Question Where is the bottleneck on my laptop ?

[jorge_medion]

I would like to identify the bottleneck of my current laptop as I am saving money to purchase a more customizable laptop at Pc Specialist: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/custom-laptops/

I mostly play Total War games, but also other rts and turn-based strategy games. My current laptop and specs:

MSI GE75 Raider 2020

CPU: Intel Core i7 10750H (2.60 GHz to 5.00 GHz Turbo, 6 cores, 12 threads, 12 MB cache L3)
RAM: 32 GB DDR4 at 2933 MHz
Hard Drives: 512 GB SSD NVMe + 1 TB at 5400 rpm
GPU: Nvidia RTX 2070 Super mobile 8 GB DDR6

Sometimes I only have 40 fps even 30 in some games. I am making tests to study it for a next laptop so I can select carefully better the hardware I need. Which is the bottleneck? The GPU? the CPU? The fps drops usually takes place on specific situations such as lots of units/soldiers in place.

 

[Aeacus]

For strategy games (RTS, TBS), CPU compute power matters far more than that of a GPU. This is further evidenced by:

The fps drops usually takes place on specific situations such as lots of units/soldiers in place.

It's the CPU who has to calculate all the units positions and what they are doing. GPU just draws the colors.

So, look for a beefier CPU for your usage.

 

[sizzling]

To follow on from the above about cpu, it’s not uncommon for a gaming laptop to suffer thermal throttling, if that happens performance is significantly impaired. You can have 2 laptops with identical specs perform differently just because one has a better cooling design.

 

[jorge_medion]

My 2 future options:

1. 17,3" VALEON

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/valeon-ii-17/

Price: 2264€
Chassis & Display: 17´´ Matte QHD 240 Hz sRGB LED Widescreen 2560x1440
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 6900 HX
RAM: 64 GB Corsair 4800 MHz SODIMM (2x32GB)
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop
1st M.2.SSD Drive: 1 TB Seagate Firecuda GEN 4 PCIe NMVe
2st M.2 SSD Drive: 1 TB Corsair Core XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
Cooling: Arctic MX-4 Extreme Thermal Conductivity Compound

https://imgur.com/a/TiyXEon

View: https://imgur.com/a/TiyXEon


2. 17,3" RECOIL

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/recoil-VII-17/

Price: 2159 €
Chassis & Display: 17´´ Matte QHD 240 Hz sRGB LED Widescreen 2560x1440
CPU: Intel Core i9 13900HX
RAM: 64 GB Corsair 4800 MHz SODIMM (2x32GB)
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop
1st M.2.SSD Drive: 1 TB Seagate Firecuda GEN 4 PCIe NMVe
2st M.2 SSD Drive: 1 TB Seagate Firecuda GEN 4 PCIe NMVe
Cooling: PCS Liquid Series Laptop Cooler + Liquid Metal Performance Cooling

https://imgur.com/a/Y2ORyxG

View: https://imgur.com/a/Y2ORyxG


Which option do you think is better for RTS games mainly Total War? Also, how can I check the cooling design? Should I ask pc specialist?

 

[Aeacus]

Intel laptop is better for your usage (and overall as well).

CPU is quite a bit better,
comparison: https://nanoreview.net/en/cpu-compare/intel-core-i9-13900hx-vs-amd-ryzen-9-6900hx

And while GPU is equal, RTX 40-series is newer than RTX 30-series.

Also, how can I check the cooling design? Should I ask pc specialist?

Specs say that AMD has MX-4 thermal paste, while Intel has liquid cooling and also liquid metal as thermal paste. Liquid metal has really good thermal conductivity, far better than MX-4 is ever capable of.

 

[geofelt]

The limiting factor on any gaming laptop will be the cooling system.
Of necessity, the coolers on a laptop need to be light and small.
Therefore not very efficient.
Best you can do is keep the airways clear.

It is counter intuitive, but setting the windows power profile to balanced and 99% max cpu will often get you reasonable results.

 

[jorge_medion]

Thank you for the feedback. How this liquid cooling system works?

PCS Liquid Series Laptop Cooler + Liquid Metal Performance Cooling

It seems it consists in the device you see attached to the laptop + Thermal Paste "Liquid Metal Performance Cooling".

They mention that PCS Liquid Series Laptop Cooler is optional. Is it necessary? How good could be Thermal Paste "Liquid Metal Performance Cooling"? How would you ask to pc specialist for more information regarding this?

 

[geofelt]

An external attachment defeats the main purpose of a laptop which is portability.
If you do not need portability, you can buy a much stronger and cheaper gaming desktop.

 

[Aeacus]

They mention that PCS Liquid Series Laptop Cooler is optional. Is it necessary?

The main positive side of a laptop is it's portability. For everything else, desktop PC does better.

Also, since all the components are downsized and cramped into a small laptop body, high thermals is biggest issue of any laptop. And there is little one can do, to fix the high thermals issue. The standalone AIO you linked on your image, is only way to combat high temps of a laptop, by giving it far better cooling performance.

Sure, hauling around laptop + it's standalone cooling unit is more inconvenient than just hauling around laptop itself. But compared to the desktop PC, it still is FAR more convenient.

So, up to you. If you absolutely need portability of a laptop, i'd suggest getting one with that external cooling unit, just to mitigate the high temps all laptops are prone of. But if portability isn't an issue, get desktop PC.