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

Thats good temps for gaming mode. Anything under 90c max on a Firestrike run (demo included) and 14.5K+ is solid in my eyes.

 

So after this giant fiasco with dell and the screwed up m15 order I might be looking to go back to a Razer 15. I assume the newer models have better thermals now?

 

That's for sure. A result of better thermal compound. Of course quality aftermarket compounds are still in another league.
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Just finished an overclocking session with Fire Strike after the repaste. Had to reflash the BIOS a few times because I messed something up in ThrottleStop which decreased the CPU score by about a thousand points. Can't pinpoint what the setting was.

Anyway, the undervolt/overclock is of course not stable. Barely passed Fire Strike with -178mV and -75mV iGPU. Got the GPU up to +247/+765 which also barely passes. Probably hitting diminishing returns with that memory overclock with that 90W power limit, but the engine loves VRAM clocks for some reason. Well, GPU Boost also plays a role in that overclock, as the GPU temperature is pretty high since the repaste (as I wrote before the CPU now dumps heat into the heatsink more effectively which increases GPU temperatures). Were the temperatures a bit lower I could probably push it just a little bit further.

Result: https://www.3dmark.com/fs/16998351

The room ambient is currently 18°C. Interestingly neither the CPU nor the GPU passed 80°C during the whole thing. So the CPU could use a little bit more leeway on the power limit, but the GPU temperature needs to come down to get significant increases in score, as it would hard throttle to ~1000MHz when reaching 84°C and who wants that.

 

Nice that's a solid score. What driver are you using? My first stock run on the new blade yielded a 14,450 in gaming mode. Today I updated to the new nvidia driver (416.81?) and my score dropped to 14,050 to 14,100.

 

Different driver may drops or increase performance, it happens often. So I won’t update things unless it’s needed.
That score is because @No0B overclocked using after burner and also got great gpu silicons lottery, he could add almost plus 250 core clock which is insane since I think mostly is around +200, mine with +210 core brings 15,3K, so 15,5k is logical number on + 250 without thermal issue. Btw gaming mode Synapse only half overclocking which is +100 . +Memory OC doesn’t so huge as core, but mostly +700 on manual OC on this card meanwhile Synapse only add +300 I believe.

 

Yeah, I didn't update yet. The run was on 416.34, as indicated by the 25.21.14. 1634 driver version on the results page.

Yeah, I might have gotten lucky with it. But keep in mind that GPU Boost was reducing clocks quite a bit because of the relatively high core temperature (78-79°C during the tests after warming up), which is close to the 84°C hard throttle.Reduced clocks means that I could add back a little bit. In daily usage I'd use something like +210/+620 to let the GPU core have some more of the 90W power limit (the power limit includes the VRAM).

When overclocked that high, the memory can take quite a bit of that limit away for itself as presently seen with the cheaper Nvidia Turing cards (e.g. the $500 GTX2070s), which are so severly power limited that overclocking the memory drops core clocks measurably.

It's just that Fire Strike scales really well with VRAM clocks for some reason.

 

Does anyone have any Thunderbolt driver issues? My port doesn't work until I uninstall/reinstall the drivers and disable/enable the device a seemingly random amount of times. When it finally works, a reboot undoes the progress.

 

Could it be that Windows Update overwrites the driver on every start? Had that happen to a friend of mine where Windows Update would reinstall the graphics driver on every single startup.

You could try getting wushowhide.diagcab and seeing if Windows Update has a Thunderbolt driver queued up for installation right after you land on the desktop.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/2/2/f22d5fdb-59cd-4275-8c95-1be17bf70b21/wushowhide.diagcab

Or get Mr. X's Windows Update MiniTool: https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/windows-update-minitool.380535/

 

No issues at all with Razer Core, usb c dock, dongle. What device are you connecting, is that fine on other pc?

Never look so far for vram, cpu clock relation with OC. Anyway 3Dmark cpu Test is very short, I believe with temperatures you mentioned it’ll boost performance better than mine that sitting on high 80ish or low 90 on max OC value. I believe also running multiple cinebench yours will surpass 1200, mine always under that.

 

Yea I'm going to leave my drivers alone before I let my OCD get the best of me and mess something up. Like I said, out of the box with gaming mode I hit 14,400-14,500 in Firestrike. Ran windows update / new Nvidia driver update and it dropped to 14,100. Everything seems stable however. PuBg plays at 1080p, full res scale (120%) and full ultra at a steady 70 fps. SoTR fully maxed with AA x8 a steady 60-80 fps.

I'm still waiting on my free CoD Black Ops 4 key though. Has anyone bought a new blade recently and received the key? They say it may take up to 10 days after the product is delivered. I still have a few days left, just unsure why it would take that long.

