Hi, I'm looking for a new laptop (upgrading from the base M1 MBA) for Photo/Video Editing, basic 3D work (still learning), and gaming at 1080p or 1440p high will be more than sufficient. Since I'm upgrading from the Macbook, portability, battery life, and efficiency on-battery is quite important. I have a large project coming up, and I need to purchase within a week. My options now are
- ASUS Zephyrus G16 with Ultra 9 185H, 4070, 32GB RAM: equivalent to 2400USD
- ASUS Zephyrus G16 with AMD 9 HX 370, 4070, 32GB RAM: equivalent to 3000USD (+25%)
- ASUS Zephyrus G16 with Ultra 9 185H, 4080, 32GB RAM: equivalent to 3300USD (+10% from AMD, +38% from Intel)
The pricing is based on what my region is currently offering, in very limited stock.
I will be doing the majority of my gaming and editing at a desk, plugged in. However, I travel on flights frequently so the lighter weight of the G16 is a big plus. Additionally, I tend to do general productivity work, smaller photo edits, colour grade tests, dumping footage, and tethering while shooting (on-battery), therefore battery life and efficiency are important.
I am surely willing to spend more if it's worth it. From all the research I've realised AMD has better efficiency and CPU Performance (especially on battery) but I'm just conflicted about whether the extra VRAM on the 4080 is worth the price increase and switch to Intel (primarily during video editing and graphics work, I don't mind gaming on either of the three). Many reviews show that the Intel isn't that inefficient so if the 4080 is worth it, I don't mind an Intel CPU.
And, if not, is the better AMD CPU Performance worth the price difference, vs the cheaper Intel on sale (both with 4070s)?
I look forward to your suggestions. Thanks.