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Razer Blade 14 Unboxing & Review (2014 Edition)

Ericde95

Sounds like it's a great notebook overall which is always nice to hear. Too bad it's not available in the UK and I can't afford it.

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I'd still never buy a branded ''gaming'' laptop, but I've gotta give it to razer. Their stuff ALWAYS manages to look good.

I love StarCraft

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Don't you just love it when a product is only available in NA? It's like when Youtubers have giveaways... only in NA.

 

God, it feels so awesome it's like... "Mmh, I really want to punch someone so hard I can feel their bones crack!" Ya know?!

 

Ah... lovely.

 

(Not that I'd actually buy one. It just pisses me off to see this kind of shit.)

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Gaming on your lap? No no no

Selling my parts of my 900D rig for a jacked up Ncase M1. PM me for offers if interested (will take some reasonable-low offers because I'm desperate).

Parts that I'm selling: 900D (1 slot cover broken for stealth DVD drive mod) | Asus Z87 Deluxe | Cooler Master 212 Evo | Corsair 4x2GB black ram @1600mhz | EVGA 1000G2 PSU (2 cables with missing heat shrink) | DVD drive | HP membrane keyboard | Ducky Shine 3 YOTS in blue switches (warranty sticker broken)

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Just did a quick comparison (pricewise), between this and an equivalent clevo (sager) model.

 

First of all, I couldn't find a clevo model that had a 14" laptop that had a 870m and a QHD+ screen, so I went for a 15.6" with a 870m and a 1080p screen (Clevo P151SM1-A). The cost (including Win8.1, best warranty, better thermal paste and 1 year dead pixel guarantee, CPU is slightly better and ram is identical) was £1,200 ($2020), compared to the razer's £1485 ($2500) price tag. I couldn't find a review, but i found a "owners lounge", and people there are saying it's pretty good other than a few issues, but it has since had a revision, so them issues have most likely been fixed.

 

So, it's pretty much personal preference. If you need it to be light and portable, the razer is the better option, but if it isn't leaving the house every day and/or are on a budget, i'd go with the Clevo, yes the speakers the use are mediocre, but if you're gaming using speakers you deserve a slap round the face.

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GPU: MSI GTX 1080 ARMOUR | CPU: i7 9700k | Ram: 16gb 3200mhz Motherboard: ASUS Maximus XI Gene | Storage: 2x 1TB NVME 1x 500GB NVME 1x 120GB NVME | Case: Corsair 570X

 

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Just did a quick comparison (pricewise), between this and an equivalent clevo (sager) model.

 

First of all, I couldn't find a clevo model that had a 14" laptop that had a 870m and a QHD+ screen, so I went for a 15.6" with a 870m and a 1080p screen (Clevo P151SM1-A). The cost (including Win8.1, best warranty, better thermal paste and 1 year dead pixel guarantee, CPU is slightly better and ram is identical) was £1,200 ($2020), compared to the razer's £1485 ($2500) price tag. I couldn't find a review, but i found a "owners lounge", and people there are saying it's pretty good other than a few issues, but it has since had a revision, so them issues have most likely been fixed.

 

So, it's pretty much personal preference. If you need it to be light and portable, the razer is the better option, but if it isn't leaving the house every day and/or are on a budget, i'd go with the Clevo, yes the speakers the use are mediocre, but if you're gaming using speakers you deserve a slap round the face.

 

That's a great comparison. Glad you could find something in the ball-park of the Blade. I fall more in love with my Blade every day and have no regrets so far. However, I don't do that much gaming. I could see the Blade being a difficult choice for those looking for a hardcore portable gaming solution... I wont have an issue with the thermals when im running my trading platforms or stock screeners, but something like BF4 would melt this device at 1800p. 1800p gaming is not really that feasible unless you drop the quality settings to medium/low (or want 20-30 fps on medium-high). Sure, some games will run 50-60fps on high, but they are either not GPU based games or are older.

Desktop: ASUS ROG Maximus V Formula - 3570k @ 4.2 Ghz - Gigabyte GTX 670 WF3 - G.Skill 16 GB 1600Mhz - Antec 900W - 128GB Crucial M4 - 2TB Hitachi HDD - NZXT H440

Mobile: Nexus 6P (current)  - Razer Blade 256 GB Laptop

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ericde95, What case are you going for if any?

Might as well go Razer eh? ;) ... But they have 2 options for the Blade 14

 

The sleeve or the armor case? I think personally would go for the sleeve...

 

Sleeve:

http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade-sleeve

 

Armor Case:

http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade-armor-case

 

I wish they had keyboard covers though.. I hate the keys when they get all shiny from over usage... :(

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Ericde95, What case are you going for if any?

Might as well go Razer eh? ;) ... But they have 2 options for the Blade 14

 

The sleeve or the armor case? I think personally would go for the sleeve...

