Laptop Advice: Gigabyte Aero 15 vs. MSI Creator 15 2020

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1

Hey!

I need some expert advice!

I do: 3D Animation, 3D World building, VFX, Video Editing (shooting 4k but mostly editing FHD), Rendering (Eevee, Cycles, Octane, Arnold, VRay), 3D Modelling and Sculpting.

Background story: I had MacBook Pros for the past 10 years of my life and always loved them. Now that 3D has gotten more serious in my work, last year I decided on switching to Windows. I got a Lenovo Legion Y540, i7-9750H 6-Core, GTX1660Ti, 16GB RAM, FHD IPS matt (144Hz) and was more than underwhelmed by the terrible plastic feel, the missing brilliance I knew from Retina displays and I thought it would be faster and snappier in the Viewport and on complex scenes. Also, the motherboard, speakers and audio interface went down after only 4 weeks of usage and had to be replaced. I leave the OS out of it because, as an Apple User, yes, Windows feels just incredibly impractical. But I knew I needed to give me some time so make the switch.

After 2 months I was done with it and sold it. I went back to Mac. I got a 16inch Macbook Pro 2019, i7 6-Core, AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8GB, 32GB RAM. I did not realise, that GPU Rendering will not yet be possible with AMD and who knows when it will. This is a huge problem. Apart from this I like it but right now I’m working on quite complex scenes in Blender and C4D and its way slower than I expected. Sometimes I have to sit there and wait. So I am selling it to my Graphic Designer friend.

Sad story, definitely my mistake by not researching enough. But I feel like its not the easiest task searching for the right laptop when you do very complex things and cannot just build your own because you have to focus on mobility.

Now to my question: I was planning on configuring my own laptop with PCSpecialist, but now I nailed it down to two machines that fit my expectations:

Intel i7-10875H, RTX 2070 Super, no matt display and metal or aluminium chassis below 2700 Euros.

Gigabyte Aero 15 and MSI Creator 15 2020, which just came out.

For both I would upgrade to 32GB RAM (does this make sense?). The MSI Creator is 200 Euros above the AERO but has a 1TB SSD which I would need to upgrade in the AERO.

I am happy about any advice on the better option. After these failed laptop attempts, losing nerves and money, I want to finally arrive somewhere.

Thanks a lot! :slight_smile:

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No idea about the lap tops in question but regarding the RAM it makes sense to upgrade to 32 if you want to do more complex things. 64 would be better but perhaps not possible with the lap tops in question.

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Hi @waneka13,

I’m waiting for the right laptop to come along for myself but I prefer the larger 17" screens which is easier to work on (if you’re will to sacrifice the portability). The MSI 15 is super new so having trouble finding reviews on it. I’d recommend waiting a bit until some reviews come in just in case there’s some design or thermal issues you might not like. The MSI 17 seems to have thermal issues, see https://www.ultrabookreview.com/40683-msi-creator-17-review-miniled/ . The Aero 15 reviews seem good but expensive, see https://www.theverge.com/21255234/gigabyte-aero-15-review-creator-laptop-specs-price.

Spec wise both of the laptops you’ve chosen are similar so it boils down to which company you like, design, feel and trust the most. Asus seems to be one of the most reliable, see https://www.geckoandfly.com/6311/the-most-reliable-laptop-survey-best-netbook-reliability-comparison/. If you have the chance run down to your local computer store and see if they have some on display and see how they feel.

The more memory you have the better (imho). Get as much as you can afford. It really depends on the types of projects you do (and other software you use) but one generally doesn’t regret having too much. It just takes that one project that pushes things. Plus it gives you more room to experiment. I only have 24GB on my desktop and I’ve hit the memory wall a couple of times (I not even a serious Blender user).

As for GPU stick with Nvidia which pairs better with Blender. That might change down the road though so keep your eyes open. AMD will be making some big announcements in October on this (for desktops).

Have you explored AMD laptops? Very price competitive and their new CPU’s are fast, see https://www.cpubenchmark.net/laptop.html. At the moment, they top out at the RTX 2060 which is a serious limiting factor for serious Blenderheads. See https://www.techspot.com/article/2082-best-amd-ryzen-laptops/

Cheers and stay safe.

