Main specs:
A few notes before reading:
1. This is a quick review; thus, not everything will be covered in here
2. This review will mainly focus on thermals instead of performance
3. I will often compare this model with its smaller brother – Onyx

Product page: Illegear Selenite 9th gen, Illegear Selenite

Part 1: Build quality, input devices
Build quality is excellent overall, only just slightly behind Onyx. The lid has aluminium brush on top of it. There is only little flex when force is applied at the center. There is some flex when the lid is twisted, but not as much compared to Onyx. The lid has a bit of wobbling. You can open the lid with 1 hand. The body is all hard-plastic+soft touch build. Despite that, there is no flex on the entire keyboard deck and it cannot be twisted with force.

The mechanical keyboard (GENESWITCH v2, cap 2, brown switch) has low actuation force (slightly lower than the one in Onyx) and 2mm key travel. The switches are surprisingly quiet when pressed. Should be usable in quiet conditions such as in library. There is one complaint: The keycaps have some wobbling which makes typing a little uncomfortable (update: another unit doesn't have wobbling keycaps). Like the Raven, the layout is a bit special (especially right CTRL and SHIFT keys) and I can sometimes mistype the up key when trying to press right shift. You can set the effect, brightness and speed of the keyboard lighting via the Control Center software.

The large Clickpad has Precision driver. The plastic surface has satisfactory smoothness but can be a bit rough when you have wet/oily fingers. Like the Onyx, you can disable the clickpad by double tapping the left top corner of the clickpad. The L/R click feel is OK, nothing special. Take note that the clickpad is located directly below the space bar; therefore, it’s aligned more to the left side. One minor issue: The clickpad has some noise when tapped hard on it.

Part 2: Display, Audio, Battery
The display is a 144Hz IPS panel from BOE (display ID BOE07B6). As you can expect from a high refresh rate panel, everything feels smooth. It gets bright enough, colours are vibrant and has good contrast.

The 2 down firing speakers has good audio (with a bit of bass too); however, you need to tune the audio via Sound Blaster software (otherwise the sound quality is terrible). Tuned audio profile: Music profile, bass 0, treble 3, surround 80, crystalizer 50, bass 40, smart vol 0, dialog+ off. Volume is a bit soft/quiet. Overall, the sound quality is slightly worse than the one in Onyx (with tuned audio profile too).

I don’t have time to test the battery life, however don’t expect much from the 46.74Wh battery.

Part 3: Cooling performance
The cooling design consists of 3 heatpipes with 1 shared on CPU+GPU. The heatsink is stretched to both left and right.

Notes on all thermal testing:
CPU Undervolt profile: -100mv on core and cache
Blue highlighted part is CPU undervolted result

CPU temp - Cinebench R15 multi core
Max 95C, ~3.4-3.6GHz, ~80W
Max 95C, 3.8-3.9GHz, 82-85W, 1200+cb
Almost full fans for both

CPU temp - Aida64 FPU 70W
Max 90C, 3.0-3.1GHz
Max 90C, 3.3-3.4GHz
Almost max fans for both

GPU temp - Unigine Valley (extreme HD profile)
Clock speed fluctuates, at least 100MHz higher than boost clock (1440MHz)
Max 75C, max 125W
Slightly reduced fans (compared to almost max fans)

FPU (with undervolt) + Valley (extreme HD) with max fans
CPU: Max 94C, 3.0-3.1GHz, ~50W
GPU: Max 75C, same clock speed behaviour, ~120W

Apex Legends 1080p all max, 6GB budget, 90 FOV (with undervolt)
Mid 70s, clock speed fluctuates at 3+GHz, 20-25W (see video below for explanation of the clock speed fluctuation)
GPU: Max 75C, clock speed fluctuates mostly sit at 1500-1600MHz range, 115+W
Slightly reduced fans

Unigine Valley benchmark (extreme HD, 1 run only)
FPS: 95.9
Score: 4011

The chassis stay quite cool when it’s under load. Core temp differential is ~10C

In Illegear Command Center, there are 2 modes to choose from: Game mode or office mode. Office mode gives you access to control fan speed but has a 35W CPU power limit.

There are also 4 power profiles to choose from:
Here's a good video on how all the power setting works. Very informative. Basically, just keep it to game mode and equilibrium

The included power adapter is a 230W unit from Chicony. Take note that temps might be a little higher when running dual channel memory.

