So after the abysmal launch of the new MacBook Pro I am back on the PC. Currently I am using a Dell XPS 15 that is fully loaded. The new version with the 1050 doesn't really inspire me all that much and if I really wanted to game I would end up purchasing a eGPU enclosure and GPU which raises the price up quite significantly.
I stumbled upon a review of the Razer Blade Pro on Dave2Ds' channel. This thing looks perfect for me. I miss my old 17" MBP from many years ago and the specs make it a true desktop replacement.
On paper it looks superb, CNC aluminium chassis, 17" AdobeRGB touch screen (huge bonus), 32Gb RAM, 2x PCIe SSDs, nVidia 1080 w/8Gb and is still sleek and light enough to take to a pub for doing light work in Word/Excel when working away.
Just wondering if any of you guys own one and what your thoughts are.
The one thing I do wonder about is the Dell ThunderBolt Dock I have. It has a DP output I connect my main monitor to as well as the usual USB ports. Will this work with the Blade Pro? I assume so as it is just a TB3 dock but I'm not certain of the compatibility with other laptops.
What are your primary use-cases for the laptop? What is your budget? I'd say desktop + productivity laptop trumps "gaming" models in nearly all situations, and eGPU is currently a money hole outside of homebrew ghetto-rigged solutions.
I owned the old razer blade and it was the laptop that permanently got me to swear off "desktop replacement" and "gaming" laptops altogether. haven't had hands on with the new one, but I haven't had good experiences with a single razer product, either, and I've owned quite a few over the years.
Yes it should, being a thunderbolt 3 peripheral dock. I would consider replacing it though, as the only dell thunderbolt 3 dock I found around was discontinued because of issues, as stated on the Amazon page:
As for the blade pro. Looks nice, performs well, massive battery. Is pretty expensive, and gets pretty hot under an extended gaming or productivity load. It is a unique machine though in terms of the amount of power in that package size. Haven't had hands on experience with it, but that's what I've heard.
My use cases for the laptop with work are primarily AutoCAD, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and Office. For personal use, aside from the usual internet, music and movie use really just want to get into some gaming from time to time to unwind.
The 1080 is likely overkill however, to buy one and a dock will run me about £1100 so it puts the Blade Pro at the same cost as say a loaded XPS 15 with the eGPU setup. I know the laptop is loud under load but so is the XPS 15 and I have Shure IEMs to isolate the fans.
Budget is upto £4k, must have a TB3 port.
The thing that appeals to me with the blade is the thinness and the fact it looks so slick and professional (minus logo on lid!). Other gaming laptops or say Dell Precision's are just too bulky and heavy.
I know I'm paying a premium for a beefy laptop although I have used solely laptops for years now. I used to have a Mac Pro and MacBook Pro, ended up selling the Mac Pro after 6 months due to spending more time with the laptop.
The Dell Dock with the 240W charger is the one I have, purchased it about a month ago. After a few firmware updates it has been absolutely flawless in operation. It charges up the XPS 15 but I know I will need to plug the Blade in with the charger also. Figured it should work ok as it is basically just a big dongle!
At 17 inches your options are going to be really limited. I found an Aorus (gigabyte's premium brand) that was basically as thin and light as the Razer Blade Pro, but it didn't have thunderbolt 3 and had a TN display with sub-par colors (comparatively at least). Asus has an offering but its a Gtx 1060 at this thinness and it screams gamer. Wish they'd tone down the edgy red and black color schemes. They just don't look that great.
There is the lenovo Thinkpad P70, which really would perform best at the cost of some added size. Mobile Xeon processor and a Quadro, which would be nice in AutoCad and other professional oriented programs. Not that a 1080 & I7 really would hold you back though. Definitely a thicker laptop than the blade pro though.
The one thing holding me back on the Blade is what I have read on their customer support. I'm not overly convinced if something goes wrong it will be resolved easily.
I've had issues with Dell in the past and the customer service (after the initial tech support have you turned it on and off again?) has been superb. Apple have been fine too however, I absolutely hate the fact I need to drive to a Apple Store or spend my own money shipping the faulty item back to them out of pocket or paying for 2yrs of extra warranty.
I am really torn, after thinking about it over the week.
Do I just buy the nMBP for work which I know works and does the job and build a PC to use as a Steam box to stream to the Mac or just go for the Blade Pro.
A Xeon and Quadro are overkill for my needs to be honest - after my last Mac Pro purchase I decided to stick to consumer grade stuff.
After much deliberation between the Blade Pro, MacBook Pro and even HP zBooks, I placed an order for the Blade Pro today.
Unfortunately, the 1Tb model was out of stock for UK delivery so I went for the 512Gb model instead. I only use about 300Gb on my 1Tb XPS and carry a 2Tb Samsung T3 everywhere. I can always just swap in a Samsung Evo 960 down the road if required.
Delivery is 1 - 4 days, so hopefully I will have my hands on it by next weekend. Comes with a Razer Leviathan Mini (Bluetooth speaker) and Naga Hex mouse so a pretty decent package.
Should be interesting to see the jump from a 960m to a 1080 and also will be very nice to have a 17" laptop again. Fingers crossed the Dell TB3 dock works okay and there aren't any quality control issues with it...
Well, thanks to working nearly 24/7 I haven't had a moment to play around with the Blade Pro until today.
First of all, it is big and heavy. But as a desktop replacement it is slim, very well built and quiet.
I fired it up, updated Windows and installed Adobe CC, AutoCAD, Office and my usual apps. Then decided to plug in my Dell TB3 dock, instant BSOD. Tried installing the drivers etc to no avail for the dock.
Thankfully, I can buy a TB3 to 2No. Display Ports adapter to plug my monitor in to run 4k 60Hz and I already use a USB3 hub so its just power, USB and TB3 which isn't that bad really.
No tried any games etc, or even loaded Steam yet but it ticks all the boxes so far.
The screen is absolutely sublime, just like the XPS but with larger bezels which you don't actually notice in use. The keyboard layout isn't great but I'm sure I can adapt, the feel is actually really nice imo though.
One standout feature is the built-in audio out. I have Shure SE-846 IEMs and even plugged into a Chord Mojo I hear noise at any volume level, the Blade Pro is just dead quiet regardless of volume. This is a major winner for me as I don't need to carry my Mojo with me anymore to reduce noise from built-in audio.
Running for about 7 hours now, it is dead silent and the fan whilst audible during some tasks is quieter than my XPS. I suspect it will be like a jumbo taking off during gaming however!
Overall though, I am very happy with this machine and would highly recommend it if you can deal with the size and weight.