The Medion Erazer Crawler E40 replaces the E30 (that includes Intel Gen12 and RTX 30xx) and brings the collection as much as the present cutting-edge with Intel Gen 13 and RTX 4050. This entry-level gaming computer is recently priced at slightly below ~US$1100.
Competing with different funds gaming laptops, the Medion Erazer Crawler E40 faces opponents such because the Lenovo LOQ 15, the Asus TUF Gaming A15, the XMG Apex 15, or the MSI Katana 15.
Medion encompasses a lot of fashions underneath the “Erazer” emblem, making it difficult to stay observe of all of them. Whilst different producers arrange collection wherein they mix other configurations in the similar case, Medion seems to imagine that each configuration justifies a brand new collection identify. The Erazer Crawler E40 is most effective to be had on this explicit configuration and is due to this fact offered most effective as this one fashion. There are not any choices relating to CPU, GPU, or show.
Different Medion Erazer fashions that we have got in the past examined come with:
The show lid and base are comprised of powerful plastic that intently resembles aluminum, giving it an intentional look. The sides of the show and the bottom of the computer are made of sentimental plastic. Each the sleek lid and the bottom are at risk of attracting fingerprints.
That includes a wholly black design, together with the Erazer brand at the lid, the computer has a moderately easy aesthetic. The bottom reveals a top point of torsional resistance, whilst the lid, even if much less so, seems significantly “comfortable” and flexes significantly when twisted, with the show dealing with it stoically. The whole workmanship is of a just right same old, and visual gaps don’t seem to be provide.
Regardless of that includes an Intel CPU, the E40 lacks Thunderbolt reinforce. It contains USB-C with a velocity of 10 Gb/s. Then again, it additionally contains an old-fashioned USB-A 2.0 port, which might doubtlessly be upgraded to a sooner choice. Significantly, there’s no card reader provide.
To get entry to the inner parts, you wish to have to take away 14 Phillips screws of the similar dimension. The plastic base plate can then be simply levered off. Beneath, you’ll be able to discover a cooling machine with quite a few copper, a screwed battery, two RAM slots, the SSD cooled by way of two pads, and the replaceable WiFi module.
The keyboard structure, like that of alternative Medion units reviewed this yr, is relatively blank. The keys, alternatively, are slightly little (1.4 cm), but they’re correctly spaced. At the proper, there’s a numeric keypad with even smaller keys.
The important thing trip is moderate and the comments is rather comfortable. However, it’s simple and fast to kind on.
The 2-stage RGB backlighting, which can also be configured by way of the Regulate Middle (quite a lot of colours) and regulated by way of particular keys, is helping in darkish environments. However it’s only unmarried zone.
The touchpad (approx. 12.1 x 7.3 cm) is reasonably offset to the left with a purpose to be as central as imaginable underneath the opposite keys because of the numeric keypad. The outside is slippery, however the no longer precisely quiet clicking noises appear just a little reasonable.
The Medion Erazer Crawler E40 includes a acquainted show, which has been utilized in a number of laptops in the past. The matte Complete HD IPS show with a 144 Hz refresh price isn’t the newest, having been used within the XMG Fusion 15 again in 2019.
The show’s moderate brightness of 350 nits is appropriate, despite the fact that the distinction is rather compromised by way of the susceptible black price.
Reaction occasions are respectable for a gaming computer, and there’s a slight presence of backlight bleeding.
The out-of-the-box functionality of the show is suboptimal, with DeltaE values for colours and grayscale neatly above the objective, and the black point being excessively top. Then again, calibrating the panel and lowering brightness considerably improves the show high quality. After calibration, DeltaE values are lowered to a commendable 0.55 for grayscale and 1.36 for ColorChecker.
You’ll obtain our calibrated colour profile at no cost above.
The older panel reveals transparent weaknesses when it comes to colour area protection, with even sRGB coated to simply 90 p.c at highest. Regardless of just right DeltaE values, the panel is also much less appropriate for content material creators.
The matt floor, in conjunction with the brightness of 350 nits, guarantees that running outside, no less than in a shady position, isn’t a problem.
