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expired Posted by Dr.W • Dec 24, 2022
expired Posted by Dr.W • Dec 24, 2022

(Microcenter In-store) MAINGEAR Vector Pro 2: 15.6" QHD 240Hz, i9-12900H, RTX 3080 Ti, 64GB DDR5, 2TB SSD $1799.99

$1,800

$3,500

48% off
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Deal Details
$1799.99 $3499.99 In-store only

SPECS:
  • 15.6″ QHD (2560x1440) 16:9, 240 Hz, 350-nits, 95% sRGB, Anti-glare, IPS Display
  • Intel Core i9-12900H (6P+ 8E cores)/20T, up to 5.0 GHz, 24MB cache, 45+ W TDP
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 16 GB GDDR6, 150W TGP (+ 25W Dynamic Boost)
  • 64GB (2x 32GB) DDR5-4800MHz RAM
  • 2TB 2x M.2 2280 SSD via PCI Express 4.0 x4 (supports RAID 0/1)
  • Intel Wireless-AX 201 + BT 5.2
  • Optomechanical Keyboard with per-key RGB Backlight, Numeric Keypad, N-key Rollover and Anti-ghosting
  • 6-Cell, 8200 mAh Battery
  • 280 Watt AC Adapter
  • 4.80 lbs. (2.18 kg)
  • Model: GM5AG8W
  • Ports:
    • 2x USB 3.1 (Gen 1 Type-A)
    • 1x Thunderbolt 4
    • 1x HDMI 2.1 (G-SYNC compatible, HDCP 2.3)
    • 1x RJ-45

https://www.microcenter.com/produ...uter-black
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Deal Details
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About the Poster
$1799.99 $3499.99 In-store only

SPECS:
  • 15.6″ QHD (2560x1440) 16:9, 240 Hz, 350-nits, 95% sRGB, Anti-glare, IPS Display
  • Intel Core i9-12900H (6P+ 8E cores)/20T, up to 5.0 GHz, 24MB cache, 45+ W TDP
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 16 GB GDDR6, 150W TGP (+ 25W Dynamic Boost)
  • 64GB (2x 32GB) DDR5-4800MHz RAM
  • 2TB 2x M.2 2280 SSD via PCI Express 4.0 x4 (supports RAID 0/1)
  • Intel Wireless-AX 201 + BT 5.2
  • Optomechanical Keyboard with per-key RGB Backlight, Numeric Keypad, N-key Rollover and Anti-ghosting
  • 6-Cell, 8200 mAh Battery
  • 280 Watt AC Adapter
  • 4.80 lbs. (2.18 kg)
  • Model: GM5AG8W
  • Ports:
    • 2x USB 3.1 (Gen 1 Type-A)
    • 1x Thunderbolt 4
    • 1x HDMI 2.1 (G-SYNC compatible, HDCP 2.3)
    • 1x RJ-45

https://www.microcenter.com/produ...uter-black

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30 Comments

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Dec 24, 2022
1,904 Posts
Joined Nov 2010
Dec 24, 2022
Patj
Dec 24, 2022
1,904 Posts
Oh how I wish they'd get around to throwing these specs (at this price) into a PC instead of a laptop Big Grin
Dec 24, 2022
86 Posts
Joined Feb 2013
Dec 24, 2022
asianjabba
Dec 24, 2022
86 Posts
This price for these stars are pretty good - Dell is easily double. But vector laptops are known for incredible heat
Dec 24, 2022
3,987 Posts
Joined Jun 2009
Dec 24, 2022
LeviathanUltima
Dec 24, 2022
3,987 Posts
Nice price, but I think last weekend it was 1599. And I hear some people were able to get it for $1399 if you asked about the additional $200 off all window laptop. However, that being said a lot of people have said this laptop is trash due to thermal throttling. I also tried the keyboard and the layout was meh and the feel is pretty bad. It was also thicc. If you were able to get it for $1399, maybe it makes up for some of the shortcomings. The 17 inch version felt great to hold and handle and the keyboard felt much better. I would've gotten that one if it was $1399, but I think it was $1799 with a maybe $1599 if you asked. But that was too much for me for a laptop.
4
Original Poster
Pro
Dec 24, 2022
10,072 Posts
Joined Nov 2020
Dec 24, 2022
Dr.W
Original Poster
Pro
Dec 24, 2022
10,072 Posts
Quote from LeviathanUltima :
Nice price, but I think last weekend it was 1599. And I hear some people were able to get it for $1399 if you asked about the additional $200 off all window laptop. However, that being said a lot of people have said this laptop is trash due to thermal throttling. I also tried the keyboard and the layout was meh and the feel is pretty bad. It was also thicc. If you were able to get it for $1399, maybe it makes up for some of the shortcomings. The 17 inch version felt great to hold and handle and the keyboard felt much better. I would've gotten that one if it was $1399, but I think it was $1799 with a maybe $1599 if you asked. But that was too much for me for a laptop.
Thank you for writing all of that. However, none of that applies over here because those were the 3070 Ti models with 32GB RAM.
If you look closely, this one has 3080 Ti with 64GB RAM.

