3.9.2019

I appreciate this is a really long review but I've tried to highlight as many pros and cons to this laptop as possible. If you are considering spending so much on a laptop then having as much info as possible is always welcome in my eyes!I've been looking for a new gaming laptop for a while but with such an expensive item as this I tend to spend a lot of time reading many professional reviews to try and narrow down what I want before I buy. At this end of the market there aren't that many options with most manufacturers only offering 1 or 2 models with limited configurations. If you've looked into this yourself you will see that there are pros and cons to all of them which makes that decision even harder.My previous laptop had an Intel i7 6700HQ and Nvidia Geforce 970m which,although fairly good at the time, I really wish I went for the 980m instead. I'm finding that laptop can no longer run games at high settings at 1080p (in fact Geforce experience recommends 720p for some games!). VR was borderline playable on an Oculus Rift CV1 which also rules out being able to use any new VR headsets with higher resolutions etc.I decided that I wanted an Nvidia 2080 Max-Q and 9th Gen Intel i7 processor. I won't be using the laptop all the time for gaming so something that is also small and light(ish) with good battery life, for browsing the net etc. Good battery life and high end CPU and GPU generally don't go together so just those requirements alone narrowed it down to just a handful of laptops.I eventually narrowed it down to the Gigabyte Aero 15x and Razer Blade 15 Advanced as both of these models appear to have the best battery life and also don't look like typical gaming laptops, other than their RGB back-lit keyboards.Why did I choose the Razer Blade?- The Razer Blade has slightly better performance in numerous benchmarks.- The Razer Blade is quieter overall, especially when not gaming and just using the laptop in Windows (fans are very quiet or off altogether). It is also slightly quieter under load.- The overall finish and build quality of the Razer seems better and looks very slick with it's milled alluminium body.- Notoriously glitchy software on the Gigabyte Aero and underwhelming AI performance.- Lots of reports of keys not registering properly or registering twice on the Gigabyte Aero.Negative things about the Razer Blade I knew about prior to purchase:- More expensive than equivalent specification from other manufacturers- Not very upgradeable (only has 2 DIMM slots and 1 NVME slot which are all populated)- Not available with NVME drive larger than 512GB- Secondary function/symbol keys STILL not back lit- 'Up' cursor arrow key located between Right Shift key and /- No Ethernet portOpening the box:When the laptop turned up I was surprised how small the box was. I know the laptop is small anyway but they certainly aren't wasting any packaging with this laptop! There wasn't much in the box other than the laptop and the PSU (which is quite chunky!). There was also a small microfibre cloth for cleaning the screen and chassis. Unfortunately there was no freebies in the box with this laptop and at nearly £3k it would have been nice to have a game or something to showcase the laptop's performance, especially from a company such as Razer that primarily make kit for gamers!Chassis:The laptop looks very slick and design-wise it's probably one of the nicest laptops I've ever seen. It's incredibly thin at 0.7 inch thick and feels very solid but it's not too heavy. It has a matte finish to the 1080p 240Hz screen and a really narrow bezel surrounding it. I really don't think they could have made this laptop any smaller if they tried - and to think it has an Intel i7 9750 and Nvidia Geforce 2080 Max-Q crammed in there really is quite mind blowing. The laptop has a black matte finish on its aluminium chassis, and yes, it's a massive fingerprint magnet! One thing I really don't like is the front lip for opening and closing the laptop, the edges of where this recesses are quite sharp and uncomfortable to rest your wrists on. Razer could have rounded this off and it would have been perfect.Screen:Thankfully there's no backlight bleed or dead pixels at all on this laptop which is a massive relief because once I