Alienware Response To 'Blade'?

I speak from personal experience, have MBP 2011, also AW M17X R2, both fully loaded, not making conclusions yet, better to wait and see what final release specs/options are, with regards price of course I totally agree it is too much but then AW and MBP are guilty of the same, becoming a bit of a trend these days, but rather blame consumers for going ahead and buying what ever they wish to call "over priced"...dont buy it!

I would like the RB to have a slim Blue Ray Drive RW (MBP does not have BR) and a much larger HDD if not two! that is if they are not to utilise an optical one, but again need to wait and see what options they come with on release.

Underpowered? appears so at face value, again rather wait for final release/options similar to AW where the basic options make the top end machines not worth buying apart from show value, whilst checking all the boxes and paying premiums gets you top end performance.

Lets not forget RB appears to have similar chassis design to the MBP 2011 which is currently holding a quad core (with HT 8 cores) and can keep coolish although fans like to make some noise on heavy use but so does the AW (even louder) and the MBP also keeps the HD 6750M GPU coolish too (open up MPB for cleaning and its just two fans dragging and pushing air out the same slit under LCD panel), if you look at the cooling setup on the MBP there are no bottom vents or rear side/corner open vents, where as the RB appears to show these additional openings suggesting a better cooling setup, thus again, (opinion only), It appears RB have a chassis design that can accommodate better performing hardware and should be able to keep it under stable operating temps. The alu chassis also acts as a heat dissipator, whilst the AW make no use of the external metal on the machine to help with heat.

If the MBP had additional vents below and to the rear corners as the RB shows and a better flow process, I am sure it would run cooler, at times the top left of the alu chassis above the keyboard is so hot that you hear a faint sizzle when putting a wet finger on it LOL.... but Apple wanted people to be able to use the MBP on laps/beds and couches without worrying about blocked vents and let design concept limit any other vents or openings at rear side corners resulting with the fans to be where they are utilising the long slit for in/out air flow.

So I go back to what I said earlier, I think RB HAVE hit the nail on head.... the idea, the concept, its all there and looks good, just need to make it work, lower the price and provide some workable options/add ons/upgrades which could make this machine a true rival to several out there. I like new ideas and if all pans out well will purchase an RB, My comparison will be against a FL M17X R2 and the FL MBP 2011, if a fully loaded RB can perform similar to the AW with the portability of a MBP, its what I have been unknowingly looking for and will do JUST FINE.

The tech is there now, high performance brushless fans, slim mobile GPU's, Aluminium chassis's that also act as large heat sinks, i7 Quads in slim laptops, decent built in long lasting batteries, slim BR drives, large 7200rpm HDD's or large capacity SSD's, large and fast mem modules, ultra thin LCD/LED panels. The RB could be a real winner.

Now all someone needs to do is come up with a portable water cooling design in a 17-18 inch portable laptop...LOL I have a few serious ideas, am sure the tech is there. These new aluminium chassis's being milled by CNC lathes, drills and high power lasers can easily be made into the most efficient heat dissipators/radiators by using copper layering internally, micro channels/pipe runs and closed off loops with micro water circulators/pumps (two one for backup) and a reservoir can easily be located running as a long horizontal bar along the underside or the side palm end of the machine for bleeding/topping up via access ports at one bottom corner with a level indicator to the side. Much more efficient than air and longer lasting with barely any fluff build ups ever. Safety for any potential leaks etc can easily be built into the design, away from any critical components. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

Freestylaruk

 

I dont think the touchpad works as a screen when using as mouse partially yes but in a mouse pad mode kind of way, only works as a screen with external mouse plugged in from how it reads, I actually love the idea, yes even though you may have to glance down, but it is the very reason it has been placed closer to the LCD panel than below the space bar, I would love to see its multi use for other stuff too other than only gaming focus here such as windows gadgets, say Disk Stat, CPU Monitor, Network Monitor, Battery Life etc, not forgetting the macro LCD keys acting as shortcuts to other programs outside the gaming scene etc.

Have to agree the keyboard keys would be better if slightly contoured but dont mind the spacing since the MBP feels and works ok. I do hope the keyboard is not just green lit having multi colours would be nice too.

Already made comments on price, yep its a little dreamy, and the hardware needs to be beefed a little, Quad Core, BR drive and large HDD or SSD....bring it on and ill buy it...

 

PC gaming doesn't need a disc anymore with Steam, Origin, Impulse, and Battle.net. However some of us still like getting discs and all the various crap that goes with them.

