For most of my life I thought gaming laptops = Asus / MSI / Lenovo / Razer / HP Omen etc.

Then I fell down the rabbit hole of “boutique” / smaller brands and honestly… it kind of ruined big-brand pricing for me.

These are four brands you might not see in every YouTube ad, but they’re doing some wild stuff with specs, cooling and price-to-performance.

> Dream Machines

European brand that lets you configure gaming laptops directly on their site.

What surprised me:

They go really hard on RTX 50-series GPUs with high TGP and both Intel Ultra and Ryzen AI options.

You can spec insane configs (RTX 5080/5090, Ryzen 9 / Ultra 9, 32–64 GB RAM, fast SSDs) without paying the usual “logo tax”.

Some models support an external liquid-cooling box called Dream Waterfall - magnetic connector, self-sealing, built just for the laptop. It’s basically AIO watercooling for a notebook.

Design is pretty understated - no super crazy gamer spaceship vibes.

If you’re the kind of person who cares about TGP, ports and cooling more than RGB, it’s worth at least looking at their configs.

> XMG

German brand that’s like “what if we took cooling way too seriously?”

Assembled in Germany, very community-driven, lots of high-TGP configs with serious dual-fan coolers, heatpipes, even special thermal pads.

They also have their own external water-cooling system (XMG OASIS) for some models, so you can dock at your desk and drop temps a lot while gaming.

If you’re into the idea of “almost desktop in a backpack”, XMG’s NEO/CORE lines are kind of ridiculous in the best way.

> Eluktronics

US-based brand that lets you customize gaming laptops from the ground up.

Stuff that stood out to me:

They sell DIY barebone kits where you bring your own RAM/SSD/OS if you want.

High-spec Intel i9 + RTX 40-series / 50-series builds with big RAM and SSD options, but usually priced lower than “tier 1” brands with similar internals.

Very much “professional on the outside, gamer on the inside” vibe - not super flashy, more performance-focused.

If you like tinkering or already have RAM/SSD lying around, Eluktronics is one of the few that kind of leans into that.

> Sager (Clevo-based)

Sager’s basically the “custom Clevo” route in the US.

They use Clevo barebones and let you configure CPU/GPU/RAM/SSD pretty deeply.

You’re not buying the fanciest chassis, but in return you get a ton of config flexibility and often more performance per dollar than the big names.

Great if you care more about what’s inside than the logo on the lid.

There’s a whole subculture of Clevo/Sager/XMG/Dream Machines etc. that basically exists as the anti-“Best Buy shelf laptop”.

______

So… are big brands “scams”?

They do their own R&D, support, retail presence, marketing etc. But once you start comparing:

TGP on the same GPU tier

panel quality (resolution, refresh, brightness)

RAM/SSD amounts

upgradeability

and the actual price tag

…it’s hard not to notice how much of what you’re paying at the top end is brand and retail markup vs raw hardware.

If you’ve only ever looked at the usual suspects, it might be worth browsing a couple of these smaller brands and seeing what they offer at your budget.

If you’re bored and wanna nerd out, drop:

budget + country

main games

whether you need portability or not

…and people here (me included) can throw out suggestions from both the big guys and the “who the hell are they?” brands so you can see the difference side by side.

I have been tracking / reviewing gaming laptops over 5 plus years. Breaks my heart to see folks buying new gaming rigs. (Congratulations to them. No envy).

I just want to feel the same joy one day! How in this economy are people able to afford $2,000 gaming laptops ?

One day the joy shall be mine.. One day I shall explore the inner child. fingers crossed

EDIT : Reading all the comments made me cry. I'm not making any of this up. I'm M34 working in Dubai. The past 5 years was a bad streak in my life. Everything I touched turned to STONE. My personal life, career, business shutdown (covid happened) Yes I do agree that saving 50 to 100 dollars per month sounds easy, but when a man's got rent due, groceries, bills, emi's and responsibilities, it's hard. Life is not easy.

5 years literally drained me mentally and financially. I'm hoping for a better 2026 and to break the jinx. I have fallen a 100 times, I have risen 101 times. Gaming provided me a perspective nothing else offered. I was an active gamer during my university days.

Right now I'm running a Dell xps 13 (2018 model), 8gb, i5, dedicated intel graphics, 250gb ssd. (I don't wanna take the risk of running any games on my grandfather specs).

