Razer Blade 14" 2014 - DEAD (most likely due to heat)

Just as an FYI for those considering this notebook:

I've had my Razer Blade for slightly over 2 weeks (long enough that I can't get my money back for it). I've used it very lightly (was on vacation for a week the day after I received it). I bought it against my better judgment, based on other users expressed confidence in the line and early reviews; it really seemed too good to be true (super slim form factor with cutting edge chipsets).

It has played 2 games: FFXIV and Dark Souls 2. Both are rather demanding games when configured with aggressive settings.

Immediately out of the box, running FFXIV, I was getting CPU temps approaching 100 degrees Celsius. The GPU was not far behind, frequently hitting around 87-89 degrees Celsius.

By a rough estimate, I would say I have used the blade for a total of about 15 hours. Ambient temps have always been reasonable; about 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.

Today, I turned my Blade on and tried to load FFXIV. I was able to play for about 15 minutes, then the screen went black, but the cursor was still active. I noticed that I could still hear the music and sound effects of the game, so it was clear that the GPU had locked or had some driver issue. Ctrl-Alt-Delete returned me to the desktop. Hoping for the best, I fired it up again. This time, in the main menu, there was severe artifacting (polygons blipping in and out, strange color distortions, etc.). I was able to make it into the game, but very quickly the video again locked, while I could tell that the audio, menus etc. were still functioning.

I spun up HWinfo to make sure I wasn't overheating due to failed fans, paste, etc. The highest the GPU was hitting before locking was around 60 degrees Celsius.

Now, I cannot get further than the first section of the menus. The game will either lock, black out the screen, or artifact so bad that it is unplayable. I am experiencing the same issue in Dark Souls 2.

I believe that what I have experienced is the result of "cumulative" damage to the either the GPU or VRAM as a direct result of the excessive temperatures generated by this unit. I have also noticed that while I have never used the device off of power, the battery now stops charging at ~95%.

In retrospect, I'm not sure what I was thinking when purchasing this device and I really feel it would behoove us owners (and especially prospective owners) to give this some real thought.

Has Razer packed too much heat generating cutting edge silicon into this device? How long can these things possibly last at 90-100 degrees Celsius in such a small chassis where the heat is basically recirculated around to other components via the aluminum build? How much damage or wear is being put on other components (especially batteries, SSD, RAM, etc) that are extremely heat sensitive? Have I just taken ownership of the worlds most expensive paperweight?

I believe that this unit generates a significantly increased amount of heat vs. the 2013 model. They have done absolutely nothing to the cooling system they devised at that time. It was most likely considered to be "good enough." Throttling should theoretically take care of the rest. In most cases, it probably does for a year or so. I might have had one with a bad paste job, or other issues. Regardless, when you get to the point where you are considering near TJunctionMax to be "safe," you are playing a fool's game.

I intend to document this issue extensively via all available channels to make other consumers aware so that they may make an educated decision on the true quality considerations put into this "elite-build" laptop.

For reference, Razer has offered me a replacement unit via RMA. It is most likely that I will resell this device on Ebay to recoup whatever I can from what appears to be a very poor decision, made against my better judgment.

To any other users who have had similar issues or who experience these issues in the future, please include your information here.

Any contrary views, please share those as well. I would love to be reassured of my decision for the Blade at this point.

 

I can only share what I've experienced and what I've read of others on this forum. Yes the unit runs hot. I've probably spent over a hundred hours in games and the only lockups I've had were tonight and self induced by undervolting the CPU too much. I do think, well know, you got a bum unit because I haven't heard of anyone else having that sort of issue. It happens, and would be very unlikely to happen to your second unit unless it was something on your end causing it (high room temps, blocking vents, playing on lap/bed/carpet etc).

Good luck with your decision but I would hope you don't try to come across that the Razer Blade 14 2014 is not designed well or has problems. You got a bum unit, just out of the return period, that sucks and while you could complain about bad customer experience or customer support I don't think you can judge the computer by a single bad unit.

 

dajohu,

Thank you for your insight and encouraging information about a machine that has seen far more use than mine did without issue.

