First Impressions
I was quite honored by my boss when he provided me this opportunity to review this golden sample for the MAINGEAR Vector 2. At first glance, you notice the simple, yet elegant design of the case that doesn’t necessarily yell “GAMER!” to the world.
For owners of the previous VECTOR, they’ll notice it looks quite similar to their own. That's because the case is nearly identical to the previous rendition. You know what they say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The full backlit keyboard is also an attractive feature and provides ample lighting in dark areas.
Looking at the outside of the laptop, I noticed a healthy amount of ports suited towards a gaming laptop. Ethernet port, multiple video ports, USB-C, and more. The ASUS ROG nor the MSI Laptop I’ve recently had possession of had nowhere near this sort of capacity. The build feels quite sturdy and the display itself doesn’t feel too flimsy either.
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The MAINGEAR Vector 2 essentially upgrades many of its components to its newer rendition. Below I’ve listed the comparison of major hardware components between the Vector and Vector 2.
Yes, you’ve read that correctly. The VECTOR 2 uses the desktop variant of the RTX 2060 versus it’s less-powerful, mobile counterpart. This makes a big difference in performance as the goal of playing TRIPLE AAA titles on higher settings is reachable.
An upgrade to the RAM from DDR4-2666 to DDR4-2933 makes a nice jump as well, with an open slot available if you wish to add another stick of RAM. The last major upgrade would be the doubling of storage. The 1TB NVMe SSD removes that worry of having to add and remove games occasionally and the VECTOR 2 also includes a second M.2 slot for adding even more storage.
You also see a processor upgrade to 10th Gen Intel with the i7-10750H 6-core processor.
The speakers output a nice clear sound at high volume. It’s pretty clear with very minimal distortion which I enjoy. While this attribute is sufficient for most games and videos, a gaming headset will be recommended if you need more directional audio.
Underneath the mesh cage house two 5V, 2.25A fans that efficiently expel heat from the device. Air flow can be felt strongly from the two vents on the side and the two vents in the rear. Like most gaming laptops, this does produce a hefty amount of noise under load but only under load.
The NODE control center also allows a FAN BOOST option to help cool the internals even more. On idle or light use (office application, browsing the web) you’ll hear little to no fan noise.
Gaming laptops are notorious for draining the battery, even when using light applications. Nvidia ® Optimus helps relieve this issue. The VECTOR 2 comes with a 4-cell 15.4V 4100mAh battery that can touch 5-6 hours with light use on Battery Saver mode. Light gaming will see a 1-2 hours on battery life.
The NODE Control Center is also really easy to use. From monitoring temps/fan control to changing the colors of your RGB Backlit keyboard, the software is there and very convenient. The software is also linked to the Performance Mode button I mentioned earlier, so you can cycle it from Office, Gaming, or Turbo modes with the single press of the button. More on the software here
The MAINGEAR Vector 2 would be a nice addition to anyone’s gaming arsenal. The battery life is surprisingly lengthy with normal applications such as Office or web browsers.
MAINGEAR’s decision to use the desktop variant of the RTX 2060 pays off with great performance. The 144hz panel just makes everything better. The Vector 2 is truly a sleek option for on-the-go gaming.
If you're coming from the desktop world and still would like to get an affordable mechanical keyboard and mouse to bring along, I'd recommend the Inland MK-S RGB Gaming Keyboard (Ten-Keyless) and Inland GM76 Gaming Mouse. Very affordable options with great quality for some intense gaming.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next review!
Kandore said: I had the same issue with my wifi, but this fixed it.https://help.maingear.com/article/70-wi-fi-fix-for-element-2020-and-vector-2020
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