Part 4: Miscellaneous
The laptop is very portable for a 17-inch gaming laptop while not sacrificing thickness for cooling room – 2.35kg and 25mm thickness. The footprint is also relatively small, just like typical 15 inch device.

You need to press about 2 seconds to power on the laptop.

For the pictures of positioning of ports, cooling solution etc, you can refer Notebookcheck review on XMG Neo 17

Other settings in Illegear Command Center:

Update: i7-9750H model


Update: 2080MQ model


Conclusion: Well-cooled and well-built 17 inch RTX light weight gaming laptop

Pros:
Cons:

UPDATE: revisited with 2070MQ GPU, click here

Main specs:
A few notes before reading:
1. This is a quick review; thus, not everything will be covered in here
2. This review will mainly focus on thermals instead of performance
3. I will often compare this model with its bigger brother – Selenite

Product page: Illegear Onyx 9th gen, Illegear Onyx

Part 1: Build quality, input devices
Build quality is excellent. If I had to nit-pick, I wish the chassis could be a bit thicker not only for more rigid feel (not to say that it’s flimsy) but also for better cooling performance. The lid has aluminium brush on top of it. There is only little flex when force is applied at the center. There is some flex when the lid is twisted due to the thinness. The lid is a bit wobbling but not a big deal. You can open the lid with 1 hand. The body is all metal build. There is no flex on the entire keyboard deck and it cannot be twisted with force. It feels slightly more solid compared to Selenite.

The mechanical keyboard (GENESWITCH v2, cap 2, brown switch) has low actuation force (slightly higher than the one in Selenite) and 2.8mm key travel. The switches are surprisingly quiet when pressed. Should be usable in quiet conditions such as in library. Like the Raven, the layout is a bit special (especially right CTRL and SHIFT keys) and I can sometimes mistype the up key when trying to press right shift. You can set the effect, brightness and speed of the keyboard lighting via Illegear Command Center.

The Clickpad has Precision driver. The plastic surface has satisfactory smoothness but can be a bit rough when you have wet/oily fingers. Like the Selenite, you can disable the clickpad by double tapping the left top corner of the clickpad. The L/R click feel is OK, nothing special. One thing to note is, the clickpad is aligned slightly to the right of the keyboard space bar which makes it more centralized.

Part 2: Display, Audio, Battery
The display is a 144Hz IPS panel from BOE (display ID BOE07AF). As you can expect from a high refresh rate panel, everything feels smooth. It gets bright enough, colours are vibrant, has low response times and good contrast.

The 2 down firing speakers has good audio (with a bit of bass too); however, you need to tune the audio via Sound Blaster software (otherwise the sound quality is terrible). Tuned audio profile: Music profile, bass 0, treble 3, surround 80, crystalizer 50, bass 40, smart vol 0, dialog+ off. Volume is a bit soft/quiet. Overall, the sound quality is slightly richer than the one in Selenite (with tuned audio profile too).

I don’t have time to test the battery life, however don’t expect much from the 46.74Wh battery.

Part 3: Cooling performance
The cooling design consists of 3 heatpipes with 2 shared on CPU+GPU. The heatsink is stretched to both left and right.

Notes on all thermal testing:
CPU Undervolt profile: -100mv on core and cache
Blue highlighted part is CPU undervolted result

CPU temp - Cinebench R15 multi core
Max 95C, 3.6-3.7GHz, 81-84W
Almost max fans
Max 90C, 3.9GHz, ~75W, 1150+cb
Slightly reduced fans (compared to almost max fans)

CPU temp - Aida64 FPU 70W
Max 90C, 3.0-3.1GHz
Max 90C, 3.3-3.4GHz
Almost max fans for both

GPU temp - Unigine Valley (extreme HD profile)
Clock speed fluctuates, about 100-500MHz higher than boost clock (1200MHz)
Max 74C, max 95W
Slightly reduced fans

FPU (with undervolt) + Valley (extreme HD) with max fans
CPU: Max 95C, 3.0-3.2GHz, 49-52W
GPU: Max 78C, same clock speed behaviour, max 85W

Apex Legends 1080p all max, 6GB budget, 90 FOV (with undervolt)
CPU: Max 86C, clock speed fluctuates - 3.0-3.9GHz, 24-33W (see video below for explanation of the clock speed fluctuation)
GPU: Max 77C, +100-200MHz, max 85W
Slightly reduced fans

Unigine Valley benchmark (extreme HD, 1 run only)
FPS: 75.6
Score: 3164

The chassis will get warm (upper part – keyboard area, and bottom part) when it’s under load. However, the bottom part doesn’t get quite as hot as most reviews said (60+C). Maybe it’s due to the low ambient temp. Core temp differential is ~7C.