 

Not seeing anything like queued driver installs, and it's a Thunderbolt 3 M.2 NVM enclosure. It works perfectly on my Asus Zephyrus but I found out it's just not "hot pluggable" on my Razer Blade. Is there issues with hotplugging Thunderbolt devices on this laptop? If I plug it in, I get the usual "Base System Device" with a driver error in Devices and Printers, but when I reboot with it still plugged in, I can see it just fine.

 

It took me about 6 days to receive my email, and then when I went through the link to get the key, Intel said it ran out of keys for it and to check later. I checked the next day and got it just fine.

 

As I mentioned above it’s hot plug on my Razer Core and usb c docking station. It may be compatibility issue on software side, try to update intel drivers using intel drivers update utility and update all to the latest one.
I don’t have other tb device when I’m not wrong, only Razer core that will pop out on Thunderbolt software like this, since my docking and dongle only usb c, it won’t pop out there but it’s connected as usb 3.1.

 

I'm pretty sure this is a daft question to ask in the razer forum! But I'm looking to replace my 5 year old MSI gs60 with a new laptop that I'd like to last 4 years! Not an epic gamer, more content creation for YouTube and enjoying decent graphics on FPS games! So I know the 1070 max q is the way to go. But I'm not the sort of guy that runs benchmarks and things!

But is the blade 15 100% the right choice? Or should I save the £150 (and lose the per key lighting but gain an m.2 slot) and get the new Alienware m15? And frank azor mentioned to me on twitter that a 1080 max q is on its way in 2 months.

Ultimately all these thin and lights are getting the same specs and all seem to have their own issues! The price of so much power in such a small package I guess!

Guess I'm just looking for some guidance from previous owners!

Cheers!

 

If you have the money, I highly recommend the new Blade 15. The build quality is second to none. I went through 3 others laptops before settling on this - Alienware R5 17, MSI GS65 stealth, and a black blade. The only reason I returned my black blade was due to a thermal defect, otherwise it was excellent. Now I have the white one and like it even more.

I wouldn't settle for anything less than the 1070 as we near 2019. The 1060 will suffice for games like Fortnite and Overwatch, etc., but the 1070 handles the newest AAA titles at max 1080p graphics with a steady 60-80fps. And I'm talking super maxed, with resolution scale jacked. With high settings youll be at 100 fps no problem.

The laptop does get a little warm, but it comes with the territory. Never have I once put my hand anywhere on it and said "this is too hot my skins going to melt". I think some people have unrealistic expectations and are being vaginas.

Overall I'm really enjoying my mercury white one. It's not painted like the other "special editions" out there (New Predator, MSI). You can tell this has been done with exceeding or matching Apple quality. It's simply pretty to look at and performs equally as well, but as in most cases - you get what you pay for.

 

To be fair, our orifices are usually made of pretty sensitive tissue.

 

So decided to undervolt the new mercury blade, although my temps were good out of the box. My black one (same specs, 1070) was hitting 100c on the first Firestrike runs w/ gaming mode. The mercury hit 90c max, same settings, fully stock.

Undervolted, the black one would still hit 94-95c. Now although my white didn't even break 90c totally stock, I figured undervolting wouldn't hurt anyway. Went with a modest -.125 on core and cache. Firestrike score went up 100+ points, and temps barely broke 80c!

Now although my black blade score 14,400 -14,500 out of the box, the temps were much higher and undervolting barely reduced them. The mercury blade scores slightly lower (and only after the most recent / nvidia update), but temps are MUCH better. Haven't OC'ed or anything yet, but the performance is great even with the 14,200 score.

 

Are you suggesting the mercury models are cherry picked to be superior to the black ones?

 

Yes and now I consider you all inferior and this is my last post here as I am going to a white only blade forum. But in all truthfulness, my black one was somewhat defective, or since the white ones are the most recent ones manufactured, they used much better paste / change something around internally. I think it's just that my black blade was bad. So my standards for temps were low.

 

hoping to pull the trigger on black friday. Still in a coin flip between razer and alienware! I guess the only worry with razer is the longevity.. Its a much nicer looking laptop and much smaller footprint. But people say the fans are very loud and we all worry about razer support if our machines break. And they dont seem to do 3 year warranties that i can see!

 

Buy from Microsoft store, they have a great extended warranty.

 

Sadly they only sell it with the 512gb card, and i wanted the 256gb, as i'm going to swap it out for a 1tb anyway.

But looking at the reviews for razer support and quality control its a huge horror story! So as close as i am to buying one, i'm as far away as its sounds bad!