With the Crawler, we now have an entry-level gaming computer, as indicated by way of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 and the Intel Core i5-13500H, either one of which might be cast funds variants amongst gaming parts. There could also be 16 GB of recent DDR5-4800 RAM and an NVMe SSD with 512 GB, and the space for storing could also be extra of the cheap possibility.
This makes the computer appropriate for any person who does not essentially must play each present recreation in most main points. For lots of video games, alternatively, the functionality within the local 1080p solution will have to be enough for prime main points. Content material creators can also be within the functionality and easy design, however the show could be a knockout criterion for actual ingenious paintings (pictures, movies).
Medion has pre-installed a generic Regulate Middle at the Crawler E40, which homes functionality profiles, keyboard lights, and different settings. The app isn’t specifically speedy and regularly most effective processes inputs with a slight extend.
At the primary display, it is usually just a little hectic that it’s important to scroll to the ground proper to get entry to the GPU transfer (MSHybrid vs. dGPU, restart required), for instance, which may well be designed extra obviously with just a little effort.
We used the gaming mode for the functionality benchmarks and the power-saving mode for the battery exams, because the dGPU is deactivated right here, and the built-in GPU takes over.
The Intel Core i5-13500H is a mid-range CPU from the present Raptor Lake-H collection (Intel Gen13). It has 4 of the imaginable 6 P-cores and eight E-cores. In combination, it has 12 cores and 16 threads (most effective the P cores reinforce hyperthreading). The E base clock is 1.9 GHz, the P cores can personally clock as much as 4.7 GHz and in combination as much as 4.6 GHz.
By the way, there’s a Medion Erazer Crawler E50 with Intel Gen 12 i5-12450H. Medion’s naming scheme is in reality very opaque and will deceive consumers, so watch out when purchasing!
In our benchmarks, the CPU delivered just right functionality and is just about on par with a mean i5-13500 from our database.
All through the Cinebench R15 loop, the processor presentations very constant functionality proper from the beginning and not using a drop after the primary few runs. The desk underneath presentations the conduct within the quite a lot of functionality modes, together with battery mode.
In PCMark 10, the XMG Apex 15 and the Lenovo LOQ 15 are reasonably forward, particularly in Productiveness and Necessities. The Crawler is equivalent in Virtual Content material Advent. Most effective the LOQ 15 is reasonably sooner in Crossmark.
There are not any issues when opening the browser or a couple of tabs. Then again, LatencyMon detects some problems when enjoying our 4K/60 fps YouTube video. A minimum of that is performed with none dropped frames. The latency price will increase reasonably underneath Prime95.
Medion makes use of a 512 GB NVMe SSD from Phison. Even supposing this doesn’t come with regards to the velocity of the Samsung 990 Professional within the XMG Apex 15, it outperforms the garage of the opposite 3 competition and its functionality could also be very constant over an extended time frame. There are extra SSD comparisons in our SSD highest record.
In our E40 crawler, an RTX 4050 with a most chronic score of 100 W is put in.
The E40 plays in reality neatly within the 3DMark benchmarks, is reasonably above a mean RTX 4050 and on par with the XMG Apex 15 and MSI Katana 15, which might be additionally sturdy on this class.
In battery mode, the 3-d functionality in Fireplace Strike drops by way of a complete 70 p.c.
In our log information for Witcher 3 (see screenshots underneath), you’ll be able to see that the GPU clock and gear intake in leisure and silent mode are virtually precisely the similar and most effective reasonably less than in gaming mode. Accordingly, the body charges hardly ever range. The one distinction between the modes is the fan conduct, which results in a distinct quantity and temperature construction. In silent mode, the GPU will get warmer than within the different modes. In gaming mode, the Witcher 3 body price could be very consistent.
In comparison to the contest, the E40 plays neatly. It takes the highest spot in A ways Cry 5 specifically. In Witcher 3, however, it’s closing, however the variations are very small. Within the general gaming consequence, the contest is shut in combination, the LOQ 15 is reasonably higher than our crawler, the Katana 15 is set the similar and the Apex 15 and particularly the Asus TUF A15 are weaker.
