Razer Blade Owner's Lounge

I searched for BSOD in this thread and didn't see anything, so that's not a good sign...

I received my Blade on Monday and started game installs. Tuesday I tried to play two games, Half-Life 2 and Batman Arkham Asylum.

Batman plays find (GfWL) title.

Half-Life 2 starts, then freeezes at the menu screen, but I could get to task manager so I killed it. Tried a directx update. No change. Tried the updated video drivers on Razer's site. BSOD in nvlddmkm. Tried the latest on nVidia's site (WHQL). Still BSOD. Updated the processor graphics driver and wifi drivers from Intel and removed all of the nVidia drivers. HL2 starts up just fine on Processor Graphics... Reinstall the drivers from Razer's site. BSOD.

So... anyone else having this problem? I can try a complete reinstall from a USB copy of Windows 7, but that's a bit of a time sink.

 

Hey IceStorm, Why don't you just try to recover yours? I think its something like F9 at post.

I think its a good sign that no one else seems to be having BSOD's

 

If I am going to do a reinstall, I may as well put Ultimate on it.

I've had bad luck with gaming laptops in the past (M11x, Envy 17 3D), so this is somewhat par for the course.

 

Well what are you doing differently than others?

 

are there any people around here who are actualy happy with their blade ?
im having second thoughts on getting rid of my m18x for this =/
its nice and light and can carry it anywhere , but ty grahic card and the switchblade UI is useless... hardly ever use it

 

Nothing. The M11x was a refurb that had a dodgy trackpad and the Envy 17 3D was just too big.

I did a restore using F9. Same issue with HL2 freezing. As i'm seeing pixels that are black which shouldn't be, it's a sign there's a GPU or GPU memory issue. I'll call Razer in the morning, but if they can't get me a replacement by Monday I'll just return it.

 

Well a few in this thread have already returned theirs if you go back a few pages. I very nearly ordered one myself. But I decided I would wait for Razer to update the Blade with Ivy Bridge and Kepler. Then I would likely get one. Im guessing others are also playing the waiting game since this is the first time the Blade has been in stock for more than an hour (its been over a week now) --I just don't think I could be satisfied with its current performance if I owned one.

If they threw a nvidia 660m, and Ivy Bridge in there, I'd probably pull the trigger. Or if a true Kepler 680m ever makes its way in the Razer (whenever that's released) then I *definitely* will be picking one up.

Just curious, what gpu did you have in your m18x?

 

6970m CF , even though it wieghts 3 times more than the blade and i couldnt carry it for i still miss the m18x

 

still loving mine, miss the processing power of the m18x as well, but not the load of it. if alienware makes a thinner, svelte notebook with ivy bridge and kepler, will be interested at some point. only other notebook on the horizon i have interest in other than an upgraded blade would be a super high res macbook pro/air 17 with kepler and quadcore or something.

upset with razer by the way the latest update to the trackpad deleted half of my icons and profiles, had to start them over, took me a couple hours of customizing. really enjoy using my slingbox with custom channel icons by the way.

 

I have had my Razer for almost 4 weeks now.

It gets a bit hot to the touch when gaming but I have become used to it. I love kicking back in my recliner playing Mass Effect 3 or Tera Online. The switchblade is still kind of gimmicky but in any game I can shut people up by just saying I have a blade.

I love the keyboard and the mouse. The screen is simply amazing with the viewing angles and color.

Yes it was expensive and if you are willing to carry 15 pounds instead of 6 go right ahead and get the alienware 18x or whatever other beast out there. For performance and price along with sexiness I love my Razer. Yes I can wish for this or that or the next generation or the next thing to come out in a few months but this thing has all the features I want and I have not had a single crash, bug or issue that has made me second guess my decision to buy.

I carry mine to and from work everyday and had a 13 pound Malibal X8100 with a 18.4 inch screen and SLI graphics. Yes it was awesome but it also weighed a ton and the driver issues sucked. This worked out of the package and I don't know how many times I have played on it for hours and forgot the thing wasn't even plugged in.

 

After speaking with Blade support, I RMA'ed mine. Razer pays both ways (though it must be picked up as The UPS Store won't sign for insurance). Out of the three gaming notebooks I've tried, this is the first I've been willing to RMA and not just return.

Hopefully Razer will overnight the replacement with Saturday delivery so I can prep it before PAX East.

 

Yeah, I can see why you miss it --I couldn't see your signature before (I posted from tapatalk) But now on my laptop, I can see it was definitely a monster.

