My Favourite Thin & Light Gaming Laptop! 2024 Eluktronics MAX 15

[@OWNORDISOWN]

I really liked the Eluktronics MAX 15. They really stepped up the build quality. It cools better than a Razer Blade and out performs anything Dell makes on the XPS line. There is an error on the Watch Dogs Legion slide, the GPU in this Max 15 is a 140W RTX 4060. Hope you enjoyed the video! If you did perhaps consider subscribing :)

[@ACE112ACE112]

The price is way too expensive for a 4060 and 4070. the bring your own ram/storage and no os helps but I would have to buy my own ram/storage/os which is another cost. Wish Eluktronics was more price competitive like it was when the 2060 gpus were coming out. iirc 2060 mech 15 g2 was like $1300-$1400

[@PremaMod]

You can raise the CPU wattage to 140W by using the manual control center options, which brings the CB23 score (in iGPU mode) to 34K. Beast Mode doesn't set it to max.

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Thanks. I didn't have the time to tinker with it too much.

[@sabata7658]

Love this! Your review of the Mech-17 back in the 20 series got me in to Eluktronics. Currently running their HYDROC-16 and the build quality is phenomenal!

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Awesome! I wanted to review that system but they didn't have one available. Glad you like it!

[@amrsalem7143]

Tx for the review

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Thanks for watching 👍

[@Games_and_Tech]

I would like to see a 4070 or 4080 version of this laptop

[@OWNORDISOWN]

It is available with a 4070 but not a 4080 unfortunately.

[@victorarregnelle8976]

$199 more for 4070

[@Games_and_Tech]

@@victorarregnelle8976 thanks to both of you for the replies

[@becaliteodora3285]

Gaming on the go its pretty awesome

[@AA-yk3bj]

❤❤❤

[@br4kecheckd]

I don't like white laptops or anything white (pc parts, peripherals etc.). It turns yellow pretty quickly

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Good point. Hopefully this is anodized white because then it won't fade like paint.

[@cutthat4643]

This has got to be paid for makes absolutely no sense at this price ugly screen with a 4060 and cheap looking, white ia nice colour, not as good as the oled? No shit

[@OWNORDISOWN]

The only thing I got any money for was the Kickstarter campaign. The screen is not ugly. It's plenty bright, has good color, no backlight bleed. It's not as good as an OLED for sure but it is a good IPS panel. It was very easy to open up and work on, more so than most laptops I get that take ages to pry open. It's all metal build with no flex. Good RGB that can easily be turned off and on. Easy to see what power profile you are in. Only Lenovo is better. Prema Bios offers more adjustments than most. You can undervolt each CPU core, tell me a laptop where you can do that. I stated that it was expensive for the hardware but so is Razer and Dell XPS.

[@db7339]

Have owned this laptop in black for a few months now and i really like everything about it. Great video.

[@John-du2mq]

I love that they did a white color one! So awesome looking.

[@OWNORDISOWN]

I agree John. It makes a refreshing change from black. Looks super sharp 👍

[@AlexWinkler]

I have the Max-15 G1 (Previous generation) i7, 64gb Ram 2TB. Bought it in 2020. Biggest cons: - The keyboard aged quickly.. 3 keys stopped working (I've always used external keyboard so should have min wear and tear) - Battery lasts 30 min tops, even on saver mode - Bottom camera (useless for real calls) - it gets loud often - overheating (got to annually clean laptop or it will turn off on you - granted I maxed it out on every spec) Other than that it's still one of my favorite laptops. It really is a beast, especially in beast mode. I have 3 external monitors and can stream/game/obs etc. all at the same time no hickups (granted in beast mode). I'm looking at a similar build next on the Max-15 G2, wondering when the G3 might come out as in 6 months we should be at that time.. You do need to drop closer to $3k to get the 64GB and more storage upgrades. Big pros: - The ability to plug in everything you need into the back of the laptop, creates very clean workdesk - numpad on the right - sleak (no logos, stickers, etc.) - top level performance - super portable and light It seems like they've addressed most of the solvable cons already. For heat, battery and loudness you'd really need some new chips like the apple M1. Windows just doesn't have access to that kinda hardware yet..

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Thanks for the feedback 👍

[@TheCloudX]

Dang, when I saw Eluktronics I was hoping to see Bob make an appearance! Used to really enjoy watching the two of you collab. That Microcenter video that yall did together is how I found the two of you and have been watching ever since. This new MAX 15 doesn't look terrible, in fact it actually looks really nice albeit just like the new 7i - which isn't a bad thing. But, curious is that for only $70 more than this one, you get a 4070 in the 7i. I think Eluktronics is about $200-300 more than they should be on this to be competitive. It's funny, though, that just a few years go Eluktronics had Alienware clones and now they Legion clones. Wonder what that says about the state of Alienware these days?

[@BobOfAllTrades]

Thanks, I wanted to be there but May is very busy for my family 👍

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Thanks! I remember doing that video. It was great fun. We should do a follow up to that. Yeah, i was going to do a live stream on the laptop with Bob there but he couldn't make it so I just did the review. Thanks for sticking with me for so long. I'll have Bob over soon for a live stream 👍

[@siyzerix]