The Crawler is under no circumstances a quiet performer. Compared to the contest, it’s the loudest gamer, we measured as much as 56 dB within the pressure check and nonetheless over 51 dB underneath Witcher 3, the contest typically stays neatly underneath 50 dB right here. The similar applies to a 3DMark06 run: Whilst different laptops stay totally silent right here in levels and most effective let the fanatics rotate relatively quietly in the second one part of the check, they already rotate at 50 dB within the E40.
The cooling machine is just too competitive and loud for us. As you’ll be able to see within the subsequent segment, the temperatures are so low that quieter fanatics would simply be imaginable right here. We propose gaming in leisure and even silent mode.
A minimum of in idle mode, the E40 typically stays silent, most effective when background processes generate extra load than desired in idle mode do the fanatics transfer on. However even though the Crawler E40 has been uncovered to an extended load, the fanatics don’t relax totally. Even in silent mode, the fanatics don’t transfer off within the foreseeable long term.
Because of the competitive cooling machine, the skin temperatures are virtually astonishingly low. Even underneath most load, those slightly upward thrust above 96.8 °F in gaming mode (ambient temperature 64.4 °F). There may be nonetheless quite a few scope for a quieter cooling machine right here.
The stereo audio system are positioned on the entrance corners and radiate downwards. The treble is balanced, however there may be hardly ever any bass. We propose connecting headphones by way of the jack output.
The ability intake is rather top in idle and within the pressure check, however does no longer in reality stand out. Underneath commonplace load, the intake is easily throughout the moderate of the contest. In gaming, it’s on par with the Lenovo LOQ 15, however upper than the opposite competition.
We measured a brief most intake of 202.5 W all through our simultaneous CPU and GPU pressure check. The 230 W chronic provide from LiteOn shouldn’t have any issues right here.
Medion makes use of a battery with 54 Wh. Most effective the MSI Katana has a in a similar way small battery however nonetheless lasts just a little longer in all exams. The remainder of the contest has no less than 60 Wh batteries, with the Asus TUF A15 even having a 90 Wh battery. In brief: The Medion has the shortest runtimes in an instantaneous comparability. In our video or surfing check with lowered brightness, the computer achieves a runtime of round 4 hours – that isn’t exhilarating.
At ~US$1300, the Medion Crawler E40 provides a budget-friendly possibility for a gaming computer with an RTX 4050. Whilst it falls into the funds fluctuate, there are even less expensive fashions to be had, prompting a better have a look at the price-performance ratio. The Crawler E40 unearths its funds origins with options just like the i5-13500H as an alternative of the i7-13700H, a show from 2019, a 720p webcam, and a USB 2.0 slot, amongst different facets. In consequence, it would possibly not meet the expectancies of players with top calls for. Then again, the CPU and GPU functionality is commendable, and the SSD plays neatly. The show, despite the fact that no longer the newest, is adequately vibrant at 350 nits, responsive, and provides a 144 Hz refresh price, even though it does not absolutely quilt conventional colour areas.
Whilst there are some issues of grievance, a lot of them are applicable in the cheap computer. Alternatively, the significantly susceptible battery existence and excessively loud cooling machine are extra related issues. Optimizing the tool may just cope with the cooling machine factor, as there appears to be room for development given the low temperatures.
In abstract, the Medion Crawler E40 is a budget-friendly gaming computer with some compromises, however the functionality of its parts is commendable. The principle criticisms lie within the loud and competitive cooling machine in addition to the susceptible battery existence.
Every of the competition mentioned within the check has its deserves, and the diversities between them are moderately minor. The Asus TUF A15, whilst offering reasonably weaker functionality, stands proud for its spectacular battery runtimes. If prolonged battery existence with related functionality is a concern and you might be keen to spend a bit of extra, the Lenovo LOQ 15 is usually a appropriate selection, in spite of having some drawbacks. You could notice that there’s no transparent winner, particularly bearing in mind that the XMG Apex 15 comes at a value virtually ~US$550 upper.
The Medion Erazer Crawler E40 prices round ~US$1300 immediately from Medion.
Allow 48h for review and removal.