Razer Blade Pro 17" (1080 GPU/late 2016) Owner's Lounge

Interesting reading:

Razer CEO covering up cheap/poor design of Razer notebooks
https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/5tr8wt/razer_ceo_covering_up_cheappoor_design_of_razer/

Source:
How Good/Bad is the Razer Blade reliability truly?
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...reliability-truly.805820/page-3#post-10548866

 

had to get my Razer Blade Pro repaired, took 8 days from shipping out to getting it back. Runs cooler so I'm quite happy.

 

Hey guys quick questions for you. I recently started playing the game Grim Dawn and it runs very well on my RBP, 4K with maxed settings. Yesterday I was playing and my computer shutdown all of a sudden. I rebooted and it seemed fine o I played again with no issues. I got back on later that night and it happened three times in a row, about 15-30 minutes apart. I wasn't running any undervolt at the time and I usually do, but all I really notice from that is slightly cooler temps. I can play The Division for hours with no shutdowns and much warmer temps. I read that a bunch of people have had the same issue while playing a game called HoTs, not sure what that game is. Anyone had this issue and have a fix? I am going to try again with an undervolt of 0.150V. Thanks for any info you guys have.

 

A voltage offset of -150mV is kinda high, so it might be outside the range of that laptop.

Maybe run/game stock for a while and see if you shutdown at stock settings, just in case there is a laptop problem.

Then try -100mV and work your way back towards -150mV.

 

So I tried it at -100mV and after about 40 minutes same thing happened. The weird thing is as it is rebooting if I unplug it, it shuts off again. It's not until it get to windows that I can remove the power adapter. I also can't reboot it unless it is plugged in. Maybe something is going on with the battery? I would RMA it to razer but I live in Okinawa, Japan and everything takes forever to ship from or to here. Any help would be great. I have never had this issue playing The Division or PUBG for extended use.

 

i would rma it buddy. mine's been rock solid ever since they swapped out my motherboard.

 

Hey guys, I'm looking at buying this computer but want to confirm one thing before I buy it. I would very much appreciate your help!

Can I remap the 4 media keys above the track pad (track skip back, track skip forward, play/pause, mute) to Home, End, PgUp, PgDn? If one of you could test this and let me know if it can be done I would be very grateful!

 

The answer is yes, via Razer's Synapse software. That's been among the first things I've done after getting the system.

 

The GPU is pulling to much power you need to undervolt the GPU with ctrl + f in msi afterburner. You need to set it at 875 and then level it out at 1800. As shown here: this will keep the computer from overloading the powersupply.

 

Awesome. Thank you!

 

dsfdsfdfsdf

 

Hey, I was just curious to see if the undervolt on the GPU solved the shutting down issue?? I've been having similar issues while playing HOTS and other games. Just wondering if this method could possibly solve those issues as well.

 

Hackintoshihope, thanks for the info. I actually made sure to put a 150mV undervolt on my CPU everytime I play and I haven't had the issue happen once yet. I will look into undervolting the GPU as well. Thanks!

 

When this kind of random problem starts up, it's a good idea to list the things you've installed or updated recently to see if one of those might be the cause.

And, put all the settings for system tuning back at defaults - disable overclocking and undervolting, and run like that for a while and see if the problem persists, or goes away.

The boot only on AC problem is odd too... I'd email / file a ticket with Razer, focus on the boot on AC only issue and have them help you debug that first.

Good luck

 

hmscott, thanks for the advice! This problem has only ever happened during the game Grim Dawn specifically. Sometimes XTU crashes and when turn it back on I forget to apply the undervolt so I think everytime my RBP crashed, XTU wasn't running an undervolt. I will definitely send a ticket to Razer, but I am currently still in Japan but will be returning in about a month so I am going to wait until then in case I have to send it in. I can't be without it that long, that means I would have to go upstairs and use my desktop. I bought the RBP for the convenience of being able to sit in my comfy recliner lol.

 

You can try throttlestop if you think XTU is causing issues, although I doubt XTU is the problem. Also have you removed RAID from your system?

 

I've seen some weird behavior with XTU lately. Granted, the 2017 RBP ties XTU with synapse and we know how well that probably works.

