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

Anyone order the optical model yet? If this keyboard kits the Blade Pro 4k 120Hz model, I dang well might upgrade. 1.7mm travel sounds comfy, even though it looks like you lose the secondary key lighting, again.

Also Microsoft is now offering a 4 year warranty online and in-store for cheap, with returns through January.

edit: I just noticed another change on the optical keyboard model. They replaced a USB-A port with another Type-C on the left side of the machine.

 

I have been an Alienware user for a long time.
Used the Alienware M14x, alienware 15 R1, Alienware 13 R3, Alienware Area 51M.

The Alienware Area 51M that I own is a great laptop. It looks good (subjectively), it's VERY powerful, but it feels fragile, fragile in terms of internal hardware, I already had a GPU burn on me once. Had to wait 2 months for a replacement. Yesterday, due to a driver update, the GPU was undetectable by the OS. It was quite tough to fix that, but I managed to fix it. Alongside that, it has other annoying small issues that I honest can live with, but with these issues happening in only the 1st year of the laptop I want to switch, also the fact that this laptop is VERY heavy, large and has 2 massive PSU's and a TERRIBLE battery life, I decided to switch. I had now 4 candidates to swap to:

Alienware m15 R2.
Razer Blade 15 Advanced
Gigabyte AERO 15
Dell XPS (+ External GPU)

I pretty much settled on the Razer blade 15 advanced. And Before I wanted to buy it, I noticed it had a rather low rating on amazon (which is where I will buy the laptop, because Access to that laptop in EU is a little troublesome)
But I wanted to ask here if there are common issues, both hardware and software wise that I should be aware of?
Also is the 2080 max q powerful enough to drive a 1440p 144hz monitor?
Also is there any other handy info I should know, be aware of?
Can I swap the SSD? As I do have a samsung 970 pro 1TB, that I much rather use than the default SSD.
Is it easy to repaste? Is the default paste job good enough?

Thanks in advance.

 

Ignore Amazon reviews because some people just want the world to burn. I have my Razer since May and it has been a work horse for me.
Premiere Pro + thousands of lines in excel+ gaming.

The laptop itself is amazing build quality and while it will get a bit warm and sound like an F22 raptor you need not worry.

M2 drive swapping is easy as pancakes but I recommend you buy a specific tool kit to avoid damaging the screws when removing the bottom. They are very prone to damage if you are aggressive.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

Yes it’s but I don’t see the need yet, default paste job can still keep cpu gpu temperature on 80ish average on my early batch 2018 advanced (Black vapor chamber), maybe I’ll do that next summer before the Guarantee ran out, yeah EU 2 years guarantee

 

I have mine since April and it has served me well but i i see problem areas. Most notably the battery and display cables. Issues with those components take time to develop. Also i had 2 lemons before getting a decent unit. 1 wouldnt even power on when unplugged. The battery circuit was fried.

 

What should I expect when the display cables ?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

Open up the unit and make sure that the thick display and webcam ribbon cables that run over the vapor chamber do not bend too tightly where they come out of the display assembly. If they bend too tightly, you can experience premature cable failure. Just make sure it has a good bit of leeway there.

To use a photo from above, the point of failure is this bend: https://i.vgy.me/jaoyma.jpg

Just unstick the cable from the vapor chamber and stick it back a little closer to the bend. The cable doesn't really need wiggle room the rest of the way.

And don't be surprised by plastic wrap crumpling sounds when opening and closing the machine. The display cable's shielding makes those sounds.

EDIT: I'm just now noticing that they appear to have reinforced the cable at the point of the bend. You might not even need to do it after all. I have an early unit from 2018 with the black painted vapor chamber and my cable doesn't have what looks like some harder shiny plastic bits on the cable where the bend is.

