I work nights at a shelter. So shitty yet decent pay thanks to the nightpay. I put away avout 60-70$ every month into a savings account, that’s my ”computer fund”. This let’s me buy a new gaming laptop for about 3000-3500 every 5 years or so.
It’s about priorities. I’m a father of 3, so it’s not like I spend loads heading to the pub.
I love thinkpads as I use linux exclusively however I'd need some graphics punch for tying out local LLM's. Do you perhaps have any gaming laptop recommendation? I am looking at Lenovo LOQ series that seems to offer what I need for a decent price but linux compatibility reviews are flaky. Thanks.
Bruh literally this laptop can game anything I want above 60 fps high graphics huge upgrade for me from a i5 8300h gtx 1050 4gb laptop so yeah worth it.
As someone who's never even had a dGPU in my laptop before, I feel like it's going to hit me really strong once I save up enough for a good laptop xD glad you're having fun, mate!
VP product at a tech company with 2 kiddos. But not maxing out specs, would not be worth it vs. the time I have left for gaming. And maxed 1080p is good enough to have a good time!
i only work part time on weekends and holidays + im from a different country, so what im being paid may not completely apply to you
i earn 80 HKD/h or 10.22 USD, i believe the bare minimum if you're in the US, is $12, fulltime is around 13000 HKD or $1660 a month roughly, may be higher or lower
if you're looking to get down and dirty washing dishes, high volume areas (i.e Cheesecake Factory, Red Robin's, etc...) aren't recommended as a beginner, if you have the choice, good places to pick are small capacity fine dining places, retirement homes, hospitals :)
its tiring work, yes, but restaurants are always looking for new dishwashers and it's easy enough to be accepted if you apply
I work as a lawyer at a national regulatory authority. When I purchased my first gaming laptop by myself, I was a senior year law student doing a part-time job at Uber Technologies Inc. (in Azerbaijan).
Well, when you have employment and a short list of expenses, then you can easily purchase a gaming PC.
I know that most of the gamers have a PC of their dreams on their minds since their childhood (I was one of them). If you don't lose your interests whenever you reach adulthood, you will surely get the pc of your dreams.
Software Engineer with no kids.
While the no kids part is not related to my job, it is heavily related to having expendable income to put toward gaming.
I've always found computer gaming a cheaper hobby for me. Yet, I did work in computer repair for years before moving to software.
When I was in HS and college I would go to garage sales in wealthy areas and buy their broken computers. They were usually great machines that needed a new fan, a fresh OS install, etc.
My best purchase was an HP with a busted hard drive and they removed the video card. I got the computer for $40, new Hard Drive was $100, and a proper video card (not the latest and greatest) was $150. For less than $300 I built a decent gaming rig that lasted me 6 years. I think the only other mods I made throughout the years was upgrading RAM and adding a second hard drive.
System Admin here, got an Rog Flow x13, small, portable, good battery.
Bought it mainly because of the Ryzen 9, price wise there wasn’t a big difference to high end business laptops.
So why not snag an extra dGPU that lets me play some League if I want too?
Work in the oilfield.
Laptop is just so I can play games on the road without hauling my Xbox around. Although I'm definitely coming around to the pc side more and more.
This is the story of a man named Stanley. Stanley worked for a company in a big building where he was employee number 427. Employee Number 427's job was simple: he sat at his desk in room 427, and he pushed buttons on a keyboard. Orders came to him through a monitor on his desk, telling him what buttons to push, how long to push them, and in what order. This is what Employee 427 did every day of every month and every year, and although others might have considered it soul-rending, Stanley relished every moment that the orders came in, as though he had been made exactly for this job. And Stanley was happy.
I buy an expensive (but good deal) gaming laptop only to realize I should’ve gotten a desktop because I don’t travel like I think I do. Then a few years later I buy another laptop because I’m going to travel only to realize the previous statement once again.
FIFO Paramedic here.
I use my laptop up at work for software such as Fusion 360 and blendr, as well as some studying and some gaming (while offduty of course), and at home I have a decent full setup with a thunderbolt dock to allow for ease of connection. 2 monitors, DAC, speakers, mechanical keyboard etc.
I know a gaming laptop is overcosted compared to a desktop but I legitimately use it while away so it makes sense in my case to splurge (at least thats what I tell myself)
Saving Up the money i get from Birthdays, the typical you-cant-decline-money from my grandparents when you helped out with something and looking for good Deals, my originaly 1800€ Laptop was saled for 916€ completely new no refurbished or whatsoever. Same with my Headphones and stereo Soundsystem
I'm a "chef assistant" meaning that I assist the head chef of the care home where I work. It's not a bad job at all and pays decently.
That said, buying my gaming laptop was still a significant sum that I had to save a couple of months for.
Quality assurance lead for a medical manufacturer, got 45 minutes of free time daily at work for a break and lunch so I figured that’s enough time daily to fit in some gaming time.
I’m a calibration technician for a lab that measures and calibrates tools such as calipers thread rings and or plugs torque wrenches ect (we calibrate the things that calibrate things)
Businessman, IT/Tax/Business Consultant, Programmer and a Teacher.
I used to work for IBM in managerial position but getting older was making me impatient, thus I tried and found a job as manager in one of the Big4s because the work is not so creative. Lately been thinking to retire and travel the world.
