We had the opportunity to test the Erazer Deputy P60, the little brother of the P50 and big cousin of the Crawler E30e that we tested last year. Has the brand progressed since its return to this very competitive market? Is this machine worth it? Here is our opinion.
When unpacking, we come across a machine again extremely sober, if not downright austere and even a little rough. Here, no curvy chassis like the Asian manufacturers; the German brand has opted for an angular chassis, without the slightest aesthetic flourish.
Not necessarily bad news for those who don’t appreciate exuberant machines full of RGB, even if we can’t help but that a little extra effort in terms of design would clearly not have been a luxury on this very machine. even more slender than the P50 (24 mm at the hinge for 2.10 kg).
Screen
Once opened, we discover a 15.6″ IPS FHD (1920×1080) panel in 16:9 format, all refreshed at 144 Hz. And unfortunately, we have not seen any substantial development at this level since our test of the Crawler e30. The craft isn’t particularly generous in terms of brightness or contrast, and the image still looks a little dull. It still offers fairly approximate color reproduction which, if it remains functional in video games, risks cutting short any task in the field of photography or video. However, the very good anti-reflective coating should be praised.
In other words, it’s not a dishonest proposition but still quite disappointing in terms of image, because if these shortcomings were easy to forgive in the E30e because of its price, it’s already more annoying on a machine almost twice as expensive. This screen undoubtedly remains one of the weak points of the machine.
Chassis and keyboard
This P60 has also inherited another recurring shortcoming in this range: a lack of rigidity at the level of the screen and the tray (particularly at the level of the left portion of the keyboard), which remains quite perceptible. The good news is that they both seem to have been improved over the E30e. The central portion of the keyboard is better stabilized and no longer sags by a millimeter when typing, even if we still notice a small dent on the left side. Nothing dramatic, but sometimes a little confusing in use because it tends to make the tactile feedback less uniform.
And it’s a real shame, because if we ignore this point, the keyboard itself is frankly very good. The rest of the keys are remarkably well stabilized for a membrane keyboard, and the tactile feedback offered remains relatively crisp and precise, both in-game and while writing a long document like this test. We should also welcome the integration of a full numeric keypad – an element that should be installed by default on all machines of 15 inches or more, but which is too often snubbed by manufacturers. Very good work at this level.
On the other hand, we remain quite doubtful about the touchpad. Even if it seemed more precise and better finished than that of the E30e, there remains a significant gap with the trackpads offered by the leaders in the sector in terms of precision and response. Nothing prohibitive, because this touchpad remains completely usable – but consider equipping yourself with a mouse if you are sensitive to trackpads that are a little slow to release.
Hardware
On the CPU side, this Deputy P60 inherits a modest Intel Core i7-12650H – a chip which is starting to date a little, but which has the advantage of remaining reasonable in terms of energy consumption and heat production. A bias not without interest, since the majority of modern games tend to request the graphics card much more than the processor – and the P60 is already better off at this level with an Nvidia RTX 4070 in portable version. Unfortunately, the latter only offers 8GB of VRAM (compared to 12 for the desktop model) and is limited to 100W, which prevents it from exploiting its full potential. Especially since it is only supported by 16 GB of rather slow RAM (3200 MHz, well below current standards).
Play and creation
This hardware will therefore be a little light for certain demanding creative tasks, but that is not the objective of this Deputy. Its core business is video games. And at this level, it generally does quite well for a device in this category. In 1080p resolution and playing a little with the graphics settings and DLSS options, Nvidia’s oversampling system, we had no problem running Cyberpunk 2077, God of War or Elden Ring — two titles not really very well optimized — between 60 and 80 frames per second.
The RAM shortcomings mentioned above, as well as the relative lack of VRAM, however, pose a problem in the most demanding games on the market. For example, to run the brand new S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 under acceptable conditions, we had to make more than substantial sacrifices in graphic quality.
Competitive gamers, on the other hand, will find what they are looking for thanks to the 144 Hz panel, which allows enthusiasts to Counter Strike & co to express themselves in good conditions. Certainly, those who are used to fraggering on ultra-fast panels at more than 240 Hz will surely feel cramped, but this Deputy P60 is quite useful in this context.
Connections
Medion has been rather generous in this regard. As on the P50, everything you need is there… even if some users may regret questionable choices in terms of positioning.
On the right, we find a USB-C port, a micro-SD slot… and a foldable Ethernet port. Even if we appreciate the initiative, knowing that many gaming models continue to ignore this essential element for competitive games where the latency associated with Wi-Fi can pose real problems, we cannot help but to think that it would certainly have been better located at the rear of the chassis. We also regret the absence of a USB-A port to connect a mouse on this side. At least there are two on the left side — but that one lacks USB-C.
On the back, next to the power supply, there’s an additional USB-C, a full-size HDMI port and a well-positioned mini-DisplayPort, which allow the Deputy to be used with any modern display without hindering the mouse movements. Overall, everything you need is there; good news for donglephobles.
Price and availability
You will have understood, in absolute terms, this P60 is not much exceptional. On the other hand, it still has a major argument: its very reasonable price, which forces us to put all these shortcomings into perspective. This I7/4070 model is sold from 1200€ and it is even available on sale at very attractive prices at the time of writing. For example, the for the Black Fridayit is currently offered to €899 on Cybertek ! An extremely reasonable and even frankly interesting price for a gaming laptop capable of running most AAAs without problem.
It therefore displays a price/power ratio much more interesting than very high-end atomic bombswhich undoubtedly helps to forgive his shortcomings. However, keep in mind that the bill will be a little higher in practice, because this model is sold without OS. So you’ll need to install your operating system yourself, which will likely involve purchasing a Windows license. But regardless, if you’re looking for a fairly capable, serviceable and inexpensive machine, this Deputy P60 ticks all the boxes; and with the current promotions, it even looks like a great deal.
Source: www.journaldugeek.com