In Illegear Command Center, there are 2 modes to choose from: Game mode or office mode. Office mode gives you access to control fan speed but has a 35W CPU power limit.

There are also 4 power profiles to choose from:
Here's a good video on how all the power setting works. Very informative. Basically, just keep it to game mode and equilibrium

The included power adapter is an 180W unit from FSP. Take note that temps might be a little higher when running dual channel memory.

Part 4: Miscellaneous
The laptop is thin and light – 1.95kg and 20mm thickness. The footprint is also relatively small.

You need to press about 2 seconds to power on the laptop.

For the pictures of positioning of ports, cooling solution etc, you can refer Notebookcheck review on XMG Neo 15

Other settings in Illegear Command Center:

Update: i7-9750H with RTX 2060 and 63Wh battery
Main specs:
Battery life test:
Settings: YT 720p video with Chrome (force iGPU), 25% screen brightness, disabled turbo, stock undervolt, best battery mode, no RGB lights, minimal background process
Result: Lasted around 5 hours

Notes:
1. BIOS N.1.52, EC 2.04.09
2. GPU driver tested is 430.64
3. This model gets the new Illegear Command Center with GPU boost feature
4. 2060 model will also get 230W Chicony charger for 9th gen CPU
5. Other notes from previous thermal testing that are not mentioned also apply here
6. To get best performance+thermal result for GPU, you need to undervolt GPU and use turbo mode

Undervolt profile: CPU core+cache -100mv. You can undervolt GPU if you want, but it takes time. Blue highlighted part is the undervolted result.

CPU temp - Cinebench R15 multi core (1 run)
Max 91C, ~85W, ~4GHz, max fans, 1250+cb
Max 87C, 77-78W, 4GHz, ~52-54dBA, 1250+cb

CPU temp - Aida64 FPU 70W
Max 90C, 3.2GHz
Max 88C, 3.3-3.4GHz
Max fans

GPU temp - Unigine Valley (extreme HD profile with turbo mode)
Clock speed fluctuates: 1650+MHz
Max 81C, max fans, ~80W

FPU + Valley (extreme HD) with max fans
CPU (UV): Max 95C, 2.9-3GHz, 45-47W
GPU: Max 80C, clock speed fluctuates: at least +100MHz from turbo clock (1200MHz), ~80W

FPU + Valley (extreme HD+turbo) with max fans
CPU (UV): Max 95C, 2.4-2.5GHz, ~31W
GPU: Max 86C, 1550+MHz

Apex Legends all max, 6GB VRAM, 90 FOV
CPU (UV): Max 85C, 3-4GHz, 24-33W
GPU: Max 76C, clock speed fluctuates: at least +100MHz from turbo clock, ~80W
~50dBA

Apex Legends all max, 6GB VRAM, 90 FOV with turbo mode
CPU (UV): Max 92C, max 3.9GHz (fluctuate), 26-32W
GPU: Max 86C, 1560+MHz
Max fans

Time Spy (Turbo mode, 1 run):
Score: 6365, Graphics: 6753

Fire Strike (Turbo mode, 1 run):
Score: 13377, Graphics: 17296

Conclusion: Decent thin and light RTX laptop

Pros:
Cons:

Main specs:
This is a quick review; thus, not everything will be covered in here. Also, this review will mainly focus on thermals instead of performance.

Product page: Illegear Rogue

Part 1: Build quality, input devices
Build quality is good overall. The plastic lid has some flex on the middle of the lid cover when force is applied. Twisting the lid is possible but the flex isn’t too bad. The lid is noticeably wobbling – probably due to QC. You can barely open the lid with single hand.

The body uses all plastic build (soft touch). Despite that, there is little to flex on the entire keyboard+palm rest. Most flex is at the part between keyboard and clickpad, but the amount of flex is very little. There is some flex at the bottom bezel when being pressed in.

The membrane keyboard has a bit of mushiness. Key travel is ~1.7mm, actuation force is 55-60g. You can set the effect, brightness and speed of the keyboard lighting via Illegear Command Center.

