A few questions about the Razer Blade. 4k v HD, where to buy?

[angaddev]

Hey guys,
I'm thinking about getting a new Blade 14 instead of the MBP which I had been waiting a month for but would cost me £2k.
A few questions about the blade:

Is the trackpad any good? I know you can use a magic trackpad with a Windows machine but I've been spoilt by Mac trackpads in the past..

4k v HD? The new blade with a 1060 chip should be able to run decently at 4k. However, from my own experience I know that Windows scaling is still awful and has been since Win8, but the HD screen has a matte coating. Can anyone advise which would be better for gaming/watching movies? (I never use touchscreens on laptops so it's just the panel I want to know about)

Finally, is there any way I can get my hands on one in the next week in the US? I've seen the amazon page is up but it's only for the FHD model, and I'm not sure whether it will actually ship November 1st. I live in the UK but it would be a lot more convienient to get it here, as the UK prices are stupid (£2049, which is $2700, instead of the $2100 it should be for the 256/qhd).. I could get family to ship it over but don't want it to get broken in shipping... (I am in NYC and Boston for the next week)
Thanks. 

 

 

 

[Unexas.]

4 minutes ago, angaddev said:

Hey guys,
I'm thinking about getting a new Blade 14 instead of the MBP which I had been waiting a month for but would cost me £2k.
A few questions about the blade:

Is the trackpad any good? I know you can use a magic trackpad with a Windows machine but I've been spoilt by Mac trackpads in the past..

4k v HD? The new blade with a 1060 chip should be able to run decently at 4k. However, from my own experience I know that Windows scaling is still awful and has been since Win8, but the HD screen has a matte coating. Can anyone advise which would be better for gaming/watching movies? (I never use touchscreens on laptops so it's just the panel I want to know about)

Finally, is there any way I can get my hands on one in the next week in the US? I've seen the amazon page is up but it's only for the FHD model, and I'm not sure whether it will actually ship November 1st. I live in the UK but it would be a lot more convienient to get it here, as the UK prices are stupid (£2049, which is $2700, instead of the $2100 it should be for the 256/qhd).. I could get family to ship it over but don't want it to get broken in shipping... (I am in NYC and Boston for the next week)
Thanks. 

 

 

 

What is the laptop for? I would also look at the XPS 15 over the blade.

[KenjiUmino]

i'd go with FHD because 1: I personally prefer matte displays over glossy crap any day and 2: high resolutions on small screens are a pain for anything else than gaming because scaling of text and websites and stuff is not a good solution as you said yourself

 

for gaming you can use scaling in the other direction

[Guuhan]

Don't bother, it's a laptop with more issues than you can imagine. Bad thermals, quality control of razer is pretty sad, due to bad thermals it has a very limited lifespan, 4K scaling is also very inconsistent and if you have issues with the device, you might aswell get a new laptop because it will take you some months to get another craptop back which you will eventually return anyway.

[angaddev]

1 hour ago, Guuhan said:

Don't bother, it's a laptop with more issues than you can imagine. Bad thermals, quality control of razer is pretty sad, due to bad thermals it has a very limited lifespan, 4K scaling is also very inconsistent and if you have issues with the device, you might aswell get a new laptop because it will take you some months to get another craptop back which you will eventually return anyway.

Microsoft store is offering 2 years of warranty for $99,and there's no way in hell I'm paying £2k for a 13 inch MBP

[angaddev]

2 hours ago, Unexas. said:

What is the laptop for? I would also look at the XPS 15 over the blade.

Laptop is mostly for basic tasks but I'd like it to play games well at 1080 on high, something I think the 960m will struggle wkth

[Dackzy]

the blade with a 1060 runs at 94c, after 5min of overwatch. Yey a stove. The GPU starts throttling at 82-83c. You get nowhere close to the full performance of a 1060 and no a 1060 cannot run games at 4k and that thermal throttling 1060 will have a hard time doing 1080p high.

 

This is pretty much the thinnest laptop that can cool a 1060

http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-p650rp6-15-6-custom-built-gaming-laptop-w-nvidia-gtx-1060-w-g-sync.html

[angaddev]

1 hour ago, Dackzy said:

the blade with a 1060 runs at 94c, after 5min of overwatch. Yey a stove. The GPU starts throttling at 82-83c. You get nowhere close to the full performance of a 1060 and no a 1060 cannot run games at 4k and that thermal throttling 1060 will have a hard time doing 1080p high.

