MAINGEAR has announced its most powerful laptop to date. The new ULTIMA 18 is an 18-inch gaming and creator-focused machine that looks more like a portable desktop than a traditional notebook. Built in collaboration with CLEVO, this flagship system is packed with high-end components including an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 mobile GPU.
The company describes ULTIMA 18 as a no-compromise solution. Inside the metal-lid chassis is a 4K display capable of 200Hz refresh rates with G-SYNC and 100 percent DCI-P3 color. MAINGEAR also confirms support for NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, which intelligently switches between integrated and discrete graphics to extend battery life without sacrificing power.
The 18.0-inch screen uses a 3840 by 2400 resolution in a 16 by 10 aspect ratio. Response time is under 7 milliseconds, making it suitable for fast-paced gaming and high-end creative work.
This is MAINGEAR’s first laptop to offer dual-channel DDR5 memory support, PCIe Gen5 SSDs, and dual Thunderbolt 5 ports. The system can be configured with up to 192GB of DDR5 RAM and four M.2 NVMe SSDs, including Gen5 storage options from Samsung.
Graphics are handled by either the RTX 5090 or 5080 mobile GPUs. Both are equipped with up to 24GB of GDDR7 memory and push up to 175 watts TGP. Combined with the Core Ultra 9’s 24 cores and 5.4GHz turbo boost, the ULTIMA 18 has headroom for AAA games, 4K video editing, and AI workloads.
Connectivity is loaded with options. There are two Thunderbolt 5 ports, two 2.5-gigabit Ethernet ports, HDMI 2.1, two USB-A ports (one with power delivery), Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and a microSD card reader. Rear and side placement of the I/O keeps things tidy when docked, and the laptop is compatible with next-generation AR and VR headsets.
MAINGEAR has also added thoughtful hardware extras. There is a five-speaker system powered by Sound Blaster Studio Pro 2 that includes two tweeters, two drivers, and a subwoofer. The keyboard is RGB backlit with per-key customization and features a dedicated Copilot key. A 5-megapixel Windows Hello webcam with IR sensor and privacy cover is included.
Despite the extreme performance, the system remains fairly portable. It weighs 8.8 pounds and includes a redesigned 330-watt charger that fits in a backpack. Battery life is handled by a 98-watt-hour lithium polymer pack. The laptop also supports USB-C charging for flexibility on the go.
The software experience is clean. MAINGEAR ships the system with a zero-bloatware installation of Windows 11 and includes its Control Center utility for fan tuning, macro assignment, and performance management.
ULTIMA 18 starts at $3,599 and is available now from MAINGEAR.com. Both customizable and pre-configured models are being offered, and buyers can choose the optional “Boost” configuration, which doubles both RAM and SSD capacity.
