Razer laptops failing

[richardp]

Razer laptops seem to fail right and left.

It seems to affect 2014-2015 models.

It seems to affect many models.

They seem to have bad mosfet issues.

The newer models seem to have a lot of BSODs caused by the drives. One of the drive apparently is positioned on the board in a way that it overheats and fails causing BSOD.

The drive issue affects the Pro 2016 models starting at close to $4000.

Way to go Razer.

 

 

 

 

 

[Pendragon]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA. none of us here who know a thing are surprised to be honest.

@D2ultima @Dackzy @Eason85 have some lols here. 

[D2ultima]

This is glorious

[Dackzy]

Should this surprise me? We are talking about Razer craptops, so if they turned into bombs, then I would still not be surpised.

Razer is most likely the worst laptop company to ever exist, even Acer seems decent compared to the shit Razer makes. 

[D2ultima]

I like how this is at 43 views and been up for 4 hours already but the people who say Razer is just fine and has excellent build quality and everything haven't come in to defend this...

 

It's like they can't bullshit their way through such facts? =O

[Galm]

2 minutes ago, D2ultima said:

I like how this is at 43 views and been up for 4 hours already but the people who say Razer is just fine and has excellent build quality and everything haven't come in to defend this...

 

It's like they can't bullshit their way through such facts? =O

I have a love-hate relationship with Razer.  I don't think I like their laptops enough to risk that kind of money on them anymore (Though I did own a Stealth for like 6 months that tbh was a pretty awesome ultrabook).  But I still really like their peripherals.  I just go into it knowing that my mouse is probably gonna fail in like a year.  Cuz, I gotta be honest, I've tried a ton of Logitech gaming mice, and I hate the look of all of them compared to a Death Adder Elite or Mamba TE.  Razer nailed the ergonomics for my hand at least as well.  

 

Everyone is also just kidding themselves if they think that Corsair RGB keyboards are superior in anyway besides the Cherry switches (which to be fair is all that matters to some).  The lighting and software Razer provides is just far superior.  If you've used Synapse Advanced Configurator and then tried Corsair Gaming Software...  Corsair just completely missed the mark.  It's so much more of a pain in the ass to do complex things compared to Razer's.

 

I just can't actually like the company while their policies are so awful.  I had to double buy a keyboard once because a day after I bought it (on freakin release day) they threw in a free firefly.  Why was I punished for ordering something early compared to a day later?  (Was still worth I just returned one keyboard)

[Pendragon]

25 minutes ago, D2ultima said:

I like how this is at 43 views and been up for 4 hours already but the people who say Razer is just fine and has excellent build quality and everything haven't come in to defend this...

 

Waiting for @LinusTech to show up. 

 

16 minutes ago, Galm said:

Razer nailed the ergonomics for my hand at least as well.  

IK. I use a Razer mouse. The only other one I liked was a Steelseries Kinzu and that was it. The new logitech mice just don't fit well into my hand. Surprisingly, mine hasn't shit itself yet. Using the one behind the BE version. So it's pretty old. 

 

18 minutes ago, Galm said:

Though I did own a Stealth for like 6 months that tbh was a pretty awesome ultrabook

Clean up the bezels, deal with the cooling system, up the battery more and it's quite nice I'd say. QC and company policy aside. 

[D2ultima]

17 minutes ago, Galm said:

I have a love-hate relationship with Razer.  I don't think I like their laptops enough to risk that kind of money on them anymore (Though I did own a Stealth for like 6 months that tbh was a pretty awesome ultrabook).  But I still really like their peripherals.  I just go into it knowing that my mouse is probably gonna fail in like a year.  Cuz, I gotta be honest, I've tried a ton of Logitech gaming mice, and I hate the look of all of them compared to a Death Adder Elite or Mamba TE.  Razer nailed the ergonomics for my hand at least as well.  

