Razer Blade 15.6" (GTX 1060/1070, 2018 edition) Owner's Lounge

No concern re: the display cable running right underneath the heatsink and into the ventilation area? That thing could fry, no? Even though I'm not buying this (yet), it does look awesome. Definitely buy from Amazon or MS (assuming they will sell it), guys. I'm never buying anything from Razer direct ever again.

 

It makes a lot of sense why me and dgreen didn't have much success with Kryonaut repaste, she said they're using a new graphite based paste that works pretty well. If only I'd have known lol.

I'm going to try blasting air under this thing, ordered this today. Also ordered a USB bendy fan to point at my hot hands

1STPLAYER Laptop Cooling Pad https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F3971YK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8puhBbP1SD44G

 

Hi folks. I am close to pulling the trigger on the New Razer Blade 15 to replace my battered old Aorus X3 v2. I also wanted to pair it with the Razor Core - has anyone done that on here (are there any significant drawbacks and do you use Core or Core 2)?

Many thanks for any advice.

P.

 

I've never used a TB3 eGPU but all reviews and tests show you lose a lot of performance, an external 1070 may perform worse than a 1060 inside a laptop.
On the bright side, a Blade with a core will run significantly cooler, likely increasing its lifespan too. Plus if youre baller and can afford a nice card, and you dock your laptop often, you should be gold.

Edit: I did have an AW15 and AW13 with an amp, it didn't loose hardly anything, but you always had to reboot the laptop to operate it and you lose Sleep mode in the process.

 

Did you get the c6?

 

I ordered the C5, came super close to getting the C6 but I'm thinking more travel friendly first.

 

Guys something just clicked in my head, Lisa from mobile tech review said in her review that Razer is using a Graphite paste in their laptop this year. Isn't that crap conductive?

 

I still think I somehow had a 1060 shell with a 1070 unit inside of it. My new one has a very clear 1070 label painted inside, had a 1070 sticker. My original unit had a 1060 sticker and nothing inside.

I did swap out to a 970pro 1tb. Here are the scores for it:



These scores are a little low so I'm going to look into thermal pads.

 

For those asking about TB3 eGPU performance, here is what I found testing my AW 15 R3 with 1070 vs 1080 Ti in Razer Core V2 and AGA. I used Gears of War 4 for benchmarking as it is the most modern game I have vs going straight 3dmark. You will get a performance uplift from the eGPU but have to go at least one tier above what is already in your laptop (ideally 2+) for it to make sense. Also, these tests were all done with an external monitor attached to the eGPU (which helps A LOT on performance) so keep that in mind. These numbers are each the average of 5 runs to mitigate any anomalous results (although they were pretty consistent).



Here is the post in the AGA thread where I show more detail. Note that a lot of my issues were due to TB3 eGPU on Alienware is not well/officially supported. With the Blade I would expect similar performance numbers but a much better user experience than I had.

*OFFICIAL* Alienware "Graphics Amplifier" Owner's Lounge and Benchmark Thread (All 13, 15 and 17)

 

So here's my recipe: All the chips are on the top side of the SSD. I removed the sticker (it's not a warranty sticker for OEM SSDs and I don't believe it's conductive copper paper like the retailer units).

The controller is the smaller chip closer to the connector. I doubled up actually covering the two chips closest to the connector end, single sheet of 1.5mm Fujipoly on the rest. Really, you could double up the whole thing, but it's not really necessary since the memory chips don't get nearly as hot as the controller. And the Fujipoly 1.5mm strip as shipped isn't long enough to double up over the entire length anyhow . I used the 11W/mK Fujipoly pad.

I considered an SSD heatsink, but the thinnest I have and could find is 3mm, which with pad is too thick for the casing. I was also worried it might restrict airflow to the lower casing area (battery area).

An added bonus is that the palm rest area on the left side where the SSD is located is a little less warm. Conversely, the pads transfer heat to the bottom so that spot on the bottom is a bit warmer, but since the bottom in general is toasty anyhow, I'd rather have less sweaty palms.

 

Graphite paste is not electrically conductive.