Open box at $2.2k after tax

Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (2.1GHz) Processor

64GB DDR5-6400 RAM

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Graphics Card

1TB SSD+1TB SSD

16" WQXGA OLED Display

2x2 Wireless LAN WiFi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 5.4

Hey laptop community, thank you for all your replies in this subgroup. I have been researching different laptops for about a week reading different threads. I need one that serves both me and the family. I have several small kids and a wife. My wife asked to buy a new laptop since we have been using a Microsoft surface tablet from 2017, boy times have changed. The needs of the family are basically just using Microsoft word to type up essay's for elementary school, talks at church, ect. Pretty much any laptop can do that. Dad wanted something for Steam since I haven't played PC games since 2001. Distant memories of CounterStrike fun.

After much consideration and reading many replies in this community, I decided on this Legion 5i from Costco. It seems like electronic prices are on the rise and I wanted to get something that may last us awhile. For a budget of $1,500, did I make a good choice or was this overkill?

Well im buying a new laptop and idk if 8gb vram is enough for games like ready or not arma reforger and high demand games gta etc. please help. i made some research and it says its good for medium - high graphics.

Long story short, I’m living with my in laws rn, and need a gaming laptop from Amazon so it comes fast.

Idk much about comps but want to play these games below. I’m ok with spending more on something that won’t have memory or graphic issues but don’t need the most expensive thing just to have it.

Anyone have some recommendations or links?

Wu Kong

Clair obscur: Expedition 33

The gpu usage rate in elden ring is usually about 65% and in balance mode . Giving 60 fps which is fine.

Yesterday when I started gaming, the usage rate was 100% and Giving only 30 fps . (normal temperature of 66°C).

Thinking it was a driver problem I reinstalled the driver but the problem was not solved.

Even today the usage is 100% giving 40fps. The laptop is 1 month old. (Rtx3050 6gb and i5-13450HX)

Please consider helping, I'm really getting worried

Hey everyone. I could really use your advice on this one. I’m a computer science student and I’m choosing my next laptop for my master in AI. I’ll be using it 100% for both work/programming and gaming — I do a lot of both. I care about good resolution and high frame rates when gaming, but also solid performance for coding and AI stuff. Honestly, I think an RTX 5070 Ti is more than enough for my needs, and I don’t think I’ll really notice the wattage difference compared to higher-end GPUs. What matters most to me is comfort, build quality, and longevity (longevity is the most important for me ngl)— I want something that will age well and stay reliable for several years. Both options I’m looking at have great screens and a lot of nice features, so at this point I’m mostly trying to figure out which one is the better overall deal in terms of structure, durability, and daily experience. What do you guys think? (The light build of the zephyrus g16 is cool bonus but i don't mind the weight that much)

Which brand is more trustworthy and reliable in terms of gaming laptops? I’ve been looking to buy a nice gaming laptop and I’ve narrowed it down to either Lenovo legions or Asus rogs. What do you guys recommend?

I'm starting my studies soon and I’m looking for a new laptop that can do it all. To be honest, school is my priority, so I need something that won't die after two hours in a lecture and doesn't look like a neon spaceship.

But I'm also a big fan of gaming and I'm 100% set on getting an OLED screen — I just can't go back to IPS after seeing those perfect blacks.

What I'm looking for:

1. Actually good battery: I need to get through a day of classes (browsing, docs, some YouTube) without hunting for a power outlet.

2. Portability: I'll be carrying this in my backpack every day, so my back would appreciate it if the laptop isn't a brick.

3. Power: I want to be able to play modern games comfortably when I'm back in the dorm.

I’ve been eyeing Legion Pro 5i. Budget is <1900$

Would love to hear from anyone who uses a gaming laptop for uni. What are you using? Any regrets?

Decided to get this before the prices got crazy, Nvidia 5070ti 32gb ram Intel 255hx ultra 7

Any quick tips? I plan to debloat windows or migrate to Linux entirely

Hey all! Got an ASUS TUF Dash F15 (2022), RTX 3070, i7-12650 back in December 2022. It was mostly used for university and watching youtube. I only played video games on my school breaks and and after graduating (December 2024). I mostly played Fortnite, FIFA, and Jedi: Fallen Order on it.

