Razer Blade (2014) Owner's Lounge

They probably took the numbers from the Clevo's they tested with the 870M anyway I'm also waiting for full blown reviews to see exactly how it handles thermals and performance before jumping on the bandwagon, but it does look promising.

 

The 870m numbers did come from the Clevo, of course. Also, performance-wise, the Clevo has a 1080P display, so keep that in mind with the NBC FPS tests.

I'm willing to spend money on this because Razer has a return policy and they took good care of me last year when I was thoroughly unhappy with the display. They deserve my business this time around.

 

This is the response I got from Razer regarding the shift to 4/16. Sounds like they don't really know.

 

Or could be as simple as a delay on a component availability, lcd, cpu, ram, etc. Heck, I've seen laptops delayed just because of a short supply of a cable. Cooling issues would probably delay by months not a couple weeks.

Beamed from my G2 Tricorder

 

Probably related to lack of necessary components to complete the original order OR, order has been adjusted for more units which added 2 weeks to delivery time.

This. Last year, I ended up the temporary owner of the blade pro 256. Bought from Newegg, and unfortunately the GPU was defective. Even though I didn't buy from Razer directly, they not only helped my 100% diagnose the failure, but they also intervened with newegg who could not reproduce the failure [due to their inadequate GPU tests]. It wasn't overly complicated, and they didn't have to do THAT much work in the process, but the fact that they stood by their product regardless is why I continue to use their products.

Edit: C'mon Razer, shut up and take my ...
/checks checking account
!!! Wow Razer, y'all didn't waste any time .. Typically it's customary to wait until a product is ready to SHIP before billing. I actually PREFER that they get the transaction out of the way now, but isn't there a law or something??

 

Razer does a hold on the funds/pre-authorization hold, once the unit actually ships the charge will complete. If the order is canceled or declined the hold is released.

Kind of like when a gas station does a $0.01 charge to check for funds.

 

Must be handled a little differently than I'm used to. Typically, you don't see a pre-auth on your account [or at least, I never have in the past]

At least, I HOPE so, if they pre-authed and then went to debit at time of shipment and it was declined because the money was tied up in their pre-auth, I'll be [expletive deleted] off.

 

Doesn't work like that.

 

It SHOULDN'T, no. But then again, the pre-auth SHOULDN'T be visible to me. I have my suspicions as to what's actually happening, but I'm old, and I get paranoid about these things

( I could also probably call razer OR my bank and get a definite answer, but that would ruin all the speculative fun)

 

remember again how the original blade was delayed for several months. not a bad deal, i got a free razer orochi mouse (still use it), and that awesome discount for first gen blade owners for the second version.

 

Does anyone have any new info on the delivery date? The support does not seem answer anything atm.

 

Well since they're releasing on the 16th I'd assume the delivery date is dependent on your shipping choice.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

just found this thing, looking for alaptop for the past year didnt see this till today and its like a dream come true. but i cant help but envision this thing melting on my laptop like chocolate. what was the build quality like of the previous model? also if i wanted to pick up an extra ssd like the samsung evo, what type would i buy? i dont know much about those things but i see there is sata 3, msata, sata m.2 etc

 

Assuming they get enough in to satisfy all the pre-orders... [BELIEVE ME, I hope they do, I splurged for NDA shipping]

1) I can speak for the blade pro I briefly had. Ran in the low to mid 80s, CPU TJmax is 100c
source: ARK | Intel® Core

Overall build quality was. . . exceptional. Beyond exceptional really. Unfortunately in my case, the dedicated GPU was defective. As I bought from newegg, and they had no stock to replace it with, I ended up doing a return, but I don't think I'll ever forget how it felt to work on the thing. I'm trying very hard to be patient for my order

I can't do more than speculate about the 870m thermal spec, but my GUESS is it should be fine to 100 or 105c, but will PROBABLY run in the mid 80s. I also SUSPECT it MIGHT dynamically throttle to maintain operational temps.

You might have picked up a bunch of mights, maybes, and supposes in that sentence. It's all guesswork until I get my hands on the thing ; )

Playing by Razer's rules, you void your warranty by opening the machine, so therefore cannot TECHNICALLY upgrade the hard drive on your own. The correct drive version would be Sata M.2

 

Just got this via email (512GB Version):

Due to overwhelming demand, your order placed on 3/15/2014 for scheduled shipment on 4/12/2014 has been delayed to 4/16/2014.

For avoidance of doubt, if you have chosen to pay by credit card, it will only be charged upon shipment. Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause you and we look forward to shipping you your order soon.

Should you have any questions, please do contact our customer support.

 

Bummer! Here's the email I received:

 

so mine got delayed till 30/4... :/

 

What size SSD did you order?

 

My 128GB still says 4/16 right now (ordered 3/20)

 

Heh. Mine says the original ship date for my 512GB model was 4/9. It, too, has been delayed to 4/16.

I wouldn't have received it for PAX East, even with the Priority shipping I put on it.

At least Razer got my 2013 model repaired and shipped back. 'course, they stole my Intel 7260 AC card and replaced it with the meh Killer N-1202 (I've sent a mail asking for it back). I also had to re-install Windows from scratch because it was throwing nVidia COM object errors, but at least I have it.

 

Sell it quick! Should be able to get 1800-1900 out of it depending on the SSD installed.

 

256Gb, 4/27 -> 4/30

 

I ordered the 512GB M.2 sata ssd. I also have been dumped into the 4/16 shipping date "bin".

 

Fingers crossed my 128 GB ships 4/16

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

512GB here - 4/16 as my date.

