The Razer Blade has earned a stable popularity among the ones seeking out a lightweight gaming pocket book, but what if your cell gaming rig also doubles as your productiveness gadget? Sure, a 14-inch machine ought to technically get the activity performed but a running expert could greatly gain from some thing a chunk larger in case you plan this to be your laptop substitute. The extra real property for gaming would not harm both.

If it’s an all-in-one gaming and productivity gadget you’re after, Razer might encourage you to test out the bigger Blade Pro. The 2015 revision functions a beneficiant 17.3-inch show which offers the real estate essential for the highlight of the notebook, Razer’s Switchblade UI.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, allow’s begin with the basics. The Blade Pro is powered through Intel’s Core i7-4720HQ, a quad-middle chip clocked at 2.6GHz (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz), mated to 16GB of DDR3 RAM along a 512GB mSATA SSD and a 1TB tough pressure for garage.

Razer Blade Pro (2015)
Starts at $2,299, $2,799.ninety nine as examined

  • 17.3” 1920 x 1080 IPS LCD (127 PPI)
  • 2.6GHz - three.6GHz Intel Core i7–4720HQ
  • 16GB DDR3L 1,600MHz RAM
  • Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M GPU 4GB GDDR5
  • 512GB SSD + 1TB HDD
  • Backlit anti-ghosting keyboard
  • Razer Switchblade UI
  • three x USB 3.0 , 1 x HDMI 1.4a
  • 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 4.zero
  • Windows 8.1 sixty four-bit
  • 6.seventy six lbs, sixteen.8" x 10.9" x zero.88" inches

Curiously enough, Razer has elected to equip the Blade Pro with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M (4GB GDDR5 VRAM) and a 1080p IPS show. Its smaller, extra gaming oriented sibling ships with a GTX 970M and as much as a QHD+ (three,200 x 1,800) panel.

Elsewhere, the device includes 802.eleven a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth four.zero, a backlit anti-ghosting keyboard and a 74Wh lithium-ion battery. Our charge as tested nowadays is $2,799.ninety nine because of the extra garage, however it’s really worth citing that the Blade Pro may be had for as low as $2,299.99 in case you choose the 128GB SSD and a 500GB HDD.

The laptop measures approximately sixteen.eight” x 0.88” x 10.9” for width, top and depth, respectively, whilst tipping the scales at a slim (for its length) 6.seventy six kilos.

The Hardware

Razer used a CNC aluminum chassis to construct the Blade Pro in place of stamped aluminum for introduced rigidity. It’s black in coloration despite the fact that under vivid lights, it takes on extra of a grayish tint.

The lid capabilities two diffused ledges at approximately a quarter and three-fourths throughout that offer a chunk of depth. Razer’s iconic snake logo is positioned in the middle among the ledges, emitting a inexperienced glow whilst the laptop is in use.

The the front edge of the machine capabilities a unmarried LED indicator at the left side that lighting fixtures up inexperienced and then pulses white whilst the machine is on with the lid closed. There’s a beveled facet inside the middle that makes it less complicated to open the lid and takes place to provide an area on your wrists (properly, at the least the right one) to rest easily at some stage in use.

The right facet of the Blade Pro is likewise very minimalistic shop for the Kensington protection slot and cooling vents near the back. The rear of the system is devoid of any connections or cooling vents which leads us to the left aspect in which you’ll find a headphone jack, three USB 3.zero ports with inexperienced internals to suit Razer’s subject matter, an HDMI port, Ethernet jack and the electricity connector. It’s worth highlighting the fact that there’s no memory card slot or DisplayPort connection.

A 2nd set of cooling vents is likewise positioned on the left part near the returned of the device. These vents and the others are aided by means of backside vents with fans that draw in cool air from the lowest and expel it out the edges of the gadget.

Post-buy reminiscence and garage improvements appear to be viable as there are extra than a dozen screw holes lining the perimeter on the bottom of the device. They’ve been protected with a small cap for classy purposes but I suspect these could easily be popped off to dispose of the screws and advantage get right of entry to to the internals.

With 16GB of RAM on tap, up to 512GB of speedy strong kingdom garage and 1TB of extra storage space, the best cause you’d ever actually need to get inside would be to update lifeless hardware.

A pair of big rubber ft on the rear and two smaller ones up the front presents masses of elevation for the cooling device and ensures the laptop stays positioned at some stage in excessive gaming sessions. And if it’s no longer apparent, the battery is non-detachable (now not easily, at least) as it’s constructed into the machine.

Lifting the lid famous a considerable bezel that frames the 1080p matte finish show. At the top is a 2-megapixel webcam flanked by way of microphones on either facet. If you look carefully at the top corners of the bezel, it appears as although there was as soon as some padding hooked up for cushioning purposes when the lid is closed but they have been nowhere to be determined here (or in any press fabric).

Below the display, you’ll see that Razer has discreetly printed the “Blade” branding. If you’re now not searching out it, it’s hard to see, specifically under wellknown indoor lights.

The keyboard deck of the Blade Pro is in contrast to something else I’ve visible. Just above the LED-laden strength button are the device’s stereo speakers tucked smartly underneath a minimalistic grill. The keyboard itself and Switchblade UI are barely inset, again, with a beveled area.

There’s little to bitch about with reference to the keyboard. The backlit keys feel splendid when typing and the general layout is logical without feeling too cramped. The Switchblade UI is the call Razer has given its multi-contact LCD trackpad and 10 customizable tactile keys. Each key measures 15mm x 15mm with a 115 x one hundred fifteen resolution and a 2mm tour distance.

The trackpad works double-duty both as a conventional pointing tool with gesture manage and a secondary display. The screen measures 4.05 inches with a decision of 480 x 800 pixels and there are traditional click on buttons beneath it just as you’d locate on maximum other notebooks.