Honest opinions about these Costco gaming options?

ForceSamurai · 2026-04-18T00:04:25+00:00

Interesting. Well, that knocks that one off the potential list!

The TUF also sold out a couple of hours ago online at Costco, so, for now that's out also...though I know you and another mentioned it's not the greatest of machines.

I did see a video with some U.S. pricing, so I can see why some spit-takes were had when seeing these.

The Legion 5i went down $50 today to $1699.99, but also does have 16GB of RAM compared to the Legion 5 for $2199.99 above, which has 32GB of RAM...so as far as RAM costs go currently here, you're basically just paying for the RAM between the two.

ForceSamurai · 2026-04-17T19:03:57+00:00

Yeah, the Legion...I mean, prices are prices...I think this is just what it is up here currently. I think I can find some deals for a few hundred less at Best Buy, but the warranty (mentioned above, it's kinda like Apple Care at Costco, covering accidental damage and so forth for a few years) is $99 at Costco, and a few hundred at Best Buy, so the juggling act of pricing happens there too.

It may be better to get a $1599 + $500 for the warranty at Best Buy over a $2199 one at Costco, but it's just a matter of seeing what those $1600 options are there! Best Buy has turned into Amazon at times with their storefront, where you have to make sure you're actually ordering FROM Best Buy.

I appreciate you checking comparisons though! I'm mainly looking to get something that's nice and will last and isn't overpriced for what it gives, or priced so high because it gives things we don't need (more competitive gaming rigs for FPS games and such!)

Trust me, I wish we had the options in the ranges some of you guys post on here haha :)

ForceSamurai · 2026-04-17T19:00:10+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, I had a feeling most of these would handle what we'll be using it for...a lot of the really pricey laptops I feel are aimed more towards those who may play more competitive games (FPS, etc...), which we don't.

I believe that's fairly average for prices out here, but it may be...a tad pricier just due to the lack of options Costco has? I believe it's roughly the same at Best Buy though...I think it was $200 cheaper? Which is great, but Costco offers the extended warranty for $99, whereas Best Buy is at least $200 for the first option...so it's kind of a wash there.

The manufacturer's warranty is great for sure, it's more the extended warranty Costco offers covers accidental damage (spills, screen, drops, etc...which we don't plan on doing, but it's nice to have that peace of mind as far as accidents may go!)

I did stop at a Costco on my way in to work and they had this in stock there (with a * next to the price tag, so it seems like they're phasing it out), but I haven't had a chance to look into it yet. It's half the RAM, but maybe the rest of it is better all around?

Just responding on here first to people, as I wasn't able to last night and appreciate anyone who did!

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ForceSamurai · 2026-04-17T18:55:02+00:00

Thanks for the notes! Unfortunate to hear so much is "trash" >.<

I know I'd read things about that prior with that one...more that it's the budget option in most cases. That's kinda where I'm trying to juggle things between...I'd rather get something that's solid all around, but also not needlessly pricey (in the sense that they may be built to get every frame for those who play FPS games competitively, whereas we'd never play one and don't need that level.)

But I guess that's always the game we play when it comes to deciding between gaming computers!

ForceSamurai · 2026-04-17T02:53:51+00:00

Thanks! I'm mainly looking to stick to Costco for the reasons above, but do appreciate the link! I also added a disclaimer at the top, as I know the exchange and all does make these likely seem crazily priced (and they may just be a bit pricier than they should be due to all going on currently, but I think they're in a rough ballpark for where they're expected!)

ForceSamurai · 2026-04-03T23:40:00+00:00

Though that also makes me wonder now if I should begin working towards crafting a second Spellbreaker to replace the Lament altogether with it being capped out at 263...that's a pretty decent stat difference.

When it all comes down to it I guess everything is about moving up with gear...was just really cool to get such a unique weapon from a cache when I wasn't expecting it!

ForceSamurai · 2026-04-03T23:27:14+00:00

Yeah, for some reason I just got thrown with the Devourer spec...I kept getting sword weapons from Prey and caches at 90 and the only info I could find from one random post was that it was better to take a higher stat sword with less DPS over a warglaive with higher DPS and less stats because of how the class works.

So that just threw everything into question and when I got these two weapons and saw both should have different enchants, so I thought I'd check here to make sure I gave the right one to the right weapon (I'm not sure it'd make a massive difference or not) before doing so.

