Razer tries to make a "cheap" laptop and releases their new Full HD Blade Pro 17"

[AlTech]

Razer has released a cheaper version of their quite expensive Blade Pro 17" laptop by replacing the GPU with a GTX 1060 and changing the display to a 120Hz FHD 1080p Display.

 

The new model starts at $2299 instead of the original's $4000 price point.

 

Quote

Razer products tend to be on the high-end for PC gaming enthusiasts, something demonstrated by the 17-inch Razer Blade Pro, which started at $4,000. But what if you wanted the Blade Pro's ultra-thin body but not the cost of a used car? Today, Razer announced a new iteration, in addition to the 4K Blade Pro, that's much more affordable.

The new Razer Blade Pro with full HD (1920 x 1080) and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 should go on sale this fall, and instead of costing $4,000 it'll go for $2,299. Here's what else is new.

 

The new cheaper Blade Pro 17" has the 7700HQ but unfortunately not the 7820HK as some might have hoped for. Oh well i guess .....

Battery capacity has dropped, RAM capacity has dropped and the keyboard is inferior?

 

Specs:

• i7-7700HQ @ 2.8GHz/3.8GHz Turbo
• GTX 1060 with 6GB VRAM
• 17.3" 1080p 120Hz Matte Non touch Display (This is not a G-Sync DIsplay FYI)
• 256GB PCI-E M.2 SSD + 2TB HDD
• 16GB DDR4-2400 (Upgradable to 32GB)
• Razer Core Ready
• Thunderbolt 3, 3x USB 3.0, SDXC Reader
• Killer DoubleShot Pro WiFi - (Seriously? No Intel AC or AD WiFi? What a joke!)
• 70Wh Battery - Unconfirmed whether or not it's Lithium Ion or Lithium Polymer but I suspect it is Lithium Polymer
• And you're usual Audio output with Dolby Digital Plus Home theater Edition

 

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Other changes include a mix of solid state drive (SSD) for storage with a traditional rotational drive (which can be swapped out for more SSD), replacement of the low-profile mechanical keyboard for the membrane-based one found in the 14-inch Blade, and RAM dropping to 16GB from 32GB (though you can still expand to 32GB).

 

Honestly, they should have just made a 17" Blade at this point. There are too many compromises which feel half baked. This is effectively a Blade 17" which is a shame........

 

Razer, I'm really not impressed. The 2017 Razer Blade Pro was disappointing enough as is. Who are you making this cheap version for? Did people ask for a 17" Razer Blade? I don't even know at this point. If you can't handle budget gaming laptops with the respect and treatment they deserve then just don't make a cheap gaming laptop. It's not like anybody counts on you making cheap products anytime soon anyway.

 

Left: Original 2017 Blade Pro

Right: New Cheaper Blade Pro

 

By the way, a similarly specced model of the Blade 14" costs $1899 USD versus $2299. i don't think it's worth the extra over the standard Blade 14.

 

And last but not least, this will piss off a lot of people, the "BASE" Blade Pro 17" is not THX Mobile Certified........

 

Source:

https://www.windowscentral.com/razer-blade-pro-17-full-hd'

https://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-bladehttps://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade-pro

https://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade-pro

[anonvx]

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By the way, a similarly specced model of the Blade 14" costs $1899 USD versus $2299. i don't think it's worth the extra over the standard Blade 14

Well you are paying for extra storage.

[Damascus]

4 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

By the way, a similarly specced model of the Blade 14" costs $1899 USD versus $2299. i don't think it's worth the extra over the standard Blade 14.

The 14" isn't worth IT'S price jump over something like the aero 14 or helios

[Damascus]

1 minute ago, anonvx said:

Well you are paying for extra storage.

Hdds cost like 35 bucks a tb retail

[anonvx]

Just now, Damascus said:

Hdds cost like 35 bucks a tb retail

right but its built in. So that's about it.

[AlTech]

1 minute ago, anonvx said:

Well you are paying for extra storage.

yeah, 2TB of 5400rpm HDD. The price difference isn't worth the extra HDD.

[anonvx]

Just now, AluminiumTech said:

yeah, 2TB of 5400rpm HDD. The price difference isn't worth the extra HDD.

true, I just thought id point it out.

