by CES 2024 is now drawing to a close and it’s been a frantic week of computer and gadget shows. Intel launched its laptop-focused Core Ultra series of processors at the end of 2023, so it was expected to see a good number of mainstream vendors releasing gaming laptops sporting Meteor Lake chips. In the end, it wasn’t as big as we’d hoped to see but nonetheless, there’s plenty to be excited about.
The first thing to note is that almost all of the major laptop manufacturers have announced at least one model powered by an Intel Core Ultra CPU, the most notable exception being Gigabyte, which is not using it at all at all. However, many of these 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 that you can you enjoy a good gaming experience.
Acer
So far, only one gaming laptop from Acer has sported Meteor Lake, the 16-inch Predator Trion Neo. Ridiculous name aside, it looks like a solid laptop, although that depends on what configuration you can get. The highest version will have a Core Ultra 9 185H, with six P-cores, eight E-cores, two LPE-cores, and a boosted clock of up to 5.1GHz. For graphics duties, you’ll be able to get up to an RTX 4070, although its power limit is unknown.
As for RAM and storage, those details have not yet been confirmed, but we do know that the 16-inch screen will have a 3.2K resolution (3200 x 2000 in a 16:10 ratio) and a 165Hz refresh rate. The chassis is a fairly dull affair, but the keyboard provides the usual RGB lighting that gaming requires.
Prices are expected to start at $1,499/€1,799 for the base model Predator Trion Neo 16. That seems a bit on the high side, compared to the competition, but if both the amount of RAM and the size of the SSD are reasonable, then it could it be worth thinking about.
Foreign goods
Dell announced two Core Ultra models under its Alienware brand at CES 2024, the one named the same m16 R2 and x16 R2. The first is a significant update to the original m16, with the chassis having a 15% smaller footprint, while improving overall cooling. Just like Acer’s offering, you’ll be able to get up to a Core Ultra 9 185 and RTX 4070 inside, with most markets getting up to 64GB of dual-channel DDR5-5600 and 8TB of dual NVMe SSDs.
The screen is QHD+ (2560 x 1600, 16:10) and will offer a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. To keep this going while you’re on the go is a 90Wh battery that can be charged to 80% capacity in 35 minutes.
On paper, the x16 R2 looks very similar to the m16, as the CPU, screen, and storage options are the same. However, where the m16 tops out with a 115W RTX 4070, the x16 can be configured to bake a 175W RTX 4090. You won’t be able to go crazy with the RAM, though, as 32GB is the maximum. Fortunately, it’s LPDDR5X-7467 for the most expensive model, and that’s fast enough for gaming.
The m16 R2 will launch with a base price of $1,699.99 but later in the year, additional configurations will be available and the entry model will then cost $1,499. On the other hand, the x16 R2 will start at $2,099.99 with a 140W RTX 4060 and only get more expensive.
HP
Like Acer, HP has announced only one gaming laptop with Meteor Lake and it is the Omen Overcome 14. The configurations are very similar to the others we’ve seen: a choice of Core Ultra 7 155H or Core Ultra 9 185H. These CPUs are exactly the same inside, and differ only in terms of base power (24W vs 45W) and maximum boost clock (4.8 vs 5.1GHz).
An RTX 4050, 4060, or 4070 GPU will handle rendering duties, but HP hasn’t said what the power limits are. RAM and storage options are pretty decent, with 16GB of LPDDR5X-7467 and a 512GB SSD as the minimum, although we’d like to see 1TB as the smallest drive available.
The 14-inch OLED screen is 2.8K (2880 x 1800, 26:20 ratio) with a peak refresh rate of 120Hz. That’s a bit lower than the others but OLED should do that. Power is provided 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 charge in 30 minutes.
And yes, there is an RGB keyboard. Naturally. The Omen Transcend 14 will have a starting price of $1,499.99 and if the power limit for those RTX GPUs is towards the higher end of the spectrum, it could be a winner.
MSI
It’s fair to say that MSI went overboard with new laptop models at CES and pretty much refreshed its entire portfolio of portable PCs. Unfortunately, they’re almost all plastered with the AI moniker, just to help make sure you never forget that 2024 is the year of the PC AI.
Anyway, the first one in the gaming lineup 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 the gaming ones.
For graphics duties, you’ll have the choice between a 45W RTX 4050 or an RTX 4060, but since the former only has 6GB of VRAM, there’s really only one choice (hint: it’s not the 4050). However, a 45W 4060 is not going to offer you the best gaming performance, unfortunately.
RAM will max out at 64GB but there’s no indication of the minimum offered or what the SSD options will be. The IPS panel is a fairly standard 1080p 144Hz ratio but that’s a good fit for the RTX 4060, so it shouldn’t be a problem. However, the battery is only 53.5Wh, and for a 2kg laptop, that’s a bit on the small side.
Meteor Lake also appears in the new Pulse 16/17 AI range. Curiously, both models have IPS screens 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 will be able to choose up to a Core Ultra 9 185H processor and a 140W RTX 4060 or 4070 GPU. Memory will rise again at 64GB but while 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 much better, too, as they are 90Wh in capacity and MSI supplies these laptops with 240W chargers.
At 2.5 and 2.8kg respectively, the Pulse 16/17 AI laptops are very large. Pricing is unclear at the moment, but given the beefy specs of the Pulse, it won’t be cheap. On the other hand, the Cyborg isn’t fighting cutting-edge, power-hungry hardware, so it could end up being reasonably priced. But RTX 45W? Um, that’s me.
