Razer Blade Owner's Lounge

Main flaw is that opening the machine completely voids the warranty.

 

Well then I'll be ultra careful not to damage the stickers. If that's the only issue with my plan then I'll just go with what I had planned.

 

Supposedly they can tell if you open it, regardless of sticker state.

The Blade R2 is not set up in RAID mode in the BIOS. Razer went with NVELO caching software, not Intel SRT.

 

So would just swapping which drive is seen as the primary hard drive in the bios stop it booting off the 7200RPM and caching the SSD? How do I get rid of the caching? Just by doing a fresh install? I figured that'd work, just basically refresh the system to a new state.

 

Anyone know the max OC on this thing??

Or at least and OC speed that you would recommend??

 

The caching is being done by the Dataplex software. As the recovery image on the HDD includes this software, the Blade R2 will start caching again if restored from the image. If you want to disable the cache you'd just need to do a fresh install without using the recovery image on the HDD.

Unless you NEED tons of storage space, you may want to just try the Blade R2 as it is. I've been using SSDs in my notebooks for a couple years, including the previous generation Blade. The only performance difference I've seen between an SSD notebook and the caching setup on the Blade R2 was a .net install that took a bit longer than the SSD equivalent. Steam installs, bootup, app startups, system tray icon loading - its all about the same as having a straight SSD install.

I really wouldn't be in a hurry to crack the casing.

 

Not having to listen to a hard drive is nice. Mines ultra quiet now since putting in a SSD... But for some people its defiantly not worth voiding the warranty. For me, well, I just don't care so I went for it.

 

I just tried with a pair of Astro A30s. When I plug in the headset, the audio mutes on the speakers.

Seems like it. I only see Speakers when I have the headset plugged in.

There should be a reddish speaker icon in your System Tray (not the regular Windows speaker icon). Double click it and Realtek HD Audio Manager should pop up. On the right side, click on the little folder icon. Connector Settings should pop up. Make sure that Disable front panel jack detection is NOT selected.

If that's enabled, then you get audio through both the internal speaker and the headset jack at the same time.

 

Maybe the drives vary in volume, but to hear the HDD I have to put my ear to the casing.

 

On a side note, anyone see the new blade giveaway, They have a Star Wars the old republic blade r2 done up like the keyboard. Yellow backlight and Star Wars fonts. And the razer logo on back is the swtor logo. It's on their Facebook page along w some photos. Apparently is a one off kinda thing.

 

Well for a starters I already have the SSD, and I do kind of need the extra storage. I was gonna fill the 500Gb drive with my Full HD movie collection which is somewhere around the 300-400Gb mark and I need the utmost speed for my uni programs so as much space as I can get is preferred. And I know for a fact that bottups between purely SSD and cached drives is ~10 seconds, which is a lot for me.

 

Just submitted, not sure if they'll send it to Australia, but worth a try, I'd be upset about not being valid for the free shipping, but Australia gets free shipping on everything for some reason xD This thing would be worth a mint in comparison to the reference blade though, very pretty.

 

Has anybody had any luck with installing windows 8 and getting the switchblade UI to work? There was a guide posted on here mentioning to install the C++ redist files, but Synapse keeps telling me to plug a compatible Synapse device...

 

Email Razer? They should be giving it full Windows 8 compatibility soon, seeings as they come with a discount/upgrade to it.

 

Kind of crappy for a gaming laptop. Gamers are avid tweakers. That really puts me off buying it.

 

That's the thing I find most peculiar about it. Any laptop should allow HDD/SSD and RAM to be user upgradeable without voiding warranty.

 

Did you look at the pictures?

The innards are taped in place. To make it as thin as it is, compromises were required. It's really not much of a compromise given what the Blade brings to the table.

 

Anyone know if the Blade fits in a North Face Surge Backpack?

 

probably not, the specs say its only able to fit a 15 or 16"laptop 15.25" x 10.5" x 2" is the laptop compartment size, unless they make a 17" one too?

*edit* they do make a 17" one but the specs on the compartment are 16.25" x 10.5" x 2" so probably not still. I went to frys the other day and tried a bunch of 17" backpacks and they all were really snug except for a targus eco spruce but it was like 70 bux and black with green lining so it works. however, the other 17" ones i tried didnt fit lengthwise, when i closed the zipper i had to kind of pull the lip over the corners of the lappy so that i could close it. there was one other one but it was like 130 and came with some extra pouch for a game console, and it was grey and orange. black/green fit with the razer a bit better i thought anyway.