I have a M15X myself and picked up a 6990m for it but even the 15 is too heavy to carry around. The blade is definitely sleek and light... I can't wait to see the v2.

 

Cool, I haven't read every post and didn't realize they cross-ship the replacement. They overnight too? That major rep points in my book.

I gotta say I love seeing people here who are happy with their blades. It took me a while to finally decide I was going to wait until v2. I was ready to put in my order during this last batch and made a mistake entering my cc auth code. When I realized my error, I thought a minute before re-entering it and it occurred to me "hmm... maybe this is the wallet fairy telling me I should wait a bit"

So I'm fighting the urge and waiting for kepler and ivy bridge...

 

They do not cross-ship, but they do pay for overnight both ways (by 10:30am delivery). I asked for Saturday on the return, however that's not standard and they may not meet that request.

My laptop was sent to the tech I worked with on the phone. I left a default user on the notebook and my Steam install, so all he had to do was log in with his userid on Steam to verify HL2 crashed. A replacement is already being prepped for shipment.

 

That is pretty impressive to be on a direct contact with a tech that knows what they are doing all the way through.

 

Is anyone else having issues with their mouse. I am blowing through batteries in 1 week. It is off most of the time when not in use.

 

Yeah, The batteries that came with the mouse weren't so great. Try these Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA Batteries. Been running two months strong now.

 

Hey guys, the extended warranty came out today. what do you guys think? (feel free to go in depth on why you should or should not get one =] )

 

I saw the details on the warranty before they sent the e-mail, it was available in the Canada store first.

I think Razer tech support is good enough that RMA'ing for legitimate issues should be decent. You aren't going to get alienware support where they dispatch a tech due to size of company and how the Blade is built. Ultimately if it breaks they will just have you send it in and send you a replacement.

That being said a full $300 for one additional year is very steep in my opinion.

 

On that note you'd be better off just buying the Blade with an American Express card and getting the additional year included for free.

 

Amex doesn't cover shipping. If you need repair, shipping overnight both ways alone is $200. I believe Razer covers this as part of the warranty (they did for my replacement). Just something to consider.

Extending the warranty raises the monthly cost of the Blade $13. But we all know a new Blade will hit before year's end... tough choice.

My replacement unit is fine. HL2 works. Starcraft II works. Needs some more testing and updated drivers, but so far so good.

My Chase card adds another year of warranty for products with 3yr or less of warranty. I'll have to call and see what it takes to exercise it and compare to Razer's service level. I can live without the Blade for a week or two.

 

Glad to hear the replacement is working and that Razer's service seems top notch. I hope Razer sells enough of these to release more models down the road --a 15 inch would be awesome.

Just curious, what were the other two gaming laptops you've tried and what were your reasons for returning them? I find myself going back and forth with the Razer and your experiences will help me decide when the IB/Kepler equipped Blade is finally released. It's either that or go with a cheaper but more boring sager equivalent.

 

I tried an M11x (original). The touchpad registered touches when I wasn't touching it and the screen sucked. Retuned it.

The original HP ENVY 17 3D only ran 90min on a battery (not gaming), had a huge brick, and the fans ran loud (not gaming). It went back.

The Blade battery drains pretty fast on nVidia (60min I think for HL2), but non-gaming it lasts several hours. I can live with that.

 

I'll be joining this club tomorrow! Kamzan was kind enough to agree to trade me for one of my M18xs. Cant wait! Any idea what happened to the SwitchBlade pocket computer they showcased last year?

 

welcome to the club. min-liang tan is hinting about some new switchblade updates, really looking forward to seeing some new things. weather app, video player app, customize the touchpad image, etc....

 

Good to hear! I decided that alienwares are too big to be useful as laptops and if I only use it on a desk then why not build a desktop. Plus the damn thing was breaking my back lugging it around campus and work. I'm actually going to get to use my mass effect 3 messenger bag for what it was intended not my school books

 

yeah, well i miss my m18x at home, but definitely not out and about. bring my blade to work with me, even to the gym and can goof off after a work out drinking coffee playing some civ 5 or something. very portable machine.

 

Is there a resource that explains how to set up the Switchblade UI so that it doesn't choke when there's no Internet connection? For the life of me I cannot see how to save a local copy of the button config (Facebook, calc, etc) that is shown when it logs into Razer, nor how to use that setup on boot/resume when there's no Internet connection?

