Skip to main content

EVGA reveals its first gaming laptop, and a new desktop case, at CES 2016

EVGA SC17 Gaming Laptop
EVGA might be known mostly for its internal components, but at this year’s CES it’s expanding out of its comfort zone and launching not only a high-end gaming laptop, but a brand new case design, too. Both offer something interesting for gamers, and like other EVGA products, certainly look the part.

The notebook, known as the SC-17, is EVGA’s first attempt at building a gaming notebook, but it’s an impressive piece of kit. With a display that measures in at 17 inches, it’s a compact 1.05 inches thick and weighs in at just 8.5 pounds. That’s actually not bad for a power gaming rig.

And powerful it is, with a GTX 980M inside. We don’t have the specifications on the CPU or memory – according to PCWorld they’re still being finalized – but they should have plenty of grunt, as they have to power a 4K, 60HZ display.

Related: High-end laptops and hybrids headline CES 2016 for Dell

Rounding out the package is a pair of speakers that are said to have been created by the same group that designs audio systems for Bose and Apple. EVGA also claims the laptop has class-leading cooling that keeps the system nearly silent despite its internal hardware.

No price has been announced, but the SC-17 is expected to ship sometime in Q1 2016.

Also on show was EVGA’s new gamer orientated chassis. Although said to be still in-development, it’s already a monster of a case, but it’s size isn’t the most defining quality, its layout is. Unlike most cases, this one has its ports and front-panel buttons on the left hand side panel, where you also find a giant Plexiglas window to show off your system’s internals.

evgacase
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The idea is to make all of the switches accessible to gamers that like their rig side to showcase their cable routing and lighting setup.

To make gaining access to the pretty hardware easier, EVGA ditched the usual convenience enhancing thumbscrews and replaced them with push buttons, removing the need to unscrew either of the side panels to get inside. We can’t promise the same for the PCI brackets, but it’s a nice touch all the same.

Cooling was also a big focus, with a type of fin in the base of the chassis that is said to funnel in cold air, helping to drop overall system temperatures by six degrees, according to EVGA representatives.

With a rough release date of “2016,” we don’t know much about the final price or launch details of the case of yet, but it’s certainly going to be one to keep an eye on.

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
AMD’s next-gen CPUs are much closer than we thought
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D held between fingertips.

We already knew that AMD would launch its Zen 5 CPUs this year, but recent motherboard updates hint that a release is imminent. Both MSI and Asus have released updates for their 600-series motherboards that explicitly add support for "next-generation AMD Ryzen processors," setting the stage for AMD's next-gen CPUs.

This saga started a few days ago when hardware leaker 9550pro spotted an MSI BIOS update, which they shared on X (formerly Twitter). Since then, Asus has followed suit with BIOS updates of its own featuring a new AMD Generic Encapsulated Software Architecture (AGESA) -- the firmware responsible for starting the CPU -- that brings support for next-gen CPUs (spotted by VideoCardz).

Read more
AMD Zen 5: Everything we know about AMD’s next-gen CPUs
The AMD Ryzen 5 8600G APU installed in a motherboard.

AMD Zen 5 is the next-generation Ryzen CPU architecture for Team Red and is slated for a launch sometime in 2024. We've been hearing tantalizing rumors for a while now and promises of big leaps in performance. In short, Zen 5 could be very exciting indeed.

We don't have all the details, but what we're hearing is very promising. Here's what we know about Zen 5 so far.
Zen 5 release date and availability
AMD confirmed in January 2024 that it was on track to launch Zen 5 sometime in the "second half of the year." Considering the launch of Zen 4 was in September 2022, we would expect to see Zen 5 desktop processors debut around the same timeframe, possibly with an announcement in the summer at Computex.

Read more
Is this Razer’s Steam Deck killer?
The Razer Kishi Ultra sitting on a table.

Razer has been oddly quiet in the burgeoning world of handheld gaming PCs. When I met up with the company at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) to learn about its new products, I was happy to hear it had an answer to the success of the Steam Deck.

But it was not the type of answer I was expecting.

Read more