Intel develops the lightest gaming laptops with large batteries and outstanding thermal performance
Gaming laptops are usually thicker and heavier than conventional models, as they need improved air flow and considerably more room for high-end components. Some brands do offer lighter and thinner mobile gaming rigs, but they tend to cost an arm and a leg, mostly because of the brand’s notoriety. The gaming sector is not exactly Intel’s main focus right now, since it has been having some troubles with the 14 nm shortages and the upgrades towards 10 nm, but the company’s so-called gaming division is hard at work on new dedicated GPUs and, as of recent, it has been collaborating with some lesser-known laptop OEMs for the release of the most compact gaming laptops out there.
Because Intel chose to collaborate with companies like Eluktronics and DBrand for budget reasons, the general public may not be aware about the excellent quality and performance of its new gaming laptops. Intel aimed to bring compact gaming laptops at affordable prices and initial reviews can confirm that these are among the lightest and thinnest models they have tested, also integrating high quality components for a considerably lower price when compared to other top brands.
Take for example the Eluktronics Mag-15 model. It might not be the thinnest at 0.80 inches, but it sure appears to be the lightest at around 4 lbs thanks to its full-magnesium chassis. Unlike other top models, even the display cover and the area around the keyboard are made of magnesium. OK, it is compact and light, but can it also provide an outstanding gaming experience? It should, at least according to the spec sheet, which includes:
- 15.6-inch narrow bezel IPS display with FHD resolution and 144 Hz refresh rate
- Intel Core i7-9750H hexa-core CPU
- Up to 64 GB of DDR4-2666 via two SO-DIMMs
- Up to 2 TB NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD storage
- Choice between the GTX 1660 Ti and the RTX 2070 Max-Q GPUs
- Port selection: 1x USB-A 3.1 Gen 2, 2x USB-A 3.1 Gen 1, 1x Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0 out, GbE, Audio out & mic in
- Wi-Fi 6
- RGB mechanical keyboard
Reviewers like Dave Lee on YouTube claim that this model has the best thermal performance among models powered by the i7-9750H launched so far. Even with overclocking applied, the cooling system is able to keep the CPU under 60 degrees Celsius. On top of this, the Mag-15 can be easily upgraded and comes with one of the largest batteries out there — a 94 Whr 6-cell Li-Polymer unit, which should provide at least 7 hours of continuous uptime. Dave Lee concludes that the Mag-15 is lighter and a better performer compared to similar, more notorious models such as the MSI GS65, the Razer Blade 15, or the Alienware M15.
The Mag-15 from Eluktronics is now available for pre-order, and it will begin shipping on September 13. Prices range from US$1,500 for the GTX 1660 Ti / 512 GB NVMe / 16 GB RAM model to US$2,400 for the RTX 2070 / 2 TB NVMe / 64 GB RAM variant.