But yes, this does get hot. You need to have an external liquid cooling to make this a beast that it was meant to be. Check Jarrod's Tech video on this same chassis and model number but from the brand XMG.
6
Dec 24, 2022
3,987 Posts
Joined Jun 2009
Dec 24, 2022
LeviathanUltima
Dec 24, 2022
3,987 Posts
Quote from Dr.Wajahat :
Thank you for writing all of that. However, none of that applies over here because those were the 3070 Ti models with 32GB RAM.
If you look closely, this one has 3080 Ti with 64GB RAM.

But yes, this does get hot. You need to have an external liquid cooling to make this a beast that it was meant to be. Check Jarrod's Tech video on this same chassis and model number but from the brand XMG.
Yes I am aware it is the 3080 ti version which is is even worst in terms of heat and throttling. Rest assure the $1599 price was for the 3080 ti version from last week.

That being said, people have said the sweet spot for laptop is the 3070 ti in terms of price and performance. Yes the 3080 ti is better, but because of the heat it gives off, the laptop throttles way before you can realize it's full potentials. Still some people are willing to pay for the price and more power to them. But if you search for the benchmarks, the differences in games is minimal. Personally I would go for the $1299 6900Hx and 3070 ti version of this laptop and save the $500. But if you think $500 is worth the extra 32GB (which most will not use), the extra 1TB of space (ssd is cheap), and the upgrade from 3070 ti 8GB to a 3080 Ti 16GB, then go for it. I did the analysis and it is not worth it... especially with the shortcomings of the 15 inch model. I might have jumped if it was the 17 inch model at the lower price I mentioned in the post above.
Original Poster
Pro
Dec 24, 2022
10,072 Posts
Joined Nov 2020
Dec 24, 2022
Dr.W
Original Poster
Pro
Dec 24, 2022
10,072 Posts
Quote from LeviathanUltima :
Yes I am aware it is the 3080 ti version which is is even worst in terms of heat and throttling. Rest assure the $1599 price was for the 3080 ti version from last week.

That being said, people have said the sweet spot for laptop is the 3070 ti in terms of price and performance. Yes the 3080 ti is better, but because of the heat it gives off, the laptop throttles way before you can realize it's full potentials. Still some people are willing to pay for the price and more power to them. But if you search for the benchmarks, the differences in games is minimal. Personally I would go for the $1299 6900Hx and 3070 ti version of this laptop and save the $500. But if you think $500 is worth the extra 32GB (which most will not use), the extra 1TB of space (ssd is cheap), and the upgrade from 3070 ti 8GB to a 3080 Ti 16GB, then go for it. I did the analysis and it is not worth it... especially with the shortcomings of the 15 inch model. I might have jumped if it was the 17 inch model at the lower price I mentioned in the post above.
Just checked, you're right.
Idk why that deal didn't show up in the drop-down box when I was posting this.
Thank you for pointing that out.
2
Dec 24, 2022
27 Posts
Joined Nov 2016
Dec 24, 2022
jiancongw
Dec 24, 2022
27 Posts
Quote from LeviathanUltima :
Yes I am aware it is the 3080 ti version which is is even worst in terms of heat and throttling. Rest assure the $1599 price was for the 3080 ti version from last week.

That being said, people have said the sweet spot for laptop is the 3070 ti in terms of price and performance. Yes the 3080 ti is better, but because of the heat it gives off, the laptop throttles way before you can realize it's full potentials. Still some people are willing to pay for the price and more power to them. But if you search for the benchmarks, the differences in games is minimal. Personally I would go for the $1299 6900Hx and 3070 ti version of this laptop and save the $500. But if you think $500 is worth the extra 32GB (which most will not use), the extra 1TB of space (ssd is cheap), and the upgrade from 3070 ti 8GB to a 3080 Ti 16GB, then go for it. I did the analysis and it is not worth it... especially with the shortcomings of the 15 inch model. I might have jumped if it was the 17 inch model at the lower price I mentioned in the post above.
I don't game at all. I am a machine learning engineer that sometimes need to run network inference locally and 3070ti is not enough in vram(lots of network needing 12+gb vram to run). Unlike gamers I usually don't have continuous load and heat won't accumulate. 17 inch is simply too big to carry for me. So this hits all the checkbox for me. On second look I did find the $200 off on the microcenter and I think that's what brought this down to $1599. I bought it at $1599 and no regret. This does run hot and I rack it up and use an external fan to blow it if working at home.
Last edited by jiancongw December 24, 2022 at 09:28 AM.

