Don't judge a gaming laptop by its cover After reviewing the iBuyPower CZ-17 last month and seeing it look nearly identical to our zero-point MSI GT60, we were hoping our next gaming laptop would be a fresh, new design. Unfortunately Maingear's Nomad 15 apparently uses the same original design manufacturer (ODM) construction as those other two. The Nomad 15's glossy surface actually does a good job of preventing fingerprint smudges. This isn't to say the 15.6-inch laptop is ugly. It's just that when you're paying $2,600 for a device, you’d like to get something that looks cool (see the Razer Blade laptop). The 14.9x10.2x1.7-inch chassis and nearly 10-pound body is roughly the same size/weight as the MSI GT60 and features the same geometric contours and cut-off corners. Its keyboard features the exact same faint, blue backlit-LED keyboard as the CZ-17. To be fair, Maingear does add some small tweaks to the ODM design: The laptop cover comes in a wide variety of colors (we got ours in blue ), the palm rest-area is textured with a pattern of small hexagons, and the body has a distinctly glossy coat which does a surprisingly good job of keeping finger prints at bay. Another nice aspect of the laptop is its screen. The matte 1920x1080-resolution monitor does a great job of minimizing the annoying TN-shimmer commonplace on cheaper screens and off-axis viewing is surprisingly good. While the monitor is nice, it's what's under the hood that really shines. Our Nom
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