Razer Blade (2014) Owner's Lounge

Yes, sometimes. You can try disabling auto lights off after a delay in the razer synapse to stop it if t bothers you.

N


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Thanks. I realized the Synapse software causes issues with my keyboard. The keyboard will pulse, and then the keyboard is non responsive for a second or so, then it's fine. Uninstalling Synapse doesn't help either. I did a clean reinstall of Windows and only after installing the Synapse software is when I have the issue again. I had to do another clean install because uninstalling the software didn't fix it, but a clean install of Windows without Synapse, it works fine. Not good. I guess I really don't need it except you can't adjust the keyboard lights without it. Maybe because my touchpad cable is broken, it's somehow related.

 

You could probably fit a slim copper sheet, 1mm max thickness. You'd almost want to solder the copper to the heatpipe though. I guess to trial easy enough to paste copper to CPU and then paste on copper to heatpipe. Only thing is screws might not reach/engage and/or might put too much pressure on the chip with risk of cracking.

I used IC Diamond. No guarantees it will reduce temps, but it worked for me!

 

Please let us know what temps you are getting. I am hoping some more refurbs show up so I can snatch one.

 

Nice maybe when I get mine later this year (Razer you must start taking international payments, yesterday ) I will try and see if that help. Also what about the pch chip, I am guessing it is the one on top of the mobo close to the gpu heatsink, what is its temperature under load? Applying a thermal pad would make contact with the chassis? Would this help with the chip's temp?

 

I believe this is the PCH chip:

 

Yes I think so. How is its temperature under load? Would applying a thermal pad to it make contact to the chassis and lower it's temperature?

 

I think the gap is too thick to add a pad to touch down to the bottom panel. I will report temps under load later though.

 

So I ran 2 tests of firestrike and got scores around 4200-4300 each time. Newb question but how would I monitor temps during the test? It doesn't seem to tell me in the fire strike report

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Use something like HWmonitor.

 

So I ran firestrike again and my max GPU temp was 87 and CPU was 90-these according to hwinfo64. Is firestrike less intensive than 3dmark? Because those are bearable temps I guess, and I'm kinda nervous about repasting (heh)

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Got my Blade today... There's a damn stuck pixel and now that I see it, it's staring at me.

Otherwise the system is pretty fricking cool. It's going to be hard to over look the pixel though, so I'm either going to return it or exchange it depending on the hassle.

 

Firestrike is probably representative of average game load. But some will push it even harder like Metro Last Light, BF4, Watch Dogs, to name a few. However, tricks I've used is undervolt and underclock the CPU with Intel XTU and limit FPS either with in-game FPS limiter (many have console commands for this) or using nVidia Inspector or MSI Afterburner/RivaTuner.

 

Speaking of nvidia inspector, I tried to overclock my GPU with it but it seems always go back to the default settings even after I click apply. Any idea what's going on there?

 

They're back in stock and they raised the price by $200. Still a good deal though.

Razer Blade 14" Touchscreen Gaming Laptop RZ09 0116 256GB | eBay

 

I'm in for one. I've been through 5 "new" units, each with a defect. At full price, I expect perfection. At a refurb'd price, I'm willing to accept small imperfections. Here's my tale of trying to find a perfect unit:

1) MS store - Perfect screen, keyboard, touchpad, logo backlighting. Did not wake up from sleep most of the time, did not recognize HDMI connected to monitor 1/2 of the time.
2) MS store replacement 1 - Dead AC adapter, screen had horrible uniformity. Top was cool, blue, bottom was warm yellow
3) MS store replacement 2 - Large specs of dust behind the glass of the display. Not dead pixels, but actual dirt.

Gave up and MS store was excellent about it and refunded all of my money.

4) Amazon 1 - Logo looks messed up and Capslock key is mushy (feels partially broken), Screen has same bad uniformity - bright cool at the top, warm yellow tint at the bottom.
5) Amazon 2 - Best screen of the bunch, mouse, keyboard, everything awesome - BUT exhibits same wake issues as #1 (#'s 2, 3 and 4 did not have any wake issue)

Again, won't be this picky with a refurb unit, but with the full priced model, none of these issues are acceptable.

