Eluktronics had a hit on its hands when it launched the Eluktronics W650KK1 in 2017, and again its refrshed evolution, the MECH-15 G2, late last year. Now thanks to the newly released Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics, the company hit a home run, with a new, powerful version of its already excellent line of gaming laptops.
The Eluktronics MECH-15 G2RXx is an appealing priced 15-inch gaming laptops that sports a premium build and a feature set that’s reminiscent of a high-end machine with a few sacrifices. For instance, its frame rates won’t reach the echelon of the pricey ASUS ROG Zephyrus S XS74, but our review unit still manages greater-than-60fps gaming in most AAA titles.
If you’re on a good budget, pricier configs are available with GeForce RTX 20-Series GPUs, maxed at RTX 2070 and Core i7-9750H. In the Eluktronics MECH-15 Series, all models are portable enough to be your daily driver, and they offer longer battery life than most laptops in this category. We have no major complaints, so the G2RX can power its way our Top Picks for midrange gaming laptops.
The laptop comes in an Eluktronics Gaming Bundle, that includes the 15.6 inch MECH-15 G2 gaming laptop itself, a top of the line 3389 Pixart Sensor Gaming Mouse and a Stitched Edge Mousepad!
Design
The new Eluktronics MECH-15 G2Rx is a chic gaming laptop, maintaining its use of gun-metal gray color scheme on the lid with the ‘Eluktronics’ logo etched in black. The same theme extends to the rest of the body, giving a good contrast against the per-key RGB backlit keyboard. The color mix gives the machine a luxe look, and combined with the restrain in most aspects of the design versus other gaming laptops, it’s a timeless chassis.
To a larger extent, the lid looks rough, but it gets a smooth finish with a clear trim and hinge. Crucially, Eluktronics has fixed the weight and flex issues that affected the debut version of this laptop. There was some noticeable flex around the keyboard deck and speakers, something that was a setback on a pricey product, but it’s much sturdier this time around.
When you look at the MECH-15 G2 out of its box, you might be convinced it looks hefty, but the scale never lies. It weighs a mere 4.5 pounds. Right there, you have a good weight for a 15.6-inch-screen laptop, and even better for a gaming laptop. Considering its tidy footprint (0.86 x 14.13 x 9.29 inches, HWD), that weight is on the fair side.
Still, you can finder even slimmer ultraportables for gaming on the go, including the Razer Blade 15 (0.7 inches) and the ROG Zephyrus S (0.6 inches). Port options include: 2 USB 3.0, 1 USB 3.1 Type-C, 1 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI x 2.0, 2 Mini DisplayPort v1.4, 4-In-1 Card Reader, Gigabit Ethernet RJ45, Audio out & Mic In, Kensington Lock slot. Wireless connectivity comes via Dual-Band Wireless-AC 9560 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0.
Display
On the Eluktronics MECH-15 G2’s screen, the bezels are very narrow, something that helps it cut on weight and achieve its shape. It’s a trend we’ve seen across most recent high-end laptops. Narrow bezels do a nice job reducing the overall footprint, making the system look much better. The display itself measures 15.6 inches diagonally, and hosts some (though not all) gaming features at the moment.
It’s an IPS panel that refreshes at 144Hz, making it possible for gamers to achieve higher frame rates in supported titles. Some titles that require higher frame rates include MOBAs and Battle of Royales, where you’d be inclined to opt for frame rate over other visual effects. On the downside, the panel lacks support for Nvidia G-Sync, still it manages to deliver above average picture quality, good brightness and vibrant colors.
Keyboard and Touchpad
From a solid build to a crisp screen, the keyboard picks up with a surprising array of comfortable keys. The brown-switch full-size keyboard uses NKRO (N-Key Rollover) mechanism to deliver tactile feedback. During our Eluktronics MECH-15 G2 review, it’s become clear that this laptop offers niceties that extend to a mechanical per-key RGB backlit keyboard that supports anti-ghosting, and removable keypads alongside a 10-key numeric keypad on the side.
There is also a customizable RGB Light Bar that you can change to whatever you feel. The black touchpad is another highlight, that gets a new look from the previous edition. It’s now wider, so there’s plenty of space to interact with the laptop via swipes and gestures, with silky-smooth tracking.