 

Alienware only has to worry when Razer's laptops become more mass-market, which looks like it will be the case within two years. Then gaming laptop competition will finally get fierce. Alienware and Dell have been an explosive combo for quality gaming machines, but Razer and OQO are hitting the market hard with unique products. Razer's Switchblade 7" gaming netbook/tablet/laptop prototype could be one of the most innovative laptops of the decade when it is eventually brought to market, though one can hope that they manage to put better hardware in the final model. Let's just be optimistic that Razer's foray puts Alienware in turbo mode for releasing new product designs, then sit back and watch 2012 be the year of mobile PC gaming strides.

Anyway, at the Blade's price it seems like Razer is pushing for a market experiment before a real assault.

 

I wish Razer the best of luck with their new product, competition benefits us all as consumers in the end anyways but I read that the 7" switchblade concept was canned completely and the UI integrated into what we've now come to find as the 'Blade'.

 

No way I'm reading all that nonsense. You keep saying "wait until the final specs are released" BUT THEY HAVE BEEN ALREADY! 555M, dual core i7, 8 gigs of ram, 320 gig hard drive. WE KNOW WHAT'S IN IT. There's no more waiting for specs. It won't run current games at 1080p with max settings, not even close.

 

If Razer wanted to experiment they'd have been better off releasing that computer with those specs around $1500. They'd be more in line with Alienware, Asus, Clevo/Sager and other non-stupidly overpriced brands. Hell they should be able to drop the price a bit more too if they only offer one model.

 

+1 on this... for an $2800 price tag, i don't see this thing selling or even being worth that price. I can buy and M14x and build me a mid-high end desktop for the price of the Blade.

I do like the design but I still don't understand how they can justify the price tag with those specs... Not even macbooks (with similar specs or slightly just below ) cost that much.

 

I honestly don't think they can price it that low. Think about it. The screens are probably made to order, since I don't know of any other device that uses that size of screen with touchpad capability. The casing looks to be machined aluminium, which is not cheap.

 

Lefties everywhere (like me!) cry over the touchpad positioning.

 

Apparently Razer did no market research whatsoever when dreaming up the Blade, add to that, they had to buy their own manufacturing plant in Taiwan as no other company was willing to take the risk on their product!

It's probably costing Razer a pretty bundle to be producing this machine and in all honesty, if things stay as they are then I can't imagine the investment having been worth it, at least in the short run.
By the time the Blade makes it to mass market the components are going to be noticeably sub par for such an expensive piece of gear, and I don't think a flashy numpad can save it, myself!

I've been quite scathing in my opinions on the Blade but if the price were somewhat more reasonable and competetive I could imagine Razer doing quite well, and I hope they do cut their teeth on the market and produce more machines but not if they're going to be priced like that.
Far too much style over substance.

 

i agree that the technology is there for water cooling systems...BUT is not a marketable idea yet..could you imagine the price for such a cooling system night now...especially in portable form???oh and are you trying to say you can fit a 6990M or 580 and it will run cool on the RB just like the m17xR3?? there's a reason why AW laptops have huge vents and the cooling fans a huge..try fitting them in the 1 inch RB

its not because the AW designers cant produce a slimmer laptop...its costly...why do you think MBP's cost soo much apart from their branding??

to be honest...as said above...they are being dreamy with that price tag..and IF they do give the option for fully loading the system and their starting price is $2799 then good luck trying to sell it in this current economic situation which looks like its not getting any better...

 

...wait, he actually thinks they're going to water cool the blade?

 

I meant price is high because they want to experiment with only a niche market at first to ensure they can smoothly transition over to being a PC distributor as well. It is only a matter of time before Best Buy is filled with a couple Razer computers as they are mouses and keyboards. If the Razer Switchblade is priced at $500 or less, they'll have the hottest new gaming device this holiday season despite it being severely underpowered last time we saw it.

 

The Switchblade is looking like it'll never see the light of day, unfortunately

 

The Blade is a niche market, whose only market competitor would be the M11x (but crazy pricing would make it comparable to an M18x) but only has M14x performance. Alienware has done their own thing, making big and bulky gaming laptops and apparently it is a successful formula, they are still around. M11x was to draw a new crowd by offering a somewhat light yet capable machine, but made the price tag affordable.

 

ndeed - perhaps alienware could draw that new (mass market) crowd in even further by squeezing an NVIDIA 'GTX' series product into something much thinner and lighter than anything they currently offer...

 

Is the official price release yet?

It looks quite portable, comparable to mbp. If it is cheap, can be useful for uni student and people always on the go or as a backup for alienware. If the price is really US$2800 as stated in this thread, razer is really out of his mind.

Here is a link with pic to compare size between alienware , mbp and razer.
I don't know whether it has been post b4. Anyway, have a look. The link is in chinese, but who cares, just look at the pic.


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Well I don't see it a good idea to put in a GTX chip into something that thin unless it has some serious cooling muscle. No point of calling it a gaming laptop if it is throttled down to lowest clock speeds to prevent it from overheating.

