Captiva gaming laptop review: German distribution with unnecessary secrets about its origin

We have just tested the Captiva Advanced Gaming I74-121. We were given our test model with an Intel Core i5-13500H and an RTX 4060 by Cyperport and at the same time, we successfully made contact with the German manufacturer to ask it a few questions about this device.

Communication with the manufacturer went well. Captiva is a subsidiary company of Ecom Trading GmbH, a German IT wholesaler based in Dachau. Captiva just keeps a few unnecessary secrets around how its laptops are made. This led it to not want to part with information on who supplies its barebone models due to them being "made especially for them".

This is surprising, as a quick look at the bottom of the laptop is enough to figure out that "Clevo" seems to be the manufacturer in question. A quick search on Clevo's website reveals it to likely be the not-so-custom-made entertainment and gaming barebone Clevo V150RND. We are unsure as to why Captiva is keeping their barebone manufacturer a secret when companies such as Schenker and similar also use generic barebone models. Probably because this barebone is being sold by different resellers with the exact same configuration?

Regardless, the Advanced Gaming I74-121 has turned out to be an inexpensive gaming laptop with a powerful, unthrottled RTX 4060. In our test, the laptop also dealt with a few weaknesses which are mostly due to its low price. This includes its slightly outdated connectivity options. In our detailed review, you can take a closer look at what advantages and disadvantages the Captiva gaming laptop brings to the table.