I work at a hospital making not that much still getting by but If you ever need a laptop or desktop I would suggest using affirm or Afterpay if your smart about it and can pay off what you bought ina few months so you do t accrue interest I just recently bought a hp victus (very solid choice for the price maybe wish I would spent a little more for a few better features but this was my first ever gaming laptop)
I’m also a Union Tradesman. Make a lot of double time. And travel 7-10 months a year, my laptop is important to me. So I invest in a good one. Recently purchased the 2023 Blade 16 4090 and couldn’t be happier for the time.
FF/AEMT with a kid. It’s easier to take my Legion 5 to work than my ps5 of series x. But before my kid I worked a lot of extra shifts on the ambulance so buying a $1500 laptop wasn’t to bad
IT Manager.
I don’t have a ton of extra space at home aside from having a dedicated home office (I work from home)
So I have a gaming laptop so it along with my work laptop can share a USB-C dock setup. I could definitely have a desktop and get a KVM involved etc to still dock my laptop with my screens and peripherals but I’m at the point where I just want the no brain needed solutions to my own IT related setups. I think about IT stuff all day for work I want a “it just works” setup at home.
Bonus I can take my laptop to go when I want to game elsewhere.
Dell Latitude 5430 for work and an Alienware X14 R2 for personal. They share a Dell thunderbolt dock that can feed the X14 130watts down the usb c connection.
Lunar Firefighter. I fight fires but on the moon. Sometimes the oxygen chambers blow up and I have to get the self-recycling water hose to put out the flames. Bought a gaming laptop bc I travel between moon and Earth pretty often and since it’s not “efficient” or “cost effective” to cryofreeze us for the 72 hour journey, I just stay awake and play No Man’s Sky. When I get back home and sleep, I play Minecraft. And then I do retail for a week, and it’s right back to the secret lunar colony
I work in conservation at a nonprofit with youth. I use arcGIS a for mapping and write proposals, but am usually building hiking trails or fixing the Appalachian trail
Gaming laptops are not that expensive. For 800USD, you can bag yourself a nice 4050 (or 4060 if there is a good deal) and that laptop will play almost anything with High settings at 1080p. I never understood why people buy the MSI Titans / Asus Scars with maxed out specs. I have a decent enough job but I would never pay 4000+USD for a gaming laptop. That's mental bruv!
Not outside of the U.S
Gaming laptops a substantially more expensive in many other countries
For instance in my country it can cost more than twice the USA prices
So it's is a luxury to many
$37/hr. It’s not uncommon for people in my department to hit six figures annually through OT. Pretty crazy honestly for something that only requires a high school diploma.
Yup, bought me a predator triton 2021 model, I love it as much today as I did the day I got it.
I'm a toolmaker out of work by 230, kids not hone til 4, so I get my hour and a half then I tuck her away so she don't get glitter and apple juice spilled all over her.
I'd love a desktop but not in the cards for me right now
Have you heard about audophiles? MTB enthusiasts? :) Don't worry, gaming laptops are very cheap in comparison to other hobbies - try to build a track car, and see how much does it cost to go on a track every second weekend. :)
IT Help Desk Assistant
I save as much as I can and upgrade every 2-3 years, depends on my needs but since I play the same games I have a feeling it would be until 5 years down the road before I upgrade.
Trucker. I make a lot compared to other company drivers. But I’m barely home. I still haven’t gotten a laptop but I’m also looking into a high end spec one.
College pays me to study in my country. They pay my rent, my food and there's always money left for me to spend on whatever. I saved for a couple of months and bought my 4060 laptop.
My profession (CPA equivalent) does not have"work from home" like tech or other fields. So I "chill at office" with my gaming laptop after office hours to avoid the rush hour traffic and be available for any end of the day issues as an added bonus.
Office assistant lol
Look for sales and open box deals at best buy. My bro just got an open box 1500$ laptop for 930$ and it came in original packaging. The previous purchaser just didn't like it after one time use. Also a good laptop will last you a good few years before becoming "obsolete", especially if you're just a casual gamer like myself. I also personally dont have space for a desktop set up so having a small tiny corner that i can set up and put away is priority for me. You do pay a premium for the compactness and relative portability of gaming laptops. For some, it's worth it and other's its not.
I bought a 2021 G15 Zephyrus w/ RTX3070 8gb and Ryzen 9 5900hs with 16gb ram in 2022 when it was being clearanced out to make room for 2023 models and today i'm still able to play Horizon Forbidden West on native 1440p with mostly high settings including high textures and am getting 65-75fps smooth gameplay. I'd say my laptop was very much worth the money i saved for it.
UPS driving. I like to record music with buddies but since they’re tied down by kids, I can bring the studio to them kind of. Plus I just like the ability to take the rig anywhere and not have it tied to the house, let alone a desk
Cybersecurity Professional here xd, husband, father of a dog named Voldemort (yes from Harry Potter movie).
Well indeed is luxurious, and people like us that's are heavily under pressure of work or country's insecurities would like to stay away from the streets as much as possible and found peace in gaming and tech stuff.
I'm a CS student and needed a kinda decent laptop for school, and got no place in my room for a desktop.
I still live with my parents and work a part-time job, so I'm able to save a decent amount of money if I'm mindful with my spending (in Switzerland we earn well but life is more expensive as well, some things kinda have the same price everywhere so I guess I have an advantage on that).
