Razer Blade Owner's Lounge

I guess, Amazon is overnighting me a replacement so I will see how this one goes. If it has the same problem then I will send to Razer. I just do not like that I cannot upgrade the HDD or MSATA without worrying that they could void out my warranty, has to be the dumbest thing I have heard. Never had anything like this with Alienware's in the past.

 

my HDD was swapped out and an SSD was put it. They said if they determine that the opening of the blade was the reason why I was sending it to them then it would void the warranty. I expected a huge bill but nope everything was free of charge down to the fast shipping. I feel that as long as you know what you are doing when you are swapping things then you will be alright. I truly thought they were going to hit me with a large bill just because my blade was opened but no, they seem honest.

 

Goodluck! Hopefully you'll have better luck than that other dude!

You can upgrade it...I think they use it more as a cautionary thing to prevent people that don't know what they're doing, or people that know what they're doing or make a mistake while installing from "abusing" the warranty. It's one of those scare tactics to try to police the # of attempts people make to open them up.

Think of it this way, you have your product that people want to use aftermarket parts to upgrade. You can either say have at it, have people upgrade, then they send it their product claiming it was like that, and want you to fix their mistake, and then you fight with the customer, causing a negative experience and making them brand you as uncooperative, or mean, hard to work with, etc. and it'll be a lot of people becuase you're basically saying you'll allow anyone to open it up and mess with it so you're PO'ing a lot more people than you would if you can start right off the bat saying here's the product, you void your warranty if you mess with it. That'll prevent people with less know how from wanting to try to do mods, so you have those with less know high trying to do something, and just less people in general since even those that know what they're doing won't be that tempted to crack it open!

I'd rather have the latter, less stress on the consumer, they know exactly what they're getting into, and you're less likely to leave a bad taste in the customers mouth when it comes to them speaking to support.

What we've seen lately though is that as long as they can't trace the problem back to something that had been modified, then they will honor the warranty. Obviously that's not something you want to go out and advertise though, becuase then you're back basically back in the same first situation I mentioned...

No idea if that's what Razer is going for, but that's how I see it anyway. They're just playing it safe. Yeah Alienware had the same policy for awhile and just recently changed it. I've heard terrible things about their customer service before and after the change too, I mean like, nightmarish things lol a friend of mine went through it with them on his X51...So if you've got nothing to lose I guess you might aswell just let people do whatever they want to their machines because they're going to get p i ss poor servic anyway!

Razer is a good group of people. They're still small and can provide that amazing customer service that the giants can't.

 

update!

I think I figured out what could be the problem. Since the larger HDD i put in is also an SSD and I cloned the 500GB drive to my 256GB MSATA I believe the caching software turned my 960GB SSD into a cache drive. Once I uninstalled the software the computer saw the drive. I am copying about 400GB of data right now as a test and will then later on tonight reboot and test more. Hopefully this resolves the issue.

 

Anybody else got the problem of the Razer booting into BIOS when switching on occasionally. I can't find a pattern but it seems to happen from time to time and I have to keep switching it off and restart a few times until it finally goes into windows.

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Haven't experienced that myself, and I don't remember anyone voicing their concern about it ITT...

Ahhhhhh hah! That would explain a lot!

Tests went well, yes? Confirming it was the dataplex softwares in ur computerz makin' ur ssd'z cache drivez??

 

That seems to be the culprit.

 

2 things, Where do I have to put my music for the razer media app to find it and how do I switch to page 2 for the screen keys?

 

I believe you just use the standard windows folder setup, my documenrs/my music or w/e its called.

3 finger swipe moves between pages

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Good news everyone!



I fixed my SBUI Key

It felt it was just caught or jammed on something, so I used a little nail filing thing off some nail clippers to pry it up a bit, let it go, and it's been working fine ever since. Probably not the way Razer would have gone around fixing it, but at least I don't have to RMA now

 

Thank you broseph

 

yw!