 

Microsoft Store has the 256 GB versions in stock, both the GTX 1060 Max-Q model and the GTX 1070 Max-Q one.
I believe some people around here were able to purchase a four year warranty from Microsoft (including accidental coverage) for a relatively reasonable price

 

So I'm not exactly sure how I did it, but I've managed to set my custom chroma preset to the defualt one that persists through reboots and stays the same even in bios.

Plus, I am running no razer software at boot, with the exception of the Razer Chroma SDK service. Synapse and all that jazz only run when I manually open them.

Basically this is how I think it happend. I had opened synapse to play with some Settings, which upon opening switched the default color cycling profile to my custom one. Then later in the day, I was ending a frozen program in task manager when I noticed all the razer synapse and stuff was open, so I ended all those tasks while I was in there. Ever since my custom chroma profile has been persistent since.

Now I haven't opened synapse back up, in fear that I will lose my persistent preset, and because I really only ever open synapse to set my preset anyways. So now it's pretty awesome, no resource hogging synapse process, and I have my custom colors with full brightness control.

Please fell free to test my theory, I'm curious to know if it was a weird fluke or if it's a bug that's kinda nifty


EDIT: annnnnd it's gone

 

Sadly that's the US store. I'm in the UK. So we only have the 1060 with 512gb or 1070 with 512gb.

 

Heads up: https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/9xj4d6/razer_blade_15_advanced_model_has_flawed_design/

Remember when I said my laptop's making random popping noise when stressed? Looks like this is it:
Fragile plastic parts holding the chassis on the hottest part of the entire laptop failing due to heat stress.

 

You are not alone, RBP has the same plastic hinge dust covers, I fear they all will break over time

 

Hey guys, can anyone with the 144hz BOE Panel please hit up this post and comment if it applies to your or not. Thanks

https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/9xlw59/calling_all_blade_15_144hz_boe_panel_users/

 

I saw the pictures on your Reddit post, did you unscrewed and screwed it back again tightly, there was early adopter who cracked it also. I don’t think heat will falling it apart unless it was already a bit cracked, and other parts buzzing it to make it worse. I play almost everyday since 5 months ago, nothing cracked, well maybe yet. If Blade 14 has similar anchors material, it was fine over 2 years gaming usage.

 

Mine are not cracked, but I see how easily they can become cracked. I make it a point not to overtorque any screw, especially in computers. Risk of stripping or cracking something underneath is too high.

 

I cracked the right one (with the device oriented with the underside up) on my first time opening it. Didn't really pay too much attention and screwed in a little too tight. Heard a crack, opened up, found the piece broken, glued it back in place, didn't tighten the screw as much then. It doesn't seem to provide any structural integrity, just holds the bottom cover in place at the corners a bit. Of course not optimal from an engineering standpoint, but I don't give enough of a crap to care if it's not a crucial part. If the bottom cover isn't slightly bent out of its normal shape at the corners in question for some reason it doesn't need the support it gets from these two screws.

 

For those who are using the machine for productivity on the go (battery), what battery life are you guys getting? Ideally with the screen set to 60zz if you got the 144hz model.

Thank you.

 

It’s around 7 to 8 hours on advanced 1070maxq, it’s on battery saver with backlight logo off keyboard light at 10%, of course balanced mode, undervolting -120mv, 60Hz and screen brightness at 25%. Web browsing, mailing and paperwork only. If you get lower or worse check apps tab and closing one by one by checking discharge rate on HWinfo, to get those hours it should be lower than (-)10 watt like this.

 

It is going to depend greatly on what "productivity" actually is. For me, I get around 5.5 hours max while working which usually involves Visual Studio and other development tools.

Realistically, I see somewhere around 4-4.5 hours but my CPU isn't sitting idle for very long.

 

That would be my use case (Visual Studio, MSSMS etc) - I presume you are using it on 60hz mode? And is yours a 1060 or 1070 model?
Thanks

 

Nope, this was the first time opening the panel. The plastic parts came out like that.

 

I get from 6 to 7 hours doing visual studio, NetBeans, and PHP Storm work. Typically dischargeing below 10W. On battery saver, screen brightness typically around 50% and keyboard lights off, - 125 undervolt, turbo boost disabled, and 144hz as I have the BOE panel and cannot switch down to 60hz

 

I am getting around 4-4.5 hours on my base model RB15. Maybe not the best but I am pleased with it and have AMPLE storage (6tb total).

 

After letting the CPU go into lower C-states I'm able to get around 12 hours of node.js coding in VSCode and previewing in Chrome (not the full thing of course but it's generating at least some load) with the SpeedShift value at 230 and the screen at 30%.