 

Make sure it is check-marked that you stay signed in is what I've found works. Like an offline mode.

 

Hey guys, long time lurker first time poster. I'm really wanting to get this laptop but these rumors popping up are what are scarring me. What do you guys think about them?

Razer Blade Redux: Ivy Bridge and Kepler Union? - Bright Side Of News*

 

@johnnobts

Did you manage to take apart the swicthblade module previously when you opened the laptop? There is some dust & fingerprints inside those 10 keys which are making the icons look ugly. Finding of a way to clean them.

 

only removed the bottom plate and also swapped out the wifi card for a killer wireless for a while. never removed the switchblade hardware or even touched it really, nor did i try and unscrew the system board and look on the other side. was tempted initially to take out the mobo and do a thermal paste job on the CPU/GPU, but decided not worth the risk. haven't had any dust in my keys. contact razer on this for advice. liked the killer wireless card better, but couldn't do without bluetooth.

 

Why not just call and talk to support about it? They have been really helpful.

 

Ok I emailed their support team.

Thanks again.

 

Kyze, do let us know what they say and how they handle this. I've read about one or two other people mentioning this same fingerprint / dust problem and would like to know how Razer deals with what could easily be considered a "non-issue" to them (but would definitely bug me and I'm sure a few others if they encountered it)

One of the main reasons for wanting this besides the light weight is the looks --It's like a black mbp. Fingerprints under the keys would not be something I would be happy with.

 

Still haven't receive any reply from Razer

 

Hey, what method did you use to contact them?

 

Email. I'm from South East Asia. Not planning to make an international call yet.

 

I am ready to purchase the Blade. I love the form factor and build quality. I dont game as much as I used to so a midrange GPU should be fine for the games I do play. The question is, is it the right time to purchase the Blade? With the new Intel chipsets coming out at the end of April and the Clevo resellers already taking orders do you think its possible Razer with refresh the Blade before the end of Summer? I wonder if Razer would risk the PR nightmare if they did refresh so quickly after initial release. If only Razer would offer some king of upgrade program for initial purchasers. Decisions, decisions.

 

Definitely wait.

Razer would be crazy not to refresh - the blade form factor is perfect for IB + keplar combo.

I know I'm gonna buy a blade as soon as its updated

 

Hmm, very intersting. The Razer Blade now says currently unavailable. Not out of stock like their other products. Could the refresh be almost here? If it is I hope they dont change anything except upgrade to IB/Kepler.

Edit: The Tiamat headsets say currently unavailable as well. Still hoping the refresh is here already though!

 

not likely to be refreshed for a while, just out of stock again.

 

I think I spotted a mac fan boy/rumors person.

Apple rumor forums do the same thing when pages go down or availability runs out.

 

noticed toshiab announced a new gaming laptop today with Kepler/Ivy Bridge tech, but release date points to June. I imagine this is how it will be with Dell, HP, ASUS, and others. Razer may be even longer waiting for an update IMHO. Look forward to seeing it though. I just remember selling my laptops in anticipation for the Blade back in September of last year, thinking the Blade would drop in October, then being told it would launch before Christmas... Finally not getting mine until January... Dunno if I can sell my current Blade and go without for 4 months again or something.

 

This is what they told me...

"The Keys are inset into the casing of the Blade, and as such there is no way to remove they keys to clean them. Any attempt to disassemble or remove they keys will void the warranty on the Blade.

Some particulate is going to appear under the Switchblade module, and a picture for evaluation would help in establishing if it needs to come in for cleaning or not.

Please let us know."

 

Hi Guys.. Got my razer last week. I was told it could run the witcher 2 on high settings, but mine cannot. I put it on medium and and cant even run it on that!!

any solutions?

 

Make sure you install the latest NVidia video drivers. Turn your resolution down to 720p. That being said the Witcher 2 is a very taxing game and I wouldn't expect it to play much better than on medium.

 

You should be able to run Witcher 2 on high settings @ 720p. Make sure you have all the patches and fixes installed for Witcher 2 and also make sure you are using the nVidia GT 555 and not the intel 3000 integrated graphics.

 

don't have the witcher 2 yet so can't say... however, i suspect it will run fine at 1080p with textures maxed out, but will likely have to turn off Ambient occlusion, maybe other tesselation features if you can, as well as shadows... saw the game for 19 bucks at target, may go pick it up...

 

also goes without saying make sure you set up a profile for the game under nvidia settings, it may be running off integrated graphics which would make it suck.