@Wask - Dude did you take advantage of the Razer store? There was a 90% off coupon code that was still working on their UK site...I don't think it worked with the Blade, but can you imagine if it did?? WOW. Min posted up that a lot of people were cancelling their orders and reordering the products at full price, that's pretty awesome....Hopefully it doesn't hurt Razer too much.

The whole thing just reminds me again why I love Razer so much and will continue to be a "fan boi" and only use their products...It might be an expensive passion, but it's the only way to return the favor to them...

Now if they could just start making an android phone that looked like the blade/edge....lol

 

Not sure if it was always like this but I noticed the youtube app will still play audio even if you're in a different app. Makes it so much >>>>>>>> than stupid media app now lol

 

Fook I missed that one i,m back working away, been waiting 3 days to get cable installed so no internet...

 

The people that pulled that scam are pretty low in my book. Razer is one of the few companies I respect and the fact that they didn't tell each and every one of those UK customers to go to hell baffles my mind.

 

my understanding is that they were testing their store checkout/cart functionality with it and someone forgot to disable it and it leaked. Razor is honoring purchases of single items and those who tried to order in bulk are being offered the option to purchase one unit at the 90% off.. UK store didn't have the blade so they didn't lose out on that, but still. Perks to them for not cancelling all their orders. Publicity/Loyalty they're getting is probably worth more than whatever they're losing...

 

This.

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Damn, I think my Blade's LCD might be damaged... I suppose moving horizontal lines and artifacts showing up on darker colors is not a good sign? The image I get on my screen looks grainy on dark colors, there is 'noise'. When I zoom in and out a particular image file, pixels 'shift' by themselves, something that hasn't happened before.

I cleaned my LCD earlier with alcohol and a microfiber cloth, can this cause this? I'm not even totally sure it really is damaged, and if yes, when, because it's not noticeable at all when playing games or watching movies, only when I changed to a darker colored wallpaper I noticed it.

 

Unless you put a lot of alcohol on it and it got through the sides of it I don't think that's your problem. Just make sure when you do clean it apply the alcohol with a cotton boll or apply it directly to the cloth and wipe.

Try reinstalling synapse though I had a key artifact on me once and reinstalling synapse fixed it


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I just received my Blade R2 back from Razer under RMA. I had the same problem and they had to replace the whole LCD and LCD assembly. The grain / artifacts would even show up on the BIOS screen, so it has nothing to do with software. I could position the screen under certain angles and the artifacts would disappear.

I'm a little concerned this is happening to other people... I hope it's not a flaw that shows up after a certain amount of usage. I've never taken my Blade outside of the house, I only use it on the couch to play some games so it's definitely not caused by rough usage. Mine still looks brand new.

Unfortunately the new screen has a blue stuck pixel... I don't feel like going though the RMA process again though, so I'll learn to live with it I guess.

 

This looks like a hardware problem, I already reinstalled Synapse, NVIDIA drivers, still no.. It does show up in BIOS in mine after I entered BIOS setup. Damn.. I don't have much choice in terms of RMA because I'm in the Philippines with no Razer Service Center here.

The 'good' thing is the laptop is very much functional, even playable for games, but this really sucks. Seeing blueyond's post above also confirmed it for me.

I'm already thinking of contingencies: Can anyone confirm if the AU Optronics B173HW01 V4 glossy will fit? Researching the net, AnandTech and Tom's Hardware mentions that the Blade is outfitted with a V5 matte screen. I'm looking to put this in a positive light instead: will be upgrading to a glossy screen instead.

Once I get the screen (costs 160 USD ouch), will be bringing it over to professional laptop repair services here in the country.

 

Thats 65 dollars here. Where did you look that said it costs 160?

 

That stinks did it come back like that or did it develop after the fact?


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Probably is 160 after it gets to the phillipines

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AUO AU OPTRONICS B173HW01 V4 17.3" FHD LED DISPLAY for $160.00

That's the site where I found it. I figure I'm gonna make this a forced upgrade for my part, heard great things about this V4 glossy screen. I only hope that someone will be able to install this here. I'm not brave enough to do it by myself

 

Good luck! So you're seeing artifacting on the 17" screen not the sbui?

