by CES 2024 is coming to a close and it’s been a hectic week of computing and gadget exhibits. Intel launched its laptop-focused Core Ultra series of processors in late 2023, so we expected to see a good number of mainstream vendors launching gaming laptops with the Meteor Lake chip. In the end, there weren’t as many as we expected to see, but still, there’s a lot to get excited about.
The first thing to note is that almost every major laptop manufacturer announced at least one model equipped with an Intel Core Ultra CPU, with the most notable exception being Gigabyte, which doesn’t use it at all. However, many of those that do are not marketed as gaming laptops.
While the integrated GPU in most of the Core Ultra line 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 can enjoy a decent gaming experience. .
Acer
So far, there is only one Acer gaming laptop with Meteor Lake, the 16-inch. Trion Neo Predator. Goofy name aside, it appears to be a solid laptop, although that will depend on the configuration you can get. The highest-spec version will have 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 get up to an RTX 4070, though 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 16:10 ratio) and a refresh rate 165Hz. The chassis is quite dull, but the keyboard offers the usual RGB lighting required in gaming.
Prices are expected to start at $1,499/€1,799 for the base model Predator Trion Neo 16. That seems a little high, compared to the competition, but if the amount of RAM and SSD size are decent, then it could be worth it. worth considering.
Alienware
Dell announced two Core Ultra models under its Alienware brand at CES 2024, the similarly named m16 R2 and x16R2. The first is a significant update to the original m16, with a chassis that takes up 15% less space while improving overall cooling. Like Acer’s offering, you’ll be able to get up to a Core Ultra 9 185 and RTX 4070 inside, and most markets will get up to 64GB of dual-channel DDR5-5600 and 8TB of dual NVMe SSDs.
The screen will be QHD+ (2560 x 1600, 16:10) and will offer a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. To keep all of this running while you’re on the go, there’s a 90Wh battery that can be charged to 80% capacity in 35 minutes.
On paper, the x16 R2 looks a lot like the m16, as the CPU, display, and storage options are all the same. However, where the m16 maxes out with a 115W RTX 4070, the x16 can be configured to boast a 175W RTX 4090. You won’t be able to go crazy with the RAM, however, as the maximum is 32GB . Fortunately, it’s LPDDR5X-7467 for the more expensive model, and it’s fast enough for gaming.
The m16 R2 will launch with a base price of $1,699.99, but additional configurations will be available later in the year and the entry-level model will cost $1,499. The x16 R2, on the other hand, will start at $2,099.99 with a 140W RTX 4060 and will only get more expensive.
horsepower
Like Acer, HP only announced one gaming laptop with Meteor Lake and it is the Omen transcends 14. The configurations are very similar to the others we have seen: the option of Core Ultra 7 155H or Core Ultra 9 185H. These CPUs are exactly the same inside and only differ in terms of base power (24W vs 45W) and maximum boost clock (4.8 vs 5.1GHz).
Rendering duties will be 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 the minimum being 16GB of LPDDR5X-7467 and a 512GB SSD, although we would have liked 1TB to be the smallest drive on offer.
The 14-inch OLED display is 2.8K (2880 x 1800, 26:20 ratio) with a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. That’s a little lower than the others, but the fact that it’s OLED should make up for it. Power is supplied by a relatively small 71Wh battery, but it will come with a 140W USB-C charger, which is claimed to restore 50% of the battery’s charge in 30 minutes.
And yes, there is an RGB keyboard. Naturally. The Omen Transcend 14 will start at $1,499.99 and if the power cap for those RTX GPUs is on the higher end of the spectrum, it could be a bit of a winner.
M: YES
It’s fair to say that MSI went a little overboard with the new laptop models at CES and virtually its entire portfolio of laptop PCs was refreshed. Unfortunately, almost everyone has been covered with an AI moniker, just to make sure you never forget that 2024 is the year of the AI PC.
Anyway, first on the list of games is the Cyborg 15 AI. There won’t be too 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 ones.
For graphics tasks, you’ll be able to choose between a 45W RTX 4050 or an RTX 4060, but since the former only has 6GB of VRAM, there’s really only one option (hint: it’s not the 4050). Still, unfortunately a 45W 4060 won’t give you the best gaming performance.
RAM will max out at 64GB, but there’s no indication of the minimum offered or what the SSD options will be like. The IPS panel is a pretty standard 1080p 144Hz, but it matches the RTX 4060 very well, so it shouldn’t be a problem. However, the battery is only 53.5Wh, and for a 2kg laptop, that’s a bit small.
Meteor Lake also appears in the new Pulse 16/17 AI range. Interestingly, both models have IPS displays with the same resolution and refresh rate (2560 x 1440, 240Hz), but it’s unclear why MSI decided the 17-inch version was necessary.
You’ll be able to select up to a Core Ultra 9 185H processor and a 140W RTX 4060 or 4070 GPU. Memory will again max out at 64GB, but while the Cyborg only has an 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 as they have a capacity of 90Wh and MSI ships these laptops with 240W chargers.
At 2.5 and 2.8kg respectively, the Pulse 16/17 AI laptops are heavy things. Pricing is unclear at the moment, but given the Pulse’s solid specs, it won’t be cheap. On the other hand, the Cyborg doesn’t feature cutting-edge, power-hungry hardware, so it may end up being quite reasonably priced. But a 45W RTX? Umm, that’s a no from me.