The Precision clickpad has plastic surface and it’s slightly elevated to the back. Wet fingers will result in rough surface. Movements are quite precise. The L/R clicks requires moderate pressure to be pressed and the click noise is OK. Not bad overall. You can disable the clickpad by double tapping the left top corner of the clickpad.

Part 2: Display, Audio, Battery
The display is the same 144Hz IPS panel found in Selenite - BOE07B6. As you can expect from a high refresh rate panel, everything feels smooth. It gets bright enough, colours are vibrant and has good contrast.

The 2 down firing speakers has good enough audio only if you tune the audio via Sound Blaster software.

Example of a tuned audio profile: Bass 0, treble 6, surround 80, crystalizer 90, bass 20, smart vol 80 dialog+ 60. Volume is a bit soft/quiet.

I don’t have time to test the battery life, however don’t expect much from the 46.74Wh battery (there is optional 63Wh upgrade which sacrifices 2.5 inch bay).

Part 3: Cooling performance
The cooling design consists of 3 heatpipes with 1 shared on CPU+GPU (same with Selenite). The heatsink is stretched to both left and right.

Notes on all thermal testing:
Undervolt profile: CPU core+cache -100mv. You can undervolt GPU if you want, but it takes time. Blue highlighted part is the undervolted result.

CPU temp - Cinebench R15 multi core (1 run)
Max 88C, 74-75W, 3.8-3.9GHz, 1230+cb
Max 87C, 74-75W, 1280+cb
~38dBA

CPU temp - Aida64 FPU 60W
Max 82C, 3.05GHz
Max 82C, 3.2GHz
~35dBA

GPU temp - Unigine Valley (extreme HD profile)
Clock speed fluctuates: at least +100MHz higher than boost clock (1590MHz)
Max 67C, ~80W
~34dBA

GPU temp - Unigine Valley (extreme HD profile with turbo mode)
Clock speed fluctuates: at least +200MHz higher than boost clock
Max 75C
~36dBA

FPU + Valley (extreme HD+turbo) with max fans
CPU (UV): Max 88C, 3.1-3.2GHz, 50W (PL1 will drop to 50W)
GPU: Max 75C, same clock speed behaviour

Time Spy (Turbo mode, 1 run):
Score: 6057, Graphics: 5941

Fire Strike (Turbo mode, 1 run):
Score: 13664, Graphics: 15305

The chassis stays quite cool while under load.
There is noticeable uneven core temp, therefore CPU peak temp might be higher.
To get best performance+thermal result for GPU, you need to undervolt GPU and use turbo mode.

In Illegear Command Center, there are 3 modes to choose from: Turbo, Game or Office mode. Turbo mode increases TDP/power consumption of GPU to allow faster GPU clock speed. Office mode gives you access to control fan speed but has a 35W CPU power limit. There are 4 power profiles: High performance (same with Windows), Game, Equilibrium, Power saving.

The included power adapter is an 180W unit from FSP. Take note that temps might be a little higher when running dual channel memory.

Part 4: Miscellaneous
The laptop is thin and light for a 17-inch gaming laptop – 2.35kg and 27mm thickness. The footprint is also relatively small.

Conclusion: Well-cooled 17 inch light weight gaming laptop with almost no flaws

Pros:
Cons:

UPDATE: revisited, click here

Main specs:
This is a quick review; thus, not everything will be covered in here. Also, this review will mainly focus on thermals instead of performance.

Product page: Illegear Prodigy

Part 1: Build quality, input devices
Build quality is good overall. The lid has metal brush on it, as a result applying pressure on the middle of the lid cover don’t result in much flex. Twisting the lid is possible but the flex isn’t too bad. The hinges feel well tuned – only a bit of wobbling. You can open the lid with single hand.

The body uses all plastic build (soft touch). Despite that, there is little to flex on the entire keyboard+palm rest. There is some flex at the camera area (the camera is a ‘nosecam’ BTW) when being pressed in.

The membrane keyboard has a bit of mushiness but remains clicky. Key travel is ~1.5mm, actuation force is 55-60g. You can set the effect, brightness and speed of the keyboard lighting via Illegear Command Center.

The Precision clickpad has plastic surface but wet fingers don’t result in rough surface. Movements are quite precise. However, the L/R clicks has loud noise and requires some force when pressed in which feels a little cheap. You can disable the clickpad by double tapping the left top corner of the clickpad. The clickpad is aligned slightly to the right of the keyboard space bar to make it more centered.

