Let’s be honest, our Unslider team was a bit overwhelmed with the Razer Blade 15, courtesy of the aesthetic brilliance and the specifications of the model that was sent to us for a review. But then, it was the gaming performance that impressed us the most and made us review this one hell of a gaming laptop in a pretty holistic manner.
Tagged and retailed as a gaming laptop, the Razer Blade 15 is a lot more than what meets the eye. Plus, this is one of the few laptops that aren’t restricted by specifications and budget, allowing users to purchase the desired model as per their preferences, activity levels, and obviously the budget.
So keep reading on to learn more about this gaming marvel as we would keep the verbosity to a minimum and provide real value to the users who are better off with something like the Razer Blade 15 by their side.
Versions on Offer
Razer Blade 15 starts basic and allows you to pay a modest amount for a lot of gaming firepower. The base variant comes equipped with the GTX 1660Ti graphics card based on the Turing architecture, i7 chipset, and a pretty middling 256GB SSD. Despite being slightly underwhelming to a professional gamer, this variant is a pretty good bet for most laptop enthusiasts who prefer a top-shelf gaming machine.
But then, the model we have at Unslider is loaded with power, courtesy of the 16GB RAM, albeit upgradeable, GeForce RTX 2080 Super GPU, i7-10875H chipset, and a lot more.
Performance:
Razer Blade 15 stays honest to its roots and the processing elements it houses. The chipset coupled with the RTX 2080 Super GPU is good enough for running games like Metro Exodus at 60fps. However, as it is one of the more demanding games to manage, you should have the ray tracing functionality turned off.
Coming to the non-gaming performances, the RTX 2080 Super GPU and the H-series processor in unison churn out an overall PCMark rating of 5227. This means you can easily incorporate this machine into your video and photo editing regime.
Plus, if you are an audio engineer or a real-time concert player who uses DAWs and synths extensively, this gadget can be of relevance, owing to the high-speed RAM. Unlike some of the other gadgets, the RAM module on the Razer Blade 15 is insanely fast, capable of clocking at 2933MHz.
The reviewed model also packs in a 1TB solid-state drive, which complements the system memory. Therefore, if the RAM allocation starts running out in time, certain less demanding processes can adhere to the SSD unit for temporary exposure. But then, Razer offers ample scope to upgrade the memory units, as and when deemed fit.
However, the Blade 15 achieves the most when gaming is concerned as the RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics card is a powerful yet power-efficient gaming resource. The 8GB VRAM is capable of handling the game-based textures and 3D rendering requirements with ease. But, it is the maximum core speed of 1230 MHz that packs a punch, especially if you are into gaming.
We ran the 2019 COD Modern Warfare at every possible setting and experienced decent frame rates of close to 96fps at 1080p resolution. With the Ray Tracing support turned on, we would churn out close to 65fps on an average with the maximum being 85.1 when the system wasn’t running background applications.
Design: Surprisingly Good
Unlike some of the more hulking modules, the Blade 15 from Razer doesn’t leave a lot of unaccounted design-centric attributes. Instead, it wouldn’t be wrong to term it as a more beefed-up variant of the MacBook Pro but with an invigorating speaker setup.
Still, it is the unibody layout that works in its favor. Razer carefully intertwines aluminum with excellent slimness to make this gaming laptop look more premium than hefty. We also experienced zero flex while using the powerful keyboard almost vigorously.
Credit goes to our team of the copywriter as each had a go at the keyboard, precisely to experience the key travel. Also, the touchpad feels no less premium than some of the other top-shelf gaming laptops.
Then again, the structural innovations also take the thermal design into consideration with this being a gaming laptop. While there are quite a few innovative gaming laptops in the market with top-shelf cooling technologies, the Blade 15 bests each one with its revolutionary Vapor Chamber thermal layout.
While the entire concept deserves a separate discussion, for now, it is the availability of 44-blade heat-dissipating fans and 68 heat exchanging units that ensure zero throttling and dust accumulation.
Display: As Sharp as it can get
Before talking about the display at length, we must confess something to our readers. We deliberately avoided reviewing the model with a 4K display, as the gaming refresh rate for the same is restricted to 60fps. As we wanted to explore the limits of the graphics card and the screen refresh rate, it was the 15.6-inch 1080p screen that made the cut.
We experienced enviable sharpness on the concerned display, with the 111 percent sRGB color palette adding further to the color accuracy and reproduction levels. Plus, even the entry-level games hardly experienced frame drops courtesy of the 300Hz screen refresh rate. Therefore, we were also able to hit 300fps for certain games, seamlessly enough.
Connectivity:
The Razer Blade isn’t only defined by the processing firepower it shelters under the hood. While the zero-flex screen and durable keyboard are already hailed for their structural brilliance, this gaming laptop doesn’t take the connectivity suite lightly and stacks in three Type-A ports and one useful HDMI slot to go with the same.
However, we were most impressed by the availability of the 2 Thunderbolt 3 slots, which in turn might help you connect external displays, additional gaming rigs, and other resources with zero downtime issues.
The wireless module is equally affable with the Intel-powered Wi-Fi 6 standard capable of establishing ultrafast internet connections.
Battery and Bottom-Line: An Untamed Beast
As expected, the Blade 15, especially the model we are reviewing, offers close to 6 hours of battery backup. However, it might drop down to even 4.5 hours in case you are more into relentless gaming. Plus, the Windows 10 OS clubbed with several proprietary software enhancements, like backlit changing support, Synapse, and more, add to the credibility of this top-of-the-line device.
Therefore, consider buying the Razer Blade 15 if budget isn’t an issue and you are only interested in insane gaming power but not at the expense of aesthetics. But then, if battery life is a priority, you can consider a few other options.
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