The Falcon Northwest TLX (starts at $2,200; $2,375 as tested) is a slim and powerful gaming laptop thanks to Nvidia's Max-Q design. It packs a tuned-down GTX 1070 graphics card into its thin frame, delivering high marks in our gaming tests. It also boasts a flashy automotive paint job, a customization option that can add some class or flash (and, yes, some cost) to your machine. The Origin PC EVO15-S remains our Editors' Choice for this price range, just edging the TLX with its design and features, but it comes down to personal preference; the TLX is an efficient, well-built machine in its own right.

Fresh Coat of Paint

Falcon Northwest offers custom paint jobs for any system it builds, including specific color schemes and logos. It's high-quality automotive paint, too, not just a lid palette swap. Our unit has a broadly appealing metallic cloudy blue paint job, which looks sharp and stands out. (Note that the more intricate the design, the more you're going to pay. Our option is one of the more expensive choices.) The Falcon Northwest logo on the lid is on the larger side, though, and may not be to everyone's liking.

Its Nvidia Max-Q technology allows the TLX to be very thin, measuring just 0.8 by 15 by 10 inches (HWD) and weighing 4.75 pounds. That's thin and relatively light, though not the slimmest Max-Q system we've seen. The EVO15-S is 0.7 inches thick and weighs 4.3 pounds, while the Asus ROG Zephyrus is 0.66 inches thick and weighs 4.9 pounds. The TLX is well built, with a plastic lid and a sturdy alloy for the keyboard deck and base.

The 15.6-inch IPS (In-Plane Switching) display on the TLX bears an HD (1,920-by-1,080) resolution and matte finish. The bezels are about an inch thick on the top and sides. The IPS panel makes for wide viewing angles and a vibrant picture, while the matte finish cuts down on glare. It's an effective combination—matte screens often make the picture a bit dull, but the display on the TLX is crisp and clear. HD is also a good fit for the hardware; a full-power GTX 1070 is capable of 60 frames per second (fps) at higher resolutions, but the Max-Q version isn't quite as strong. As such, it still has plenty of headroom for greater-than-60fps HD gaming, but doesn't push it too far by aiming for QHD.

The full keyboard with number pad has keys that are a little smaller than you may be used to, but it's not a problem after a short adjustment. They're bouncy, but have good travel and feature customizable backlighting (in a stylish touch, the keyboard on our TLX is set to a light blue color that matches the lid). The touchpad is solid with dedicated click buttons beneath it. The speakers are loud but not especially booming with bass, and they're slightly tinny at very high volume. You'll want to plug in headphones or external speakers for intense gaming sessions.

The slim frame on the TLX is packed with ports, mostly on the left flank. There, you will find two USB-C ports, two USB 3.0 ports, two Mini DisplayPort connectors, and an HDMI port. On the right, there's another USB 3.0 port, an SD card slot, headphone and mic jacks, and an Ethernet port. For storage, there's a 512GB M.2 SSD for speedy booting and game-loading times. The EVO15-S we reviewed has a 512GB SSD and a roomy 2TB hard drive, but the TLX is fully configurable if you'd like more storage. Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a one-year warranty are included.

Smooth HD Gaming

The TLX was available prior to release of Intel's eighth-generation "Coffee Lake" processors, but its 2.8GHz Core i7-7700HQ is more than adequate for both gaming and general tasks. Paired with 16GB of memory, it scored well on the PCMark 8 Work Conventional test, which measures productivity for everyday tasks. It's right in line with both Max-Q and non-Max-Q machines like the Zephyrus, the EVO15-S, the Acer Predator Triton 700, and the Alienware 15 R3 (1,224.99 Base Configuration at Dell) . The same holds true on multimedia tests, where these models were all bunched in the same performance range (save for the Zephyrus' speedy Photoshop result). Rest assured the TLX can serve as your system for multitasking and media projects when you're not gaming.

On that note, the TLX and its Max-Q GTX 1070 are prepared for virtually any game you'll throw at it. Even the tuned-down version of the GTX 1070 scored higher than 60fps on the Heaven and Valley gaming tests (87fps and 85fps respectively) set to maximum-quality settings. It also smoothly ran The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt at ultra-quality settings—a difficult feat for many systems on higher resolutions, but within reach at HD here.

As you can see in the chart, performance on the 3D and gaming tests were right in line with the EVO15-S, while the Max-Q GTX 1080 systems churned out higher frame rates and scores. The TLX's hardware is also well equipped for VR. Finally, the system runs quietly and doesn't get too hot, not always a guarantee with Max-Q builds.

See How We Test Laptops

Battery life was solid enough, lasting for 5 hours and 13 minutes on our rundown test. It's not especially long, but good for a gaming laptop and longer than the EVO15-S (4:27) and much better than the Triton (2:34) and the Zephyrus (2:31). The Alienware 15 R3 just edged it out at 5:33, but you won't want to stray too far from the charger with any of these laptops.

Balanced and Beautiful

The Falcon Northwest TLX has a handful of similarly performing competitors, making naming a clear-cut winner a challenge. It's stylish and well-built, which goes a long way when you're spending a lot of money. We also appreciate the made-to-order paint job. Other than that, from performance to style to price, it's very similar to the Editors' Choice EVO15-S. The Origin machine comes with more storage, a 120Hz display (versus the standard 60Hz of the TLX), and a design we like just a tad more, giving it an ever-so-slight edge.

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