Part 2: Display, Audio, Battery
The display is a 144Hz IPS panel from LG (LGD05C0, which is very common panel). Movements in the display feel smooth. It gets bright enough and colours are vibrant. Contrast is OK.

The 2 down firing speakers has good enough audio only if you tune the audio via Sound Blaster software.

Example of a tuned audio profile: Bass 0, treble 6, surround 80, crystalizer 50, bass 20, smart vol 70 dialog+ 70. Volume is a bit soft/quiet.

I don’t have time to test the battery life, however don’t expect much from the 46.74Wh battery (there is optional 63Wh upgrade which sacrifices 2.5 inch bay).

Part 3: Cooling performance
The cooling design consists of 3 heatpipes with 2 shared on CPU+GPU (same with Onyx). The heatsink is stretched to both left and right.

Notes on all thermal testing:
Undervolt profile: CPU core+cache -100mv. You can undervolt GPU if you want, but it takes time. Blue highlighted part is the undervolted result.

CPU temp - Cinebench R15 multi core (1 run)
Max 92C, 71-74W ~1120cb
Max 92C, 74-75W, ~1190cb
~54dBA

CPU temp - Aida64 FPU 60W
Max 88C, 2.9-3GHz
Max 88C, 3-3.1GHz
~48-52dBA

GPU temp - Unigine Valley (extreme HD profile)
Clock speed fluctuates: at least +100MHz higher than boost clock (1590MHz)
Max 74C, ~80W
~48dBA

GPU temp - Unigine Valley (extreme HD profile with turbo mode)
Clock speed fluctuates: at least +200MHz higher than boost clock
Max 77-81C
~48-51dBA

FPU + Valley (extreme HD) with max fans
CPU (UV): Max 95C, 2.7-2.8GHz, 41-42W
GPU: Max 79C, clock speed at least above boost clock, ~80W

CSGO 1080p all max
CPU (UV): Max 95C, 3.6+GHz, ~40W
GPU: Max 79C, clock speed fluctuates: at least +100MHz higher than boost clock, ~80W
Max fans
(will start thermal throttling after a while)

Apex Legends 1080p all max, 6GB budget, 90 FOV, training map
CPU (UV): 86-95C, max 4GHz with some rare dips, 30-40W
GPU: Max 77C, clock speed fluctuates: at least above boost clock, ~80W
Max fans

Time Spy (Turbo mode, 1 run):
Score: 5962, Graphics: 5925

Fire Strike (Turbo mode, 1 run):
Score: 13564, Graphics: 15412

The chassis does get warm while under load, but not burning hot.
There is noticeable uneven core temp, therefore CPU peak temp might be higher.
To get best performance+thermal result for GPU, you need to undervolt GPU and use turbo mode.

In Illegear Command Center, there are 3 modes to choose from: Turbo, Game or Office mode. Turbo mode increases TDP/power consumption of GPU to allow faster GPU clock speed. Office mode gives you access to control fan speed but has a 35W CPU power limit. There are 4 power profiles: High performance (same with Windows), Game, Equilibrium, Power saving. Basically, just keep it to game mode and equilibrium.

The included power adapter is an 180W unit from FSP. Take note that temps might be a little higher when running dual channel memory.

Part 4: Miscellaneous
The laptop is thin and light – 1.75kg (which is very light for a gaming laptop) and 18.5mm thickness. The footprint is also relatively small.

Conclusion:
UPDATE: After a retest, thermals are similar to what you will get in Onyx. If you're shopping for a thin and light gaming laptop and you don't need a RTX GPU, this is worth considering.

Pros:
Cons:

UPDATE: Thermal performance follow up, click here

Main specs:
This is a quick review; thus, not everything will be covered in here. Also, this review will mainly focus on thermals instead of performance. Note that this model is different compared to Prodigy.

Product page: Illegear Raven SE

Part 1: Build quality, input devices
Build quality is good overall. The plastic lid has little flex when applying pressure on the middle of the lid cover. Twisting the lid is possible but the flex will be locked out at certain point, therefore not a concern. The hinges feel a bit loose, causing a bit of screen wobbling. You can open the lid with single hand.

The body uses plastic build. Despite that, there is little to flex on the entire keyboard+palm rest – areas with little flex are at the middle of keyboard, above the touchpad, below arrow keys and bottom bezel.