 

Everyone is also just kidding themselves if they think that Corsair RGB keyboards are superior in anyway besides the Cherry switches (which to be fair is all that matters to some).  The lighting and software Razer provides is just far superior.  If you've used Synapse Advanced Configurator and then tried Corsair Gaming Software...  Corsair just completely missed the mark.  It's so much more of a pain in the ass to do complex things compared to Razer's.

 

I just can't actually like the company while their policies are so awful.  I had to double buy a keyboard once because a day after I bought it (on freakin release day) they threw in a free firefly.  Why was I punished for ordering something early compared to a day later?  (Was still worth I just returned one keyboard)

I can admit that their aesthetic design is great, and their ergonomics on their mice are good, but that's as far as it gets. Synapse is terrible and I don't ever think about purchasing a device that I know might potentially fail soon. I've never had any device I've owned except for a seagate HDD throw errors without having it for 2 years+. This does include my deathadder, mind, but I can't agree that buying something expecting it to fail in a year is a good decision. It better be cheap enough to be an expected throwaway if that's the case.

 

I don't really care about RGB, but since Razer's prime directive is aesthetics as a selling point, I wouldn't expect Corsair to compete. The only thing corsair has consistent quality with is their AIO water coolers. Their RAM is good when it works, possibly among the best, but they often don't work, and are more expensive than better-specs G.Skill let's say. Their mice I've heard mixed things about though generally good, and their keyboards I've seen be loved but mainly for MX brown switches as you say. Their best headset to date is the Vengeance 2100, but they went like six steps back with their Void line. Thinking about all this, I expect them to lose in aesthetics to a company like Razer. But you'd get better quality otherwise.

 

The company's policies and build directives are the main issue. They overprice everything by claiming they're a small company (that's known about worldwide and sought after by more gamers than I've ever seen want anything else) and their support is terrible and they keep trying their damn best to make every product un-service-able and un-upgrade-able and cost them less money to make while charging you the same. And furthermore, they don't even use the best stuff. If Synapse didn't suck (many games actually require it uninstalled to even play, like Overwatch) and Razer used the 3360 sensor instead of the slightly worse 3389 sensor and their mice were similar in price to Logitech's, or Corsair's M65 Pro, etc? I'd probably recommend them all day. But it isn't so.

 

I have completely zero brand loyalty. I recommend what I find to be the best, and I stick with it until the best changes. That doesn't mean everybody needs a G900, a G933, a P870DM3 and a 2000W UPS from CyberPower, mind. It does mean though that I'll recommend the best for the workload and budget, and possibly suggest that a slight budget bump might help grant a non-proportional boost to functionaly/performance. Like the other dude that was looking to trade in his PC for a laptop, I suggested that if he added $200 CAD to his budget he could get a machine that blows the ones he was looking at so far out of the water that they'd probably end up on mars, and if he couldn't to do the trade for the best of the machines he listed.

 

20 minutes ago, Pendragon said:

Waiting for @LinusTech to show up. 

Good luck with that one haha

[Galm]

2 hours ago, D2ultima said:

I can admit that their aesthetic design is great, and their ergonomics on their mice are good, but that's as far as it gets. Synapse is terrible and I don't ever think about purchasing a device that I know might potentially fail soon. I've never had any device I've owned except for a seagate HDD throw errors without having it for 2 years+. This does include my deathadder, mind, but I can't agree that buying something expecting it to fail in a year is a good decision. It better be cheap enough to be an expected throwaway if that's the case.

 

I don't really care about RGB, but since Razer's prime directive is aesthetics as a selling point, I wouldn't expect Corsair to compete. The only thing corsair has consistent quality with is their AIO water coolers. Their RAM is good when it works, possibly among the best, but they often don't work, and are more expensive than better-specs G.Skill let's say. Their mice I've heard mixed things about though generally good, and their keyboards I've seen be loved but mainly for MX brown switches as you say. Their best headset to date is the Vengeance 2100, but they went like six steps back with their Void line. Thinking about all this, I expect them to lose in aesthetics to a company like Razer. But you'd get better quality otherwise.

