Be wary of buying a gaming laptop for work stuff. I did that a few years back to get the computing power I needed to edit media at a reasonable price.
Gaming laptops are the epitome of planned obsolescence. They're intended for people who are on a steep, constant upgrade path.
The case literally crumbled to pieces, with plastic crumbs ending up in the cooling fans, and the other inner workings.
Listening to others, my experience is not unique.
@sumpnlikefaith My Asus gaming laptop has been golden for 6 years. Of course, I've been retired for 2 of them and you likely used yours more intensely. But the case crumbling sounds like it would happen if it were going to happen even if it sat in a closet. Sorry that happened to you. :(
@TrueBloodNet I think the issue boils down to facing more heating and cooling cycles than the plastic was designed to withstand.
Everything became brittle.
Just picking it up to put in a bag, I could hear it creaking and eventually cracking.
@sumpnlikefaith yikes! :( You must have really been pushing the processors? I don't think mine has ever gotten that warm. GL with it's replacement!
@TrueBloodNet Yeah, editing videos and even photos would push the cooling fans up to their limits.
But that's the load I expected a gaming computer to handle, because games also make computers work hard.
Sigh.
The solution I found was an older workstation class laptop that showed up in the classifieds. I pulled the storage and RAM out of my crumbling case, and I'm surprisingly happy with the results. 🙂
@sumpnlikefaith Yeah, that should not cause issues. I have edited vids and photos with both my current computers (My desktop is even older than my laptop but it was built at cutting edge when I got it) with no heating issues. But I also have a setup where the laptop sits on an open wire cage with a towel over it and there is an air purifier moving air under it. (not for cooling purposes, for me not sneezing purposes LOL)
That's an awesome workaround. :) Glad you thought to try it!
Good info, @sumpnlikefaith 👍
Also, these experiences cover several well-known name brands.
I'm not naming them on purpose, but I'll just say that my own choice was from an established company with a strong reputation.
I should add that I'm pretty gentle with my gear -- it was not mistreated.
The gaming laptop segment is built to a price point, and it shows.
I have a solution if you're on a budget: buy a used workstation-class laptop. They're certainly more heavy and clunky, but they'll last for a good, long time.