 

This is pretty much the thinnest laptop that can cool a 1060

http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-p650rp6-15-6-custom-built-gaming-laptop-w-nvidia-gtx-1060-w-g-sync.html

I'll be running it at 1080p regardless. Tbh I do t care if it throttles, it'll still be miles better than any laptop I've had. . Now to actually find one for sale js harder lol

[Dackzy]

2 minutes ago, angaddev said:

I'll be running it at 1080p regardless. Tbh I do t care if it throttles, it'll still be miles better than any laptop I've had. . Now to actually find one for sale js harder lol

it also doesn't last that long, because of the heat. That is also only some of the problems with it. Razer has a huge QC problem with their blades, people are getting blades with dead USB ports or something else. Razer support is also useless, there is basically nothing good about them.

 

You should care if your GPU or CPU or both thermal throttles, because the more people that are like you the more craptops we get, because you tell companies that you don't mind not getting what you pay for and that will hurt us all.

 

Thin and light is not something Pascal can give you. Clevo and AW laptops are the only ones that can cool pascal. If you want thin and light then you can only really get laptops with a 960m, like the XPS 15.

[Dackzy]

I am off now, but @Pendragon and @D2ultima also know a lot about laptops

[angaddev]

27 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

it also doesn't last that long, because of the heat. That is also only some of the problems with it. Razer has a huge QC problem with their blades, people are getting blades with dead USB ports or something else. Razer support is also useless, there is basically nothing good about them.

 

You should care if your GPU or CPU or both thermal throttles, because the more people that are like you the more craptops we get, because you tell companies that you don't mind not getting what you pay for and that will hurt us all.

 

Thin and light is not something Pascal can give you. Clevo and AW laptops are the only ones that can cool pascal. If you want thin and light then you can only really get laptops with a 960m, like the XPS 15.

I understand but the Blade is the only Windows laptop I know of with even semi-decent build quality & trackpad. Tried the XPS 15 today and it was bulky without even having good build quality, and the trackpad was atrocious. I don't want a Clevo because they aren't portable and very ugly.

[Pittman90]

6 hours ago, angaddev said:

Laptop is mostly for basic tasks but I'd like it to play games well at 1080 on high, something I think the 960m will struggle wkth

I am waiting for the new XPS 15 which hopefully will have a 1060 but if you can't wait I guess the razer blade is alright, it just has the razer tax 

[Pittman90]

4 hours ago, angaddev said:

I understand but the Blade is the only Windows laptop I know of with even semi-decent build quality & trackpad. Tried the XPS 15 today and it was bulky without even having good build quality, and the trackpad was atrocious. I don't want a Clevo because they aren't portable and very ugly.

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KB0WJ1G/ref=pd_cp_147_1?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01K1INYD0&pd_rd_r=M8NP3JDMZY4K5XAXPMWK&pd_rd_w=i8Ihb&pd_rd_wg=i2QuD&refRID=M8NP3JDMZY4K5XAXPMWK&th=1

 

I have looked into this Asus one and it has very similar specs to the blade but its a little bit thicker, i don't know much about the build quality on it tho

[Dackzy]

1 hour ago, angaddev said:

I understand but the Blade is the only Windows laptop I know of with even semi-decent build quality & trackpad. Tried the XPS 15 today and it was bulky without even having good build quality, and the trackpad was atrocious. I don't want a Clevo because they aren't portable and very ugly.

No they have shit build quality, the aluminium is super thin and the materials they use to put is together with are so insanely cheap, that I don't even think that I would be able to find so cheap screws and the glue god damn. Razer knows how to cheap out.

The XPS15 is way better build.

 

You see a dent in that aluminium body and you can basically fry the whole system. Build materials does not equal build quality, one very easy esample of this would be the older thinkpads, good luck killing those fuckers, if I treat a mac like I treat my T420s then it would break in a month or less.

 

If the XPS15 is bulky then the Razer blade is bulky, everything is basically bulky then. It is as thin as it can be while still having fair temps. I don't get people like you. thinnes over everything. I cary around a T420s, it is about the same thickness of that Clevo laptop I linked, but only 14inches and only about 1.8kg, you are not getting anything thinner, it is impossible right now. You cannot get a laptop with a dGPU and a HQ CPU that is thinner than the XPS15 without it thermal throttling.