 

They are going to release a windows 8 version very soon.

Search | GameStop

 

What do they bring to the table?

 

Which hopefully means they'll patch everything over the next few weeks, other that could be a rocky release if the switchblade doesn't work...

 

They're the only sub-7lbs gaming laptop with a 17.3" screen?

 

5.95 lbs 17,3 inch screen, better specs than the blade, and half the price. MSI GE70, worth a look.

MSI GE70 0ND-213US - XOTIC PC - MSI 17.3" Custom Gaming Laptop

 

looks really nice actually, but happy with my $1999 blade. my blade 3dmark scores were just as good by the way.

 

Yeah,I am not say the blade is a worse buy. The switchblade UI, backlit keyboard, solid aluminum construction, etc... make it a very nice pick, even for its price. But there are other options with similar dimensions and a much lower price.

 

ya that does look pretty nice except I'd still prefer the blade's .88 inch thinness (not counting the legs of course) over that laptops height of 1.54 inches

 

Well the Blade is $2k only if you spent $2.8k for the first one. And I still don't understand this obsession with thinness. I understand weight to a degree, but why does 3/4" matter? If you don't count the feet on that MSI, it's closer to 1.3" which makes it less than 1/2" difference. On the blade, I agree the aluminum construction and backlit keyboard are a nice touch, although the blade UI is pretty gimmicky as already stated by most owners. And lack of user upgrading to me is problematic. Like many others, if they made a version without the Blade UI and even 15" for < $1500 I bet they would generate a lot of sales.

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The Blade needs to be a separate USB peripheral that can be used with any Windows or Mac system, desktop or notebook. Take the aforementioned 15" or smaller machine and sell the Blade with it at a discount, say $49-99. Then offer it to the general public as a standalone item for $149-199.

 

I had not seen the GE70 before. Reading the review of the sister GE60 (supposedly the same GPU) it throttles on battery. Maybe they fixed that. Unfortunately, based on the review from Hexus of the GE70, the chassis and keyboard are flimsy, CPU is 45w, it only has a 49whr battery, it's thick (matters when finding a carry case), and it has a huge power brick. I can see it being selected for someone wanting a DTR, but that's not the main purpose of the Blade.

 

that extra half inch of space it has on the blade allows you to upgrade all the way up to an extreme processor and 16 gigs of ram if you are so inclined...

 

We already know the RAM can be upgraded. Seems like the CPU on the Blade is surface mounted, but upgrading that means more heat (fan noise) and power usage, sending you back to the DTR argument.

 

You can also do work on it without voiding the warranty...

 

A DTR? That is not a DTR. THIS is a DTR. The MSI weighs less than the Blade. It's a little thicker, but also better cooling and expansion options. Just because it offers expansion doesn't mean it's a DTR.

I quote Wiki:

" A desktop replacement computer (DTR) is a personal computer that provides the full capabilities of a desktop computer while remaining mobile. They are often larger, bulkier laptops. Because of their increased size, this class of computer usually includes more powerful components and a larger display than generally used in smaller portable computers and can have a relatively limited battery capacity (or none at all). Some use a limited range of desktop components to provide better performance at the expense of battery life."

By that very definition the Blade is more of a DTR than the MSI. It's heavier and is wider and deeper. As far as PSU, ok it may be a larger brick but you can easily buy compact ones smaller than the one that comes with the Razer.

 

In my case my priority was absolutely no keyboard or chassis flex, and it had to be slim. For the people buying the blade, they know the limitations of upgradability. If we wanted to upgrade it, we'd buy a Clevo. Everyone here would have bought the Blade for their own specific reasons where it came out as the best option. For me it ticked every single box. So you're saying why would it matter if it's 1/2 an inch thicker? Well I have a 20" graphics tablet which is roughly the same thickness as the blade, weighs a similar amount, but I need to carry both to uni, and a Larger laptop wouldn't fit so I'd only be able to take one. I think the Blade is an excellent system but only faults on price. I'd buy the Blade as my first choice in any case (in fact I did.) I only pay $50 a week so I'm not really gonna notice paying for it. The MSI might be more upgradable and perform marginally better, but it's pretty ugly and build quality is on another level for the Blade. I wouldn't buy the MSI even for the price difference. But that's just me. Also I'm not a notebook enthusiast in any way I'm a desktop person, the Blade's my first laptop so you'll probably think I'm a fool. /rant

 

I say the MSI is more of a DTR than the Blade due to its lousy chassis, smaller battery, and the people who want to upgrade the CPU. Out of the box the CPU's already using 10w more than a Blade. Top end options put that at 20w more than the Blade's CPU. Coupling that with the smaller battery and the flexible chassis and the MSI's better suited to staying put.