Performance
After reviewing laptops with similar core components, the Eluktronics MECH-15 G2 now packs new hardware of note, thanks to Intel and Nvidia.
In addition to the new 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H processor, another item of note here is the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU, part of the new releases in the Turing lineup. The MECH-15 is loaded up with 16GB RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD that contribute to the machines’ impressive performance in real-world productivity and content-creation workflows.
When not playing, you can use it for office-centric tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, web-browsing, and even videoconferencing. For the professional artists, media creation tasks on Photoshop and other editing applications will be handled with ease, thanks to the newer CPU rather than the GPU that is used to render complex images.
That’s not to say that the GPU isn’t involved in media creation, it does, but the CPU needs to be well suited for processor-intensive workloads. The six-core/12-thread Core i7-9750H 9th Generation CPU used here shows its strength by pulling through strenuous multithreaded tasks, just like competing laptops with a similar CPU.
Overall, while primarily billed as a gaming laptop, the Eluktronics MECH-15 G2 is capable of handling media projects as well as other productivity tasks, much faster than some expensive machines (and for a lower cost).
Graphics Performance – Turing Series
Back to the graphics card. The GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the latest release in Nvidia’s lineup. That’s not to say it’s the most powerful, however. The chip was released in April alongside an equally new partner, the GeForce GTX 1650, both occupy a middle spot between the last generation 10-Series ‘Pascal’ cards, and the latest top-tier 20-Series ‘Turing’ GPUs.
If we consider the GPU’s position in the hierarchy, the GTX 1660 Ti’s raw performance should be close to a GeForce GTX 1070 or its equivalent but below that of a GeForce RTX 2060. Both the GTX 1660 Ti and 1650 are based on Nvidia’s Turing architecture, like the 20-Series, only that the 20-Series GPUs bear the GeForce RTX prefixes, while the former carry the GeForce GTX monikers, like the Pascal GPUs.
Why? This is because they don’t offer advanced ray-tracing lighting technology and don’t even have the Tensor cores (necessary for the fancy DLSS feature popping up in a few games), like the top-tier 20-Series. The consideration here was to make a more affordable option than can still perform well without these prime features.
As a gaming laptop, the Eluktronics MECH-15 G2 scores well, much better in MOBAs and the like than AAA games, delivering cutting-edge visual effects, allowing you to pull 60fps or more, which is what most of us are looking for.
The 2018 edition of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, for example, at maximum settings tallied 159 frames per second (FPS) but drops to 134 fps at the more intensive Ultra preset. Other titles affirm the MECH-15’s gaming prowess including: Fortnite (127 FPS) and League of Legends (172 FPS) in the same maximum detail settings. In all these games, the system delivers smooth frame rates. All these affirm the raw power of this system, backed by a new CPU and faster 144Hz screen refresh rate.
Battery Life
Battery life rarely goes down well with gaming laptops. Even the recent crop of gaming ultrabooks have failed to crack the 9 hours threshold, yet mainstream laptops are delivering over 15 hours on a single charge. The MECH-15 G2 comes with a 6-cell 62WH battery, that offers around 3 to 4.5 hours on a single charge.
Not a surprise, however. The vibrant screen, powerful components and colorful RGB keyboard lighting sip life out of the machine’s battery. If possible, have the charger in your backpack if you’ll be gaming away from home.
Verdict
The Eluktronics MECH-15 G2Rx is an exciting piece of equipment that takes the place of both a serious gaming laptop and a standard laptop you might use for work, at a reasonable price. It isn’t cheap either, but the fact that it packs the latest components and a slick design makes the price more bearable. The MECH-15 isn’t just a great laptop. It’s a great laptop to have.
Is there a better option?
There are more than-and-light gaming laptops than ever before. The MSI GS65 Stealth (2019) is a strong competitor, as is the lightest RTX gaming laptop (4.1 pounds), coming in a few hundred dollars more. Heck, even the Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX531 is similarly thin.
Even so, none of these have the incredible price of the Eluktronics MECH-15 G2Rx. If you’re more for a video editing laptop and less into games, this laptop is an absolute good option.
Should I buy it?
Yes. It’s one of the best laptops you can by at this price point, and this year, it’s even better.
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