The 2015 Razer Blade Review
by Brett Howse on February 11, 2015 2:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
- Razer
- Razer Blade
- Notebooks
- GTX970M
Final Words
For 2015, we have a new Razer Blade, which on the outside is a dead ringer for last year’s model. We have the same design, the same keyboard, trackpad, strong aluminum body, and fantastic QHD+ display. All of those features were already excellent on the previous model, so Razer stayed conservative and kept all of it the same. Razer builds one of the best looking, most polished, and high quality gaming laptops on the market, so it makes sense not to rock the boat.
For 2015, what we have is more inside. You cannot see it from afar, but once you start using the new Blade, the new power becomes readily apparent. The GTX 970M is a perfect addition to this laptop, and we have seen sometimes up to 50% better performance than the 2014 model. The new card is much better at driving the 3200x1800 display, and with the new 1080p model sharing the same GPU, performance should be excellent.
The GTX 970M is somewhat of an obvious upgrade though. The 2014 model had the 870M, so it only makes sense that the new model would get the replacement for that card. What was a nice surprise for the 2015 model is both the new CPU, and the increased system memory. For the memory, the outgoing model’s 8 GB of RAM was a sore spot for me on a premium priced laptop. The move to 16 GB of DDR3L-1600 should satisfy most users’ needs for quite a while. It is extra important that Razer outfits the laptop with this because the RAM is soldered to the motherboard, so user upgrades are out of the question. And just to be clear, the review unit we received, and all of the 3200x1800 models will come with 16 GB of memory, but the 1080p model will be limited to 8 GB. The extra system RAM really opens the Razer Blade up to be more of a general purpose computer, with enough RAM for a couple of virtual machines to be running at any one time, or other memory intensive software.
The CPU is a very big boost as well, which could easily be overshadowed by the new graphics card. The move the 47 watt CPU gives a sharp boost in performance for all tasks, and the cooling system does not seem to be strained at all with the extra heat. With four cores at 2.6 GHz, hyperthreading, and boost clocks of 3.6 GHz, the CPU is quite a big upgrade. Once again, this opens the door to more non-gaming workloads for this device, which should increase its appeal.
Razer has added all of these internal upgrades, but one more thing that was not changed was the price. With a faster CPU, more RAM, and an upgraded GPU, the 2015 Razer Blade comes in at exactly the same price as last year’s model. Yes, they still offer the silly 128 GB SSD version, which you should really avoid if you are considering this device and are not comfortable replacing the SSD. Companies like to charge a lot for upgrades, and Razer is no exception, with the 256 GB model being $200 more than the 128 GB model. The 512 GB model is another $300 above that.
The base price of the 1080p model with a 256 GB SSD comes in at just under $2000, and the 1800p versions are priced at $2200 for 128 GB, $2400 for 256 GB, and $2700 for 512 GB. It is a lot of money for a 14” gaming laptop. Luckily the quality of the components really are top notch. For the money, you get a great display, good keyboard, excellent trackpad, and powerful internals wrapped in a thin machined aluminum body. It is a lot of money, but it is also a great experience.
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Oxford_Guy - Friday, February 13, 2015 - link
For me 14" is the perfect size, not too big, not too small. 15.6" laptops have become even more bloated these days, as everyone seems to add a pointless numpad to thempuppies - Friday, February 13, 2015 - link
Is "only" 8GB of RAM really a problem? What % of people that buy these machines ever get close to utilising anywhere near that amount? These are gaming machines, i'm sure the odd graphics designer buys one for 3d rendering but i'm sure that 99% of people that spec the 16GB haven't got a clue that it does nothing to speed up BF4 and facebook.sviola - Sunday, February 15, 2015 - link
Well, I was to buy a laptop a couple of weeks ago, and did not buy the Razer because it did not have a 16 GB option. Part of my decision was based on the price (at this price, 16 GB is a must) and, more important, due to my usage of the laptop (I'm always running at least one VM, a app server, ide and db server, so 16 GB do come in handy).MGSMiami - Saturday, February 14, 2015 - link
."...$2700 for 512 GB. It is a lot of money for a 14” gaming laptop. Luckily the quality of the components really are top notch. For the money, you get a great display," Personal preferences aside, I don't believe the kind of gaming experience for which this laptop is built can be savored on a 14" high-rez screen...So many people use their laptops as desktop replacements, I just can't imagine the experience of the game on an itsby-bitsy weeny-teeny screen with all those powerful components aside. I game on a 55" LG and the experience is thrilling. My notebook is 17.3" Asus ROG and that is about the limit for screen real estate, resolution issues aside. I'm not a fan of razer products, nor their marketing strategy...Now let's wait for a similar review for the new iteration coming in February of 2016.DanB1 - Sunday, February 15, 2015 - link
This laptop is obviously a niche product, and whilst you have selected a 17" as your choice, I'm sure there are others that this laptop would suit better. I've had a 17" gamin laptop, and it's hardly what you would call portable for a day to day role. Additionally the size of a 15" laptop can be a drawback also in terms of specific size requirements for carriage, in my example, I don't want to carry around a larger backpack just to facilitate the size of my laptop. The 14" size for me is great. In my view this laptop fits into what I would like in a laptop, the ability to casually play the latest AAA games at night whilst I'm on the road, combined with just enough battery to facilitate my work needs during the day. Combined with the build quality, tiny PSU and the fact it isn't a Mac makes this one of two laptops I am currently considering purchasing. I think I would prefer the 1080p version, especially it provides slightly longer battery life, although as with all gaming laptops I am not expecting to be able to game whilst unplugged... you can't even do that in a 17" example...GekkePrutser - Saturday, February 14, 2015 - link
One thing I really don't get: why didn't they go for Broadwell??Brett Howse - Sunday, February 15, 2015 - link
The quad-core Broadwell CPUs are not out yet. Just the dual-core 15w versions.Shadowmaster625 - Monday, February 16, 2015 - link
$2199.99 for 128GB QHD+ Model$2399.99 for 256GB QHD+ Model
WTF Why are companies still pulling this kind of crap in 2015? Two hundred dollars for 128GB?
Coldkilla - Tuesday, February 17, 2015 - link
When can we expect to find this on Amazon? I have $200 in gift cards I'd like to apply to purchasing one of these but all I see is the 2014 model currently.colint13 - Tuesday, February 17, 2015 - link
Will there be a review of the Gigabyte P34W v3? Similar specs as the 1080p 2015 Blade but for $300 less.