 

Ha ha! No, I need it for PAX East and the screen, while horrible in comparison, isn't "that" bad stand-alone. My 2013 came with a 512GB mSATA and I added a second 512GB mSATA. It also has a nick in the aluminum next to the power input. Apparently that was the "dent" they asked if they should repair for an extra $150. I said no. Dents build character! But not too many dents. I bought two of the 14" Razer armor case to keep the 2013 and 2014 safe.

 

Would you mind posting a short review and maybe some pictures of that case? I was thinking of using my $20 off coupon on it. I already have a sleeve, extra chargers, and USB Ethernet cable, so a hard case is about the only thing I even would want off the store.

 

I don't think the New Razer Blade fits the armor case. It says on the products technical page that it fits the .66 Razer Blade, not the .70 New Razer Blade. Watch for the catches. Once you have them on your hands test it and let us know. Cheers

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

 

Isn't the armor case the one with the foam inside? I cannot imagine that 1mm will make any difference at all. Heck my tight MBP 13" case should fit fine and it was a tight fit on the 2013 model, but we're only talking 1mm difference.

 

got an email stating due to overwhelming demand it will be shipped on the 16th. does this mean some will get shipped on the 10th? paid for overnight, ordered first hour of availability, would be shocked if not in the first wave. unless the 512gb units are delyaed due to ssd issues. want to play elder scrolls, titanfall, and age of wonders 3 on the little wunder-machine.

 

It should fit, but that is not what Razer says on the products page.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

 

Got the same email, lots of people did. I also ordered almost immediately on order availability. My date said pushed from 4/9 to 4/16, and I haven't seen anyone post an early expected date, so I suspect that will be first wave.



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

Yeah. Since everyone got pushed to at least the 16th, I would assume that is our new starting point. With availability determine if you get pushed any further back from there. I ordered relatively late (28th I think), but I'm hoping it ships on the 16th.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

256GB 4/10->4/16 according to the email.

 

Ive learned my lesson from the first version of the blade 14 which I currently own. I am going to save myself from some of the availability frustrations this time around and wait until the Blade 14 is readily available and not in short supply before I place an order.

 

Ordered in the first few hours. 4/9 to 4/16 according to the email. Sounds like that's pretty consistent all around.

 

The case has some extra room to spare inside it. The new model will fit as long as it isn't wider or longer. The extra thickness won't be an issue. I stuck a Game Informer magazine inside it on top of the laptop and the case closed without issue. It actually closes easier than without because the little fabric things that are used to stop it from flipping open 180 degrees interfere with the zipper a bit when closing (they push outward into the path of the zipper a bit).

 

Hmm, have only used neoprene sleeves in the past, as usually that is then slipped into a backpack with some padding, wondering if the case may be worth it...

 

We should stop filling up the owners lounge with useless ship date conversation. Start a ship date thread.

 

As of today (4/4/14), is there ANY real reviews available for the 14 inch model???????????

It's ing APRIL already. Where are the review?

 

Wow, you should definitely be in the first batch

 

I bought the armor case because I damaged the screen when the laptop slipped out of a backpack and hit the metal legs of a rolling chair. The armor case's hard plastic exterior and lined interior may have prevented that. I'm not sure a neoprene slip case would have.

There's very little between the thin metal shell on the lid of the laptop and the LCD screen behind it.

 

To add to what IceStorm said, I primarily use my neoprene case by itself on short trips or when putting it in my backpack so it has some additional padding/protection. I was thinking of getting the hard case for times when I want that extra protection. Like maybe a long trip where I toss my bags in the back of my truck, on a plane trip, or even to work on crappy days where I don't want to worry about rain/snow etc or damaging it by any other way.

When I preordered my 2014, I used a code and got a $20 Razer store coupon so I was thinking of using it on that case since it's really the only thing I can find that I'm interested in.

 

I've heard that the WiFi module is not the best. Would you recommend changing the module and if so which one would you go for?

 

I'm curious about the AC wireless too. The intel AC card I put in my edge was horrible, bad connection rates (~70mbps) and throughput(~20mbps). It may have just been driver issues, but I found posts all over online with the same issue, and there never was a resolution.

The 2013 Blade with killer 1202 wireless connected very fast (~300mbps) and excellent throughput (~100mbps), so I hope its not a huge step backwards as I'm expecting it to be. I dont have an AC router and have no need for it, N does me just fine (or did with the killer 1202 anyway).

 

The 6235 Intel in my 2 year old Sammy connects to my router at 300mbit with over 100mbit throughput.

 

So has anyone actually received their Razer Blade 14 (2014) or gotten a tracking number yet?

 

I've heard some negative reviews about the intel mini PCI-E wireless AC cards. I haven't used one personally to verify. I *CAN* say that I have an Asus AC66r with two desktops with mini PCI-E AC adapters onboard [an ASRock and an asus, both m-itx] In both cases I had to go into wifi properties, enable WMM and fine tune the settings to get them up to speed. I'd highly recommend giving that a shot and seeing if maybe it's a default setting causing your less than optimal speeds

Control panel
Network and sharing center [or "view network status and tasks" under network and internet if you use category view]
Change adapter settings
Right click on your wifi adapter
Select "properties"
select "Configure"

If you only have 5 or 6 lines and/or there is no WMM support, you're PROBABLY looking at having to replace to get decent speeds.

 

I've read about problems with a few revisions of Intel's 7260AC driver. I've not had any problems with mine. The Killer NICs have been problematic, to the tune of me having to reboot my notebook.

The current Killer NIC in my 14" seems fine. Maybe I just had a couple bad ones.

 

Wow...all this waiting is making me more anxious! Almost feel like ordering an OriginPC but they're not shipping with the new GPU's till April 25!! I want my laptop!!!