 

The company's policies and build directives are the main issue. They overprice everything by claiming they're a small company (that's known about worldwide and sought after by more gamers than I've ever seen want anything else) and their support is terrible and they keep trying their damn best to make every product un-service-able and un-upgrade-able and cost them less money to make while charging you the same. And furthermore, they don't even use the best stuff. If Synapse didn't suck (many games actually require it uninstalled to even play, like Overwatch) and Razer used the 3360 sensor instead of the slightly worse 3389 sensor and their mice were similar in price to Logitech's, or Corsair's M65 Pro, etc? I'd probably recommend them all day. But it isn't so.

 

I have completely zero brand loyalty. I recommend what I find to be the best, and I stick with it until the best changes. That doesn't mean everybody needs a G900, a G933, a P870DM3 and a 2000W UPS from CyberPower, mind. It does mean though that I'll recommend the best for the workload and budget, and possibly suggest that a slight budget bump might help grant a non-proportional boost to functionaly/performance. Like the other dude that was looking to trade in his PC for a laptop, I suggested that if he added $200 CAD to his budget he could get a machine that blows the ones he was looking at so far out of the water that they'd probably end up on mars, and if he couldn't to do the trade for the best of the machines he listed.

 

Good luck with that one haha

I mean okay, I don't literally expect it to fail.  Between me and my closest group of friends there are 3 Death Adders (1 Elite), 1 Mamba TE, 2 Blackwidow Chromas, 1 Blackwidow Chroma V2, 1 Blackwidow X, 1 Blackwidow X Chroma, and 2 Fireflys.  

 

The only thing that failed was my scroll wheel on my Mamba TE.  Everything else is still fine, including over half being 2-3+ year old keyboards and mice.  

 

I don't have brand loyalty, but once I got a Razer mouse it influenced my decision to stay with them to keep the lighting and profiles synced.  

 

I'm also not sure what you mean about Synapse needing to be uninstalled.  Overwatch has integrated lighting on my set up that it needs to be open for.  I've also never had a game give me issues from synapse.  Were you using it for something specific?

 

I don't even care that Razer doesn't use the best sensor, people aren't using 16000 dpi anyway the sensors are more than fine, it's more annoying how much they charge for it, and how shit their service is if you have to deal with it.  I also hate the switch argument.  It's so elitest and stupid.  Generation 1 and 4 (currently on 4) Razer green switches are great.  In a blind test I preferred or rated the same as Cherry MX blues.  I personally hate how most people wouldn't even know that Razer has changed the switched 4 times, and that two of the times they were pretty inconsistent.

 

 

[D2ultima]

3 minutes ago, Galm said:

I'm also not sure what you mean about Synapse needing to be uninstalled.  Overwatch has integrated lighting on my set up that it needs to be open for.  I've also never had a game give me issues from synapse.  Were you using it for something specific?

 

I don't even care that Razer doesn't use the best sensor, people aren't using 16000 dpi anyway the sensors are more than fine, it's more annoying how much they charge for it, and how shit their service is if you have to deal with it.

 

I also hate the switch argument.  It's so elitest and stupid.  Generation 1 and 4 (currently on 4) Razer green switches are great.  In a blind test I preferred or rated the same as Cherry MX blues.  I personally hate how most people wouldn't even know that Razer has changed the switched 4 times, and that two of the times they were pretty inconsistent.

 

 

synapse is a program that is known to cause a lot of problems for a lot of people. I have never had an issue, however I have seen people have games crash on them or varying amounts of problems from Razer's software in general. I remember one point a game dev updated in a patch notes publication that if you used Razer surround it could break the game's audio entirely, etc. The program has a pretty bad rep on the net.

