Maingear Pulse 14 2014

Specifications

Pricecompare

Reviews for the Maingear Pulse 14 2014

60% A barebones gaming laptop without the barebones price
Source: Techradar Archive.org version
For a considerable chunk of most folks' salary, they expect a premium device and experience. And while Maingear offers excellent paint jobs and incredibly dedicated customer service, the Pulse 14 simply doesn't stack up against competitors in its price range. Pick up this laptop and it will play almost any game you throw at it with gusto. That much is for certain. But the Pulse 14 doesn't exist in a vacuum, and for the same cash or a little bit more, you'll find superior offerings with ease.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/20/2014
Rating: Total score: 60% price: 40% performance: 70% features: 60% workmanship: 50%

79% A better screen and new GPU for the midsize Maingear Pulse 14
Source: CNet Archive.org version
Maingear fixed the single thing I most disliked about the previous Pulse 14 model we reviewed, giving it a full HD display. While it's still not going to wow anyone with its design, construction, or extra features, this is a very capable gaming laptop on the smaller side of the spectrum.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 06/16/2014
Rating: Total score: 79% performance: 80% mobility: 70%

Comment

Model:

The Maingear Pulse 14, 2014 edition is a highly customizable laptop, which can hold its own in power and style. There is a plethora of colors with Glasurit finish for that shiny elegant look found on luxury cars. The display is a 14" Full HD 1980x1080 IPS-class AHVA LED panel. Users have the option of choosing either an Intel Core i7 4702QM 2.2GHz/3.2GHz Turbo 6 MB L3 Cache HD 4600 or Intel Core i5 4300M 2.6 GHz/3.3 GHz Turbo 3MB L3 Cache HD 4600 processor depending on their needs and budget.

There are also various types of RAM to choose, whereas 16 GB Corsair Dominator DDR3-1866 are the maximum offered. The graphics processor is a GeForce GTX 850M 2GB GDDR5, which breezes through 3D applications and games. There is a power saving feature that allows the Maingear Pulse 14 to switch to the processor's GPU when in non-3D applications.

Storage is another area users can choose suitable options such as 500GB Seagate SSHD Hybrid Storage, 1 TB SATA HDD + 32 GB Caching SSD or 240 GB SuperRAID (2x Crucial M500 128 GB mSATA in RAID. Audio is also top notch with THX TruStudio Pro technology and immersive 2.1 speakers.

There are even options for the external optical drive such as a 6x Blu-ray Burner/8x Super Multi Combo or 8x DVD Dual Layer Burner. The Maingear Pulse 14, 2014 is definitely a desktop replacement option which can satisfy hardcore users.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M: Upper mid-range graphics card from the GeForce GTX 800M series.

Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

Intel Core i7: The Intel Core i7 for laptops is based on the LG1156 Core i5/i7 CPU for desktops. The base clock speed of the CPUs is relatively low, but because of a huge Turbo mode, the cores can dynamically overclock to up to 3.2 GHz (920XM). Therefore, the CPU can be as fast as high clocked dual-core CPUs (using single threaded applications) but still offer the advantage of 4 cores. Because of the large TDP of 45 W / 55 W, the CPU is only intended for large laptops.  

4702MQ: Haswell-based quad-core processor clocked at 2.2 GHz with Turbo Boost support up to 3.2 GHz. Offers an integrated HD Graphics 4600 GPU and a dual channel DDR3 memory controller.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

14.00":

There are hardly any tablets in this display size range anymore. For subnotebooks, on the other hand, it is the standard format.

The advantage of subnotebooks is that the entire laptop can be small and therefore easily portable. The smaller display also has the advantage of requiring less power, which further improves battery life and thus mobility. The disadvantage is that reading texts is more strenuous on the eyes. High resolutions are more likely to be found in standard laptops.

Maingear: US-American computer manufacturer, founded in 2002 with low international relevance.

69.5%: This rating is poor. More than three quarters of the models are rated better. That is rather not a purchase recommendation. Even if verbal ratings in this area do not sound that bad ("sufficient" or "satisfactory"), they are usually euphemisms that disguise a classification as a below-average laptop.

» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

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