By I owned a large, heavy gaming laptop fifteen years ago. I adored it! Back then, gaming laptops were like that. Compared to large, heavy gaming laptops, the 18-inch Maingear Ultima 18 feels like a contemporary spiritual successor. That’s fantastic, but it also highlights the flaws in these designs.
Maingear crammed a large Clevo laptop chassis with premium parts to build the Ultima 18. In some intriguing ways, it goes too far with obscure specifications. However, it competes with contemporary high-end gaming laptops that offer a more sophisticated experience for $3,599. With their sophisticated cooling systems and software modifications, such well-maintained computers frequently outperform the Ultima 18 in terms of performance and are priced similarly.
Specification
The Maingear Ultima 18 combines a blazing-fast 24-core Intel Core i9-275HX processor with other high-end components. Our review model had an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 processor, but you can also get this with a top-of-the-line RTX 5090 GPU.
You can purchase this computer with up to 192 GB of RAM, but our $3,599 evaluation model came with 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2 TB SSD. I haven’t seen a twin Ethernet configuration like that on another contemporary gaming laptop, but this one offers two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports for wired networking. Additionally, this enormous laptop has space for four M.2 SSDs. Additionally, the Ultima 18 boasts an 18-inch 4K display with a quick refresh rate of 200 Hz. Maingear isn’t being playful.
It goes above and beyond with features like the four M.2 drive slots and two Ethernet connectors. For those qualities alone, some individuals will definitely seek out this particular laptop.
- Maingear Ultima 18 RTX 5080 is the model number.
- CPU: 275HX Intel Core Ultra 9
- Graphics/GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080; GPU: Intel AI Boost (13 TOPS); Memory: 32 GB DDR5 RAM
- Display: 18-inch IPS 3840×2400 screen with a refresh rate of 200 Hz
- 2 TB PCIe Gen4 SSD for storage
- Camera: 1080p camera
- There are two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 5 ports, two USB Type-A ports, two 2.5Gb Ethernet ports, one combination audio jack, one HDMI 2.1 out port, one microSD reader, one Kensington lock slot, and one DC power in port.
- Networking: Ethernet, Bluetooth 5.4, and Wi-Fi 7
- Biometrics: face recognition using an infrared camera
- Capacity of battery: 98 watt-hours
- 16.14 × 12.56 x 1.42 inches in size
- 8.8 pounds in weight
- MSRP: $3,599 as tested
Design and build quality
I am reminded of the past by the Maingear Ultima 18. This 18-inch laptop is a brick, weighing 8.8 pounds and measuring 1.42 inches thick at its thickest point. A Clevo chassis serves as its foundation. (System builders like Maingear use Clevo’s laptop ideas to design and manufacture their own computers.)
It is well-designed; nevertheless, if you’re searching for a gaming laptop. Its palm rest and aluminum lid prevent it from feeling plasticky. However, unlike some other expensive gaming laptops, it doesn’t feel like a single piece of metal. One hand can easily open the hinge. Although it feels sturdy for an 8.8-pound, 18-inch gaming laptop, you need to exercise caution when handling this type of device; I wouldn’t pick it up from a corner with one hand.
The “Maingear” moniker beneath the display and the emblem on the lid break up the design’s heavy black use. The “gamer” appearance is derived from the moving RGB lightbars at the back of the computer and the RGB lighting on the keyboard; however, it is obviously configurable.
This laptop features tiny LEDs on the front edge, to the right of the touchpad, which is a bit out of the ordinary for a contemporary gaming laptop. When your laptop is turned on, the left one will be lit; when it is plugged in, the middle one will be lit; and when your laptop uses its storage, the right one will blink. These were far more prevalent in the past, but nowadays, most manufacturers ignore them.
Another classic aspect of the design is that the laptop exhales hot air from the rear and both sides. Modern designs that don’t direct hot air onto my mouse hand are what I like. It’s not too horrible, though, because the majority of the hot air does exit the back. Additionally, the cooling keeps the keyboard’s WASD region somewhat cool. However, the fans become noisy when under stress; this is more akin to the classic “jet engine” fan profile found on a brick laptop, although many contemporary laptops have managed to reduce their noise levels.
Display and speakers
The Maingear Ultima 18 boasts an 18-inch 4K IPS screen with a resolution of 3840 x 2400 pixels. Considering that other laptops in this class frequently have WXGA (2560 x 1600) screens instead, that is noteworthy. The monitor supports Nvidia G-Sync and has a refresh rate of 200 Hz. Although 400 nits is enough, many laptop screens might be brighter. HDR is not available at that level of brightness.
The display is a large 18-inch 4K screen with a fast refresh rate, just as it sounds on paper. It’s pleasant. Resolution isn’t everything, though, and gaming laptops with lower-resolution screens can offer more brightness and vibrant colors with HDR and other bonus features in games, particularly if they have OLED screens. (This isn’t a touch screen, as you might anticipate.)
