Corsair Launches AMD-Powered Voyager Notebook With Built-In Streaming Controls
PC component manufacturer Corsair has finally entered the gaming notebook market, but with a twist. Unlike other mobile gaming solutions, this one is designed for dual-duty: gaming and streaming. Since it owns streaming hardware company Elgato, it’s incorporated streaming controls directly into the hardware. The result is a first-of-its-kind laptop with unique features for streamers. It’s also one of the first laptops to launch with the AMD Advantage branding which are designed to boost gaming and overall system performance.
The laptop has a somewhat mysterious name of Voyager. Eagle-eyed storage mavens will recall Corsair used this name previously on some of its USB storage devices. It seems to be an attempt to define the laptop in vague terms so as to not pigeon hole it as only for gaming or streaming. It’s marketed as being effective at both.
The Voyager a1600 comes in two flavors, both of which are outfitted with an AMD 8C/16T 6000-series CPU. You can choose from a Ryzen 7 6800HS at 4.4GHz+, or a Ryzen 9 6900HS at 4.8GHz+. The Ryzen 7 version includes 16GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR5 while the Ryzen 9 version bumps it up to 32GB. Storage options are similar, with the lower-end model offering a 1TB PCIe 4.0 drive while the flagship goes with 2TB of NVME storage. Despite its potent hardware, its chassis is just 19mm thick, straddling the line between thin-and-light and desktop replacement.
Aside from those differences, both models offer the same hardware. That includes a Radeon 6800M GPU that is one rung down from the top-shelf offering (6850M). It sports 12GB of GDDR6 memory, 40 CUs, and runs at 2.3GHz. There’s also an integrated MUX switch so you can disable the iGPU in favor of the dGPU. The display is a 16″ 2560×1600 240Hz IPS panel with support for AMD FreeSync Premium.
The big news is the integrated Elgato controls, which include both hardware and software. It offers a built-in Elagato Stream Deck just above the keyboard. There’s ten shortcut keys to customize your stream, allowing you to add media, adjust volume, and so forth. You can use the Elgato software to customize the keys’ functions.
The keyboard features individually lit RGB keys with Cherry MX low-profile switches. Corsair says it also uses membrane switches to allow for half key-height. Low-profile mechanical switches also exist, so it’s not clear what kind of height savings Corsair achieved here. There’s a 1080p webcam that is capable of 30fps. A four-microphone array with ambient noise cancellation is used for audio capture, but we assume any streamer worth their salt will have an external mic. Still, it is probably passable for on-the-road streaming. Expansion options include two Thunderbolt 3 USB 4.0 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, and one USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A. There’s also an SDXC 7.0 card reader and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. Connectivity options include dual-band WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.
The Corsair Voyager a1600 should be available soon. Since Corsair also owns OriginPC, that company is offering custom UV printing or laser etching on the lid if you so desire, price TBD. The base model will run you $2,699 while the flagship goes for $2,999.
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