The Maximum RAM for ASUS Tuf A15

Good day,

I plan to buy a new laptop to be used in my university (mostly for MATLAB simulation). This time, I would like to go for the 4th gen AMD mobile APU instead of the 10th gen Intel mobile CPU.

So far, the laptop with the most powerful AMD APU but still within my budget is the ASUS Tuf A15 with Ryzen 9 4900H and GTX1660Ti (I think I don't need the RTX2060 variant). However, the official ASUS website below says the Tuf A15 can detect only up until 32GB of 3200MHz of ram:
https://www.asus.com/my/Laptops/ASUS-TUF-Gaming-A15/specifications/

I did search for the keyword 'tuf a15 maximum ram' on google. Some search result claims that the Tuf A15 (or other laptop brands with the Ryzen 4000 series APU) can detect 64GB of ram, but most of the websites/videos only make the claim without giving any photo/screenshoot/video evidence, so I am not sure whether I should believe that claim or not. For examples:
1) This OPTIC PC online laptop seller allows its customers to customise the Tuf A15 (Ryzen 7 4800H and RTX2060) that they buy with up until 64GB of RAM.
https://xoticpc.com/products/asus-tuf-tuf506iv-as76
2) This seller on Newegg also allows its customers to customise the Tuf A15 (Ryzen 7 4800H and RTX2060) that they buy with up until 64GB of RAM.
https://www.newegg.com/gray-asus-tuf-a15/p/2WC-000N-01SY9
3) This crucial.com website claims that the Tuf A15 can detect up until 64GB of RAM.
https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/asus/asus-tuf-gaming-a15
4) This XMG (a TongFang ODM reseller) allows their Core 15 laptop (Ryzen 7 4800H) to be customised with up until 64GB of RAM.
https://www.xmg.gg/en/xmg-core-15-amd
5) This Illegear (another TongFang ODM reseller) also allows their ONYX V RYZEN laptop (Ryzen 7 4800H, might be similar with the Core 15 from XMG) to be customised with up until 64GB of RAM.
https://store.illegear.com/onyx-series/226-illegear-onyx-v-ryzen.html

Is there any reliable but cost-effective way for me to confirm whether the Tuf A15 can detect 32GB or 64 GB of RAM?

I bought a used Dell Optiplex 7010 Small Form Factor last year with i7-3770 CPU. The official user's guide and service manual stated that the maximum RAM that the Dell Optiplex 7010 Small Form Factor can detect is up until 4 x 4GB of DDR3 1600MHz, but I accidentally found some people in a few forums claiming that they did try to install 4 x 8GB of DDR3 1600MHz and can be detected by their Dell Optiplex 7010 Small Form Factor. Since 16GB of DDR3 is quite affordable, I didn't have any problem buying used 4 x 8GB of DDR3 1600MHz to test it myself. Luckily, my Dell Optiplex 7010 Small Form Factor can really detect the 4 x 8GB of DDR3 1600MHz.

The 2 x 32GB of DDR4 3200MHz however is too expensive for me to buy just for testing. In addition, I would like to avoid buying the Tuf A15 if it is really confirmed that it can only detect up until 32GB of RAM. Instead, I will go for the 10th gen Intel if the 4000 series Ryzen APU because at least all of the laptop that comes with i7-10750H that I've seen so far from Dell, HP, MSI, Acer, ASUS, Gigabyte/Aorus, Clevo, TongFang etc do claim that their laptops can detect up until 64GB of RAM.

Thank you.

 

The A15 is a very poor laptop.

 

Thank you for your concern. The only reason why I choose the Tuf A15 is because it is the only laptop so far that comes with Ryzen 9 4900H. Other models with AMD APU at the moment only go up until Ryzen 7 4800H.

If Tuf A15 is really that bad (in terms of thermal issue), then I will just go for other models with Ryzen 7 4800H like TongFang, Acer Nitro 5, Lenovo Legion 5 15 etc. Another option is to go for the Intel Core i7-10750H.

 

Have you considered Eluktronics Matrix rp-15?
It seems to have the best cooling and upgrading the RAM is pretty easy on that one.
I don't think you'll notice much difference between 4800H and 4900H.

 

Look at that clock rate between 1600mhz and 3200mhz, with the most efficient CPU AMD produce today that can knock off those few models of high performance CPUs from intel... Do u really need that much RAMs to do whatever u're doing?

 

I am considering that model. Beside can detect the RAM up until 64GB of RAM, the cooling system is so good that the manufacturer set the laptop to supply 72 Watt of power to the CPU when we use the Overboost performance setting. The more power supplied to the CPU, the more powerful the laptop will be. As far as I know, the maximum power supplied to other AMD laptops in their best performance settings are as follow:
1) Lenovo Legion 5 15: 65 Watt
2) HP Omen 2020: 53 Watt
3) ASUS Tuf A15: default setting at 45W
4) Acer Nitro 5 2020: Still unknown - please let me know if you have the info regarding this.