 

What’s the justification for paying $250 extra to get this through an online retailer like HIDEvolution versus through Razer directly? I’d like to use HID, but the 1070/512 is going for $250 more and that’s before $100 for their panel quality check (to ensure you don’t get something in the bottom 80% of panels) and the cost of HID repasting....? I must be missing something(s). Any help appreciated!

 

HIDevolution's Warranty and service is stellar;
Razer will try their best to take 0 responsibility for any problems especially if they are supposed to be covered under warranty. They have the worst customer service in the business.

It is advised in many places to never buy from Razer directly

 

Razer has a newer bios 1.03 released foe the Blade 15. You can simply ask the tech support, they will provide you a link to download the Bios application. They didn't mention anything about this new bios. They sent this bios to me because I was talking to them about CPU overheating. Unfortunately, the new bios couldn't solve overheating issue.

 

For what it's worth I received a replacement Blade 15 in a week because mine was overheating and the ac adapter was noisy. They were great about it.

 

Many thanks for the explanation. I'm really stuck as I'd like to support HID, but I can get an additional one year of warranty through the MS store (of which we have one locally) for $120 currently (vs $350 at HID for an extra year), and also save $250 on the base cost. And yet... the repasting and dead pixel guarantee are both interesting. Hmmm! In any case, thanks again for the prompt response!

 

Can you give link pls or upload it somewhere?

 

Razer does have a higher RMA rate than other vendors, proven in their financials, which show a much higher warranty expense in relation to revenue compared to others, so perhaps that is why HIDevolution chargers more to begin with on Razer notebooks. Their other notebooks, from other OEMs are in line with retail prices. Being a boutique vendor, they offer configuration options, repasting, extra warranty, etc....where they can charge more for the service.
For the Razer Blade in particular, the MS store is a better option, due to price on the extra warranty, unless you want HID to do the Liquid Metal application, which is still not clear how much it will benefit the new RB, since there is little information yet from users who tried. Liquid Metal benefits, really depends if the cooling, especially the fans, can put out the heat quick enough. On my SC17 1080 model I got at least 15-20C benefit with LM (so instead of a 4.1GHz overclock on the CPU 24/7, I can go for 4.6GHz 24/7), but I think with the RB the benefit will be much less over a good thermal paste (kryonaut, gelid extreme, nanogrease extreme, cooler mastergel,etc). Also HIDevolution extra cost over MS store might be useful for international consumers, because of their global warranty, which is not your case, I suppose.

 

Got really busy over the weekend. I will say that there has been an improvement from stock paste to Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut. I'm about half done with my second half of testing. I have a ton of screen's based on different variations of testing I did. So I may pick and choose the more important tests unless requested otherwise.

Still seeing power limit throttling but that's a whole different beast I'm going to tackle and am working with Razer to get more details.

Sent from my Phone using Tapatalk

 

Still having issues with my TrackPad as mentioned earlier. Razer support just sent me the Bios update which I'll be trying later on today. Here's the full email with the link and install instructions from Razer.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I do apologize for the link and for the inconvenience. Please follow these steps below:

1. Please ensure you have installed all the latest Microsoft® Windows Operating Systems and Security Updates.


For help verifying your OS is up to date, please refer to the following Microsoft® article:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4027667/windows-update-windows-10


2. Ensure your Blade is plugged into a wall outlet and not running on battery alone before proceeding.


3. Please save any open documents on your computer and close all other programs before attempting this update


After that, please proceed with these steps:

1. Download the Razer Updater from the following URL


https://dl.razer.com/drivers/BladeC1/RazerUpdater_v1.1.0.7_C1-BIOSv0103.exe


2. The Razer Updater will automatically download to your default download destination (this should be the Downloads folder unless this has been manually changed)


NOTE: Be advised/reminded that during the BIOS update process of your Razer Blade 15-inch (2018) you will not be able to interact or save progress within other open applications. As such, it is strongly advised that you save your progress and close all other applications or programs prior to launching the Razer Updater and updating the system BIOS.


