****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I'll try to make this review short and sweet, while covering the deal-makers and deal-breakers, and plus a few tips to get the most out of this gaming laptop. Check out the attached screenshot for a UserBenchmark test which summarizes the performance of the laptop.Summary:First and foremost, its a steal for the price. Depending on which model you get, your mileage can vary greatly. The one I ordered is packed with a RTX 3070, a fairly recent i7 CPU (12650H), great RAM with good speed and capacity (16gb DDR5, 4800mhz), and runs pretty much everything I've thrown at it. Most games will easily hit the 144 fps for the 144hz monitor.Cons:- The screen isn't going to blow your mind. 1080p resolution, a fairly low color score (I think it was ~49% sRGB) and not the brightest in the world, with a little light bleeding around the sides of the screen when displaying very dark images. It will bother you if you notice it, and especially if you're used to more advanced options for displays.Personally, I think the screen does its job well enough for gaming even in dark environments, just make sure you turn up the brightness (mine came with the brightness at %50 - might explain some reviews commenting on how dark the screen is on other sites.)- The fans can be very loud when under load, especially graphically intensive programs. It's noticeable when in quiet/silent environments. That being said, the fans seem to kick in before anything starts getting too hot, resulting in the internal temps staying below 90C at all times, rarely going higher than 86C. This is a sacrifice for the longevity of the laptop, in my opinion, and totally worth the noise. The temp of the air coming out hasn't really ever been hot, in fact kind of pleasant. PC gets warm to touch at best. Headphones recommended- The 512gb SSD is fast, and performs well in benchmark tests, but frankly, it's nowhere near enough storage space if you have any amount of AAA games you want to keep downloaded, but will suffice if you play a lot of indie games/don't have a need for storing very large files. Thankfully, there's another SSD slot for upgrading, so it can be a temporary issue.Pros:- Yowza, this thing is fast. After enabling "Ultimate" GPU Mode in Armoury Crate (Which comes installed and is very user friendly), this laptop can hang with the best of them. Since its max resolution is 1080p, you can run most game on very high/ultra no problem, even at 144hz/fps. I've tested Valheim, BL3, and Planet Coaster so far to really push it, and all of them were smooth as butter.- The keyboard and trackpad feel delightful. Very smooth with small bevels on certain keys for tactile location. The FN shortcuts are also surprisingly well thought out, with my favorite being FN+Enter on keypad for the calculator. Small plus, but great QOL.- The construction of the laptop itself is sturdy. The screen does not flex when you open it one handed from the middle and the USB/other ports are very tight/secure (connections will not slide out/pull out easily). Also, another plus if you want a gaming laptop that has a very unassuming yet sleek style. Also very light considering.- Thunderbolt 4 port is always great. Fast transfer speeds for external drives, external GPU, monitors, etc. Kinda pricy for a decent dock, and external components tend to be more expensive, but a fun upgrade option.Final thoughts:If you can get this laptop for sub $1300 and you need a new gaming laptop, absolutely go for it. Unless you're used to more recent displays and resolutions, you will be happy.