So far I have no information regarding the maximum power supplied to the CPU of the Intel gaming laptops. Just in case if any of you know the maximum power supplied to the following Intel laptops, please let me know:
1) Acer Predator Helios 2020 (i7-10750H and RTX2060)
2) MSI GP65 10SEK (i7-10750H and RTX2060)
3) Lenovo Legion 5i 15 (i7-10750H and any GPU that is RTX2060 or lower)

All right, understood.

The reason why I prefer any laptop that can go up until 64GB of ram is for future-proofing. The RAM that I need right now might just be either 16GB or 32GB, but who knows I might need up until 64GB if I am still using the laptop by the time DDR4 becomes cheaper many more years in the future.

Thank you very much.

 

I'm doing content creation and I'm presently using 32GB which I find 'sufficient', but will likely upgrade to 64GB by the end of the year, or to 128GB (since my laptop has 4 RAM slots, I'll obviously have to disassemble the unit to get to the RAM beneath the kb... its a pain in the neck to do but worth it for the extra RAM).

You'd be surprised how much RAM intensive productivity software can get. Adobe video editing tools can finish processing a video in half the time on 64GB systems than on say 32GB... and 3d Studio Max (not to mention other software) loves to chew through RAM if you're using high resolution textures like me on 3d models or if you're constructing large/complex environments.

It really depends on what one is using, and I'd prefer to focus on open source programs, but for the purpose of my studies I won't have that luxury (though in regards to 3D software I'm FAR more accustomed to 3d Studio Max than Blender for example).

 

RAM doesn't become cheaper when standards change, it's actually quite the opposite. While that does strengthen the case for getting the maximum you can right now, unless you're currently using RAM intensive applications like video editing or scientific work, it doesn't make a ton of sense to spend that kind of money. For a 64 GB kit, you're looking at spending a full 1/4-1/3 the price of the laptop itself. For an entry-level laptop, especially one as bad as the A15, that's throwing good money after bad.

 

@saturnotaku, I agree. That is why I always like to fully max out a platform when bought (or within the first six months, at most). That way, any benefits will be fully utilized by the time it will be ready to be replaced.

The things I like to continuously upgrade is the SSD's (4TB are too small today and 2TB are pathetic, capacity-wise), and the WiFi adaptors.

The base platform (M/B, CPU, GPU, and RAM) need not ever be touched during ownership. And they are what give the system it's oomph! (CPU+RAM=Work Done).

 

I asked about the same question (The Maximum RAM for ASUS Tuf A15) in another forum in my country. Most of the people in the forum also advise me to forget about the Tuf A15 because of the terrible thermal issue. One of the forumners even advised me to go for the Legion 5 15 series because it comes with better screen colour accuracy (100% sRGB) and better cooling system (in performance mode, the Intel version will be boosted with 75W of power while the AMD version will be boosted with 65W of power).

Below is the available model of AMD and Intel (in Malaysia) that I have shortlisted for myself:

1) Lenovo Legion 5 15 AMD version ( https://www.lenovo.com/my/en/laptops/legion/legion-5-series/Lenovo-Legion-5-15ARH05/p/88GMY501444)
Web Price: MYR3,783.12, around USD913.25 based on today's Google exchange rate.
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H Processor ( 2.90GHz 4MB )
Display Type: 15.6"FHD, WVA, AntiGlare, LED Backlight, Narrow, 100%sRGB, Non-Touch, 144Hz 5ms, 9.5mm 1920x1080
Memory: 16.0GB DDR4-3200 DDR4 SODIMM 3200MHz
Storage: 1TB 5400+256GB SSD,PCIe-NVMe,TLC
AC Adapter: 170W
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR6
Keyboard: 6-row 4zone RGB Backlight, Black Key, White Icon English (US)

2) Lenovo Legion 5 15 Intel version ( https://www.lenovo.com/my/en/laptops/legion/legion-5-series/Legion-5i-15/p/88GMY501434)
Web Price: MYR4,971.12, around USD1200.03 based on today's Google exchange rate.
Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H Processor ( 2.60GHz 12MB )
Display Type: 15.6"FHD, WVA, AntiGlare, LED Backlight, Narrow, 100%sRGB, Non-Touch, 144Hz 5ms, 9.5mm 1920x1080
Memory: 16.0GB DDR4-2933 DDR4 SODIMM 2933MHz
Storage: 1TB 5400+256GB SSD,PCIe-NVMe,TLC
AC Adapter: 170W
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti 4GB GDDR6
Keyboard: 6-row 4zone RGB Backlight, Black Key, White Icon English (US)

The only difference that I notice between the AMD and the Intel version is the GTX1650 vs GTX1650Ti. Unfortunately, the AMD version with the spec that I list above is already sold out. If I still want to go for the AMD version, I will have to wait for the next stock. It it is really urgent for me to own the laptop, I have no choice but to go for the Intel version.