 

Yes, I agree. It does not have much space to vent out the heat. And underclocking may occur. Who know what manufacturer may do nowadays.

I think this product is aiming at people who prefer portability over full power and also to ppl who are only do light gaming and will satisfy with medium to high setting . It is in different league compare to m17x r3 or m18x.

And there are quite a lot of ppl who dun really understand what is a gaming laptop and its requirement. They will believe it as long as the manufacturer claim it is a gaming laptop and it looks attractive. Just like some sales rep. telling people that this notebook is more expensive because it has double graphic ram => double graphic performance. The general public with less IT knowledge will believe it. It is marketing.
And sometimes, it really works. How sad.

 

SPOT ON!its very sad..computer sale reps make a crap load of money over silly things.....like paying a good 40 - 60 bucks for " setting up your laptop/pc"...like whats so difficult to switch on the button and FOLLOW the instructions...it hurts to see people fall victim to these silly things... it pains me!!

 

Yeah haha. I agree ^ with you guys.

HAHA, even more hillarious, on the blade tech information page for portability, they have it compared "to other chassis" and it has a "standard gaming laptop" chassis obscurely in the background,

..and it coincidentally has the same exam form factor as an Alienware lol

 

some true cutting edge engineering would be in order to achieve the necessary thermal requirements of such a thin GTX device…

 

Cutting edge you say? This is 'Razer's'... 'Blade'! How much more cutting edge can you get?

As much as I've mocked this laptop I'm kina' hoping it takes off, that it is sucessful enough that it allows Razer to develop other products (that aren't perphirals!) and allow them to get a foot onto the market, we might see a return of something more akin to the Switchblade, that would be an exiting development!

I've got a gut feeling that the price of the Blade will be dropped though, I think Razer were testing the water with the current price announcement and the feedback hasn't been positive at all from what I've been reading, even though the enthusiasm for the laptop itself still remains impressively high.

 

I know, is it illegal for them to say, "compared to Alienware laptop chassis" or something?

 

There are already official plans to release it in China:

Razer Switchblade headed to China with help from Intel and Tencent -- Engadget

I would expect that we will see it in the U.S. around the same time.

 

Razer Switchblade - A Revolution in PC Gaming - YouTube

Such a cringeworthy video!

Intel Atom processor for gaming, though? I can't see it being quite ready for a Western gaming market just yet, I'm keen to see it's next iteration especially as I was convinced it'd been canned entirely.

EDIT:- I can't find any footage of it running anything more complex than DOTA yet in the UI menu system it clearly shows what looks like the latest Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit and Left 4 Dead 2, anyone able to find any footage of it running these games?

EDIT:- Hmm, seen the tiniest bit of World of Warcraft and Minecraft footage and it's laggy as hell! xD

 

Sure, the current version could not realistically play Left 4 Dead 2 but that's why it is a prototype. The purpose of it was to showcase design, not performance. They had games like that in the menus simply because that is what they want the final, release version to be able to play. We could hope they work out a miracle sooner rather than later so we do see this in the coming months. If anything, its unique design makes it tempting enough to be an early adopter at the right price even if not that much can actually be played on it.

 

By the way, I'm hearing in more recent interviews that the Switchblade should be finalized by CES of next year (of course meaning it could go on sale sooner) and that it will have an Intel Oak Trail processor. They are definitely looking to bring it to market but I have a feeling it may be ridiculously expensive like this .

Calling it now: if the Switchblade launches at the beginning of next year, there will be a cheaper, faster version by holiday 2012. And yeah, I'll be one of the idiots who buys the first-gen if it's under $700.

 

Its not rocket science, it appears the open release with bog standard specs which even i doubt i would be prepared to pay that much money for however i am hoping they have further options with better hardware and a review in price, i am waiting to see what comes to market first plus any options and will then decide if it merits a purchase or holding out for rev2 etc....i am not sure how u made conclusion that it is final specs when it is clearly their first model to market, i reckon they may even introduce smaller versions say a 15" etc anyhow nothing gained with speculation i am waiting to see how it pans out but still love the concept of it.

 

Agree price is way up there in lala land but saying that i was one of those that was willing to pay top premiums when then M17x hit the news and ordered as soon as they could take them....however because RB do not have a history i may hesitate to jump right away from experience.

