Maingear ML-17 vs. Razer Blade 18: New Gaming Laptop Challenger

The gaming laptop landscape is about to get a serious shake-up. Maingear, renowned for its high-performance gaming PCs, recently unveiled the ML-17, a 17.3-inch gaming PC.

The ML-17 is prepped as a challenger to the Blade 18, which is currently the largest-screened gaming PC from Razer Blade ever.

Under the hood, the ML-17 boasts an impressive array of top-tier components. At its core lies an Intel Core i9-14900HX processor, paired with Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile GPU. To handle demanding workloads, users can opt for up to 64GB of RAM and 12TB of SSD storage across three drives.

This laptop also introduces Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, bringing it on par with the Razer Blade 18.

Let’s unpack the Maingear ML-17 and see how it is to challenging Razer.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. What is Maingear ML-17?
3. Maingear ML-17 Key Specifications
4. Maingear ML-16 vs. ML-17: What is the difference?
5. Maingear ML-17 Price
6. How Does the New Maingear ML-17 Compare to the Razer Blade 18?
7. The Bottom Line
8. FAQs

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. What is Maingear ML-17?
3. Maingear ML-17 Key Specifications
Show Full Guide
4. Maingear ML-16 vs. ML-17: What is the difference?
5. Maingear ML-17 Price
6. How Does the New Maingear ML-17 Compare to the Razer Blade 18?
7. The Bottom Line
8. FAQs

What is Maingear ML-17?

ML-17 is a 17-inch gaming laptop developed by New Jersey-based PC manufacturer, Maingear in collaboration with Taiwanese laptop maker CLEVO.

Released July 25, the laptop is Maingear’s largest gaming PC to date and is an answer to Razer Blade 18, which launched last April.

Maingear ML-17 Key Specifications

Thunderbolt 5, 14th Gen Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU, NVIDIA RTX 4090 GPU, 17.3-inch QHD Display

Maingear ML-17 laptop is designed for gamers in mind, but it is also specced for any other productivity task. The new design features a 17.3-inch QHD display with 240Hz refresh rate and is powered by a 99Wh battery. The CPU is Intel Core i9 (14th Gen) from the Raptor Lake lineup with 24 cores and 32 threads.

The Maingear ML-17 gaming laptop can also be equipped with up to 64 GB of RAM running at 4800 MT/s, and you can also populate the three PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots with 4TB SSDs.

The ML-17 laptop has a high-end cooling system featuring dual fans, four vents, and nine heat pipes, that prevent overheating even during long hours of gaming or other high-demand activities.

ML-17 has a 2560×1440 resolution that gives gamers sharper images, plus the display supports Nvidia’s G-Sync technology which can help reduce the likelihood of screen tearing during gaming sessions.

Other features include stereo speakers, full-sized keyboard with per-key RGB lighting, a metal chassis and the dual Thunderbolt 5 ports. This Thunderbolt 5 boosts faster connectivity speed and supports displays with a refresh rate of up to 540Hz.

Maingear ML-16 vs. ML-17: What is the difference?

Maingear released the ML-16 gaming laptop in June this year, but its collaboration with PC builder CLEVO has also resulted in the release of the premium ML-17 model in July.

The two laptops have similar internal specs due to their short launch gap, but there are notable differences not just in screen size but in connectivity and speed.

Here is how they compare.

Maingear ML-17 Price

Start Price: $3,899

The Maingear ML-17 gaming laptop is available in three editions, mostly based on the storage configurations and RAM. The base model, which provides 32GB DDR5 RAM + 2 TB Gen4 NVMe SSD, starts at $3,899.

The 64GB/4TB edition starts at $4,299, but you can also have a custom configuration with up to 3x 4TB storage and 64GB DDR5 RAM.

How Does the New Maingear ML-17 Compare to the Razer Blade 18?

Razer Blade 18 is probably the “world’s most powerful gaming laptop” but the new Maingear ML-17 should give it strong competition. Some notable similarities include that the two laptops feature the 14th Gen Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, plus they both have Thunderbolt 5 interfaces.

Both Maingear ML-17 and Razer Blade 18 can be configured with up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM, but the ML-17’s RAM operates at a slightly slower 4800MHz frequency compared to the Blade 18’s faster RAM. The ML-17 also offers up to 12TB of M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage, which surpasses what the Blade 18 offers.

There are differences in the battery capacities and power output with ML-17 having a larger 99Wh battery compared to the Blade 18’s 91.7Wh battery. The Blade 18 wins on the display front with its superior QHD+ Mini-LED display, which is a significant upgrade over the ML-17’s screen.

If you are considering which one to purchase, note that the Blade 18 is priced at approximately $4,500 for a configuration with a Core i9-14900HX CPU, RTX 4090 GPU, 2TB SSD, 32GB of RAM, and a QHD+ Mini-LED display.

In comparison, the ML-17 with the same CPU and GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB SSD costs about $3,900. You should factor in your peculiar needs before choosing any of them since both are among the most powerful gaming laptops today.

The Bottom Line

There is no doubt that the new Maingear ML-17 is a powerful laptop that will give regular gamers the performance and efficiency they crave.

The 17.3-inch display means gamers and creativity professionals now have a wider screen to perform tasks. Other new features like the Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and powerful CPU and GPU also boost the productivity capability of the ML-17.

It’s surely a big challenger to the Razer Blade 18, and both laptops can be ideal for ardent gamers looking for something new in a gaming PC.

FAQs