If the Legion 5 15 is still too much for my workload, I can even downgrade some more to Ideapad 3 Gaming with the following spec:
3) Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i 15 Intel version ( https://www.lenovo.com/my/en/laptops/legion/legion-5-series/IdeaPad-Gaming-3i-15”/p/88IPG301387)
Web Price: RM3,915.12, around USD945.11 based on today's Google exchange rate.
Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H Processor ( 2.60GHz 12MB )
Display Type: 15.6"FHD, WVA, AntiGlare, LED Backlight, Narrow, Non-Touch, 120Hz 1920x1080
Memory: 8.0GB DDR4-2933 DDR4 SODIMM 2933MHz
Storage: 1TB 5400+256GB SSD PCIe
AC Adapter: 135W
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti 4GB GDDR6
Keyboard: 6-row Backlit English (US)

I still have a headache regarding the maximum supported RAM as usual. The official site (at least the Malaysian official site) says that the Lenovo 5 15 series can only go up until 16GB (but the same Lenovo Malaysia official site says that their Ideapad 3 Gaming series can go up until 32GB). When I search about this on google, some websites that I found claim that the Lenovo 5 15 series can detect up until 32GB, but there is no screenshot/photo/video evidence as usual. The Matthew Moniz's Lenovo Legion 5 15 video that I listed below stated that the Legion 5 15 series's RAM can be upgraded up until 64GB (at least for the Intel version), but I have no idea from where did Matthew Moniz get this info.


Lastly, today is the launching day for the new NVidia RTX3000 series GPU. If new laptop models with the new GPU series will be available in the market of my country immediately after this event, I might also have another headache because I have to select the best value for the money model all over again based on the newly available graphic card.

 

I have no idea how MATLAB is going to be resource heavy/hungry that may demand a very high memory to your needs. However in your initial post, u've mentioned that this purchase will be going to be with u throughout ur university days. RAM prices will fall some how... just only when.
And judging by the recent years of CPU development so as the clock speed of RAMs that moves from 2400mhz to 2666mhz to 2933mhz(for Intel) and 3200mh(for AMD), what we buy today may going to be slow in 3yrs time, and by then, u will either be in need of changing to another gear, or be satisfied with the current offerings.

Does MATLAB requires a very high performance dGPU?
Pardon me for asking as i'm not trained in this field. If u don't really need a very "kuat/bagus/sedap"("best/excellent/tasty") GFX delivery, put ur focus on the CPU and the RAM which is much more important that what kind of dGPU or screen can do ur job well...

As an user of the Legion 5 with 4600H+16GB of RAM, i can give u my testimony that this system runs very cool, even with after several hours of documentation usage and little media play.
IdeaPad Gaming 3 wise, be it with INTEL or AMD, my concern is going to be on the possible poor heat dissipation that may inturn, heat up the system. Lookout for the uncover pictures to look for urself, the two fans are placed together, and the heating pipes seems to be very poorly designed...which saves u roughly about RM400 when compared to Legion 5 of the same components u choose.
https://www.lenovo.com/my/en/laptops/legion/legion-5-series/IdeaPad-Gaming-3/p/88IPG301588

If u're going for the more budget friendly IdeaPad 3 Gaming with the default prebuilt of 4600H*+GTX1650* and comes with 8GB* 3200Mhz RAM(*which i believe going to be the same for both Malaysia and Singapore market), u need to be prepared with:
1. Be bear with the short and limited just on battery usage journey as IdeaPad Gaming 3 is stuck with just non-upgradable 45whr configuration.
2. Get ur Sodimm RAMs prepared for the 2 channels of slots where u can do ur own upgrading.(Actually this preparation applies to Legion 5 as well. However, depending on where u source, the RAM u get may cost a little lower than what Lenovo MY offers)
3. Get ur SSD in 2.5inch enclosure form factor prepared for swapping as the default prebuilt system comes with a mechanical HDD.

Lastly... don't believe on what u may see in Lenovo's site as there may be frequent web design errors. Some informations are not that accurate when compared to Lenovo's own Product Specification Reference web: https://psref.lenovo.com

 

Hello. Thank you very much for the reply. Btw, are you from Singapore or Malaysia?

Currently, I use the 2 following desktops for MATLAB:
1) Dell Precision Tower 5810 Workstation at my laboratory with Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-1620 v3 (4C HT, 10MB Cache, 3.50 GHz, 3.60 GHz Turbo), NVIDIA® Quadro® K2200 4GB, and 16GB 2133MHz DDR4 (4x4GB) RDIMM ECC RAM.
https://www.dell.com/en-my/work/shop/cty/pdp/spd/precision-t5810-workstation
2) Dell OptiPlex 7010 Small Form Factor at my hostel room with Intel® Core™ i7-3770 Processor (4C HT, 8M Cache, 3.40 GHz, up to 3.90 GHz Turbo), NVIDIA® GeForce GT1030, and 32GB 1600MHz DDR3 (4x8GB) NonECC RAM.
https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-my/product-support/product/optiplex-7010/overview

Those 2 desktops are just fine whenever I run simple Matlab programs, but the RAM usage shown in the Windows task manager will be almost maximum whenever I use the desktops to run more complicated Matlab programs (but of course I run the Matlab program while opening many Chrome tabs).