3. Click on RazerUpdater_ to begin the BIOS update process


4. The User Account Control window will pop up to confirm changes will be made by the application (as seen below). Click ‘Yes’ to allow the RazerUpdater_ application to launch.


5. The Blade Updater window will appear with details regarding your current BIOS version and the version your Razer Blade 15-inch (2018) will be updated to. (Please note, your BIOS version may be different than shown below. If your Blade is not in need of this update the updater will not proceed from this point)


6. Click “Update” to initiate the BIOS update process of your Razer Blade 15-inch (2018).


7. A progress bar will appear indicating the status and progression of the installation process. During the install process, you will not have access to other applications.


8. Once the progress bar reaches 100% completion, your Razer Blade 15-inch (2018) will restart automatically. No further action or steps are required after the progress bar reaches 100%. Once your Blade has restarted your BIOS will be updated.

 

Many thanks for this. I just bought the 512/1070 from the MS store. They have a 10% discount for parents (I'm a parent), so the 512/1070 came out at $2,339.10, and I bought the one year further extended warranty (ie 2 yr total) for $120. Total is $2,459.10 incl. 2-yr warranty. They also have a 30 day return policy, so if there's something I don't like I can ping it back (there's a local MS store I can take it into to save the hassle of shipping).

Very excited, thanks again all!

P.

 

Yes, power limit throttling is what I've noticed to be the biggest issue for me, too.
Let me know if you find any workarounds. So far, the best thing I've found is limiting short turbo boost wattage.

 

I've noticed power throttling to 25w on Balanced mode (synapse) but haven't seen any throttling on Performance mode yet. Unsure if that helps your testing.

 

Does he really play PUBG on 4K? It seems so smooth for 1070 Max q...

 

Unfortunately, power throttling is the norm with these new 6 core CPUs, since Intel is having a hard time keeping the turbo boost clocks on all cores and within the 45W. If it was 65W, it would be better, but then the thin and light designs would mostly thermal throttle instead of power throttling.
A good way to see power throttling in action is like how notebookcheck does it, running CB15 many times in a row.
This is the Asus Chimera with the i9 as an example.

 

Finally see the 4K version! Probably indicating it is coming soon!

 

What antivirus / malware suites do you guys run on your RBs?

 

As in windows balanced mode vs performance mode? Both power throttle for me.

Sent from my Phone using Tapatalk

 

Windows power option didn't matter for me, it was the Razer synapse option that did the job.

 

Pretty sure I messed with that already but I'll take another look. Planning on spending a good deal of time on this today.

Sent from my Phone using Tapatalk

 

Just picked up the 1070/512GB from MS Store near me. Will run it through some torture tests to make a determination on keeping it or returning within the 30 day window. Also got the 4-year Accidental Damage Protection plan (Only $250!) since that seemed like an awesome deal. They did not have the Core in the store anymore but can pick up one of those later if I like the laptop.

 

Nice one mate, we should compare notes - my same version arrives from MS tomorrow. Would you mind letting me know what tests you run and I’ll replicate them on mine and post he results here.

Also, does the ADP plan cover just accidental damage only or is it a full MS device warranty covering defects etc? EDIT: MS store confirmed it covers defects and accidental damage (the latter incurs a deductible)

EDIT: I popped into my local MS store and they confirmed there is a $250 4 year plan which sounds awesome, they said it’s not commonly sold (maybe it’s too good for the consumer to advertise heavily...?). I’m taking the laptop in tomorrow when it arrives to get this warranty - thanks a lot for letting us know about it.

P.

 

That a wise thing, 4 years guarantee is nice. Btw with that dGPU unless you want play some 4K games or want better temperature you won’t need the Core atm, because only with 1080 or 1080ti you’ll feel the performance upgrade and it’s also on 1440p or 4K resolution. Maybe next year when games require higher performance and next gen GPU come (after price and stocks slowly stable again after first booming).

 

Bitdefender works for me.

 

Windows defender, only because I can't remove it and don't want a 3rd party.

 

I think you can disable it no?

 

I was interested in checking out the additional year warranty option but it doesn't look like it can be purchased with the RB 15 online (see upload).

