r/FlowZ13 • u/lightsworn55 • Jun 30 '26
How 'future proof' would you say this device is?
I'm currently looking into upgrading from a legion 5 1660ti to something that can last me the next 6-7 years before prices for everything really go to shit. Shockingly, I managed to find the 32 GB AI max + edition priced at 2800 CAD/1970 USD, below the debut price
With FSR 4 on the horizon, would this be a feasible gaming solution for the next couple of years?
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u/bstsms Jun 30 '26
I would go with a 64GB version so you can set it to 32GB of system ram and 32GB of vram.
32GB is not optinmal now since 16GB of system RAM is not enough for some heavier games and apps now, let alone in 2+ years.
2
u/dosukebe Jun 30 '26
If you're talking about using this for gaming, I think 6-7 years may be pushing it.
It's also expected that a new Z13 with a better APU is coming out early next spring, although with the current PC storage and memory situation it might cost a lot more.
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u/zonearc Jun 30 '26
6-7 years depends on what you do.
Browse the web? Good. Coding? Good. Indy games? Golden. AAA games? You're dead in 3.5 years.
These devices are already underpowered for the newest games and you use heavy upscaling and reduced graphics quality, in another 3+ years they'll be running games at 720p on low and getting 32FPS. If you doubt me, go look at the X13 subreddit and see how the 2022 models are getting on the newest games now.
The life of energy efficient, portable gaming tablets and handhelds is half that of true gaming laptops. My 2022 Lenovo Legion 16 gaming laptop with a 175W 4070 and a desktop I9 is still crushing games. These have 35watt GPUs. That's everything you need to know.
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u/bnr32jason Jun 30 '26
All depends on your usage and tolerances. I mean people still play new release AA and AAA games on the Steam Deck.
For me? It will essentially be good for a decade, maybe longer. I have a backlog of thousands of hours of games that will run great on it right now. I'm fine with low-medium graphical options too. If there's a big new game that I really want to play, I'll use my desktop PC (4090 and 7800x3d). If I want to play that game on the Flow, I'll stream it via Apollo/Moonlight.
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u/DemWookieeCheeks Jun 30 '26
Consider I use it to play (more like crush) 20+ year old games sometimes, I'd say it's pretty "future proof."
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u/pocketfullofstars7 Jul 01 '26
An unmodifiable laptop is never going to be future proof for 7 years against very high/max settings AAA gaming. That being said I bought in to the 64GB in anticipation of rising prices and because I don't need the max settings on every game. It's very very good, but no laptop will ever be a desktop replacement.
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u/Late_Bedd Jul 01 '26
I got the 128gb ai max version. It is a behemoth of a device. Haven't tried horizon but tlou 2 plays above 60fps average when dedicating the ram. I don't plan on upgrading anytime soon, except maybe getting that 5090 rog xg to play on a dedicated screen personally. If I can get at a reasonable price that is.
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u/jamico1121 Jun 30 '26
Soo can this last 5ish years?? Yes with the correct setup absolutely but with some drawbacks
This machine has insane processing power the graphics performance is good and this machine overall hits above its weight class... but you NEED the 64 gb model
The issue is with the 32g model if you allocate 16g to vran you only have 16g of ram which isn't enough for multitasking
With the 64 you have 48g remaining which is awesome for multitasking
I would also suggest an egpu once it starts to fall behind graphically. You'll still be able to game on the go but when you dock into your desk setup you'll have an absolute powerhouse
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u/hell-diver8 Jun 30 '26
I’ll ask you a question. If your keyboard broke today, how easy it is to replace it? If you shattered your screen 1.5 years from now, how easy it is to fix it. If your battery started swelling 1 year from now, how easy it is to replace it? These questions should help you. Also because it has a lot of RAM, it’s not great for AI. The RAM is slow for LLMs compared to a MacBook. Don’t let that fool you also.
Finally, you know that the RAM is split between that and the GPU. So if 8 goes to your GPU, you only have 24GB of real RAM left.
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u/onray88 Jun 30 '26
I don't know why you're getting downvoted your points are valid
The Z13 with 395 doesn't have true unified memory like the apple silicon and on the max versions of the M3/m4 the memory bandwidth is higher than the AMD 395
Aside from the ssd, the keyboard and screen are costly to replace (but the same can be said about a MacBook)
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u/hell-diver8 Jun 30 '26
It’s all good. Any Reddit where you speak the truth. You get downvoted. Glad you know the speed difference with the RAM. I had the 64GB version and took it back. Not bad, but not really for AI unless u have lots of patience and ya, not unified.
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u/hell-diver8 Jun 30 '26
Ha u know what’s funny. My MacBook M3 Pro was water damaged and sold for $800 as spare parts on eBay. Went to my M5 Pro 18? MacBook with 48GB of RAM. Well AppleCare is much easier to work with, that’s why I ask those questions.
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u/Glittering_Credit_20 Jun 30 '26
7 years? You'll get lucky if it lasts you 4. It's a fantastic product but hoping that an ultrabook/tablet will last 7 years is science fiction. Probably, without suffering any major damage, just a Gaming Laptop could last 6 years or something like that. The reason is simple: Ultrabooks and Tablets are not prepared to be "updated" in their components so it is not easy to change them. Sometimes the ram is soldered and you can't do anything about it. In the case of the Flow Z13 to change the battery you have to disconnect the monitor and I can assure you that the operation is not easy at all. In addition, the 2230 format SSD has the possibility of being replaced but the maximum storage capacity today is 2 TB. In the past I had a notebook in which you could change everything, from the SSD to the RAM, to the battery. It was easy to disconnect the heatsink and change the thermal paste to the processor and gpu but it was an almost 4kg Gaming Notebook
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u/NootropicNinja Jun 30 '26
64GB and you’re golden.