Maybe the RAM usage of the 2 desktops that I listed above becomes almost maximum whenever I run complicated Matlab programs (and open many Chrome tabs at the same time) because the desktops are already old. The Precision Tower 5810 Workstation was manufactured in 2014 and uses the 2133MHz DDR4 ECC RAM while the OptiPlex 7010 Small Form Factor was manufactured in 2013 and uses the 1600MHz DDR3 Non-ECC RAM. Maybe the RAM usage won't be that much if I run it on a new PC with the faster 2933MHz or 3200MHz DDR4 Non-ECC RAM.

Matlab can be used for a wide range of application. But for my field, I don't need a powerful dGPU. So I think I should focus spending my money on the best CPU and RAM that I can afford and pay less attention to the dGPU.

1) If that's the case, I'll stick to Legion 5 15. The 1st choice will be the one with R7 4800H, the 2nd choice will be the one with i7-10750H.
2) I used to watch a video on youtube advising us to buy gaming laptops with 2 separate cooling fans (one fan on each side) and avoid buying the gaming laptop with 2 fans nearby each other on the same side (but I have forgotten who is the youtuber). That means I should really forget about the IdeaPad Gaming 3 and go for the Legion 5 15.
3) One of my labmates in the university just buy last year's model of Legion 340 with i5-9300HF and GTX1050. I like the tactile feeling of the keyboard. That is the only reason why I also consider the IdeaPad Gaming 3. But still, I have to consider the cooling system like what you said.
4) All this time I have the habit of installing both SSD and HDD on my desktops/laptops. The SSD is used for installing Windows and programs while the HDD is used to store large files like movies, music, photos etc. I even set my cloud storage, torrent, and internet download manager to sync/download files on the HDD. I purposely do this kind of setting tu lessen the total written byte on the SSD and preserve its lifespan. I will maintain the original SSD + HDD configuration, but I will replace the SSD with the larger size if the 256GB that comes with the Legion 5 15 that I listed earlier is not enough.

I have gone through the reference web link that you gave above ( https://psref.lenovo.com). The related link sfor the Legion 5 15 specs that I listed down are as below:
1) R7 4800H and GTX1650
https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Te...egion_5_15ARH05_single_model_202009011819.pdf
2) i7-10750H and GTX1650Ti
https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Te...egion_5_15IMH05_single_model_202009011823.pdf

However, I don't understand whether the '16GB max offering' term in the 'Chipset Memory' section means the memory capacity that comes with the laptop or the maximum memory capacity that the laptop can detect.

 

I'm from Singapore, Bro.
Okie... the 16GB "Offering" should refers to to highest optional size available for configurable orders or pre-built for resell thru appointed resellers. If U wanna go big, u've to buy ur own RAM for self upgrade. Have u check with ur labmate what size had he chosen for his system? I believe that ur labmate's IdeaPad Gaming L340 didn't go as high as 64GB as one of the channel is maximum 8GB soldered on. With one slot of Sodimm available for user upgrade, most likely ur labmate's system is maxed @ 40GB or 72GB(if he have a big budget to burn lot of monies on a single stick of 64GB RAM).

Not all 4#00H systems comes with 3200Mhz RAMs by default. Lenovo's offerings so far i observed, in the South East Asia region as well as some other East Asia sites, comes with 3200mhz RAMs by default, or buyers' option. 4#00U systems comes with 2666mhz RAMs.
And if u had observed, some resellers systems do not have by default 3200mhz RAMs. But serves as options to buyers.
https://store.illegear.com/onyx-series/226-illegear-onyx-v-ryzen.html
ILLEGEAR's ONYX-V is one such example.

I couldn't stop u from going 1xm.2 SSD+1xHDD if that's ur preferable setup.
Legion 5 have it's limits when it comes to configurable storage options. If u choose to hv 1 m.2 SSD + 1 HDD, the battery will stick to default of 60whr. If u choose to hv both storage drives as m.2 SSD simply just by choosing the size of drive #1 to the size of ur preference, drive #2 will be automatically locked to the size u've chosen on drive #1, and ur battery will be upsized automatically to 80whr. Upcoming Legion 5-17ARH, the 17inch will be locked at 80whr, and storage stuck with 1xm.2 + 1xHDD configuration.
TongFang built systems that's sold in Malaysia as ILLEGEAR Onyx-V Ryzen, can accommodate 2xm.2+1xHDD...

...but, battery will be stuck at the max of 63whr.

 

Nice to see that one of the people who replies my thread is from my neighbouring country

1) So far my labmate just leaves his RAM as default 8GB because he is on a tight budget. I don't think he will upgrade his RAM in the soonest time because of his budget constrain. He also uses Matlab like me (we are actually doing PhD in electrical engineering). My labmate also uses a custom gaming desktop with i7-6700K, GTX970, and 16GB of RAM (I don't memorise what type and frequency) in the lab. I think he only uses his Legion 340 for light/simple Matlab program, but will switch to the custom gaming desktop whenever he needs to run a complicated Matlab program.