The only crashes I've had have been 100% related to XTU. Upon restart, XTU will give a message about encountering an issue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yeah but he has the i7 6700HQ...but either way I think throttlestop is better.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

Roger that. Biggest issue I've seen with XTU is related to too much undervolting and a lack of consistency. If it weren't so tightly tied to synapse, I'd probably uninstall it altogether.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The CPU and GPU both need to be undervolted to some extent to lessen the power draw on the system. But yes this fixed my issues while playing games like heroes of the storm.

 

what issues?

 

XTU isn't saying *it* caused the crash, it's only notifying you after *every* crash that it noticed a crash and it's telling you it's not applying any profile for CPU tuning.

XTU does that so you are aware you need to go back into XTU and select your favorite profile again, Apply it, and then XTU will start loading that profile at every reboot/boot, until the next crash - whether it's due to the CPU settings or not.

XTU can't tell if you OC'd too far, it just looks in the System Event logs to see that there was an unplanned "event" and you stopped running.

So to err on the side of safety XTU stops applying the OC profile, just in case it was a new CPU OC setting.

This allows you to correct the CPU settings if that was the cause - otherwise it would just keep crashing if it was the XTU profile CPU settings.

If you know your CPU settings are stable, and you get that notice from XTU about crashing, then look to something else you've changed recently that may be the cause.

 

Random shutdowns while stressing the system.

 

Good to know. I've had several BSODs lately and I suspect CPU undervolting. For the time being, I'm returning the CPU to factory voltage to rule out this one variable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

That's a good idea to return to stock for a short while to see if it's stable or if it's not you can look elsewhere for the problem.

The last crashes from undervolting are usually from idle crashes. The undervolt can pass stress testing and heavy gaming, but if the voltage drops too low when idle it will crash too.

Just drop the undervolt by +5mV and it should be stable, if not try another +5mV, etc.

Good luck

 

I've definitely witnessed idle crashes and transitional crashes right after a stress test and/or gaming. I suspect that my particular CPU lottery wasn't the greatest since I was only using -50mV


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yeah, I know how that feels, I had one that would only do -15mV out of the box, and it took me 2+ years to get it to -25mV...

So, hang in there, it gets "better"

 

So I used MSI Afterburn and adjusted the voltage/frequency curve to 1800 as you had suggested. So far the method works and HOTS does not shut down while I am playing anymore.

The only caveat since adjusting the voltage/frequency curve is that periodically my LCD will go really dim and my keyboard lights will go off and then it will come back on and my screen brightness will go back to bright again. Im assuming this is happening because there is power spikes going on and the Razer Blade Pro is temporarily cutting the power to the LCD brightness and keyboard lights to prevent itself from shutting down?

Just wondering if any has a better explanation regarding this and a fix.
If I leave the power curve as stock then HOTS shuts down while gaming, however now if I adjust the voltage/frequency to 1800 I now get periodic screen brightness dimming and keyboard lights turning on and off lol.

Just can't seem to win...

 

The razer blade pro is still drawing to much power but now it is merely cutting power in those areas to stay on, whereas before it would just shut down because it just couldn’t stay on. However if you also introduce a CPU undervolt it should work try -125mv.

 

So i managed to get a CPU undervolt of -155mv with a GPU curve of 1800 and I think this did the trick. I played a few rounds of HOTS and no screen dimming or laptop shutting down!

I'll have to run some more test tonight but so far it's looking pretty promising.

Im still curious as to why this is happening in the first place...and I need to do an undervolt and adjust the GPU curve to prevent the laptop from shutting down...is this a design flaw with The RBP? Did they not supply a big enough PSU with the laptop?

 

Razer wanted a psu who matched the laptop design but they forgot that laptops with 1080 need a 330w power brick. They hoped gimped firmware with implemented lower power cap was a better idea than delivering a bigger 330w psu. As well they can also design lower cooling capacity if they crippled the power. Less powerful hardware means less need for good enough cooling and they can offer slimmer and weaker power adapter. Designed as intended!! @hmscott @Phoenix

 

That’s correct it is a design flaw the PSU needs to be at least a 330W. However I am glad you got everything working .

 

Design flaw? It was done with full overlays. Aka designed and engineered as intended!! Razer's engineers had all facts aka documentation beforehand for all hardware they wanted to use in the model. Can't call it a design flaw. If it was a design flaw, more than one engineer should be fired. One engineer can make wrong decisions, but not 3, 4 or even 5. Several engineers normally work in team on similar projects like this.

 

The design is flawed as the notebook draws more power then intended. I really could care less about engineers getting fired.

