Origin PC Evo17-S (2022) Review: Big Gaming Performance in a Thin 17-Inch Laptop

Origin PC's Evo-17-S gaming laptop puts the blazing performance of top-end components in a slim, stealthy body, assembled with the personal touch of a custom PC builder. The 17.3-inch laptop is remarkably compact and light at 4.9 pounds (2.2 kilograms) and yet churns out impressive frame rates. 

Like the company's gaming desktop builds, you get more control over what goes into the Evo17-S than you would with any of the bigger-name brands. You can even choose what goes on the outside, too. And you get more personal service and support. There are a few opportunities for improvement, but overall the Evo17-S is a big-screen gaming laptop to shortlist, especially if you're after something that's more tailored to your wants.

8.5

Origin PC Evo17-S (2022)

Like

• Impressive performance
• Many configuration options
• Stellar service, support

Don't like

• Noticeable display backlight bleed
• No per-key RGB keyboard lighting

Choice is yours

For the Evo17-S, Origin offers just a few combos of a display, Intel processor and Nvidia graphics processor. The starting configuration, currently priced at $2,416 (£2,203, AU$3,823) pairs a 144Hz 17.3-inch 1080p display, an Intel Core i7-12700H and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. For $500 more, you can bump the graphics up to an RTX 3080 Ti or, for $800 more, you get the 3080 Ti with a Core i9-12900H CPU and a 240Hz 1440p display with 100% sRGB color space. 

From there you choose the RAM -- 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR5 -- and up to two, 2TB PCIe NVMe solid-state drives. This is where Origin stands out from the competition. While gaming laptops from others might let you pick the amount of storage you get, they don't offer a selection of brands, sizes and speeds to meet your needs and budget. Plus, with more laptops being made with the RAM soldered onboard, it's nice to have the option to add more down the road. 

This laptop is expensive, going over $4,000 fully loaded. But other gaming laptops similarly configured from Alienware and Razer are equally pricey. 

Origin also provides free labor on RAM and storage upgrades if you send in the laptop. In addition to its stellar reputation for hands-on support, Origin also offers a wider array of configuration options in its system-building tool, so you should be able to hit your dream specs pretty closely from the start. This includes parts from its parent company, Corsair. Parts are covered with a one-year replacement warranty and buyers get 24/7 US-based tech support.

Performance that doesn't disappoint

With a top-notch processor and high-end graphics chip, it's not a surprise the Evo17-S can hit some high frame rates even on newer demanding games. Whether you want to have a more immersive gaming experience with the 1440p-resolution display and details set to high or drop the resolution and detail settings to really use the display's 240Hz refresh rate, the component combination in my review system can handle it. (Our benchmark test results are at the end of this review.)

The one minor performance ding would be the Corsair MP600 Pro SSD that was in my system that was slightly slower than WD and Samsung drives in other gaming laptops we've tested recently. It's unlikely to be a performance difference you'd notice in use, but it might be worth paying a little extra for the Samsung 970 Evo Plus or 980 Pro SSDs if you want the best speeds. 

Predictably, a laptop this thin and powerful does get hot when you're gaming or doing anything else demanding. The fans do get loud but keep both the left and right sides of the laptop cool for your hands. The only place it gets hot on top is in the middle from above the keyboard down to the top of the touchpad.

Remarkably, battery life is pretty good. Gaming should still be done when it's plugged in. But if you want to kick back and stream some video or get some office work done away from an outlet, you can. On our streaming video test, it lasted 5 hours, 38 minutes. Some power management and reducing the screen brightness below 50% will stretch the battery time further. 

The display is nice, too

The base model of the Evo17-S has a 144Hz 1080p display. I can't speak to the quality of that display, unfortunately, but the higher-end 1440p 240Hz screen in my review laptop was quite good. Bright with good color and contrast, the display covered 96% sRGB, 68% NTSC and 73% AdobeRGB and P3 color spaces and its brightness at 100% measured 420 nits. 

At its highest brightness, though, I did notice backlight bleed at the corners in dark game scenes, especially at the bottom of the panel. This is not uncommon and not a deal-breaker for me, however, it might be for some potential buyers. 

I have a few more minor criticisms. For instance, the lack of per-key RGB backlighting on the keyboard -- a feature you'd find on other gaming laptops at this price. The keyboard does have RGB lights, but you can only set them to solid colors or a handful of different patterns. (There's a light bar at the front edge of the laptop as well.) I'm not a fan of the flat keycaps, but that's personal preference and in general, the keyboard's feel and layout are just fine. 

Also, the speakers are loud but they sound thin. There are separate audio-out and mic-in jacks on the right side, though, so get yourself some speakers or a headset to plug in instead. Similarly, the built-in webcam is 1080p, which does give you more detail than the 720p webcams that were once standard. Even in good lighting, though, there's visible image noise so you may still want to use a discrete webcam. With plenty of ports on the left, right and rear of the laptop, you can connect multiple displays and accessories. 

It's worth mentioning, too, that although the sturdy laptop comes in a stealthy black with a metal lid, soft-touch keyboard deck and a plastic bottom, you can opt to have Origin apply one of 11 prints to the lid for an additional $65. I like the all-black look, though, and makes it more office-friendly. 

Regardless of what you choose, you're still getting a nice-looking thin-and-light design packed with as much performance as you want to pay for and the personal service and support of a custom PC builder.