2) The Legion 5 15"s that I list down in one of my previous replies come with 3200MHz for the AMD version and 2933MHz for the Intel version.

3) I think I will stick to the SSD + HDD + 60Wh battery configuration at this moment. So far my working/studying lifestyle doesn't require me to move alot with my laptop. I spend most of my time being stationary in the lab, so I don't think I need a bigger battery.

 

The simple answer is most anything you buy in 2020 is going to support up to 64GB or 128GB if you have deep enough pockets to pay for 128GB of ram.

Pick the specs that matter i.e. CPU / GPU and the rest is easy to upgrade w/o paying a premium for the laptop itself. Those "upgrades" are over priced. Base things on the pieces you can't typically upgrade and shop for what you can outside of the laptop purchase itself. You can get 32GB of DDR4 ram these days for ~$100-$150 and the seller will probably charge you closer to $200 for the same ram. The same goes for Drives as you can pick up a 1TB NVME for ~$130 that's a pro model with excessively high 1700 TBW warranties like an enterprise drive.

 

All right, understood. Thank you very much for the advice.

Btw, I would like to ask 1 thing. Is now a suitable time to buy a new laptop. I'm afraid that the price of the laptop that I bought drops significantly a few weeks after I bought it because of the newly available RTX3000 series.

 

My PH517-61 is from 2019, but supports 128GB apparently as others did test it with that... however, as you say, you can only go for 128GB if you have deep enough pockets.
I'd love to go for that option, but right now, its too much.

SSD and RAM prices are slated to drop by about 10% or more (hopefully 20%) over the next few months... so I was thinking on getting my 64GB (at least) then... should do me fine for the next 3 or 4 years.

 

Yeah, prices are actually pretty decent right now compared to even a year ago or even better than 2 years ago.

Finagling the details with RAM can be interesting depending on if you have 2 or 4 slots to work with. Buying 4 x 16gb is a lot cheaper than 2 x 32gb simply due to density. Also, the 16gb's will typically run better due to more spacing between the chips resulting in better cooling.

10% drop in prices is always welcomed though when you're dealing with larger numbers but, if you need it now the $10 in savings isn't really worth waiting for better performance on tasks that need to be completed today and not 6 months from now. There's always the off chance some natural disaster could occur somewhere in the supply chain and reverse course on prices due to decreased supply.

 

The RTX3000 mobile series won't be releasing until CES (which is upcoming January in 2021) if I'm not mistaken (but OEM's have a tendency to integrate Intel/NV hw faster than AMD hw, so there's that to take into account).

Its doubtful prices of existing laptops will drop significantly even with desktop Ampere releasing... sure, they might, but we don't know.
From my experience, release of Zen 2 platforms etc. did not bring down prices of earlier generation of laptops down significantly (or in some cases AT ALL - I noticed retailers are becoming increasingly greedy - however, Zen 2 platforms were cheaper and more powerful than previous or existing Intel offers).

If you aren't in a rush, you can always wait a bit until the winter holidays or CES in Januray and buy yourself a laptop then with some discounts (if there are any).

If you DO need a laptop now... then you might as well get the Eluktronics Matrix RP-15 - no sense in waiting too much for new technology since that will always be around the corner... and anything you get right now will probably last you for years to come anyway (about 4 or 5, depending on what you'll be doing with it and how your needs change in that time).

Mind you, you can also reconsider what exactly do you need.
If a dGPU is not a priority (because for example you don't game), perhaps you could get yourself a lower power variant with 4800u or 4800H without a dGPU option (mind you, given the prices of those units, I don't see much of a point considering that they can end up costing just as much as those with a dGPU when you configure them to be of use to you - so you might as well get a 4800H and RTX 2060 while you're at it).

 

Sorry for my late reply. I was a little bit busy 2 days ago and yesterday.

Does this laptop uses Ryzen CPU?

I also read the news saying that the price of the RAM and SSD is expected to go down in the 4th quarter of 2020 and the 1st quarter of 2021. One of the links for the news is as below:
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/7459...t-now-prices-are-about-to-freefall/index.html

I think I will stick with only 16GB for my new laptop and only upgrade it if I really need more (or when the price of the RAM goes down significantly).

I think I will buy the laptop this month (or at least early of next month). The longer I wait, the more I have to postpone doing my work

Thank you for informing me about this. I never know about this before.

