CES 2024 is now coming to an end and it’s been a hectic week full of computer and gadget shows. Intel launched its laptop-focused Core Ultra processor ranges at the very end of 2023, so we expected a lot of the usual vendors to release gaming laptops with the Meteor Lake chip. In the end, there weren’t as many as we had hoped, but there is still plenty to be excited about.
The first thing you’ll notice is that almost all major laptop makers have announced at least one model powered by an Intel Core Ultra CPU, with the most notable exception being Gigabyte, which doesn’t use one at all. However, many of those that do are not marketed as gaming laptops.
While the integrated GPU in most of the Core Ultra lineup is good enough to handle entry-level gaming, you’re much better off considering PCs with at least an RTX 4060 or equivalent to ensure you get a decent gaming experience. experience you can enjoy.
Acer
So far, there is only one gaming laptop from Acer with Meteor Lake, the 16-inch Predator Trion Neo. Aside from the ridiculous name, it appears to be a solid laptop, although that depends on what configuration you can get. The highest spec version has a Core Ultra 9 185H, with six P cores, eight E cores, two LPE cores and a boost clock of up to 5.1 GHz. For graphics tasks you can use an RTX 4070, although it is unknown what power limit it will have.
As for RAM and storage, those details have yet to be confirmed, but we do know that the 16-inch display will have a 3.2K resolution (3200 x 2000 in a 16:10 ratio) and a 165 refresh rate Hz. The chassis is a fairly dull affair, but the keyboard offers the usual gaming-required RGB lighting.
Prices are expected to start at $1,499/€1,799 for the base model Predator Trion Neo 16. That seems a bit high compared to the competition, but if the amount of RAM and the size of the SSD are both decent, then it could be are worth considering.
Alienware
Dell announced two Core Ultra models under the Alienware brand, with the same name, at CES 2024 m16 R2 And x16 R2. The first is a major update to the original m16, with the chassis having a 15% smaller footprint while improving overall cooling. Like Acer’s offering, you can get up to a Core Ultra 9 185 and RTX 4070, with most markets getting up to 64GB dual-channel DDR5-5600 and 8TB NVMe dual SSDs.
The screen is QHD+ (2560 x 1600, 16:10) and offers a maximum refresh rate of 240 Hz. To make this all work on the go, there’s a 90Wh battery that can be charged to 80% capacity in 35 minutes.
On paper, the x16 R2 is very similar to the m16, as the CPU, screen and storage options are all the same. However, where the m16 excels with a 115W RTX 4070, the x16 can be configured to have a 175W RTX 4090. You won’t be able to go crazy with the RAM though, as the maximum is 32GB. Fortunately, the LPDDR5X-7467 is the most expensive model, which is plenty fast enough for gaming.
The m16 R2 will launch with a base price of $1,699.99, but additional configurations will become available later in the year with the entry-level model costing $1,499. The x16 R2, on the other hand, starts at $2,099.99 with a 140W RTX 4060 and only gets more expensive.
PK
Like Acer, HP has only announced one gaming laptop with Meteor Lake and that is the Omen exceeds 14. Configurations are very similar to the others we’ve seen: a choice of a Core Ultra 7 155H or Core Ultra 9 185H. These CPUs are exactly the same inside, differing only in terms of base power (24W vs. 45W) and maximum boost clock (4.8 vs. 5.1GHz).
Rendering duties are handled by an RTX 4050, 4060 or 4070 GPU, but HP hasn’t said what the power limits are. RAM and storage options are pretty decent, with 16GB LPDDR5X-7467 and a 512GB SSD being the minimum, although we would have liked 1TB to be the smallest drive on offer.
The 14-inch OLED screen is 2.8K (2880 x 1800, 26:20 ratio) with a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz. That’s a lot lower than the others, but the fact that it’s OLED should compensate for that. Power is provided by a relatively small 71Wh battery, but this comes with a 140W USB-C charger, which is said to restore 50% of the battery charge in 30 minutes.
And yes, there is an RGB keyboard. Naturally. The Omen Transcend 14 has a starting price of $1,499.99 and if the power limit for those RTX GPUs is on the higher end of the spectrum, it could be a bit of a winner.
MSI
It’s fair to say that MSI went somewhat overboard with new laptop models at CES, refreshing virtually its entire portfolio of portable PCs. Unfortunately, almost all of them are plastered with an AI name, just to make sure you never forget that 2024 is the year of the AI ​​PC.
Anyway, the first in the gaming series is the Cyborg 15AI. There won’t be many variants of this model and they will all use the same CPU, the Core Ultra 7 155H. This processor seems to be the most common among all Meteor Lake laptops, not just gaming laptops.
For graphics tasks you have a choice between a 45W RTX 4050 or RTX 4060, but since the former only has 6GB of VRAM there’s really only one option (hint: it’s not the 4050). However, a 45W 4060 will unfortunately not give you the best gaming performance.
RAM will max out at 64GB, but there’s no indication on the minimum on offer, nor what the SSD options will look like. The IPS panel is a fairly standard 1080p 144Hz affair, but that suits the RTX 4060 just fine, so it shouldn’t be a problem. However, the battery is only 53.5 Wh, which is a bit on the small side for a 2 kg laptop.
Meteor Lake also appears in the new Pulse 16/17 AI range. Curiously, both models have IPS displays with the same resolution and refresh rate (2560 x 1440, 240 Hz), but why MSI decided the 17-inch version was necessary is unclear.
You can choose from a Core Ultra 9 185H processor and a 140W RTX 4060 or 4070 GPU. Memory will again top out at 64GB, but where the Cyborg only has one M.2 slot (so make sure you don’t buy one with a small SSD), both Pulse models come with two. The batteries are also much better, with a capacity of 90Wh and MSI supplies these laptops with 240W chargers.
At 2.5 and 2.8 kg respectively, the Pulse 16/17 AI laptops are big old things. Pricing isn’t clear at the moment, but given the Pulse’s beefy specs, it won’t be cheap. On the other hand, the Cyborg doesn’t offer high-end, power-hungry hardware, so it may end up being quite reasonably priced. But a 45W RTX? Um, that’s a no from me.