REVIEW: ILLEGEAR RAVEN
Disclaimer: This review is not sponsored. Just gotten my new laptop and first time writing a review. Don’t bash my writing. XD

Malaysian just loves a good deal don’t they? In this case, Illegear Raven seems to prove a point. This laptop has becomes so darn enticing with its flashing neon colorful keyboard. As my current laptop grows old and forgotten by recently launched games, I can’t help but wonder if I should invest in a machine and actually forgetting I have a job to go to after I start playing on such competent specs for the newest games with awesome, awesome graphics!!!

Anyhow, I’ve managed to gotten ahold of an Illegear Raven with the following specs:-

Display: 15.6" Full HD Anti-glare Display featuring IPS / AHVA Wide Color & Wide View (1920 x 1080)
Processor: 7th Gen. Intel® Core™ i5-7300HQ (6MB Cache, 2.50GHz to 3.50GHz)
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5 with Optimus (Pascal)
Keyboard: Mechanical N-Key Rollover Gaming Keyboard with Per-key RGB
RAM: 8GB DDR4 RAM 2400MHz - 1 X 8GB
1st M.2 Solid State Drive: 128GB Samsung PM961 M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive
2nd M.2 Solid State Drive: None
1st 2.5" SATA Drive: 1TB 7200rpm Hitachi Hard Drive
2nd M.2 Solid State Drive: None
Wireless Network Card: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 2x2 M.2 - WLAN & Bluetooth 4.2 Combo
Operating System: Windows 10 Home Single Language 64-Bit Edition
Accessories: ILLEGEAR Velvet Sleeve, Power Cord & 150W AC Adapter

EXTERIOR
Design and built

The design of the Raven is quite simple and there was really nothing to shout about. I was glad to point out at this moment that Illegear actually removed the red strips design from the top section of the keyboard and it’d actually looked a lot better without it. The entirely black colored laptop is now presentable for office use.

Overall, the design is acceptable for entry-level gaming laptop in my opinion. The laptop looks of a matte UV body with aluminum feel on back cover but it is actually much sturdier than it actually looks.

Display

Generally, the display is quite bright. There was an option for a 4K screen which will be glossy instead of matte. For practical gaming, matte seems to be the better option as the glossy screen will be reflective of what’s going behind which distracts me during a game. However, for design purposes, 4K screen offers the higher resolution which can be beneficial for designers. Too bad I’m not one.
Another feature for Illegear’s laptops are their option for Professional Color Calibration. I’ve found out that we can actually switch between the default color profile that comes with Windows and Illegear’s calibrated color profile. Surprisingly, I prefer the much vibrant feel coming from Illegear’s color profile rather than a duller and warmer lighting of the default profile. Something to consider getting as an option.

Keyboard

I really have no words for the per-key RGB mechanical keyboard. Never seen anything like this. I guess these features are usually out of my budget range.
After going through the configurations, I found all the different effects and the colorful options really lovely. And it really, really makes my day feels a lot more brighter. It’s a girl’s thing.

Utilizing the per key RGB keyboard for my basic gaming keys configuration. Looks awesome doesn’t it?
Typing wise, the tickity tack sounds of the keyboard makes it fun to actually type long long long contents. However, I totally wouldn’t advise it if you work in a pin drop silent office. You can’t imagine the looks you get alllll day.
I was told that there is a Version 2 of the keyboard but it seems like the sides of the keys does not emit LED lights like my current one. In that sense, I believe the new version will be well suited for professionals who do not prefer the flashy keyboard.

Touchpad
Design of the touchpad is quite interesting. Feels like I could use it as a compartment or some sort for all my knick knacks like pins and paper clips. Now that’s practical! The feel of the pad itself is quite average even though it is quite responsive.

Speakers

Tried plenty of sounds through Raven’s speakers. Everything sounds crisp clear. Have heard of several complaints on the soft volume. However, I actually didn’t find it soft at all. Perhaps I’m in a quiet room but it makes sense that if I’m actually in a noisy environment, I tend to go for my earphones anyways. So it didn’t really reduce the points for me.