Actually I am doing a PhD in my final semester and I have to finish my remaining required data collection, data analysis, and thesis writing by the 31st of January 2021. I plan to use the new laptop for those things (because I am still using an ASUS A52JK laptop and a Macbook Pro 13" that were bought back in the year 2008 and they have become obsolete). The longest that I can wait is until the early of next month because by the time it is already CES 2021, I should have already completed my research and submitted my thesis

I think I have decided to go for the Lenovo Legion 5 15" at the moment. Even though the Eluktronics Matrix RP-15 has 72 Watt power supplied to the CPU while the Lenovo Legion 5 15" only has 65 Watt power supplied to the CPU also in performance mode (based on one of the Hardware Unboxed youtube videos), I choose the Legion 5 15" due to the following reasons:
1) Legion 5 15" can be installed with both SSD and HDD/SSD (one NVME and one 2.5" SATA) at the same time while Matrix RP-15 can only be installed with 2 SSDs at the same time (two NVMEs). I am a conservative type of person that still uses both SSD and HDD in my laptops and desktops. I only install Windows and programs (including games) in my SSD and keep large files (music, movies, photos etc.) in HDD to preserve the lifespan of the SSD by minimising the Total Written Bytes of the SSD. I also set my Intenet Download Manager, torrent, and cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, and One Drive) to download/sync files in my HDD instead of my SSD for the same reason.
2) Legion 5 15" has IPS Anti-glare 300nits 144Hz 5ms Narrow 100%sRGB screen (regardless of which graphic card I choose), which might be the most colour-accurate screen that I know for that price range. Meanwhile, the Matrix RP-15 in my country comes with 120Hz Full HD Anti-glare IPS INFINIVISION Display for GTX1650 and GTX1650Ti (the reseller in my country doesn't mention anything about brightness, response time, and colour accuracy for this one on their website) and 144Hz FHD Anti-glare IPS NTSC 72% INFINIVISION Display 300nits for RTX2060 (the reseller in my country doesn't mention anything about response time and only states colour accuracy in NTSC for this one on their website). The Malaysian version of Eluktronics Matrix RP-15 / XMG Core 15 is known as Illegear Onyx V Ryzen and the link is available below:
https://store.illegear.com/onyx-series/226-illegear-onyx-v-ryzen.html

dGPU might not really important for my PhD work. I do game once in a while, and the game that I play most of the time is only CS GO (and sometimes Battlefield 3). I think I will go for the cheap Legion 5 15" with R7 4800H and GTX1650 at the moment. If I really need a more powerful GPU for playing the newer Battlefield series, I will just upgrade my desktop with the required GPU.

One more thing. The cheap Legion 5 15" with R7 4800H and GTX1650 is currently sold out from the official Lenovo official website in my country. Only the cheap Legion 5 15" with i7-10750H and GTX1650/GTX1650Ti is still available. If I still want to go for the AMD version, the only available versions are the expensive Legion 5 15" with R7 4800H and GTX1660Ti/RTX2060. Since I might still be able to wait until the early of next month, I will see if the official website restocks the cheap AMD version. If they don't restock, I will decide whether to go for the cheap Intel version or the expensive AMD version (if I still want an AMD version).


PS: Thank you to everyone who replies on this thread. If not because of all of you, I might have accidentally bought the Tuf A15. I will be a little bit busy again for a few more days. Just in case if there is any new reply on this thread, I will reply after a few more days.

 

Speaking of this, the Lenovo Malaysia website states "Ships more than 8 weeks." for most of the AMD spec of Legion 5 15" that I like but "Ships within 3 - 6 business days." for most of the Intel spec of Legion 5 15" that I like. This means I might have to order ASAP if I really want to go for AMD or choose Intel if I want to wait for a few more weeks (unless if I can get the AMD spec that I like immediately from a physical store).

 

@Faisal McMissile Damieya, you are selling your new platform and yourself short with only 16GB of RAM for the near future. Especially when you will be using it to do past due work on it.

16GB RAM was great in 2010, 32GB is today's minimum, and 64GB a good trade-off on a new system between cost and budget.

That 16GB of RAM is enough to have your email client, open/load Word, and MATLAB (with no project open at a 'cost' of more than half a GB for just MATLAB alone) and a few tabs open in your favorite browser. Then you need more to actually run the data through them all.

A new CPU/platform doesn't negate the need for physical, present, and available RAM.

CPU+RAM=Work Done. Increasing one side of the variables won't compensate for the limiting effects of neglecting to increase the other too to an appropriate level for today's workflows/workloads.

Your point #1 above is perplexing to me.

The reason(s) you want an NVME and a 2.5" SATA III storage option is so that you can have the maximum capacity possible on-board in SSD form. Using an HDD on a notebook is not only wasteful of the limited battery life they have but is also 'dumb' for a mobile device too in 2020. HDD failures happen far more often than SSD failures do. And that is without banging/dropping or even (slightly) jarring them when they're in use. Having an HDD on a mobile platform today for important DATA is a form of insanity, not conservatism.

A few other things you need to know about SSD's; with enough capacity and unallocated space, you can forget about worrying about write cycles. Buy a 2TB NVME SSD and use 75% of that capacity (at most). I use 67% of the capacity of any SSD I do a clean Windows install on (leaving 33% unallocated). Even a 4TB SSD I do the same with. Yeah, I leave over 1TB of space unallocated not just for the health of the drive, but also for the sustained performance over time I get by doing that too.

Couple that with 32GB+ of RAM and the SSD is only used as needed (and not hammered on by Windows too, continuously).