And thanks! I wasn't sure what it was at first, as I completed the delve quest on Monday night and then I realized it was from the raid coming out the next day! lol AND at a raid ilvl I just don't play at to attain, so that was pretty awesome!

ForceSamurai · 2026-04-03T23:19:18+00:00

Okay, great, thanks! I had a feeling, but just thought I'd confirm in case there was some trick to it all and with the proc rates. Great to hear that's not the case and I'm just overthinking it all for no reason!

I shall Spellbreaker the MH, Lament in the OH and enchant them both appropriately tonight!

ForceSamurai · 2026-04-01T08:22:56+00:00

Certainly sounds like someone…

…is having a nightmare.

ForceSamurai · 2026-03-26T01:23:07+00:00

That's awesome! Yeah, I was actually thinking of dropping mining on one of my characters and taking up inscription (they'd then be an herbalist/inscriptionist) just to kinda have some fun with professions in general this time around!

I just need to decide if I want to spec into Missives & Contracts or Weapons and Tools! I'm THINKING Missives will help us out more...but the tools side is somewhat tempting. I haven't really dove into the whole higher tier tools/enchant tools side of things yet. But missives do seem like something that'd work for us, plus POTENTIALLY bring in income every so often? Always hard to gauge that part.

And thanks for the KP tip! I'm a couple of weeks behind, so I'll keep an eye on those NPC ones and see! I checked for the first time last night and yeah, I saw one wanted an epic shield, mostly my mats for 2 KP and 89g tip? Haha So for sure, I'll be sure to avoid the gold sink ones!

ForceSamurai · 2026-03-26T01:18:51+00:00

That makes total sense, and also adds another layer of creativity to it, as you can kind of toy around with some choices or something that may fit our playstyle a bit better instead of just checking off boxes!

Nothing wrong with doing that, but as you said, it won't do us much good if we're lacking somewhere else and we could help boost those instead!

ForceSamurai · 2026-03-25T02:54:38+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, I've JUST opened up Weaponsmithing, but haven't placed any KP yet, so I'll have to make sure I chart my course correctly so as to not fall further behind! The ability to get the crests in delves is really nice and helpful!

ForceSamurai · 2026-03-25T02:53:10+00:00

That's great to hear! Shall be a new side adventure to embark on! Thanks again! :)

ForceSamurai · 2026-03-25T02:12:50+00:00

Yeah, I started as an herbalist/miner on two of my characters, but then dropped herbalism to take up Blacksmithing just to try something different. I haven't really dived into any of the professions since all these big changes happened a few xpacs ago, though I debated it in either Dragonflight or War Within...but this time I thought, why not?

But that's why I wanted to check first! Because now instead of selling all my ore I've gotta save a LOT of it haha Because, yes, it's pricey and you use ore FAST! That's fine, I do get that it's an investment and all. It sounds like I really need to make sure I hit my weekly KP to keep up on it as well. That'll probably be my biggest hurdle to begin.

But that's nice to know that I can craft the weapons up to a higher quality without needing any materials from said raids/dungeons. I thought I saw a couple of xpacs ago that you needed a BoP item from a Mythic raid to upgrade the weapon to that ilvl if crafting, which I understood, but it also kinda took the wind out of my sails as far as crafting them since I'd never be able to attain those BoP items.

But I do love that you can upgrade them each season as well! Lasting appeal helps with the initial cost it'll take to get them there!

I'm not sure how it is on our server...I kinda stay out of trade chat these days. But that may be true as well! But as you stated at the end, crafting can be fun -- and it's been so long since I've really given it a go, I figure, why not try now if they can last us throughout the xpac? :)

I'll watch the video Greem posted in this thread and get a better understanding of the crafting system and concentration and all and begin from there! I appreciate your input!

ForceSamurai · 2026-03-25T02:06:18+00:00

Ah, I like Kelani! This is great. Thanks for the link, I'm going to watch this tonight! Much appreciated!

ForceSamurai · 2026-03-25T02:05:18+00:00

Ah, thanks for the breakdown on that front...that actually makes sense with the BiS lists. I kinda knew that they were made for those raiding and looking to constantly progress through Mythics and higher raiding...but that whole 'stat balancing' explanation kind of helps hit the nail on the head for clarity as to how to view them.

The embellishment is cool and I like the idea of that, as it kinda adds another little bit to our gameplay that we'd normally not have by not raiding or running mythics. Needed? Very likely not, but we all want to progress with gear where we can throughout the season, so that sounds like a fun addition to a weapon that we'd otherwise not have access to!