Solid review as always stephen. But I gotta say, MAX 15 doesn't justify its $1900 asking price. Not saying its a bad laptop but it has to be MUCH cheaper. There's a legion 5 slim 14 with a 2.8k 120hz oled, 4060 and ryzen 7 7840hs all for $1000 right now on bestbuy. I'm sorry but its literally half the price, packs a better display and has 2x the battery life. Only downside is the worse CPU and soldered ram. But again, its half the price. Just like the eluktronics, you can get some nice tuning options from the legion. Even without sales or fewer sales, the slim 14 hits ~$1350 to $1500. Still nearly $400-$550 cheaper than the MAX 15. $1900 for a 4060 is outrageous. That too being paired with a i9 14900hx. Why such a powerful CPU with such a weak GPU? This is more like a $1300 laptop max. My nitro 5 cost me $1200 (in a place with much higher taxes) and packs a better GPU. And the temps on the MAX 15 are similar to my nitro 5, which is strange considering my nitro 5 is literally cooling almost 50w more on the GPU, even when my paste has dried up right now, while the CPU is likely pulling 40-50w as I have tested in CP2077 which stresses my CPU + GPU. Even the weight isn't that low at 2.2kg. My nitro 5 weighs like 2.4kg. Should've been a 2kg laptop. This laptop should really be packing at least a 2.8k oled for its asking price. And a ryzen 9 7940hs CPU so you can UV it. All at a much lower price. At its price point, I might as well buy the framework laptop then.

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Thanks Eric, for sure it is expensive and I said that in the video you can buy 4060 laptops for much cheaper. That being said if you need the more powerful CPU for something other than gaming that Ryzen machine won't cut it. Some people are scared of Burn in on oleds so this panel is very good for an IPS. It has a super clean look and great build quality so they are asking for more. I agree, it should be less but they allow you to apply an undervolt on each core. I haven't seen a laptop allow you to do that before. The Prema Bios is very good and no doubt they charge extra for that. I see Xmg sell the black version of this for more money with No Prema Bios...

[@siyzerix]

@@OWNORDISOWN No doubt the CPU is great. What I mean is there's no choice on their site for other CPU option. I also like their tuning options. Being afraid of burn in on OLED is like being afraid of backlight bleed on IPS panels. It happens, but its rare. The other thing to worry about is PWM, but like asus, eluktronics can bypass it. OLED also offers better HDR, much better response, better image quality, etc. I mean no doubt that its a good laptop with great tuning. But they themselves offer much better value laptops too with the same tuning capability. And others like the legion slim 14 offer some good tuning via LLT and smokeless bios advanced bios boot. I don't know, I would just like to see more options on this expensive laptop. Like OLED and ryzen options along with a 4080 option.

[@OWNORDISOWN]

​@@siyzerixI too would like to see more options. Perhaps they feel that will just increase their costs (Tong Fang), I would have to check their other models to see what CPU options exist. It may be a case that they have buy a certain amount of a CPU to get the best price so they slap that in every laptop.

[@siyzerix]

@@OWNORDISOWN Really? I thought selling a laptop with a i5 13500hx (for example) would get lower prices. It would be not far off a ryzen 7 7840hs. I would suppose that'd make sense if they have a quota to fulfill.

[@27Binx72]

Love this review and congrats on the sponsor brother. 👍🏻

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Cheers mate!

[@HaloblackopsTenken]

Eluktronics has come a long way with lots of improvements

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Lol, yeah, the screen was really good. Very impressed with the back light bleed and build quality.

[@TabalugaDragon]

Thanks for another in-depth review, Stephen!

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Thank you Sergei!

[@eric131313]

For that price it should have been Oled also better gpu would be better choice instead of that 14900 power hog

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Yes, an OLED would have been nice. For $1900 I would have liked to have seen the 4070. I believe that model is an extra $150 which puts it at the same price as the Omen Transcend 16 which, apart from the oled panel, is definitely a worse machine.

[@Light-ib7fg]

very pretty

[@nero2987]

I wonder if there will be a 17" version too

[@OWNORDISOWN]

That would be nice I agree. 15"is too small for me personally. I have my 17" QHD+ and the only thing I would swap it for is an 18". Thanks for commenting!

[@marisozi4087]

i9 with 4060? are you serious?

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Perhaps they are aiming an audience that isn't focused primarily on gaming? Otherwise they would have a 4080 option I would imagine.

[@jpateka]

2k for a 4060??

[@OWNORDISOWN]

Probably because of the 14900HX and metal build with glass TouchPad and Prema Bios. It is expensive but so is a Razer and a Dell XPS 15

[@ACE112ACE112]

@@OWNORDISOWNI think a lot of ppl would go for a cheaper option from another company that is heavier/some plastic

[@cutthat4643]

Wtf IPS and 4060? Pffff

[@OWNORDISOWN]

You can opt for a 4070. Legion uses an IPS on the $3000 Legion Pro 7i and I don't hear people complaining. Plus I did a poll, you can see it in the community section, IPS is preferred over mini LED

[@blacriderv]

Tbh, I had the Fusion 15 2019, it had good hardware, but the optomechanical keyboard was so bad (missing pressed key) as well as bad webcam/speakers. But the worse was lack of software optimization. It had a 99Wh battery but I barely last 2h due to bugs which didnt switch power profile and kept the dGPU awake, I had to make sure the power consumption went to 9W with HWInfo and if it didnt, had to reboot the laptop to make sure it switched correctly to eco mode and disabled dGPU. It has horrible sleep mode when lid closed. Sometimes I closed the lid and put it in my bag, then when back to home, the laptop was very hot because it didnt went to sleep mode and was awake during the whole time. Now I have a Legion Slim 7 gen 8, and it is way better. Never Eluk/XMG again

[@OWNORDISOWN]

I think you will find the systems now much improved because of the Prema Bios. I would certainly make sure it had that. Tong Fang can be hit and miss. For example my Cyberpowerpc Tracer Vii took 3 laptops to get one that worked. I've had it a year and it has been flawless. Then again I hear horror stories about Asus and their shoddy tech support. Lenovo has the best tech support I think and extending it is easy and inexpensive. But their machines are not infallible. My Legion 5 pro trackpad stopped working and my Legion 7 needed a repaste after 1 year.