New Razer Blade & Razer Blade Pro

While the Blade lineup has been a fingerprint magnet (easily rubbed away mind you), it doesn't come close to my Sony Xperia Z Tablet in terms of smudges and constant need for wipe downs.

 

Haha! Jeez, that is dirty!

So now that you've had it for a while.. Overall, would you say you are satisfied and happy with the Razer Blade 14"?
Happy with the performance, sound, and heat from the machine?
I'm extremely anxious to go ahead and purchase one, but it would help out knowing a fellow person finds the machine to be a nice one. Don't worry, I don't hold you accountable for anything! Just a little piece of mind I guess.

Apart from the apparently sub-par screen and ideas of throttling due to heat and cooling, the machine seems to be very nice!

 

quite happy with the purchase, been wanting a smaller laptop, and when I saw Razer's promo for "thinner than a dime" I decided to wait before I bought another 13-14" laptop. It reminds me a little of my Asus UX32VD, only much more powerful. On the screen, I don't think its sub-par. It does great colors I think and is nice and crisp. Also, as I already noted, I haven't noticed any throttling from heat. It runs cool enough to me, at least for an aluminum laptop. As in, it doesn't scortch my legs when gaming.

Its also a very functional laptop for office use. The keyboard is just as spot-on as the Blade R2 and the trackpad, as some tech bloggers have noted, is very accurate and responsive. Its nice and quiet. The speakers are better than on my older Blade as well. I mentioned one of my critiques of the original two blade units was the trackpad buttons were a little loose, not to mention b/c they were a high-gloss black plastic, they seemed a little cheap. The new trackpad buttons are terrific.

Every game I've tried so far has run like a champ. This thing is as least as powerful as a 675m equipped notebook. The new drivers can only make it run better.

 

I would definitely suggest the death adder over the orochi. On battery the mouse has notice able input lag. Thankfully it can also be plugged in, but then the economics of the death adder are much better. My 2 cents. I do own the orochi, death adder, mamba, copperhead, and one other, lachesis I believe.

 

Nice. If you're getting 36.6 avg in TR you're about equal with a 675M at 1080p, which is a pretty good place for this laptop to be at 900p.

 

Well, just because I had nothing much to do, here are some benchies on the Blade Pro.

Tomb Raider, set at 1080p and with the High preset. Ran the in-game benchmark:

Min FPS: 36
Max FPS: 56
Avg FPS: 44.3

I also ran the Uniengine Heaven benchmark, which was at 1600x900, 8xAA, windowed and Extreme preset:

FPS: 15.3
Score: 386
Min FPS: 7.4
Max FPS: 36

Also played Metro 2033, using... uh... the GeForce Experience recommended except at 1080p. DoF is off, as well as PhysX. AAA antialiasing, DX11, Normal Quality, Tessellation Off, and 16xAF. I didn't record frames, I was just playing. It was playable with this settings - at least to me.

I must mention that during all these tests, the GPU never went over 75*C in GPUz. Core clock ran at a stable 901.5Mhz and memory at 1002.4Mhz. The CPU's max temp was 71*C.

So yeah, hope someone finds these interesting.

Also, regarding the fans on the Blade Pro, the CPU fan (left) is quick to go quiet. Almost as soon as the load is lightened the fan goes quiet. The GPU fan (right) stays on a couple of minutes after the gaming session is over. I suppose it stays on to dissipate as much heat as possible. Both top corners - where the heatsinks and fans are - get quite warm. Not burning hot, but noticeable warm. Yet, the keyboard and palm rest never get uncomfortable; you do feel a raise in temperature, but never uncomfortable.

So, yeah.

Also, I got a Deathadder 2013 for the Blade Pro. I have a Naga on my desktop. I find both comfortable and to be great mice. Couldn't be more pleased.

 

ok neat, running 3dmark11 unplugged and battery settings at high performance, I still scored 4047. Tomb Raider benchmark unplugged still averaged 36 frames per second. I didn't manually tweak the NVidia settings in anyway, showing that the computer does not throttle down when running on battery power either (GPU still seems to run at full speed). I like that

killer, run 3dmark11 please and let me know your scores both plugged and unplugged please.

also getting mixed signals on alienware m14 reviews. laptopmag says the 1080p display is too dim and had shallow viewing angles. is there a 1080p non-IPS option for the m14? B/c the folks at the verge went gaga over the display... also complaints about the alienware thermal solution (1 fan?) and it being noisy. Not throwing stones at alienware. Gosh, they earned a lot of my money over the years. Just wondering how the M14 is going to turn out.

