Snagged a Razer Blade 15 Advanced on sale, how'd I do..

[zanemoseley]

Was really wanting to update my 10yr old gaming rig but was getting frustrated by the GPU market and looked like the mobile market was more competitive than the full size GPU's. My wife also could use a new laptop for her MA classes. I compromised and got this Razor for both of us. Found what looked like a great sale price ($1800) directly from Microsoft last night and jumped on it, today it was back up to $2600.

Razer Blade 15 Advanced RZ09-0367BEC3-R3U1 15.6 Gaming Laptop

• 15.6-inch Full HD display • Intel Core i7 10875H • 16GB memory/1TB SSD • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics

www.microsoft.com

Its got:
i7 10th gen
16gb RAM and expandable
1tb ssd and expandable
RXT 3070
360hz FHD display

The full size RTX 3070's are going for like $1200 so that's one big thing that sold me. Does have an older gen i7 which may have been one reason they had on sale.

Read about a couple people having issues with flickering at 360hz but sounds like turning down the refresh in the game fixes this. Also heard someone had an issue with it switching back and forth from the onboard Intel video to the 3070. Overall sounds like Razer has a good build quality but can be overpriced especially on the $3k+ models.

So how'd I do. They've got free returns if I have issues. Any words of wisdom when I get it fired up. This is my first nice laptop.

 

[clarencek]

I snagged the same deal. It’s a great laptop. I use it primarily for gaming and so far it performs really well. Consistently 120+ fps on AAA games.

 

[Spikke]

I think you'll enjoy it, I have the previous model with 2070 and play a lot of games on it without issue. I have never had any issue with it switching between igpu and dgpu. The main thing with the igpu is that it acts as a middle man between the dgpu and the laptop screen unless you have a mux switch, which I don't think that laptop does. If you hook an external monitor up to the HDMI port it will bypass the igpu and you'll see a decent fps boost. Jarrod's Tech has a good video on it,

 

[KentState]

The full size RTX 3070's are going for like $1200 so that's one big thing that sold me. Does have an older gen i7 which may have been one reason they had on sale.

Just realize that a laptop 3070 is nothing like the desktop equivalent. Especially in a Razer which is on the lower end of power. I briefly tried a Razer 17 Advanced with the 3080 and couldn't get over the keyboard, the cut out around the track pad has very sharp corners and it was always loud even outside of gaming.

 

[zanemoseley]

So if I hooked the laptop up to a TV I'd see the same frame rate boost as an external monitor? I've thought of getting a couchmaster setup to use laying in bed with a gaming mouse and mechanical keyboard, would also keep the heat away from me.

I figured there had to be some drawbacks with a mobile GPU with such a limited size, power availability and ability to deal with the heat.

At least I'll be able to get back gaming and let the GPU frenzy cool off a bit and maybe build a dedicated gaming rig in a couple years. Then I can just let my wife have the laptop lol.

 

[Spikke]

Just realize that a laptop 3070 is nothing like the desktop equivalent. Especially in a Razer which is on the lower end of power. I briefly tried a Razer 17 Advanced with the 3080 and couldn't get over the keyboard, the cut out around the track pad has very sharp corners and it was always loud even outside of gaming.

You may have had a defective touchpad, the Blade touchpads are generally regarded as some of the best. As far as the keyboard is concerned I won't argue with you on that, I have personally never used a laptop keyboard I truly enjoyed.

So if I hooked the laptop up to a TV I'd see the same frame rate boost as an external monitor? I've thought of getting a couchmaster setup to use laying in bed with a gaming mouse and mechanical keyboard, would also keep the heat away from me.

Assuming an equal or less resolution, yes you will see a fps boost. Obviously if your external screen has a high resolution then that changes things.
When I am home I always have my laptop hooked up to my desk setup, using an external screen, mechanical keyboard, and a nice mouse. Only time I use built in screen and keyboard is when I am on travel for work.

 

[KentState]

You may have had a defective touchpad, the Blade touchpads are generally regarded as some of the best. As far as the keyboard is concerned I won't argue with you on that, I have personally never used a laptop keyboard I truly enjoyed.

The touchpad is great, it's the idiotic use of sharp edges at the opening.


Apple on the other hand pushed them towards the center where your palm won't be making contact.

 

[Spikke]

The touchpad is great, it's the idiotic use of sharp edges at the opening.
View attachment 55495

Gotcha, misunderstood what edges you were talking about. I think the comfort level with regards to those edges must depend on the person, I've never had an issue with it, so I assume I must angle my hand different or something.