see something like that I'll always focus on it afterwards and it will just irritate me! The screen is very clear and the colours are great. It's perhaps not as bright as some other laptops but for indoor use it's absolutely fine. The 240Hz refresh rate makes a massive difference, even in Windows, and the mouse cursor and dragging windows etc. is buttery smooth. Unfortunately this laptop's screen doesn't support Nvidia G-Sync which would have been the icing on the cake, but apparently G-Sync does not work with Optimus (laptops that use the Intel graphics when in Windows and switch to the Nvidia graphics when gaming etc.). You can always plug a G-Sync monitor into one of it's various display connectivity ports and it will work fine.Keyboard:The keyboard has very shallow travel in the keys which I'm still getting used to but that is something that some people prefer. The 'Up' cursor arrow on the keyboard is located in between the right shift key and the / key. Whoever came up with that design decision has obviously never used a keyboard before. For starters most gamers will use W, S, A and D instead of the cursor keys. Anyone who types and uses their right pinky finger to press the shift key is going to find themselves constantly pressing 'Up' when typing... and that is... really infuriating but I am getting used to it.Keyboard Lighting:The lack of back lighting on the function and symbol keys is a really bad design decision by Razer, especially as they have been criticised for this with earlier models. I'm really disappointed that they didn't sort it out for this laptop which is incredibly expensive and one of their flagship models... it just seems that despite so much backlash from this they decided to not fix it... unless you live in America. Razer do not sell spare parts so even if a new version of the keyboard is released for the UK laptops with this fixed you probably won't be able to buy one and install it yourself. If you use a keyboard a lot then you will remember which symbols are on which keys but now I find myself inadvertently needing to think about where a key is if the lightning is quite low in the room - not so much for gaming but for browsing the net etc. On the plus side you do have full control of the keyboard lighting with the Razer Synapse software which gives per-key Razer Chroma lighting and profiles etc.Graphics:Gaming wise I've been really impressed with this laptop so far. The 2080 Max-Q demolishes anything I've thrown at it in 1080p and the 240Hz refresh rate does make things even smoother (it's just not G-Sync though!). It's definitely not desktop 2080 performance that's for sure - it's a heavily down clocked 2080 and performs roughly the same as a desktop 2070 which is still impressive for a device this size. This laptop has the 90W version of the 2080 Max-Q (opposed to the 80W version) and therefore is slightly faster. There's plenty of benchmarks out there to give you an idea of performance though. VR is buttery smooth on this laptop, including the Valve Index which is a brand new headset with higher resolution and refresh rates than previous headsets.Battery Life:At a push I can probably get about 5 hours out of the laptop with the screen brightness and keyboard lighting set very low and just browsing the internet on WiFi. Anything more demanding and the battery life plummets quite quickly. When gaming don't expect any miracles with the battery life and perhaps an hour at the most - I've not really tested this because it's very noticeable that you are running on battery as the frame rate and quality is heavily reduced. At least the Nvidia Experience software is fairly aggressive on settings when running on battery to try and extend the battery life.Noise and Temperatures:When using the laptop on battery for things like browsing the net etc. it's completely silent and the fans only come on when the CPU is being heavily utilised for anything. When gaming and plugged into the mains the cooling fans are quite loud but it is supposed to be quieter than a lot of other gaming laptops out there. You will probably want headphones if you are gaming to drown the fans out, which have a white noise tone to them. The 2080 Max Q seems to max out at 70 degrees after a reasonably long gaming