Maingear ML-16 review: Smooth graphics and a reasonable price forgive its biggest failing

Maingear, typically known for its custom desktop gaming PCs, is back in the gaming laptop business with its new Maingear ML-16 and the upcoming ML-17. The ML-16 launched in June and features an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H AI processor, an Nvidia 4060 or 4070 GPU, and customizable memory and storage options.

Like all of its computers, Maingear assembles the ML-16 by hand in its New Jersey headquarters. That fact makes the $1,799 starting price sound like a steal. The choice of an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor helps keep costs down, while the Nvidia RTX 4060 or 4070 GPU will still offer a high-quality gaming experience.

So will the Maingear ML-16 make our list of best gaming laptops? It’s time to find out.

Maingear ML-16: Specs

Maingear ML-16: Price and configurations

The Maingear ML-16 starts at just $1,799, which includes an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and a 1TB solid-state drive (SSD). You can upgrade the memory to 32GB and the storage to 2TB for an additional $200, for a total of $1,999.

If you want a more powerful GPU, you can opt for the $2,199 model, which comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, 32GB of DDR5 memory, and a 2TB SSD. Upgrading the memory to 64GB and the storage to 4TB is an additional $300, bringing you to $2,499.

Of course, if those options aren’t quite to your specifications, Maingear will let you custom-build an ML-16 starting at $1,799. You can customize the laptop with a GPU of up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, up to 64GB of DDR5 memory, and up to 2 4TB SSDs. Fully kitted out with 8TB of storage space, 64GB of memory, and an RTX 4070 GPU, the ML-16 tops out at a maximum price of $2,948.

Like any good custom PC maker, Maingear also lets you customize the artwork on the A-panel lid for an additional $69. You can also purchase Maingear peripherals, displays, software, and an upgraded 180W power adapter at extra cost.

Maingear ML-16: Design

Gaming laptops often come in one of two aesthetics: an RGB single-laptop rave or a more understated minimalist style designed to camouflage in non-gaming environments. The Maingear ML-16, with the standard silver aluminum A-panel lid, certainly fits into the more modern, business-casual group. However, you can change that up with custom artwork on the top lid, assuming you have a design handy that fits Maingear’s requirements for custom art submissions.

In the future, Maingear plans to offer a selection of curated art for buyers, but for now, you either need to bring your own art or go for the standard silver lid on the ML-16. I find it a bit boring, but at least the brushed aluminum lid doesn’t easily pick up smudges or fingerprints.

Not only is the ML-16's aluminum chassis smudge-free, but it also meets the MIL-STD 810H durability standards. This means the laptop can survive high altitudes, extreme high and low temperatures, thermal shock, solar radiation, humidity, sand and dust, vibrations, shocks, and even explosive atmospheres. So, the ML-16 will survive even your most rugged adventures.

That durability doesn’t come at the expense of portability, as the ML-16 is light and thin enough to easily tote it around if you need to take it to work, class, or on vacation. Weighing just 4.59 pounds and measuring 14.1 x 10.18 x 0.78 inches the ML-16 should have no trouble fitting into most laptop bags or backpacks.

Similar 16-inch laptops like the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (Gen 9) and Alienware m16 R2 are either heavier or thicker than the ML-16. Only the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) is thinner and lighter than the rest of the test group. The Zephyrus G16 measures just 14 x 9.7 x 0.6 inches and weighs only 3.95 pounds, so the ML-16 isn’t far behind. The Legion Pro 5i measures 14.3 x 10.3 x 0.9-1.1 inches and weighs 5.4 pounds, while the Alienware m16 R2 measures 14.3 x 9.8 x 0.9 inches and weighs 5.4 pounds. So the Maingear ML-16 is on the lighter and thinner side, though it doesn’t beat the ultraportable Asus ROG Zephyrus G16.

Maingear ML-16: Ports

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The Maingear ML-16 is a gaming laptop built with convenience in mind, so it has more than enough ports for the average gamer. The ML-16 features one Thunderbolt 4 port, 1 USB-C port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, one Ethernet port, one HDMI port, one MicroSD Card Reader, and a 3.5mm audio combo jack.

If that’s somehow not enough ports for your streaming setup, you can kit out your Maingear gaming station with one of our best USB Type-C hubs or laptop docking stations.