I don't mean to claim that I know this to be a poorly designed unit, only that I am seriously considering that possibility, based on my negative experience. I want to hear other's thought and experiences and hopefully stimulate some thoughtful discussion.

Basically, are the temps these things are running at really OK?

By the way, I see you've undervolted your CPU (presumably using XTU). Is there any way we can undervolt the GPU's in these things as well? I don't see the ability in NVidia Inspector for this model.

To be clear: the customer support experience was excellent, and there wasn't any time wasted in offering a replacement. I can appreciate this in a world where techs have you spend an hour doing a full system restore for what is clearly a hardware issue. They were great about this.

I do want to also clarify that my ambient temps were normal (actually lower than normal, mostly 68F) and that there were no obstructions to the airflow in any way, shape or form. This was used on a hard desk and never on anything like a blanket, bed or lap.

I hope I can receive more reassuring stories like yours. I may just open up that replacement unit and give it another go.

 

Consistently running components at such high temperatures is just not sound. This is pretty basic and although tempting to have that much power packed into that frame you are not just compromising on having to pay more for less on terms of specifications but also the lifetime of the unit will be much lower. Gaming laptops are already not renowned for their reliability and that's with standard cooling and usage.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

I did see some near 100C CPU temps during my first few days of testing but I assumed that was while the heatsink compounds were curing and everything was burning in. I haven't seen that since but I also haven't been watching my temps every session, just occasionally when I'm curious. Tonight my play session maxed around 90C CPU and 85C GPU.

Every game will be different and I seem to always like games that everyone says aren't that demanding so who knows. I will be getting Watch Dogs which is supposed to be demanding so that may be my best bet on seeing my highest temps.

I don' know of any way to undervolt the GPU without a custom vBIOS, which may never happen. But undervolting the CPU and lowering the temps a few degrees could also lighten the heat load overall and help the GPU a tiny bit too.

 

Based on my experience, I would say yours is definitely not a typical representation of the unit providing it is defect-free. I have logged around 20 hours on mine so far, most of the time spent with HWinfo or Intel XTU gathering temperature data. I feel comfortable saying that the device is well designed, thermally. Even in the worst tests I was able to give the laptop, I was unable to get it to do anything but excel.

Average temperatures have always been around 76-84 degrees Celsius for both CPU and GPU under load, never peaking over 90-91 (And most definitely never sitting around 90). Mine has never gotten too physically hot as to cause discomfort to me during use (Unless I touch the no-touch zone, but I have not accidentally touched it.)

 

15 hours isn't going to kill the notebook due to heat, my guess is something was on the edge of failing (vram maybe) and is now in that state. I've had plenty of electronics fail not long after buying without heat being the cause. Just exchange it under warranty. These chips can run at 90c with no problem.

 

Unfortunately, I think you've just got a bum unit. The blade is designed to be run hard and I imagine your replacement will be fine. Sometimes these things happen. Just recently I had to get a new engine under warranty in my brand new $70k car, it sucks, but it happens. Someone has to take the statistical whooping.

I play elder scrolls online at full res/ultra settings and I rarely go over 80C. So I'm sure your new blade will treat you much better..

 

Salutations reverser ,

I would like to apologize for the issues with the unit. It does seem that you have received one with an issue, we are definitely interested in sending this to the engineers to look over.

We base the refund and warranty period off of the delivery date, so a refund may still be possible.

I have PM'd you, hope to hear from you soon.

Have a great day,

RazerCS

 

My very first Razer Blade (the original 17") couldn't play Source games (Half-Life 2, Half-Life:Source) out of the box. Batman Arkham Asylum ran fine, Source games would not. Bad GPU.

RMAed it to Razer. The replacement has been fine ever since. My Blade R2, Edge (which I've done many multi-hour stints of gaming on), and my 2013 14" Blade have all been problem-free. The 2014 Blade is exhibiting some issues with intro video playback at the start of, but in games it's been fine. I figure just growing pains for now. Need to clock some more hours on it.

It sounds like you have a faulty laptop, not a systemic problem. Sucks, but it happens. Razer support is pretty good about fast turn-around. I'd RMA it and get a replacement.