Both Amazon units are setup for returns; now I'll wait to see how this refurb is

N

 

Lol I think it'd be pretty funny if this refurb turned out to be the best of the bunch. I have way too many computers but $1500 was the highest I would pay for a 2014 since I really didn't need it. I just hope it arrives in good condition and works perfectly.

 

I'd be perfectly happy with that outcome


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Hey guys, just ordered a 2014 256GB Razer Blade!

I am searching for a keyboard cover, does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks!


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Anyone know how to deal with scaling issues on the 3k screen? At native resolution, when I go into google chrome, everything is all blurry. This seems to only be an issue in certain programs.

 

Download Chrome Canary

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Well I ended up finding a replacement cable from Digi-key. It's about 10mm longer but the touchpad works perfectly. Unfortunately now the battery is showing that it isn't recognized in Windows. What the heck? It was working before. All I did was unplug the battery so I could make the connection for the touchpad cables, and then plugged it back in. I tried reseating the battery connector with no luck. Well it detects the battery but doesn't recognize a charge level.

 

You don't specifically need canary. Just google "chrome hidpi" a and follow the instructions based on your chrome version.

I love this laptop more and more. Not perfect but very close


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So while running batman arkham origins my CPU and GPU were all sub 90, but my pch was a staggering 97 degrees celsius. First of all what is a pch and is that a safe temp?

 

If I'm not mistaken chrome beta channel is up to version 37 now, is where the HiDPI goodness is. I'm using the dev channel, it has better test support. Twice now chrome canary has had bugs that were a pain, I had to go to the dev channel to gain a little more stability.

Once the release channel moves to 37 I'll probably just go back to that.

 

It's basically the I/O controller for USB, VGA, etc: Platform Controller Hub - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

97 is hot. Problem is most laptop makers don't put any thermal dissipation technology on it. Like a basic finned heatsink would probably be enough to drop temps 5-10C. In general I'm finding this laptop is HOT HOT HOT. 50-55C at the top of the keyboard with most gaming, and 45-50C on the right side of the keyboard. The PSU also gets 55-60C on the surface which is not good either. And CPU is 90-95C frequently and GPU is 80-85 after a repaste. It's like they completely ignored any thermal management with this laptop and sided completely on making it as thin as possible. For a gaming laptop IMHO that is a very poor design decision.

 

So I ordered some gelid GC extreme for a repaste. Is 91% alcohol good enough to clean the stock paste off? Stores don't seem to carry 99.9. Also, is paper towel fine or should I use coffee filters.

And yeah the laptop does get quite toasty if under load... The center of the keyboard is almost too hot to touch

 

91% should be fine. But if you do occasional electrical stuff, buy some of the 99.953% MG Chemicals Isopropyl alcohol: MG Chemicals 824 99.9% Isopropyl Alcohol Liquid Cleaner, 1 Liter Bottle, Clear: Soldering Tip Cleaners: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

I actually found 99.9% in the pharmacy aisle of a local supermarket a year or so ago, but haven't found it since.

 

I may apply new compound after my warranty expires. So far i've been able to manage it pretty well with FPS limiters. I don't mind the heat so much it's the fan noise, when my wife isn't nearby I let it go all out.

 

I don't agree completely here. if you look at the heat pipe setup it probably makes the most sense out of all the other thin gaming rigs
using the pics you posted




the GPU gets two heat pipes solely for itself and one fan dedicated for those two heat pipes PLUS a shared heat pipe with the CPU that also uses the CPU's fan. so in the end you get two fans and 2.5 heat pipes to cool down the kepler chip, which is very logical.

CPU on the other hand gets a single fan and one dedicated heat pipe and one shared heat pipe and its fan. in short words, 1.5 heat pipes and 1 fan for the CPU which normally wouldn't be enough for a quad core but this is a 4702hq with 10w less tdp, so it's fine.

heat pipe length is short enough which is good, the curvature is fine except for the shared one.
all the other things that can produce heat including inductors are also covered by a metal plate

so just based the orientation of the heat pipes, this design makes a lot of sense and I do agree with you they should probably use better materials instead.

they didn't completely forget about cooling, razer had a pretty good setup, but not the best materials. for thin and light gaming notebook this is probably the best cooling setup you can have.