The membrane keyboard is clicky; however, some square sized keys have a bit of mushiness (doesn’t affect typing feel much). Key travel is ~2mm, actuation force is 50-55g (~60g for keys with a bit of mushiness). You can set the effect, brightness and speed of the keyboard lighting via Illegear Command Center.

The Precision clickpad has plastic surface but wet fingers don’t result in rough surface. Movements are a bit sensitive and jumpy, still precision is still OK. However, the L/R clicks has loud noise when pressed which feels a little cheap. Only small amount of force is needed to click. You can disable the clickpad by double tapping the left top corner of the clickpad. The clickpad is aligned slightly to the right of the keyboard space bar to make it more centered.

Part 2: Display, Audio, Battery
The display is a 60Hz IPS panel from LG (LGD05E5). Since it's a low sRGB panel, colours are less vibrant. It has quite high max brightness (above average for low sRGB panel I would say). Contrast is good. It has thin bezels. As expected, there is some ghosting due to 60Hz and IPS panel (maybe I'm too used to 144Hz?).

The 2 down firing speakers has good enough audio only if you tune the audio via Sound Blaster software:

Example of a tuned audio profile: Bass 0, treble 9, surround 80, crystalizer 70, bass 20, smart vol loud 90, dialog+ 50. 100% volume doesn't result in distortion which is good.

I don’t have time to test the battery life, however don’t expect much from the 46.74Wh battery (there is optional 63Wh upgrade which sacrifices 2.5 inch bay).

Part 3: Cooling performance
The cooling design consists of 2 heatpipes - both shared on CPU+GPU. The heatsink doesn’t stretch to left and right - no exhaust vents there. Sounds not that great on paper but we'll see how's the thermal performance later.

Notes on all thermal testing:
Undervolt profile: CPU core+cache -100mv. You can undervolt GPU if you want, but it takes time. Blue highlighted part is the undervolted result.

CPU temp - Cinebench R15 multi core - temperature taken from first run
Max 70C, 3.07-3.09GHz, 50W, ~970cb
Max 70C, 3.2-3.22GHz, 50W, ~1020cb
~36dBA

CPU temp - Aida64 FPU 60W
Max 68C, ~2.5GHz
Max 69C, ~2.65GHz
~36dBA

GPU temp - Unigine Valley (extreme HD profile)
Clock speed fluctuates: 1650+MHz
Max 61C, ~50W
~36dBA

FPU + Valley (extreme HD) with max fans
CPU: Max 72C, 2.37-2.4GHz (2.53-2.56GHz), 35W (PL1 will drop to 35W)
GPU: Max 63C, 1635+MHz, ~50W

CSGO 1080p all max
CPU: 70-73C, 2.6-3.6GHz, 30W*
GPU: Max 67C, 1710-1845MHz, ~50W
~41dBA
*PL1 will drop to 30W regardless of office/game mode and video settings

Apex Legends 1080p all max, 4GB budget, 90 FOV, training map
CPU: 68-73C, 3-4GHz, 20-25W
GPU: Max 65C, 1575-1665MHz, ~50W
~41dBA

Time Spy (1 run):
Score: 3479, Graphics: 3303

Fire Strike (1 run):
Score: 7707, Graphics: 8622

There is only minor uneven core temp. The fan speed takes a while to change while under load. You can lower power limits via Throttlestop / XTU, but increasing PL doesn’t work. There is undervolt applied out of the box: -50mv.

In Illegear Command Center, there are 2 modes to choose from: Game or Office mode. Office mode gives you access to control fan speed but has a 35W CPU power limit. There are 4 power profiles: High performance (same with Windows), Game, Equilibrium, Power saving. Basically, just keep it to game mode and equilibrium.

The included power adapter is an 120W unit from FSP. Take note that temps might be a little higher when running dual channel memory.

Part 4: Miscellaneous
The laptop is thin and light – 1.9kg and 20mm thickness. The footprint is also relatively small.

Ports (same with Prodigy):
L: RJ45, USB 2.0, mic, headphone
R: x2 USB 3.0 (might block mouse movements), full SD card slot
Rear: x2 mDP, HDMI, USB C, power

Conclusion:
Yes, CPU power limit issue had existed since the original Raven (8th gen) I tested. This is due to BIOS/firmware implemented by Tongfang (ODM) out of the box which is entirely not necessary IMO – power adapter has sufficient power output and there is thermal headroom for higher clock speeds. Moreover, Tongfang already has their own SPC technology which reduces clock speed when not needed in milliseconds of time while not affecting performance. i5-9300H model should be able to achieve higher clock speeds but this needs confirmation. If you ask, does this affect performance? I would say it depends on the games you play – if the game is CPU dependent like CSGO then yes, you’ll see some loss in FPS, but not significant IMO.

