Something to look forward to: Corsair is joining the competitive world of gaming laptops, and its debut machine looks pretty special. Not only does it come exclusively with the Ryzen 6000-series CPUs and AMD Radeon RX 6000 series, but it also sports a touch bar-style row of buttons at the top that are accessible even when the laptop is closed.
Corsair is one of the most popular makers of PC hardware, from its memory modules and SSDs to excellent cases. Gaming laptops was one area it had never ventured before, but that changes with the new Corsair Voyager a1600 AMD Advantage Edition.
Corsair created the laptop alongside AMD and the AMD Advantage program, which means it'll be packing "the latest Ryzen processors and Radeon graphics, enabled with the entire family of Smart technologies," so we can expect to see SmartAccess Storage once Microsoft's DirectStorage API arrives.
Specifically, the Voyager comes with Ryzen 7 6800HS and Ryzen 9 6900HS options, both of which sit alongside a Radeon 6800M GPU. There's also 64GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM, up to 2TB of storage, and a 16-inch 2,560 x 1,600 (16:10) display that refreshes at 240Hz. There's even an advanced compact vapor chamber that Corsair says keeps temperatures low while offering a thinner profile than traditional cooling setups.
Port-wise, buyers get two Thunderbolt 3 USB 4.0 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, one SDXC 7.0 card reader, and an audio jack.
The most interesting element of the laptop is the LCD bar at the top. It features "ten easy-access customizable S-key shortcut buttons." While it might bring to mind the now-removed Touch Bar from the MacBook Pros, Corsair notes its version doesn't actually replace the function row. The bar is also accessible when the laptop is closed, which should have some useful, phone-like applications such as being able to see the battery life without opening it.
The S-keys are powered by Elgato Stream Deck software, so the laptop appears focused on mobile streamers. AMD's Frank Azor called it the first laptop ever designed to be a truly mobile streaming solution.
Other features include Cherry MX Ultra-Low Profile key switches, per-key RGB backlighting, an integrated receiver that connects to up to three Corsair slipstream wireless peripherals, a 1080p30 webcam along with a shutter and backed by Camera Hub software, a 99Wh battery, and a massive trackpad.
The laptop arrives sometime this July with customizable versions available from Origin. No word yet on price. One site has the Ryzen 7 6800HS model down as being $2,699.99, and the Ryzen 9 6900HS as $2,999.99, but that might not be accurate.
https://www.techspot.com/news/94680-first-corsair-gaming-laptop-amd-powered-has-touch.html
