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

I sent mine in and got a refurbished system back when my webcam broke and it is working now after the updated bios but I will more then likely sell my laptop down the road because well I'm just weary right now and having a "Refursbished System" as a replacement system doesn't sit well with me.

I just want to play with the 17 inch Razer and then decide between the newer 15's or the 17 and then pull the trigger. But in general I feel your pain about not having the webcam work, it's kinda ridiculous and spewed in prior posting about how I felt about that a few pages back. I also think that it's kinda ridiculous that it took Razer 3 weeks to get me my system back, but that's for another time.

 

i would only accept a refurbished system if its exactly same condition as mine ,, mine has no scratches no dinks nothing, skin since day 1 and no backlight bleed, no coilwhine, no crappy flickering boe panel :/ but i would, incase they offer ( they wont .. its razer .. i mean .. you know ) take a mercury white one in same config when its refurbished ..

 

Yea I thought about the Mercury White but I kinda like my glowing Razer Symbol in the back, I don't know if I would want to lose that.

 

Ok so the next problem I'm having although minor is that my new refurbished system doesn't seem to be capable of switching back to 60 hertz from 144 hertz.. It doesn't matter what I do if I try to change it via Windows Display setting/options or via the Razer Control Panel on Synapse it won't switch.

I suppose always having 144 isn't a real problem but sometimes 60 for the improved battery life might be useful.

 

well, i contacted amazon , and razer, razer wants me to send it in for repair amazon straight up said , you can have it replaced or we can completly refund the device i obviusly choose last option and im gonna go with a gs65 stealth 1660ti i9 model, they have 3 m.2 slots , i9 1660 obviously, 144hz and a new casing that is mor rigid than the last gen 65 plus 2 more heatpipes to cool everyhting

 

fulll refund after 1 year of use

ups didnt want to quote myself LEL

 

Is it BOE Panel? If yes, try this update.
https://dl.razer.com/drivers/BladeC1/RazerUpdater_v1.1.1.0_C1-BOE144_add_60Hz-v2.exe

Good luck with your new gears, isn’t it i7 9th gen, 9750H, I don’t know their new 1660ti one has i9 option, it’ll melt that cassis lol. Yes I heard rtx model seems more sturdy but compared to Blade cassis it’s still a flex laptop.

 

correct i7 9750 my bad but I'm gonna go to a local store just to make sure take a look at it and at the other 2 I had in mind to be safe , but atm it's my favorite .. don't wanna go with the gtx blade model again cause of to high risk to get a flawed unit .. but in case the gs56 totally doesn't feel right when I check it in store, I might actually go back to razer

 

Are you typing from Blade? Again typo lol gs65 not 56 . Yeah there’s no perfect laptop I can point also Blade weakness. My early batch Blade 15 keep my hand from RTX laptops, well yet
GS65 good thing is that you’ve more access for tweaking compared to Blade, but they use sometimes bad setting like single Chanel ram and slower ssd when I’m not wrong just check those two, keep also in mind it’s flip motherboard so you can take your time if you want access cpu and gpu for repasting, I think ssd is also on other side.

 

nah i was typing from my phone ... my dictionary dosent like english language and tries to correct everything a soon as its different than german

and yea i know about the flipped mainboard .. but that dosent worry me .. the ram thoguh website says its now using dualchannel https://de.msi.com/Laptop/GS65-Stealth-9SX-GTX/Specification but anyways ill look at my local store and see what they can tell me about it and how it feels, my other choice was the zephyrus with 1060 or 1070 ( well .. obviously older hardware and cause its not turing prone to be hotter) or the legion y740 looks awesome .. rtx graphics .. but .. 57wh meh ..

 

Thanks Joikansai my laptop is up and running and fine now. I guess the final question I have is that I wonder if at some point we can change out the keyboard for the new one which has more illuminated keys (Secondary) rather then buying a whole new laptop. I actually want those keys more then I was a RTX series GPU or at least I have more use for it.

 

I loaded Duet software for connecting my iPad as a second monitor. Very shortly after the initial installation I started getting intermittent blue screens, caused by Duet. Like an idiot, I did not set a restore point prior to this. I uninstalled the Duet but the performance of my RB15 seems to be a bit sluggish. While I no longer get blue screens, start up seems to take a bit longer and many applications seem to take longer to open. Is there any software that can scan and identify issues with a system and identify the cause of system operation inefficiencies?

 

Duet suck on laptops with dgpu, I got refunded. I think their cs said that too (not suck though only we’re developing Blabla for laptops with dgpu). I want to use iPad Pro usb c directly with Blade 15 not other ultrabook. It’s the software that makes bsod uninstall it and you’re good imo. Damn they lied or too slow developing, it was like half year ago.