Anyway, back to topic, is this a good buy? Well, it’s impossible to find a thin and light gaming laptop at this price range. If you need a <2kg and <2cm gaming laptop but have limited budget, this is a good option – good build quality and cooling for the price.

Pros:
Cons:

Update: CPU power limit overwrite results from a Raven SE user (9750H+1650):

Specs of this review unit:
Product page: Illegear Raven 9th gen, Illegear Raven

Part 1: Build quality, ports
The build quality is solid overall. It has aluminum brush body and lid which feels premium and most importantly, it’s not a fingerprint magnet. There’s little to no flex at the keyboard deck. Side and top of keyboard deck have slightly more flex but still good. The lid has some flex when some force is applied but nothing worrying. However, the lid can be twisted with some force and it has a bit of wobbling, which is normal for a single hinge laptop. The maximum angle when the lid is opened completely is about 150 degrees. You can open the lid with one finger. The laptop is advertised with 2.2kg weight.

Ports selection is excellent; however, you may have some inconvenience if you wish to use the ports at the back when the charging cable is coming from the left (plugged in). Also, if you utilize the ports at the right, you might have some trouble with external mouse movements (assuming that you use your mouse with right hand).

You need to press about 3 seconds to power on the laptop. I would like to see power and charging indication lights on the outside of the laptop (in other words, lights can be seen when the lid is closed)

Part 2: Input devices (featuring GENESWITCH mechanical keyboard v2)
The mechanical keyboard is probably one of the most important features about this laptop. I really liked the innovation of bringing mechanical keyboard into laptops. Furthermore, mechanical switches usually have better reliability. Take note that everyone has their own preference on keyboards. I will evaluate the keyboard according to my own preference.

The switches are similar to blue switches. Actuation force is quite low and key travel is deep (3mm). The actuation point is around the middle of the key travel. Sometimes you can register a key without having the ‘click’ noise (or in other words, doesn’t need to exceed the actuation point). However, the key feel is too soft for me. The click sound (actuation point) is loud which isn’t ideal in quiet environments. For gaming, the keyboard is fine, however I prefer linear keys like red switches more. The layout is a bit special (especially right CTRL and SHIFT keys) and I always mistype the up key when trying to press right shift. It takes time to get used to the keyboard.

You can set the effect, brightness and speed of the keyboard lighting via the included software – Raven Command Center, see below. The keys are a bit difficult to be seen when the backlight is off.

The touchpad (clickpad) uses Windows Precision drivers. It’s slightly elevated to the back. Gliding, gestures and tapping are smooth and accurate. The left and right clicks feel good quality. Surprisingly good for a gaming laptop.

Part 3: Display, audio, connectivity, battery life
The display is a FHD IPS/AHVA 60Hz, 45% NTSC panel, panel model is PANDA LM156LF1L02 (keep in mind that Illegear is constantly changing the display panel from time to time). There is an optional high refresh rate panel to choose from as well (BOE0726 according to my friend's Raven). This panel here is professional calibrated out of the box. Viewing angles are good, colours are fine despite its low sRGB coverage. Brightness is normal for an IPS display. Despite a 60Hz IPS panel, it has no severe ghosting in games. It has a few colour profiles in Gaming Center software for different purposes.

The audio is TBH, a bit poor. Bass is lacking (it has subwoofer as advertised), sound is dull. However, you can tweak for a better audio via the Sound Blaster software (I tested the audio with the preset out of the box)

Wi-Fi adapter is Intel 9560 which is an excellent wireless adapter.

This model has a 46Wh battery. After 2 hours and 15 minutes of typing document (40% brightness, no tweaking), battery life has dropped from 100% to 60%.

Part 4: Cooling performance
The cooling design consists of 2+2 seperate medium sized heatpipes with 2 seperate fans. Stock thermal paste is used.

All tests are tested at ambient temp of >30C, gaming profile applied and in equilibrium performance mode (see below for more info). Laptop is plugged in. Under load, temperature will rise slowly as the fan noise will increase gradually until stabilized. Blue highlighted part is CPU+GPU undervolted result (-0.1V for both CPU and GPU).