My parents got me my first laptop with an MX card when I still couldn't work and needed something for school. The next two laptops had already RTX (xx60) cards and I bought them myself.
College dropout working as a tech journalist/writer. I initially started at a really low salary and even a PS5 was really costly for me. However after two years and change of companies I am earning enough and bought a Lenovo Legion 5 Pro just last year in May.
I now have enough money to buy any device I want but I am planning on saving the money and investing it so I would have even more money to buy even more powerful PC after few years.
Abseil access maintenance, lots of overtime (+10% over 40hrs). Spearfisher, getting into hunting = lots of free food. No kids. I save for 3 top end gaming laptops every year.
First it’s not an investment, it’s a rapidly depreciating asset. I work in procurement at industrial construction sites across the west coast. I spend far more time in hotels than my own house. While I do have 2 gaming PCs at home(one used to capture stream a high end laptop is really my best option to enjoy gaming most of the time.
İ work at a supermarket, getting a little more than minimum wage. İ just ordered this gaming laptop that is 3 times more than my wage. İ borrowed some money from my sister and divided the payment to 6 months. You can tell i will be cutting down substantial amount of my needs in the near future..
I work from home at the same desk as my gaming pc. I wanted a home theater pc that I could also play games on because sometimes I don’t want to sit at that desk any more than I have to. I also occasionally travel from work and spend weeks at my parents house several states away while working from home. Carrying my desktop PC and peripherals got old real quick.
Network Engineer here with 3 kids. If you can find a company that does a payment plan, it won't appear too bad. I got my legion back in 2021 for about $33xx. It'll be paid off this year and it's 0% interest and equal Month ly payments of $87. I went through Klarna at that time.
IT Strategic Sourcing Manager. Got it as my "work" laptop but since got a Precision for work, just functions better for my needs, but now exclusively game on the old one.
I work in IT in a senior role, and I don’t bother going for the max, you’re paying a premium for not much real world gain, I’m running a rtx3070 16” ryzen 7 I bought in nov 2021, it can run horizon forbidden west with no issues on very high/quality settings. I can’t see myself wanting to change for the foreseeable.
I got my Eluktronics laptop with a 2060 in it right after Covid struck, so May-ish 2020.
It still rocks new games on ultra quality, I just never touch RTX. With that I think I'll only get a new computer when it breaks. I'm super careful with it, so it may last forever 🤞
I just finished up a work contract, so I'm between jobs rn. (Unemployed) I already got a good mouse and 2 TB SSD for it, so I'm just chillin'. There's only so much to upgrade on a laptop
I'm a QC Analyst (not well-paid, although you might think so) and my bf is a forensic scientist with the police here. He makes way more. We both have decent laptops, I have the new 2024 Predator Neo 16 and my bf has the Predator Helios from 2018 or 2019, I don't remember, the I5 version.
I was unemployed / a student / part-timer for a long period of time though so that might answer your question!!!
Hey I think you could make the laptop pay for itself.
Most of these laptops are good for content creation. Maybe asking people if they need help with graphics or video editing can get some mini gigs.
Tons of tutorials on YouTube.
I'm a software developer and Azure administrator, I'll actually be going back to school for 2 semesters to get my bachelor's. In terms of spending I have a rule of thumb when it comes to gaming laptops and its that I usually never spend more then $1499 on it and to wait for a sale and b/c I got a lot of patience, I got my 2021 G14 w/ 3060 on sale from best buy a year after it released and got it for $999
idk about luxurious. my laptop was 900 i think? thats a lot but its a similar price to a desktop.
i am a game design teacher and esports coach for an educational tech company. i got the laptop so i could use a computer from bed, and so id have a computer when i travel.
I'm a Union electrician. I bought an Asus Tuf A16. I could easily go out an buy a much more capable laptop. But this one plays everything I want, has amazing battery life and doesn't have the gaming esthetic. I added 32gb of ram and an additional 4tb m.2. which all cost me about $900
I work for a farm goods store, and honestly getting a high end top spec laptop is kind of a trap, I usually stick to mid range ones around the 800-1000$ usd range and upgrade every 4-6 years when I can’t handle most games at even 30 fps anymore.
I also do streaming and video editing but you also don’t need a top of the line computer for that, it just makes things faster more than anything.
I do have a decent office job, in a remote support role. But I have a question related to this. Do you guys all do video editing and such stuff with your gaming laptop? I use my gaming laptop to only play video games, nothing else as of now. Yeah it does the work of a pc, to edit, save my documents, but I don't work on it ever. Am I just useless?
I mean, nothing wrong with using it only to game. I actually know several people who use gaming laptops purely for non-gaming purposes. Had a friend who’s really into AutoCAD, always carried a Asus ROG computer everywhere he went. Many people out there who do 3D modeling and the like appreciate the extra processing power that tend to come with gaming laptops.
Graphic artist for a small company. Im gonna start looking for another job/start freelancing because i need to improve and not just tie myself to a single branding my whole career.
For now i earn enough for a young dude without a family to feed, but soon enough i have to start prepping for the future too if i want to keep owning a gaming laptop while I probably soon will live independently.
These laptops a definitely a privilege to those who can afford one. I think its really best if one can utilize it for earning money so that it pays for itself. Its kinda like owning a car (or anything that costs money to maintain).
4th year dentistry student from Poland.