session. The cooling solution is borderline sufficient for this laptop and I 'm not going to even attempt to overclock the GPU or CPU. Due to the limited cooling capacity of this laptop the temperatures will definitely spiral out of control very quickly. The CPU temperatures really seem to be the problem with this laptop though and I've seen them getting into the 90's which is pretty close to the TJ Max of the CPU (in which case it will start to throttle heavily). I used Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility to apply a 140mV under volt (-0.140V) on the CPU and that has made quite a difference but this CPU just runs very hot under load. You can also use ThrottleStop to achieve the same thing but there's a bit of learning curve and a lot of settings that you most likely won't use. You shouldn't have to under volt a brand new laptop to stop the CPU from melting though.The bottom of the laptop also gets incredibly hot when gaming so it'd definitely not suitable to use on your lap unless you fancy becoming infertile. I purchased a Gryf Lapdesk (ASIN B07BG9RS78) which means I can use it on my laptop for gaming if I want to but I prefer to use it on a table. Whilst gaming the area above the function keys gets quite hot but the keyboard itself is relatively cool. You can feel the air being dragged through the keyboard which is quite an ingenious way of keeping it cool with just the middle of the keyboard being warm to the touch. The laptop cools down pretty quickly after you stop gaming as does the volume of the fans.Trackpad:The trackpad on this laptop is massive and much bigger than most of its competitors. The mouse buttons are integrated into the trackpad but I think I would have preferred individual buttons for left and right clicks. It's not a bad trackpad and it's quite nice to use but I had to turn some of the multi finger gestures off because it would incorrectly register a 3 or 4 finger swipe which minimises your windows etc. This could actually be a Windows issue and not the trackpad itself though. I'm using a wireless mouse with this laptop quite a lot which works fine but one thing that is really annoying is that when I have a mouse connected I don't want the trackpad to work because tapping the trackpad with your palm causes accidental movement or clicks in Windows and games. The trackpad can be turned on and off in the Windows trackpad settings BUT there's no keyboard function key or option in the Razer Synapse to toggle this feature so you have to open the settings every time you want to change it. If you leave your Logitech mouse's dongle connected all the time then Windows will think a mouse is connected even if the mouse is turned off and you'll need to go into the trackpad settings to turn it off.... or wear out a USB port by repeatedly inserting and removing a USB dongle.Miscellaneous:There is a webcam built in that supports Windows Hello for Bio-metric unlock and this seems to work really well but as a webcam the quality is very poor and you would be better off with an external webcam if you plan on video calling etc. There is no Ethernet port on this laptop which is not ideal but the Wireless works really well and also supports WiFi 6 which is a new standard that hasn't been widely adopted yet. I found the Amazon Basics USB 3 to Ethernet adapter works really well and I keep that in my laptop bag in case I ever need to connect a network cable. The laptop only has a 12 month warranty which I'm not too pleased about considering how much it cost. I decided to purchase a separate extended warranty with accidental cover... just in case. I'm appalled that Razer are not offering NMVE drives larger than 512 GB as a configuration option. This is a high end gaming laptop and it's very easy to fill 512 GB when you have to factor in your Windows installation too. I upgraded the drive to a 2TB Samsung EVO 970 Plus which works perfectly but is another significant cost on top of a significantly more expensive laptop.I really love this laptop but the small number of shortcomings are stopping me from giving it a full 5 stars because it's not perfect and those things do annoy me. As this price point this should be the perfect laptop but I can't say that it is but it does come close for me.

