It is not unusual for gaming laptops to come with huge price tags; but there is also a category that caters for buyers with a medium budget. Gigabyte’s Sabre 17 offers a decent performance with an appropriate price tag.
Even though this notebook doesn’t ship with the best hardware components for laptops, the Sabre 17 manages to squeeze in an eight-generation CPU and a GTX 1060 graphics chip. When you introduce the fact this large laptop is barely 6 pounds heavy and just 1.1 inches thick, the result is a good balance between price and performance.
Design
The Gigabyte Sabre 17 has a footprint of 419 x 284 mm and stands at 28 mm high. The laptop is fairly light as it weighs 3.1 kg, which is lighter than the majority of 17-inch gaming laptops.
The Sabre 17 has the looks and feel of a mid-ranger. Regardless, the laptop is still portable and can be carried around with little trouble. The top of the lid has the Gigabyte logo on it which has a premium look. The two halves of the notebook are held by a pair of small hinges.
For cooling, there are air vents at the rear and sides of the lower half of the Sabre 17. These vents ensure that adequate air flows in and out of the laptop while keeping the processors at working temperatures.
Display
Sometimes, manufacturers hint at the size of a laptop screen from the naming convention of the laptop. True to this statement, the Sabre 17 sports a 17.3-inch display. The 1080p display with a high 120Hz refresh rate offers a sharp and vivid viewing experience.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keys have a 2.0mm key travel which is good enough for comfortable typing. In addition, the keyboard has a per-key RGB backlighting. Each of the keys has individual backlighting and can be customized by software.
The Sabre 17’s touchpad area is ample for multi-finger controls. The surface is smooth and has high accuracy. Below the touchpad area are two clickable buttons which might seem odd for some modern users.
Performance
This laptop uses the latest eight-generation Intel Core i7 CPU which boasts significant performance improvement over the preceding generation processors.
The fast processor is perfected by the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card (with 6GB VRAM). This CPU/GPU combo ensures a fluid gaming experience. In addition, native support of Nvidia VRWorks makes this gaming laptop ready for virtual reality.
Working memory on the Sabre 17 is a DDR4 16GB and can be expanded to 32GB. This laptop features a dual storage system that comprises a fast 256GB SSD and a secondary 1TB HDD.
Battery Life
There is much to be desired from the Sabre 17 in terms of battery life. The already poor battery is exacerbated by the large screen size and high-performance processors.
Ports and Connectivity
The Sabre 17 comes with a good selection of ports that include two mini DisplayPorts, an HDMI port, microphone and headphone jacks, Ethernet slot, SD card slot, two USB 3.1 ports, one USB 2.0 port, and one type-C USB port.
Wireless connectivity is possible due to the Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi radios.
Price and Availability
The Sabre 17 is a mid-range laptop. This is because of the price which starts at around $1500.
Specs at a Glance
Screen size | 17.3 inches |
Maximum screen resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
RAM | 16GB |
Internal Storage | 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD |
CPU | Intel Core i7-8750H |
Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
Dimensions | 419 x 284 x 28 mm |
Weight | 3.1 kg |
Conclusion
Gigabyte’s Sabre 17 is a mid-range gaming notebook with the promise of delivering high-end performance. Even though the laptop sports a large display, it still tries to remain light at a little more than 3kg.
In all, if you are in the market for a gaming laptop that offers decent performance while not burning a hole in your pocket, then the Gigabyte Sabre 17 should be in your catalog.
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