With regards water cooling LOL a laptop was a fly comment lol but if and when it ever happens whilst being cost affective, is going to make alot of us VERY happy...reckon its possible within the next 5yrs looking at how tech is these days, i still remember black n white tv, ZX80, ZX Spectrum, Commodore, Amiga 500/1200 .....and now writing this on an ipad2 lol

 

If it is only US$700, count me in. I also want one for traveling oversea purpose. Then I can leave my m17x r3 at home and bring a light 17" lappy to oversea for holiday. I wont miss my alienware for just 1 or 2 months. But I really doubt it will be so low in pricing, especially it is a "Razer"

 

true true..technology is moving really fast..and these battery powered fans cant keep up...because if AMD is already claiming that their bulldozer 8 module chips perform 50 % faster than the i7...good luck cooling them down with a couple of fans....they have to think of something new now..its doesn't necessarily have to be water cooled

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD LOL

 

I was talking about the Switchblade, Razer's 7" almost handheld gaming "laptop."

Razer Switchblade - A Revolution in PC Gaming - YouTube

Search could not find the old thread for it so I posted about it here.

 

Razor's top man (President) confirms, YT (PAX 2011) price for RB WILL BE LOWER THAN $2800.00, I think the $2800.00 being circulated is purposely leaked marketing ploy to gauge the market. The top man says it will be lower but at the same time no indications given..?! means they are still working out a release price or trying to make a mental slot for their machine to fit into with other top premium brands, if it be the latter, then this tactic means they have already hit our psyche into thinking the machine's eventual pricing will be reasonable to be up there with the AW's 17's / MBP's 17's.

He mentions some good points about the RB, two years to design to market, like the fact that the mousepad LCD screen can be used for pretty much anything including multimedia playback, where as the macro keys are programmable in and outside the gaming environment for pretty much any command.

Looking at the machine again I think there is no perforations or openings for speakers at top like the MBP 2011 17, which means the sound must be coming out the rear side corners of the machine, where as separate vents bottom underside for taking air in and most likely pushing it out like the MBP under or around the rear length of the LCD hinge slit. If the fans are similar to the AW's then this air flow works similar, not forgetting the black alu casing also acts as a good heat absorber and emitter, however vents on underside cant be blocked just like the AW's. I say the above because the AW's true air flow is from bottom underside to rear, the front vents are just a light show and sound only.

 

seriously wt's the point of the thin if its weight 7lbs?
its not PORTABLE at all

 

Thin is a pretty nice feature. You'll be able to fit it into certain sleeves/backpacks easier without all the bulk. Thin has always been a major issue for extreme gaming notebooks, usually don't have to room to fit an uber cooling system.

 

I bring my M17xR3 all days on to office and my home.....

I don't mind really about the weight (it's not that heavy really...) but the dimensions for the laptop is really my only concern. Especially during choosing a Sleeve or backpack....

yup, here goes the fact... you get slimmer than the less performance will you have.... size does matter......

overall, I love what RB looks like.... looks cool if you using it in cafe, park or something, but i will stick with shinny keyboard just now for the better performance....

 

There is no need for Alienware to build a competitor for the so called "blade" Reason?? The blade is no competitor to Alienware. This so called blade has a ridiculous and pathetic price, not to mention the pathetic specs for the price, i mean the m14x has better specs and is LIGHTER and CHEAPER . I hope the company does not go bankrupt with this fiasco, since i really liked their mouse and keyboard products.

 

Alienware has nothing to worry about, the blade isn't even out and it's pretty much outdated. If this was not marketed as a gaming laptop and had a realistic price it could have been a major success in my opinion. Very slim laptop that can play current games at medium / high ( for less demanding games ) would have been great, but paying 3000$ for a dual core and GT 555m is ridiculous.

You could argue that it's aimed at a niche market, but what would that niche be ? Gamers will not pay 3k for this joke, there is no way to justify that price, the only ones that will get this are either fanboys ( though i doubt razer has such a dedicated fanbase that would spend 3k on such a product ), or rich people who don't care about money and/or don't have a clue about technology.

The touch panel is an inovation, sure, but it's not all that useful. Apart from mmo's where you could assign macros to those keys, and maybe dota-style games where you could activate items in your inventory, where else would this be an integral part of the game ?

 

Bingo, you hit the nail on the head. Razer is expected people who don't know anything about technology and Razer enthusiasts to pony up 2800 for it. Razer mice I can attest are good, but won't make me spend 2800 for a laptop. People who don't do research on what they want to buy allows for products like this to be conceived.

 

the CEO of razor is BONKERS to charge a laptop near 3k!only people on crack would buy it!

 

Can't say the same for everyone but Mac users here in the office are taking a second glance at the Blade.

(For reference, they call my laptop "omghowcanyoubearcarryingthatthickthingaround")

 

mac ≠ gaming laptop

And your colegues are just jealous.

 

true...mac users will never be able experience true gaming if they stick to their MBP systems!and the know it!

 

Well, they won't be able to experience true gaming on the blade either
Lowest graphic settings sure, but never the full experience.

 

the blade is just too thin for proper heat management.

Comparing an M17x to the blade is outright dumb. The M17x provides much powerful graphics at almost half the price.