I Bought The Cheapest Gaming Laptop From Cost Co...

Video Sponsor: Check Out The Microcenter links here:

I bought a gaming laptop from Costco, and why I wouldn't.

Play some Minecraft on the Dawid Does Minecraft server courtesy of our friends at Linode!
It works on Java version 1.19.3

*Follow me on whichever Social media you don't hate*

[TheSeolyeon]

The audacity to make a vid about costco and their laptops to then have an ad about micro center. I like it

[coinsagEm]

In late 2015 I decided I wanted to get into PC gaming. I went to Costco and got a HP tower with an i7-6700 16gb of RAM, and a 1tb hdd. Don't remember what it cost but it was a good deal. Got it home and slapped a 256gb SSD, a 650w PSU and a GTX 970 in it. Decided after a month that I wanted to build a custom PC from the ground up, so I returned the tower to stock and took it back to Costco. They took a quick look at it, asked me if there was anything wrong with it (I said no I just didn't like it), and gave me all my money back without issue. For that reason I wouldn't hesitate to buy anything from Costco, PCs or otherwise.

[Alice_Snw]

I've got a whole Costco membership, I'll use my whole Costco membership.

[BattleChickenYT]

The sponsorship has convinced me to book a flight from the UK so I can get that sweet sweet 128gb flash drive

[waswat]

As an IT professional who uses the numpad for IPs, phone numbers, pincodes and such pretty often, screw all of you haters saying that the numpad is for accountants :P

[SkopesTropes]

You said it was 120hz whilst the 144hz sticker was literally in the bottom corner 😂

[scottpoole]

Lot's of the PC/Laptops sold on Costco usually have double the RAM as the standard found on Amazon or other resellers. Also they have a 2 year warranty, a easy 90 day return and their own technical support. I'd like to see any other retailer match that.

[ForsytheGaming]

It's also worth pointing out when looking at Costco online prices that if they are carried in store as well, they are much cheaper in store.

[Nirvanatone]

The reason Costco is used for electronics is their Unmatched Return policy. 2 years for laptops, desktops, monitors, tv's. No questions asked. No other reseller is close in the USA/Canada.

[subhansyed]

I’m probably going to be buried under a lot of other comments, but I do feel like I should clarify a couple things. Also personal bias, since I did buy my laptop at Costco.

1) I’m guessing selection is dependent on store; the lowest spec ones for gaming I see at my Costco are rtx 3050s. So maybe that’s why you ended up with a 2050 (def don’t have that here).

2) Costco has great seasonal sales. For example, for 2 months starting in January, they were offering MSI rtx 4050 laptops for 600 dollars. Sometimes there’s discount on top of discounts; I got my Lenovo legion 5 i7 13900 hx rtx 4060 with 32 gb ram and 1 tb of storage, 2560x1600 165 hz screen for $1, 000 dollars. So your mileage will vary depending on the month you buy, and good stock will run dry quickly.

3) The 90 Day return policy is godly. As long as you ever a receipt, paper or digital, they’ll take back the laptop as long as it’s relatively okay(if it looks like it got run over by a truck not sure if they’ll take it back 😅). Have buyers remorse 85 days in and want your money back instantly? Return to the store with no questions asked. It’s also great because if you settle on one model of laptop that’s on sale and the and another retailer like Best Buy discounts a different brand or spec 2 months later, you can return the Costco one and buy your desired laptop. It’s essentially a 90 day buyers insurance.

Anyone here’s some insight why someone would buy electronics at Costco. Fun video to watch, but I do feel like it does put Costco in general in a bad light when I’ve had the complete opposite experience, so wanted to share.

[fierce]

Times have certainly changed. I wanted to build a gaming rig in 2021. Prices were outrageous for components at that time, but I really wanted to get back into gaming. I bought an MSI GF-75 Slim with an i5-10300H and GTX 1650Ti for $600. They had a deal for $100 off any computer too, so it was like $580 out the door. Underpowered, poor build quality like Dawid mentioned? Absolutely. But I knew what I was getting and it got me back into gaming, so it served its purpose and served me well.

[gabriellaluna]

Costco price matches everything and their warranty is amazing. They don't have a high turnaround but their customer service is amazing compared to plenty of other well known brands.

[TheOriginalFaxon]

Dawid, numpad is absolutely essential for some games! I've got several that use half of the entire numpad for various binds (different voice channels being a common purpose) and macros. I basically can't function without one on my gaming rig, one that does NOT use a function key to become accessible. Back when I played MMOs regularly, I would use the whole thing for ability macros lol

[yadspi]

What you didn't say about Costco is that the offer you 90 days or warranty while you're an active member and can return the item no questions asked and that they regularly have sales or added value like that PS5 or a tablet with keyboard and case for the same price as the plain version elsewhere.

[heffe]

Absolutely can't wait for our MC to open, been on the flash giveaway list since like day one, LOL. It's about a 30-40 minute drive from home (give or take), and I forsee much money being spent there, LOL.

[ttattx]

I did - bought an MSI Gaming desktop - and at the time it was a great price for what the unit provided - plus 90 days off the rip to return if it doesn't work out - my first unit was defective hardware - swapped no questions asked (I did have the defect confrimed through MIS customer service - brought that to Costco - 2nd unit running flawless (after a couple of upgrades - solid rig) I even got MSI to send me a mesh cover (as on display - because the one in the box was glass) - MSI (surprisingly) and Costco get a+ from me. Next time though - if not in the midst of a pandemic, I'll build myself - I have 1 hour drive to Micro Center - so 2 years more I think.

[Alxium]

I was in the market for a new laptop in college with an $800 budget and I found a 2021 Acer Swift X around that price point. With a R7 5725U, 3050Ti, and 16gb of RAM, it actually games much better than you'd expect, and handles video editing like it's nothing. Battery life is decent and it's all metal. The newer models are even better, with 120hz displays. Moral of the story: don't just look at "gaming" laptops, you might be able to find something even better if you looker further.

[EvlEgle]

bruh numpad is 100% needed for anyone that does anything other than game, so much quicker than the numbers above home row

[kalenreilly]

Selection varies quite a bit at costco
Sometimes there is good deals sometimes not so much
they usually dont carry much low end stuff, from my experience working retail that is a good thing as we had so many returns on low end stuff

Main reason to buy at Costco is their 2 year warranty (if you buy with costco mastercard) and long return policy
2 year warranty is included and is handled over the counter same day (at least thats how they do it at my local costco)

[hwertz]

My Acer's like that too! It's an Aspire A515-56, as a non-gaming model I don't think it came with fan controls in Windows, and it has no ACPI or anything to control it from Linux. But I found a setup for nbfc that let me set a fan curve. Turns out, just like the one you had, stock settings never get the fan up to full speed; and getting it to full speed makes for a massive increase in fan noise with only about a 5 degree difference in temps.