 

Hi everyone. I am a recent owner of the RB 2014. Question for other owners... If you could verify...

Hi there. Is it normal for the top edge of the screen to appear brighter / lighter than the other three sides? If I hold the laptop to view each side at an angle, it seems as if the other three sides have no light or brightness emanating along the edge with a black desktop. I wouldn't go as far to call it bleed. Is this normal? Thank you.

 

Thermal design 101 dictates that you should not have any air gaps to the cooling system, leaving a giant gap (relatively speaking) between the heat pipes is just a potential hot spot. Nevertheless it does a reasonable job cooling considering. Intel CPU's are just way too hot in general.

 

Do any of you have a slight slight clicking or unusual noise on your right fan? I dont notice it unless my ear is pretty much next to it, or the fan ramps up to ~50% rpm usage, but it bugs the HELL out of me knowing that its there. Ive tried cleaning to see if its dust, doesnt seem to be the case. I dont want it to be an issue later down the road, especially knowing we paid a pretty penny for these amazing machines.

 

can anyone verify if the slight glow along the top edge of the screen is normal?

 

Has anyone noticed burn in on their screen? I'm a bit worried because I can see some of the swoops from the default lock screen when my screen is dark or has a solid color. I can't notice it otherwise but I could have sworn I never left the screen on for that long that it would have caused burn in...

 

I'm waiting on the Aorus X3+, it's between that vs this. I'm happy for those that have their RB 2014 though, seems like a nice system aside from a couple of things

 

Razer Blade 14 2014 is an excellent machine, although a few gripes:

- system storage: M.2 is still in its infancy and the drives they provide don't even compete with mSATA so any benefit it should get from the PCIe bus is moot. Not to mention that a stock drive of 128GB is laughable when there's no user upgrade options. You're technically tied to Razer's SSD's.
- 3K screen: It should be an advantage, but for a 'gaming' laptop a high quality 1080p LCD would have been preferable. You still have to run the desktop at 1080p anyhow to get most games to run at 1080p full screen, otherwise it will run it in a heavy letterboxed window in the center of the screen.
- 8GB RAM, and the fact that it's soldered. For the price of this machine it should offer 16GB. 8GB may not hinder most games, but for a *WINDOWS* gaming machine 16GB should have been included especially since it's soldered with no option for upgrade
- Lack of user access. Granted you can remove the bottom panel and Razer would be none the wiser. But even try to replace the thermal paste they put stickers on the CPU/GPU heatsink screws that could result in a denied warranty repair if you repasted yourself.
- No dedicated Ethernet port: any gaming PC worth a salt has a dedicated Ethernet port. Wireless is fine and dandy, but a dedicated LAN port is important for gaming.

I bought one of the $1200 refurbished Blades, which is definitely a bargain. But the main reason why I probably won't keep it is the lack of storage options. Even 512GB is too limited. I know eventually 1TB will be released in 80mm M.2 format but it will probably cost $800 for the 1TB compared with $500-$600 for mSATA 1TB or 2.5" SATA.

Next year if they offered two M.2 slots with user upgradability for one, had 16GB RAM and cost < $2000 I'd buy one in a heartbeat. Otherwise for me, it just falls short of what I need.

The 870m is about 30% faster than the 860m stock, and about 10-15% faster than the 860m with a reasonable OC. So it makes it tempting, but a Maxwell 870 will make it quite appetizing. As far as I know, the X3+ will have 870m Kepler also, but it will have multiple mSATA slots. Granted price may be in the ~ $2000 range as well. But maybe they are holding off for the 870m Maxwell replacement. That would be awesome.

 

Thanks for your input HTWingNut,

So your going to return it?

Also good reviews btw

 

You know though...

$1,200 is stupid cheap! While I understand, respect and agree with your review, you can't complain about it at $1,200.

Heck, that's cheaper than a friggen ultrabook!

