Review: Razer Blade (2017)

by Parm Mann on 20 March 2017, 16:30

Tags: Razer, Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qadfdr

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Test Methodology

Comparison Laptops - Part One

System Name
Form Factor
15.6in
15.6in
15.6in
14.0in
CPU
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Intel Core i7-6820HK
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
CPU Base Frequency
2.6GHz
2.7GHz
2.6GHz
2.8GHz
CPU Turbo Frequency
3.5GHz
4.0GHz
3.5GHz
3.8GHz
CPU Cores / Threads
4 / 8
4 / 8
4 / 8
4 / 8
CPU TDP
45W
45W
45W
45W
Memory
32GB DDR4 (4x8GB)
16GB DDR4 (2x8GB)
8GB DDR4 (1x8GB)
16GB DDR4 (1x16GB)
Memory Speed
2,133MHz at 15-15-15-36-2T
2,400MHz at 16-16-16-39-2T
2,133MHz at 15-15-15-36-2T
2,400MHz at 17-17-17-39-2T
Integrated GPU
Intel HD 530
-
Intel HD 530
Intel HD 630
Dedicated GPU(s)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M 8GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M 2GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
Display
15.6in SHP1436 4K UHD IPS (3,840x2,160)
15.6in MEI96A2 WQHD+ IPS (2,880x1,620)
15.6in CMN15C4 Full-HD TN (1,920x1,080)
14.0in LGD049A QHD IPS (2,560x1,440)
Battery Capacity
73Wh
94Wh
48Wh
94Wh
Wireless
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
Killer Wireless-AC 1535
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
Network
Killer E2200 Gigabit Ethernet
Killer E2200 Gigabit Ethernet
Realtek Gigabit Ethernet
Realtek Gigabit Ethernet
Primary Storage
256GB Samsung SM951 NVMe M.2 SSD
256GB Samsung SM951 NVMe M.2 SSD
256GB SK hynix M.2 SSD
512GB Samsung SM951 NVMe M.2 SSD
Secondary Storage
1TB HGST Travelstar 7K1000 2.5in HDD
1TB HGST Travelstar 7K1000 2.5in HDD
1TB HGST Travelstar 7K1000 2.5in HDD
-
Optical Drive
-
-
DVD writer
-
Power Supply
200W External
200W External
120W External
150W External
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
Dimensions (W x D x H)
390mm x 272mm x 22.9mm
390mm x 272mm x 22.9mm
384mm x 256mm x 35.1mm
335mm x 250mm x 19.9mm
Weight
2.5kg
2.5kg
2.6kg
1.9kg
Standard Warranty
Two years
Two years
One year
Two years
Date Reviewed
April 2016
September 2016
February 2016
February 2017
Price When Reviewed
£2,200
£2,100
£875
£1,800

Comparison Laptops - Part Two

System Name
Form Factor
15.6in
15.6in
14.0in
14.0in
CPU
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
CPU Base Frequency
2.6GHz
2.6GHz
2.6GHz
2.8GHz
CPU Turbo Frequency
3.5GHz
3.5GHz
3.5GHz
3.8GHz
CPU Cores / Threads
4 / 8
4 / 8
4 / 8
4 / 8
CPU TDP
45W
45W
45W
45W
Memory
16GB DDR4 (2x8GB)
16GB DDR4 (2x8GB)
16GB DDR4 (2x8GB)
16GB DDR4 (2x8GB)
Memory Speed
2,133MHz at 15-15-15-36-2T
2,400MHz at 16-16-16-39-2T
2,133MHz at 13-13-13-35-2T
2,400MHz at 17-17-17-39-2T
Integrated GPU
Intel HD 530
Intel HD 530
Intel HD 530
Intel HD 630
Dedicated GPU(s)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M 8GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M 3GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
Display
15.6in LGD040E Full-HD IPS (1,920x1,080)
15.6in SHP1436 4K UHD IPS (3,840x2,160)
14.0in LGD046D Full-HD IPS (1,920x1,080)
14.0in LGD046D Full-HD IPS (1,920x1,080)
Battery Capacity
76Wh
76Wh
45Wh
70Wh
Wireless
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
Killer Wireless-AC 1535
Network
Realtek Gigabit Ethernet
Realtek Gigabit Ethernet
Realtek Gigabit Ethernet
-
Primary Storage
256GB Samsung SM951 NVMe M.2 SSD
256GB Samsung SM951 NVMe M.2 SSD
240GB Kingston SSDNow M.2 SSD
256GB Samsung PM951 NVMe M.2 SSD
Secondary Storage
1TB HGST Travelstar 7K1000 2.5in HDD
1TB HGST Travelstar 7K1000 2.5in HDD
1TB WD Blue 2.5in HDD
-
Optical Drive
DVD writer
Blu-ray writer
-
-
Power Supply
200W External
230W External
180W
165W
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
Dimensions (W x D x H)
385mm x 270mm x 20.9mm
385mm x 270mm x 20.9mm
349mm x 247mm x 25.4mm
345mm x 235mm x 17.9mm
Weight
2.4kg
2.4kg
2.0kg
1.9kg
Standard Warranty
Two years
Two years
Three years
One year
Date Reviewed
December 2015
December 2016
March 2015
March 2017
Price When Reviewed
£1,700
£1,999
£999
£1,800

CPU Benchmarks

HEXUS PiFast Our number-crunching PiFast test is used to benchmark the computational power of each system's CPU.
Cinebench Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses as many cores as possible.
HandBrake Free-to-use video encoder that stresses all CPU cores.

Memory and Storage Benchmarks

AIDA64 Benchmark that analyses memory bandwidth and latency.
CrystalDiskMark Popular free-to-use storage benchmark, used to gauge sequential performance and aggregated 4K QD32 speeds.

System and Gaming Benchmarks

3DMark DX11, default Fire Strike test.
Gaming A selection of modern titles are tested at various resolutions.

Miscellaneous Benchmarks

Display Datacolor's Spyder 4 Elite professional monitor analyser is used to return a quantitative assessment of display quality.
Power Consumption Noted for system idling, under HandBrake video-transcoding load, and for GPU playing Dirt Rally.
Temperature Noted for CPU idling, under HandBrake video-transcoding load, and for GPU playing Dirt Rally.
Battery Life Measured while looping a high-definition movie clip with 50 per cent screen brightness and flight mode enabled.

Notes

We have a range of 14in and 15.6in laptops in our line-up, but the most pressing comparison is between the 2017 Razer Blade and the Gigabyte Aero 14W v7. Both are 14in machines outfitted with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ and GTX 1060 graphics, yet it hasn't escaped our attention that the latter offers twice the storage and a higher-resolution display for the same amount of money.