The previous EVO17-S was a capable machine with fast overall performance and a snappy RGB keyboard. However, a poor display, awful battery life and a lofty price weighed it down when compared with other gaming laptops of the same caliber. Let’s take a closer look at this 2020 model to see if Origin has put the new EVO17-S on a path to success, or if it’ll succumb to the same pitfalls.
Best gaming laptops 2020The best gaming monitors in 2020Origin EVO15-S returns with OLED display, RTX 2080 Super graphics
Origin EVO17-S price and availability
The EVO17-S is available today on Origin’s website at a starting price of $1,999. It is being released alongside a nearly identical workstation called the NT-17.
Origin EVO17-S design and display
We haven’t seen the EVO17-S in person yet but images provided by Origin show a laptop with a similar, if not the same design, as the EVO we reviewed last year. The beefy gaming rig is aggressively angled and has a circular Origin logo centered on the lid. There is an RGB keyboard on the deck to give this the gamery aesthetic it yearns for. You can leave your dongles with your MacBook, the EVO17-S has an awesome selection of ports. Those include three USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a Thunderbolt 3 input, a microSD card, a Mini DisplayPort, an HDMI and an Ethernet (RJ-45) port. As I said about the previous model, the S in EVO-17S shouldn’t stand for slim. At 0.8 inches and 5.1 pounds, the EVO17-S isn’t the sort of laptop you want to haul around all day. It’s also far from the heaviest or thickest gaming notebook we’ve seen so your back and shoulders shouldn’t be in any pain taking the EVO17-S on short trips. As the name suggests, the EVO17-S has a 17-inch display. On this latest model, you can choose from a 1080p panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, a 4K at 60Hz panel for the very best picture quality, or a standard 1080p at 144Hz display. A dim display hurt its predecessor so I’m hoping Origin uses more premium panels this time around.
EVO17-S performance and gaming specs
The EVO-17S is an absolute beast of a gaming laptop. It comes equipped with all of the latest components, including a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10875H (8-core, 16-threads) CPU, up to 64GB of RAM, up to two 2TB SSDs and – the moment you’ve been waiting for – up to an RTX 2080 Super Max-Q GPU.
Outlook
Origin’s EVO17-S hasn’t changed much in design but it now packs the most powerful components, from an 8-core Core i7 CPU to the RTX 2080 Super Max-Q GPU. Origin is also promising longer battery life, which, if it holds out, would fix one of the issues we had with the previous version. You also get a choice of three compelling display options. Overall, the EVO17-S sounds like one heck of a gaming notebook, and we’re looking forward to taking it for a spin in the coming weeks.
