Acoustics

Fan Noise and Thermals (Subjective)

I had to put my glasses on to type this section out, as this is serious. Seriously loud. I simply cannot describe the Voyager a1600 at maximum performance as anything but extremely loud, as the default fan profile is so aptly named. It's nice to see what the maximum this speedy laptop can put out with its actually very low power consumption; APU and dGPU combined max out at 155 W; yet I somehow feel that the cooling on this device could have been a little bit better. I considered that perhaps some better thermal paste is due, as the vapor chamber here is huge enough to be more than capable, just like the noise output of the fans. Then I adjusted to the "Silent" profile, and the system made hardly any noise at all. there is a huge difference between the two profiles, with each matching its name very well. Unfortunately, adjusting to the silent profile also adjusts power usage, making the other profiles irrelevant for our testing.

Subjective Audio Quality

Due to the excessive fan noise in the default "Extreme" profile, I had to turn up the volume of the Voyager a1600 to 70%, with the fans heard spinning up and down constantly even as i do nothing but type out this review. I've got six web pages open, and that's it, yet as I do nothing but type out on this blissfully comfortable keyboard, and the system is only pulling 1-2% in usage, the fans output a fair amount of noise that simply wouldn't suit a meeting environment. Yet this is a gaming laptop without exception, so while it's gaming, the amount of noise the fans output is even more important, and it is a lot. The provided speakers simply can't keep up under the default "extreme" fan profile, with their droning tone just something you'll have to deal with. I recommend a set of nice headphones to deal with this, and it just so happens Corsair makes those too, such as the Virtuoso model that can connect wirelessly to the Voyager a1600.

Combining the Two

With fan noise at a maximum by default, I found myself wanting to manually adjust the fan curve of the Voyager a1600 so I could watch some Netflix quietly while also keeping maximum performance, and the only options for doing so (adjusting the fan curve) were pre-defined. I would have simply liked to have been able to set my own custom fan curve, but none of the provided software offered that functionality. The Corsair-exclusive iCue did have three modes available, so fortunately I was able to watch Netflix without having to listen to the Voyager a1600's fans. However, performance was adjusted along with that fan curve. That left me with the "extreme" setting as the default and the volume cranked up, with barely any headroom left at all, because who wants less performance? It's nice to know that the Voyager a1600 can be quiet if you want it to be, but you do need to keep in mind that available performance is affected as well.