 

Sorry to hear about this... I agree with many of the others, looks like you got a bad box and I'm glad to see Razer CS already sounded off.

However, I light of the gaming laptop community, I think there is a bigger point to be made. This does not reflect the OP, just consumers of these performance notebooks in general.

I've aggressively bought gaming laptops since the Alienware Aurora series (that's when the put desktop processors in notebooks), and I argue they, including the blade, are not beginner notebooks, and you have to have SOME knowledge of PC hardware. Not an expert, common sense IMO, but the older I get, the less confident i get with others common sense...

While I'm sure Razer has QAA the heck out of the blade, running it at max temps for many many hours, but you shouldn't do that on a regularly.

If you're gaming, and the fans are consistently on a higher than normal RPM (the really loud times), that should raise a flag.

These are not "dummy" laptops, where no matter what the user does, it won't fail; look to dell or HP if that's what you need.

I fear that some (not you), will get the blade, hook it up to an external monitor keyboard, mouse, keep the lid closed, not have adequate ventilation around the blade (e.g. Throw your dirty laundry on it), and play a game @ max settings @ 1800p, in a 75 degree room and ignore the fans in "spaceship" mode for hours and hours, for months and months.

That guys going to have problems, and razer may reply by making less powerful, but more "dummy proof" rigs. I don't want that

 

While I appreciate your point (and the fact that you repeatedly clarified this was not directed towards me), I have to slightly disagree with the assertion that it is the end users responsibility to provide a perfect operating environment for any laptop to prevent failures.

For reference, the reason most of my use was in a 68 degree room was not because I keep my house that cold but instead because I was on a lunch break at my work, in a climate controlled network closet regulated by a Liebert air handling unit (creme de la creme of cooling). I have been a network admin for about 15 years now. I previously repaired laptops for a living, so I am well versed in these things.

My point is to say I am not some uneducated derelict who is using this out in a park with the unit on a blanket on a 90 degree summer day. Of course, talk on the internet is just that, so you may choose to believe my supposed credentials or not as you see fit.

Regardless, the notion that an end user has to meticulously control the environment in which they use these things is an unreasonable expectation, in my opinion.

Some standard rules apply (don't suffocate the thing on a bed or blanket), but all these sensors in modern units now are there to allow a well-designed system to operate autonomously and to regulate fans, clock speeds, etc., to maintain the integrity of the device.

If Chevrolet were to put a V12 in a Chevette, you could literally drive the wheels off the thing if you drove it aggressively. Would it be acceptable for them to say, “Yes, we have a Chevette in V12, but you do have to be very careful how you drive it or it will fall apart?” I think the logical answer is no, that’s why there is not a Chevette with a V12 motor – the higher end motors are reserved for higher end pieces of engineering.

We’ve bought the Ferrari of laptops. It should drive like one without needing constant babysitting or a Comp Sci degree to operate.

 

I want to give a big thanks to RazerCS who has been in contact with me via PM and then email to address this concern with a number of potential resolutions.

Regardless of the issues I have experienced with the machine, one thing is certain - Razer support is top-notch.

Thanks again RazerCS!

 

This is an interesting debate. The Razer Blade has been marketed as a gaming PC and (and I am making some assumptions here) my guess is that the average owner is probably a fairly knowledgeable tech enthusiast. That said, there is no doubt that Razer is going for a broader audience with this product. They want the 35 something father of 2, who does not have the time to spend playing 200 hours of WoW, yet still plays D3 or Titanfall to pick this thing up. So with that movement, Razer has to know that the level of expertise of their average owner could (and should if they market themselves correctly) change. With that in mind, they need to ensure that this thing can take a beating and keep on going. This version may be the first to check all of the boxes and with that comes a bit of a question on whether or not they nailed the longevity factor. We are the test subjects. There is no shame in that.

 

An IT brethren! I’ve been on the development side as of recent, but three years ago I could say I had a valid CCENT (they expire every 3 years

Anyway, we agree to disagree, and thank you for the open and civil discussion.
I will close with that I think there are several other vendors out there that meet the requirement that was brought up. In fact, the vast majority of other vendors will meet those needs with lesser hardware.

