- What happens when you take the $4,000 Razor Blade Pro
and reduce some of its ostentatious specifications?
Ahh, you get a cheaper Razor Blade Pro.
Today we're gonna take a look at the full HD model
and tell you if it's worth it or not.
Stay tuned.
(techno music)
(ding)
Before we jump in it, let's talk a little bit about
the original Razor Blade Pro.
So that's a 17-inch laptop with a 4K display and a GTX 1080.
We reviewed it last year and we absolutely loved it.
More importantly is the design.
Although it's a big 17-inch one, it's actually very thin
and light considering how big it is.
Now, take that device and well let's reduce some of the
specifications and bring down the price, around $2,400.
Still super expensive but you're talking a premium
17-inch laptop and we don't get a lot of these these days.
The 17-inch range is very limited compared to 15-inch.
So what has changed?
Well, Razor has taken the display out, so instead of
a 4K IGZO display, it is now full HD,
which I don't really love at 17-inch
for reading text at least,
but for gaming it's pretty awesome.
Now the trade off is it's 120 hertz, so it's gonna look
way better when we get better
frame rates for a lot of video games.
The other change is going to be that video card.
No longer is it GTX 1080, that's a bit unfortunate.
You do get a GTX 1060, though, which is, let's be honest,
one of the best video cards for the money out there.
It allows you to do high-end gaming.
You can't do 4K gaming, but now we don't have a 4K display,
so no need to worry there.
Now what is also changed is the keyboard,
and I actually like this change.
So the original Razor Blade Pro
has a full-on mechanical keyboard.
It's low-profile, it's very click-y.
To me, it's like typing on popcorn.
I actually did not love it.
But it's one of those things,
some people will get used to it
or actually do prefer the mechanical feel.
This keyboard, however, is the same one that's in
the original Razor Blade 14.
I like that keyboard a lot.
In fact, it's one of my favorite keyboards.
So besides those major changes, almost everything else
is exactly the same, including the input-output ports
and the overall design.
When it comes to the CPU, you still get
an Intel Core i7-7700HQ Quad Core processor
that goes up to 3.8 gigahertz.
It's excellent for gaming.
Storage is also a bit different.
You are just gonna get a single 256 gigabyte SSD,
which is PCIe and it's pretty good performance.
Plus, you get a two terabyte hard disk drive,
so there is a big compromise.
You can, of course, swap out that hard disk drive
and slip in another SSD if you wanna do that yourself.
When it comes to RAM, you get 16 gigabytes of
dual-channel, 2400 megahertz RAM
and that is expandable up to 32 gigabytes.
That's yet another difference between this
and the 4K version.
The keyboard is anti-ghosting backlit chroma, of course,
so you can get all those fancy RGB colors
to suit your needs.
And Thunderbolt 3, three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI 2.0
and a full SD card reader because why not, it's 17 inches.
Another small trade off comes with the battery.
So instead of a giant 99 watt hour, which is apparently
the legal limit you can bring on an airplane, it drops down
to 70 watt hour, and part of that is because they had to
make room for that hard disk drive.
Now, the good news here is the battery life is
roughly the same as the original Razor Blade Pro,
so you're getting around 4 1/2 hours off of AC,
that's for regular computer use.
You can probably push it towards 5 hours.
It's pretty decent for a giant 17-inch laptop.
Obviously this isn't something you're gonna want to do
a lot of productivity on, and if you're gonna game,
that's gonna drop down to about half that.
So just keep that in mind.
The other benefit here is you lose about a pound
compared to the original Razor Blade Pro.
So you're looking at about 6.78 pounds, or three kilograms,
which, let's be honest, it's not too bad for an
all-metal, precision made laptop.
And one of the biggest trade offs
is going to be that display.
You're dropping from a 4K touch panel with IGZO
that's also a glossy, to a
Full HD IPS matte display that's also non-touch.
Now this is where a lot of personal preference comes in.
I really like matte displays for gaming.
You may be different, and prefer glossy
and I obviously understand why some people want 4K.
But for me Full HD gaming is actually
pretty okay on the 17-inch laptop.
What I don't love it for is reading text.
You're gonna see a lot of jaggedness.
So if you're using this for productivity,
you'll get used to it but it is definitely a trade off.
But when it comes to gaming a 120 Hz display,
along with the matte is a pretty killer combo in my opinion.
And it may be worth the trade off for some of you.
One of the more controversial aspects of
this laptop is it's layout here.
So you've got that keyboard, already talked about it.
It's the same version that's found in the Razer Blade 14.
And I actually really like this
and it's one of my favorite keyboards, even on this device.
You do have the power button on top.
A little bit strange,
but it allows the keyboard to sit back a little bit more.
And it's definitely comfortable to use.
What's a little bit awkward is this trackpad
which is gonna be on the right.
So if you're left-handed you're gonna have an issue.
A lot of gamers though do prefer to use a mouse,
so perhaps not a big deal.