 

That is good for 144hz.

Sucks you can’t go down to 60hz, id hate to buy and end up with a panel I can’t do that with.

You may ask why I don’t just get the 60hz model? Because it comes with 256GB SSD and buying my own and replacing isn’t cost effective as that drive will essentially go to waste..

 

ok guy, it sounds like you lot know what you're talking about. Should i give up the idea getting a razer blade 15? People seem to say its gets waaay too hot gaming. but for a normal user who usually just surfs the web, checks email, edits a few youtube videos and plays games and just wants a thin and light, is the razer a good fit? Or do we have to accept that its going to break, has a bad warranty, and i should really look at the new alienware m15?

Honestly, i'm a coin flip between these 2 laptops! I'm just looking for that 1 tipping point. Even 2 m.2 slots on the alienware isnt a deal selaer as i can just get a 1tb 970 samsung SSD for the blade and use a TB3 drive for video editing with no issues.

 

The intent for my Razer Blade 2018 base model is a business machine, a mobile workstation, if you will. I do not intend to play any games as I am not a gamer. I have one graphics based software package I use frequently to program a leading manufacturer of industrial robotics systems. Other than that it is Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, photo editing software, ASCII text editor software, emails, web browsing, youtube content. Not real taxing on this platform to say the least. So far the RB15 has performed without a single issue (knock wood). I have upgraded the primary m.2 ssd from 128gb to 2tb (by cloning) and have no issues whatsoever. I added a 4tb 2.5" ssd as primary storage, again with no issues. I upgraded the RAM to 32gb. I suspect the next task I take is to replace the thermal paste even though temperatures have not been an issue and fan throttling has been to a minimum.

The only criticism I have is the 1080p screen. I wish the resolution was better. I replaced a 2015 Dell XPS 13 that had a 4K display and had become accustomed to a finer resolution screen. I suppose I will learn to live with huge lettering on my screen again. I do love the mat finish of the screen compared to the XPS. The other huge advantage with the RB15 compared to the XPS is a dedicated graphics card in the RB15. The XPS had integrated graphics so the performance of the graphics robot programming software with the RB15 is significantly better with the RB15, cannot really compare. Build quality for the RB15 speaks for itself, simply outstanding. I am learning to deal with the additional weight of the RB15 compared to the XPS 13, both laptop and power supply weight as both for the RB15 is heavier. I really appreciate having HDMI and RJ95 (Ethernet) ports because I can leave the adapters home now (less to carry). I do wish there was an SD card reader and fingerprint scanner on the RB15. I didn't have a fingerprint scanner on the XPS so I can live with that. The additional storage of the second ssd device remedies the need for an SD card reader. I will carry a USB SD card reader when the need arises I need to work with an SD card. Speakers are pretty decent for laptops but I still carry a rechargeable Bose portable speaker to play music (stored on my 4tb ssd) or when I am conducting a robotics training course. I am getting between 4-4.5 hours of use on battery, maybe a bit more. Not bad but not great either and something I can live with. So far I am very pleased with the RB15.

 

Well I mean something has to give for the machine to be thin and relatively powerful. I got my Blade 15 primarily for game development and for the relatively high battery capacity. After replacing the standard thermal compound (which by the way became better with time from the factory) you'll see somewhat better temperatures, but don't expect thermals like you'll see with those fat ladies of a laptop, or a desktop with proper air cooling. In Final Fantasy XV I see temperatures of around 80°C +/- 3°C with ~19°C ambient temperature. The thing becomes quite noticeable noise-wise, but that's what you get with a form factor like this.

Alternatives to the Blade 15 arguably would be (ignoring the barebones options) the Gigabyte Aero 15X (larger battery, more storage, louder), MSI GS65 Stealth (better thermals, more storage, smaller battery) and the MacBook Pro (hardware used more efficiently, macOS) with the recently released Vega GPU options. Still even the more powerful Vega GPU option for the MacBook Pro will be considerably slower than the 1070 Max-Q. Though all of these machines will have their own up and downsides, I chose the Blade 15 because it's smaller than the others and appeared less gamer-focused design-wise. The MacBook Pro didn't have the Vega options when I got my machine, so I didn't even consider it really because of the higher price tag.

In my opinion the Blade 15 is generally speaking a fine machine if you know what you're getting into. This is no MacBook Air with a low power draw CPU and no dedicated graphics. This thing will get warm if you do intensive stuff on it. But it will cope somehow if it's not in the sun. If you don't like that and can deal with higher weight, look at something larger. Will also be cheaper probably.

EDIT: Oh right. If you're consuming a lot of hard drive space regularly, maybe consider getting a desktop after all. Would also solve all other potential issues, be cheaper, but at the cost of portability.