 

Some people have reported that they started to split/tear in the 2018 Blades. This ofcourse happens over time. It is unknown for us if they revised the material of these. In the 2018 version, the webcam cable start to die out randomly for quite an amount of users as well. This latter past seems to have lessened a bit in the 2019 version but might be too soon to say. In the end I wish they didnt use a flat cable for the display and webcam but just oldschool wires through the hinge itself. The flex cable is folding a bit every time you close and open the laptop screen. Cables through the hinge tend to stay stationary thanks to how the hinges are designed in laptop.

 

The 2018 model also had the reinformed plastic, but it is just a tad shorter.

 

Does anyone know where I can buy in Belgium the Razer Blade 15 Advanced Oled (RTX 2080) with Qwerty layout?
Razer through his own website, doesn't ship the Oled model to Belgium, and also for some reason only in Nordic keyboard layout. I simply want the international US qwerty keyboard.
I found the Razer Blade oled on amazon.de, however apparently that one has a german qwertz layout.

So I don't know where I can get in Belgium the Oled International US Layout model. Anyone knows?

 

Try asking notebook.de, it’s official reseller from Germany. On 2018 model they used to sell US layout to some Netherlands users, not sure now on 2019 model though.

 

I bought the UK version at Amazon.co.uk. Its the UK layout ofcourse but at least it is qwerty. Mainly the tilde button swapped placed on this layout.

 

I see, but I heared that the UK layout, doesn't have the version of the keyboard where the 2ndary symbols are not lit with the keyboard back lighting.

But nontheless, I have options to buy it from 3 different regions.
Germany, UK and US.
- Germany, being the closest to me and no issues with taxes or warranty, it's the simplest solution, but it comes with the damn German QWERTZ layout
- UK, It has qwerty layout, not perfectly what I want, but acceptible. But buying from UK is at least 300€ more expensive than germany due to Pound to Euro conversion. But at least this laptop has a usable keyboard layout.
- US, it has exactly the layout I want, but has issues with taxes and warranty, and has more expensive shipping. So I'm not sure, but this potentially can end up being more expensive than the UK one.

So yeah, not very satisfied with the options I have, and none of the website I look at, have the discounts you can get on other websites

So I'm talking with razer support in hopes that they can help me further.

 

German and nordic layouts doesnt have the secondary versions lit up either. No clue why that is.

 

I have the 2018 gtx1070 razer blade 15 and I cant update to windows 1903. I get the following message:
Some update files are missing or have problems. We'll try to download the update again later.

Error code: (0x80070003)

I tried every solution google had for this and still no go. Renamed the IOstora file also. Anyone have any tips?

 

Try an inplace Upgrade.. Download the full iso, open the iso with windows explorer and start the exe file within the iso

or : start a cmd as admin and put in this: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

if anything is found, then:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

 

Thanks, dism I tried already and the installation fails from the iso.

 

Try updating your Intel display driver and NVIDIA display driver and also realtek audio driver to the latest and try again.

 

i recently purchase a replacement for my windows key

https://www.quikfixlaptopkeys.com/?product=razer-blade-15-2018-single-replacement-keyboard-key

those are amazing quality

 

Has anyone here dissasembled the lcd panel from a Blade 15 here? I am about to try a 144hz panel on my base 2018, but I am not sure how to dissasemble the screen chassis.

Edit:

Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/Tb9B79g

This is the only picture I can find online of the screen chassi, without LCD: https://icdn4.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/how-razer-made-the-blade-15-4618-700x467-c.jpg

 

I have a similar interest in taking apart the screen, but never made it any further than you are currently. Easy to get the screen detached, and found that picture on the internet, but never went any further. If you decide to try it, take lots of pictures to share. I assume heat and gentle prying are the answer, but couldn't convince myself to go further.

Looking at the pictures your provided, I think where you are showing behind the hinge in your point of entry. If you get between the back plate and the front plate, there are likely clips holding them together which should release with some pressure. But this is just my best guess.

 

Yes, it seems to be glued. I wonder if those white bits on the picture I attached are adhesive pads. If they are, I assume heating the chassis from the back would be the way to go. To avoid damaging the orignal lcd while heating with my heatgun, which temperatures is considered safe? Will take pics along the way.