 

In windows Pro I think there's a workaround, but not in Home version. You can shut it off temporarily but it turns back on.

 

Heads up, Razer online store has the power adapters up now, but listed as "notify me". Looks like theres a 200w adapter as well as the 230w. Output voltages are different (10.26A vs 11.8A) so I won't be trying to carry the 1060's smaller adapter over what comes with the 1070... bummer.

 

Hey Guys, could I get someone to do me a favor and take a pic of your Bios screen under CPU, that shows the clock speeds and cache settings?

Thank you.

 

I will be running Traps by Palo Alto Networks for my AV. It is not available for consumers but is awesome enterprise grade advanced endpoint protection. I work for them so get free access I will also be upgrading to Windows Pro since I have a license, and disabling the MS stuff I don't want/need.

For tests, will be running Gears of War 4, Prime95, FurMark, tuning with XTU to get good temps and reduce throttling, will probably play some Crysis 2 or 3, maybe some Unreal Tournament 3. Will monitor with GPU-z, CPU-z, HWmonitor, HWinfo64.

IDK if this was discussed already, but my 512 GB drive is a PM961 - good enough for my needs, so wont mess with that. Will swap in the 32GB of Ballistix in my AW 15 currently if I decide to keep this one.

As for the Core V2 for eGPU, this is for a few purposes. First and foremost, I have 2 external Dell U2515h monitors I use when at my desk - an eGPU to keep them connected to makes life easier. Similarly, I have a host of USB peripherals that would also participate in the "docking station" such as KB/M, Gigabit Ethernet, XBOX 360 Controller adapter, USB enclosed BluRay Drive, card reader, USB SoundBlaster for 5.1 speakers, etc. I also already have a 1080 Ti that is currently in my AGA so I have the GPU already as well. The idea of only having to plug in TB3 and Power when docked at my desk is very appealing - currently I only have to do AGA and Power (but need a reboot - so this could be an even better experience!).

Typed this post on the new Blade I will keep you guys posted

 

You must have access to a special razer store. I definitely don't see either of these. How much were they?

 

I LINK YOU.
https://www.razer.com/gaming-accessories/razer-200w-power-adapter
https://www.razer.com/gaming-accessories/razer-230w-power-adapter

 

Ok so I am going to upload some pics. The first set is going to be my pre Thermal Grizzly results and the second will be post. I have broken these down into Windows Balanced mode and Max Performance. I will also include the FS scores that go along with these in a follow up post. Just want to get thermals out of the way first. So first 2 screens represent Balanced Mode with GPU at 190/600 and CPU Undervolt at -0.140. The second 2 screens are same settings but with Max performance. These are all after 30 minute sessions in Farcry 5.

 

These second set of screens will include the same exact tests (Balanced then Max performance) only with Thermal Grizzly repaste and Fujipoly thermal pads. As you can see it made a difference to do the repaste and only makes me curious about a LM future if I get brave enough. I will follow up with some FS scores as I mentioned. I had the same 190/600 on GPU and -0.140 on CPU.

 

Fairly decent improvement. Did you just use 1.5mm pads all around? How many strips did it take to do the whole thing?

 

Sorry I missed this, but wow, looks like you've now got it all figured out since

Nice work, and I am happy to see that you've got it tuned and under control so quickly.

 

I bought my RB this morning and, yes, the one year extension wasn’t working. I went into chat mode with an operator and she said it was a known issue and not intentional. She confirmed she will call me tomorrow when the laptop arrives to organise the warranty.

I’m actually going to go for the 4 year warranty for $249 instead.

Open a chat dialogue with MS store and they should be able to sort you out with the one year extension.

Also - did you try and get the 10% discount for students, their parents or other family members? Worked for me as soon as I clicked it, it didn’t even ask me any questions - just confirmed I could get th it discount.

 

The rep in-store gave me the 10% off without even mentioning it is for students - just said "I can get you another 10% off that" I was like, sure! lol

The 10% off did not apply to the warranty though FYI

 

I've bought many laptops from Microsoft store, they're great, so us that student discount. Also my local store accepts Dell Preferred Account for payments, which is a big benefit too.