If thinnes is so important to you then get a laptop with a core m CPU then you can have your ultra thin laptop.

6 minutes ago, Pittman90 said:

I am waiting for the new XPS 15 which hopefully will have a 1060 but if you can't wait I guess the razer blade is alright, it just has the razer tax 

No the XPS15 will not have a 1060, since a 1060 is a denser chip and what happens when you focus heat, the temps goes up, this is why we are seing laptos that could bearly handle a 970m thermal throttle so insanely fast with a 1060. Nothing about the Blade is alright it sucks ass in every single way. The best GPU we are going to see in a XPS 15 is a 1050, if they want to still have fair temps, heck a 1050 is even a bit unlikely

4 minutes ago, Pittman90 said:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KB0WJ1G/ref=pd_cp_147_1?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01K1INYD0&pd_rd_r=M8NP3JDMZY4K5XAXPMWK&pd_rd_w=i8Ihb&pd_rd_wg=i2QuD&refRID=M8NP3JDMZY4K5XAXPMWK&th=1

 

I have looked into this Asus one and it has very similar specs to the blade but its a little bit thicker, i don't know much about the build quality on it tho

Thermal throttles, the 970m version is good.

[Pittman90]

3 hours ago, Dackzy said:

No the XPS15 will not have a 1060, since a 1060 is a denser chip and what happens when you focus heat, the temps goes up, this is why we are seing laptos that could bearly handle a 970m thermal throttle so insanely fast with a 1060. Nothing about the Blade is alright it sucks ass in every single way. The best GPU we are going to see in a XPS 15 is a 1050, if they want to still have fair temps, heck a 1050 is even a bit unlikely

 

12

11

If they do not put a 1060 or 1050 what gpu would they put? I don't think they would want to put a 900 series in the new one. Is Nvidia making mobile versions of Pascall gpus or it is just the full version like we have seen in other laptops?

[Dackzy]

2 minutes ago, Pittman90 said:

If they do not put a 1060 or 1050 what gpu would they put? I don't think they would want to put a 900 series in the new one. Is Nvidia making mobile versions of Pascall gpus or it is just the full version like we have seen in other laptops?

The 1060 is way too hot, basically every single 970m laptop has a insanely hard time cooling a 1060, most cannot cool the 1060. So that is 100% out of the window.

 

The 1050 is a maybe right now, they should be able to pull it off, but the temps would also most likely get a bit worse, if they cannot pull it off with the thickness of this current XPS15, then we are most likely going to see a 960m 4gb or 965m.

 

The thing is because Pascal is a more dense chip it is harder to dissipate the heat, so we are seing much higher temps with same cooling config.

 

The only way you are getting a 1060 in a XPS 15 is

1. They say fuck it to the temps (most likely still better than the blade, but still crap)

2. They make it thicker

 

What is most likely

1. It can cool the 1050

2. They keep a maxwell GPU

 

If the XPS 15 gets a 1050, then I might consider it. I am very picky with my laptops hence the ThinkPad.

[Dackzy]

12 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

SNIP

Just read up on the 1050 and it is fairly unlikely that we are going to see that in a XPS15

[TimLampen]

I know a lot of people are trying to talk you out of buying the razer blade, but trust me it is worth it. Yes the quality of the chips you get varies, but if yours is sub par you are able to get a replacement.

[D2ultima]

2 hours ago, angaddev said:

I understand but the Blade is the only Windows laptop I know of with even semi-decent build quality & trackpad.

 

Tried the XPS 15 today and it was bulky without even having good build quality, and the trackpad was atrocious. I don't want a Clevo because they aren't portable and very ugly.

WOT?

 

WOT?

 

Listen, you know what, if all you care about is the look and feel of the thing, and you don't give a crap about actual build quality (you know, the cooling system, cooling subsystem, ease of access to parts, etc) because it looks nice? Go waste your money on a Razer blade. And if you ever encounter any problems with it, you're not allowed to complain. We told you to avoid it, and you don't care about anything but looks and outward feel. I don't have the energy to deal with people like you today.

[angaddev]

15 minutes ago, D2ultima said:

WOT?

 

WOT?

