Questions About 14 Inch Razer from Sony Owner

Hi all, I currently own a Sony Vaio SVZ and previously owned a Sony Vaio Z, which many consider to be one of the best portable powerhouse laptops ever made (at least the good folks in the Sony forum here, haha). Considering Sony jumped out of the laptop business and their Vaio machines will only be available in Japan, folks like me can't look to Sony anymore. So I have some questions about the 14 inch Razer, which seems like a really good machine!

1. Can the touchscreen be used for drawings? Nothing too elaborate, just things like sketches and storyboards. I've searched all over YouTube and never see anyone trying to draw on it.
2. Is there a way to buy the laptop in a 16GB ram configuration and with a 1080 touchscreen? I think the super HD display will be problematic for the applications I use (Firefox, Photoshop, Avid, Premiere).
3. Are you allowed to open the laptop to replace the SSD? Would that void the warranty?
4. Extended warranties / accidental damage are a big deal for me. Are there any places that offer warranties as good as Sony's? As in, if you break the screen, spill water on it, etc., they'll fix it for you? (I need the peace of mind.)
5. Are these on display at Best Buy or in any stores? I find myself so reluctant to buy 2-3K laptop from a brand that isn't too well known without seeing it in person first and checking it out, like I could do at Sony stores.
6. I don't play games, period. But I do a lot of Photoshop, a ton of programming and Firefox, and video editing in Avid and Premiere. Aside from video editing, does the fan run a lot for basic tasks? Does it get hot quickly? What does it typically run at? For example, my Sony Vaio Z right now is running at around 70 degrees per core. I can barely hear the fans too. Do the fans run loud for normal tasks, such as "heavy" Firefoxing? lol.
7. What would you say are equivalent alternatives of the Razer?
8. I keep seeing horror stories about the Razer customer service. Should I be worried, especially if I break something and need to send it in to get fixed?

Thank you so much guys! Maybe I'll be converted to Razer!

 

1. Probably? I don't think the touch panel is pressure sensitive though, so you won't get any detail drawings done. Consider the touch screen the same as a smart phone. If you are good at drawing on your smart phone, maybe you can draw on this screen.
2. No. The 1080p screen is non-touch and matte, and only has 8 GB of ram, which is soldered down, so you won't be able to upgrade.
3. Yes. You can replace the SSD by yourself, and as long as you don't damage anything during the process, you won't void the warranty (that's my understanding, maybe someone else can confirm this).
4. If you buy from Microsoft store, you can get accidental warranty. Personally, I don't have any experience with MS's warranty but someone in the forum mentioned it's relatively cheap ($150?).
5. Microsoft Store has the QHD+ version in display.
6. For basic task, the fan is almost silent. Even during the "heavy FireFoxing" and the fan kick up to the next notch, it's still very quiet. But the fan does get very loud at the highest level, but you usually don't get to such fan noise level during lite usage.
7. MSI GS60 ghost pro and Aorus X3 +. Someone in this forum listed some comparisons between these 3 machines.
8. I've yet needed to deal with Razer's customer service (knock on wood), but I've heard good stories as well as bad stories. But if you buy from Microsoft Store and get their accidental warranty, I am sure they'll take good care of you. Personally, I have to exchange my machine 4 times due to screen issue (I am kind of picky and wanted the flawless screen), and MS took care of the problem for me each time without too much trouble.

 

I can confirm the warranty. I have emailed them about it and they said as long as nothing is damaged, you're fine.

 

Would anyone be willing to try to draw something on their screen and tell me how it is, perhaps with a screenshot? ^_^;;

Also can anyone recommend a SSD for the Razer?

Thanks for your answers guys! If anyone else has any, keep them coming!

 

It's a 10-point touch screen, as accurate as you'd expect. I'm not an artist, anything I did would be of no use. It seems to be the same as an iPad, the only thing I have to compare. I was able to draw words with my finger with as much accuracy as I expect. You'll probably want a stylus anyway?

