Origin EVO 16-S: new screen, same problems

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The origin of the Origin EVO 16-S is somewhat unusual: its 16-inch screen. This is a particular size for a gaming laptop or any laptop (although it may not be an anomaly for long). Origin has indeed planted a larger screen in its slightly modified 15-S EVO 15-inch chassis, which debuted last year.

Despite the increase in screen size, the use of the EVO 16-S was no different from any other standard size gaming laptop in the few weeks -this. In fact, this notebook is virtually identical to last year's EVO 15-S, except for one USB 3.0 port and two Mini DisplayPort ports that have been removed from the current model.

The configuration that Origin has created for The edge $ 3,010, which includes a custom painting job that costs $ 149. (Of course, I had to take Origin on his offer to paint a Edge on the lid of the laptop.) This is a slim, lightweight notebook with the latest components, such as a 9th generation Intel Core i7 processor and the Nvidia Max-Q variant of the RTX 2080 (not synchronized with to the standard version, but still powerful).

The squeaky hinges of the EVO 16-S and its lean plastic cover give a good first impression. If you expect a bold industrial design with equal attention to each physical component, you will not find your solution here.

And although I appreciate the fitted frames surrounding the 16-inch screen, the screen itself does not shake. The 1080p IPS display offers a refresh rate of 144Hz, which is very useful if you want smooth on-line scrolling and the games run smoother. However, there is still no support Nvidia G-Sync, which could have removed some of the tear of the screen that I found while I was playing with this laptop. This is a repeated omission that makes no sense for a laptop at this price, intended for a crowd that is interested in such features.

Laptops are increasingly equipped with Thunderbolt 3 ports, which enable ultra-fast data transfers. This is still missing here, despite the pair of USB-C ports. Few people can have real use of Thunderbolt 3 ports, but that's what I mean: Blade Stealth, an entry-level notebook, is a laptop that you can find at 1 $ 199, supports Thunderbolt 3, and allows some cool stuff other than data transmission speed. Its graphics capabilities can be greatly enhanced with the external Razer Core X Chroma GPU enclosure that connects via Thunderbolt 3.

The EVO 15-S from last year shows an improvement: these USB-C ports can quickly load the devices that support it. My Pixel 3 loaded quickly and my Nintendo Switch could hold juice while I was playing Fire Emblem: Three houses.

I kept my biggest scruple for the end: this laptop loses most of its playing abilities when you play on the drums. If you like playing games in transit, be prepared to be surprised by a game at less than 20 frames per second. Most games I want to play, including Wild Exteriors or Metro: Exodusone of the most demanding games in terms of ray tracing, are simply unplayable when the EVO 16-S is not connected. What's even worse is that changing the graphical settings does not make things much better.

This is a feature, not a bug, according to Origin PC. The company told me that this behavior was intentional and designed to prevent overheating and prevent the battery from emptying too quickly. These are definitely valid questions. Most gaming laptops become warm and last less than an hour when you play, but at least they allow you to play with all the power they can, unlike this one.

In fact, the original mission of keeping the machine fresh and alive longer with the battery is essentially a success, as game performance is questionable. This lasts about two hours with my usual workload (about 10 tabs Chrome, Spotify, Affinity Photo and Slack), and the fans remain relatively silent, even if it has been multiplied by two.

By adjusting the notebook to a less demanding power setting, Origin claims up to seven hours of battery life. It was difficult to test these claims because when I switched to "silent" mode, the most efficient setting available, the mouse pointer hung and the display could not be refreshed quickly. So, if you buy with the battery in mind, you should not look at this machine. Instead, turn your attention to our guide to the best laptops with more complete machines.

Last year, the EVO 15-S was about to be great, with some small but important omissions that no gaming laptop over $ 1,500 should ship without. And now, a year later, Origin has not put enough work to significantly improve this one. It's one of the first 16-inch display machines with the technical improvements you've been expecting, but it's way too short for this feat to be celebrated.

For this type of money and against the competition, such as the Razer Blade 15 Advanced, feature-rich, or the delicious and innovative Acer Predator Triton 900 with its versatile floating screen, the slightly larger screen of the Origin is not enough to convince me or to do everything. defects in this machine disappear. The worst part is that most of these problems are Origin's original EVO 15-S recidivists.

Since I received a review unit, Origin PC has been acquired by Corsair. Now, I can not help thinking about the kind of impact this could have on the way Origin uses its laptop designs. Origin is currently sourcing its laptop designs from an original designer manufacturer (ODM), but I would like to see what could happen if the chassis design was done internally. Corsair's possession of PC Origin may have no impact on the product's design, but if the EVO 16-S is an example, it would be better if this happens for everyone.

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