Razor Blade Stealth - 12.5", i7-6500U, $999

I have been reading, that's why I was surprised you published a review on a non-functional product.

I am not trolling you, I am trying to get you - a person in a position to do something about the problem - to do that.

Your responses kept/keep pushing the problem away like it's not your problem, and I am trying to point out it is, since you took on the public position as you did.

Why would you tell me to go and talk to the Video reviewers and tell them about the problem? That's your realm.

You are much better situated to do that, and should have already done it - you did think of it - why wouldn't you have done it already?

Enough, I got your attention, and I hope I have helped you realize the importance of it all, putting it in perspective.

Please keep us up to date on what happens

 

I asked Razer and here is their response in regards to the issue.

 

I'll keep everyone up to date, don't worry about it. FYI, Razer contacted me because I have an open ticket with them about the issue. I have for 3 days now. They have been contacting me every day because apparently they have really good customer service and don't want to leave me in the dark. As far as I know, I'm just a customer to them and they have no idea I was even reviewing it.

Also, just so we understand each other, I'm a customer like you. I write reviews from time to time and have been doing so for over a year now but this isn't my full time job. It started here but now the owner of Ultrabookreview lets me put reviews on his site. I do it mostly for fun, believe it or not. So please keep in mind, I'm doing a lot of this for very little return and it's not necessarily my responsibility to do any of it. I just lurk here because I believe in the community and I want to help.

 

That sounds confidently comforting

Thank you for letting us know.

 

Awesome, thanks for the background, and thanks for putting in the time doing the review(s) and tracking the problem.

 

I am confident they can fix the issue with an update. If not, I am confident they will take care of us in some form or fashion. Really is a great ultrabook other than the graphics issue while plugged in.

 

I agree. I remember a couple years back when they botched the RB 2014 launch they gave everyone a free Orochi. Not many companies do that kind of stuff.

 

Is there any particular reason why the eGPU solutions that were made for macs with thunderbolt 2 wouldn't work with any current TB3 connection? Assuming you could get a C to TB2 connector

 

Good news. Razer just contacted me and said a firmware update is on the way soon to fix the issue - they just need to test it again. They also mentioned all future production runs will contain the update.

I'll keep everyone informed once I try it out.

 

I'm thinking of grabbing one of these laptops and I was wondering if the m.2 slot can use the m.2 SATA drives? I read it is NVMe which uses PCIe and my Eurocom has a slot that can do both so I was just hoping the Razer could as well.
I have a Crucial CT500MX200SSD4 that I would like to put in, if possible.
Thanks!

 

nope, not SATA compatible

 

Bummer
Have you tested it?
What drives would work? I have a hard time finding NVMe drives that are m.2 here in Canada.

 

Yeah but maybe I gave up on it too soon. The bios has sata controller support so I was hoping for it to be compatible but it never recognized the drive I put in there. I'll try and spend some more time with it when I get back from my trip.

 

i have owned an Alienware 13 and 17 with the graphics amplifier. I can't upload pictures right now because I'm typing this on my phone but, valley benchmark on the Alienware 13 with a 6500u and a gtx 970 ftw in the amplifier scored 62.6fps, the exact same settings and amplifier connected to the Alienware 17 with the 6700hq scored 86.3 fps.

 

Don't know what the valley benchmark is; do you have comparison scores for 3dmark11 or 3dmark firestrike? Thanks.

 

I've updated my system and the throttling issues are gone. No more throttling. I'm rerunning all my benchmarks now so I'll have updated numbers for everyone.

As for the firmware, for now affected individuals have to contact CS directly in order to get it emailed to them. All new systems purchased are supposed to already have the updated firmware.

 

Great news!! Thanks for following through and getting us the solution

What is the version number(s) for the updated firmware(s)?

 

ECv62

 

Forum user at the Razer Forums installed it and 3Dmark benched it. Looks like it will definitely fix the issues: Games play worst when plugged in on Stealth

 

At least the AC powered results are the same or slightly higher than the on Battery results.

All my laptops have had discrete GPU's, for a long time, so I don't have any recent experience with benchmarking on AC vs Battery, but I would think the delta between AC and Battery results should be much larger.

Apparently not

 

The gap seems to get smaller each year. Throttling comes from the laptops inability to supply the wattage needed to run at max. With ultrabook CPUs the TDP is 15W which is achievable on battery for the most part. Quad core CPUs are 35-45W and the GPUs are high as well so they are heavily crippled on battery.