Maingear ML-16: Display

While not the most essential component to consider when buying a gaming laptop, it’s near the top of the list if you aren’t plugging into a gaming monitor. More and more games are designed to look their best at higher resolutions, with HDR technology, and a vibrant color palette so you need your gaming monitor to keep up.

I decided to test the ML-16’s display by watching the latest trailer for Mary Louise Parker and Ayo Edibri’s upcoming drama Omni Loop. The ML-16 did a fantastic job displaying the vibrant outdoor scenes of Parker chatting with family on a park bench and didn’t struggle with the bright interior hospital scenes either. The only struggle I noticed with the ML-16 came while gaming. Booting up a new save of Dragon’s Dogma II, the ML-16 struggled with the dim lighting in the tutorial level’s underground prison environment.

The Maingear ML-16’s QHD display panel is optimized for the sRGB color space. Maingear used the X-Rite Pantone Color calibration software to ensure you get a quality gaming experience with 100% coverage of the sRGB color gamut. Naturally, we had to test that claim in our lab and found that our ML-16 review unit covered 103% of the sRGB spectrum.

While that’s all well and good, at Laptop Mag, we hold displays to a higher standard, specifically, the DCI-P3 color space. The Maingear ML-16 was a bit underwhelming on that metric, covering just 73.2% of the DCI-P3 color gamut with a Delta-E accuracy of 0.26. That’s better than the Alienware m16 R2’s disappointing 69.9% of the DCI-P3 color gamut with an accuracy of 0.3. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 has the most vibrant display with 78.2% DCI-P3 coverage with an accuracy of 0.21, although even that’s a relatively weak result. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (Gen 9) came in just behind the Zephyrus with 77.8% coverage and an accuracy of 0.3.

In terms of brightness, the ML-16 fared much better against its competition, with a maximum average brightness of 363 nits. Only the Zephyrus G16 was brighter, with a max brightness of 388 nits. The Legion Pro 5i (346 nits) is just behind the ML-16 and Zephyrus G16, while the Alienware m16 (287 nits) rounded out the bottom of the brightness rankings.

Maingear ML-16: Keyboard and touchpad

It isn’t often you find a laptop with a full-sized RGB keyboard and numpad, but I am fond of the choice. Perhaps it's my retail experience speaking, but I like having a number pad on my keyboards, even if tenkeyless style keyboards are far more common, especially in the laptop world. 

Having RGB lights under a full-sized keyboard is something I’ve missed on gaming laptops in recent years, as I got very used to the versatility and aesthetics of that same setup on my old MSI Stealth GS63VR.

In terms of keyboard quality, however, the ML-16 does more than just meet my personal preference for keyboard setup. The keys have a nice mid-range actuation point and a bouncy feel. On the 10fastfingers Advanced typing test, I averaged a score of 90 words per minute, which is slightly ahead of my 88WPM average on my MacBook Pro 14 M1. 

While you aren’t likely to use the touchpad for gaming on a gaming laptop, the large touchpad with a low friction finish on the ML-16 does make for a comfortable web-browsing and OS navigating experience.

Maingear ML-16: Audio

The Maingear ML-16 features built-in speakers with Sound Blaster Studio+ controls, so you can adjust the tuning as needed. However, the tuning straight out of the box from Maingear is pretty solid. The speakers are more than loud enough to fill a room or two; if anything, the max volume on the ML-16 was too loud for my small two-bedroom apartment.

I booted up Slovakian doom metal band Samsara’s recent single “Sleeping Beauty” to put the ML-16’s audio through its paces, and I cannot say I was disappointed. The speakers on the ML-16 more than kept up with the heavy-distortion atmospheric doom metal, and while the sound did get a bit tinny at max volume, the speakers were more than loud enough at 50 percent to fill a room without losing out on sound quality.

The ML-16’s built-in audio can drown out even the worst fan noise, though the laptop is rather quiet even after a several-hour Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail binge session.

Granted, if you want immersive surround sound, you’ll always be better served with one of the best computer speakers, but you don’t need a set of speakers to enjoy gaming without a headset on the Maingear ML-16.

Maingear ML-16: Graphics and gaming performance

With an Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU onboard, the Maingear ML-16 offers a smooth, consistent gaming experience at FHD or QHD resolutions. I tested the laptop’s gaming quality by running it through Dragon’s Dogma II, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail on my standard high settings at max resolution. Granted, none of these titles require more than a stable 60 FPS, but I had a mostly smooth experience across all three. Baldur’s Gate 3 suffered a bit from a CPU bottleneck in large-scale encounters, but that happens on most laptops and even on consoles, so it hardly impacted my enjoyment of the game.

