Origin PC Evo15-S Gaming Laptop: Core i7, GTX 1070 Max-Q, 1080p144

Today Origin PC released its new Evo15-S gaming laptop. The new device uses NVIDIA’s Max-Q based video cards to give a notably thinner and lighter device than the average gaming laptop while maintaining most of the performance. The Evo15-S offers up to an 8^th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, a Geforce GTX 1070 (Max-Q) discrete video card, FHD or 4K UHD panel options, and up to 32GB of memory. Measuring in at just 0.7-inches thich, it is as compact as the Asus ROG Zephyrus but is rated to have a longer battery life, and more storage, making for an interesting option in the gaming laptop segment.

Looking at the design aesthetic, one may find it difficult to guess there is some pretty good hardware hiding inside. In fact about the only thing that may tip people off this is a gaming laptop is the large exhausts vents on the rear, and intake on the side. Apart from that, we do not see RGB LEDs on the chassis or anything that would tip off the Evo15-S’s hand. When opening up the top, there is a little bling in the form of an RGB LED backlit keyboard with three lighting zones. If you are the type of user that would like more flare, Origin PC has you covered with several design options including metallic paints (Red, White, Eternal Pink, Sabot Grey, Atmos Blue, and more), hydro dipping, and HD UV printing. They also offer custom laser etching.

Design aside, the real deal is on the inside with the move to the latest Coffee-Lake H-series CPU as well as the Max-Q video card. To that end, the Evo15-S offers users a choice of two CPUs: a quad-core 7^th Gen Intel Core i7-7700HQ, or the latest 8^th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H hex-core CPU. Video card options are the NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 or the GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5 Max-Q. The Max-Q cards are a bit slower than their full-fledged counterparts as they are downclocked with lowered boost ranges to manage TDPs, but they allow for slimmer devices. Either card will make for a solid gaming experience at 1080p resolutions but will lose steam when using 4K UHD resolution for gaming. For displays, there will be four options to choose from: 3 FHD options (IPS 60 Hz, 120 Hz, 144 Hz) and one 4K UHD, all with a matte finish.

Other hardware includes DDR4-2400 or DDR4-2600 memory, with capacity options ranging from 8GB up to 32GB capacity, all in a dual channel configuration. Storage options on the Evo15-S include a single HDD option (2 TB 5400RPM), or SATA SSDs, or PCIe NVMe based drives, or three hybrid drives offering users a lot of choices. 

On the network and connectivity side of things, there is an onboard Gigabit Ethernet port as well as different wireless cards depending on the CPU chosen. With the Core i7-7700HQ, users will have an Intel 8265 Dual Band 802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.2 combo with speeds up to 867 Mbps. The i7-8750H gives users access to the latest Intel 9560 CNVi based 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi.and can reach speeds of 1.73 Mbps. The options are exclusive to the respective CPU used, as the Intel 9560 uses the Wi-Fi MAC integrated into the chipset. 

Despite the thin frame, there are a ton of ports on the Evo15-S. The left side includes HDMI, two Mini-DisplayPorts, two USB-C ports, and two USB 3.0 ports. The right side adds another USB 3.0 port, Ethernet jack, headphone and microphone jacks, as well as an SD card slot to round out connectivity. 

Related Reading: 

• Dell's Spring Range: New 9th Gen Alienware, Laptops, and Monitors
• Xiaomi Announces 15.6-inch Mi Gaming Laptop: Mid-Specs with Aggressive Pricing
• Best Laptops Q1 2018
• Matebook X Pro (2018): Huawei's Flagship Laptop Upgrade
• VAIO S Laptops Updated With 8th Gen Core CPUs & TruePerformance to Prolong Turbo Time
• HP Announces  Updated Elitebook 800 G5 series and ZBook 14U/15U Laptops