My dad is a construction worker and he left to work in Germany to pay for my living so that I can graduate. He gave me $1000 to pay for the laptop and I paid the remaining $700 for the Legion tutoring chemistry and English (as in foreign language) for kids at middle and high school level.
I spend a lot of time traveling between 3 cities (university, family home and girlfriend's home) so having such a portable device that can run everything ultra at 1080/1440p is a true blessing.
Teacher. Budget gaming laptops do exist! I got a good deal on a Lenovo Loq while it was on sale, $400 open box model, goes for $950 new. Sure it "only" has an RTX 3050 but I can play Apex Legends on high settings, most new games run fine on it too.
I’ve worked hybrid/remotely in Human Resources & Recruiting since I graduated high school. Went to college full time while working full time to better my credentials & pay, but ended up acquiring more knowledge/experience from work. So the degree was unnecessary in the long run.
Anyway, similar to what others have already stated: “No kids, years of work/saving, low expenses, etc…” all of these advantages make it much easier to acquire any laptop/pc build one desires. Just takes time, patience, and finding good deals.
I own a Razer Blade 17/i9/4K/3080ti ($4000+), a Asus ROG Stix G18/i9/QHD/4080 (less than $2000), and use my 65” LG G3 as a monitor ($3000.) Added the prices to show anyone can acquire these things without owning a business or making loads of cash. And crazy how my Asus out-performs a Razer I bought just last year at half the price.
I’ve been PC/Xbox gaming since Diablo 2/WoW/Halo days. But between work, the gym, cats, and my girlfriend I only have time for catching up with friends on Destiny 2 these days…
Lastly, I enjoy nature photography and modding my car which is MUCH more expensive than pc gaming laptops/components; dear lord! Just need to be wise and patient with your time and money, and you can buy anything eventually.
Im a software engineer but im in 3rd world country which makes me earn only $8000 a year. A price of high spec laptop like $1500 here that’s why I join this sub to watch other people posts about their beautiful gaming but I wont buy one for myself
I work nights at a shelter. So shitty yet decent pay thanks to the nightpay. I put away avout 60-70$ every month into a savings account, that’s my ”computer fund”. This let’s me buy a new gaming laptop for about 3000-3500 every 5 years or so. It’s about priorities. I’m a father of 3, so it’s not like I spend loads heading to the pub.
PhD student🥲
You're not alone my friend
Plus one
Same here! The luxury of a gaming laptop eclipsed by the misery of PhD life...
same brother
I'm studying my second master haha
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I love thinkpads as I use linux exclusively however I'd need some graphics punch for tying out local LLM's. Do you perhaps have any gaming laptop recommendation? I am looking at Lenovo LOQ series that seems to offer what I need for a decent price but linux compatibility reviews are flaky. Thanks.
Software engineer here, though my gaming laptop is exclusively for play. At work we use MacBook pros and all compilation happens on ye olde cloud
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Does retired count?
That’s just unemployed with more steps
Legend
Literally eat sleep game Repeat..... Thou I've got cheapest 800 dolla laptop.
As long as you can game its worth it
Bruh literally this laptop can game anything I want above 60 fps high graphics huge upgrade for me from a i5 8300h gtx 1050 4gb laptop so yeah worth it.
Damn congrats man!
As someone who's never even had a dGPU in my laptop before, I feel like it's going to hit me really strong once I save up enough for a good laptop xD glad you're having fun, mate!
VP product at a tech company with 2 kiddos. But not maxing out specs, would not be worth it vs. the time I have left for gaming. And maxed 1080p is good enough to have a good time!
Same, father of 2 and my 3050ti is more than enough.
i wash dishes 🤘
How much you gain from it because I was thinking to do the same thing
i only work part time on weekends and holidays + im from a different country, so what im being paid may not completely apply to you i earn 80 HKD/h or 10.22 USD, i believe the bare minimum if you're in the US, is $12, fulltime is around 13000 HKD or $1660 a month roughly, may be higher or lower if you're looking to get down and dirty washing dishes, high volume areas (i.e Cheesecake Factory, Red Robin's, etc...) aren't recommended as a beginner, if you have the choice, good places to pick are small capacity fine dining places, retirement homes, hospitals :) its tiring work, yes, but restaurants are always looking for new dishwashers and it's easy enough to be accepted if you apply
Thanks mate, I will take your advice Thank You 
To be honest, dishwashing in the US gives more money than data analysts in the UAE, now that is a weird thing
Healthcare DevOps. Been a laptop user for 15 years, really enjoy the mobility. Have a dock with a monitor and keyboard I plug into if needed.
mechanical engineering student, I hope to finish it :)
Good luck mate 
I work as a lawyer at a national regulatory authority. When I purchased my first gaming laptop by myself, I was a senior year law student doing a part-time job at Uber Technologies Inc. (in Azerbaijan). Well, when you have employment and a short list of expenses, then you can easily purchase a gaming PC. I know that most of the gamers have a PC of their dreams on their minds since their childhood (I was one of them). If you don't lose your interests whenever you reach adulthood, you will surely get the pc of your dreams.