 

Sleeve:

http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade-sleeve

 

Armor Case:

http://www.razerzone.com/store/razer-blade-armor-case

 

I wish they had keyboard covers though.. I hate the keys when they get all shiny from over usage... :(

I ended up getting a 14" case-logic neopreme sleeve that I put in my Case-logic messenger bag for work.

Desktop: ASUS ROG Maximus V Formula - 3570k @ 4.2 Ghz - Gigabyte GTX 670 WF3 - G.Skill 16 GB 1600Mhz - Antec 900W - 128GB Crucial M4 - 2TB Hitachi HDD - NZXT H440

Mobile: Nexus 6P (current)  - Razer Blade 256 GB Laptop

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The unit is heavier than a MBP but promotes a sense of quality/thickness rather than the frailty of a laptop like the MBP.

 

I stopped reading right there.

 

Apple Macs might be many things, but frailty? 

 

My 17" is a bloody tank, frail is the last thing I'd call it or any of the MBPs. 

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Great review! If you turn on V-Sync, or limit your fps with NVidia's battery boost feature, not only will you get slightly better battery life, but much cooler temperatures. Enjoy your new laptop and that internship!

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MSI still looks better and has better value

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MSI still looks better and has better value

 

Subjective opinions will always be subjective ;)

 

Anyway: Great review that seems to have been worked with a lot. It's also nice that your grammar is excellent because it's kinda tiring to read a large text when you have to decipher each sentence ;)

 

As for the gaming part: it's not really meant to be used on your lap, but on tables such as those on trains and boats. Not really something I would use on the bus or in bed for gaming...

 

I also don't see how you can play at 1080p on this machine as at least for me the interpolation would be awful. Pixels overlapping is something I am not fond of at all.

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After reading this review, I am definitely leaning towards the new blade, I am just worried that it is overkill for such a machine for my uses :P

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Well it kicks my late 2012 Macbook Pro Retina's ass. But I can take pride in my GTX 780. :P

You gotta do you girl. I always say you gotta do you. And if he's doing him, then who's doing you? Because right now, it seems like no one's doing you.

- Stefani Stilton (she / her) 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

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Well it kicks my late 2012 Macbook Pro Retina's ass. But I can take pride in my GTX 780. :P

Me too!

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Me too!

Praise to the EVGA SC GTX 780

You gotta do you girl. I always say you gotta do you. And if he's doing him, then who's doing you? Because right now, it seems like no one's doing you.

- Stefani Stilton (she / her) 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

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Praise to the EVGA SC GTX 780

*high five* I have the same card as you :P

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So in the end I had to cancel my online order from Microsoft store... Went on business trip to E3, they didn't have one for sale at the Razer booth. All hopes were lost.

Going back to London at the check in counter in LAX, they asked my colleague if he wanted to fly out a day later (in compensation you get a free return ticket to anywhere Virgin flies) They didn't ask me so checked my bags in but it was my friend's birthday so I went back and "volunteered". Went and checked in as I have to wait at the gate until they could determine the flight was overbooked or not. At the gate they confirmed it was not overbooked so I get on the plane to my disappointment...

 

I sit down with all my colleagues around me. And when everyone got on the plane the stewardess asked me if I still wanted to fly tomorrow as someone's seat was broken and they needed mine! So I step off the plane, party all night with my friend and my new found Malibu friends lol. Next day I went to the Santa Monica Microsoft store and they had 1 256GB model left in stock!!! Immediate purchase.

 

So back in London now with a RB14 and a free return ticket with Virgin Atlantic!  :D

 

Verdict is I love it. Screen is great, build is great and love the Razer Green and Black look!

But comparing with my late 2013 Macbook Pro Retina 15 I realised a few things...

 

MBPr 15 is slightly thinner. Only ever so slight difference but I can really feel it when I'm holding it.

The surface finish of the RB14 is an absolute finger print magnet while MBPr surface is not at all, both feel good to the touch but MBPr feels better and looks better without fingerprints all over it.

Touch screen surface on RB14 display is great btw!

Speaking of the display colour depth seems deeper and richer on MBPr, but RB14 display is still great!

Also not only the surface but the trackpad and keyboard feel is superior on MBRr however that does not mean RB14 is poor build quality, its still great.

 

So for gaming RB14 (GTX 870m) performs better than my late 2013 MBRr 15 (GT 750m)

But for productivity and day to day use the MBRr just feels and runs like silk which no current Windows laptop can compete with imho.

 

I took some (poorly shot, sorry!) side by side pictures:

 

 
image.jpg
 
image.jpg
 
image.jpg
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I've never been a fan of gaming laptops after receiving an m17x as a gift and having a horrible time with it.

Though I must admit, as soon as I saw the new blade 14" I really wanted one. 

 

That bezel looks huge though

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MBPr 15 is slightly thinner. Only ever so slight difference but I can really feel it when I'm holding it.

Sorry about this. Its actually pretty much the same thickness. MBPr is actually 0.01" thicker... However the rubber feet is thicker on RB14. About the feel when I'm holding it, its just the surface finish on MBPr just feels so much better.

