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00:00Hey, how's it going? Dave2D here, and this is the review of the Gigabyte Sabre 15.
00:08This is not a particularly well-known laptop, but it's in that $1000 gaming laptop market, and I think it's pretty interesting.
00:14So, this is one of the first laptops at this price point that I've reviewed that didn't have some kind of color accent on it,
00:20like there's no red, there's no orange, it's all black, inside and outside.
00:25There's still some edges, and it's got a bit of an angular design, but there's nothing obnoxious about this laptop, I like that.
00:31The build quality on this thing is decent. It could be better.
00:34The top panel has a bit more flex than I'd like. Chassis has some flex, nothing out of the ordinary.
00:40The keyboard deck itself is sturdy when you're typing, and the hinge also seems to be good.
00:44As a whole, it doesn't feel delicate, but I wouldn't want to drop this laptop.
00:48The other thing is it's got a matte finish, so fingerprints show pretty readily on this thing.
00:53There's a good selection of ports. There's Ethernet, three display outputs, an SD card slot, four USB ports,
00:59one of them being 3.1 Type-C, and lastly, some audio jacks.
01:03I don't like how the ports on the right are clustered on the bottom.
01:06If you're right-handed, and you're all connected up, it can get a little jungly down there.
01:10I like the keyboard a lot. Part of it is the backlighting. The base model comes with a white backlight.
01:15The upgraded models have RGB backlighting that's controllable in three zones.
01:19Not individually lit, but it's a nice spectrum to choose from, and honestly, it's just nice to have options that aren't red.
01:25Now, I might be laying it a little thick with the whole, like, I don't like red thing,
01:28but seriously, every single gaming laptop at this price point has red on it. This is so refreshing to see.
01:34Okay, the keyboard is also nice to type on. Layout isn't bad. It has a 2mm stroke.
01:39More than most laptop keyboards, but I don't know if it makes that much of a difference.
01:42Mechanism feels a little soft, but I like it overall.
01:46The trackpad, it's a plastic surface, feels smooth, and because it uses Windows drivers,
01:50the accuracy and gesture controls are great. It uses dedicated physical buttons, and I like them.
01:56Not everyone likes physical buttons, but they do a good job on these ones.
01:59The click feels good, and it's not too loud or anything.
02:02Okay, in terms of performance, it's your standard issue Kaby Lake i7 and GTX 1050 or 1050 Ti combo.
02:09If you want to see detailed benchmarks for this combination, there's a link below.
02:12But if you get the 1050 Ti, it's a device that'll get you really solid frame rates on most AAA titles.
02:18Light to moderate demanding games like Overwatch and Doom will break 60 frames per second on ultra graphics.
02:24Heavier games like Battlefield 1 will be in the mid to high 50s on high graphics.
02:28It still looks really good though. The heaviest games like Watch Dogs 2, Rise of the Tomb Raider,
02:33Witcher 3, those need the graphics to be on medium to get really smooth frame rates.
02:37But for the price, this has great performance.
02:40The screen is an IPS panel, 1080p. Bezels aren't too thick. Viewing angles are also pretty good.
02:45It could get a little brighter though. This is just bright enough for me at work,
02:49and if you bring this outdoors, it'll be tough to see the screen.
02:51Color gamut and accuracy aren't the best, but it's on par for a laptop at this price point.
02:56720p webcam looks pretty average.
02:59Opening the device up involves removing a bunch of screws, including some in the battery area.
03:03Inside, you can upgrade or replace the RAM sticks.
03:06They've included one stick of 16 gigs, and you also have access to both drive bays.
03:11The included SSD in this unit uses a SATA interface, but it does support NVMe drives.
03:16The 47Wh battery is removable. I'm actually surprised that this thing packs 47Wh.
03:22It's not very big. The obvious advantage is that you can swap out batteries if you purchase spares.
03:26It feels like something from the 1990s, but for the right user, this can be super useful.
03:31Battery life is short. You're looking at around 3.5-4 hours of regular use with the screen at max brightness.
03:36Playing games, it's going to be less than an hour.
03:39The single heat pipes that they use aren't my favorite, and for the GPU,
03:43the heat needs to travel quite a bit before it gets to the fins to cool down.
03:47Now, when I play games, I don't notice any kind of throttling.
03:49I literally played four hours of Overwatch one night, and it didn't skip a beat, but it gets hot.
03:54GPU temperatures in-game can get to around 85 degrees,
03:58but on extended stress tests, it's closer to 90 degrees.
04:01External temperatures are fine. Even the warmer GPU doesn't make that part of the laptop uncomfortable.
04:06Fan noise is moderately controllable through their software.
04:10With performance mode, fans kick in frequently on idle.
04:13It's noticeable, but not too loud, and then on full load, the fans get a bit louder.
04:17The speakers sound okay, but they're not in a great location.
04:20They're facing downwards onto the table, and audio clarity isn't great.
04:24The volume gets reasonably loud, though.
04:27Okay, the Sabre 15. It's Gigabyte's entry into that whole $1,000 gaming laptop market.
04:32It has a plastic build, decent structural integrity, but the exterior feels a little less sturdy.
04:38Screen is about average for the price point of a gaming laptop.
04:41Slightly more color accurate, but slightly dimmer.
04:44The keyboard is good. The RGB backlighting is particularly nice at this price.
04:48Trackpad and buttons are also both pretty good.
04:51Inside, the Kaby Lake i7 and the GTX 1050 can deliver really strong performance,
04:56but the thermal management on the GPU isn't the best.
04:59The RAM and the storage are easily upgraded if you need,
05:01and there's a user-swappable 47Wh battery that'll give you a little less than 4 hours of battery life.
05:06So, with the Sabre 15, you're paying for a device that doesn't have black and red,
05:10which is a win in my books, but you're also getting a device that doesn't have the best thermal management,
05:14or the best build quality.
05:16Now, if you're looking for a device that has this type of look, you won't be disappointed with this.
05:21I mean, you're not going to have the best thermals, but they're pretty good,
05:24and I think, overall, this device is a great performing laptop.
05:27Hope you guys enjoyed this video. Thumbs if you liked it, subs if you loved it.
05:30I'll see you guys next time.