Question Configuration advice before I buy a new Lenovo laptop ?

[sago27]

Hello everyone!

I'm in the market for a new laptop and I'm eyeing the Lenovo Ideapad Pro 5 Gen 9 (14in). I'm torn between getting the dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 or sticking with the integrated AMD Radeon 780M. Also, I'm not sure if upgrading the RAM is worth the extra cost for what I need. So, I could really use some advice. Here are my options in Japan:

Option A​

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS​

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU (6GB GDDR6)​

RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5X-6400MHz​

Price: JPY 164,000 / USD 1,027​

​

Option B​

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS​

GPU: Integrated graphics​

RAM: 32 GB LPDDR5X-6400MHz​

Price: JPY 155,100 / USD 971​

​

Option C​

CPU: AMD Ryze 7 8845HS​

GPU: Integrated graphics​

RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5X-6400MHz​

Price: JPY 134,750 / USD 843​

I already have a PC for heavy stuff, but I need something light and with good battery life for when I'm on the go. I’ll mainly use it for productivity, light 1080p video editing, and some gaming while travelling. Plus, my wife and I play multiplayer games occasionally like V Rising or Deep Rock Galactic, which her current laptop can barely handle.

What I'm Thinking About:

Battery Life: I need good battery life, so I'm not leaning towards a full gaming laptop.​

Portability: It should be easy to carry around.​

Usage: Mostly for work, light video editing, and some gaming.​

Longevity: Would the 3050 help me play newer titles down the line?​

Budget: Ideally under $1,000​

​

Any recommendations or advice would be awesome!

 

[Aeacus]

Battery Life: I need good battery life, so I'm not leaning towards a full gaming laptop.

Option C would be the best. Since it doesn't have GPU which otherwise consumes more power. And it also has less RAM, again saving power consumption, IF the 32GB RAM is 2x 16 GB. But if the 32GB RAM is 1x 32GB, then power consumption would be same between Option B and C.

Portability: It should be easy to carry around.

I think they all are in the same size, but the one with GPU weighs a bit more. Most likely not enough to make a diff, but laptop weight should be written in the specs.

Usage: Mostly for work, light video editing, and some gaming.

If you remove the gaming criteria, then Option B would be the best. Since it has plenty of RAM for video render.

Longevity: Would the 3050 help me play newer titles down the line?

No.

Well, depends on the games you play. If AAA, then dream on. If 2D pixel art, then RTX 3050 can sustain it for many years.

The laptop version of RTX 3050 is equal in performance to desktop version of GTX 1060 6GB / RX 590 GPU. These GPUs do reasonable in 1080p gaming, with ~50 FPS or so. So, keep that in mind.

Here's comparison between AMD Radeon 780M and laptop RTX 3050,
link: https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-Radeon-780M-vs-Nvidia-RTX-3050-Laptop/m2088874vsm1570008

Better GPU is essentially only for higher FPS in games.
Video edit would need plenty of RAM, to load the project into the memory. Else-ways (insufficient RAM), would make the experience choppy/staggered.

 

[sago27]

Thanks

Option C would be the best. Since it doesn't have GPU which otherwise consumes more power. And it also has less RAM, again saving power consumption, IF the 32GB RAM is 2x 16 GB. But if the 32GB RAM is 1x 32GB, then power consumption would be same between Option B and C.


I think they all are in the same size, but the one with GPU weighs a bit more. Most likely not enough to make a diff, but laptop weight should be written in the specs.


If you remove the gaming criteria, then Option B would be the best. Since it has plenty of RAM for video render.


No.

Well, depends on the games you play. If AAA, then dream on. If 2D pixel art, then RTX 3050 can sustain it for many years.

The laptop version of RTX 3050 is equal in performance to desktop version of GTX 1060 6GB / RX 590 GPU. These GPUs do reasonable in 1080p gaming, with ~50 FPS or so. So, keep that in mind.

Here's comparison between AMD Radeon 780M and laptop RTX 3050,
link: https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-Radeon-780M-vs-Nvidia-RTX-3050-Laptop/m2088874vsm1570008

Better GPU is essentially only for higher FPS in games.
Video edit would need plenty of RAM, to load the project into the memory. Else-ways (insufficient RAM), would make the experience choppy/staggered.

Thanks @Aeacus! Yeah I think the 32gb RAM would be best for my use case. I don't think I'll be doing heavy gaming when I'm travelling anyway.

I have another quick question if you don't mind me asking. I'm not too familiar with eGPU's and port capabilities. On the spec sheet, it says one of the USB C's is a USB 4 with this description: USB-C® (USB4® 40Gbps), with USB PD 3.0 & DP 1.4. Would this be capable of connecting to an eGPU?

 

[Aeacus]

I'm not too familiar with eGPU's and port capabilities. On the spec sheet, it says one of the USB C's is a USB 4 with this description: USB-C® (USB4® 40Gbps), with USB PD 3.0 & DP 1.4. Would this be capable of connecting to an eGPU?

Depending on eGPU enclosure, the ports they need to operate, vary. But for your usage, Thunderbolt 3/4 and USB4 enclosure should work fine.

Here's also eGPU community, from where you can compare different TB3/4 & USB4 eGPU enclosures,
link: https://egpu.io/best-egpu-buyers-guide/

They also have forums for communication. E.g let's say you pick the enclosure, and then ask from the forums if that specific enclosure works with USB4.