 

I ended up buying a 10 inch portable monitor that is connected by HDMI/mini HDMI and powered by USB. It works perfectly. I got a small Pelican case which I had to modify a little but the small screen is now protected. I have little to no use for the iPad on the road when I travel for business but the iPad can be useful for family trips and around the home.

 

Is there any way to set a charging limit for the RB15? I want to plug it in for long but want to cap charging at 80%.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

unfortunately not, thi sis one of my most wishes for options in gaming laptops as well.

 

Well i just skimmed over/read every single post in this thread.

Lots of amazing information here. Makes me wanna start buying laptops after they have been out for a year first.

Recently got a deal on a RB15 Base model for about 950 bucks (128ssd/1tb, 1060 max q, 60hz screen) ... open box at Microcenter (Its mint condition!). The SSD it had in it was complete god damn garbage, holy cow, like 400 read and 220 write. where the hell did it even come from lmao .... build quality, keyboard, sound, screen, god damn the screen in this thing is the nicest IPS i have ever, very very little BLB, tested it thanks to that handy website that was posted on like page 20... lol

I must say, you guys are blowing this screw into plastic thing way out. 8 of the 10 screws screw into the metal of the chasis, as near as I can tell, the ones that screw into plastic are literally just there for cosmetics, given the two adjacent on either side screw into the metal of the chasis. I've been working in laptop repair for a long time, and when people started mentioning "Plastic screw mounts" I was like "Oh **** no!" ... I opened up my blade and was dramatically relieved. I have seen laptops where all three of the hinge screws, never mind every single other chasis screw, was a plastic weld .... two mostly cosmetic screws is NOTHING. (Been waiting about 100 pages of reading to type this rant, so please bare with me )


As far as temps go, i couldn't be happier. Got me a little Throttlestop going, and in most games, even with game mode on, my CPU doesn't get over 85, and my GPU hardly ever breaks 75 ... with game mode off, the thermals are even better. Only games that absolutely rape the CPU like Assassins Creed cause my CPU to break 90 ... and that's without a repaste.

I've had it about a week, went on ahead and bought the 2 years of ADH protection for it, which i wasn't thrilled about, but all things together, i still got this thing for cheaper than new retail.

I have been periodically running tests on **** people have been complaining about for 300 pages and haven't seen a single one of these issues arise on this blade. It was originally made in Nov 2018. And I'm probably confused but for some reason, my Function keys do have their functions lit up, which i was under the impression the Base model didn't have that.

So any ways I dropped a 1TB 960 Pro and a 2TB Seagate into it, and when I go into super power saving/media/facebook mode, i can get a good 6 hours of battery life.

This thing is *perfect* ... I keep waiting for something catastrophically terrible to happen because that's my luck with Laptops. Been through three Alienware 13 R3's, an Alienware 15 R3 and an Alienware 15 R4, a bunch of dell latitudes, none of them were perfect... the RB15 aint either, but aside from a few minor quirks (WTF is up with this keyboard button arrangement god damn) ... it's still a good 9/10 for me.

So ya ... Not many people post who have actually GOOD experiences ... most you only ever hear about the bad ones ... but here's a good one.

Cheers. (Also AMA if you need... I will be monitoring this thread.)


p.s. im pretty sure my bios version is 1.01 ... too afraid to upgrade it. afraid it might break something cuz afiak i can tell, everything works, It even charges when the lid is closed!


p.s.s. - There was already a fat cooling pad attached to the bottom chassis over the SSD which i thought was funny because it shipped with such a ****ty SSD... but im glad i didn't have to go find one cuz my 960 pro runs like a dream!

 

They also improved those 2 plastic anchor points in newer models which are reinforced, so currently not too worried about that. I only worry for now about the battery during the years and the display cable that runs in the advanced models over the heatsink (The GS65, Triton 500 etc do this too but arent flat cables).WIll try to buy 1 or 2 of those display cables in the future to have a backup. Apart from that my 2019 RTX version runs great. Using it 14~16 hours a day for work and gaming.

 

i would expect the triton or gs65 to last longer though cause its only running over one set of finns wich are directly at the fan wich cools them ( or tries to cool them ) , other than the razer wich runs the cable directly ontop of the cpu

 

I saw around 3 gs65 with possibility cable display defect (vertical line), I’ve such issue on my xiaomi laptop that run too hot all around cassis and Razer Edge (on this Tablet I’m not sure from heat because I dropped it), fixed it by rewiring the display cable. I don’t see vertical line or display cables issue yet on Blade, only webcam defect that maybe from that heat, but display still not defected.