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thank you so much for your advice! I will look into the links you left me! Some people told me that putting these powerful parts into a laptop is a waste of money and would never recommend rendering on a laptop. have you had similar issues or do you know how to guarantee that they are working to their fullest potential, f. ex. with the help of cooling stands and having a laptop with good thermals? I’ve always rendered on MacBook Pros in the past and never had issues. But I’ve never had a desktop pc so no comparison.

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Hi waneka13, I think gamers and people who use workstation class laptops would not agree. A laptop will never have the same performance as a desktop due to thermal and space restraints but one chooses a laptop for the freedom of movement it provides (there are exceptions but these tend to be huge and expensive). It’s nice if one could afford both but sometimes that’s just not practical. Gaming laptops like you’ve identified are made to last longer on full throttle. Which is why they have a better track record for not failing. No guarantees though as one can never tell these things. My old laptop duel core cpu duel gpu lasted 11 years before it gave up earlier this year. (They don’t make dual nvidia gpu laptops anymore - unless you count the Intel integrated gpu - yuk). Actually there may still be a few SLI laptops out there but they are crazy pricey.

One trick people use to improve thermals and noise (maybe battery too) is to slightly under-clock your laptop (cpu/gpu). For a small performance hit you can extent the life of your laptop and help with thermals.

One advantage of Intel laptops is if they have a Thunderbolt 3 port. This allows one to add and external graphics card (that is an eGPU - so a box with a GPU in it). This of course isn’t cheap (but these boxes are dropping in price). You loose on portability but could give your laptop that rendering boost one needs to get things done. See

Other option is using a rendering service if it’s a big job with a tight timeline. There seems to be a bunch of them now that support Blender. Even a collaborative/distributed open source one called SheepIt, see: https://www.sheepit-renderfarm.com/

As for cooling pads, the mileage might vary as it will depend on how hot your laptop runs and where the intake vents are located (imho). This one has good reviews but I’m sure there’s other out there:
https://www.amazon.com/KLIM-Wind-Laptop-Cooling-Pad/dp/B019IU5HI2/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=laptop%2Bcooling%2Bpad&qid=1600124833&s=electronics&sr=1-8&th=1

Reading reviews on the laptops your interested in would help identify if a laptop has thermal issues. They aren’t all created equal. So it does pay to do some homework.

Cheers and happy laptop hunting.

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Thank you for that advise! I remember thinking about eGPUs at one point. To me this sounds like a quite okay solution considering that I could fit a RTX30XX into it and wouldn’t have to wait on it to arrive in laptops. downgrading on the gpu would also make the laptop cheaper. Taking an eGPU with me when I know I have to render during my trips would be more acceptable than taking a desktop pc and a monitor. so I like that solution way more.
but what about cpu? shouldn’t I get a powerful cpu which would have to be included into the laptop? then I have the thermal issues again, right? Or could I find a good solution when combining a cpu which has high single core performance for a snappy viewport and animation and when rendering plugging in the eGPU? or is that non-sense?

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Hi waneka, I think the CPU’s you’ve chosen is a decent fit as it will have effective single core performance (edit: 6 cores) cores when you need it for decent laptop multi-core performance. You also have to consider the performance vs cost and what fits in your budget. I’m a big fan of multi-core CPUs. I also don’t recommend skimping on the GPU. Get the best that your budget allows. Also, make sure you read the reviews (from more than one place) this way you’ll be able to tell if there are any thermal issues (and can plan accordingly) or if there isn’t one then no worries. You can just render away using GPU/CPU rendering (but always check your thermals regardless), especially on long renders. HWiNFO is good for this (but maybe a little overkill though). It’s very good for monitoring one’s PC (and troubleshooting also). https://www.hwinfo.com/ Generally, gaming laptops will have it’s own monitoring / tuning software.

What you choose should also reflect your needs. Perhaps, check this link to see what might fit you best (that is if you haven’t done this already). See: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-laptop-buying-guide,5689.html

Are you in a rush or can you wait a little bit? This way you can watch out for sales.

Cheers,
Paul

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Hi @waneka13, another thing to consider. Intel is soon to release 11th gen laptop CPUs soon. Laptops will follow. This will undoubtedly help bring down current gen CPU prices. So it depends on how much of a hurry you are to get a new laptop. Sorry if I’m confusing things.