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Yes, it's actually not noticeable on medium colors, which is why I suspect it may have been this way for awhile already. It's barely noticeable too during movie watching, games playing, or any activity that has a lot of motion. But if dark colors abound, especially on a static image (i.e. zooming in and out on Photoshop), artifacts occur all throughout. For darker images, what I uploaded is what you can see, also some pixels 'shift', almost as if they're 'late' to appear. Images are also very grainy.

On light colors (like when you change from Google home page white to Google Chrome new tab gray), you will see moving horizontal lines for 3-5 seconds after shifting, then it will stop. Images are also grainy and pixelated, like they lost their HD quality.

Last one: anyone here with experience changing LCD screens or have advanced hardware skills think that changing this DIY will be tough? Examining the Blade it doesn't seem like the screen is bolstered to the frame right? What I mean is, any professional laptop repair person should be able to replace it right? (Not me of course I won't risk damaging it any further)

 

Oh wow I thought it was just your sbui! Lol...

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Hell I can live with a crappy SBUI screen.. This is the actual LCD screen we're talking about, that lovely 17.3 inches of matte perfection. Which is why I can't believe this happened because the damage is generalized, I was thinking it might be too much pressure when I cleaned it, but the whole LCD is too much..

 

It was most noticeable for me on a black screen (like when you turn the laptop on.) It was like red snow / static, leading me to believe it was a cable connection somewhere. Apparently they disagreed at Razer and replaced everything (basically the whole lid). I assume that it was quicker to replace the whole thing than checking all the connections / cables.

As far as a DIY job... The fact that Razer had to replace the whole assembly leads me to believe it would be pretty difficult. I bet the screen casing is glued together or something. When Dell replaced the screen a few years ago in my XPS the guy came by my house and just popped the TFT panel out of the housing (lid) and jammed a new one in there. I think you'll have a hard time putting it back together *if* you get it open at all.

Additionally, I don't know how the panel you reference compares to one the Blade already has, but when the CCFL inverter in one of my old laptops died, there was no way I could fit a different one. It was specifically made for that laptop. Judging by the custom-ish way the Blade is put together, I wouldn't be surprised they used custom connectors etc (like in a MacBook Pro).

 

Damn that would really really suck.. I don't mind if it has to be glued together back again, or if it has to be reconstructed as long as it works, but I'm screwed if it turns out it's custom made.. I wonder if Razer will answer that if I ask them or will they go the 'we don't support you taking that apart yourself so we won't help you' route.

EDIT: well I sent their support page an email, I hope I get a reply soon. It sucks being in such a faraway place than you guys

 

Hello everyone,
This is my first post on this forum, and I actually made an account specifically so that I could reply to this thread. I own the second gen Razer Blade, and it's doing horribly. I've had to send it in to be repaired three times, and i'm probably going to have to send it back again soon. The first two times, the wifi card died(for some inexplicable reason) the third time, the entire OS was constantly crashing, and this time, there seems to be some kind of cooling problem as the screen starts flashing and the speakers buzz.

I just though I would post here to make sure that no one is as dumb as me, to buy this laptop and expect it to be as good as all of the reviews said it was.
EDIT: does anyone know Razer's return policy? I can't seem to find it on their website.
RabidBurn

 

14 Days from purchase date is the period of time you can return it.

If you've RMA'd it 3 times I'd be surprised if you weren' already outside that period

Sorry to hear you've been havin so many issues...D**k move to signup just to post that no one buy it becaus ONE peson out of hundreds (probably thousnads) had major issus, but to each their own I guess. It IS as good as the reviews say it is. Sounds like Murphy's Law is really sticking it to you -- So to any of you potential buyers DO NOT expect his experience as par for the course, just an angry owner (and for good reasons) but this is very VERY rare. Equivalent to being struck by lightning. TWICE. lol -- I almost don't believe it because it just doesn't sound real!

Good luck with your Blade, Hopefully they Razer team can get it fixed and in working order someday so you can enjoy it as much as we do!