 

I don't think the digital trends image is a final version, as it doesn't have the circuitry attached. I don't think where the white strips are would be enough glue to hold it all together.

 

Yep, maybe not. While heating the back of the chassis, the only thing that seemed to loosen up was the thin bezel on the outsside of the panel: https://imgur.com/gallery/W4l7UBC

 

Based on how tight the connection between the bezel and the screen is, I would guess this is where it is glued or taped down. I would keep trying this route. Apply heat around the thin bezel and see if it starts to budge.

 

Yes, I think so too. I messaged a seller on ebay who sells replacement panels for these, and he told me to "remove bezels", and than that there would be "pull tabs" on the bottom, beneath the bezel, that I could drag out, similar to the adhesive tabs on phone-batteries. I will try.

 

I made a little guide with pictures replacing the panel: https://imgur.com/gallery/7e2rKq1

 

That's fantastic, thanks for the pictures. Glad it all worked out for you.

 

Do you think it could be possible to use the larger Advanced model battery in a base model? I dont use the 2.5 inch slot anyways and would like some additional runtime.

I see from pictures the connector cables to MB are different on these batteries, but soldering one to the other would solve this, right?

Edit:
I see the advances model battery uses flex cable for the connecter, would be somewhat difficult to solder.

 

My buddy was upgrading to the 17 pro and was willing to sell me a 2018 Model (gtx 1070 version). He was going to sell it to me for $900, was wondering if this was a good deal? Wanted to get everyone's opinion before pulling the trigger. I was going to snag an Alienware M15 R2 but the soldered memory and WiFi card are kind of deal breakers for me.

 

At some point this week, my RTX 2070 blade 15 fans started coming on earlier, like around 45-47c instead of 50c. This is causing my fans to stay on a lot more often and is incredibly annoying. I can't find if it was because of a Synapse update or anything, does anyone have knowledge on this? Any help is appreciated.

 

Have you checked reliability monitor to see what is changed?

 

Honestly I didn't even know that existed, reviewing it now. There's a lot of razer "GameManagerService" stopped workings... I'll look into this, thank you

 

Did you ever figure it out Assualt? Deciding if I should hop back on the Razer train or the new MacBook 16in. Does the blade advanced run quite while doing light tasks besides your hiccup? Thanks

 

Yeah it finally went back to normal, some software must have been acting up. My fans usually stay off till about 50c so web browsing and streaming is typically dead silent.
Some programs like steam will keep my fans on at idle and that's basically what I was fighting, all good now though

 

Did your new panel came with the adhesive strips as well?

 

No it did not. I ended up using pull tabs for iphone battery which seems to do the job just fine.

 

Thanks for your insights, I was thinking of something similar, but th epull tabs arent long enough right? DId you also use those as the top to compensate for this?

 

I got like 6 of these pulltabs for free from a local mobile repair shop, but did not use them on the between the lcd and chassis, instead using them between the LCD and the bezel, as the double sided tape here, did not adhere well enough after removing the bezel.

At the time I replaced the LCD, I had no pull tabs or suitable tape on hand and used ducttape to fasten the lcd to the chassis as a temporary solution. But it sat so well that I didnt bother fully dissasemling it again after i attained the pulltabs.

 

Ah i see, I was thinking of using 2 pulltabs on the bottom and 2 on the top. I have 0.3mm double sided tape rated up for temperatures up to 60c to put back the bezel (used it on other laptops) it is the type of foam like double sided tape as used in smartphones but not the thin 0.1mm type that often gives trouble.

I thought of using 0.3mm foam tape between the LCD and chassis but afterwards it would be pretty much impossible to remove the screen without destroying the LCD layers itself.

Got a ****ty small spot of LCD bruising on the panel and my OCD acts up. Even though I cannot see it from the front and only on white backgrounds, it still irks the **** out of me.