The Maingear Ultima 18 boasts an 18-inch 4K IPS screen with a resolution of 3840 x 2400 pixels. Considering that other laptops in this class frequently have WXGA (2560 x 1600) screens instead, that is noteworthy. The monitor supports Nvidia G-Sync and has a refresh rate of 200 Hz. Although 400 nits is enough, many laptop screens might be brighter. HDR is not available at that level of brightness.
The display is a large 18-inch 4K screen with a fast refresh rate, just as it sounds on paper. It’s pleasant. Resolution isn’t everything, though, and gaming laptops with lower-resolution screens can offer more brightness and vibrant colors with HDR and other bonus features in games, particularly if they have OLED screens. (This isn’t a touch screen, as you might anticipate.)
Connectivity
The Maingear Ultima 18 offers a lot of connectivity options. On the left side, this machine has a combo audio jack and two USB Type-A ports — both are 10Gbps, and one has Power Delivery.
On the right side, you’ll find two Thunderbolt 5 (USB Type-C) ports as well as a microSD card slot. This being a high-end gaming laptop, it’s great to see future-proof Thunderbolt 5 — even though few peripherals are taking advantage of it yet.
On the back, you’ll find the power adapter connection, a Kensington lock slot, HDMI 2.1 out, and two Ethernet jacks (both 2.5Gbps). That two Ethernet jack setup is completely over the top — most people buying this laptop won’t take advantage of it — but it’s impressive and unusual.
This machine has Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 support, too, so it supports the latest standards. I had no problems with the Wi-Fi.
There are numerous connecting options available with the Maingear Ultima 18. This device features two USB Type-A ports on the left side, one of which has Power Delivery and the other is 10Gbps. It also has a combo audio jack.
Two Thunderbolt 5 (USB Type-C) connectors and a microSD card slot are located on the right side. Despite the fact that not many accessories are presently utilizing Thunderbolt 5, it’s fantastic to see this high-end gaming laptop future-proof.
The power adapter connector, a Kensington lock slot, HDMI 2.1 out, and two Ethernet connections (both 2.5Gbps) are located on the back. Although it’s a bit excessive, the two Ethernet ports on this laptop are stunning and unique, even though most buyers won’t use them.
This device meets the most recent standards with support for Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 7. There were no issues with the Wi-Fi for me.
Performance
After I set it up, the Maingear Ultima 18 provided good gaming performance. When compared to other comparable laptops, benchmark scores were a little slow right out of the box. The performance ended up as I had hoped when I switched it to “Performance” mode in the Maingear Control Center and then to “Best Performance” in Windows 11’s Settings while plugged in. These settings were altered for the benchmarks listed below.
This now happens automatically on a lot of gaming laptops: When you start playing games on your gaming laptop, the software that came with the device automatically transforms it into higher-performance settings. You will be doing it yourself on this machine.
On the other hand, its hardware is robust and did well in real-world gaming. However, a few factors affected the outcomes. For instance, I had to turn off the built-in GPU in the Maingear control center in order to get competitive performance in Metro: Exodus. Additionally, I believe that systems like the Alienware 16 Area-51 have better cooling systems, which appear to result in better top-end performance.
However, as usual, we tested the Maingear Ultima 18’s performance using our common benchmarks.
Battery life
The Maingear Ultima 18 has a huge 98-watt-hour battery. That’s as big as it gets — any larger and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration wouldn’t allow it on an airplane! An 18-inch brick of a gaming laptop like this one isn’t designed for long battery life, however.
We repeatedly play a 4K version of Tears of Steel on Windows 11 with airplane mode turned on until the laptop suspends itself in order to test the battery life. For battery benchmarks, we adjusted the screen brightness at 250 nits. Since local video playback is so effective, and real battery life in daily use will always be less than this, this is the best-case situation for any laptop.
During our benchmark, the Maingear Ultima 18 lasted an average of 288 minutes, or a little less than five hours. If necessary, you can use it for a few hours of work, but in order to get the most out of your gaming experience, you’ll need to plug it in.
Conclusion
When I opened the Maingear Ultima 18, I was impressed. Features like four disk bays, two Ethernet connections, two Thunderbolt 5 ports, and a 4K 200Hz display feel a little over the top, and the design is somewhere between a traditional gaming laptop brick and a contemporary gaming laptop. It seems weighty and large, but the hardware makes up for it.
However, the remarkable specifications fall short of their full potential. Many contemporary gaming laptops are lighter, have more striking metal designs, have more sophisticated cooling systems, require less configuring to function efficiently, and have additional upscale features like a mechanical keyboard and more precisely calibrated speaker setup than this one.
Do not misunderstand; this laptop is good! I’d be delighted to utilize it. However, it is also $3,599. Additionally, there is fierce competition in that price bracket.
Still, just the hardware is impressive. Similar hardware is found in the Alienware 18 Area-51 gaming laptop; however, upgrading to an RTX 5080 will cost $3,800 at retail and exclude a 4K display. The selling price of the Razer Blade 18 with an RTX 5080 and a higher-resolution panel is $4,100. (Notably, at the time I finished writing this article, both the Razer and Alienware laptops were on sale for less than their retail costs on their respective websites, but both sales are indicated as temporary.
