Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 14 is the cheapest laptop with GeForce MX350 graphics and Thunderbolt 3 right now at just $599 USD

[Redaktion]

This 1080p Ultrabook can run games faster than you might expect given its cheap asking price. Combine this with Thunderbolt 3 and you have a versatile 14-incher for school, office, or games. You'll have to live with just 8 GB of RAM, unfortunately.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Slim-7-14-is-the-cheapest-laptop-with-GeForce-MX350-graphics-and-Thunderbolt-3-right-now-at-just-599-USD.509260.0.html

[A]

The MX350 is as weak as top end integrated graphics, except now you have more drivers to crash your computer.

[Donald Alonzo]

The MX350 is as weak as top end integrated graphics, except now you have more drivers to crash your computer.

Yet you have driver support from the top GPU manufacturer in the world, one which will provide you with the highest probability of having up to date support for games years down the line.

Another bonus of an MX350 against the Vega unit in the 4700u/4800u or Intel's 96CU variant of the Xe graphics comes under loads when both the GPU and CPU are stressed simultaneously. The integrated graphics solutions will be capped at 15w-25w between both the CPU and GPU portions of the die (at least for sustained performance, im aware turbo frequencies can pull slightly higher wattage for short bursts). The MX350 will have its own supply of power that won't be cut into if CPU loads increase. The benefits of this are limited to certain titles or tasks but in those scenarios, you'll see significantly better performance. The same goes for the on chip GDDR5. 2gb of it won't hold a candle to the higher end dGPUs out there but it can definitely make a laptop perform better in some instances when compared to a chip having to allocate some system RAM for the iGPU which is slower to begin with and could be used for something else in instances where RAM is being taxed heavily (this can happen a lot on a laptop with "just" 8gb of total RAM).

I'm not trying to fault the Xe or newest Vega iGPUs by any means, they're fantastic and offer a lot of power considering their intended devices being quite thin and light. So you definitely have a point. Compare this laptop to anything with a 1065g7 or 4700u/4800u though and you'll assuredly be looking at prices well above the asking price for this device though. Not to mention the screen on this one looks to outperform anything within $200 north of it's price tag.

All in all, you have a point until you look at the rest of this device and how it compares to the sort of devices you're pretending it actually is in the same price range as... it's way cheaper than anything with those iGPUs you cite and may actually be a better all around laptop despite being cheaper by a decent margin.

[A]

The MX350 is as weak as top end integrated graphics, except now you have more drivers to crash your computer.

Yet you have driver support from the top GPU manufacturer in the world, one which will provide you with the highest probability of having up to date support for games years down the line.

Another bonus of an MX350 against the Vega unit in the 4700u/4800u or Intel's 96CU variant of the Xe graphics comes under loads when both the GPU and CPU are stressed simultaneously. The integrated graphics solutions will be capped at 15w-25w between both the CPU and GPU portions of the die (at least for sustained performance, im aware turbo frequencies can pull slightly higher wattage for short bursts). The MX350 will have its own supply of power that won't be cut into if CPU loads increase. The benefits of this are limited to certain titles or tasks but in those scenarios, you'll see significantly better performance. The same goes for the on chip GDDR5. 2gb of it won't hold a candle to the higher end dGPUs out there but it can definitely make a laptop perform better in some instances when compared to a chip having to allocate some system RAM for the iGPU which is slower to begin with and could be used for something else in instances where RAM is being taxed heavily (this can happen a lot on a laptop with "just" 8gb of total RAM).

I'm not trying to fault the Xe or newest Vega iGPUs by any means, they're fantastic and offer a lot of power considering their intended devices being quite thin and light. So you definitely have a point. Compare this laptop to anything with a 1065g7 or 4700u/4800u though and you'll assuredly be looking at prices well above the asking price for this device though. Not to mention the screen on this one looks to outperform anything within $200 north of it's price tag.

All in all, you have a point until you look at the rest of this device and how it compares to the sort of devices you're pretending it actually is in the same price range as... it's way cheaper than anything with those iGPUs you cite and may actually be a better all around laptop despite being cheaper by a decent margin.

First of all, Nvidia driver support has been less than stellar. This goes even more so when you have hybrid graphics or graphics switching which I have found causes majority of system crashes. Not to mention Nvidia likes to focus driver support on latest cards, and it isn't even uncommon for performance to drop on older ones.

Second of all, being hampered by a power envelop isn't that much of a deal for low end gaming. And if you want a more power enevlop you can always opt for the H. And you can pick up a 1165g7 and I would imagine the upcoming 5000u for similar prices.

I personally got a laptop a year ago for only $100 more with a 1660ti. Now that can game at least. A MX350 is too weak of a gpu to be worth the extra hassle over an igpu.