 

Hey guys, my battery bulged up, and I'm looking for a reputable battery vendor. Do you guys have any recommendations from experience? I have the Razer Blade 15 GTX 1070 (2018 version)

 

Just took a flyer on a used but seemingly good condition (if the pictures are to be believed) GTX 1070 model with the 4K screen. Purchased on fleBay from a seller with a 100% rating and more than 13,000 feedback. Paid $1,150 + tax but am getting $57 back in fleBay bucks plus another 2% cash from Rakuten.

The seller claims the touchpad requires a bit of force to actuate, but maybe they're just pressing on it too close to the top. They have a 30-day return policy so if it's worse than they describe, I'll have an out.

 

Get the model number of the battery off the battery, take it to ebay and use that + the word "Genuine"

You will most likely get a brand new, original battery, especially if it has a decent warranty, like 1-3 years. Which lots often do.

 

Hey guys, I'm about to buy into the eGPU thing and replace my desktop with this:

https://www.amazon.com/Razer-Blade-15-Smallest-i7-8750H/dp/B07HPQPNV1

and this GPU

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HY6QWX...olid=2Z3RI81N7XVOF&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

eGPU case yet to be determined.

My goal is to run RDR2 on an external 4k monitor with less than a 10% performance loss from the GPU. I'm reading that this model (the one this thread is about) has a TB3 controller that's not on the CPU. Any idea what I should realistically expect going into it? I have a budget of about 1300 for the laptop(refurbished / used OK), maybe there's an alternative Razer 15" model I should go after?

 

Pretty sure you're gonna get to enjoy 10-15% performance loss no matter what setup you use. Thunderbolt 3 just aint that great. Which puts your $1200 GPU on par with its $700 counter part. You should probably realistically just buy a 2080s and deal with it being about on par with a regular 2080/2070 Super. 2080 Ti is not even remotely close to worth it for the price you pay.

I am hoping this changes once PCIe 4.0 comes to laptops. I am hoping Thunderbolt 4 clears this up, because until it does, e-GPU setups are just not worth it. You could buy a Razerblade 15 with a 2080 already in it and see similar numbers for the same price after the dock and GPU are paid for.

 

All right, got the Blade I bought set up. Did a clean install from the recovery partition, and the touchscreen is not working.

Edit: After several hours of troubleshooting, I can't get the touchscreen to work. Fortunately, the seller I bought it from has a 30-day no questions asked return policy so back it goes.

 

Hey guys. Does anyone here have a problem with the built-in webcam and/or mic on your Razer Blade 15?
Mine's not working at all. The problems started when I video call using Skype, and suddenly the webcam died. After that, the built-in mic also not functioning.
I tried to look into the device manager, and the Microphone (Realtek(R) Audio) is listed in there, but I can't find anything that indicates webcam, camera, or imaging devices.
I tried reinstall windows using Windows 10 Recovery Tool, still no luck. Then, I contacted Razer support to ask for the Razer Recovery USB Key and tried to reset with that, but also no luck.

My device is Razer Blade 15 GTX 1070.
If there is somebody that can help or pinpoint me giving tips or something I should check / do, please tell me.
Thanks

Oh and sorry for the bad english, not a native english speaker

 

Sucks to hear that, but you are victim of the Blade 15 2018 design flaw of the crappy display cable.

https://www.google.com/search?q=raz...MUKHXjOCZgQrQIoBDAAegQIBBAN&biw=2560&bih=1303

You need to send it back and get the whoel screen lid replaced. Send Razer also this link that it is common and on them.

 

For egpu setting stealth with icelake cpu is way to go, yes it’s because internal TB3 controller, a lot better than any Blade 15 egpu performance.

Mine is still working just fine, I’m recording sometimes for fun like playing guitar etc. Just like other said it most probably hardware problem, send it let them fix it.

 

Just wanted to report that nvme enclosures using the JMicron JSM583 bridge chip do not work in the USB C port. Seems like maybe this chipset doesn't work at USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds on any coffee lake machines. If you want to use an external nvme enclosure go for Thunderbolt ($150+) or Asmedia/Realtek enclosure.