The 2014 Razer blade is the only (current) notebook PC with these specs, everything else is <. i'd view it as the Ferrari type advanced with at v14, over the proven, user proof v12.

I’m an OS neutral guy; being a PC gamer we normally need Windows, being a developer you better have a mac! That said, if your software needs can be met, I highly suggest you try out the Mac Book Pro. It’s very user friendly, has great hardware (just not razer level), and just plain works.

Really happy to hear Razer CS helped out through this fourm! That’s just hotness =)

 

Yea, Razer support is top notch.

If it makes you feel any better, I'm in the process or RMA'ing my 2014 Blade pro @ Razer's request, for the exact OPPOSITE reason. I started getting a few random artifacts on Netflix [intel integrated] and the next morning my screen went WHITE while . . web surfing. Irony of ironies for a GAMING notebook to fall to something as simple as light casual usage! I was eventually able to recover it, but apparently Razer doesn't trust it. NO matter how well binned these CPU/GPUs are, there are always going to be a few that pass spec but fail early in the field.

And I 100% agree with you: If I have to control my climate to use my store bought equipment, then the equipment wasn't designed/built properly.

 

Don't make conjectures such as "dead, most likely due to heat". Your laptop is probably dead due to a different defect, which sometimes happen during production. Perhaps you just got a bad unit.

Either way, just about any competent laptop producer will extensively test their laptops for multiple hours upon hours on maximum load. It's likely not "due to heat".

 

I don't remember anything that said the Blade has to be run in a cryogenically controlled room...as long as you aren't blocking the fan vents, the blade should hard all day long just fine.

 

Heh, my roommate bought a $1700 laptop last week to have it arrive with a loose trackpad cable.

 

I bought the 2013 model and had the same issue, luckily they have a 1 month lemon guarantee, i went through 5 notebooks, the 3rd black screened whilst playing metro last light for about an hour and refused to turn back on, however the other 4 exhibited no such behavior (but were returned due to fan faults).

 

Just another data point, my brand new 2014 died tonight as well. Literally two days old, playing Wildstar on not especially taxing settings (medium graphics, 2048x1152 @59) . It has run very hot since I got it (yesterday) and tonight it just shut down and wouldn't restart. After letting it cool it started up to the boot screen, then shut down again. I'm afraid it's a dog.

Frankly, from what I have read, the machine is supposed to run super hot, and for me that doesn't seem right, so I'm not sure I'll keep it, sexy though it is. I guess I'll talk to Razer in the morning and see about an RMA for my brick, but this may have been a mistake.

 

These laptops are not properly designed for demanding loads and that is what these companies "prey" on, is that %99 of the users wont actually push these laptops to the edge they are supposed to be able to reach.

Laptop cooling is hard as it is, now toss in high end parts to sell units to people who don't really need the specs and watch the money flow in.

For us power users, if it sounds too good to be true......

 

You sort of have no clue about what your talking about, I've pushed my laptop to the limit almost every day since day one and have no problems. Don't confuse a couple of bad units with the whole lot.

 

+1..

There is always going to be a failure rate, just take a look at EVERY owner's lounge in these forums. Even the ones for low tier machines that don't get hot.

 

Actually, a reasonable model for whether constantly running at high thermals (80-90C) can result in premature death for a machine like the Razer Blade 2014 is to observe the survival rate of Razer Blade 2013s. They have, while not identical, similar thermal envelopes, cooling systems, and chassis designs. Now that the 2013 model has been out for more than a year, can anyone remember a trend of breakdown reports on this forum or elsewhere?

 

Whatever you do don't go look at the new xps15 forum thread.

 

+1

I have been pushing my Blade pretty hard. And I often game for 12 hours in a row (don't judge) at very high settings.