Not this one of the best trackpads I've actually used.
I consider this right up there with Surface Book.
It uses precision drivers, and just feels really smooth.
And it's just an excellent experience.
It does take time to get used to.
I will say though, using this on my lap
I really like this layout.
I think it's really fantastic.
I won't lie.
I turn on this laptop a lot, I do this
and I go for a trackpad here.
So there will be some muscle memory learning as well.
There's also the roller here, which you can use to
adjust your volume or screen brightness,
and you can assign that which is pretty cool.
If you have quick access to your controls over here as well.
Finally you do get two speakers on the side
and you also get Dolby Digital Home Plus Theater Edition
which is nice and 7.1 codec support through the HDMI plug.
I rate the audio overall as excellent.
I've always been pretty happy with Razor Blade speakers,
especially being on top they just sound really nice.
If you're gonna game though you probably
also want to throw on headphones.
Let's talk about the overall design real quickly.
It looks like a giant Razer Blade 14.
That's what makes Razor Blade so interesting.
Is the design always pretty similar.
I actually really like it here.
Although I won't lie this still picks up
a lot of fingerprints so if you have OCD
you may want to carry a rag around with you.
But it's an overall nice design.
It's all metal, precision built.
And just feels really great to handle.
Now when it comes to performance no surprises here.
The GTX 1060 and 7700HQ processor
perform as exactly expected
and inline with other laptops in this class.
We got very good performance for gaming.
So for instance Gears of War will play around
84 frames per second on ultra settings.
Which is very good
but don't forget we are just pushing Full HD resolution.
Same thing with Doom, you'll be able to hit
89, 90 or even 100 frames
per second depending on your settings
but again with your Full HD settings no surprises there.
And being a 1060, overall though
I'm pretty happy with this performance.
It's a good middle of the road,
not extreme gaming experience.
But you will be able to enjoy all
your triple A titles that you play.
When it comes to fan noise and heat obviously things
are going to run a little bit cooler
and a little bit quieter than the
4K version do to no 1080 in there.
And that's exactly what we see.
I didn't find this as a very loud laptop nor very hot.
Even while running under load.
That is because it's a 17 inch laptop,
there's obviously a lot of
room there for airflow and currents.
So that works out pretty well for you as a gamer.
So the Razer Blade Pro 17 Inch Full HD version
what do I think about it?
Well actually I like some aspects of this
better than the full 4K version.
Now I get the 4K version.
There's a lot of people buying that laptop
because they're graphics professionals
and you want to do high-end editing on that.
With a 4K IGZO display, well it's pretty outstanding.
And don't forget that laptop now has THX certified sound
on there, so it's a very good experience.
And that display is now color calibrated to be even better.
If you're a gamer though, this is
a little bit more appealing.
First of all, I like this keyboard better.
I'm just not a fan of that original
mechanical keyboard on the Razer Blade Pro.
The trackpad is excellent.
I prefer the matte display a little bit better.
And Full HD for me is totally fine when it comes to gaming.
Plus its 120 Hz, so you can get really good
refresh rates for a lot of your high-end games.
Battery life is okay, but performance is really good.
I mean it is exactly like the Razer Blade 14.
I think this is a great combination.
Now let's talk about price.
$2400 is still not cheap
but it is $1700 cheaper than the original Razer Blade Pro.
That's a significant difference.
You get the exact same build quality as that device
and I really like this design.
I'm not a huge fan of 17 inch laptops.
They're pretty big, uncomfortable
but I tell you what I like using this one.
Especially on my lap, and just using it as a regular laptop.
It's actually kind of fun and comfortable to use.
Another great thing about this laptop
is it's great for Windows Mixed Reality.
It's actually what I use it primarily for.
You have the plugs on the side
which are really lined up perfectly with the HDMI
and USB for those Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
And it runs Windows Mixed Reality just fine.
And I realize Steam VR technically requires a GTX 1070
but you can use this with a 1060
and still run Steam VR just fine.
I can't guarantee all games will be perfect on there
but I think they're a little heavy on that specification.
You'll be okay with it.
So in conclusion I think Razer made some appropriate
trade offs here and I actually like a lot of these changes.
Including that keyboard.
So if you're looking for a 17 inch gaming laptop with a
premium experience I think this is a really good choice.
Now there are definitely cheaper options out there.
Some are even more powerful, so it's going to depend
on what you value more, raw performance
or something you actually want to carry around everyday.
Make sure you chose wisely.
So there's a quick re-review
of the Razer Blade Pro Full Hd.
Now if you want more information about this device
make sure you head to Windows Central.
And you can also watch our review of the full 4K version
if you want more information about that device.
Now if you like this video, give us a thumbs up.
Don't forget to subscribe.
Thanks for watching.
Take care everybody.
So that's our quick re-review
Surface, Surface Blade here we go.
So there's our quick re-review of the Razer Blade Pro.
I know you're going to use that as an end,
don't use that a (bleep) thing.
I already see you thinking Garret is.