 

Weirdly my work laptop is a hp 2 in 1 with Vega. It's not too bad but equivalent to a 1050. But only needed it for video production.

Thanks for the thoughts on the blade 15. Looks like the 2tb Evo 860 isn't too badly priced at the mo and would negate the need for 2 me slots. And nice to hear the thing is nice to live with!

Just need to find out if they do the EU 2 year warranty in the UK now! Waiting to hear back. Otherwise I need to find a longer warranty!

 

Note 860 evo is sata not nvme like m2 ssd on Blade, you’ll get downgrade in term speed hugely imo. It’s near Black Friday 1tb 970 evo which is nvme is often on discount, I got it for €250, 500gb for €110.
Yes i saw also that on Reddit, someone mentioned only a year guarantee reconfirmed by CS who said 2 years before after checking there’s no evidence for that on their website. My old Blade 2015 and 2017 was 2 years, i always asking that before purchase, and because I was curious I tried to send it for RMA after a year passed before i sold it, it was indeed under guarantee. Here some proof, I bought Blade 2017 when first announced in March, repair was in June. It states in german, all repair cost is free because under guarantee.

And this is mail from Razer cs before I bought Blade 15...well also in german but you can see 2 and guarantee words

Although it’ll be better confirming to cs where you buy and keep the proof in case you need it.

 

Thanks! Just had a support guy advise it's 2 years in the UK, but no option to extend.

as much as I lean towards the Alienware m15, as I think it has a better cooling solution. I realise that I want the gaming power for those times I have time to game. Otherwise it's mainly for browsing the web, social media, and watching YouTube. With a bit of video editing thrown in, that the Intel chip handles.

So having flipped a coin a few times (always a good sign of what you're thinking inside) I think it makes a lot of sense to get the blade 15. And just appreciate that when it is on full tilt for gaming, it'll be loud. But as I wear a headset I don't think that matters much.

Oh and the support guy said he doesn't know what's going cheap on black Friday!

Thanks for the help guys!

 

Don’t trust CS, I had a guy say 2 years in UK, but I asked him for evidence as everywhere it said 1 year. Seems some CS are getting confused by this announcemen which I got linked to: https://www.criticalhit.net/technology/razer-increased-global-warranty-products-two-years/

I told him that states it’s just for mice, headsets and keyboards - and their site all state 1 year for systems.

This was the CS final reply:

This was this month. Be warned.

If I was you, I’d buy from Curry’s with the 2/3 year plan. It’s expensivd but if 2 years down the line it dies, you’ll get a £ equivalent, so a Razer Blade 2020 is a possibility as your next machine under their plan. Alternatively, get it from Amazon with 2 years cover at £130.

 

One probably important thing:
In Germany there is something like a legal obligation for the seller to provide a 2 year warranty. That has nothing to do with the voluntary warranty from the manufacturer. So either way, you are "safe" when purchasing in Germany.
However, normally manufacturer are more accommodating.

 

You are talking about consumer rights. The following is a good summary of it in UK of a product which failed outside the 1 year warranty:

——

There is an EU directive which all participating members must follow, which is that they must offer a repair/replacement/refund for 2 years if the goods they sold are inherently faulty or do not conform to contract.

The UK actually goes above and beyond this by offering 6 years of protection. As the laptop is over 6 months old, the onus is on you to prove that it is inherently faulty.

To do this you will need to get an independent report detailing that the laptop was inherently faulty at the time of purchase. If you get this, then PC World will legally have to either repair, replace or refund. You can express a preference but you can't choose one that is disproportionately more costly for the retailer (so basically they have the final choice). They also have to refund you the cost of the report.

—-

Now after 1 year, Razer can decide not to repair your product for free, you can challenge it via consumer rights but there is no guarantee of either success or if you are, the time and effort arguing for it.

This is why companies which provide 2 years or above warranty by default, are highly desirable as you won’t have to go through this rigmarole. You pay a lot for time and convenient with the warranty/insurance products.

Besides my suggestions cover accident damage which is a pretty good thing to have on portable devices.

 

Ok razer have just said:

Hi,

You don't need a manager to confirm this since you are talking to a representative that supports the EU. The warranty would differ from where the unit is purchased. This is why I'm asking for the details so I can verify everything. For purchases in the EU, it would have 2 years warranty. If purchased in the US or Asia, it will only have 1 year for the warranty. I hope this clarifies everything.

All the best,

Jose

The reason I'd want to buy from razer is any black Friday deal. Last year there was £360 or so of games thrown in. But I see the value in buying from a store as you get it next day and hopefully makes repairs easier.