I did have the most seamless experience with Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, even in the new zones with increased graphic demands. Despite server congestion and party effects, I had no problems keeping up in 8-person trials with the ML-16.

Our lab benchmarks supported my hands-on gaming experience, indicating rather typical 4070 gaming performance despite the ML-16’s non-gaming Intel Core Ultra CPU. On the 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra Direct X 11 4K gaming benchmark, the ML-16 maintained an average score of 6,306, just a bit above the Zephyrus G16 (6,147). The ML-16 only lagged slightly behind the Legion Pro 5i (6,498) and Alienware m16 (7,109). 

On the 3DMark Port Royal ray tracing benchmark, the ML-16 scored a respectable 6,508 average. This was higher than the Zephyrus G16 (6,284) by a decent margin, though it did lag behind the Legion Pro 5i (6,741) and Alienware m16 (7,498).

As for more real-world game benchmarks, we also tested the ML-16 using the internal benchmarking tools of Far Cry 6 and Red Dead Redemption II. On Far Cry 6 at Ultra settings and 1080p resolution, the ML-16 maintained a 69 FPS average, almost identical to the Zephyrus G16 (68 FPS). The Alienware m16 outscored them both with an 89 FPS average, while the Legion Pro 5i scored the highest with a 100 FPS average. 

On Red Dead Redemption II on Medium settings at 1080p resolution, the ML-16 averaged 62 FPS, just ahead of the Zephyrus G16 (60 FPS) and just a bit behind the Alienware m16 (65 FPS). The Legion Pro 5i again scored the highest on this benchmark with a 70 FPS average.

Of course, our benchmarks deliberately push laptops’ performance, so you can certainly get better performance by opting for lower graphics settings or enabling DLSS 3.

Maingear ML-16: Performance

In terms of general performance, the Maingear ML-16’s Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor can keep up with even my demanding daily workload of 30-odd Chrome tabs, Adobe Photoshop, virtual meetings, and frequent emails. I didn’t notice much of a performance drop in the laptop when working on battery power as opposed to when connected to an outlet, which is one of the nicer features of the Intel Core Ultra line of “Meteor Lake” AI processors. Having upgraded RAM and storage also certainly helped.

In our lab benchmarks, the ML-16 fared about as well as could be expected with its mid-range processor. On the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark, the ML-16 scored a single-core average of 2,428 and a multicore average of 12,403. These scores were similar to the Alienware m16 R2, which has the same Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, the m16 fared worse on the single-core benchmark, averaging a score of 2,419, and better on the multicore benchmark with an average of 12,784. However, these scores are close enough to be nearly identical when factoring in the average deviation in Geekbench scores. 

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 fared better thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, with a single-core average of 2,509 and a multicore average of 13,299. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i had the best Geekbench 6 scores thanks to its more powerful Intel Core i9-14900HX processor, with a single-core average of 2,941 and a multicore average of 17,585. Obviously the Intel Core Ultra 9 and Intel Core i9 processors in the Zephyrus G16 and Legion Pro 5i have more cores, which can offer greater multicore performance. However, the difference between the Core Ultra 9 and Core Ultra 7 single-core performance is negligible for most real-world single-core tasks.

On our Handbrake video encoding test, which tasks laptops with converting the 4K version of “Tears of Steel” into a 1080p 30FPS streaming format, the ML-16 fared far worse than its competitors, taking 8 minutes and 23 seconds to complete the conversion. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i was the quickest, encoding the video in just 3:06, while the Alienware m16 R2 (3:46) and Zephyrus G16 (4:06) provided more average performance.

Finally, on our file transfer test, which requires the laptop to copy a 25GB multimedia folder to determine its transfer rate, the Maingear ML-16 was also a bit slow,, copying the file in 31.54 seconds for a transfer rate of 851.3 MBps. The Zephyrus G16 was the second slowest laptop, requiring 19.2 seconds to complete the transfer for a rate of 1,396MBps. The Alienware m16 R2 was the quickest, taking jut 13.3 seconds to copy the folder for a transfer rate of 2,015MBps. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i was a close second, taking 13.9 seconds to complete the transfer for a rate of 1,933MBps.