Cooling

I noticed that there are 2 vents at the rear section of the laptop. They are pretty cool looking and they seem to function well during games. However, the fan can be quite obvious. I have actually heard louder ones. I guess I can’t really compare it though since my previous laptop isn’t a gaming laptop. But really, it doesn’t bother me too much since I use headphones during gaming.

PERFORMANCE
Gaming
I’ve tried my favourite game on the Raven. Overwatch!!! It is the first freaking time that I see such detailed graphics for this game. On my previous laptop, I had to compromise my settings to the lowest and you can never get to see all that details and little things in the maps. With this graphic card, I became sooo engrossed in exploring the maps as if seeing it for the first time again. HAHA.

Performance-wise, I really have no complains. It is not lag at all and no screen tearing. None of that means I can actually play A LOT better. Success rate 100%

Fan is running quite softly eventhough I have played for hours. The laptop also felt only a slight tinge of warmness on the top section but I find that the cooling system actually quite satisfying.

Youtube
I actually go on YouTube and iFlix a lot but seems like there were no bad experiences at all whilst youtubing or watching movies on the Raven. Good to go in this part.

Multitask
I tried multitasking with 3 applications at one time including Overwatch, streaming using OBS Studio and Installation of Dynasty Warriors 8. The memory was around 62%, CPU 12% and GPU 29%. Overall, seems like it is processing power is quite sufficient for my terms of heavy usage.

ACCESSORIES
Fang Mouse

The feel of the mouse shape feels odd at first. But somehow, it manages to feel alright after some time. Loved the RGB on the design very much but too bad the colours doesn’t sync with the keyboard. If they added that feature in, it will become even more AWESOME! The mouse is quite affordable for its high specifications. Would definitely recommend this to others.

Backpack
Impressive built of the backpack even though I wasn’t expecting it. Design is simple but zippers on the front are useful. As a female who brings a lot of stuff in her purse, this backpack is very adequate for my usage.

Sleeve
The velvet sleeve seems to be sewed together quite nicely. May have a rough headstart to put the sleeve on and off. Probably because I don’t usually use one. Wait, normally we don't even get one when purchasing new laptop. That's nice of Illegear to give us something so useful to take care of the laptop. Especially when I'm so clumsy. Haha. I really started appreciating the practically of the sleeve to actually prevent my laptop from collecting dust.

[Updated on 20/02/2018]

This post has been edited by mpenziwe: Mar 10 2018, 01:51 PM

Reserved for future updates

[UPDATE: 6th March 2018]

It's been about a month. So far so good. Didn't encounter any problems with the laptop.

XD Updating with some new screenshot. Tried Fortnite on it because my previous laptop couldn't support and always lag. Finally get to play Fortnite smoothly!!!









More Overwatch. Chinese New Year decoratives!!! ;P





This post has been edited by mpenziwe: Mar 10 2018, 10:23 AM

When I purchased, this spec was RM4797.

No, I haven't tried PUBG...because I'm still contemplating whether I should. The system requirements for PUBG for high settings is i7 GTX1060.
Mine is only GTX1050Ti but I believe should be able to run medium settings. Still good. As long as smooth.

Still considering if I should buy PUBG though : /
Wait for sale perhaps?

This post has been edited by mpenziwe: Mar 10 2018, 01:58 PM

Hi chenwfng,
The raven has been serving me very well, the cooling system is way better than my previous laptop. The only issue I have is the velvet sleeve attract dust easily due to the material used, sorry for being OCD

Hi xCM, when i bought this laptop last year Illegear only has 1 type of 60hz screen. Now the website is offering 144hz Ips for upgrade, i wish i could have that option because I play a lot of Fps games

I am using normal Raven

They are rubberized grip, very comfortable holding.

Yes agree!!! I usually play with a bunch of guys!

No, i do not have any battery or vertical line problem.

No. The palm rest is cold and comfortable even in gaming.

The laptop is still performing very well, no major quirks to report here

I wanted to send in the laptop to Illegear for dust cleaning but I've no time to do so. Even though the machine is getting a bit dusty now, I have yet to experience any heating issues with the laptop, which is a huge plus for me.

I can say that the looks have aged quite a bit (design-wise) but there's no notable flaw as per my usage. I'm now eyeing towards the new Prodigy model from them as well, looks very sleek IMO!