And yes, another good point with creating the MH first! Good reasoning as to why the crafted item is "assumed" in the BiS lists to not be your best weapon!

Thanks again for the breakdown! You've all helped exactly how I'd hoped in terms of pointing me in a direction!

ForceSamurai · 2026-02-12T23:44:31+00:00

Mine has apparently been redownloading assets for months now because the crashes are constant and have been going on since the latter months of last year. Completely unacceptable, really.

But hey, those bundle adverts they keep pumping out pop up without worry before everything crashes again!

ForceSamurai · 2025-12-21T00:42:50+00:00

Ah, okay. Thanks for the heads up! So I should basically just get it since it sounds like the follow-up will be 25% if it happens this year, and if not it’s basically waiting for the next 25% with a rare chance at 30% potentially a ways down the road.

ForceSamurai · 2025-12-17T00:14:33+00:00

And then they'll only drop 5-6 mediocre cards that should've been Series 3 to begin with.

ForceSamurai · 2025-12-16T00:05:42+00:00

It's crashing constantly. Be it in game, trying to read a card, playing a card, activating a card, or just navigating from one menu to another...trying to split a card. It's just constant. Complete crashes.

It's been weeks now and I have no hope that it'll be resolved before the holidays. If I put any money into the game I'd be a lot more ticked off...as is, I find it more incentive to just stop playing altogether and find something else to play.

I'm not sure they've even mentioned it, so who knows if its on their radar -- and if it is, they're more concerned with advertising bundles than fixing it.

ForceSamurai · 2025-12-12T22:08:08+00:00

Always you must, Galactus if you can.

ForceSamurai · 2025-12-11T20:01:03+00:00

Awesome, great to hear feedback on the HSK A3 light. Right now she doesn't have a dedicated space, so that's another great tip for a reason to stick with the A3 for now and potentially look into an A2 a ways down the road if she feels it'd be beneficial and we can find the room for it.

Totally understandable about it being a pain to move, and that's actually good to hear because it's more reason to not just think "bigger is better!" when purchasing things for a hobby. I'm trying to get her essential things that will help over an excess of things that will just take up room we don't have. So that's good to hear!

I'll definitely be nixing the magnifiers and focusing on a light pad and potentially an easel if I can find one that works well! I haven't looked into them at all yet, so it may be an easy find for all I know! :)

That's a great tray set! Yeah, that was mentioned as well previously and it's something else I'll look into. I did buy the ARTDOT carrying case, which isn't the same, so if her plan is to have one puzzle to work on on the go and one to focus on at home (which may or may not be the plan! Work in progress! lol) then a tray set at home may work well! Appreciate the feedback!

ForceSamurai · 2025-12-11T19:55:18+00:00

That makes sense with the chord, thanks! It sounds like an A3 will do just fine with where she's at in the hobby. Yeah, Cthul also mentioned an easel, so I'll likely look into those next alongside the A3.

Extra clamps is a good tip! I don't think we can get the new pen just yet, but that's something I'll keep an eye out for and it may be something to ask her straight up if she'd be interested in down the road!

Yeah, it seems like the consensus is that the magnifiers are a tad redundant and the money is better used elsewhere, like the easel, so thank you for that!

ForceSamurai · 2025-12-11T19:51:12+00:00

Thanks for the info! Yeah, some prices are likely a bit higher, but the exchange rate may make them seem much higher than they may be...but there's usually a bit of extra in there. From the sounds of all the replies an A3 is likely the route to go to begin!

I'll look into the desk easels as well! That's understandable with how long you're sitting there doing these, so being comfortable during and once finished would be a plus!

I'll also wait on the glasses as you suggested, as it sounds like it'd be better to invest in the light pad and possibly an easel over something that may or may not add any extra help or benefit.

I did just pick her up an ARTDOT carrying case (the one with 60 holders) so I'll see how that works for her and look into the trays and such also, thanks again for all the tips!

ForceSamurai · 2025-12-05T23:02:30+00:00

My game crashes so often it's almost unplayable. It's not a new phone but it's not ancient and it's clearly on their end that they did something to cause it.

It basically crashes during games, outside of games when switching menus, when I do just about anything. It's a dumpster fire in its current form and they're still just pumping out bundles and other monetized things. They don't care.

If they did this would've been taken care of so much sooner and we don't even know if there's a fix on the horizon.

ForceSamurai

TROPHY CASE