What you should know:
The Maingear Nomad 17 starts at $1,579, but our tricked-out configuration came in at $2,099, and included an Intel Core i7-3740QM CPU and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 680M GPU. By way of comparison, a nearly identically configured Origin Eon17-S laptop comes out to just about the same price (with one year of warranty coverage for each).
This is not a sexy laptop. Despite the glossy red lid and the brushed-metal accents, it screams mid-'00s.
One bright spot is that the Nomad 17's top lid comes with your choice of colors, all done in automotive paint the company says uses "the exact same materials found on supercars around the world from Ferrari, Porsche, and others," at no extra charge.
The Maingear Nomad 17 starts at $1,579, but our tricked-out configuration came in at $2,099, and included an Intel Core i7-3740QM CPU and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 680M GPU. By way of comparison, a nearly identically configured Origin Eon17-S laptop comes out to just about the same price (with one year of warranty coverage for each).
This is not a sexy laptop. Despite the glossy red lid and the brushed-metal accents, it screams mid-'00s.
One bright spot is that the Nomad 17's top lid comes with your choice of colors, all done in automotive paint the company says uses "the exact same materials found on supercars around the world from Ferrari, Porsche, and others," at no extra charge.
Price: $2,099 / $1,579
Processor: 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-3820QM
Memory: 8GB, 1,600MHz DDR3
Hard drive: 750GB 7,200rpm
Chipset: Intel HM77GraphicsNvidia GeForce GTX 680M / Intel HD4000
Dimensions: (WD)11.4x16.9 inchesHeight2.1 inches
Screen size: (diagonal)17.3 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter: 8.4 pounds / 10.7 pounds
Category: Desktop replacement
What it offers:
A hefty investment if nicely configured, the Maingear Nomad 17 delivers for serious gaming, although the look may not be for everyone.The keys are deep and widely spaced, making them good for PC gaming, where many games rely on not only the WASD keys for control, but also the spacebar and left Shift and Ctrl buttons. The large touch pad is a decent size for a desktop-replacement laptop, but it is an older-style pad, with separate left and right mouse buttons, rather than the buttonless clickpad design seen in so many current laptops.
The advantage:
The Maingear Nomad 17 offers fast performance and deep configuration options, and Maingear has a great rep for support.
The unfavorable:
A $2,000 laptop really needs a better keyboard and touch pad, and a less generic body.
Source
A hefty investment if nicely configured, the Maingear Nomad 17 delivers for serious gaming, although the look may not be for everyone.The keys are deep and widely spaced, making them good for PC gaming, where many games rely on not only the WASD keys for control, but also the spacebar and left Shift and Ctrl buttons. The large touch pad is a decent size for a desktop-replacement laptop, but it is an older-style pad, with separate left and right mouse buttons, rather than the buttonless clickpad design seen in so many current laptops.
The advantage:
The Maingear Nomad 17 offers fast performance and deep configuration options, and Maingear has a great rep for support.
The unfavorable:
A $2,000 laptop really needs a better keyboard and touch pad, and a less generic body.
Source