29.10.2019

I bought the base model for work. I sometimes produce videos for our online training courses, and rendering videos takes all the resources your computer has. Not only it will make use of 100% of your CPU, but it also uses some GPU as well. I use Cyberlink Power Director and the 2060 GPU is used at about 25% while rendering.The base model comes with the ethernet port, and as I work in an engineering company, it is very useful to connect our controllers directly on the laptop.The laptop does look a bit "gaming", but it is not that obvious. It is a thin and light laptop, so it can be definitely used for work without looking "weird".The power supply brick is ok, you expect it to be larger than usual due to the required power.Size and weight are absolutely fine for portability. The cable is very robust, but very thick as well though. Probably a bit too much to my opinion, which makes it a bit more difficult to make it "easily portable" unfortunately.The extra 2.5" bay is super useful, I installed an extra 1TB SSD, so I can also use this laptop for some gaming, which is brilliant.It did present a blue screen when bought and I had shivers down my spine. I did follow the recommendation of installing official latest nVidia drivers, never had a single problem since for about 1 month of regular use now.So remember to install the official nVidia drivers straight away!Cooling is ok, but if you are gaming or rendering I would recommend using a cooling pad underneath. With the cooling pad you stress the internal fans less. The CPU will still go max to 89/90 degC, the GPU about 70/71 degC. For a thin and light laptop these temperatures are expected and they should not cause any throttling.The fans are quite noisy when gaming, but again, it is quite normal for such devices.I had a Dell XPS before and when not under load the XPS was quieter. I checked and also there the fans were running many (all...) times when not under load, but they are quieter at low speed. In the Razer blade you can tell when the fans are on also at low speed, and they are on many times.Remember that with Synapse you can control the profile on the System section. Change it to "Gaming" or "Creator" when you need power, but leave it in "Balanced" when just going through emails etc, so the fans and components will run less.Built quality is not bad at all. In some aspects I think better than the XPS, where for example the low voltage lead of the power supply started peeling and showing the wires inside after about 1 year of (careful) use.The base model is definitely still thin and light. I can't compare with the advanced model, but the extra 2mm might give better cooling performances based on some other reviews found online. I can't say that myself, I can only say it works fine in my case.Trackpad is absolutely amazing. Keyboard is ok, a laptop keyboard. No complain with that.The base model can't switch off the razer logo on the top, keep that in mind...144Hz display is amazing, I use it already on myu desktop.External monitor works actually better than on my XPS, it doesn't get "confused" with which is the main one and secondary one. Consider that the external monitor though will always use the nVidia card, therefore using more power if you are on battery (like running a presentation with a projector, for example).Sound output from the 3.5mm jack is amazing. I tried the Sennheiser HD650, which are hard to drive, and the output can drive them already to decent levels. Not as an amplifier does, but definitely satisfying.Internal cam is average, not impressed. But in the right position at least, no "nose cam".

16.2.2019

One very important note:The non-US version does have the old keyboard lighting. Secondary functions aren't lit as advertised on the US keyboard. This could be a deal breaker for some, as for this was something I was looking forward to as well.Pros:Full metal bodySexy blackA small form factor powerhouseGood battery life (6-7 hours on maximum battery saving)Handles VR easilyFull RGB keyboardGood sound qualityPorts galoreEasy access to internals for upgrade or cleaning purposesSurprisingly silent fansgreat 144Hz panelAir intake through keyboardCons:Keyboard problem stated aboveFingerprint magnet sexy blackOnly one M.2 slotNo SD card slotCPU Overheat (read update part)Will update the list over time as I have it only for a couple days for now,

20.4.2019

I've always been a fan of Razor products since my first Razor Blade 14" some years ago. I currently have the Razor Stealth 13.3" and wanted to replace my large desktop with the new Razor Blade Advanced.Since placing my first order in February, I've had 2x Razor Blade Advanced 15" 2070 512GB 144Hz models and 1x Razor Blade Advanced 15" 2070 512GB 4K model.Both of the 144Hz models were returned due to various issues, including:- Coin whine (both)- Screen bleeding (both)- Instability (one)- Thunderbolt port not working (one)Having to return 1 laptop at this price is annoying, but having to return 2 is a shambles - it shows that there are some serious quality control issues somewhere down the line,

2.2.2020

The best looking gaming laptop you can buy. Yes it's more expensive than other gaming laptops with the same specs but you won't find one with better build quality or looks.The Good:The 240hz screen is buttery smooth and perfect for gaming, going back to a regular 60hz screen will feel ugly.The RTX 2070 will handle literally any current game you throw at it at 1080p max settings.The keyboard feels great to use and the RGB colours are just gorgeous.You can upgrade the memory and storage very easily to make this machine even more of a beast.Very decent battery life. You're not really going to be gaming without the device plugged in but doing some web browsing,

3.5.2020

I recently tried buying a similar spec'd model from another brand. It was loud, thermals weren't great and it felt cheap, which says alot when it was around £1k.Really I always wanted a Razer Blade but was originally put off by the price but after the previous experience I thought screw it I can at least try it, and my god it's good. Straight away you can tell it's well build. Strong and sturdy, premium feel and a gorgeous matte black finish.I tested it with GTA5 and Division 2 which my previous laptop just about played ok and it smashes through them with ease. Not to mention I've never had to switch to gaming mode yet for the extra performance. It's quiet (as laptops go) and thermals are ok.