That 'unallocated' capacity 'cost' is the price of getting any SSD to work as it's advertised.

And as for how little I care about extra writes, I also defrag my SSD's for even more performance from them (yes, they do slow down from fragmentation) at least once a month using PerfectDisk.

As for your torrenting needs, set the program to preallocate the space needed for the download and that is solving most extra-write issues too.

As far as what platform to buy, I would borrow/rent a computer to get this project you've been neglecting out of the way.

Then, I would wait for Tiger Lake platforms in the form factors you prefer. (Yeah, ThinkPAD Workstation, definitely).

They will make your current AMD based 'favorite' obsolete around October or so.

And if you're really willing to wait, get the same thing... but sometime in early 2021 with DDR5 RAM to really light a spark in your productivity and workflows.

See:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...r-lake-processors.831587/page-2#post-11044047

 

Yes... and Vega 56... its in my signature (and one of the rare all AMD laptops out there that's BETTER than virtually all other laptops of its generation in terms of performance, power, efficiency, not to mention cooling and noise).

Yes, the prices of SSD's and RAM are supposed to go down in the next few months... like I said, I'm planning on upgrading to 64GB as I'm on a course in 3D animation, so I want to make sure I'm working with enough... that and need to upgrade my HDD from 1TB to most likely an SSD of 2TB (and maybe getting another 1TB M2 for additional programs and games if needed).

If 16GB works for you, then good, but you may want to consider doubling that to 32GB just in case at some point (you never know).
Just make sure that if you start off with 16GB, you're better off with getting dual-channel.

No sense in postponing your work.
I needed a laptop to finish my Creative Media course as my previous PH517-61 experienced a malfunction when I tried updating its BIOS in 2019 (long story short, the BIOS upgrade did not work and it killed the mobo).
So, I decided to wait until Zen 2 is released, only for the pandemic to hit (which delayed releases and Asus Zen 2 didn't really do anything for me as I had a BAD experience with one of theirs before), and to be frank, when I saw another PH517-61 on sale, I grabbed it immediately. Its still very powerful, efficient and one of the coolest/quietest laptops on the market with pretty large compute and gaming performance on my Vega 56 (I can easily run practically any game maxed out in 1080p and even 2k and productivity software like 3d Studio Max, Blender and video editing software work just fine).

I figured that CES 2021 would be too late for you, but if you need a laptop now (especially to finish your work), then get one now.

Most new laptops will probably be increasingly removing SATA slots for the simple economics of making more space inside units for better components such as more powerful cooling, bigger battery, etc. (but mind you, some OEM's will just remove it to cut the costs but do nothing to increase the quality of units they are releasing).

At any rate, both M2 and NVme drives are perfectly fine and reliable (you will need to go through enormous amounts of writes before you see any kind of degradation on them anyway). Granted, the SATA SSD drives are still cheaper and can give you large storage options (also in the form of slower HDD for example for even a cheaper price, which is useful if you have large storage requirements and just run games and general software off the M2/NVme).

Note: If a laptop is missing a SATA drive and only has NVme and/or M2 slots inside it, an alternative option is to get a portable (2.5") USB 5TB external drive (it doesn't need a separate power supply as it gets enough from the USB cable).

Hm... you may be surprised that you like/prefer using your laptop... and if you end up needing a GPU... well, you get the idea.
How much more expensive is the Legion 5 15" with 4800H and GTX 1660ti/RTX 2060?
Is it bank breaking and something you simply cannot afford, or what exactly?
If you can afford it, get it (don't go for the Intel one... honestly AMD is a lot better option).

How much is that more expensive Legion 5 15" compared to the Eluktronics one?
If the Eluktronics one is cheaper... go with that (set it up as you want) and just get yourself an external portable (2.5") 5TB HDD for storage.

 

Thank you very much to @tilleroftheearth and @Deks for your comments. Unfortunately, I am going to be a little bit busy for a few days/weeks updating 1 journal and 2 conference papers for my university-related publication.

Btw, a person from a forum highlighted to me that Matlab runs slower on an AMD system compared to the Intel system because of different types of MKL (Math Kernel Library) settings on both the AMD and Intel system, which is explained in the link below:
https://uk.mathworks.com/matlabcent...g-on-an-amd-system-also-tweakable-from-sse-to

Btw, I am the one who asks the question regarding the MKL thing in the link above. I will wait and see the feedback from the people in that MATLAB forum. Once I am done updating my 1 journal and 2 conference papers for my university-related publication, I will decide whether to stick to AMD or switch to Intel on the feedback that I get from the people in that MATLAB forum.

Just in case if I have decided to switch to Intel-based system, I will still stick to Lenovo Legion 5 15", but the Intel-based version.

 

Crippled No Longer: Matlab Now Runs on AMD CPUs at Full Speed
https://www.extremetech.com/computi...nger-matlab-2020a-runs-amd-cpus-at-full-speed

As you can see, that's no longer an issue as Matlab developers finally optimized their software for AMD.
Took a while, but it was solved.