For SSD I'll pimp my own thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...-review-swapping-instructions-cloning.771316/

 

I just mean when you draw, does it actually respond well? Does it look smooth and not pixely? The only point of comparison I have is the 3DS, lol. Could you just try to write a few words and a stick figure or something and show me? Weird request I know, but I'm just trying to see some example of what it looks like since literally no review I've seen has addressed the touch screen beyond "hey it's there." Haha.

Also does anyone here have experience with Microsoft's warranty or purchasing through them over Razer? I'd feel more comfortable buying it through Microsoft I think. I wonder if Microsoft repairs it themselves (or their own 3rd parties) or if it goes to the same place as where it would go if you sent it to Razer. Important to know for that HDD replacing question. Shockingly I can't find many reviews about their warranty online. And I bet if I ask them "Hey if I replace the SSD from a laptop I bought from you, does that void the warranty?" they'll just tell me yes.

 

Also, in your guys' experience, how long does the battery last with casual use?

 

Only the extended warranty claims will be handeled by MS. The first one year, one must contact Razer Support for warranty claims. I asked MS in chat regarding this few weeks back and this was the reply i got.

Around 5-6 hrs of Battery life in normal usage (mostly web browsing) at 30% brightness.

And regarding drawing using touch screen, I once tried my signature using paint and it came fine and sharp with out any pixels, I think you need not worry about pixelated sketches around borders, as the screen in 4k. The images will look sharp, but not as images created in photo shop or sort of . But I dont have any screen shots with me to back it up.

 

Yeah, if you're asking if the curves are smooth, they are. It feels just like an iPad.

 

I think most of your questions have been answered already. But I'll just weigh in on the touchscreen drawing and warranty + SSD replacing.

If you're worried about the horror stories from Razer CS, then just buy from Microsoft and get the extended warrant for $150 (and student discount if you can) - to be clear you're limited to the 1080p version in this case. It covers accidental at a $50 charge, but from what I've read Microsoft is pretty co-operative with their coverage and replacements. Plus you get the added benefit of being able to go to their store for help. SSD replacing shouldn't void warranty provided you don't damage anything while doing the replacement.

In terms of drawing, I don't think you'll have a problem with using the touchscreen, but I think it's more of a question of 'if it's the right tool to use' rather than 'can I do it?' I'll test out the pressure sensitivity tonight on Photoshop, but I highly doubt it has it. I can also see drawing on the screen extremely uncomfortable, especially since the screen hinge doesn't have huge range of motion.

I think it's just an overall better choice to use a drawing tablet than rely on the touch screen, but in a pinch - I think yes, you are fine with using the touchscreen to jot down notes / sketch some things.

 

Thanks for your response! But what do you mean the MS store is limited to the 1080 version? Their student site has the QHD model I thought. I'm going to a Microsoft store on Thursday to see what it's like in real life, and I thought there was a chance I'd walk out with one.

 

I think he meant the opposite. The Microsoft store does not have the 1080p version.

 

It's the other way around. The 1080p version is exclusive to the Razer store.

 

Like mentioned above - I meant the other way around.. You'll be limited to the QHD version haha.

 

Could anyone take a screenshot for me of the QHD version looking at Facebook and Photoshop? I'm curious to see how microscopic they are with that kind of resolution.

 

You won't see it on a lesser resolution display even if I tried. The text is not really small unless you use 100% scaling. Windows defaults to 200% scaling at that resolution.

Think retina MacBook.

 

One thing to keep in mind for Photoshop, which I found out last night, is only CC onwards has high dpi scaling properly integrated. CS6 doesn't have it unfortunately so I had to upgrade. With that everything looks great.

Also I couldn't test out using the touchscreen in photoshop, anyone know why? I didn't do much research but I couldn't think of anything right of the bat.

 

It's possible that the app might have to be developed to specifically take advantage of it, or it's just a glorified mouse.

 

Is it the for FHD or QHD version ?
and what is the battery life difference between the 2 in office / web browsing scenario ?