3.1.2020

Razor Blade. This is an outstanding laptop with its bells and whistles: the RGB lighting on the keyboard, windows Hello and other parts that make this laptop stand out from the cliche big-heavy-ugly laptops.The positives are: Design,Materials,Weight,Basicaly frameless screen with a perfect refresh rate for gaming and a really good color transition.The laptop shows fantastic productivity results for such a slim and sleek size!The negatives are: The laptop gets quite hot and if you are playing on the laptop using its keyboard it will be quite uncomfortable for you hand due to the heat. As well the power block kind of ruins the compactness of the actual laptop because it’s huge and really bulky.Overall,

2.6.2019

I sympathise with the people who obviously got some defective models soon after release, but I wouldn't let that put you off. I guess there will always be a small percentage of people who get an unlucky experience.My Razer Blade 2019 model arrived and it's just perfect.-Performance is amazing for a laptop. Fire strike score 17,000.-Despite the powerhouse performance, the battery can last up to 10 hours for normal office work!-Battery lasts for at least 6 hours when streaming video or watching movies.-Super fast start-up-No bloatware. Just plug it in, and start working.-I've had many Alienware and Dell XPS over the years. This is the best laptop so far.-Can't think of any downsides

20.4.2020

been enjoying this laptop for almost a year now and i can say it is a good laptop.i use it for school as it is a light laptop and never had problems with transporting it, and i use it for gaming.whenever im using it i place it in a laptop stand to avoid stressing my wrist so it always has good ventilation.however, the upper part of the keyboard gets VERY hot to the point you cant touch above the keyboard for over 2 seconds.i contatcted Razer about it and was told its normal for a RTX 2060 so i have been playing as normal.i will update this review if i have any trouble regarding overheating but so far i had no performance issues.

15.6.2020

I bought this laptop to replace my aging one, and I must admit it was worth the upgrade, but there are some pro's and cons.Pros:Great Laptop, works a treat.Graphics are perfect for the games I play (I havent played any very recent games but I imagine it can handle high settings)Cons:Extremely noisy and fans are constantly on for any type of gaming.The battery life gets drained quickly while playing any game.It's very easy to notice smudges on the chassis.

19.10.2019

Its a great laptop for gaming and university life. The only issue with this laptop is cleaning and taking care of the laptop every 2 months if you love your laptop like me then you won’t have any problems for 10 years at least. This is a very high end laptop And The razer blade Is one of the most popular products by razer. I recommend the rtx2060 since it runs All the new games.

19.6.2019

Perfect color for daily use whoever you wouldn't be. Top specs for gamers and content creators. Fantastic thermals and vent noise. Plenty of other useful functions. There are more pluses over the minuses which are minor. I'd recommend this model for people looking for a Windows Macbook, it really is. I'd wish the storage would come with an 1TB SSD for that price though.

4.2.2020

Absolutely crazy how powerful this is. It exceeds every expectation and works so well with chroma integration with other razer devices. Its astonishing the performance it produced both gaming and word processing for work and University work.Overall the best laptop and computer i have ever had. This replaced by laptop and my desktop and It's the best buy ever.

11.3.2019

The one I received had poor battery life. I went for this laptop because I wanted something that had great built quality and high spec components inside. I'm not a gamer, the machine was primarily going to be used to build software. However, the battery life was woeful so returned it for a refund.

20.2.2020

It's a very good laptop with great specs and amazing build quality. It just feels very nice to use overall and the clean design is quite visually pleasing. No gaming aesthetics is a huge plus, though I wish the logo on the back wasn't recessed, it makes getting clean logo-less skins impossible.

Razer Blade 15 (2019) - Reviews

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