 

To the OP, its sounds like you just got a raw deal or better know as a DOA. I have built several computers (20+) and I have unfortunately ran in to this issue time and time again. High performance PC hardware unfortunately has a high failure rate, one that you really do not notice until your buying a lot, or in my case building machines. I agree with you, sounds like a GPU failure tel tale sings being the artifacting and locking up (vram maybe?). However, I doubt it was heat, these new mobile cards are ridiculous when it comes to heat protection, back in the day 60c-70c was really hot but now 80c is par for the course even running 90c is legit. Anyways, I digress and I am sorry that you had to go through this experience but am glad that Razer is getting it sorted out for you.

 

Mine continues to run like a champ. That said, in certain games after extended playing it does get toasty.
Knowing that heat is the bane of electronics, I've opted to get a cooling pad. Additionally, I've ordered a little Thermaltake usb fan (small one with a stand and a speed knob - under $10). My thoughts are that if I have it on a table/desk (say, in a hotel room, etc) and plan to game for hours, then I can set up the little fan to blow some air across the case. I'd aim it at the area between the keyboard and the monitor where it gets most hot.

 

just to echo what most people are saying...you got a bad unit. even at 99.9% assurance levels, there's going to be a bad unit in every 100 they make...

for the record, 100degree temps on video cards and processors are completely fine and well within tolerences for the compenents that your talking about. thermal throttling is done for a wide variety of reasons but limiting a cpu or gpu due to 100 degree temps becuase they are worried about them cooking over the lifetime of your unit is not one of them.

 

I am having almost an identical problem. I bought my Blade in March and after waiting till almost June to receive it due to back-order I have now had to send it back twice for display issues. 1st I had a dead pixel center screen. They sent it back (I think possibly they sent me a whole new system). When I got the system back I noticed what appeared to be a bubble under the screen near the bottom right corner, in addition I was using the system and it made a loud pop and totally shut off without warning...so I sent it back again. This time they confirmed they sent me a brand new system, which I received just this last Tuesday.

Now fast forward to tonight...I was playing Path of Exile for the first time since getting my system back and it seemed fine for about an hr when I suddenly got a display driver error and recovery, but the screen was frozen in game and I had to tab out. I restarted the game and it happened again almost immediately. After several more tries I restarted the whole computer, but that did not fix the issue. In fact I was starting to just log into game and the display would freeze although I could hear noises I could not do anything. there was no error message either.
When I downloaded HWMonitor to check the temperatures the Cores read between 120 - 141 degrees F. The GPU was also about the same temperature. After letting the system idle and cool a bit I tried to start the game again, only as soon as it started, the system suddenly completely powered off. I could not get it back on for 10 minutes and immediately after booting up I measured the temp again at 140 F.

As you said, I also noted that despite being plugged in the system never charged past 95%. In fact it actually went down to 70% at one point. I contacted Razer and they have offered me another RMA. I am thinking refund, but I doubt they will offer one. Pretty annoying as they have had the system longer than I have, and I have possibly received three new systems and each has had an issue.

 

I have a similar issue with my Blade I think its just completely dead. I sent in my blade once before for a clicking noise coming out of the bottom right hand corner of the machine and a bubbling issue with the logo on the back. They gave me a new motherboard and a new screen. I have had it for about two days and now wont even turn on. I was playing gauntlet for about 3 minutes which isnt a very demanding game and just shut off and it has been dead ever since. I will be contacting Razer support or Microsoft since I have a warranty with them as well. Ill keep you updated on my machine! I haven't had an issue with Razer support though thay have been very helpful!

 

I have this same white screen issue when browsing with Chrome and while gaming! When I start anything that is GPU accelerated, the entire screen will go white and Alt+Tabbing will sometimes make it go away. I've already RMAed the machine for this issue, and they replaced the motherboard and stress tested it. I've contacted customer support again, and they claim they can't get it to reproduce. I can make it reproduce in about 5 seconds by booting up any game. Now, they've stopped responding. Frustrating! How is your replacement holding up?

 

I have an MSi GT60 with a 4800MQ and a 780M. I've used it to play CSGO and SC2 every day for a few hours since the beginning of this year. Everyday the max temp for the CPU is around 98C and GPU is 89C. So far everything still works just as fast as day 1 lol. If overheating is an issue, my computer should've been burnt to a crisp by now but it's still working perfectly fine xD.