 

@Purple yes I did wish the bezel was smaller on the RB14...! Still its a very impressive laptop, I wish I can see the MSi gs69 Ghost Pro 3K version in real life and compare it side by side!

 

Another think about the RB14 is the trackpad not being able to be clickable but instead has 2 physical buttons underneath which I don't like, but is sort of compensated by the fact its a gaming laptop and you probably be using a mouse anyway, that and also a very good touchscreen is there for when navigating browsers and documents etc. I hope Razer keeps this line going with more improvements to come specially the cooling and airflow solutions where the MBPr is so much more superior.

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So in the end I had to cancel my online order from Microsoft store... Went on business trip to E3, they didn't have one for sale at the Razer booth. All hopes were lost.

Going back to London at the check in counter in LAX, they asked my colleague if he wanted to fly out a day later (in compensation you get a free return ticket to anywhere Virgin flies) They didn't ask me so checked my bags in but it was my friend's birthday so I went back and "volunteered". Went and checked in as I have to wait at the gate until they could determine the flight was overbooked or not. At the gate they confirmed it was not overbooked so I get on the plane to my disappointment...

 

I sit down with all my colleagues around me. And when everyone got on the plane the stewardess asked me if I still wanted to fly tomorrow as someone's seat was broken and they needed mine! So I step off the plane, party all night with my friend and my new found Malibu friends lol. Next day I went to the Santa Monica Microsoft store and they had 1 256GB model left in stock!!! Immediate purchase.

 

So back in London now with a RB14 and a free return ticket with Virgin Atlantic!  :D

 

Verdict is I love it. Screen is great, build is great and love the Razer Green and Black look!

But comparing with my late 2013 Macbook Pro Retina 15 I realised a few things...

 

MBPr 15 is slightly thinner. Only ever so slight difference but I can really feel it when I'm holding it.

The surface finish of the RB14 is an absolute finger print magnet while MBPr surface is not at all, both feel good to the touch but MBPr feels better and looks better without fingerprints all over it.

Touch screen surface on RB14 display is great btw!

Speaking of the display colour depth seems deeper and richer on MBPr, but RB14 display is still great!

Also not only the surface but the trackpad and keyboard feel is superior on MBRr however that does not mean RB14 is poor build quality, its still great.

 

So for gaming RB14 (GTX 870m) performs better than my late 2013 MBRr 15 (GT 750m)

But for productivity and day to day use the MBRr just feels and runs like silk which no current Windows laptop can compete with imho.

 

I took some (poorly shot, sorry!) side by side pictures:

 

 

image.jpg
 
image.jpg
 
image.jpg

 

That is quite a tale! Thanks for sharing your experiences, rather humorous and enlightening. How are you liking your Razer? I havent been able to use mine as much as I would have liked but I am still getting used to it. It's CPU/GPU seem to be more than enough for my uses and its battery life is not too shabby! The only thing that I am having a tough time with is Windows 8.1 but that will just take time (and I will have to learn to like it eventually lol).

Desktop: ASUS ROG Maximus V Formula - 3570k @ 4.2 Ghz - Gigabyte GTX 670 WF3 - G.Skill 16 GB 1600Mhz - Antec 900W - 128GB Crucial M4 - 2TB Hitachi HDD - NZXT H440

Mobile: Nexus 6P (current)  - Razer Blade 256 GB Laptop

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  • 5 months later...

UPDATE:  After using it for these past 6+ months or so, I can confidently say that I made the best decision when selecting laptops. I still recommend this and have had zero issues with my Blade. The laptop crushes any game I throw at it (I have really only played ESO, GW2, BF4, and Arma 3, however) and I have no regrets thus far. It's incredibly portable and has been a blessing in class. The screen size is perfect for the college environment and the 3k screen never leaves me wanting more. Just as in love with this laptop as day 1. 

 

If anyone has a long-term question, let me know.

Desktop: ASUS ROG Maximus V Formula - 3570k @ 4.2 Ghz - Gigabyte GTX 670 WF3 - G.Skill 16 GB 1600Mhz - Antec 900W - 128GB Crucial M4 - 2TB Hitachi HDD - NZXT H440

Mobile: Nexus 6P (current)  - Razer Blade 256 GB Laptop

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Good to hear! How's the battery life been?

Fairly good, but not MBP or Air level. I was able to last an entire 3-hour flight playing BF4 at 1600x900 on ultra. For non-gaming performance, it can last me a solid number of hours and has never been an issue (never measured it, to be honest).

Desktop: ASUS ROG Maximus V Formula - 3570k @ 4.2 Ghz - Gigabyte GTX 670 WF3 - G.Skill 16 GB 1600Mhz - Antec 900W - 128GB Crucial M4 - 2TB Hitachi HDD - NZXT H440

Mobile: Nexus 6P (current)  - Razer Blade 256 GB Laptop

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