Hi, long time lurker here, first time review poster.
Before I was introduced to ILLEGEAR, I was honestly unaware that a laptop could be customizable because to my knowledge, unlike desktops; everything is built-in and the only upgrade option is to buy a totally new laptop as the “upgrade”. Then I came across with ILLEGEAR and although the ability for the customization is there, the price is well beyond my reach last time during my survey way back in 2015 I think. But lo and behold, I discovered the availability of ILLEGEAR Q5 EVO, with a tantalising starting price for a gaming laptop (RM3,999 with the default specs). I’m not sure if this is advertised in the ILLEGEAR website (got this info from their FB message) but it is actually possible to supply our own components to incorporate into the laptop body & can bring down the price even further! I then proceed to send them with my M.2 and RAM sticks for a final price of RM4,237 for a gaming laptop with i7-7700HQ AND GTX 1050TI 4Gb, which is unheard of! By doing so, I managed to maximize the CPU and GPU but still having the final price to be within my budget. I'll save some more to upgrade the RAM and SSD of this laptop in the future, the Q5 EVO has two M.2 slots which is nice for future expansion. I was quite worried regarding the shipping process because I selected the free GDEX courier option (I live in Shah Alam and it’s quite troublesome for me to travel to just to collect the laptop) but thankfully, the laptop arrived in pristine condition (thank you ILLEGEAR for padding the laptop excessively!).
First impressions - The build quality and IPS screen are simply astounding. I was expecting a "budget-gaming" classification would result in cutting corners on the build, but happily I was wrong. The black anodized aluminium material on the screen back cover complemented the laptop chassis nicely and despite the size of the laptop (screen is 15.6"), it does feel lighter than expected. Probably because of the material used on the palm rest and the laptop bottom(it's solid (doesn't feel quite hollow when knocked on) but I guess it's plastic, very solid though). The RGB keyboard is something else, though. I tried snapping a couple pics but the pictures don’t really reflect on how vibrant and colourful it is. I’m still meddling on the settings on whether to put in on constant Rainbow mode/a set of customized colours, but the matte finish on the keypads are a nice touch!
Regarding the performance; I’ve tested the unit using Witcher 3 (The GOTY Edition) and surprisingly, it can run quite smoothly with High to Ultra settings applied, I noticed that the fan speed does increase during the gameplay but the fan noise is not really discernible in normal environment. I heard it can also be maximized manually in MyApps centre, but I’m not sure how necessary it is. Maybe the sifus here can advise on the requirements when is it necessary to max the fan speed? The cooling performance of the Q5 EVO is, in short, magnificent. Initially I was quite sceptical in terms of heat dissipation because unlike other ILLEGEAR laptops, Q5 EVO doesn't come with IC Diamond (it uses its own stock thermal paste instead). But my worries were instantly relinquished when I found out that the GPU temperature peaked at 70°C - 75°C only during heavy load. The speakers on the Q5 EVO also performed better than expected. The volume can go quite loud but at the same time, no crackles can be heard from the speakers. A tip that I find quite useful is to perform some optimizations on the Sound Blaster to adjust the sound output according to your preference. One thing that I would like to point out is the Windows default setting that should be configured upon purchase. By using default settings (in Windows power saving) gaming performance would be hampered, until the FPS dropping down to 30fps. I would suggest to opt for “High performance” mode/plug in the AC line to keep the performance at optimum.
One minor gripe that I would like to point out is regarding the I/O ports. Well, two actually:
i) Unavailability of MiniDisplay/Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. External display option for this laptop is only limited to a single HDMI output only. But at least it's a full-sized one (no converter necessary) but I'm afraid a multi-monitor output is not possible. Oh well
ii) No USB ports on the left side. I'm a left-handed person and I personally am more comfortable in plugging my USB peripherals on the left side of the laptop whenever there is an option. The complete absence of a single I/O port on the left side of this laptop frustrates me a little bit, but I'll have to try to make the best of it in the long run.
Overall, I would give this laptop a rating of 9.5/10. Highly recommended based on the build quality and customization options with the incredible price/performance ratio. Thank you very much ILLEGEAR for the amazing service provided, very satisfying purchase experience!
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