Judge My Purchasing Decision: Gaming Laptop

I bought this 17" Lenovo Legion Y740 with 9th gen Intel processor and a 2080 max Q... for $1699



If I was going to get a computer it had to be a laptop. Plus I love laptops because you can sit in one place and use it - and then - sit in a totally different place and also use it. Unlike a PC.

That aside... I don't think I made the smartest purchasing decision here. You see what happened was they have a filter for PC specs at Lenovo. So I wanted the highest spec'd for gaming so I clicked on that. And they pointed me to the 2080 max Q. So I bought it. A few days later I logged in to check on the shipping situation and I stumbled across a 2080 SUPER... that they somehow forgot to include in their filter for gaming specs. I tried to cancel the first order but once they go to manufactoring they don't allow you to cancel.

And yes I also know the 30 series are coming out in January but the timing of the purchase was important and also a 30 series is actually overkill anyways for what I need. But yeah I threw some money away there.

So what do you think experts? How bad a purchasing decision did I make? On a scale of Cyberpunk -> Witcher 3.

If it will suit your purposes, I think your decision is fine... No, that's not particularly helpful, but there's always going to be "something better" around the corner. Next month, some other laptop will have better specs at less cost... Laptop manufacturers absolutely must one-up themselves every month/quarter else they die.

I bought a Lenovo budget laptop when I was out of town and in desperate need of "computer." :) I grabbed a refurb off the "these laptops might work or not" shelf at Best-Buy. While I would not buy a Lenovo branded laptop for any serious use, I felt I got a good deal for the luxuriously plastic-clad PoS I ended up with... :) It was a utilitarian decision that met a utilitarian solution.

However...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenovo#Controversies

I still have that PoS laptop and Lenovo does treat the thing like they still own it...

I would suggest that you opt for a Windows 10 full blow-out install if possible, just to get rid of Lenovo's garbage. I do not "trust" them. You could likely get a local PC shop/tech to do it for you for cheap if you don't feel comfortable with doing it yourself. (Blowing out all their garbage, repartitioning, using your Win10 key to install a full, OEM-Crap-Free, install, etc. Provided there are no absolute neceesity needs for mfr-only drivers/etc. The money/time would be well-spent IMO.)

fair enough. Well I have another question. My sister is a teacher and she is teaching digital classes now because of covid. Would a Chromebook be good enough for her to use for that? I've never used a Chromebook.

Do you think this one is good enough to teach classes on. I already made a mistake buying my own laptop. I want to try to get this one right if at all possible:

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops-and-all-in-ones/ideacentre/aio-300-series/IdeaCentre-AIO-3-22ADA05/p/FFICF300346

And I hear your warnings about Lenovo but I'm already ass deep in their business at this point.

Just for teaching classes chromebook should be fine. Unless she is teaching computer class or digital arts or some damned thing like that.

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BearCares wrote:

fair enough. Well I have another question. My sister is a teacher and she is teaching digital classes now because of covid. Would a Chromebook be good enough for her to use for that? I've never used a Chromebook.

Do you think this one is good enough to teach classes on. I already made a mistake buying my own laptop. I want to try to get this one right if at all possible:

I've never used a Chromebook and wouldn't personally want to. :) But, her school system should provide her with either the laptop/system or recommendations, at the very least, along with some subsidy to buy one. In any case, they should have a list of recommended specs and, due to the nature of the intended use, they'll likely require access at some point. (Because she'll be video-conferencing with students, perhaps.)

If I were her, I'd check with the school/system and their IT department. If she receives reimbursement, I'd also find out how much that would be.

I would be slightly leery of only 4GB RAM on that system. It's basically "shared RAM" with the on-board, integrated, AMD Chipset. If she wants to do anything during that session using that computer at the same time, it could get a bit chuggy. I'd want 8 gig system Ram with 2 gig GPU, but it all really depends on what teleconferencing software they're using.

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362023-System-requirements-for-Windows-macOS-and-Linux

Zoom is pretty popular. In fact, it practically exploded with Covid... Anyway, that linked device just barely skirts in under minimum requirements and even then it's sort of iffy due to the shared RAM IMO.

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And I hear your warnings about Lenovo but I'm already ass deep in their business at this point.

I could not tell you it was "fine" without also mentioning that. It's just my nature - If I have hesitations, I'm going to communicate them. If I didn't, they'd gnaw at me until I came back and edited my post just to make sure you were aware of them. :)

I hope a CDN$ is worth 50 cents ;)

Nah the price is okay It's just that my budget which I failed to mention (sorry) is like $600 at the upper end. She just needs something to teach students with.

She could, perhaps, do the same thing I did - Buy a return/refurb that has a full warranty, both seller and manufacturer's. Bargain-bin "Best Buy" or whoever your local computer retailer happens to be.

yay it finally got here

I love gaming laptops too, especially the ones with more subtle (less pronounced) designs. Simple is better.

But it's always the battery that dies before anything else. They always happen within 2 years. The free replacements last no longer than 8 months because I suspect that you only get refurbished ones, unless maybe if you extended warranty period from 2 to 3 years. By then, you give up or the the same battery isn't even on the market anymore. So it basically becomes a non-mobile laptop for the next 2 years until it dies from other causes, because you have to plug it to a wall to keep it powered.

In many cases, gaming laptops have to be undervolted for CPU-intensive games. Beware, if you used the wrong tool or broke the system with the wrong step, your warranty can be voided, if servicemen finds out.