To start this off, for the gaming folks curious as to how it performs, I ran the 3D Mark Time Spy test the day I purchased it, with Turbo mode enabled: Overall score - 6131 Graphics score - 6303 CPU score - 5314 Purchased a 16gb stick of Crucial RAM, installed it and ran the test again. Overall score - 6444 Graphics score - 6366 CPU score - 6926 All that to say, adding that extra stick makes a sizeable difference. The bottom of the laptop all uses Philips head screws, which is nice, and they weren't torqued in there, came out easily. Then you need to apply a little bit of force to pry off the panel, though nothing too difficult. RAM slot I've indicated in the attached pictures, is under a black soft cover, and there's also a slot to add another NVMe SSD if you feel so inclined. Just know though, that the 16gb stick it comes with, is soldered to the board, so the best you can do is pair it with another 16gb stick. Though it runs buttery smooth with 32gb, so no worries there. This is one of the quietest laptops I've ever used, when I'm not gaming. When just using it for general tasks, such as browsing, watching movies, listening to music, and so on, the fans are hardly ever heard unless you're in the quietest of environments, and even then it's barely noticeable. When gaming of course, the fans spool up and it gets pretty loud, though that should be expected, given the thinness of the laptop, combined with all the power it has, no biggie to me. Something that is a bonus, that is not mentioned in the description on here, is that it comes with a built in DAC, being a Sabre ESS branded one. For an audiophile like myself, that's a huge plus, and paired with either my Astro A50 or Audio Technica M50x cans, music and movies sound terrific on this thing. Screen wise, I don't have the greatest eye for color gamut, though to me it looks as it should, and the GameVisual program allows you to change the color profile, of which there are 7 different ones to choose from. They are Racing, Scenery, RTS/RPG, FPS, Cinema, EyeCare and Vivid. The screen is Pantone validated, though unless it's factory calibrated, I've read that it doesn't necessarily mean you're getting the best color gamut. The built in Armoury Crate program lets you change the power profiles, and I like how detailed the info is, to include the fan speed and decibel output, along with temps of the CPU and GPU. I typically use the Performance mode, which is great that even on that, it still runs pretty quiet outside of gaming. There is a Turbo mode for full on performance, though expect the fans to be going full speed pretty often. Also allows you to change the color profile of the keyboard. The keyboard does have a per key color lighting option, though note you need to download the Aura Creator app from the Microsoft Store, as the Armoury Crate will only let you change the color of all the keys at once. Both allow you to change the type of lighting, as far as having it fade/flow some type of way. The Aura Creator adds some types that the other doesn't have. It was on sale for $1549 when I bought it, and for that price, compared to what else Best Buy has around that point, I felt there wasn't a better option without spending more. The metal casing, the slim profile, and the soft, rubbery feel of the keyboard area all added to the selling points for me. Overall has a solid feel, no flex to the screen that I've noticed, and I lucked out in that my screen has absolutely no backlight bleeding, which for a laptop seems pretty rare. Also added a pic showing how slim this laptop is, as it sits on my cooler. This is actually thinner than even the HP Spectre models of comparable size, which is amazing, given the hardware it has.

After much research on various gaming laptops around this price range I made the decision to go with this one. I'm glad I did. Started up sims 4 on it and it runs amazing as well as reckoning which I've been playing at the highest settings. everything is smooth the fans however do get a bit loud but it is a laptop which is to be expected... and I think I'll take loud fans over having it overheat. I did purchase a cooling pad for it just to ensure it wouldn't over heat. without it it gets a little warm but not really hot. with it it stays a decent temperature. So far really enjoying it and the customizable keyboard.

Overall I am super super pleased with this laptop and it’s giving me everything I need and want from it. I wanted something that could play pretty, casual games without lagging/slowing down, had sufficient storage for Adobe Creative Cloud and my casual photography hobby, had the ability to easily hook up to another monitor/TV screen when I need more screen space, and had a nice appearance. This fits that bit very nicely. The RGB keyboard is a neat feature. The appearance of the laptop itself is super nice, it doesn’t look like a “gaming” laptop. I love the different “performance/battery” settings so I can choose if I want performance mode, quiet mode, or a balance. That said, this laptop does have a couple draw backs to keep in mind that might be deal breakers for some. There is absolutely no webcam in this laptop. So it’s not good for video chatting, streaming, Zoom classrooms/meetings without needing an external webcam. That’s not what I need this laptop for so it’s a non issue for me. Also from the review title - it is a very loud laptop. Unless you have the performance/battery mode set on “silent,” which prioritizes noise reduction over everything else, the cooling fans are just so loud. (Forget about hearing audio through the laptop speakers when you have the mode on “Turbo.”) I usually have headphones in, so it’s fine for me, but the noise does bother other people in the room if they are trying to do/watch something else. I did know this was an issue based on reading previous reviews, but honestly I was not prepared for the noise. It’s very loud. Luckily there is the “silent” mode to use when I need it, but the temperature of the laptop is a bit higher when running on silent mode. Lastly, just a little bit picky, but the keyboard lighting is difficult to customize. You have to download another app and it’s not user friendly.

Runs any game you want smoothly. It looks great and feels great. It is thin and light. My only complaint is the battery. Even when I’m not doing anything demanding it seems to lack in that department. It also gets very hot so you’ll want or pick up some sort of cooling mat.

The Nvidia graphics works like a charm. I have had Nvidia cards before, expected nothing but the best, was not disappointed. Fallout 4 plays flawlessly, have had no problems while playing at least 8 to 12 hours a day, every day. The only issue I have is taking screen shots while playing the game. It says screenshot saved, but can not find them anywhere on the pc. Other than that, extremely happy with the computer and would highly recommend it and Best Buy. Thank you