 

Listen, you know what, if all you care about is the look and feel of the thing, and you don't give a crap about actual build quality (you know, the cooling system, cooling subsystem, ease of access to parts, etc) because it looks nice? Go waste your money on a Razer blade. And if you ever encounter any problems with it, you're not allowed to complain. We told you to avoid it, and you don't care about anything but looks and outward feel. I don't have the energy to deal with people like you today.

Yeah, of course I care about the look and feel of it, I'm dropping £1500+ on a laptop. I'm not some kind of Mac fanboy, I've always been a windows fan and I have a custom desktop, but I would like a laptop to have good materials. Frankly I'm not even considering most Windows laptops because of their plastic build. Tried the XPS 15 today and the build is average in my mind and the trackpad is quite poor. Also tried the 970m blade, probably about a 7 or 8 out of 10 for the build and a very good trackpad in my mind. Keep in mind that price wise I'm comparing this to the rMBP. Tbh I'd happily take the 15 inch touch bar model if it wasn't so extortionately priced.

 

Also, regarding cooling : Benchmarks on the new HD 1060 laptop have the GPU at about 73-76C. As well as this, why would I need access to parts? Pretty sure the RAM is soldered on the blade and if I were to upgrade the SSD I'd do it in like 2 years, don't see why I need quick access to parts.

[Pendragon]

2 hours ago, angaddev said:

I understand but the Blade is the only Windows laptop I know of with even semi-decent build quality & trackpad. Tried the XPS 15 today and it was bulky without even having good build quality, and the trackpad was atrocious. I don't want a Clevo because they aren't portable and very ugly.

You're confusing build quality with build materials. 

 

14 minutes ago, angaddev said:

Tried the XPS 15 today and the build is average in my mind and the trackpad is quite poor.

Da fuck. LOL I've used both and I'd say the trackpads are the same and keyboard goes to the XPS. 

 

14 minutes ago, angaddev said:

Also tried the 970m blade

Then buy it. Like D2 mentioned if you encounter issues, it's on you. If you've played games on the 970m blade you already know how hot and loud it gets. 1060 blade is hotter and louder. And also HD. 4k drains battery and Windows scaling fucks you. I have a 4k dreamcolor professional/enterprise monitor on my zbook literally the best of the best, and for programs that don't support 4k you're absolutely fucked. 

[angaddev]

Just now, Pendragon said:

You're confusing build quality with build materials. 

Whatever you want to call it, I don't feel that the aesthetic & materials used in the construction of most Windows laptops are of a decent standard.

Just now, Pendragon said:

Da fuck. LOL I've used both and I'd say the trackpads are the same and keyboard goes to the XPS. 

It's subjective. I don't really care about the keyboard as much as the trackpad tbh, I have the 12" macbook which has a below average/average keyboard at best, but the trackpad is sublime as with most Macs.

Just now, Pendragon said:

 

Then buy it. Like D2 mentioned if you encounter issues, it's on you. If you've played games on the 970m blade you already know how hot and loud it gets. 1060 blade is hotter and louder. 

Can you name another laptop that isn't a lot heavier that has a 1060 or equivalent that won't be loud..

[Pendragon]

7 minutes ago, angaddev said:

but the trackpad is sublime as with most Macs.

i have a macbook too. ik macs have the best trackpad.

 

8 minutes ago, angaddev said:

Can you name another laptop that isn't a lot heavier that has a 1060 or equivalent that won't be loud..

no that's my point. It's not how physics work. You stuff hot components in a thin and light and what you get is fucked. 

[angaddev]

6 minutes ago, Pendragon said:

i have a macbook too. ik macs have the best trackpad.

 

no that's my point. It's not how physics work. You stuff hot components in a thin and light and what you get is fucked. 

What should I get instead then... Not seeing many laptops with decent gpus

[Pendragon]

1 minute ago, angaddev said:

Not seeing many laptops with decent gpus

GS63VR. Get a skin on it to get rid of the ugly labels. Aorus X5 v6 (1070, 1080p 120hz), Aorus X7 V6 (1070, 1440p 120hz). 

^ these are as thin as it gets. All of them REQUIRE a repaste with the best paste either Gelid GC Extreme or Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut. I would repaste these things with CLU to get good temps, but I personally haven't done it. It's a very conductive paste that needs preparation to make sure it doesn't fry your components. I've always been a Gelid guy. 

 

Btw, all those laptops I mentioned are also loud as fuck and hot as fuck. Just not as hot as the Razer Blade.