64 TECH ADVISOR • NOVEMBER 2019GAMING SPECIALgaming laptops use plastic for all surfaces but the lid.
Here you get closer to the feel of a premium non-gamer
model where parts flex significantly less under finger
pressure: always a good sign.Connectivity and audio
Most laptops in the ‘thin and light’ class are shifting
over to using USB-C connectors. The 15X, thankfully,
has not. It has a wide array of connectors. There are
three full-size USBs and one USB-C with Thunderbolt 3.
For video there’s a DisplayPort and full-size HDMI. You
also get a full-size Ethernet RJ-45 and an SD slot.
That we used the term ‘full-size’ three times there
tells you how little Gigabyte has compromised to make
the 15X slimmer. This connection array is exactly what
we want in a portable gaming laptop. You don’t need
a set of adaptors, nor do you need a dock.
Other things to note include the way the slim
display bezels push the webcam underneath by the
hinge, making its angle somewhat awkward.
The speakers are not particularly good either. Top
volume is conservative, there’s no bass and treble is
tame. They don’t sound ugly, but you wouldn’t want
to use them regularly for gaming.Keyboard and trackpad
The 15X has one of the smoothest trackpads of any
laptop. It feels similar to those of Dell’s excellent
XPS models. Its surface is textured glass, and the
smoothness comes from using a much finer texture. This
is a good pad for general productivity work, although
we’re not huge fans of its button zoning. For a while64 TECH ADVISOR • NOVEMBER 2019
GAMING SPECIAL
gaming laptops use plastic for all surfaces but the lid.
Here you get closer to the feel of a premium non-gamer
model where parts flex significantly less under finger
pressure: always a good sign.Connectivity and audio
Most laptops in the ‘thin and light’ class are shifting
over to using USB-C connectors. The 15X, thankfully,
has not. It has a wide array of connectors. There are
three full-size USBs and one USB-C with Thunderbolt 3.
For video there’s a DisplayPort and full-size HDMI. You
also get a full-size Ethernet RJ-45 and an SD slot.
That we used the term ‘full-size’ three times there
tells you how little Gigabyte has compromised to make
the 15X slimmer. This connection array is exactly what
wewantin a portablegaminglaptop.Youdon’tneed
aset of adaptors, nor do you need a dock.
Otherthingstonoteincludethewaytheslim
display bezels push the webcam underneath by the
hinge, making its angle somewhat awkward.
The speakers are not particularly good either. Top
volume is conservative, there’s no bass and treble is
tame.Theydon’tsoundugly,butyouwouldn’twant
touse them regularly for gaming.Keyboard and trackpad
The 15X has one of the smoothest trackpads of any
laptop. It feels similar to those of Dell’s excellent
XPS models. Its surface is textured glass, and the
smoothness comes from using a much finer texture. This
is a good pad for general productivity work, although
we’re not huge fans of its button zoning. For a while