The main thing is it's not throttling while plugged in so now it's ready for the core - whenever that may be.

 

Yeah, that's it, a 15w CPU vs the 47w+ CPU's tested.

There are a couple of tests with a sizeable difference, so there is some advantage to AC... I wonder how much different the results are when the battery is fully charged on AC and while AC is also charging the battery...

 

Just installed the firmware and the issue is definitely fixed. Here are the release notes:

PJ:Hazel 1
EC Version: 0.62
Base on: Hazel 1 v0.61
Release Date: 2016/02/02
====================================================================================
(1) Change charger AC prohot trigger point value from 2.688a to 3.5A

 

Let's try 4.5A

I hope they tried higher values.

My first instinct is that I would have expected a larger increase than from 2.7A to 3.5A would be required.

More is always something I would want to experiment with, to make sure we aren't leaving any performance on the table, so to speak.

I would also want 2 values, one when the battery wasn't charging while under maximum performance load, and one while also doing heaviest battery charging while under maximum performance load.

If they can only keep one value set, then use the higher of the 2 power draws.

Unless that higher value allows too high of performance and eclipses the cooling capability, then they would need to choose the lower setting.

I wonder which they chose?

 

Apparently the HP envy has problems with throttling while charging as well. Skylake bug?

 

More like vendors limiting power draw to avoid overheating.

If they pick the high value with highest performance load + highest charging rate, then when the battery is charged all that power can be used for CPU/iGPU and that might exceed thermal capability of cooling.

Razer "fixed it" by upping the current draw limit from 2.7A to 3.5A.

I wouldn't think it was a Skylake CPU bug, unless their comment on the change meant to say "Change CPU prohot trigger point current limit" instead of "Change charger AC prohot trigger point" as they posted.

 

Sorry I didn't keep the scores from my Alienware 13 before selling it.

 

My video review. Apologies for some of the poor lighting and also spacing out a few times. Bad allergies and holding back sneezing and snot from dripping. got tired of having to reshoot a bunch of times and just went with it.

 

Just received my device yesterday. The BIOS is still on .592 (EC Version). Can someone provide the exact email address of the person they talked to in oder to receive the correct firmware? Would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

They couldn't email it to me for some reason. Their firewall probably blocked the email since it was a zip file. You're pretty much locked into calling them.

 

Been hearing from some people on the Razer forums that the Stealth is still throttling even after the firmware update. Clocks going from 1.x - 2.1 ghz, not 2.5+turbo. Seems like Razer needs to up the charging point.

 

Link(s) to thread, and post #'s?

 

https://insider.razerzone.com/index...-stealth-razer-core.10510/page-45#post-203764

 

I've tested it on and off the battery now and my results are almost exactly the same. Sure some games throttle but it's only because it hits PL1 according to throttlestop. That happens off the charger too though. I'll look more into it but it makes sense that some demanding games will make the CPU throttle. That's why we need dedicated GPUs.

He mentioned it happened on the battery too so I'm guessing he didn't check as to why it throttled and just assumed there was still a problem. Just because it's rated for that Ghz doesn't mean it can exceed the TDP limit and still maintain that speed though. Not positive on this but I think bogging down the iGPU is not what Intel expects everyone to be doing with these CPUs. Lowering the resolution on games is the quickest fix. I saw far less throttling playing at 720p, which is reasonable considering this is an Ultrabook dual core after all.

 

It's interesting, on Power Adapter it might do better with more power, since temps aren't getting near thermal throttling point.

Is anyone watching with Intel XTU with power/current/thermal throttling meters enabled?

They also mention ThrottleStop to see what is causing throttling...

And, what's up with Fallout 4 not working?


"MHB is right, the throttling is ..better not fixed. I see the same thing running cinebench. CPU bounces anywhere between 1.8ghz and its 3.1 ghz but spends the majority of the time well below its marketed 2.5ghz speed while using graphics intensive applications. I don't see this being an issue at all with the core but it certainly hinders anyone from seeing how capable the cpu on it's own is. Turn it up even more Razer (whatever it is you tweaked in your fix).
seamor0512, Yesterday at 3:13 PM"

Better contact razer support and tell them that the bios update didn't fix i.
DouglasHK, Yesterday at 4:50 PM

Unplugging the system doesn't seem to effect the processor speed at all. But the temperatures are not exceeding 80c, mostly hovering around 75. I also notice temps don't seem to relate to the throttling. A few times I was seeing 72c and both cores were sitting at 1.8ghz.