Cheers,
Paul

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thank you for the notice! but from what I’ve read, the release for the H series is only in Q1 of 2021. I am looking for a new laptop since November 2019, for almost a year now. Starting next month, I will only have my iPad Air left and will do my media art diploma in February. So unfortunately, except for renting a laptop, I really need one latest in November. This is the thing with constant new releases, there is never a right time to buy anything and its crazy frustrating. Do you think this update will be really be that groundbreaking for me to think about renting a laptop? I’m kind of tired of laptop hunting at this moment :smiley:

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Hi waneka13, I think Intel is pushing things through faster due to pressure from AMD. Alder Lake CPU generation is slated for 2021 but 11th gen CPU’s should be coming out soon (reviews are currently testing pre-production units now). CPU single core is very good. Their Intel Xe graphics is supposed to be much better (except not useful to Blender from what I understand). Not sure about core count - seems to be 4 at the moment. With only 4 cores it would be disappointing for me though. If you need your laptop right away ignore this but if you can I’d suggest waiting a bit to see what the new pricing will be.

Cheers,
Paul

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Here’s what I do when it comes to laptops: I check out disassembly videos on youtube to see which one will be easier to clean of off dust and has the better cooling solution.

Given that you will likely use it for 2 years or more, you will end up with a heatsink full of dust, and if you use it for 4 or more years then you will want to change the thermal paste on the chips and the thermal pads on the gpu memory.

Assuming that the two you are comparing are fairly equal in performance and price.

edit: if I was to buy a laptop right now it would be this one:
https://www.originpc.com/configurator/eon15-x-amd/

It uses a desktop processor so for a workstation it is great, but as a portable device I’m not sure I’d count on the battery life.

But then it is configurable and the cpu can be easily switched out so I’d go for the ryzen 9 3900x version with 12 cores with the option to potentially upgrade to the 16 core later.

Considering that it is in a laptop formfactor though, because of the cooling, might have to keep the clocks lower and maybe give it an undervolt to keep the thermals down as well as improve the battery life perhaps though.

Sadly the best GPU available in that particular laptop is the 2070(not super) but that isn’t too bad either. But all of this is assuming that I needed to buy one right now.

In truth you can expect that next year there will be Ryzen + RTX 3000 systems available so maybe best to just buy something that will carry you over till then, then sell it and buy a significantly more beastly of a machine then.

12

thank you for your advice!!
Buying something and selling it again, I did that for the past year and lost around 600 Euros for reselling. I have no idea why, but nobody wanted my laptops. It took me 5 months to finally sell my new Lenovo Legion even with 5 years of warranty and my new 16 inch MacBook Pro wanted nobody, so my partner decided on taking it.
That’s why reselling only after a short time at this moment is not an option, too much lost money and nerves.

From what I heard the single core performance in AMD processors is not as good as intel. And build quality and a brilliant monitor with a good color spectrum is very important since I do a lot of color grading, too. I do not see that in the OriginPC, even though the modular design for flexibility and power seems amazing. It just doesnt seem like there is a good solution for my set up.

Watching disassembly videos sounds super good, thank you! I’ll do that.

I am still kind of leaning towards the Aero 15 in combination with an eGPU. I am just not sure if I should get the i7-10875H with RTX2060 for 2100 Euros or with RTX2070 Super for 2500 Euros both in combination with an eGPU for rendering.

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Yes, well. For color work I’d really go for an external monitor anyways.

I can certainly understand that it is an hassle having to sell the system, but best practice typically is to upgrade every two years or so. In truth my previous post should be taken as saying you probably sold the previous one perhaps too soon.

As far as AMD cpus and single core performance goes, intel has a lead primarily on desktop. In power and thermal limited situations AMD is currently better off actually.

Ultimately it is your decision though and you will simply have to go with what you feel is the safes choice for you though.

Here I’d skip the eGPU for now and spring for the 2070 then. Get the eGPU a year or so down the line as an upgrade perhaps.

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thank you! I’ll check mobile comparisons between intel and amd again. unfortunately all this hassle is because of mobility, so I would need to get 3 monitors at the three different places that I am frequently working from. that’s why I need a good monitor in a laptop, as well.

1 Like
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A fair point, of course. But you could perhaps just look for something with a ‘passable’ screen and get a external one for the place you primarily work from?

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yes, that seems like a good middle ground!

also true :slight_smile: