In brief: Hardcore PC gamers always appreciate the opportunity to boost their FPS past the traditional 30 (or even 60), and high refresh-rate displays help with that. However, is there a point where extra FPS isn't necessarily needed or even noticeable? According to Gigabyte, the answer is no – at Gamescom 2019, the company showed off one of its newest gaming laptops with a blazing-fast 240Hz display.
The laptop, dubbed the Aorus 17, is a 17.3-inch behemoth that looks to be on the bulky side. Initially teased at Computex earlier this year, the gadget is packed with high-end hardware, Thunderbolt 3 support, and Omron mechanical key switches. As PC Gamer reports, the laptop's display will feature a 3ms response time, and "X-Rite Pantone-certified calibration" fresh out of the factory; which should mean users won't need to tweak the display much (if at all) to get ideal color accuracy.
We don't know what type of panel the device will ship with, but given its 240Hz nature, IPS seems unlikely (though we'd love to be surprised). At least, if Gigabyte wants to price this thing at a level that makes it obtainable by ordinary PC enthusiasts (who aren't afraid to drop $1,000-$1,500 on good hardware).
Speaking of hardware, the Aorus 17 includes a 9th-gen Intel Core i9-9980HK, and RTX 20-series "options" up to a 2080 Max-P. We don't know what those options will be, but a 2070 may be the only reasonable alternative. A 2060 could be possible, but it would mean the rapid refresh rate would largely be wasted in all but the least demanding games.
To keep that hardware running cool and quiet, Gigabyte has integrated a "Windforce Infinity Cooling System" into it, which allegedly eliminates "throttling and overheating issues." We'll have to wait and see whether or not that claim holds up.
Interestingly, the Aorus 17 will be the first gaming laptop to utilize Microsoft's Azure AI platform for better operation. The AI can automatically tweak CPU AND GPU wattages to ensure an "optimal" balance of performance and cooling efficiency.
The Aorus 17 will reportedly ship with an Intel 760p M.2 NVMe SSD, but we don't know what capacity options will be available, nor do we know whether or not standard hard drive add-ons will exist. The device's RAM count is similarly unknown at this point.
If that wasn't enough unknowns for you, here's a couple more: Gigabyte has not yet deigned to share pricing or release date information with the public. If that changes, we'll update this article and let you know.