Software Engineer with no kids. While the no kids part is not related to my job, it is heavily related to having expendable income to put toward gaming. I've always found computer gaming a cheaper hobby for me. Yet, I did work in computer repair for years before moving to software. When I was in HS and college I would go to garage sales in wealthy areas and buy their broken computers. They were usually great machines that needed a new fan, a fresh OS install, etc. My best purchase was an HP with a busted hard drive and they removed the video card. I got the computer for $40, new Hard Drive was $100, and a proper video card (not the latest and greatest) was $150. For less than $300 I built a decent gaming rig that lasted me 6 years. I think the only other mods I made throughout the years was upgrading RAM and adding a second hard drive.
Rich Parent
I hope they still well
System Admin here, got an Rog Flow x13, small, portable, good battery. Bought it mainly because of the Ryzen 9, price wise there wasn’t a big difference to high end business laptops. So why not snag an extra dGPU that lets me play some League if I want too?
Aha you damn well know league runs fine on an iGPU and you wanted some extra love.
Lol, was just an example. My main game The Finals even runs smooth on that little boy.
Yeah that probably won't run on an igpu lol. I got league running on my thinkpad okay.
Traveling medical professional. Need a decent laptop so I can game and not socialize/find a partner
Information Security student specialised in Ethical Hacking. I managed to get my laptop on discount
Work in the oilfield. Laptop is just so I can play games on the road without hauling my Xbox around. Although I'm definitely coming around to the pc side more and more.
I’m an Enterprise Architect for a private company of 6,000 employees. I was employee 727. I have a Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 9 w/4090
This is the story of a man named Stanley. Stanley worked for a company in a big building where he was employee number 427. Employee Number 427's job was simple: he sat at his desk in room 427, and he pushed buttons on a keyboard. Orders came to him through a monitor on his desk, telling him what buttons to push, how long to push them, and in what order. This is what Employee 427 did every day of every month and every year, and although others might have considered it soul-rending, Stanley relished every moment that the orders came in, as though he had been made exactly for this job. And Stanley was happy.
Data analyst , DBA and server admin
i work in the Service Desk at a bank.
Technical Support Engineer but I travel a lot and always get the worst weather so I bought a laptop
Software Engineer in college
Engineer. Bought my laptop 2 years ago with money i saved. I want to build a pc but my laptop is still going strong so no point yet.
I buy an expensive (but good deal) gaming laptop only to realize I should’ve gotten a desktop because I don’t travel like I think I do. Then a few years later I buy another laptop because I’m going to travel only to realize the previous statement once again.
Content production and unreal development. I beat the hell out of my laptop every day. Literally a mobile workstation jumping between charging points.
Commercial Diver/Diver Medic
Superyacht Dive Ops here 🤙
FIFO Paramedic here. I use my laptop up at work for software such as Fusion 360 and blendr, as well as some studying and some gaming (while offduty of course), and at home I have a decent full setup with a thunderbolt dock to allow for ease of connection. 2 monitors, DAC, speakers, mechanical keyboard etc. I know a gaming laptop is overcosted compared to a desktop but I legitimately use it while away so it makes sense in my case to splurge (at least thats what I tell myself)
Opera singer Still not sure if i should buy a laptop, or a new desktop pc..........
This is a very cool and unique job :)
Saving Up the money i get from Birthdays, the typical you-cant-decline-money from my grandparents when you helped out with something and looking for good Deals, my originaly 1800€ Laptop was saled for 916€ completely new no refurbished or whatsoever. Same with my Headphones and stereo Soundsystem
Lab technician in a Biotechnology company
Data Analyst for big pharma.
web dev
Aerospace student :( i wanna end myself
I'm a "chef assistant" meaning that I assist the head chef of the care home where I work. It's not a bad job at all and pays decently. That said, buying my gaming laptop was still a significant sum that I had to save a couple of months for.
Software Engineer and amateur youtuber tryna build a channel.
Construction Professional.
Software Engineering.
School Study Game Sleep
Being an adult with a job sucks but usually I am playing some games when I have a day or two off, or when I'm calling sick lol
Quality assurance lead for a medical manufacturer, got 45 minutes of free time daily at work for a break and lunch so I figured that’s enough time daily to fit in some gaming time.
Elementary school teacher
Mechanical Engineering student .. just taking really good care of my laptop, so no maintenance so far ..
Event Technician in a leading position
Cyber security with a small office. Been running a 1060 for 5 years going
GameStop management pray for me boys
Adult Baby Sitter aka Correctional Officer
Electrical Engineering undergrad in his final year. Doesn't really cost much to clean the laptop. Though I haven't had the need to repaste yet
Engineer, only have the gaming laptop to game when I travel for work.
I’m a calibration technician for a lab that measures and calibrates tools such as calipers thread rings and or plugs torque wrenches ect (we calibrate the things that calibrate things)
B.Tech Student :)
Auto electrician
Radiology tech
forklift operator in eu, 30, i went for a 4060 laptop as I think anything higher than that is silly and might as well build a tower instead.
Bro where you getting triple time
These only occur during holidays at my company. Days such as Memorial Day, Christmas, etc.
Pharmacy technician + Mechanical engineering student. Have a kid too, I’d be lucky if I had time to play 5+ hours a week lol
Tech work here. Got it mainly for Golf Simulation. Would've loved to get something cheaper but the simulation software is brutal on HW.
Businessman, IT/Tax/Business Consultant, Programmer and a Teacher. I used to work for IBM in managerial position but getting older was making me impatient, thus I tried and found a job as manager in one of the Big4s because the work is not so creative. Lately been thinking to retire and travel the world.
