When Illegear announced the Illegear Onyx G that had Intel 10th generation H-series CPU, we got excited. Then, it’s revealed that it has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER in it. We knew we had to get one for review, and Illegear was kind enough to loan us a unit.
Illegear Onyx G – Specifications
CPU | Intel Core i7-10875H (8 core, 16 Thread) |
GPU | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER |
RAM | Dual 16GB DDR4 2666MHz |
Storage | 256GB Seagate Barracuda 510 PCIe NVMe SSD |
Chipset | Intel HM470 |
Display | 15.6-inch FHD 1080p IPS Panel 144Hz Refresh Rate |
Battery | 92Whr |
Weight | 2.1KG |
Dimension | 359 x 243 x 21mm |
Price | RM 9,017 (as configured) |
Design
The Illegear Onyx G’s design looks pretty standard. Having a minimalist approach to it, a really no-frills design that doesn’t scream gamer at all. Aesthetics wise, it only has the per-key RGB keyboard lighting and LED bar on the front going for it.
Design practicality wise, it’s boxy and it has everything is in its place, functional yet practical. There’s nothing that stands out except for the perforated holes LED bar on the front lip of the laptop. The LED bar isn’t that bright, and it isn’t angled downwards so the lights would reflect off your table.
I/O Ports
On the left of the laptop, you’ll find the USB 3.0 Type-A port, a headphone jack, and a microphone jack. On the right, there’s two more USB 3.0 Type-A ports, and an SD card reader, which is a plus! Then on the back, that’s where the charging adapter port is, together with the collapsible RJ45 Ethernet port, HDMI port, and USB Type-C Thunderbolt port.
Again, practical positioning to get rid of messy cables on the sides. Materials wise, the laptop has a smooth matte surface and that’s a great choice cause it doesn’t attract fingerprints. When you spend all day typing on the laptop, it’s also comfortable to lay your palms on.
Display
The Illegear Onyx G’s 15.6-inch display is really bright. Colours are vivid and details are sharp when watching 4K movies or gaming. The 144Hz refresh rate is remarkably smooth, and every little action and transition on the screen just looks so much better. The bezels are quite thin, except for the bottom chin.
Apart from the company’s logo, they also positioned the webcam on the bottom chin. This doesn’t really matter to guys, but the webcam’s angle might not be as flattering for girls. Games also flow much better, and the graphics looks much smoother.
Should you need, Illegear also provides color calibration services. But for my use, the screen performed decently for my photo and video edits.
User Experience
First thing I will mention is that the Illegear Onyx G’s fans tend to get pretty loud, and the fumes are quite hot. But, at least all of that heat is transferred out from the back of the laptop, and the heat stays away from where your palms are supposed to be. There are four fans, four heat sinks, and four heat pipes on board to keep the laptop cool at all times. But if you want to dial down the fan noise, just set it to “office” profile with the profile change button right beside the power button.
As mentioned above, there is also a convenient profile switching button beside the power button. It lets you change between “Office, Gaming, and Turbo”. I love that the keyboard now also has RGB lighting on it. That being said, the lights doesn’t appear as smooth because you’ll notice the colours don’t transition as well. They flicker, instead of smoothly switching to the next colour.
For the Illegear Onyx G’s keyboard, the mechanical keys are alright to type on. I love the click, but I’m not a big fan of the short right shift key. It’s shorter because they had to squeeze in the arrow clusters into a linear uniform rectangle design. When it comes to gaming, the keys feature N-key Roll-over and they feel very satisfying with a tactile bump and a stiffer spring.
The trackpad is large enough but it leans more towards the right side of the laptop, so it lies a little under my right hand. Unfortunately, trackpad rejection isn’t that great. But, the one pro I can see from this is that I can use my thumb to use the trackpad instead of moving my entire hand. Apart from that, the trackpad’s surface is smooth and navigation gestures are smooth.
Audio
The Illegear Onyx G’s speakers are definitely loud enough to fill the entire room, and surprisingly, the quality is pretty good. Even at maximum volume, there isn’t much distortion. That being said, the speakers lack bass, but the mids and highs are great.
However, if you’re on loud volume, you can actually feel the rattle cause the speakers are right below your palms. Stereo sound effects are commendable.
Performance
Performance wise, the Illegear Onyx G is fast and navigation appears so much smoother thanks to the 14nm Comet Lake Core i7-10875H processor working together with the 144Hz refresh rate display. The Seagate Barracuda 510 NVMe SSD performs superbly fast, as files are transferred really quickly through the USB-C Thunderbolt port. We also ran several tests to benchmark the laptop’s performance:
3DMark
PCMark 10
FFXIV: Shadowbringers
Cinebench R20
CrystalDisk Mark
Gaming wise, I have absolutely no complaints. Games look incredible thanks to the RTX 2070 SUPER found in the Illegear Onyx G. 1080p gaming is no problem at all for the Onyx G. 2K gaming is still acceptable with slightly lower FPS.
Upgradability
Users will be happy to know that they can upgrade the RAM and SSD on the Illegear Onyx G. There are two SODIMM slots onboard, supporting up to a maximum of 64GB (2 x 32GB sticks) RAM. As for the storage, we have the Seagate Barracuda 510 PCIe NVMe SSD installed, but you can always add another one as there is a slot free.
Software
Software wise, it comes with Illegear Command Center and THX Spatial Audio. The Illegear Command Center is straightforward and easy to understand. The first tab is an EZ Switch, which lets you easily flip the switch for the most commonly used features on the laptop. Then, you can change the RGB lighting on the laptop’s keyboard and LED bar. There are a tonne of lighting profiles to choose from, so go crazy with them and customise them to however you’d like, I know I did. Apart from that, you can also view system status with the system monitor, and also change the laptop’s performance settings (same as the performance button beside the power button).
As for THX Spatial Audio, you can customise the laptop’s audio speakers or even headphone settings to your preference. There are preset audio profiles for you to choose from, or you can customise your own EQ setting. There’s even a switch to enhance dialogue audio.
Battery
Battery wise, the Illegear Onyx G has a 92Whr battery in it. On a full charge at “Office” settings, I could get about 5 hours and 30 minutes of use. On “Turbo” mode, I was getting around 4 hours 30 minutes. Playing Dota 2, I could get about 2 hours and 10 minutes of gameplay.
Conclusion
The Illegear Onyx G is an amazing bang for buck gaming laptop. Offering more cores and threads with the Intel Core i7-10875H paired with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX2070 SUPER, the minimalist design laptop provides serious firepower at an affordable price.
Compared to similarly priced laptops, the Illegear Onyx G has better statistical performance and a better GPU. Not only can you game, it can also double as a steady workhorse too.