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Dec 24, 2022
86 Posts
Joined Aug 2021
Dec 24, 2022
BraveStraw727
Dec 24, 2022
86 Posts
Quote from jiancongw :
I don't game at all. I am a machine learning engineer that sometimes need to run network inference locally and 3070ti is not enough in vram(lots of network needing 12+gb vram to run). Unlike gamers I usually don't have continuous load and heat won't accumulate. 17 inch is simply too big to carry for me. So this hits all the checkbox for me. On second look I did find the $200 off on the microcenter and I think that's what brought this down to $1599. I bought it at $1599 and no regret. This does run hot and I rack it up and use an external fan to blow it if working at home.
Quote from jiancongw :
I don't game at all. I am a machine learning engineer that sometimes need to run network inference locally and 3070ti is not enough in vram(lots of network needing 12+gb vram to run). Unlike gamers I usually don't have continuous load and heat won't accumulate. 17 inch is simply too big to carry for me. So this hits all the checkbox for me. On second look I did find the $200 off on the microcenter and I think that's what brought this down to $1599. I bought it at $1599 and no regret. This does run hot and I rack it up and use an external fan to blow it if working at home.
as a computer person i would just go ultra light on the go and pay a super computer on demand if i'm not running my own data center from space already.
Dec 24, 2022
27 Posts
Joined Nov 2016
Dec 24, 2022
jiancongw
Dec 24, 2022
27 Posts
Quote from BraveStraw727 :
as a computer person i would just go ultra light on the go and pay a super computer on demand if i'm not running my own data center from space already.
Well I did used to ssh back to my desktop for gpu workload. Amazon cloud GPU is expensive if you use it frequently. My desktop is also running old (titan xp). I am waiting for 4090 back in stock (preferably hybrid cooling version). So this would do it for now. Plus my own old laptop(a 10th gen i3 Dell inspiron)sucks. So hell yeah time to upgrade.
Last edited by jiancongw December 24, 2022 at 09:55 AM.
Dec 24, 2022
70 Posts
Joined Oct 2015
Dec 24, 2022
dk33180
Dec 24, 2022
70 Posts
I have the 3070 TI version of this and it is rock solid stable. The V2 of these have liquid cooling for the CPU. Mine will run about 85 C max under load. Build quality is awesome my only quibble is to that the keys are a little loose and close together and keypad edges a little sharp but nothing a silicone dust cover and tape wouldn't fix. Wicked fast.

should add that I also use mine for ML and standard cuda drivers run well with these.
Dec 24, 2022
27 Posts
Joined Nov 2016
Dec 24, 2022
jiancongw
Dec 24, 2022
27 Posts
Quote from dk33180 :
I have the 3070 TI version of this and it is rock solid stable. The V2 of these have liquid cooling for the CPU. Mine will run about 85 C max under load. Build quality is awesome my only quibble is to that the keys are a little loose and close together and keypad edges a little sharp but nothing a silicone dust cover and tape wouldn't fix. Wicked fast.

should add that I also use mine for ML and standard cuda drivers run well with these.
yeah cuda runs fine on these on Windows + wsl. Plan to stick another nvme on there and install Ubuntu.
Dec 24, 2022
70 Posts
Joined Oct 2015
Dec 24, 2022
dk33180
Dec 24, 2022
70 Posts
Quote from jiancongw :
yeah cuda runs fine on these on Windows + wsl. Plan to stick another nvme on there and install Ubuntu.
Did that and don't bother. MG did a super clean install of Win 11 pro on these and it ran even faster than Linux mint for me. That was a first for me. Also the new wsl has full graphical support. So literally no reason to dual boot anymore.
Dec 24, 2022
40 Posts
Joined Jan 2021

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Dec 24, 2022
8 Posts
Joined Sep 2022
Dec 24, 2022
Hallowweener
Dec 24, 2022
8 Posts
Quote from asianjabba :
This price for these stars are pretty good - Dell is easily double. But vector laptops are known for incredible heat
I was wondering how this doesn't blow up on startup.

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Dec 25, 2022
30 Posts
Joined Apr 2011
Dec 25, 2022
nicholasxy
Dec 25, 2022
30 Posts
Super fast machine, unbeatable price at 1599. I uninstalled the Maingear branded control center and installed the Eluktronics version. It seems to be more consistent with the volting settings and thermal control.

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