Connected for the money

Two Mini DisplayPort connectors -- the one on the right supports G-Sync on an external monitor -- a USB-C, HDMI, Ethernet, USB 3.0 and SD card slot sit on the left side.

More connections

Two audio jacks and two more USB ports are on the right, next to the vent.

Touchpad and fingerprint reader

The touchpad can be a little temperamental, and the fingerprint reader has some sharp edges.

Head on

Gamey but not glitzy

It incorporates some of the design touches you typically see on gaming notebooks, but they don't scream at you.

Thin enough

It's not ultra skinny, but I'd trade some thickness for airflow.

Front

It does look thinner from the front than the side.

Hinge

Lid

If you don't like basic black, you can get a custom paint job and other more attention-grabbing decoration.

Just a little bevel

Removable battery

You don't find removable batteries much in laptops these days. It also has big, solid rubberized feet.

Battery and vent

Backlight

The Flexikey utility lets you program three color zones or the usual set of cyclical color effects.

Membrane

The quiet membrane keyboard is pretty good, with decent travel and noticeable feedback.

IPS display

The display has better color and contrast than some of the other IPS panels, and certainly is better than the TN displays we've seen in competing laptops.

WASD

While the WASD keys are visually distinctive, even with the backlight off, I wish you could program their backlights separately from the rest of the keyboard.

Because you need to work, too

Matte display

Though you can see the reflection of the keyboard in this shot, there doesn't seem to be a lot of reflection in general, even when playing in the dark.