Maingear ML-16: Battery life

Due to a combination of powerful processors and discrete graphics cards, gaming laptops rarely have excellent battery life. Occasionally we get a gaming laptop in that manages to clear the 8-hour mark, but you’re unlikely to have a gaming laptop make it through your whole work day, and the Maingear ML-16 is no exception.

Even grading on that curve, the Maingear ML-16 suffers from pretty poor battery life, only managing to last 4 hours and 1 minute on the Laptop Mag battery test=. On our proprietary battery test, we set laptops to 150-nits of brightness and set the laptops to surf the web continuously across a pre-set list of 20 static, dynamic, and video web pages.

Compared to the other gaming laptops in the 16-inch category, the ML-16 fared rather poorly, coming in behind the Alienware m16 (6:13) and Zephyrus G16 (4:46). It also lasted just 18 minutes longer than the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (3:43).

We also ran the PCMark 10 Gaming battery life benchmark to see how long you could play a game untethered from an outlet, and the ML-16 lasted 1 hour and 33 minutes, which is a bit more than we normally see for gaming machines. The Zephyrus G16 was the second longest-lasting on the PCMark 10 test, surviving for 1:03, while the Alienware m16 (0:53) and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (0:49) didn’t even make the hour-mark.

Maingear ML-16: Webcam

The ML-16 has a dual sensor 2.0 FHD camera that can be used for Windows Hello secure sign-in and video calls. As this is just a FHD webcam, the quality is on the grainy side though it doesn’t have too much color bleed which makes it better than a lot of FHD internal laptop webcams I’ve seen in my time reviewing laptops. So it could work for the occasional video call if you need it.

Of course, if you plan to use the ML-16 to run a stream or for frequent video calls, I recommend getting one of the best webcams to get a less splotchy feed.

Maingear ML-16: Heat

While you aren’t likely to use the touchpad on a laptop while gaming, you will want to use the keyboard, so knowing how hot a laptop’s keyboard gets during a gaming session is essential information. At Laptop Mag, we test a gaming laptop’s cooling capabilities by looping the Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition benchmark on Extreme for at least 5 runs and then measure the touchpad's temperature, G/H keys, and the hottest point on the laptop.

The Maingear ML-16 does get a bit toasty under extreme gaming conditions, measuring 91.2 degrees Fahrenheit between the G and H keys after our Metro Exodus stress test. However, the bottom of the laptop stays a bit cooler than other gaming laptops, hitting a high of 119 degrees on the top-center underside of the laptop. 

While this is still well above the Laptop Mag comfort threshold of 95 degrees Fahrenheit, you aren’t likely to be running gaming sessions on this 16-inch gaming laptop from your actual lap. However, 119 degrees Fahrenheit is enough heat to cause third-degree burns with enough exposure, so you need to be careful not to put the bottom of the laptop on anything flammable if you plan to run any games.

Maingear ML-16: Software and warranty

Maingear has pre-loaded the ML-16 with a clean installation of Windows 11 Pro, so you should be free of bloatware. The only pre-installed software on the laptop includes Windows 11, essential Microsoft applications, Sound Blaster Studio+, and the X-Rite Pantone calibration software.

It has been a while since the last Maingear laptop, so sadly, we haven’t tested their customer support for our recent annual rankings in the Tech Support Showdown. 

However, Maingear does host their customer support in-house, and I have had to reach out to Maingear before for tech support on a review unit of one of the Maingear MG-1 desktops back when I worked in the testing department. I didn’t have to wait long to speak with a knowledgeable tech who helped me troubleshoot a motherboard power supply issue with clear and concise instructions.

Bottom line

The Maingear ML-16 may not be the most powerful gaming laptop, but it isn’t trying to be. The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor offers a nice balance of performance and price, as does the RTX 4060 or 4070 GPU. It’s a quality gaming experience for a price that won’t set you back several months’ rent. And it comes with a solid display, impressively loud audio, and plenty of ports to maximize your game station.

While the ML-16’s default design may be a rather understated silver chassis, you can customize it with your own design if you’d rather go for something more personal. The only major drawback is that the ML-16 suffers from poor battery life and thermal management. 4:01 battery life isn’t unreasonable for a 16-inch gaming laptop, but it’s not ideal when you’re on the go. But if you don’t need to use the ML-16 as a school or work device and can keep it near an outlet, it’s a good choice for a new gaming laptop that won’t break the bank.