 

It doesnt automatically the cable is more reliable or not. If they are made to whitstand higher temperature it would be fine. From what I saw maybe the reliaility of the cable is questionable ont he first batch of Razer Blade 15 2018 models because they heavily fold the cable instead of router it during fabrication. But on later models this is not the case. But you are right that the temperatures are probablt a bit lower for the routing method on the MSI and Triton. But dont forget that the location tehre still gets really hot.

 

thats exactly what happened on mine btw, the camera ribbon on the first batch is folded pretty tight cause its to long and they wanted to make it shorter ... that is actually what might have broke on mine rendering the camera and light sensor and mic useless ... ( i posted a picture somewhere on the razer reddit .. ) luckily i got it refunded .. to bad the new 2060 blades are way more expensive and the 1060 isnt in stock new here -.-

 

There's a few in stock on best buy's website. Some are even clearanced.

Not sure what country you are in, but that might be a good place.

If you are near a microcenter there is a decent chance they have one too, i was browsing various microcenter store stocks the other day for razer blades to see if any of my near by friends might be able to help me score a better deal. I saw a base unit, can't remember where, maybe Georgia, 1060 60hz 128ssd/1tbhdd for like 1200 bucks. There's only like a dozen in the whole country, shouldn't take long to find it again if you narrow the search parameters to 15" gaming laptops branded razer and just change from store to store with the top of the page drop down menu.

Lastly, amazon has some in stock too, still full price tho!

 

What power supply Unit does the 2060 RTX system use? Is it the 200 like the 1060? OR something beefier?

 

im in germany, i only buy from amazon since they have the best support and amazon only has refurbished models .. also with all the problems the first gen had i dont want to get another first gen .. i had good luck with no lightbleed good temps no buzzing charger .. and then after 1 year the camera died cause they bend the camera cable like crap ... got a full refund, and ill now go with a triton 500 propably cause the 2060 blade is to expensive and i can get the triton 500 2060 i7 with a discount from 1900 down to 1600 ( cause student, razer still dosent allow @study email adresses .. but @stud and @EDU .. -.-)

 

Rtx 2060 base model the new one with 9th gen use 200 watt and the advanced early 2019 with 8th gen cpu rtx 2060 use 230 watt I believe.

 

I love the size of the 180w charger that came with my base model.

its so cute and small compared to the gigantic 180w chargers other manufacturers sell.

 

That's a major bummer guess I'm going to stick with my 1060 then.

 

Hey guys, has anyone run into the BSoD - VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (nvlddmkm.sys)? I did some reading and it seems to be a common issue with Nvidia drivers on Windows 10.

I've encountered this twice over the last two days. I'm running the latest geforce drivers (430.64).
what's odd is that both times this has happened, all I've been doing is browsing Chrome/watching videos with VLC and using Microsoft Word / OneNote. I don't think any of these would have caused the dedicated graphics to kick in. Everything should have been running on the integrated graphics.

 

Looking to get RB 15 1060/8th gen.

I guess my best bet to get one of these in Europe union is amazon.

From time perspective, is there anything particular that I should be aware of?

I also saw that amazon offers new units, when here it is said that they sell only refurbished ones. Its a bit confusing. Paying 1500 euro for refurbished system is total madness :/

 

As always your mileage may vary but I just got almost 8 hours of battery life out of my Base Razer Blade 15 2018.

Screen was minimal brightness, KBBL was at like 20%, wifi was on, but i was only doing casual browsing (Table Top D&D, looking up stuff and referencing digital character sheet) and of course power saving mode was on and Throttle stop was running, i currently have a -0.125 on cache and core, and speedshift was set to 240.

And this isn't what windows was "guessing" in fact the entire night it kept guessing around 6 hours, then 4 hours, then 3 hours, then 2 etc etc ... but the session began at 5, and ended at 1am. had it on and awake for almost all of it. I'm running 1809, and bios version 1.01

Mind blowing.

 

I've heard amazon is the best place to buy these in Europe. One guy got a refund after a year because some part of his laptop broke.

That depends on what features you're looking for. Are you going to buy the base model or the advanced model?

That largely depends on local stock ... if it is a refurbished system, i wouldn't buy it. That likely means it isn't being sold by amazon, but instead a third party, which means almost all the benefits of buying from amazon are essentially moot. Make sure it says "Shipped and sold by amazon" before check out ... if it does, then go for it, if it winds up being ****e, just return it, no problemo.

 

that guy was me it was the webcam contacted amazon, they gave me 3 options , wait 3-4 weeks until the same model is in stock again, get 15% refund and keep the device and do nothing, or get a full refund

 

Absolute Legend.

