Today, as the IFA 2025 tech conference is underway, MAINGEAR is turning its gaming hardware sensibilities to the more portable market with its new Super 16 laptop. This new gaming machine claims to deliver high-end, desktop-like performance on the go, packing specs and features that should make its intended rivals pay closer attention.
If you aren't familiar with MAINGEAR, it’s a US-based company better known for building high-end custom gaming desktop PCs. It offers both pre-configured systems and fully custom builds, assembling them for you and shipping directly to your door.
The company has also partnered with big names in the gaming space, including Razer, HP, and popular gaming streamer 'Shroud.' You'll probably also recognize the MAINGEAR name from our previous coverage, as our own PC specialist Cale Hunt has tested the Maingear MG-1 in the past and taken interest in its throwback Retro95 gaming PC.
The MAINGEAR Super 16 is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (Series 2, Arrow Lake) processor, one of the most powerful mobile chips available from the company, beating out AMD’s flagship Ryzen 9 mobile processor back in February of this year (via Tom's Hardware).
When you pair that with NVIDIA’s beefy RTX 5070 Ti mobile GPU, which runs at a respectable 140W TDP, it’s safe to say you won’t have any performance struggles with this laptop. The RTX 5070 Ti also brings some of NVIDIA's best software tricks to the table. You get features like DLSS 4 and MFG, AI tools that cleverly upscale the game images and boost your frame rates in demanding games for a much smoother experience.
It also includes NVIDIA’s Reflex 2, a feature that's all about reducing input lag, making your games feel that much more responsive, which is a huge plus for those who play competitive games like Valorant or Counter-Strike 2.
MAINGEAR claims the mobile GPU delivers up to 23% faster performance over the standard RTX 5070, and you'll also get the flexibility to switch between a "discrete GPU" mode for maximum power and a "hybrid mode" when you need to save on battery life, something that NVIDIA Optimus has offered for a while.
A 300Hz G-SYNC display for competitive esports
The standout feature of the Super 16 is arguably its display. It's a 16-inch screen offering up to a 2560x1600 resolution, a much sharper image than 1080p, alongside a 300Hz refresh rate, resulting in exceptionally smooth motion. And yes, you can definitely tell the difference between 120Hz and 300Hz in person, at least in my personal experience.
Alongside that high refresh rate, the display also supports NVIDIA's G-Sync technology, synchronizing the screen to the graphics card itself to prevent any ugly screen tearing. MAINGEAR also highlights the laptop's sub-8ms response time, complementing the display tech to keep fast-moving action looking clear and sharp.
So, what is the killer feature that most rivals are missing? According to MAINGEAR, it all comes down to the laptop's networking capabilities. The Super 16 is one of the earliest laptops to feature Intel's Killer Wi-Fi 7, the latest (and fastest) wireless standard. It also includes a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, more than double the speed of a typical Gigabit port.
But the real magic happens when you combine them using Intel's latest Killer DoubleShot Pro feature. It essentially allows the laptop to use both Wi-Fi and Ethernet at the same time, intelligently sending your time-sensitive game traffic over the fastest connection.
Meanwhile, it routes less important background traffic, like system updates, over the other connection. So, in practice, your competitive match could be using the stable wired connection while Windows is doing one of its pesky updates over Wi-Fi, all without causing any lag (hopefully). The end result is that your game or stream is always prioritized, ensuring a smooth, lag-free experience even on a busy network.
Wallace Santos, MAINGEAR’s CEO, claims that “despite the laptops thin-chasis, it's packed with high-performance specs, delivering a fantastic gaming and entertainment experience in today's most popular gaming laptop size.” It’s also worth properly mentioning that it wouldn't be a true gaming laptop without some RGB, and the Super 16 delivers on the front.
As seen in the provided pictures, it features a customizable backlit keyboard and a rear light bar that projects a glow from the back of the chassis. After all, nothing lets people know you have a serious gaming laptop quite like a healthy dose of RGB.
Super 16: Specifications
- CPU: Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 275HX (24 Cores, 24 Threads, 5.4GHz Max. Turbo Boost) (10-150W)
- GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5070 Ti Mobile (140W, Max-Q)
- Display: 16.0" 2560×1600 (1600p), 300Hz, G-SYNC, <8ms, 500 nits, 100% sRGB
- Memory: Up to 96GB DDR5 (2×48GB @ 4800MT/s)
- Storage: Up to 3× M.2 SSDs (1× Gen5 + 2× Gen4)
- Cooling: Vapor Chamber with rear exhaust (195W thermal capacity)
- Networking: Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 7 + 2.5Gb LAN with Killer DoubleShot Pro
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4
- Camera: 5MP IR Windows Hello with privacy shutter and wake-on-approach
- RGB Lighting: 4-zone RGB keyboard + rear-facing RGB light bar
- Audio: Stereo downward-firing speakers powered by Creative Sound Blaster Studio Pro 2
- Battery: 80Wh + 230W AC adapter with 100W USB-C PD-in
- Ports: 2× Thunderbolt 4/USB-C, 2× USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI, Audio Combo, DC In, microSD card reader
The MAINGEAR Super 16 is available to order starting today from its own store, with pricing beginning at $2,399. For that, the base model comes well-equipped with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a fast 2TB SSD. Customers can also customize the laptop with more memory and storage when ordering.
Plus, every machine includes MAINGEAR's lifetime support, which is a great perk for a premium device. It's clear MAINGEAR is making a genuine play for the high-end laptop market with this entry. While it's certainly a pricey machine, it offers a compelling package for the money, and there are more just like this appearing in this space.
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