EVGA is now selling a version of its SC17 1070 gaming laptop packed with Nvidia’s G-Sync technology for $2,550 after an instant $250 rebate. This should be good news for PC gamers currently looking for the ideal laptop to play For Honor, Ghost Recon Wildlands, or the upcoming game Mass Effect: Andromeda. The new unit joins EVGA’s current SC17 1070 model without G-Sync technology selling for $2,400 after an instant $400 rebate.
Does the $150 price difference make a difference? Simply put, if you’re paying $2,400 for a gaming laptop, will you be likely to go ahead and take the additional $140 plunge?
As a brief review, the graphics chip outputs multiple frames per second (FPS) that are received by the display and flashed on the screen numerous times per second (refresh rate). If the graphics chip and the display aren’t synchronized, then gamers will experience ugly screen ripping, stuttering, and input lag. Annoying stuff.
However, G-Sync eliminates these visual problems by dynamically adjusting the GPU’s output framerate with the refresh rate of the display for smooth visuals. But this technology doesn’t simply work with every GPU: it’s developed exclusively by Nvidia for its GeForce graphics chips. G-Sync isn’t something users can simply add to their PC either, as the tech is pre-installed inside displays.
That said, G-Sync is highly desirable given that it improves visual fluidity on-screen. In EVGA’s laptop, it’s backed by Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1070 with 8GB of on-board GDDR5 memory. This GPU is based on Nvidia’s latest “Pascal” graphics chip design, and resides at the top of the bottom half of the Pascal totem pole, residing between the GTX 1080 and the GTX 1060. At one point, the GTX 1070 was Nvidia’s second-fasted graphics chip, until the company unleashed the Titan X (2016) and the recent GTX 1080 Ti (2017).
Still, the GTX 1070 remains a great graphics chip that’s backed by other excellent components in EVGA’s laptop:
| Operating System: | Windows 10 Home (64-bit) |
| Display Size: | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution: | 3,840 x 2,160 |
| Display Type: | IPS with G-Sync |
| Processor: | Intel Core i7-6820HK (unlocked) |
| Graphics: | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 (8GB GDDR5) |
| System Memory: | G.Skill 32GB DDR4 @ 2,666MHz (2x 16GB) |
| Storage: | 256GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD 1TB 7,200RPM SATA 3 HDD |
| Connectivity: | Intel Snowfield Peak AC-8260 (Wireless AC) Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Audio: | Realtek ALC 255 |
| Battery: | Info not provided |
| Camera: | 1,920 x 1,080 webcam |
| Keyboard Lighting: | White |
| Ports: | 1x Gigabit Ethernet 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C 1x HDMI 2.0b 2x Mini DisplayPort |
| Dimensions: | 16 (W) x 11.6 (L) x 1.07 (H) inches |
| Weight: | 8 pounds |
Outside the specs, enthusiasts should love the notebook for its aluminum unibody design, the rich colors generated by the IPS screen, and its dedicated buttons for immediately overclocking the processor and clearing the CMOS. It also includes a BIOS with a full GUI to provide complete control over the laptop’s CPU multipliers, voltage, graphics chip speed, and more.
“Overclocking on a laptop? Seems like a myth but we have nothing to hide here,” the company said.
