Upgrade laptop to WQHD: how much would you pay?

[Phil Plantier]

It's time to replace my 2014 Alienware 14, the best laptop I've ever owned. Also the heaviest. I'm intrigued by the new AMD laptop processors, and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is getting rave reviews like this one:

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/30/21197761/asus-rog-zephyrus-g14-review-gaming-laptop-specs-features-price
My question: Best Buy is selling a model with a FHD (1920x1080) screen for $1,400. Theoretically, there's a WQHD (2560x1440) model available "soon" for $2,000.

I game, but I don't, like, pro game, so I'm happy to trade off speed for resolution. But would you pay 45% more for the screen upgrade?

My #1 rule for buying laptops is not to compromise on the keyboard or the display, because nothing will annoy me more during daily use. But is this upgrade with it?

 

[Marceline]

I don't think I'd by a 1080p laptop at this point, but I also wouldn't want to pay $600 extra for WQHD, so that's a tough one.

 

[santadevil]

I've been pining over a new 2560x1440 monitor for my gaming PC for a while, but I keep waiting, not wanting to spend the extra $$$

However, if I was buying that laptop today, I personally would pull trigger on the better monitor, because I'll be pulling the trigger on a new monitor before another 5-6 years pass

 

[Max Power]

1080p at 14" is a little weird. You'll probably end up at a 125% scaling factor and some screen elements will look fuzzy. It would almost be better at 15.6" than 14". I know it's hard to go to a store during the pandemic, but it might be a good idea to check it out in person before dropping $2,000 on it.

 

[Marceline]

1080p at 14" is a little weird. You'll probably end up at a 125% scaling factor and some screen elements will look fuzzy. It would almost be better at 15.6" than 14". I know it's hard to go to a store during the pandemic, but it might be a good idea to check it out in person before dropping $2,000 on it.

Depends on your eyesight. I currently have a 1080p 13" laptop at 100% scaling and I find everything is still too big. I'd like to go to 1440p at either 13 or 14 inch for my next one and would keep it at 100% (at least until my eyesight starts failing in a few more years).

 

[Phil Plantier]

Thanks everyone, I went with the 1080p display, basically because I was impatient and if I were paying $2k for a laptop I'd upgrade to the Alienware 15 r3 for ~$2300 which has the nice screen and a nice Intel chipset.

Should be arriving later today.