 

What about the schenker via 15 pro?

Not sure about the platform itself but it officially supports 64GB of ram and also sports the 4800h

No dGPU included, just the integrated Vega graphics.

 

That's the chinese Mechrevo Code 01 rebranded by Bestware and charging OVER double of what its technically worth for 4800H, 16GB and 512GB SSD.

Its a good machine from what I can tell, but resellers in EU are overpricing the thing to no end.
For a price they are asking in EU he'd be better off getting the Eluktronics RP-15 with 4800H/RTX 2060.

That's why I said that while I love the concept of these laptops without a dGPU, its self-defeating if they cost same or marginally less than a laptop that has same CPU and a mid-range GPU.

Honestly, he'd get the Mechrevo Code 01 for much cheaper if he imported it from China directly (and paid import tax on it) and then upgraded the RAM separately to 32 or 64GB... however, I don't think importing it to Malaysia is a legal option anymore (I could be incorrect).

 

Ah yes quite right, I didnt look at the price on my mobile, just recalled seeing a ryzen laptop with no dGPU marketed to "coders" and compilers etc etc. to be honest I am also interested in it but with all things, price is important.

So from what I gather could be a potential candidate, just not from the sellers its available from at the moment.

The Lenovo T14s could've been an option but sadly they elected to solder 16GB of the ram

Maybe a used Helios 500 Ryzen ?

Sadly AMD is still relatively young in the mobile markets but hopefully more options will be available in due time...

 

I had a difficult time finding another PH517-61 (Ryzen 2700/Vega 56) after my original one had an issue with the BIOS update which borked the mobo and I had to get a refund in late 2019... but I finally found it in April... not sure if its available anywhere else (I did a quick look, and nothing much has popped up)... and the price will likely be jacked up.
He would be better off getting a Zen 2 with a dGPU at this point.

I know, OEM's tend to compromise with AMD based hw and/or jacking up the prices.
Yes, they are more affordable than Intel laptops even now, but when I see just where notebook prices are these days, I'm actually appalled by what OEM's managed to get away with over the past 12 years.

Technically, the Mechrevo Code 01 in China costs £550... which is actually decent.
With VAT and import, it probably shouldn't cost more than £700/700EUR (maybe £750/700EUR for the 4800H, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD).
And to be fair, I'm pretty sure the local resellers in EU/UK could also make a similarly cheap chassis with same performance/specs that costs the same as it does in China

 

Would've been lovely if they could get a thunderbolt too but or even some kind of slot that would allow for such a scenario.

Problem is They wont make it. Its why I had to go and build a desktop and then use my t440p for everything else, instead of just having my t440p doing everything (of course I mean an updated AMD solution here) and then add eGPU for at home, but im just dreaming.

 

After using crystaldisk mark ssd write host increase rapidly
Is not recommend
Installing windows just 30gb
Using crystal benchmark like 500-800gb increasely


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Hello everyone.

Sorry for not replying anything on this thread for a very long time because I was so busy lately. I have decided to go for the Lenovo Legion 5 15" with AMD CPU during the 12.12 sale, but then I changed my mind to MSI GP65 Leopard 10SEK (i7-10750H and RTX2060) once I notice that one of the reputable and trustworthy shops in my country (Malaysia) listed the price at MYR5799 on Lazada (Malaysian version of eBay, Amazon etc.) without the MSI loot box (around USD1427.97 according to today's exchange rate on Google). The price of this model when it has newly arrived in Malaysia was MYR6999 (around USD1723.477 according to today's exchange rate on Google), but I notice that some other reputable and trustworthy shops in Malaysia reduced the price of this model to MYR5999 (around USD1477.22 according to today's exchange rate on Google) by the time this message is written.

Personally, the Lenovo 5 15" with the AMD CPU might be better for me in terms of price and performance, but I changed my mind at last minute to go for the MSI GP65 at last minute due to my 2 personal reasons based on my current situations and requirements:
1) Delivery time. The Lenovo 5 15" with the AMD configuration that I want (GPU, screen type, keyboard, RAM, storage etc.) is not available off-the-shelf (even though the same configuration is available off-the-shelf for the Intel version). I have decided to go for the customised model (before I notice about the MSI price reduction during the 12.12 sale, but the Lenovo's website said it takes more than 8 weeks to receive the customised laptop. Meanwhile, the MSI GP65 that I bought from PC Image through Lazada took 3-9 days for delivery.
2) Instalment service. I can get 0% instalment plan if I buy things within a certain price range (I think it should be anything more than MYR500.00) through Lazada using a local's bank credit card. I can also get the 0% instalment plan from Lenovo Malaysia's website using HSBC credit card. At this moment, I only own a credit card from the local bank and not HSBC.

So far, I am happy with the MSI GP65 (even though the Lenovo Legion 5 15" AMD might be better in terms of price and performance). I even type this message from my new MSI GP65. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone in this thread who has spent your time giving me advice all this time on which laptop that I should and shouldn't buy. Keep in touch, all the best in your life, and happy new year.