 

Does this mean that the highest frequency from 875mv to 1200mv is 1800mhz? (underclocked 74mhz according to you pic)
I thought this is underclock instead of undervolt, does it undervolt the gpu too?

 

See... MiniQ was featured on the Razer all along.


@hmscott, @Papusan, @Mr. Fox, @DeeX, @zergslayer69, @Wormwood, @D2 Ultima, @Galm, @Welrence, @Eason, @Pete Light, @Wormwood, @dspboys, @Prema, @SimplyJ3sse, @ALLLLLL

::iunlock::

 

*Busted!!*

 

It is an underclock and undervolt to keep the GPU in check while allowing the computer to supply enough power to stay on and not shut down.

 

I took Hackintosh's advice and now I am running a .150mv undervolt on my CPU and mimicked his curbe for the GPU in MSI afterburner. After gaming for about 3 hours straight the max GPU temp was 69 C and average was 66 C and CPU was max 72 average 68 C. GPU pulled only 128 Watts at max, I can't remember what it used to but isn't closer to 180 Watts usually? Thanks for the advice! Oh and I notice zero difference in performance or FPS. Who gives a crap if it lowers my firestrike score?!?! Gaming at native 4k smoothly is all I care about. Thanks again, I recommend this setup for any other RBP owners.

 

I also have my RBP setup almost the same as this but I have a .155mv undervolt on the CPU. What I love about this configuration is not only do you get lower temps on your CPU and GPU but I notice that when I game the fans aren't as loud as before since the laptop runs cooler there's no need for the fans to ramp up as high.

Pretty much this gives you the new "Nvidia Whisper Mode" that they are going to be coming out with soon, we are ahead of the curve lol.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/nvidia-whisper-mode.806216/page-8#post-10566034

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/nvidia-whisper-mode.806216/page-7#post-10560585

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/nvidia-whisper-mode.806216/page-8#post-10563650

 

Razer Blade Pro 2017 (i7-7820HK - GTX 1080) Laptop Review - Notebookcheck.net

What's the point with offering CPU overclocking if the Cpu can't hold base clock frequency (2.9GHz) with stock clocks?


Verdict

Razer Blade Pro 2017, test device courtesy of Razer Germany.

Thanks to the 32 GB of DDR4 RAM, the SSD RAID, and the GeForce GTX 1080, it certainly is not lacking in performance power – though we do feel compelled to criticize Razer for the soldered RAM. The display in the UHD edition we tested is not beyond reproach either. On the one hand, the IGZO panel scores points for its extensive color space coverage, low black value and strong contrast. On the other, its low brightness and reflective surface are quite irritating – not to mention the massive problems our test model had with lighting inconsistencies.

There is also plenty of room for improvement when it comes to the sound of the integrated speakers, as well as the laptop's energy consumption rates (which negatively impact its battery life). But the Blade Pro loses the most points for its high temperatures and loud noise levels. Ultimately, games can only truly be enjoyed with headphones over the ears. It appears the cooling system is only fit to serve a GeForce GTX 1070 or GTX 1080 Max-Q. Given all these deficiencies on top of its luxury price, the 4K version will be hard-pressed to successfully compete with the rest of the (mostly fatter) laptops on the 17-inch market.

 

Marketing?

 

Razer even surpass other OEM *s by offering even higher overclock for 7820hk. Not many of its competitors can or will offer 4.3GHz as Razer. It's a big difference between throtlling down to *2.794GHz* and instantly overclock to 4.3GHz. Marketing or stupidity... I don't know, bruh. Everything of info can be confirmed here on Razer's web page.

 

LOL totally!

So true, wtf are they doing...

 

This is the very question everyone is asking.

The very same issue is present in the new macbooks, the high end CPU's are throttling so hard there's little to no difference between the CPU's anyways... brilliant.

 

ok so it dies sooner LMAO razer products burn up. Went through 7 laptop replacements (for my 765m edition) in 2 years. If they cant cool a 765m how can you expect them to cool an oc cpu and a gtx 1080?

 

Proprietary throttling algorithms, use weaker flimsy psu than normal and put power cap for max power draw in firmware or hardware level

 

there is a real reason why actual Razer Blade Pro owners don't bother to read up and post in the notebookreview forums anymore.

 

Might as well bury your head in the sand. Razer's average customer was never too tech savvy in the first place.