 

It isn't about using high DPI (the best sensor is only up to 12,000 anyway xD). It's about accuracy of the sensor, really. I can tell the difference, and others can too. Some can't. But there's no reason for me to recommend a worse sensor-using product which costs the same or more and has generally less features (buttons etc).

 

As for the switches, I know their greens have improved. But they're a lot louder than browns and as far as I know don't have any benefits over them otherwise. However, if it comes down to switches, Romer-G are the longest lasting AND best for backlighting (keys can be laser-etched like laptop keys are, because the switch allows light to come up in the middle of the switch rather than have to be lit around the switch like on Cherry MX style switches) even if logitech doesn't do backlighting best.

[BuckGup]

Well finally. Don't always listen to linus.

[Galm]

18 minutes ago, D2ultima said:

synapse is a program that is known to cause a lot of problems for a lot of people. I have never had an issue, however I have seen people have games crash on them or varying amounts of problems from Razer's software in general. I remember one point a game dev updated in a patch notes publication that if you used Razer surround it could break the game's audio entirely, etc. The program has a pretty bad rep on the net.

 

It isn't about using high DPI (the best sensor is only up to 12,000 anyway xD). It's about accuracy of the sensor, really. I can tell the difference, and others can too. Some can't. But there's no reason for me to recommend a worse sensor-using product which costs the same or more and has generally less features (buttons etc).

 

As for the switches, I know their greens have improved. But they're a lot louder than browns and as far as I know don't have any benefits over them otherwise. However, if it comes down to switches, Romer-G are the longest lasting AND best for backlighting (keys can be laser-etched like laptop keys are, because the switch allows light to come up in the middle of the switch rather than have to be lit around the switch like on Cherry MX style switches) even if logitech doesn't do backlighting best.

You could be right about the sensors.  I had kind of assumed that mice had hit dimishing returns a while ago.  I feel very little difference between a green death adder and a death adder elite.  Especially in game, doesn't affect my performance.

 

The switches are improved for now.  That's what worries me.  There was like a year and a half where they were trash.  One of my friends has a Blackwidow Chroma with a completely different spacebar mechanism that sucks with the gen 2 switches.  

 

And huh, do you have any links for the worst Razer synapse problems?  I'm kinda surprised no one I know has struggled with it.

[D2ultima]

4 minutes ago, Galm said:

You could be right about the sensors.  I had kind of assumed that mice had hit dimishing returns a while ago.  I feel very little difference between a green death adder and a death adder elite.  Especially in game, doesn't affect my performance.

 

The switches are improved for now.  That's what worries me.  There was like a year and a half where they were trash.  One of my friends has a Blackwidow Chroma with a completely different spacebar mechanism that sucks with the gen 2 switches.  

 

And huh, do you have any links for the worst Razer synapse problems?  I'm kinda surprised no one I know has struggled with it.

Yeah, I don't care about DPI above 3500 myself (only because that's the DPI I use), it's all about accuracy for me. I can feel a difference between a Deathadder 3500, a Steelseries Rival (before they got numbers), a Logitech G402 (using G100S sensor) and a G502. Literally switching between the mice and playing CoD Black Ops 1 I can feel differences. The DA 3500 & Rival perform about the same. The G402 is significantly better, enough so that if I didn't know the 3360/3366 existed, I'd be hunting mice with those sensors (like the Zowie ones). The 3360 and 3366 (same sensor; one is logitech proprietary and that's why named differently) in the G502 and G303 and G403 and G900 and corsair M65 Pro and Steelseries' new top mouse are a bit better yet, though. And I can tell. So as a general rule, I simply recommend the best sensor unless it's overpriced. If someone is looking for a budget mouse and they see a G402 for $30 and a G303 for $50 I'll tell them the G402 will be perfectly fine. If they're both $50, or like the last time I found a G502 spectrum mouse for $50 CAD on Newegg canada, then there is zero reason to get the mouse with the worse sensor, unless you absolutely cannot stand something like the shape of it.