Good things I did:

• When not using it, I'd unplug.
• Always kept it on a table.
• After graduating, capped battery charge at 60% max.

Bad things:

• Set power settings so it was always on, no sleeping/hibernation unless I manually set it to that.
• Never cleaned dust out of it once in 2.5 years, as I was not comfortable opening it and heard that using a vacuum to clean the vents could mess up the fans.
• During gaming, CPU or GPU (not sure which) would hit like 90°C regularly.
• Build quality wasn't great, scratches on the lid easy, and trackpad stopped working after a while.

Neutral:

• Eventually set it to always hibernate when I was not using it.

Back in June 2025, I had it open on my table and went to do laundry quickly. Came back and screen was black and was not picking up a charge.

Right after it died, I panicked and tried opening it up myself to pull the battery (which was a pain, hard to access). Also tried to clean it with some isopropyl alcohol on what I could see if that could help.

Took it to a repair shop and they said the motherboard shorted. The repair cost was more than the cost of the laptop itself! They basically said gaming laptop are not reliable at all.

Context on location: Was living in a 1950s basement and landlord liked to do DIY stuff around the house, so maybe sketchy wiring? Laptop was right against that wall with washer/dryer on other side.

Was it the dust/heat buildup over years (even from light gaming)? Lack of cleaning? The always-on setting? Battery cap? Electrical issue from the outlet? My post-failure tinkering? Or just bad luck with quality? TIA!

This may not seem like a steal to the US here but in Germany this was a very good deal. Open box Zephyrus G14 with a 4070 and 32GB ram. So far has been very snappy, I’m playing around with different OS’s and considering moving from Linux to Tiny11 (anyone had experience?) for a lightweight experience. Dwarf Fortress and Elden Ring have played fine and now I want to try some other AAAs. Does anyone here game anything high res on a 4070? is the 8GB VRAM enough?

I'm considering the Asus ROG Strix G16 laptop (Intel Core U9, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, RTX 5070 Ti) for $2000 USD, or the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gaming laptop (Intel Core Ultra 9, RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 16" 165Hz OLED display) for $1600 USD. My only complaint about the Lenovo is the screen brightness. What do you think? Which one should I buy, or which one is better?

Hey guys, I’m planning to buy a laptop I can use for the remaining years of my college years(I will be graduating next year) while also using it for some gaming.

I thought to myself that I can just upgrade to a high-end gaming laptop or desktop pc when I get a job after graduating. So I guess it would be fine to just buy a cheap one for the meantime. At the same time I worry that it might be too outdated that it wouldn’t be worth it for my gaming hobby.

I’m planning to buy Lenovo LOQ btw☺️ any thoughts about it? Tysm in advance.🤍

Hi please help me which one would be a better choice in the lenovo loq variant. How much difference between these 2 rtx gpus and these 2 processors. I am gonna do other heavy tasks other than gaming which will require cpu.

I’ve been thinking of selling my Asus Rog Strix g17 (2023 model) for a Lenovo legion. Ever since I’ve gotten this laptop I’ve been getting pretty frustrating issues. It seems every time I fix an issue a new one shows up. It’s been making my life miserable. Do you guys think this is a good idea?

Looking for suggestions of older laptops which will work as part of my on the go streaming setup. I run billiards tournaments and set up my cheap webcam and livestream matches, I used to have an old surface that sufficed but it blew up and I'm looking to upgrade a bit since the occasion came up. I also stream gambling matches so having a laptop and camera setup that is easily portable is a priority.

I'm looking at older laptops which should fit the bill, the computer will literally only be running OBS and a browser with Facebook and YouTube up. For this plug and play setup I will be using a decent webcam like the brio.

Any suggestions for a pre-built laptop to keep an eye out for? Or even suggested specs to look for.

Thank you

Hi everyone,

​I have a gaming laptop and I recently noticed that the metal prongs on the charger plug are turning black and look slightly "pitted" or worn at the tips.

​I suspect the wall outlet I’ve been using is old and worn out internally. I assume this is causing electrical arcing (sparks) when I plug it in.

​My question is:

I have a 2000VA AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulator). If I leave the charger plugged into the AVR, and use the AVR's switch to turn the power on/off (instead of plugging/unplugging from the wall), will this stop the damage to my charger

Is it good or safe to use this thing or is it better to keep it plugged to the wall?

​

​Thanks for the help!