Razer’s iconic 14-inch gaming laptop now promises to be faster and more capable than ever before. The new Razer Blade’s specs have been improved across the board from its predecessor, and it is now more affordable starting at $2,999.
Under the hood is the latest 6th generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M GPU with 6 GB of VRAM. PCIe SSD technology gives you up to three times faster speeds than traditional solid-state drives.
Killer Wireless-AC is included, and all models will feature 16 GB of DDR4 dual-channel RAM.
The 0.70-inch thin, 1.92kg Blade features a 3200×1800 QHD+ display housed in a CNC-milled aircraft grade aluminum chassis.
The Razer Blade — following Razer’s Blade Stealth Ultrabook — will be the second laptop in the world equipped with individually backlit RGB keys. In what is surely a trademark for Razer by now, 16.8 million customisable colors and a range of effects for the anti-ghosted keyboard are available thanks to chroma technology.
An SDK is available for developers to integrate Chroma lighting effects in-game. It is already supported by a few AAA game titles, including Call of Duty, Dota 2, Overwatch and Blade and Soul.
The Razer Blade gaming laptop will follow the Razer Blade Stealth’s direct-to-consumer pricing model to keep costs down.
“We are getting much more aggressive as far as price point, but that hasn’t come at a cost to the performance or design of the Razer Blade,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO.
“We’ve improved nearly every aspect of the 14-inch laptop, from CPU and GPU performance to system memory and port selection.”
The new Razer Blade will be compatible with the Razer Core external graphics enclosure in the near future. Utilising Thunderbolt 3, the Razer Core will connect to the Razer Blade for desktop-class graphics and additional connectivity, like USB 3.0 and Ethernet. Thunderbolt 3 givesconnectivity via the Blade’s compact USB-C port at speeds of up to 40 Gbps.
You can pick up a new Razer Blade from today for $2,999 for the 256 GB PCIe SSD model and $3,299 for the 512 GB PCIe SSD model.
Here are the full list of specs:
• Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad-Core Processor (2.6 GHz / 3.5 GHz)
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M (6 GB GDDR5 VRAM)
• 16 GB Systems Memory (DDR4, 2133 MHz)
• Windows 10 64-bit
• 256 GB / 512 GB SSD (PCIe M.2) options
• 14.0-in. IGZO QHD+ 16:9 Ratio, 3200×1800, with LED backlight, capacitive multi-touch
• Anti-ghosting keyboard with per-key lighting Powered by Chroma
• Killer Wireless-AC 1535 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 4.1)
• Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C™)
• USB 3.0 port x3 (SuperSpeed)
• HDMI 1.4b video and audio output
• 3.5 mm headphone/microphone combo port
• Built-in webcam (2.0 MP)
• Built-in stereo speakers
• Array microphone
• Dolby Digital Plus Home Theater Edition
• 7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)
• Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) security chip embedded
• Razer Synapse enabled with programmable keyboard, trackpad, backlighting, and fan control
• Kensington security slot
• Compact 165 W power adapter
• Built-in 70 Wh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery
• Approx. Size: 0.70 in. / 17.9 mm (Height) x 13.6 in. / 345 mm (Width) x 9.3 in. / 235 mm (Depth)
• Approx. Weight: 4.25 lbs. / 1.93 kg
Razer’s pricing has been a barrier to entry for many gamers in the past — will this be a move in a new direction reaching a wider audience, or is it not low enough yet? You can get a Hololens for this much, just saying.