The $2,000 Gaming Laptop (My Best and Worst Decision)
“I spent $2,000 on an ASUS ROG Strix, then another $200 on accessories to make it usable. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 was $200 cheaper with better thermals out of the box.”
ASUS ROG Strix G17 (Ryzen 9 7940HX, RTX 4070, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD)
2,345 reviews
Pros
- +Ryzen 9 7940HX — 16 cores of pure overkill
- +RTX 4070 — runs everything
- +64GB RAM — I can have 400 browser tabs open researching court filings
- +240Hz WQHD display — buttery smooth
- +2TB SSD — room for every SEC filing ever
Cons
- -Runs hot enough to heat my apartment
- -Battery lasts about 45 minutes under load
- -Weighs more than my daughter
- -I bought a $28 cooling pad and a $15 mouse for it (see my other reviews)
Lenovo Legion Pro 5 (Ryzen 9 7945HX, RTX 4070, 32GB RAM)
5,678 reviews
Pros
- +Better thermals — doesn't need a cooling pad to survive
- +Slightly newer Ryzen 9 7945HX
- +Better keyboard (Legion keyboards are legendary)
- +$200 cheaper
- +More reviews, better track record
Cons
- -32GB RAM (would need to upgrade for my tab habit)
- -Smaller SSD options at this price
- -Less RGB gamer aesthetic (pro or con depending on your age)
The Story
When you spend 10 hours a day reading court filings, writing SeekingAlpha articles, and running Salesforce development environments, you need serious computing power. Or at least that's what I told myself when I bought a $2,000 gaming laptop.
The ASUS ROG Strix G17 is a beast. Ryzen 9, RTX 4070, 64GB of RAM. I upgraded the RAM myself (see the 64GB Crucial RAM kit I bought). The 240Hz display is beautiful. The problem? It runs so hot that I needed a cooling pad (the $28 Kootek, see that review), a gaming mouse (the $15 Zelotes that died, see that review), a USB-C hub, a webcam, a charger...
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 has better thermals out of the box, a widely-praised keyboard, and costs $200 less. It has fewer reviews on Amazon but the Legion line has a cult following for good reason. The ASUS is flashier. The Lenovo is smarter. I bought the ASUS because the specs on paper looked better. The specs on paper always look better. Just like how Fannie Mae's conservatorship 'looked' temporary in 2008.
Total cost of my ASUS setup: $1,900 laptop + $28 cooling pad + $15 mouse (that died) + $40 replacement mouse + $30 USB hub + $25 webcam + $20 charger = roughly $2,060. The Legion would have been $1,700 with fewer accessory needs.
The Lesson
The laptop with the best specs on paper isn't always the best laptop. Total cost of ownership includes all the accessories you buy to fix its problems.
Affiliate Disclosure: Links on this page go to Amazon and include an affiliate tag. If you buy something, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is an honest comparison of products I've actually used. Product details, prices, ratings, and review counts are approximate and may be outdated. This page was created with AI assistance. Not professional product advice — just one guy's experience.
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Glen's Musings — AI, investing, and building things. Occasional. Free.
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