 

I believe they got rid of the company that was making trash switches for them and got a better set this time... but as you say, their quality isn't consistent. I know the reason greens were made though, and by design they are trying to combine two switches into one (I think red and blue) but ended up being like they combined the worst parts. I don't know how the base design has switched, but if someone asks me what the best switches are, I can show them a video of logitech's Romer-G switches handling like 9 million keypresses at rapid speed using a machine, and that the backlighting is better, and that they're relatively silent.

 

I'd honestly have to hunt. I tried typing "Razer Synapse problems" and there were SO MANY posts, not all of them specifically about game problems, that I just gave up trying to consolidate them. 

[Galm]

30 minutes ago, D2ultima said:

Yeah, I don't care about DPI above 3500 myself (only because that's the DPI I use), it's all about accuracy for me. I can feel a difference between a Deathadder 3500, a Steelseries Rival (before they got numbers), a Logitech G402 (using G100S sensor) and a G502. Literally switching between the mice and playing CoD Black Ops 1 I can feel differences. The DA 3500 & Rival perform about the same. The G402 is significantly better, enough so that if I didn't know the 3360/3366 existed, I'd be hunting mice with those sensors (like the Zowie ones). The 3360 and 3366 (same sensor; one is logitech proprietary and that's why named differently) in the G502 and G303 and G403 and G900 and corsair M65 Pro and Steelseries' new top mouse are a bit better yet, though. And I can tell. So as a general rule, I simply recommend the best sensor unless it's overpriced. If someone is looking for a budget mouse and they see a G402 for $30 and a G303 for $50 I'll tell them the G402 will be perfectly fine. If they're both $50, or like the last time I found a G502 spectrum mouse for $50 CAD on Newegg canada, then there is zero reason to get the mouse with the worse sensor, unless you absolutely cannot stand something like the shape of it.

 

I believe they got rid of the company that was making trash switches for them and got a better set this time... but as you say, their quality isn't consistent. I know the reason greens were made though, and by design they are trying to combine two switches into one (I think red and blue) but ended up being like they combined the worst parts. I don't know how the base design has switched, but if someone asks me what the best switches are, I can show them a video of logitech's Romer-G switches handling like 9 million keypresses at rapid speed using a machine, and that the backlighting is better, and that they're relatively silent.

 

I'd honestly have to hunt. I tried typing "Razer Synapse problems" and there were SO MANY posts, not all of them specifically about game problems, that I just gave up trying to consolidate them. 

So is the difference between the laser sensor in the Mamba TE and the optical ones in like the G502 huge?  Because I've used both and the Death Adder Elite and really had no impact on performance in games.  The G502 felt the worst to me because I don't like its weight or ergonomics.  I just find it interesting that you feel a huge difference in the sensor and I don't seem to even though I'm quite sensitive to small movements like that usually.  

[D2ultima]

5 minutes ago, Galm said:

So is the difference between the laser sensor in the Mamba TE and the optical ones in like the G502 huge?  Because I've used both and the Death Adder Elite and really had no impact on performance in games.  The G502 felt the worst to me because I don't like its weight or ergonomics.  I just find it interesting that you feel a huge difference in the sensor and I don't seem to even though I'm quite sensitive to small movements like that usually.  

The sensor is it, yeah. If ergonomics are what bother you, try getting your hands on a G900 and using it wired, or something. Or a G403 wired, or G303. They're all different ergonomically and the G403 I think is closest to the DA in shape.

 

It might partially be due to my higher sensitivity, but I do notice a difference. It's like... the sensor prevents me from overshooting when I drag and track people. The difference is really in the small % range between 402 and 502 for example. The 3389 in the Deathadder Elite may be closest to the 3360/3366 of the G900/G403/G502/G303/M65 Pro/etc, but I don't think it's as perfect. I haven't found what the Mamba Tournament Edition is supposed to be using, but it isn't nearly as good (and is Laser and not Optical).

[Funtoink63]

I have experience with two Razer products: mousepad and headset.