CPU temp - Aida64 FPU stress
Around 2750MHz@45W, 85-88C, near max fan speed
Around 3000MHz@45W, 85-88C, same fan speed

GPU temp - Unigine Heaven – high quality, normal tesselation, AA x8
80C, 1721MHz
71C, 1759MHz, slightly lower fan noise

CSGO - 1024x768, low settings, FXAA VSync Motion blur disabled
CPU: 73-77C, 3.5-3.9GHz, 29-32W
GPU: 62-63C, 1759MHz
Fan noise audible but at acceptable level

CPU: 69-72C, 3.5-3.9GHz, 28-31W
GPU: 58-60C, 1772MHz
Slightly reduced fan noise

CSGO - 1920x1080, high settings, FXAA VSync Motion blur disabled
CPU: 70-74C, >3GHz with some occasional 3.9GHz, 25-31W (more on that later)
GPU: 81-82C, 1721MHz
Fan noise increased but still below deafening level

CPU: 65-71C, >3GHz with some occasional 3.9GHz, 20-25W
GPU: 72-73C, 1747MHz
Slightly reduced fan noise

Cinebench R15 multi core
~1020cb@~3.3GHz, 50W, 88C
~1120cb@3.5-3.6GHz, 50W, 88C

So why is the CPU performance during gaming so strange? The BIOS is set to limit the CPU performance when performing high load so that the total power draw doesn’t exceed the max wattage supplied by the charger (120W). The charger also runs a bit hot while gaming.

Also, CB15 multi core score cannot exceed 1200cb because it has a relatively low power limit 2 as shown below, thus the performance is limited. You cannot change the power limits via Intel XTU.
- PL1 45W, PL2 50W, 35W in games (very common for 8750H)

Under load, keyboard area (especially middle part) is warm but nothing alarming. The overall fan noise is a bit high but the noise has low-medium frequency/pitch, therefore not that distracting. The fans are very sensitive to temps as they can adjust the fan speed quickly according to the temps. Max core difference is 5C under load.

Note: i7-8750H CPU is a hot chip, not many laptop can handle this CPU well. 80-90C isn’t considered hot in stress tests assuming that there's no major throttling (eg Aida64 FPU)

One useful feature: You can set the fan speed manually in Office mode>Advanced setting. Anything from 45-65C and off/30-70% speed. With this feature you can avoid sudden ramping up of fans in light loads. Keep in mind that Office mode will lower PL1 to 35W

One thing I need to mention is, M.2 SSD cooling isn’t bad. Idle temp is below 40C. <70C after 9 Crystaldiskmark sequential tests.

Part 5: Other settings
Windows key lock, hibernation USB charging, low power CPU mode, prefer discrete GPU, turn off OSD
Keyboard backlight, image projection (R logo light)

Update: i5-9300H with GTX 1650
Main specs:
Notes on thermal testing:
1. PL1 - 45W, PL2 - 50W
2. GPU driver tested is 430.64
3. Test is conducted in a A/C room (ambient 20-22C)
4. Game mode and equilibrium mode are used
5. Laptop is plugged in. The fans take a while to speed up when load is applied
6. Max fan noise is ~52dBA
7. This model doesn’t have GPU turbo feature in Illegear Command Center

Undervolt profile: CPU core+cache -100mv. You can undervolt GPU if you want (highly recommended for Raven), but it takes time. Blue highlighted part is the undervolted result.

CPU temp - Cinebench R15 multi core (1 run)
Max 74C, 50W, ~3.7GHz
Max 74C, 50W, 3.85-3.9GHz
~38dBA

CPU temp - Aida64 FPU 45W
Max 74C, ~3.1GHz
Max 74C, 3.2-3.3GHz
~38dBA

GPU temp - Unigine Valley (extreme HD profile)
Clock speed fluctuates: 1800+MHz
Max 72C, 39dBA, ~50W

FPU+Valley (extreme HD) with max fans
CPU (UV): Max 62C, ~2.8GHz, ~30W
GPU: Max 69C, 1770+MHz, ~50W

Apex Legends all max, 4GB VRAM, 90 FOV
CPU (UV): 54-61C, mostly 4GHz, 15-21W
GPU: Max 75C, 1700+MHz, ~50W
~40dBA

Time Spy (1 run):
Score: 3726, Graphics: 3587

Fire Strike (1 run):
Score: 8223, Graphics: 9468

Conclusion: Good budget gaming laptop with some extras

Pros:
Cons: