MAINGEAR Vector Pro (2021) 15.6 inch RTX 3070 Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i7 11800H Processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GPU, 15.6 inch 240Hz FHD Display, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, Windows 10 Pro

I mainly keep laptops at home as desktop replacements. Occasionally, I travel long enough for me to want to bring a laptop.OPERATING SYSTEM: This is my first time with a professional version of Windows. I'm not sure what to do with it besides remote connecting to other computers, but I can see myself doing that with my older computer after I upgrade it to Windows 10 Pro. There will be updates to this review, and I plan on that being part of a future update.SCREEN: Since my laptops usually stay at home, I was already prepared with a Samsung G5 34" curved ultrawide monitor. The screen on this laptop had some backlight bleed on a corner as soon as I turned it on the first time, but it's only noticeable when the screen is dark, such as during startup or nighttime operations in Arma 3. Granted, that screen stays off since I had little intention of using it in the first place. When I travel and have to use the screen this comes with, I'll do something that doesn't make me notice, like playing Starcraft 2 or daytime operations in Arma 3. If this was my main screen, I would have returned this for a replacement. The screen is why I'm giving the whole product 4 out of 5 stars.KEYBOARD: I like it, but I usually use a Logitech G915 since my laptop stays behind my ultrawide monitor.TRACKPAD: The first thing I do when I get a laptop is turn off the track pad. I mainly use a Logitech G903.AUDIO: I think anyone that says anything positive about laptop speakers is a loser lol. I hate all laptop speakers and I wish "gaming" laptops would stop coming with speakers at all so companies can use that space for something else. Sound Blaster Cinema 6+ comes with this, so I plug in my headphones like most other gamers would do and get almost whatever I want out of my audio. Most wired gaming headsets nowadays have the cable coming out of the left side, so having the audio input/output jacks on the left side of the laptop keeps things neater, especially if I travel with this.GAMING: As expected, this handles every current game THAT I PLAY that my previous laptop couldn't handle, such as Flight Simulator 2020 and Beam NG, at or near the highest graphics settings with 60 fps or more. Games that are a few years old that my previous laptop could support, such as Squad, I can now play with maxed out graphics settings and higher frame rates at the same time. I usually get about 70 fps in Squad. I have also been able to support a photorealism mod for GTA V at maximum settings, but this was NOT without my laptop being near an open window, freezing outdoor temperatures, and some Coolermaster cooling pad with a large single fan. My frame rate was around 50-55 fps. Of course, I didn't notice how loud the internal fans were until after I took off my headphones. Yeah..... they were hella noisy.I can honestly say that Arma 3's performance has improved, but that still depends on a lot of factors. Without combat, I can fly a fixed wing aircraft with a maximum view distance of 12 km and exceed 100 fps. Like with any computer while playing Arma 3, you can add enough AI and cause enough destruction to bring your frame rate down so far that you crash to desktop.BATTERY LIFE: Since I use laptops as desktop replacements, a laptop battery is just an excessive amount of backup power to save whatever work I'm doing and shut down. Like laptop speakers, I wish gaming laptops had just enough battery power to save and shut down so the space left over could be used for something else.INPUTS/OUTPUTS: It's obvious that there was actual thought put into what connections there should be and where they should be. USB's on the right and left, audio on the left, and Ethernet, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, and power are all in the back. ALL of the rear ports on this should be in the back of any laptop. That's what most users connect and disconnect least often, so I like that these ports are out of the way. It doesn't matter to me where the micro-SD slot is. I'm just glad that there is a micro-SD slot at all. I don't understand why any tech reviewer has said "I wish there was a standard SD slot here, not micro-SD." I don't have a device that accepts standard SD cards except other laptops. My GoPro cameras use micro-SD cards, and now I finally don't need any adapters to plug them into a computer. If you need more connections, get a Thunderbolt docking station. That's what the Thunderbolt port is for. I will update this review after I have used the Thunderbolt 4 port. I need more USB ports myself and I want to use a DisplayPort cable. I'll also plug the ethernet cable into a docking station since I currently use that instead of Wi-fi. More on all of that in my next update.

Delivered in November 2021, Wi-fi stopped working in April 2022. This is apparently a Microcenter exclusive product, so Maingear will not support it. That being said, the technician I talked to at Maingear was more friendly and helpful than the technician at Microcenter.Symptoms: Wi-fi stopped working. Windows updated last night. Wi-fi card is not recognized as being present in device manager.Steps to fix: I checked the viability of my Wi-fi using another device, which was working well. I checked to see if another wireless network would be detected by the computer (hotspot on my phone, which has been connected before), which it did not. I downloaded new drivers for the Intel Wifi 6 AX200 + Bluetooth card, and installed them with no change to functionality. I called Maingear support, who informed me I would need to call Microcenter, and provided the number. I expressed my frustration with having a $3,000 laptop lose functionality after less than 6 months. The technician tried walking me through a few quick things (which can be found on almost any troubleshooting website for Windows 11), but none of that worked. I called Microcenter and the technician told me I had a choice between driving 4-5 hours away for the closest Microcenter store or mailing the computer back to them, BEFORE DOING ANY SORT OF TROUBLESHOOTING!! I asked if this was a common problem with these cards (as I am aware that Intel makes the cards, and would not hold that against Microcenter) to which I was told no. When pressed to see if there was anything that we might be able to try over the phone (I have been an electronics repair technician for 20 years, so I knew there MUST be SOMEthing), I was instructed to disconnect the power and shut down the computer. Then hold the power button for ~40 seconds (this allows any built up power to the device to discharge, including the peripheries and components on the board), then reboot the computer. This fixed the problem.WHY was no troubleshooting done over the phone without being pressed. Even when pressed, I was offhanded given this "for free" (actual words spoken by the technician). Why is the go to for me to mail this back or drive 4-5 hours away before any actual support was offered?Be warned that if you do not live near a Microcenter, getting support for your product will be difficult. There is nothing in the description of this device that it is a Micro Center exclusive product and that you will need to contact them for support.Other than the poor service from Micro Center, the fact that Main Gear will not support this product and critical levels of capacitance/static can build up in your machine over 6 months, this has been a great computer. I use this for a lot of 3D rendering and drafting applications, with VERY fast processing times for both. I would recommend this product to anyone, just don't let the seller bully you into being without you machine for days before trying simple troubleshooting steps over the phone.

Half the price minimum. Beat all other class laptops of 17 and 15 high end gaming except Skyteck some abs which tied. It losses on fan noise but if your playing newer big titles you need to be plugged in and your fan sound shouldn't matter cause headphones. Quite a bad ass air cooled monster it cools itself down in a minute and is then completely silent after 10 hours of nonstop gaming as below plus other titles. CP2077 was the only one with a little shudder no window tear. Ran as followsULTRA 4K CP2077 1.5+ RE8 Ultra 4k onto a 75" 4k samsungMax cpu temp 90. Max gpu temp 80 completely air cooled 4 exhaust points side and back. Thinner and lighter (no Vape chamber) uses very fast powerful axial fans and an all copper vrm/chipset/cpu. Gpu/vrm/ram cover with heatpipes directly to both chips and fans mounted directly over. Intake fresh air from bottom and front. Alot of holes for air and strategically placed. 2 m.2 980 2tb pros running side by side. It comes with the OEM 980 pro as an SSD and Crucial RAM. Gpu is Zotac just under oem name in gpuz 16gb VRAM. A 260w power brick which the board will draw all it's power and you'll get a performance cap due to Voltage regulation. Or performance cap due to needing more power. It's totally unlocked. Doesn't need to be messed with CPU i7 11th Gen runs at 4.5ghz almost constantly and it's hit 5 alot. I have done a little OC but not for long its a laptop its limited by its size and especially power i wish it had a 300w brick. But they do have a basic in windows performance tweaking app made by maingear. RGB is very simple and basic waste of power. Theres a performance button next to power button. By pressing it you can instantly change into 4 different performance modes the lights on that button and a windows notification (same notification type as turning up volume) will let you know what mode your in. I keep it in Turbo and run the crap out of it for constant endless hours. I've only had it start skipping for a bit in CP2077 1.5p release. Believe it was actually due to a startup app running a scan. Didn't go unplayable it is on always Ultra Settings 4k on a 75inch. For a gaming laptop minus noise it's still at/near the top (3080ti mobile didn't exists when purchased and for much of its use) I'm writing this review way after purchasing 6 months to 8 months I think. Haven't bought another gaming laptop or had one in possession in its class to test against. But before I bought it I looked at benches for all top gaming laptops of 15&17inch at time of purchase. And it was at top for most things along with skytech or ABS depending on benchmark and pretty much tied. Beat razors and alienwares vapor chamber big boys on benches was always at top or barely second Except sound and other ones that have nothing to do with performance.

This is the best laptop I have ever purchased. It is sleek for a 17" laptop and the Ryzen chip runs fast (very) and stays very cool. The fans only spin up when playing a game, and when you play that game, it is a fantastic experience. The 3080 uses the full power alloted to it and it runs everything I have thrown at it with absolutely no issues. Zero bloatware as well, except what comes with Windows 10, but that is a Microsoft thing. I have an MSI that is similar in build, but with an 11th gen i9, and I can't believe how much cooler this laptop runs than the Intel chip. If you want the best gaming experience for your money in a laptop, this is the laptop for you.I also do 3D rendering and this laptop chews through rendering using nVidia iray. I usually buy a laptop every 6 months or so, but I can tell already this one is going to last me years. The build quality is top notch, and the components are top of the line parts. If you have the money to spend and want to make sure it is going to be used wisely when buying a gaming laptop, you will be able to sleep well at night knowing you bought this one.I have zero complaints with this laptop, and that has never happened. The speakers aren't the best, but to me, all laptop speakers sound tinny and are generally not great, so this is no different than my Alienware or MSI. It is thin and light enough to take with you anywhere, and with all the power saving modes turned on, you will get a decent amount of battery life considering the screen and power of this laptop.Ok, enough gushing, if you want the best bang for your buck and more, this laptop is for you.

Purchased December 25th, 2021, potential problems appeared August 6, 2022. Another update July 27, 2023.[Basic Info]It runs really hot and is very stuttery when playing games if you use the default settings. (CPU gets to 93c, average 88-86c in triple a titles.) Basically unplayable.You need to undervolt it so get throttlestop & msi afterburner right away. (It'll bring them both down to 84c, doesn't hurt fps in games)Go to power and lower massive processor usage to 99%. (Takes off 10 Celsius from both but it'll take like 3-5 fps.)Get a gaming fan for the heat too. $15-50.[Software problems]Slight problem when you use sleep mode on the laptop: Might get a bsod if you don't turn off msi afterburner before you put it on sleep mode.Sometimes the node center doesn't save your settings.Some rare occurances where all the battery would be used up if you unplug the laptop. Never had that issue before in any other laptop and I didn't know it was a thing.[Updates]Installed an ssd, was easy to get into, not too many screws, accessible backGonna replace thermal, it worked good for almost 3 years