 

Mousepad: kinda ok, it's the Goliathus mousepad. It has like "rough" cloth, not the best to touch (Steelseries Qck is better, like "smooth/silky" cloth, better to touch). Although, center did like "settled down/wore out" so it's much better than before.

 

Headset: bad. I don't remember its name but costed 100€. Aesthetically it didn't look bad, had a remote on cable. If you used the remote to change volume and turned it all the way down to what was supposed to be 0% (mute) it wasn't. Was like 10%. So if you needed to mute it and didn't had access to windows volume setting/keyboard with volume buttons on it, you're out of luck. Apparently it wasn't factory defect, it was a "feature" (bad design choice). Returned it to store the next day. Previous headset that I was trying to replace costed like 15€, had remote on cable too, but not this issue.

[D2ultima]

I'm still actually waiting for the people who defend Razer to its core to come and deny the things covered in this video in their "premium" machines.

[Imglidinhere]

I love the slim, sleek, macbook-esque, unibody design that they employ... but it's unfortunately a design that employs Form over Function. It doesn't handle the hardware, therefore, it's literally, entirely and ONLY for looks. The moment you stress the notebook, it completely dies, or can potentially die. For a $4000 notebook, this is disturbing.

 

Is it surprising from Razer? Not really. Is it surprising that any company would allow this to be sold knowing they HAD to have known themselves about this issue? Yes. Very yes. 

 

I hope someone nails them to the walls, ceiling and floor with this in some kind of lawsuit. I mean... legitimately, can't this be used as a heavy hitter in a Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act suit if Razer refuses to do anything about this?

[Eason85]

On 2/5/2017 at 1:42 AM, D2ultima said:

This is glorious

I've contacted the guy to interview him for an article. I intend to put razer on blast

[D2ultima]

34 minutes ago, Eason85 said:

I've contacted the guy to interview him for an article. I intend to put razer on blast

Please personally point me into the article.

 

Shit, add me to the article.

[Galm]

17 hours ago, Funtoink63 said:

I have experience with two Razer products: mousepad and headset.

 

Mousepad: kinda ok, it's the Goliathus mousepad. It has like "rough" cloth, not the best to touch (Steelseries Qck is better, like "smooth/silky" cloth, better to touch). Although, center did like "settled down/wore out" so it's much better than before.

 

Headset: bad. I don't remember its name but costed 100€. Aesthetically it didn't look bad, had a remote on cable. If you used the remote to change volume and turned it all the way down to what was supposed to be 0% (mute) it wasn't. Was like 10%. So if you needed to mute it and didn't had access to windows volume setting/keyboard with volume buttons on it, you're out of luck. Apparently it wasn't factory defect, it was a "feature" (bad design choice). Returned it to store the next day. Previous headset that I was trying to replace costed like 15€, had remote on cable too, but not this issue.

Not just Razer but pretty much all gaming headsets in general are just awful.  The Hyper X Clouds are the sole exception because they use Takstar Pro 80s essentially.  Get a real headset and a seperate mic every time.  

[Eason85]

17 hours ago, D2ultima said:

Please personally point me into the article.

 

Shit, add me to the article.

He hasn't replied after a few days it's important I have to quote because otherwise I don't have much of a leg to stand on, liability wise

[D2ultima]

2 minutes ago, Eason85 said:

He hasn't replied after a few days it's important I have to quote because otherwise I don't have much of a leg to stand on, liability wise

Maybe catch him in an e-mail? Or contact the tech repair website and see if he could put you through to him and get statements from them both?

[Eason85]

13 hours ago, D2ultima said:

Maybe catch him in an e-mail? Or contact the tech repair website and see if he could put you through to him and get statements from them both?

Will do, thanks.

[D2ultima]

On 2/7/2017 at 9:49 AM, Eason85 said:

Will do, thanks.

 he's streaming right now, go check him out and see if you can ask him for the comment