Goddamnit after waiting months for the 2016 Razer Blade to ship, I went ahead and bought a MSI GS43VR instead, and the next day they launch the GTX 1060 Razer Blade????
The MSI GS43VR that you got is one heck of a deal though, at $300 cheaper, and it most likely has better cooling due to the not so thin and light chassis. I was actually eyeing the exact same system, but... I'm not in the market for one unfortunately.
Welp, now the Blade Stealth is actually something I'll consider. I was very interested when the first generation was launched, but only offering 8GB of RAM was a huge failure on their part. 8GB is a bare minimum if one wants to even think about gaming, so considering the external GPU support was a major point of that machine it never really made sense. I consider 16GB to be the minimum I'll accept in a computer these days, and really since it's fixed and non-upgradeable I'd still really prefer more. If I can't upgrade I want to be sure I have more than I need.
Huh? Gaming on an IGP should require less than 4 GB RAM. Gaming with an external dock should require about the same given the GPU's integrated memory. The CPU is still a massive limiting factor in terms of frame rates. But for gaming 8 GB is all you need, unless you're doing extremely intensive work in which case you wouldn't use a laptop with a ULV CPU.
Seems like you got a ton of bloatware if you need 16 GB to game.
the blade stealth looks nice, but I feel razer missed the boat by not using an iris part in it. Razer is a gaming company, why not include a 15 watt iris part so that gaming away from the dock isnt on par with 2013 era integrated graphics?
I don't think there is a 15W U-Series with Iris GPU? Certainly not from Kaby Lake yet, although they could have waited -- but as far as I know there was never a 15W w/ Iris. Correct me if I'm wrong.
It's very likely a cost issue. I think Razer should offer a second model with Iris, but that would cost them to have another SKU which required a different motherboard (since the CPU is soldered down).
I understand where you're coming from with that desire (especially with the dense screen), but I can respect Razer not wanting to share the thermal budget with a larger gpu. I think it's quite telling that they only go for the top tier sku. Most manufacturers would've tried to earn extra money with upgrades, but Razer understands that cpu perf is at a premium when you're trying to play ball with a 250W gpu. In a way, I think it's admirable.
But, when plugged into the dock, the iGPU doesnt matter. Everything is going through the dGPU. Even if the iGPU is still active, they will both be idle, so there wont be much, if any, real difference in power usage. and on the go, the iris chips are much more capable then the non iris parts in the same power usage range.
Now, that 64MB l4 cache would pull some juice, but it would also be very helpful to the CPU. They could have even used the 28 watt part (they use the same pin, and seem to be the same chip with different TDPs) and just restrict it to 15 watt when not plugged into said dock. (or left it alone on battery, and have a really nice iGPU for gaming)
it seems like razer is just trying to push people to buy the overpriced dock to go with. Nobody wants to make a powerful ultrabook these days it seems.
Razer is definitely trying to push the expensive dock. I don't think they would deny that either, lol.
I think you're underestimating the adverse effects of that bigger gpu. You might be able to close to the performance of a 2+2 model, but the clocks are still simply lower, even under max turbo.
I agree that a 28W model would be a fair compromise, but they can only cTDP down to 23W. And remember that this dock doesn't provide additional cooling support, so I'm not sure how Razer would move that extra heat.
Also, if you have a tdp that high, then you start to be tempted by a quad core. Kaby Lake is rumored to expand the quad core offerings to lower TDPs.
So while I definitely get the thought behind wanting more iGPU, I can really respect why Razer did what they did.
Strange. As a laptop marketed for gaming with an external GPU, I always thought the Razer Blade Stealth would be the very first customer for Intel's upcoming 4+2 15W U series CPU.
Maybe this is kind of a mid-gen upgrade, since Intel's 4+2 15W aren't coming until late Q1 2017, according to the leaked roadmaps.
Intels 4+2 CPUs are 45W parts vs 15W for 2+2; too hot to fit in an ultrabook chassis; but yeah a slightly thicker design that did support the higher power parts would be a lot more attractive to me.
Kaby Lake will have a 15W U quad core SKU as well as a 18W H quad core SKU, so it won't be too hot considering the TDP is the same. However they will have lower clocks and no Iris graphics, so there's that. It baffles me that the Stealth model didn't go for an Iris SKU considering it's a gaming brand.
http://www.notebookcheck.com/fileadmin/_processed_... according to this leaked slide. Although it could of course be fake. However there is no reason to believe Intel couldn't squeeze 4 cores into sub-20W territory. They have already done it at 25W (H SKU with lowered TDP). Can't remember which architecture it was on. Somewhere between Haswell and Skylake. In either case, only thing preventing them from doing it would be a business decision.