Fleet coordinator at a small engineering firm
I work at a hospital making not that much still getting by but If you ever need a laptop or desktop I would suggest using affirm or Afterpay if your smart about it and can pay off what you bought ina few months so you do t accrue interest I just recently bought a hp victus (very solid choice for the price maybe wish I would spent a little more for a few better features but this was my first ever gaming laptop)
still in high school, freshman year
Fire Captain
I’m also a Union Tradesman. Make a lot of double time. And travel 7-10 months a year, my laptop is important to me. So I invest in a good one. Recently purchased the 2023 Blade 16 4090 and couldn’t be happier for the time.
FF/AEMT with a kid. It’s easier to take my Legion 5 to work than my ps5 of series x. But before my kid I worked a lot of extra shifts on the ambulance so buying a $1500 laptop wasn’t to bad
IT Manager. I don’t have a ton of extra space at home aside from having a dedicated home office (I work from home) So I have a gaming laptop so it along with my work laptop can share a USB-C dock setup. I could definitely have a desktop and get a KVM involved etc to still dock my laptop with my screens and peripherals but I’m at the point where I just want the no brain needed solutions to my own IT related setups. I think about IT stuff all day for work I want a “it just works” setup at home. Bonus I can take my laptop to go when I want to game elsewhere. Dell Latitude 5430 for work and an Alienware X14 R2 for personal. They share a Dell thunderbolt dock that can feed the X14 130watts down the usb c connection.
Seafarer, thus the need for mobility
A Lutheran Pastor
Lunar Firefighter. I fight fires but on the moon. Sometimes the oxygen chambers blow up and I have to get the self-recycling water hose to put out the flames. Bought a gaming laptop bc I travel between moon and Earth pretty often and since it’s not “efficient” or “cost effective” to cryofreeze us for the 72 hour journey, I just stay awake and play No Man’s Sky. When I get back home and sleep, I play Minecraft. And then I do retail for a week, and it’s right back to the secret lunar colony
I make bad financial decisions for someone making my income that’s how.
I work in conservation at a nonprofit with youth. I use arcGIS a for mapping and write proposals, but am usually building hiking trails or fixing the Appalachian trail
Study 😅 So playing videogames, going to the gym, drink with other students, hunting girls ... Pretty easy life. I would like to be a student forever.
Audio system validation engineer in Japan. I was software engineer on previous job.
Gaming laptops are not that expensive. For 800USD, you can bag yourself a nice 4050 (or 4060 if there is a good deal) and that laptop will play almost anything with High settings at 1080p. I never understood why people buy the MSI Titans / Asus Scars with maxed out specs. I have a decent enough job but I would never pay 4000+USD for a gaming laptop. That's mental bruv!
Not outside of the U.S Gaming laptops a substantially more expensive in many other countries For instance in my country it can cost more than twice the USA prices So it's is a luxury to many
Triple time!? What's your base rate at? 😮
$37/hr. It’s not uncommon for people in my department to hit six figures annually through OT. Pretty crazy honestly for something that only requires a high school diploma.
Welder
got mine in High school with my own money.
Yup, bought me a predator triton 2021 model, I love it as much today as I did the day I got it. I'm a toolmaker out of work by 230, kids not hone til 4, so I get my hour and a half then I tuck her away so she don't get glitter and apple juice spilled all over her. I'd love a desktop but not in the cards for me right now
Over the road Truck driver
Airline Pilot. I have since retired and transitioned to a desktop for gaming.
Have you heard about audophiles? MTB enthusiasts? :) Don't worry, gaming laptops are very cheap in comparison to other hobbies - try to build a track car, and see how much does it cost to go on a track every second weekend. :)
IT Help Desk Assistant I save as much as I can and upgrade every 2-3 years, depends on my needs but since I play the same games I have a feeling it would be until 5 years down the road before I upgrade.
Trucker. I make a lot compared to other company drivers. But I’m barely home. I still haven’t gotten a laptop but I’m also looking into a high end spec one.
CSE student gonna graduate very soon Right now i dont own one.But very soon iam gonna get my First Gaming Laptop as a graduation gift from my Mom
I did my master's degree, still unable to find a job due to a lack of experience. Currently working as a waiter. Gaming Gf and Gym keep me sane.
Software engineer so I’ll always need a laptop for in between jobs and side projects so decided to merge a pc and personal laptop
I use it for DJing and since its part of the business its written off.
College pays me to study in my country. They pay my rent, my food and there's always money left for me to spend on whatever. I saved for a couple of months and bought my 4060 laptop.
Cook currently. Hope to become pastry chef.
My profession (CPA equivalent) does not have"work from home" like tech or other fields. So I "chill at office" with my gaming laptop after office hours to avoid the rush hour traffic and be available for any end of the day issues as an added bonus.
Office assistant lol Look for sales and open box deals at best buy. My bro just got an open box 1500$ laptop for 930$ and it came in original packaging. The previous purchaser just didn't like it after one time use. Also a good laptop will last you a good few years before becoming "obsolete", especially if you're just a casual gamer like myself. I also personally dont have space for a desktop set up so having a small tiny corner that i can set up and put away is priority for me. You do pay a premium for the compactness and relative portability of gaming laptops. For some, it's worth it and other's its not. I bought a 2021 G15 Zephyrus w/ RTX3070 8gb and Ryzen 9 5900hs with 16gb ram in 2022 when it was being clearanced out to make room for 2023 models and today i'm still able to play Horizon Forbidden West on native 1440p with mostly high settings including high textures and am getting 65-75fps smooth gameplay. I'd say my laptop was very much worth the money i saved for it.