That may make the package lighter. The MSI's still larger in terms of chassis volume.

You buy what you want. Other than refurb 17" MBPs there isn't anything in the Blade's class.

 

TDP Wattage has nothing to do with power consumption used, well not directly. A 45W CPU can use similar power to a 35W CPU, it's just the heat dissipation energy required to cool the CPU within its thermal limits. The actual power draw difference at load may be on the order of a few W. At idle, their power consumption is very similar.

I have a Sager, and owned several, with the so-called "flexible" chassis and they have withstood the test of travel for myself and many many other users. Just because a chassis is all metal doesn't mean it's more durable. They'll likely both break if knocked off a table or met with a hard impact.

The MSI can still manage over 4 hours on battery and 2 hours gaming, quite comparable to the Blade. Heck the 660m version of the Sager comes with an 89WHr battery.

People can buy what they want, I don't care. But to claim it's "the world's first true gaming laptop" is utter rubbish, as is saying an upgradeable notebook makes it a DTR. If that's the case then my 4 lbs W110ER with upgradeable CPU, RAM, SSD/HDD is a DTR as well. The Blade is more in line as a Windows OS competitor to Macbook, which isn't really a gaming machine either. Razer is trying to be the marketing machine that Mac is.

 

yawn.... at any rate, new synapse framework update just came out

 

No doubt its for Windows 8 compatibility, has anyone checked it out to see if it fixes any bugs?

lso I'm sick of living in Australia tech wise. You guys got your R2s towards the start of the month, I, first of all had to pay $3000 for mine, don't get mine til the start of November... Not cool, want it now >_<

 

I didn't claim that.

I said several design decisions on the MSI make it a DTR. I didn't say being upgradeable was the only factor.

You got a PAX before the UK, so it's not all bad.

 

Yeah, in Sydney xD I live in Melbourne so we get sweet all.. I'm going to GDC in Sand Diego in 2014 though, so I guess that's a plus. And unfortunately Razer did market the original Blade as the "world's first true gaming laptop" which was bull, they were just trying top emphasise its portability.

 

Just curious, does anyone have overclocking results for this yet? How would the GPU do overclocked to like 1Ghz? Is there any thermal headroom to do this?

 

Huh?

PAX Australia is in Melbourne, VIC Jul 19-21, 2013.

Three day passes just hit the 50% sold point.

Probably help if you listed a specific game.

The R2 gets pretty hot without any overclocking. It's definitely warmer than the original I find and this was just playing XCOM Enemy Unknown, not exactly the most GPU intensive game made.

 

yeah I realised that after I said it... My Uni's a major sponsor and the admin dude just came in and was all "who's going, cos you should, we may be able to get you discounts" and I'm all "cool."

I'm mostly playing BF3 and Hawken these days, just bought far Cry 3, but obviously that's not out yet, got it for$27 posted brand new, which is friggen awesome!

 

Both Blades have a new Firmware for the Switchblade, and Windows 8 drivers posted. Should probably update the Firmware before upgrading to Win 8.

R1/Original:
Razer Support

R2/New:
Razer Support

 

Heh, yeah, sort of. The funny part about that updater is that it says it's for the keyboard. Very odd update that one was. It's in the Firmware folder.

I see that they finally have Windows 8 video drivers for both.

 

It updates the firmware of the keyboard, Synapse downloads the actual drivers. certain keys don't work in Win 8 otherwise.

 

Windows 8 is coming out tomorrow !!!!

Spoke with Razer today, And I they were very informative about how I should go about updating my Blade to Windows 8.

Kinda Basic, But good to share.

Update the firmware First, Not doing so can cause issues in Windows 8 *imelectronic so kindly posted earlier*

Download & install all the updated drivers (& DataPlex if running the new Blade) Stowe them away on a Flash drive. Making for a easy install When back into Windows. Handy if you are doing a clean install

Once that is done, Go to town. :thumbsup:

Yay new OS.

 

My Blade arrives next week, do you reckon it'll ship with a copy of Windows 8? I'm probably going to do a fresh install of windows 8 with it to see how it is, boot times are quicker which is handy plus I'd like to see how it performs with other programs and apps.

 

Thanks for the info Not looking forward to upgrading to windows 8 today...I've always had bad luck with upgrading OS in the past... Let me know how it goes for you