Origin EVO15-S Review: Thin, Powerful NVIDIA Max-Q Gaming On The Go
Origin EVO15-S: A Thin and Light Gaming Powerhouse
NVIDIA's Max-Q technology has only been on the market for about a year, but in that time quite few OEMs have jumped on the bandwagon. And for good reason. Max-Q is, or wants to be, the answer to a problem that has plagued mobile gamers since the first gaming laptop was birthed, spanked, and shipped off into the real world. We are, of course, talking about size. Bigger is not always better, especially in the mobile computing market. Most gaming laptops are bulky, heavy, and short on battery life. With Max-Q, NVIDIA is looking to change this by focusing on what they call the sweet spot when it comes to performance, power usage, and acoustics.
In order to achieve this "sweet spot" NVIDIA has set guidelines for laptop manufacturing partners that improve efficiency via optimized voltage regulation, clock speed gating, and cooling. There are currently a handful of Max-Q laptops on the market with graphics cards that range from the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, to the GeForce GTX 1080. The Origin EVO15-S we will be evaluating here sports a GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q along with a stout arsenal of high-end component hardware backing it up.
When comparing a standard mobile graphics engine to one employing Max-Q design, you can expect a 10% to 15% decrease in performance. However, while there's some performance loss from these power concessions, a GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q should in theory still perform better than a GTX 1060. All while requiring less power, and with a cooling system designed to allow it to fit into a much slimmer chassis. The magic here lies within the margins and NVIDIA claims the last 10-15% of peak power is typically the most costly in terms of power budget.
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| Model | EVO15-S |
| Processor | 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processors |
| Display |
FHD 1920 x 1080 15.6"' IPS Matte Display |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Max-Q) 8GB GDDR5 |
| Memory |
16GB DDR4 2666 MHz |
| Storage |
512GB Samsung 970 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD + 2TB Seagate 5400RPM 2.5" Hard Drive |
| Ethernet | Onboard Network Port |
| Wireless Connectivity | Intel Wireless-AC 9560+BT |
| Interface (Left) |
Power Port, HDMI port, dual Mini DisplayPorts, dual USB type-C ports, dual USB 3.0 ports |
| Ports (Right) | Mic jack, Audio jack, USB 3.0 port, a 6-in-1 card reader, LAN port, kensington lock |
| Extras |
Metallic: ORIGIN PC Red, ORIGIN PC White, Eternal Pink, Sabot Grey, Atmos Blue, Evolve Green, Horizon Yellow, Epic Purple
Custom: Laser Etching, Custom Paint - Exclusive ORIGIN Design
Design: True Fire, True Fire ORIGIN Red, True Fire Atmos Blue, Neurons, Battle-Tested, Shredder Red, Shredder Green, Shredder Blue
Hydro Dip: Carbon Fiber
Panel Designs: ORIGIN PC Black
HD UV Printing: Low Poly Blue, Low Poly Red, Low Poly Green, Neurons Print, Blue Neurons, Flare |
| Cameras | Built-in 2.0M FHD Video Camera |
| Operating System |
Windows 10 Home 64-bit |
| Battery | 4-cell (55WHr) |
| Dimensions | Height: 0.7”
Width: 14.9”
Depth: 9.9” |
| Weight | 4.30 pounds |
| Warranty | Lifetime 24/7 U.S. Based Support and Lifetime Free Labor. 1 Year Part Replacement & 45 Day Shipping Warranty |
| Price | $2,529 as configured @ originpc.com |
Origin also doesn't appear mess around when it comes packaging. Our laptop showed up in a crate that could almost fit a full sized desktop PC, or perhaps the Ark of the Covenant. Either way, the hardware we received was thoroughly protected. To have your laptop shipped via crate adds a $41 USD premium, but if you invested anywhere from two to three thousand dollars on the contents inside it, like our machine was configured, it would make sense to protect your gear from the likes of UPS and FedEX. We've all seen what they can do.
Let's take a closer look at the EVO15-S design, materials and build quality...