I really did read the whole thread! LOL

 

thats why i tent to only buy on amazon sadly the new device i bought was from acer store directly, cause of way better pricing and its the only device in that range where i wouldnt have to add 500 ontop -.-

 

Base with GTX 1060 and 8750hk. Looking for great battery life and decent CPU performance. im pretty much familiar with this model - from reviews point of view. Would be great to hear something from long term use perspective - something i wont read in review unfortunately

 

Well more than one of us have claimed 7-8 hours on the blade 15 ... that's with light use and various other battery saving things enabled, like throttle stop and min brightness on the screen et al (The average of 5-6 hours is pretty believable if battery conservation efforts aren't taken seriously) .... the CPU performs better than any other 8750H i've heard of. Part of that is Razer's wattage limiting, which in my experience doesn't seem to effect games too heavily, but they limit the power the CPU can draw, which would suck in CPU heavy tasks like video editing, but for games it keeps the temps low enough to prevent throttling, unlike alienware et al.

Long term perspective, well .... This thread is over a year old. Maybe some of the long time owners can chime in

 

What are you guys running for throttlestop UV? 8750H 2070MQ model specifically

 

Every CPU is different, you cannot go on others peoples results. I

 

I've definitely seen trying to go more than -0.150 isn't possible. Having read most of the thread, what I've seen is most common is between -0.125 and -0.135 on core and cache. I myself am running -0.125 on core and cache and in like 90% of games, my CPU never gets over 85c with gaming mode on. Usually it's in the 70s tho. I ****in love my Razer Blade 15.

Like people have been linking it for almost the entire thread, but the youtube video "Address that HOT i7 8750h" is a pretty good place to start.

 

I know that - but it doesn't hurt to ask to have reference points to trial at.

Thanks for your input mate, much more helpful than the blunt response I got prior to yours.

 

If you already call that blunt.....I also could you point at all the google undervolting results. In the end no data is helpful because you could have a godlike chip that can run at -100mv or a dud that only undervolt around -50mv. So if you already knew that why not just put the effort and test your system? Why let others do your work?

 

My results:
Blade 15 advanced RTX2070MQ -150mV (Intel XTU, core/cach, didn't try to reduce core separatelly yet)
Blade 15 advanced GTX1060MQ -170mV (cache) and -180mV (core, it can go lower but I didn't stress-test it for anything lower than that yet) with ThrottleStop.

Both laptops run absolutally stable with those offsets.

From what I saw, for 8750H people do get ca. -150mV average.


I have another question as well: what results you guys have in Cinebench R20 with all that undervolting? For R15 the maximum I found was 1300 and average 1200 with UV, but what are average scores in R20 (max value I found is ~2900)?

 

Undervolting value may be vary each unit even same cpu, on synthetic benchmarks I can do -160mV Offset but not in gaming I use mostly -130mV range with 8750H.
Benchmarks result (score) is also vary depends on Razer bios setting especially power limitation. Current 45 watt would brings lower score on r15 maybe max around 1150 and r20 around 2400, couple months ago with some tdp spike to 60 watt I could get r20 around 2800~ and r15 1200~ with only undervolting (no bios tweak, on stock), with tweak I can fool that limitation but higher cpu temperature as trade off.

 

I seem to be able to get stable UV around -150mV for cpu and cpu cache, thanks for everyone's inputs. I haven't tried going any more than that. Also limited to 3.6 turbo. I did see that the temps reached 100deg celcius a few times when I was playing Metro Exodus and when I benchmarked with Unigine superposition. Is that something I should be worried about?

 

100c is really high for the undervolt and clockspeed limit you have in place. what are your ambient temps? Because in a 24c room the max i saw is 85 on the hottest core after a couple of hours of BFV (the third core is always the hottest for some reason with these CPU's).

 

I have had a similar result as Rinneh. Hours of Odyssey in ...well I didn't measure the ambiet, but i'm guessing it was low 20s C ... CPU never got over 80-85.

I'm thinkin you mighta gotten one of the unfortunate paste jobs from the factory. That or your heat sink is physically defective.

 

Generally the temps don't go passed 85 degrees celcius with gaming but not sure why on this occasion it got up to 100. When I benchmark with 3d Mark timespy it maxes out at low 80s.

Ambient temps are around 21 deg celcius

Edit: might have been the fact I was playing metro exodus on my bed. I'll try it on a flat surface and see how the temps go.

 

Most users rise the bottom area for better intake while gaming, cover that area will surely make it hot.

 

That is the worst thing you can do with any gaming laptop, pretty much choking your fans.