Before jumping into this review, I'm still tweaking a few things such as games I've played on here.
I'll get right to it, the Allied Gaming Tomcat-A is my first gaming Laptop. Don't get me wrong, I've played games on laptops before, but to have an actual laptop built for high powered gaming? Never. Back in my day, the only games I could play on my laptop was flash games including Catmario (what up) and that Slender: 8 Pages game back in 2012 (during year 12 I spent some time playing this during 'study' time. They said that playing video games wouldn't get you anywhere, but the jokes on them now!) Anyway, continuing on;
That's as far as my relationship with gaming on laptops went. In the last few years however since gaming has grown and evolved, I had been told that gaming laptop's just weren't worth it, and instead a PC would suffice. While I think to a degree there may be some truth in that, it just depends on what each individual is looking for when it comes to their choice of how they game, and of course choosing the right laptop for them.
Well, I'm here to say that I disagree with the statement of 'gaming laptops not being worth it' and with the right laptop, there's no regrets or looking back. The Allied Tomcat-A provides an excellent, high quality laptop for all your gaming needs. Whether you're playing a small indie title or a big Triple A title. Not only will you be able to game and stream your heart out, but this laptop is also fantastic when it comes to everyday work and personal use.
So, how far did I push the limits? Here's the details and what my experience has been like with the Tomcat-A so far;
Specs:
Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor with Radeon Graphics
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 8GB Graphics [150W]
Memory: 16GB [2x8GB] 3200MHz DDR4 SO-DIMM RAM
Operating System Drive: 1TB NVME [Gen3.0] M.2 SSD
Display: 16" IPS WQHD (2560x1600) 165Hz
Dimensions: 360 (w) x 286 (d) x 27.3 (h) mm
2.3kg and 27.3mm thick
As mentioned, for someone who hasn't owned an actual gaming laptop before, it's safe to say that I'm beyond impressed with how the Tomcat-A runs. As you can see from the specs above, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor is currently one of the top performing CPU's in the market, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is an absolute powerhouse GPU. With these two combined, it makes the Allied Tomcat-A laptop high up in being one of the best gaming laptops in the market.
While it doesn't fit in any of my current laptop bags, I'm thankful it doesn't doesn't weigh 4 bricks worth. The size of the laptop is genuinely quite good regardless, albiet you may need to re configure your space to fit it in. I had to clean out an entire shelf in my wardrobe just so I could fit this and the laptop charger somewhere.
Running games on Steam, Epic and the Xbox app were seamless, quick, and a nice change of pace for me. I currently own a PC that's genuinely decent and plays well, but in some instances I had to change settings on some games. Not always, but with the Tomcat-A the stress about game settings were at the lower end, and I could just jump into the game. With larger triple A games I've tested out so far, such as Uncharted Legacy of Thieves, I've been playing it in mostly medium and high settings and there hasn't been any major issues I've come across (yet). I also did try it out in ultra - and there were some minor technical issues, but nothing that bothered me too much personally.
Suitable for;
HD GAMING @ 1080p/1440p
Streaming (stream away!)
Using VR
Everyday use whether you're working from home, studying or just for watching YouTube or on streaming platforms
Features:
HD Webcam with dual digital Array Microphone
Battery: 4-cell Polymer 64.31Whr li-polymer battery. Approx 4 hours of battery life depending how you utilize the GPU
3x USB ports: 3.1 Gen1 ports
Air Force Extreme cooling solution
Backlit tri-zone RGB LED keyboard
Audio: Built-in Two-Channel Hi-Def Audio, Built-in 2W Stereo speakers, 1 x 2-in-1 audio jack (headphone out/microphone in)
I tested out the webcam and microphone, and it's fine to use if you're just using it for a zoom call or catching up with a friend. It's not the best quality, but it'll do in that regard. My focus isn't primarily on this aspect anyway, but still worth mentioning as it's still a function some may use more.
The Tomcat-A also comes with control centre. As you'll see in the three screenshots below, there are three different settings you can pick from - Office mode, Gaming and High Performance. You can pick and choose to your liking, and can change it at any time. There's no hassle, there's no 'Oh great now I have to open this up again'. It has a fast response time, and it's great to have some variation, depending on what you're doing.
Alongside this, there's also a range of LED control. With 4 areas, 3 set modes and a custom one - the limit does not exist with how you want your LED's to come across! You can turn them off/on at any given time, and regardless it always looks pretty cool.
Games I've played on here so far;
The Godfeather demo
A Tale of Two Sons
The Lions Song
Fall Guys
Horizon Chase Turbo
Justice Sucks: Tactical Vacuum Action
Cultic: Chapter 1
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves
Halo Infinite
+ more to add
I've also been using the Allied Flashbang mouse, Firehawk Keyboard, Warhead 7.1 headphones and JBL Quantum TWS earbuds. They all work seamlessly with no issue, and they're an excellent addition if you're looking for new gaming hardware to go with this laptop.
Aside from gaming I've also been using it for work and just general use, including using Wix, Google Docs, Spotify, Canva and YouTube. No glaring or major issues that I ran into while using these.
Pros
Fast response
Easy to access the Control Center settings
Good variation for the three different settings: Office Mode, Gaming and High Performance
Seamless connectivity with keyboards, mouses and headphones
Excellent, high quality performance regardless of what you're using the laptop for
Games run smoothly
Cons
This was a one off issue I had, but still worth mentioning. There was one instance when I pressed the windows key while I was in the middle of a game, and then the game froze so I had to quit it. I tested it again and it worked fine after that. Other than that, there wasn't anything else I found of issue.
Mixed
Webcam isn't the greatest quality, but if you're just using it for zoom calls it does the job. For me, this isn't an issue but still worth pointing it out.
A slight nit pick and a personal preference, but I feel having a fourth USB port would have also been good to have on the left hand side. Again, it's down to personal preference which is why this is in mixed.
The touchpad is fine, but not something I personally wanted to use all the time, as I much prefered using a mouse instead. Again, this is just a personal preference which is why it's in mixed as well.
LED lights randomly stopped once despite them still being clicked to on in the Control Centre. This is in mixed because I'm not sure if it was something I did or if it was a laptop issue which is why it's worth noting still.
Conclusion
I can highly recommend this to anyone looking to get their hands on an exceptional laptop, especially for first timers to gaming laptops like I was. If you're looking for a gaming laptop plus a side of everyday use, then this may be worth investing in. If you're on a budget and can't quite justify a PC - this is also a great middle ground to consider. Of course, I can recommend this to anyone looking for a high powered laptop - regardless if you're new to the gaming realm or not. In the time I've spent with this laptop, I've been nothing but impressed even with the minor issues I came across. Of course, each game you play has different requirement settings so you'll have to keep that in mind. Regardless, with the games I've played and tested the limits with - it's been nothing but smooth sailing. With the Tomcat-A there's no stress or worry, there's just high quality gaming to be had.
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