The Razer Blade is often referred to as 'that overpriced laptop' followed by people saying "I could totally build a more powerful desktop for so much cheaper". Others say that it is "that sexy beast of a machine that I will give my first born child for". There are reasons people say both of these things, which I shall explore a little more in this review.
This is where the word 'sexy'comes in to play. This laptop looks good. I mean real good. One of the things I had noticed when first looking at the Blade was the size. It is a very thin laptop, but don't be fooled, as it is also very sturdy. I was worried at first thinking that it would snap if you mashed those keys a little too hard, but, unlike some other super thin laptops, it didn't feel like this at all.
You can tell that a lot of design has gone into this laptop, which is something Razer like to make apparent. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but a lot of smart people with brains and stuff have put a lot of work into the heat distribution of the Razer Blade.
The Blade looks sleek and neat and is not very heavy, making it very easy to carry around for a gamer on the go. This is also handy when you don't want to drag your big desktop around to your mate's place for a quick gaming session. Another thing that makes it even better for gamers on the go is the power pack, more specifically the size of it. The power pack is TINY, which is a great relief due to the standard we have grown a custom to with big gaming laptops.
One more point worth mentioning as well is the battery life of the Blade. Of course battery life can change a lot depending on what you are doing and what you have various setting on, such as screen brightness, but through my use, the laptop lasted many hours on a single charge, making it great for university students.
The 2014 model of the Razer Blade we got our hands on (they have a new version out which has updated hardware) has an i7-4702HQ processor coupled with 8GB of 1600MHz RAM and a GTX 870M GPU. This thing is a beast, especially for such a slimline 14inch laptop. Speaking of such craziness in a 14inch laptop, let's not forget about the QHD+ LED touch screen with a native resolution of 3200x1800. Everything looks B-E-A-UTIFUL on this screen - perfect to make your gaming experience a step above the rest and also making it very handy for designers who require a high quality screen.
I’ve tried a few different games on the Razer Blade and have only seen good things. I had noticed that while playing The Sims U that the system fans spun up quite loud, but it didn't drop frames or alter the gaming experience. However the noise was a tad annoying. It didn't get as loud when playing Evolve, which was good. The good thing is that where your hands rest on the laptop when playing doesn't get overly hot. This is thanks to that science stuff they did which directs the heat near the top of the chassis near the power button. That area definitely gets hot, almost to the stage you could cook on it - but Razer have distributed the heat here intentionally as it is somewhere you would never touch when using the laptop.
There are 3 USB3.0 ports and a HDMI port. There aren't any other display ports and there is no ethernet port, but I don't see this as a bad thing. Majority of screens now have HDMI compatibility and if you have a Razer Blade, my guess is you would have a decent screen/TV if you are wanting to connect it up. The no ethernet port is due to the small profile of the laptop and I much prefer the smaller laptop instead of an ethernet port.
The Razer Blade is a premium laptop. Razer always seem to be pushing the envelope when it comes to their hardware and the Blade is no exception. It's obvious that with the price tag attached to the Razer Blade that is it not for everyone, but for those who do want the best and can afford the best, I highly consider the Razer Blade.