I know comparing it to the 6820hk mobile chip isn't exactly fair, but that chip sits at 4ghz on all 4 cores and doesn't once drop even to 3.9 during any game I have played.
Mhb112, Yesterday at 5:37 PM

Fallout 4 doesn't even launch. I have a feeling a lot of other AAA titles will be the same way until Intel releases some mature drivers.
Derek712, Today at 12:07 AM

I tested some games and throttled at as low as 75C but it was because it hit the PL1 limit. Have you used Throttlestop to see what the reasoning was? So far all my results on battery and plugged in have been nearly identical so I don't think the EC is the problem anymore. I'll keep looking but if you could check it yourself too, that would help.
Derek712, Today at 1:56 AM

 

But in some reviews they talked about the CPU hitting 95C--that must have been a CPU stress where the iGPU wasn't utilized. Hopefully they fix this throttling before the core is out, otherwise they'll have an ultrabook that can't play any games and doesn't have great battery life. A 6500U that's TDP throttling is worrying for the overall performance of the machine.

 

I'm not worried. It's tdp throttling because it's using the igpu. It won't with the dgpu which is why temps could potentially get higher.

Also, fallout 4 won't work because Intel's drivers probably lack some support. Also a non issue once tethered with a dGPU.

Intel integrated graphics is not for heavy gaming. The sooner everyone realizes that, the better.

 

Did anyone end up getting a sata m.2 to work in the Blade Stealth?
I already have a 500gb m.2 ssd and the price of a pcie one is insane here in Canada

 

Here is what you are missing. Having a bottleneck is not whats important. Every computer ever will have some sort of bottleneck somewhere. What matters is how MUCH of a bottle neck there is. Sure I the 6500U will most likely be the bottleneck but I'm going to take an educated guess that it won't be more than 15% or so. That's ASSUMING that you are purchasing the top of the line cards and not something more affordable and more powerful than most any mobile GPU like a GTX 760.

 

Here's a direct link to the firmware update: http://dl.razerzone.com/support/BladeStealth/Razer_Blade_Stealth_ECv62.zip

 

I modded two Sony Vaio SVZ's. One with a dual core and the other with a quad core.

It's more like a 30% increase with most modern games with my eGPU testing.

Razor cheaped out!

They should have used a Quad Core. Especially when you can squeeze 6 hours out of one.

 

Was the vaio .5 inches thin?

 

Nope.

I'm was/is .65 inches / Carbon Fibre and uses processors that require more power and emit more heat than the replacements out today.

Soooo... What's your point again?

 

Was just curious. Lots of people think they made a bad decision not to use a quad core. I just don't see how they could fit one in a laptop .5" thin. I haven't seen one in a laptop that thin ever.

Solution would be to make it thicker but if they did that, you might as well just buy the Razer Blade 14 right?

 

I don't want a laptop with a dGPU. Heat, battery life, weight just name a few reasons.

I would rather have a Quad Core ultra book when it's available.

eGPU's do not work/play nice with laptops with dGPUs installed.

Maybe next year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yeah, I get what you mean. The problem with quad cores is heat and battery life though and Intel has yet to make an efficient quad core. Until they do that, the manufacturer's of the thinnest ultrabooks will not even touch one.

 

eGPUs with a dGPU-installed laptop is something that I expect razor has solved, since the next Blade iteration is definitely going to be core-compatible and have a dGPU.

 

I used to get 5.5hr reliably out of the current one and 1080P screen. With a more power efficient CPU, SSD, new battery technology and DDR4 I can see getting 6hrs out of it or more.

 

I have a Blade Stealth (4K, 256GB) for review. After using it for a few hours, I'm finding it pretty impressive for an Ultrabook.

And by "using it", I mean playing with the Chroma Configurator. It's very slick.

The keyboard feedback is limited, and the fan is rather noisy when it kicks in. Otherwise, this notebook seems well rounded. I'll be testing the battery life soon.

I don't have the Core to go with it, so it'll just be a review of it as an Ultrabook for now.

Charles

 

They at least could have optimized it for a proper battery life. I was in the market for one as a secondary laptop. But the battery life is abysmal for a laptop in this class. Will get an XPS 13 instead probably. But I love the Razer color scheme.