Agree it's definitely possible from a technical standpoint; the question would be if the base clocks would be high enough to justify it. If they end up closer to Y than dual core U performance they'd be a bit of a dud with much of the target market.
Dang. The bezels on that display are HUGE. You'd think that they could use the display tech from the XPS 15 to slim them down and put a bigger screen in there.
But still. Compare the bezels on the XPS 13 vs this. They're at least 5 times larger.
And what are you hands doing all over the bezel of a laptop. It's not as if it's a tablet, and you need to put your hands there. For flipping the screen open, you should only need to have to fingers on the edge.
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Flunk - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
I'm interested in seeing what the temperature tests of the new Blade look like. That GTX 1060 needs serious cooling.ImSpartacus - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
It's the mobile variant, so it'll likely be limited to whatever tdp the 970M had. Probably like 100W.TheinsanegamerN - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
I believe the 1060m has a TDP of 80 watt.ImSpartacus - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Do you have a source for that? I thought most the mobile tdps were notoriously secret.Brett Howse - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Yes the actual TDP is not disseminated by NVIDIA.kefkiroth - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
I was under the impression that they are no longer doing mobile variants, and are now simply using the desktop version with very few tweaks.WinterCharm - Thursday, September 8, 2016 - link
There is no mobile or desktop variant anymore.RaichuPls - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Goddamnit after waiting months for the 2016 Razer Blade to ship, I went ahead and bought a MSI GS43VR instead, and the next day they launch the GTX 1060 Razer Blade????metayoshi - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
The MSI GS43VR that you got is one heck of a deal though, at $300 cheaper, and it most likely has better cooling due to the not so thin and light chassis. I was actually eyeing the exact same system, but... I'm not in the market for one unfortunately.RaichuPls - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
But the Razer Blade is just so much more sexier...The MSI gets pretty hot under load as well, 90+ on both CPU and GPU
wolrah - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Welp, now the Blade Stealth is actually something I'll consider. I was very interested when the first generation was launched, but only offering 8GB of RAM was a huge failure on their part. 8GB is a bare minimum if one wants to even think about gaming, so considering the external GPU support was a major point of that machine it never really made sense. I consider 16GB to be the minimum I'll accept in a computer these days, and really since it's fixed and non-upgradeable I'd still really prefer more. If I can't upgrade I want to be sure I have more than I need.negusp - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
Huh? Gaming on an IGP should require less than 4 GB RAM. Gaming with an external dock should require about the same given the GPU's integrated memory. The CPU is still a massive limiting factor in terms of frame rates. But for gaming 8 GB is all you need, unless you're doing extremely intensive work in which case you wouldn't use a laptop with a ULV CPU.Seems like you got a ton of bloatware if you need 16 GB to game.
lewisl9029 - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Everything else about the new Blade Stealth looks so great. Why did Razer have to ruin everything by using a Killer NIC...MrSpadge - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
You've got a weird definition of "everything".TheinsanegamerN - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
the blade stealth looks nice, but I feel razer missed the boat by not using an iris part in it. Razer is a gaming company, why not include a 15 watt iris part so that gaming away from the dock isnt on par with 2013 era integrated graphics?TheinsanegamerN - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Also, why DDR3L and not DDR4? DDR4's lower voltage is always a good thing to have, along with higher speeds.ImSpartacus - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
I thought the same thing. Possibly a cost issue.dakishimesan - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
I don't think there is a 15W U-Series with Iris GPU? Certainly not from Kaby Lake yet, although they could have waited -- but as far as I know there was never a 15W w/ Iris. Correct me if I'm wrong.negusp - Saturday, September 3, 2016 - link
There are 18 W and 22 W Iris I think; and yes, they should have definitely incorporated those into the Stealth.Brett Howse - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
It's very likely a cost issue. I think Razer should offer a second model with Iris, but that would cost them to have another SKU which required a different motherboard (since the CPU is soldered down).ImSpartacus - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
I think they wanted top tier cpu performance so that it could perform when docked.The whole existence of the dock means that the core laptop doesn't have to have graphics chops on its own.