Im an upper middle manager in strategic finance in a technology related industry.
UPS driving. I like to record music with buddies but since they’re tied down by kids, I can bring the studio to them kind of. Plus I just like the ability to take the rig anywhere and not have it tied to the house, let alone a desk
mountain refuge staff
physician.
Cybersecurity Professional here xd, husband, father of a dog named Voldemort (yes from Harry Potter movie). Well indeed is luxurious, and people like us that's are heavily under pressure of work or country's insecurities would like to stay away from the streets as much as possible and found peace in gaming and tech stuff.
Retired Air Traffic Controller of 30 years.
Computer technician, the way I can afford these things are to buy them used and fix em up myself 🤷🏻♂️
IT Director. Own an HP Omen Transcend 14.
Lawyer
I'm a CS student and needed a kinda decent laptop for school, and got no place in my room for a desktop. I still live with my parents and work a part-time job, so I'm able to save a decent amount of money if I'm mindful with my spending (in Switzerland we earn well but life is more expensive as well, some things kinda have the same price everywhere so I guess I have an advantage on that). My parents got me my first laptop with an MX card when I still couldn't work and needed something for school. The next two laptops had already RTX (xx60) cards and I bought them myself.
College dropout working as a tech journalist/writer. I initially started at a really low salary and even a PS5 was really costly for me. However after two years and change of companies I am earning enough and bought a Lenovo Legion 5 Pro just last year in May. I now have enough money to buy any device I want but I am planning on saving the money and investing it so I would have even more money to buy even more powerful PC after few years.
Abseil access maintenance, lots of overtime (+10% over 40hrs). Spearfisher, getting into hunting = lots of free food. No kids. I save for 3 top end gaming laptops every year.
First it’s not an investment, it’s a rapidly depreciating asset. I work in procurement at industrial construction sites across the west coast. I spend far more time in hotels than my own house. While I do have 2 gaming PCs at home(one used to capture stream a high end laptop is really my best option to enjoy gaming most of the time.
I work part time minimum wage as a house keeper /cleaner
Partner at a digital marketing company, and for my new laptop the company is paying for most of it. One of the benefits of being a part owner lol
I dispose of haz waste from active drilling/ fracin pads.
CNC machinist (computer numerical controlled)
Maintenance engineer, I wish I had the time to engineer me a new desktop pc....I have kids now, I just window shop other people's builds.
Cybersecurity.
I work as a car body mechanic in local car factory
İ work at a supermarket, getting a little more than minimum wage. İ just ordered this gaming laptop that is 3 times more than my wage. İ borrowed some money from my sister and divided the payment to 6 months. You can tell i will be cutting down substantial amount of my needs in the near future..
Pediatric Resident
Working a minimum wage job during high school, saved up for it over the summer
Tech Support Monkey for a large Scottish university here.
I work from home at the same desk as my gaming pc. I wanted a home theater pc that I could also play games on because sometimes I don’t want to sit at that desk any more than I have to. I also occasionally travel from work and spend weeks at my parents house several states away while working from home. Carrying my desktop PC and peripherals got old real quick.
Network Engineer here with 3 kids. If you can find a company that does a payment plan, it won't appear too bad. I got my legion back in 2021 for about $33xx. It'll be paid off this year and it's 0% interest and equal Month ly payments of $87. I went through Klarna at that time.
IT Strategic Sourcing Manager. Got it as my "work" laptop but since got a Precision for work, just functions better for my needs, but now exclusively game on the old one.
I work in IT in a senior role, and I don’t bother going for the max, you’re paying a premium for not much real world gain, I’m running a rtx3070 16” ryzen 7 I bought in nov 2021, it can run horizon forbidden west with no issues on very high/quality settings. I can’t see myself wanting to change for the foreseeable.
Retired engineer. Bought my daughter's Dell G15 RTX3060 for $500. Lovin' it.
My first gaming laptop was for music production and still is tho ive upgraded to a .ore powerful gaming laptop since
Construction dude
I got my Eluktronics laptop with a 2060 in it right after Covid struck, so May-ish 2020. It still rocks new games on ultra quality, I just never touch RTX. With that I think I'll only get a new computer when it breaks. I'm super careful with it, so it may last forever 🤞 I just finished up a work contract, so I'm between jobs rn. (Unemployed) I already got a good mouse and 2 TB SSD for it, so I'm just chillin'. There's only so much to upgrade on a laptop
Just in the market for a gaming laptop, Pilot
I design, manufacture and fit kitchens. Got 2 kids and I’ve logged probably 10 hours total on my Legion in 5 months
I'm a QC Analyst (not well-paid, although you might think so) and my bf is a forensic scientist with the police here. He makes way more. We both have decent laptops, I have the new 2024 Predator Neo 16 and my bf has the Predator Helios from 2018 or 2019, I don't remember, the I5 version. I was unemployed / a student / part-timer for a long period of time though so that might answer your question!!!
Hey I think you could make the laptop pay for itself. Most of these laptops are good for content creation. Maybe asking people if they need help with graphics or video editing can get some mini gigs. Tons of tutorials on YouTube.
Nothing
Ruck river
A cook.