 

I don't have 3DMark 11 :S I guess I could download the basic edition and run it. Is that enough or does it have to be the full version?

I'd have to do it tomorrow though, I'm off to sleep. See you, later!

 

the free basic version

 

Awesome to hear your honest thoughts on the machine!

I decided that, tomorrow, I will be placing my order for the Razer Blade 14 512GB!

I hope that it is a great little machine. It will be my first laptop! I have a fairly high-end desktop, so I don't necessarily (or rather, expect) to run my games on maxed out settings on a laptop or this one in particular. I have the money to purchase a full Alienware 17 with the 780m and all of the goods, but I like the size, weight, and just overall idea of the Blade. I like that idea of being able to game fairly well if I'd like, but also having the option to take my laptop to my bed if I just want to chat on Skype or watch some videos as you would do with an ultrabook or common laptop. As long as it runs games on ~medium settings well natively, I'm happy!

Really excited to say the least to own a laptop!

 

Wrong. It has automatic graphics switching and it has good battery life. Macrod is talking about operating system not function.

 

mbpr is not a very good windows laptop due to zero graphic switching in windows plus all the heat issues. This has little to do with Razer so back on topic as I'm really looking forward to my Pro!!!

 

So far have any of you experienced CPU/GPU throttling on the Blade 14 during gaming or Prime95+Furmark?

 

that actually was said by a UK tech mag, the implication is not regarding the rmbp 15, but the 13, much like I think the cmbp 13 scored that in some years, the battery life is diminished, but not like the 15 models

gaming and prime 95+furmark are pretty different things, I will say up front that I expect throttling on the latter combo

 

Man, order status on my 512GB still says "Order Submitted". I was hoping to have this for the weekend!

 

Pro 256 is also still at Order in Process, though I don't see the difference with Submitted and in Process, since they just told me that my order has a 1-2 week timeframe from the date I ordered on the 14th (I ordered on the 12th though, so probably 12-14 was when my order was Submitted).

Still fingers crossed for everyone, hoping for another shipping surprise like what they did at the end of E3.

 

My order status just updated to "Order in Process". Things are looking good.

 

I ordered at 3:13am Eastern on June 3rd and still just have Order in Process. I'm betting it's going to be quite a wait for all of us...

 

I see. I would be expecting yours to ship within this week, early this week even, to be honest. I don't know if it's safe to assume that if it took 2 weeks for someone who preordered almost immediately, it should take two weeks from the date I ordered from as well?

Would shipping address be an issue? Mine's on the east coast.

 

I'm not getting my hopes up. I wouldn't think destination address would have any impact. Clearly Razer doesn't have the manufacturing capabilities as the larger companies therefore they can't handle high demand as well.

 

Fair enough. Although I'm still optimistic about the 1-2 week period, I'm actually expecting another delay announcement. Fingers still crossed.

 

I ordered very early (Eastern time) on the 3rd as well. Hoping for news that it will at least ship by the 21st!

 

they didn't have any 512gb blade 14s available when i talked with them, i'm getting my replacement 256gb unit this week. sending out new units as fast as they can, gang. nvidia just needs to get on the ball too with 765m drivers.

 

I am really tempted to buy one of these (14 inch), but I have a decent laptop already. I have a 13 inch 720p, i5 2430m, 8 gb ram, GT 540m, 256 GB Samsung 830. How much of a step up will this be? Money is not an issue, but I don't want to be disappointed in the difference. I don't play games a lot on my laptop, but like being able to. I am also fed up with huge plastic gaming laptops (Asus G70), and the poor screen and build quality of my current setup (Acer Timelinex).

 

the 765m is a significant step up from the 540m, so I'd say you would be quite happy, especially if you want to run the latest and greatest games, and the new ones on the horizon. your call though.

 

how did you solve the throttling issues? and the 540m is even slower than the intel igpus, its a very large upgrade

 

I set the max CPU state to 95%, and took the plastic vent mesh off the bottom of the laptop and the throttling went away. At least for the games I play - skyrim, starcraft II, Deus Ex, etc... I also installed windows 8 but I don't know if that helped.

 

hey build quality is top-notch man. macbook pro-like but with gaming innards.

 

in other words you throttled yourself, too bad the 3820tg was great notebook, the 3830tg was just abysmal on the other hand

 

Hey there, I'm back again.

So... I couldn't resist and brought the lady to work. I ran 3DMark 11 Basic Edition. Hum... I honestly don't know how the scores are reported, but here it goes. I did two runs plugged-in and two unplugged. I'm reporting the second runs.