 

I am disappointed that the Razer team won't help me with mine, i just got their very very terse reply that they are not able to help me with my problem anymore. All I was asking is if the hidevolution product I linked to is the same as the one on Blade, nothing else. They won't even give me as yes or no

I expected more from a supposed gamer-friendly small company. And I wanted to believe in them too.

They did not even bother to make suggestions as to how to go about my problem, just a brief 'oh we don't sell that part, we're sorry. Also, you're screwed we won't even help you that way.'

Unfortunately i am stuck with this laptop so I'm gonna have to suck it up and still go for the LCD replacement.

 

Here is the email I sent if anyone's interested:


EDIT: I've decided to remove this transcript out of respect for Razer.

 

Not surprised. I haven't experienced a lot of companies that just give out the information about their product.

What suggestion could they have made? Seems like you've really only got one solution to the problem!

As to not answering about the monitor, idk, that website doesn't really specify what connections it uses, how are they to know if it'd work or not?

Sounds like a standard email I'd send to a customer at att if I couldn't help them anymore and needed to keep moving on to the next customer in line I may be able to help :/ - There's not a nice way to say no unfortunately

 

Well I am still a buyer, I guess I expected too much from them. It's just too bad I won't get any help from them with this, especially when they prided themselves as a gamer's company, champion of the masses yada yada
Guess I was too optimistic LOL.

Nevertheless I'm determined to see this through because I really do like the laptop. I hope you guys can help me instead once I get the LCD.

Edit: as for the monitor, for starters they could give me the exact model or revision number that the screen on the Blade is, so I can ask the vendor of that screen if that will be compatible with the version I'm looking for. It's a piece of information I won't expect from a bigger company like Asus or Dell for instance, but I was hoping Razer could accomodate me with.

 

Well I mean they still are for the gamers lol but you have to draw a line somewhere!

Yeah idk why companies don't provide info of their vendors, but I don't think the logic behind it is just limited to how big your company is idk - I think its weird too but I wouldn't didn't think they'd provide that

Anyway, I'm sure your specialist will get it replaced one way or another! Its not rocket science right?



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Yeah I hope so too. I've contacted a specialist already, just waiting for my LCD to arrive. Sigh. Hopefully this will work.

 

I managed to get help from higher places in the Razer company hierarchy, and they told me they will at least try to help (a very very different response from the Razer employee who gave me the terse reply). Hopefully they can help out, but the fact that they told me they would try is already a gesture I appreciate. Faith in Razer restored, for now LOL

 

Great!

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All this talk of LCD problems has reminded me about calibration. Has anyone who has calibrated their display using spyder or something got round to uploading a copy of the config file (.ICM file I think) for us to try/compare with?

 

That guy who did the review said he'd upload it for us but never did maybe we should PM him?

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New Intel GFX and Wireless drivers available...

 

I've had that problem. It seems tied to the OS for some reason. When I was messsing around with drivers, etc., something would get screwed up and it would reboot into bios.

Then I would restore or reinstall the drivers and it would work again. The last time I remember it specifically happening was when I installed the new intel wifi drivers. After a few reboots though, it booted straight into windows and I've been okay since then (knock on wood)...

Haven't been able to pin it down to anything specific, mainly 'cuz I'm happy with it working right now.

 

Oh good grief! Here I go again... (see previous post)

 

My Blade has had like zero problems switched on from new and has worked a treat, biggest issue i had was figuring out how to shut down win 8...

 

Oh lawd I remember that. I was like fffffff this is dumb

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Hello razers

i might buy a razerblade in may - june, as soon as i have the money. I really like the build quality and love they put into their products.
do you have any secret ninja information about the upcoming R3, a rumored or logical date? Haswell CPU? 760M GPU? Since it is already May 2013, i was thinking it would be wiser to hold a little for R3 if the release is soon, lets say before september. Any info and advice is welcome

 

The general consensus/guess is that it will be Q4 or Q1 2014... and that they will wait for the nvidia maxwell architecture...