Help Fieldwork, gaming, and travel: ASUS ROG G16 or Lenovo LOQ despite doubts about their reliability?

Budget: $1,400 USD

Country: Miami, USA

Use Case: Environmental engineer working for local government with a mixed schedule: 50% remote work, 15% office work, and 35% field work.

For work, I mainly use Excel, Google Chrome with many tabs, Word, calendars, file management, and other productivity applications. I multitask heavily but do not use demanding professional software.

Mobility is important because I frequently travel between home, the office, companies, project sites, and community activities while carrying my laptop, notebook, water bottle, chargers, mouse, cables, and other work essentials.

For entertainment, I occasionally play AAA games such as Red Dead Redemption 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, God of War, and World of Warcraft. I would like to play on either a 4K TV or a 1440p 185Hz monitor.

I also use my computer for:

• Virtual machines
• Learning programming
• Cybersecurity labs
• FPV drone simulators
• Media consumption
• Torrent seeding

Preferred Specifications:

• Ryzen 7 or Intel i7
• RTX 5050
• 16GB RAM minimum
• 512GB SSD minimum
• Good thermals
• Good long-term reliability
• Expected lifespan of around 5 years

Notes: My current laptop is a 2022 Acer Nitro 5 (10th Gen i5, 24GB RAM, GTX 1050 4GB, 512GB SSD). The GPU recently started failing, and I suspect heat played a significant role.

I am mainly considering:

• ASUS ROG Strix G16
• Lenovo LOQ

The LOQ is cheaper, but I have read many reports about motherboard failures and overheating concerns, which makes me hesitant after my experience with the Acer.

I have also considered:

• Building a desktop PC and continuing to use the Acer for work
• Building a desktop PC and buying a tablet such as a Lenovo Yoga Tab Pro
• Switching to Apple, although I am concerned about software compatibility and workflow limitations

I would appreciate opinions from owners or former owners, especially regarding thermals, reliability, portability, and long-term ownership experiences.