Plugged-in:

Ice Storm.- 80602 (Graphics 106735 / Physics 43407)
Cloud Gate.- 12580 (Graphics 17581 / Physics 6305)
Fire Strike.- 2316 (Graphics 2472 / Physics 8896 / Combined 898)

Unplugged:

Ice Storm.- 14947 (Graphics 13998 / Physics 19601)
Cloud Gate.- 11107 (Graphics 14207 / Physics 6298)
Fire Strike.- 2275 (Graphics 2419 / Physics 8891 / Combined 889)

The GPU never went over 75*C, it's core clock was, again, at a stable 901.5MHz and memory at 1002.4. The CPU reached a max of 77*C, which I supposed happened during the plugged-in runs.

So there you go!

As a side note: the little lady is turning heads in the office. Everyone who comes in stays a while to gaze at it.

 

I also run a lot of MatLab. How will the CPU speed compare to a 2430m?

 

Heh, I read "MethLab", hahaha. Need more sleep!

 

much better, mathlab though uses gpu resources much better

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7076/...on-notebook-review-haswell-and-the-gtx-780m/2

take a look and use the dell xps 13 as a reference, its close in performance to what we have

 

Thanks for the benchmarks KillerFry, those temps are about the same on the 14'' Blade right john? It's just weird how the iGPU reached 85 C when it should have been the dedicated GPU running

 

The igpu heats up BC the CPU is running.

 

Looks like the GPU temps are comparable to the 17" pro, but my CPU gets warmer. Not surprised. I mean the blade pro fans are bigger.

 

It's possible they made sure the gpu was cooled as a priority since in gaming that should get more use. I know in my Sammy both the gpu and cpu run in the mid 80's under load.

 

Killer, how are you transporting your Blade Pro to and from work? Any issues? Also, what about the desk you use it on?

Gonna be my final semester in university and planning to bring a computer around (finally).

I hope nobody tries to mug me for it though.

 

i dunno. glad it has two fans in it.

 

razer sells a neoprene sleeve for the pro, and a couple bags as well. I also have an incase one-srtap backpack that i use (was for 17" macbook pros) that has a plush microfiber interior and is nice and thin.

 

Does anyone know if the memory can be upgraded in the new 14`` model?

 

Thanks for the input once again jonh, so is razer going to send a tech in for you to replace your keyboard or are they sending you a new systems all together? Never has any experience with Razer customer service, are they nice when compared to alienware, asus, or MSI? Do you know if they off-shore their support to a third party country like india or south america like what alienware does?

 

Now I wonder how long after status has changed from Order in Process to Shipped? Does anyone know, I'm way to anxious. This notebook makes me feel like a kid again!

 

new system. they don't do in-home tech support. doesn't mean you will always get a new replacement unit during your warranty period.

 

I use a Targus XL, which was basically the only backpack that could hold the Asus G73JH, heh. I have other Swiss Army backpacks I used previously, I might check if it fits there. But for the moment, I'm using the XL.

Both the desk at my home and work are made out of wood. They're not any brand though, they're like... uh... made to order? Hahaha, yeah. They were designed by third parties and some dude came and built them.

 

Oh, also - and sorry about posting so soon - even when my Blade Pro had shipped, it said "Order in Process" in the order status. There was a message at the bottom of the page that said that it would ship after release day, which was 6/21/2013.

Then one evening I checked the order and the message at the bottom had disappeared. The next morning I received an email letting me know it had been shipped and the tracking number.

Hope that helps ease the anxiousness!

 

My order was placed on June 3rd and still shows in Process. Don't get too excited.

 

How long are razer's warrenty? are you able to extend a warrenty also?

 

Someone asked if you can upgrade the memory. You may be able to on your own but risk voiding your warranty. Warranty is good for one year but may be extended by purchasing a protection plan. Tech support has been stellar.

 

Thanks! I'm currently using a Nixon Shadow Backpack to carry my M17xR4. Barely, and I mean really barely, fits. Sleeve has to be folded up or crumpled a bit just to fit it in, and even then, the edge of the laptop makes a buldge towards the zipper making it a risk to break (so far it's only ripped the zipper once, whew).

If Razer had a gaming backpack, I'd be the first one on it. Not too keen on messenger bags.

Thank you for the detail on the order status as well, I'm checking mine way too often. Lol.

1 year, I believe. I also bought the extended warranty (1 year) for $300 more. Worth it, imo. I'm already spending that much, might as well ensure it for awhile longer. I wish they had a warranty option with more depth though (In-home support, battery replacement, etc). I really can't go without a laptop if I have to send mine to them to be assessed.