[CtW]

Who expected this to be a budget system? Did razer put out a ton of shit before dropping this saying they were going to make an affordable laptop? I don't think so. Yeah the thing is shit anyway and overpriced but bitching at them for "failing at cheap laptops" is just an excuse to have a clickbait title so people like me can come to your post and be angry. 

 

Also who actually cares about those dolby/thx codecs anyway. It's not like you are running an entire atmos speaker setup off this thing. Also that shit tends to fuck with the actual sound quality so I'd rather they not include it anyway as its just another thing to disable.

[Evolution.]

Stop complaining yall should know Razer aint for us simple folk

[Damascus]

1 minute ago, anonvx said:

right but its built in. So that's about it.

Doubt it's soldered, if they just left a bare 2.5" sata slot open and made the prices the same you could put a 1 tb ssd in there for the difference.

[Ophidio]

This is just a bad move on Razer.... yeah peope will still buy it because it's Razer but if they wanted to make a cheap laptop then they should have made something for normal everyday use with light gaming in mind. Not just gaming, gaming, gaming, gaming. 

[Mira Yurizaki]

For $2300 I'd expect a 1440p display at least.

[AlTech]

Just now, M.Yurizaki said:

For $2300 I'd expect a 1440p display at least.

Possibly one with Gsync.

[Damascus]

1 minute ago, AluminiumTech said:

Possibly one with Gsync.

Yep, there are asus laptops with a 1070, 120hz 1080p g-sync display for the same or less.

[Princess Luna]

Wait the touchpad is actually there on the right? holy shit I would never get used to it

[anonvx]

3 minutes ago, Ophidio said:

This is just a bad move on Razer.... yeah peope will still buy it because it's Razer but if they wanted to make a cheap laptop then they should have made something for normal everyday use with light gaming in mind. Not just gaming, gaming, gaming, gaming. 

off topic but the surface pro was a horrible move on Microsoft. no thunderbolt or usb c.

[AlTech]

Just now, Princess Cadence said:

Wait the touchpad is actually there on the right? holy shit I would never get used to it

Yeah that's the same on both Blade Pro 17" models.

 

I'm not a big fan of that decision.

[PCGuy_5960]

13 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

17.3" 1080p 120Hz Matte Non touch Display (This is not a G-Sync DIsplay FYI)

At least it is 120Hz. I thought that it would have a 60Hz one. lol

[Princess Luna]

5 minutes ago, VenomZ_ said:

Stop complaining yall should know Razer aint for us simple folk

Correction Razer ain't for us experienced folk who knows how shitty they truly are once you take their insane gaming marketing cover off.

[Sentryy]

10 minutes ago, Ophidio said:

This is just a bad move on Razer.... yeah peope will still buy it because it's Razer but if they wanted to make a cheap laptop then they should have made something for normal everyday use with light gaming in mind. Not just gaming, gaming, gaming, gaming. 

like the stealth? 

[AlTech]

Just now, Sentryy said:

like the stealth? 

The Stealth has a pretty gamer vibe to me. A laptop like the XPS 13 would be a normal everyday laptop to many people.

[Guest]

How to fix Razer:

 

1) Send their laptop "engineers" back to school. Have them learn about airflow. Have them learn about the thermal effects on PC hardware.

 

2) Lower the price of the Blade 14" to about $1499 (that is a very generous number I feel). Lower the other models as needed to fit the prize gaps. Discontinue this new pro model. Give cooling pads to anyone buying more than their Stealth model.

 

3) Once their employees have learned what they need, hope that they improve their next Blade products and sell at a lower price to win back consumer confidence. Only after ~3 runs of GOOD Blade products would I recommend they try their hands at a higher price margin, but still keep a model at the $1499 price point.

 

Did I miss anything? Probably. Am I qualified to give this sort of input? No. But this seems to be the best conclusion I could reach based on various reviews both from average consumers and pros.

[Hiitchy]

I just feel like with Razer we're paying for the market name, the hardware is secondary..

[StealthArsenal]

You are paying for the name.  You could go over to XoticPC and look at several laptops from different manufacturers and find better spec'd laptops or customize the laptops to be better for under the pricing of Razer products. 

[Ophidio]

22 minutes ago, Sentryy said:

like the stealth? 

Not quite as expensive though as the stealth. Like put an i5 or very low end mobile i7 in it, 8GB or RAM only, and maybe like 256 or 512GB ssd, and a Full HD screen with the option to have a 4K screen. You know, something for the masses.