Corsair now also has its own gaming notebook in its range. We grabbed the Corsair VOYAGER a1600 and tested how it performs in everyday life.
The most important data at a glance
| Size | 40.6 cm (16 in) |
| Panel | IPS |
| resolution | 2.560 x 1.600 |
| frame rate | 240 Hertz |
| processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS |
| graphic card | AMD Radeon RX 6800M |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR5 |
| Storage | 1 TB M.2 SSD |
| battery pack | 99 Wh / 6410 mAh |
| Weight | 2,4 kg |
| connections | 3x USB-C, 1x USB-A, 1x headphone/microphone combo port, 1x card reader, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Miscellaneous | Steam-Deck, AMD FreeSync Premium, Cherry MX Ultra-Low Profile Switches |
Our test product is a Corsair VOYAGER a1600 (CN-9000003-DE). At the time of the test, the price of the notebook was 3,099 euros. An operating system is already preinstalled in the form of Windows 11 Home.
design & processing
Corsair uses a matt gray aluminum case for the design. The ten additional keys and the small display are particularly striking. These are not only visible when open, but also when closed. Otherwise, a small logo of the manufacturer is emblazoned on the housing cover.
Colorful RGBs can only be found in the form of key lighting. It can be adjusted as desired using iCUE software, but can also be switched off completely if desired. The notebook is discreet enough to be used in the office without attracting too much attention.
The Corsair VOYAGER a1600 makes a very high-quality impression. The aluminum housing fits comfortably in the hand and appears stable. The notebook doesn’t emit a worrying creaking even under pressure. However, the front edges are a bit pointed and the case is generally quite susceptible to fingerprints.
Ports & Connectivity
The Corsair VOYAGER a1600 offers a total of three USB-C ports, two of which are equipped with Thunderbolt 3 support. There is also another type A USB port, an SD card reader and a 3.5 mm jack for headphones and microphone.
You can access the Internet via Wi-Fi 6E, but there is no LAN port. Wireless devices can be connected either via Bluetooth (version 5.2) or using Corsair’s proprietary Slipstream technology. Slipstream supports up to three compatible devices simultaneously.
Display & Tastatur
The Corsair VOYAGER a1600 has a 16-inch IPS panel with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. The matte display comes in 16:10 format and can display up to 240 frames per second. This makes it ideal for gamers who value high frame rates and smooth graphics.
The screen shines with around 350 cd/m² and is nicely evenly illuminated. We did not notice any annoying blacklight bleeding or pixel errors in our test device. The sRGB color space is covered 100 percent, with the colors appearing beautifully natural. The notebook is definitely suitable for semi-professional image and video editing. As is typical for IPS, the viewing angle stability is also convincing.
A small highlight is the keyboard of the Corsair VOYAGER a1600. The built-in Cherry MX ultra-low profile switches leave an excellent writing experience and have a clearly noticeable pressure point. In return, however, the keystrokes are a little louder than on conventional notebook keyboards. The large touchpad works reliably and guarantees precise control.
Software, Camera & Storage
Arguably the biggest selling point of the Corsair VOYAGER a1600 is the integration of the Stream Deck software. The ten additional keys can be used to create and save a wide variety of shortcuts. Perfect for all ambitious streamers who want to make their everyday life easier. The physical touch keys are always labeled with S1 to S10. However, an overlay with corresponding icons can also be displayed at the bottom edge of the screen. There is also a small display on which the battery charge or CPU utilization can be shown, for example.
All other customization options, from lighting to button assignments, can be found in Corsair’s iCUE software. Different color and effect combinations can be selected for each key. The operation of the software is very intuitive.
Of course, the Corsair VOYAGER a1600 has a webcam. It delivers videos in full HD quality and is actually better than most of the other notebooks. However, streamers will probably not be completely happy with it. The image noise is simply too strong for that. Very practical: the webcam can be covered at any time using a slider.
The SSD comes from Samsung and is 1 TB in our case. However, a variant with 2 TB of storage is also commercially available. The AS SSD benchmark test certifies sequential speeds of 2,357 MB/s when reading and 1,669 MB/s when writing. These are good, but not outstanding values.
Performance
The notebook has no problems with everyday tasks. It doesn’t matter whether you’re surfing the Internet with 15 open tabs or editing long spreadsheets in Excel – everything runs absolutely smoothly. The Corsair VOYAGER a1600 also masters complex image and video programs in an exemplary manner and without long loading times.
To measure gaming performance, we ran the notebook through Cyberpunk 2077’s built-in benchmark mode. The Corsair VOYAGER a1600 had to prove itself there in Full HD (1,920 x 1,200) and WQHD (2,560 x 1,600). Once each with the preset “Ultra” and with activated ray tracing on the medium quality level.
An average of 86 FPS could be achieved in Full HD, and still 46 FPS when ray tracing is taken into account. In WQHD, the average values were 55 and 35 FPS, respectively. The built-in AMD Radeon RX 6800M graphics unit doesn’t shy away from demanding AAA titles.
The fans speed up considerably under load and the area around the keyboard also warms up noticeably. However, both are still within limits. We measured a GPU temperature of 74 C° directly after the benchmark runs.
The battery life of course depends on usage habits and can therefore vary greatly. With typical everyday use, about 6 hours are possible, with full load about two hours.
Conclusion
The Corsair VOYAGER a1600 is certainly not cheap, but it also has a lot to offer. Starting with the chic design and the high-quality workmanship, through to the powerful hardware inside and a really excellent keyboard. The ten additional keys are particularly useful in combination with the Stream Deck software. Since the notebook is also aimed at streamers, we expected a bit more from the webcam and the battery life could have been a bit longer. Otherwise, the notebook performs at a very high level overall.
| PRO | CONTRA |
| High quality | Webcam not good enough for streaming |
| Fast display with good color representation | Mediocre battery life |
| Excellent keyboard | Pretty loud under load |
| Handy Stream Deck integration | |
| Good application and gaming performance | |
| Useful connection options |