 

any notice for the razor blade 2015??? what do you recommend me: buy a refurbished one or wait for the 2015 model? i want it to play videogames, so i want to know about the heat too. Righ now i have a samsung ativ book 8, it has an amd 8770m! underload get 83c and idle 42 (i live in a place where always is hot.. you know cancun? well you know what i mean, we are at 34c almost every day)

 

there's a gap between heat pipes and the CPU? I thought it was just direct contact...

 

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EDIT: NOT LOOKING FOR OFFERS ON THE RAZER, thanks. I'll probably try to sell locally. Too dodgy selling something that expensive online.
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EDIT 2: Razer responded and is sending the restore USB key free of charge! I stand corrected! Kudos! Maybe I'll hang on to it.
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I requested the restore media from Razer and after I indicated I didn't have a "valid" receipt, they apparently stopped responding to my emails.

I sent them my address and asked they ship the key, otherwise provide a location where I could download the restore media. Even offered to pay.

(Okay, it's possible they just sent the key without confirmation (unlikely) or they are behind on emails, but it's been a week without a response.)

Put mine up for sale. Razer support seems pretty eh and it's too expensive of an item to have with that level of service. No reason that laptop shouldn't have at least the remainder of the basic one year warranty from them.

 

^^BUMPING OWN THREAD :hi2:

 

The blurry text is an issue in other programs like skype as well

 

Hmmm, I'm assuming that it's not normal.... Maybe upload a picture for us to better see what you're dealing with?

When getting a new machine I can tend to be hyper aware of little things that may be normal. So fingers crossed that's all you're dealing with!

 

Horizontal gap, not vertical.



Even if they filled that gap with weld or solder and sanded flush, it wouldn't be so bad IMHO. And notice how the heatpipes do not cover the full length of the CPU either, there's exposed ends of the CPU.

 

but even if that's case, as long as it doesn't have any vertical gaps, direct contact isn't that bad. a copper plate isn't gonna be as effective as heat pipe directly contacting cpu and gpu, unless we are talking about cold plates here.

 

I wish I have never seen it lol, that looks awful for a "premium" machine, at least make everything copper Razer...

 

Hi there. Thanks for the reply. Below is the picture of backlight that was sent to technical support for review. The dark colors look washed out on the top due to the uneven lighting, although the "glow" at the top left and right corners is slightly exaggerated. I tried to get the most accurate rendition as possible from the camera. It's more of a consistent lightening along the entire top edge.

Razer Blade support team replied quite readily and indicated that the concern is legitimate and willing to refund or exchange the new laptop. I told them that if this was a prevalent - or likely to be recurring - issue that I would opt for a complete return / refund and search for another model. If RB can confirm that the "defect" is indeed an exception and unlikely on the replacement, then I would totally be willing to do an exchange. I just don't want to be bothered with the headache of multiple exchanges / returns if the display issue is spotty - especially with its high price tag.

Indeed the IGZO is IPS technology. Being a techie and very picky of my electronic endeavors at home and the office I manage, I know what a headache these IPS screens can bring trying to find one without excessive glow or bleed. For example, I specifically prefer the Dell Ultrasharp monitors being that - on paper - they are the most versatile and have great specs. Unfortunately, I've received many more defective ones than acceptable ones specifically due to excessive backlight bleed or ips glow. Luckily, I was persistent enough and was fortunate enough to get the number I needed that had relatively minimal / acceptable bleed / glow. It's unfortunate because the problem is all too prevelant with IPS technology and renders an otherwise quality build item useless. Most of all, it's wasteful.

Manufactures should develop a display with all the qualities of IPS technology BUT without the incessant backlight troubles that plague devices with IPS displays everywhere. Especially in high end systems like the RB 14, the screen should have zero backlight issues. Perhaps AMOLED? Maybe an adjustment to IPS manufacturing? I'm not too sure, but it's way too common and unacceptable.

If anyone can provide a review of their displays, it would be greatly appreciated! :thumbsup:

 

What HTWingNut is saying is that the gaps where the heatpipe do not directly contact the die will be subject to a hotspot (since the heat will have to conduct laterally to an area under a heatpipe).