Reddit reviews Eluktronics MAG-15 Slim & Ultra Light NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti Gaming Laptop with Mechanical RGB Keyboard - Intel i7-9750H CPU 6GB GDDR6 VR Ready GPU 15.6” 144Hz Full HD IPS 512GB NVMe SSD + 16GB RAM

the new version (ligther, better battery) comes out in 2 weeks, maybe preorder that if you can wait

https://www.amazon.com/Eluktronics-MAG-15-GeForce-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B07X6MJ4X7

Just get this a lot cheaper and it has better thermals according to dave 2 d. Here is his video review

In this price range, that is definitely difficult to find. Something like the Gigabyte Aero 15 or Eluktronics MAG-15 are your options.

Support would be questionable for that CyberpowerPC laptop. I prefer buying from a big brand. Among small brands, Eluktronics have made a good name for themselves. Their new laptop designed by Intel is very promising:

https://www.amazon.com/Eluktronics-MAG-15-GeForce-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B07X6MJ4X7/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mag%2B15&qid=1568337851&s=gateway&sr=8-1&th=1

I'm sure your friend would like something very portable, compared to a 17" laptop. Dave2D has a review for this laptop.

For a 4K OLED display & a bigger brand:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SHJXNBL/ref=psdc_13896615011_t2_B07X6MJ4X7

I would recommend this Eluktronics MAG-15 Slim because of the following :

• Comes with 9th gen, i7 hexa core CPU which is powerful for your usage.
  
  
• Developed by intel with corporation with different laptop brands.
  
  
• According to Dave2D it has great battery life (up to 7 hours with regular usage).
  
  
• Very light for a gaming laptop at 4.15 lbs, built with Magnesium alloyed "all over".
  
  
• The speaker gril is in the bottom of the laptop, 3 USB A , Thunderbolt 3, SD card reader and HDMI.
  
  
• Easily upgradeable, removing the back panel gives you access to 2 ram slots that can support p to 64GB ram, the Wifi card if you want to change, 2 NVMe cards, and one of the biggest battery capacity at 93W/H.
  
  
• Screen is 144 HZ IPS with high color accuracy 96% RGP and 73% sRGB with up to 290 nt brightness.
  
  
• Bezels are pretty thin, camera is up top.
  
  
• Keyboard is mechanical but it needs time to get used to it.
  
  
• Heat mangement is great and it comes undervolted so you can play with that if you need more CPU power.
  
  
• It comes with GTX 1660Ti GPU and it will run most games on medium to high settings, You can check the below link to see how the GTX 1660Ti GPU (scroll down for the FPs and settings expected or ctrl+f then type the name of your game).
  
  https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-1660-Ti-Laptop-Graphics-Card.386426.0.html
  
  You can check other options on this post of best video editing laptops
  
  
  Or my post of best gaming laptops under 1500

Eluktronics MAG-15 Slim & Ultra Light NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti Gaming Laptop with Mechanical RGB Keyboard - Intel i7-9750H CPU 6GB GDDR6 VR Ready GPU 15.6" 144Hz Full HD IPS 512GB NVMe SSD + 16GB RAM https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X6MJ4X7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5PKUDb4CER6T3
What about this one since it has a minimalistic design and as u will be a professional soon so it might be good for you. I have been hearing many good things about this one. Cost from 1600 USD to 2500 USD depending on the variant you chose.

Under no circumstances should the OP buy something that has 8GB RAM on a flipped motherboard.
If you come up a bit closer to the top of the OP's budget there are other Prestige models with better components. This one has a 10th-gen CPU, 1650 Max-Q, 16GB RAM, and claims 16 hours (!) of battery life. I'm skeptical that either system would do well with video editing.

I'd go in a different direction. Look for something with an 8th or 9th gen i7 CPU, 1660 Ti GPU, and 16GB RAM. That's more than enough for any kind of gaming you want to do and should really help with video rendering. Make sure the video card runs in Optimus mode and the battery is at least 80 Wh. That limits your choices but there are a few out there. This refurb Gigabyte has last year's components but still performs like a champ and gets better than 8 hours of battery life. You can get similar performance and runtime if you're willing to bump your budget up a little bit and get an entry-level Eluktronics Mag-15, which is getting great press.

Is battery life important? If your laptop sits on your lap I'm assuming weight/thinness is something to consider?

If you answered yes to those questions then the following laptop is for you:

https://www.amazon.com/Eluktronics-MAG-15-GeForce-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B07X6MJ4X7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3P8SSCFJXYZM&keywords=eluktronics%2Bmag%2B15&qid=1573262722&sprefix=eluktronics%2Caps%2C171&sr=8-1&th=1

Amazon lists:
>Battery: 6-Cell 94Wh Extended Life Polymer

https://www.amazon.com/Eluktronics-MAG-15-GeForce-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B07X6MJ4X7

Maybe there was a typo previously?
Both the aero and the mag-15 seem very similar as far as specs go. The Mag-15 might have better cooling/thermals. It's also a bit lighter.

Both have a solid brick for a power adapter though. Hopefully battery life is good enough to leave it home most of the time.

"just no RGB, at all, whatsoever."

This is a weird request, because afaik anything with a 144hz screen will have an rgb backlit keyboard. I understand the professional preference here but I don't think this is a possibility.

That said, for anything with rgb, you do have control over the colors, so if you want, you can just shut all of it off? I'm not sure if there's a specific reason you might not like this option, but I'd say ignore LED lighting altogether because you can always shut it off.

If you're fine with that, this guy

https://www.amazon.com/Eluktronics-MAG-15-GeForce-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B07X6MJ4X7

Checks all your boxes (it is a touch over budget however, @$1600). Great thermals, fairly sleek, good battery life/gaming performance. You can look into the dave2d video on it if you want a more in depth breakdown, but he was thoroughly impressed with the device.

https://www.amazon.com/Eluktronics-MAG-15-GeForce-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B07X6MJ4X7

Dave 2D had a great review on this one. Plenty of power and great thermals. You can opt for an RTX 2070 max q or GTX 1660ti, both of which should handle all your games flawlessly. Right around $2000 or even less depending on what options you choose. Also the battery life on this is insane!

Edit: added some details

I would defiantly go with the Mag-15 and you should also consider the Aero 15 if you care about battery life.

Eluktronik MAG-15?

https://www.amazon.com/Eluktronics-MAG-15-GeForce-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B07X6MJ4X7

Here are two that are super thin and have amazing battery. They're both about $1500 but they have pretty good specs.

Gigabyte AERO 15 Classic-SA-F74ADW 15" Thin Bezel LG 144Hz FHD IPS LCD, i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, Samsung 16GB RAM, M.2 PCIe 512GB Intel 760P SSD, Win10 Home, 94Wh Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QS8T7HM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RxsHDb01RKHWB

Eluktronics MAG-15 Slim & Ultra Light NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti Gaming Laptop with Mechanical RGB Keyboard - Intel i7-9750H CPU 6GB GDDR6 VR Ready GPU 15.6" 144Hz Full HD IPS 512GB NVMe SSD + 16GB RAM https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X6MJ4X7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9xsHDb0G4V7GC

Look at the Mag 15. Its a couple hundred out of your range. But it absolutely ticks all of the boxes.

https://www.amazon.com/Eluktronics-MAG-15-GeForce-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B07X6MJ4X7?th=1