but I don't know how much patience to tell you to have because they really haven't posted anything about specifications.

Here's the MSI 17" that's comparable to the one you posted but with the 1060 and a few other hardware updates: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834154300

 

[Gambito]

Just so you know, the Asus ROG I just bought is a replacement for an Alienware M15x I bought on 2008, so I must say Aliens are good, I've had it for 8 years now, and I haven't formatted the disk once.

Take notice though, in my Alien Civ V runs smoothly with everything set on low to mid, and the in-between turns were eternal on late game (though I think this is an issue within the game itself). Of course, my Alien has a 260m graphic processor with 4GB of ram, it was screaming to me "I can't take it anymore, send me to sleep!". My new laptop has a 970m graphic card and 8gb RAM, Civ V runs like a charm with everything on high.

Instead of going with Alien again I went with the Asus for two reasons: the same model of Alien I have with the last generation specs is around $400 USD more expensive than the Asus. Also, the Asus I got is very slim, while the Alien is f**** heavy.

 

[wiggawuu]

I have a macbook for a 2014. It pretty loaded and I play civ 5 all the time.

But looks like Ill have to swing over to my PC to play civ6 initially.


With so many people buying macs now, not sure what thy wont release more games on it. I haven't tried Bootcamp, but I don't want to buy windows. I used PC for 20 years, until last couple years. Man, the macOS is so stable its not even funny. Its nice not haivng to re install windows every 6 months. lol

 

[darko82]

This is not the best time to buy a new hardware, to tell you the truth. Buying now will probably mean quite old architecture.

Wait for brand new a lot stronger Pascal architecture and laptops with at least 8GB VRAM. Next year there will be 16GB cards, most probably. Pascal will deliver up to 10x better performance and up to 32GB VRAM in the near future (next two/three years).

Also, wait for new Intel Skylake processors that deliver 2.5 times faster computer performance, 30 times better graphics and three times the battery life.

There are already a few laptops with Pascal architecture and 8GB VRAM and first Skylake processors, but they are priced over 2,500/3000$

 

[Sporally]

Thanks for all the great advise you guys have. I ended up buying the MSI that I linked to.

I took the point of looking at the budget as I could see that going beyond the GTX960 would have the price increased drastically. The danish crown is around 6 kr. to 1 $, but going for electronics we often have to pay around 10 kr. to 1 $ because of some tax or tariff. Not sure why this obviously always is the way it goes in Denmark with electronics - same goes for mobile devices

I know there is no future safe buy and I guess I will have to accept that I might need to replace it in around 3 years (I'm only a casual player). I still choose to buy a PC now because I simply wanted to play Anno 2205 now, which I bought around one year ago. However, it has never worked on my best laptop for one reason or another. Anyways, I'm pretty confident I won't give me problems running Civ6 whenever that is released and I'm quite happy with the budget for this laptop, which is somewhat around the price that I was expecting to pay for a new mid range laptop PC.

 

[Abraxis]

I have a macbook for a 2014. It pretty loaded and I play civ 5 all the time.

But looks like Ill have to swing over to my PC to play civ6 initially.


With so many people buying macs now, not sure what thy wont release more games on it. I haven't tried Bootcamp, but I don't want to buy windows. I used PC for 20 years, until last couple years. Man, the macOS is so stable its not even funny. Its nice not haivng to re install windows every 6 months. lol

Even working in tech support for ISPs, every-time someone mentioned they had an apple product a part of my soul fell off.

They are extremely inclusive and hard to work with by the very fundamental nature of the company. Unless apple starts developing games, all the games, this will never change and they will always have greater compatibility issues with non-apple products

 

[darko82]

Well, it is a good time to wait because this is just the time when the new architecture is coming out on the market. It's a matter of weeks. Also, GTX900s prices will go down when a full set of GTX1000 series is more available.

 

[Manetheren]

I'd say take your budget and forget about the laptop...use the same amount of money to build yourself an infinitely better gaming desktop. If you're serious about PC gaming a desktop is the way to go...

Just my $0.02.

Edit: Also, if your main goal is running Civ VI I would wait to buy until after the system requirements are released.

I agree that a desktop is the better bang for the buck, unless you really want the portability. The 17" screen looks good, but I think you would be happier with an SSD with at least 256GB, and optimally 512GB if you play other games besides Civ. With today's games its amazing how fast disk space disappears.

Also, even though it might not always be possible, if you're going to buy a laptop it helps to try it out in person before buying. Trackpads/keyboards vary between laptops and the only way to know if they suit you is to test them out.

 

[nate5]

I second the Asus laptops

http://thedigitalcamera.net/best-gaming-laptop-under-1000-dollars/

 

[cazaderonus]

Thanks for all the great advise you guys have. I ended up buying the MSI that I linked to.

I took the point of looking at the budget as I could see that going beyond the GTX960 would have the price increased drastically. The danish crown is around 6 kr. to 1 $, but going for electronics we often have to pay around 10 kr. to 1 $ because of some tax or tariff. Not sure why this obviously always is the way it goes in Denmark with electronics - same goes for mobile devices

I know there is no future safe buy and I guess I will have to accept that I might need to replace it in around 3 years (I'm only a casual player). I still choose to buy a PC now because I simply wanted to play Anno 2205 now, which I bought around one year ago. However, it has never worked on my best laptop for one reason or another. Anyways, I'm pretty confident I won't give me problems running Civ6 whenever that is released and I'm quite happy with the budget for this laptop, which is somewhat around the price that I was expecting to pay for a new mid range laptop PC.

Exact same situation here. I d only advise you to take an hybrid ssd hdd. I purchased a laptop with a 960m, 8g ram, a decent i7-6xxxx and ssd/hdd for about 800e during sales.

And i never experienced anything as enjoyable as the ssd. Insane comfort for everything jot just gaming

Edit. Hadnt see you had purchased already. Compared specs with mine, exact same machine except 17" vs 15" for me. You should enjoy it very much.

 

[magha77]

I have a macbook for a 2014. It pretty loaded and I play civ 5 all the time.

But looks like Ill have to swing over to my PC to play civ6 initially.


With so many people buying macs now, not sure what thy wont release more games on it. I haven't tried Bootcamp, but I don't want to buy windows. I used PC for 20 years, until last couple years. Man, the macOS is so stable its not even funny. Its nice not haivng to re install windows every 6 months. lol

I'm a lifelong Mac user, have played all the civ games on them actually. For civ 4, I used parallels (the precursor to boot camp), and it worked great for mods (my favorite civ experience is still Civ 4 Total Realism Invictus). For civ 5, it wasn't as friendly for mods. I had it on steam on my desktop and when that burned out got it in the Mac store for my laptop. Since this looks like a really nice upgrade and with the anticipated add on civs and maps, I'm going the pc laptop for this game for sure.