TheinsanegamerN - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
This is true, but it would be nice to have some gaming ability away from the dock. So few OEMS are willing to use iris graphics.ImSpartacus - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
I understand where you're coming from with that desire (especially with the dense screen), but I can respect Razer not wanting to share the thermal budget with a larger gpu. I think it's quite telling that they only go for the top tier sku. Most manufacturers would've tried to earn extra money with upgrades, but Razer understands that cpu perf is at a premium when you're trying to play ball with a 250W gpu. In a way, I think it's admirable.TheinsanegamerN - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
But, when plugged into the dock, the iGPU doesnt matter. Everything is going through the dGPU. Even if the iGPU is still active, they will both be idle, so there wont be much, if any, real difference in power usage. and on the go, the iris chips are much more capable then the non iris parts in the same power usage range.Now, that 64MB l4 cache would pull some juice, but it would also be very helpful to the CPU. They could have even used the 28 watt part (they use the same pin, and seem to be the same chip with different TDPs) and just restrict it to 15 watt when not plugged into said dock. (or left it alone on battery, and have a really nice iGPU for gaming)
it seems like razer is just trying to push people to buy the overpriced dock to go with. Nobody wants to make a powerful ultrabook these days it seems.
ImSpartacus - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Razer is definitely trying to push the expensive dock. I don't think they would deny that either, lol.I think you're underestimating the adverse effects of that bigger gpu. You might be able to close to the performance of a 2+2 model, but the clocks are still simply lower, even under max turbo.
I agree that a 28W model would be a fair compromise, but they can only cTDP down to 23W. And remember that this dock doesn't provide additional cooling support, so I'm not sure how Razer would move that extra heat.
Also, if you have a tdp that high, then you start to be tempted by a quad core. Kaby Lake is rumored to expand the quad core offerings to lower TDPs.
So while I definitely get the thought behind wanting more iGPU, I can really respect why Razer did what they did.
ToTTenTranz - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Strange. As a laptop marketed for gaming with an external GPU, I always thought the Razer Blade Stealth would be the very first customer for Intel's upcoming 4+2 15W U series CPU.Maybe this is kind of a mid-gen upgrade, since Intel's 4+2 15W aren't coming until late Q1 2017, according to the leaked roadmaps.
DanNeely - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Intels 4+2 CPUs are 45W parts vs 15W for 2+2; too hot to fit in an ultrabook chassis; but yeah a slightly thicker design that did support the higher power parts would be a lot more attractive to me.ImSpartacus - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
I think he's talking about how kaby lake brings 15W quads.Trixanity - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Kaby Lake will have a 15W U quad core SKU as well as a 18W H quad core SKU, so it won't be too hot considering the TDP is the same. However they will have lower clocks and no Iris graphics, so there's that. It baffles me that the Stealth model didn't go for an Iris SKU considering it's a gaming brand.DanNeely - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
According to who? All the rumors/leaks I've found are similar to this, which shows the 2/4 core ~15/45W bifurcation of the last few generations.http://cdn.wccftech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06...
Trixanity - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
http://www.notebookcheck.com/fileadmin/_processed_... according to this leaked slide. Although it could of course be fake. However there is no reason to believe Intel couldn't squeeze 4 cores into sub-20W territory. They have already done it at 25W (H SKU with lowered TDP). Can't remember which architecture it was on. Somewhere between Haswell and Skylake. In either case, only thing preventing them from doing it would be a business decision.DanNeely - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Agree it's definitely possible from a technical standpoint; the question would be if the base clocks would be high enough to justify it. If they end up closer to Y than dual core U performance they'd be a bit of a dud with much of the target market.ImSpartacus - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Yeah, if the quads can effectively clock up when core count isn't necessary, then I could definitely see that as a nice upgrade.Maybe that's why they omitted ddr4 - they are preparing for an update in a couple months.
wicketr - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Dang. The bezels on that display are HUGE. You'd think that they could use the display tech from the XPS 15 to slim them down and put a bigger screen in there.TheinsanegamerN - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
The bezels look huge, but this thing is only 12 inch. They aren't overly large.OTOH, I appreciate keeping fingerprints off of my screen.
wicketr - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
But still. Compare the bezels on the XPS 13 vs this. They're at least 5 times larger.And what are you hands doing all over the bezel of a laptop. It's not as if it's a tablet, and you need to put your hands there. For flipping the screen open, you should only need to have to fingers on the edge.
ImSpartacus - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
They probably wasn't the large-ish footprint for additional cooling ability. That cpu has to be able to go all out.masimilianzo - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
The post doesn't mention that the Blade finally has HDMI 2.0, probably thanks to Alpine Ridge. Yay!mobutu - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
fat as shit bezels ... I won't tolerate that crap anymoreMichael Bay - Monday, September 5, 2016 - link
So gaming laptops can look good in the end. It`s fit for gaming, right?bryan92103 - Thursday, September 8, 2016 - link
Per their website, the $999 base model Blade Stealth features 8GB Ram, other models appear to have 16GB