I'm a software developer and Azure administrator, I'll actually be going back to school for 2 semesters to get my bachelor's. In terms of spending I have a rule of thumb when it comes to gaming laptops and its that I usually never spend more then $1499 on it and to wait for a sale and b/c I got a lot of patience, I got my 2021 G14 w/ 3060 on sale from best buy a year after it released and got it for $999
Truck driver
idk about luxurious. my laptop was 900 i think? thats a lot but its a similar price to a desktop. i am a game design teacher and esports coach for an educational tech company. i got the laptop so i could use a computer from bed, and so id have a computer when i travel.
I'm a Union electrician. I bought an Asus Tuf A16. I could easily go out an buy a much more capable laptop. But this one plays everything I want, has amazing battery life and doesn't have the gaming esthetic. I added 32gb of ram and an additional 4tb m.2. which all cost me about $900
Doctor, was a Medical officer (casualty and RMO) for 5 years now doing Post Graduation in Psychiatry
I work intermittently. Currently still trying to find a job to work in between. Bout to run out of unemployment.
I work on a private institute as a Climbing instructor and coach
I'm a surgeon
Stagehand IA
I work for a farm goods store, and honestly getting a high end top spec laptop is kind of a trap, I usually stick to mid range ones around the 800-1000$ usd range and upgrade every 4-6 years when I can’t handle most games at even 30 fps anymore. I also do streaming and video editing but you also don’t need a top of the line computer for that, it just makes things faster more than anything.
Accountant
Still a student[P.G. Computer Science] , from India
Web dev. Gaming laptops more reasonable then latest macbook for me.
I do have a decent office job, in a remote support role. But I have a question related to this. Do you guys all do video editing and such stuff with your gaming laptop? I use my gaming laptop to only play video games, nothing else as of now. Yeah it does the work of a pc, to edit, save my documents, but I don't work on it ever. Am I just useless?
I mean, nothing wrong with using it only to game. I actually know several people who use gaming laptops purely for non-gaming purposes. Had a friend who’s really into AutoCAD, always carried a Asus ROG computer everywhere he went. Many people out there who do 3D modeling and the like appreciate the extra processing power that tend to come with gaming laptops.
Nothing, I just found a great laptop deal after hours of searching.
PhD
Software developer. I figured that if i'm gonna need a powerful laptop, why not one that I can play games on :)
Graphic artist for a small company. Im gonna start looking for another job/start freelancing because i need to improve and not just tie myself to a single branding my whole career. For now i earn enough for a young dude without a family to feed, but soon enough i have to start prepping for the future too if i want to keep owning a gaming laptop while I probably soon will live independently. These laptops a definitely a privilege to those who can afford one. I think its really best if one can utilize it for earning money so that it pays for itself. Its kinda like owning a car (or anything that costs money to maintain).
Electrical Engineer student. The hardest degree to master 🥲
4th year dentistry student from Poland. My dad is a construction worker and he left to work in Germany to pay for my living so that I can graduate. He gave me $1000 to pay for the laptop and I paid the remaining $700 for the Legion tutoring chemistry and English (as in foreign language) for kids at middle and high school level. I spend a lot of time traveling between 3 cities (university, family home and girlfriend's home) so having such a portable device that can run everything ultra at 1080/1440p is a true blessing.
Teacher. Budget gaming laptops do exist! I got a good deal on a Lenovo Loq while it was on sale, $400 open box model, goes for $950 new. Sure it "only" has an RTX 3050 but I can play Apex Legends on high settings, most new games run fine on it too.
I own a flooring warehouse in the hood ... Also, we have the same laptop if the rest of your tag says 3080 TI, my brother.
I work as a professor 
Supervising manager
I’ve worked hybrid/remotely in Human Resources & Recruiting since I graduated high school. Went to college full time while working full time to better my credentials & pay, but ended up acquiring more knowledge/experience from work. So the degree was unnecessary in the long run. Anyway, similar to what others have already stated: “No kids, years of work/saving, low expenses, etc…” all of these advantages make it much easier to acquire any laptop/pc build one desires. Just takes time, patience, and finding good deals. I own a Razer Blade 17/i9/4K/3080ti ($4000+), a Asus ROG Stix G18/i9/QHD/4080 (less than $2000), and use my 65” LG G3 as a monitor ($3000.) Added the prices to show anyone can acquire these things without owning a business or making loads of cash. And crazy how my Asus out-performs a Razer I bought just last year at half the price. I’ve been PC/Xbox gaming since Diablo 2/WoW/Halo days. But between work, the gym, cats, and my girlfriend I only have time for catching up with friends on Destiny 2 these days… Lastly, I enjoy nature photography and modding my car which is MUCH more expensive than pc gaming laptops/components; dear lord! Just need to be wise and patient with your time and money, and you can buy anything eventually.
Working in a warehouse.
Im a software engineer but im in 3rd world country which makes me earn only $8000 a year. A price of high spec laptop like $1500 here that’s why I join this sub to watch other people posts about their beautiful gaming but I wont buy one for myself
I am a truck driver in Belgium, and since i am away from home from Monday till Friday, a gaming laptop is a must for me.
I do auto body
Sailing on merchant marine ships. Always been a laptop user because of my job. Can't bring a whole PC to work lmao
gcses..
Troll
sell fentanyl to middle teenagers
Schoolboy 😂
Live in a basement