Razer Blade competitors

The new RB looks almost perfect to me, but I'm wondering if there's any other comparable options out there? That is, thin and light laptops with a good GPU and good build quality. The only downside of the RB is the 8gb RAM. I do a lot of music production and I sometimes need more than that.

The MSI Ghost GS60 looks good too, but I'm concerned about the keyboard/touchpad quality.

 

Why would you be concerned about those? MSI uses SteelSeries keyboard, which is excellent, and the touchpad is of decent quality as well.

Anyway, P34G V2, P35W V2 (or was that K?)...

Come to think of it, no, just get the MSI. Or the blade.

 

From what I've heard the keyboard is good but the touchpad is subject of many complaints. I saw a post with instructions on how to install new drivers but I haven't seen if anyone has tried it.

Talking about the msi btw.

 

Have you considered the Lenovo Y50? with the 4k Display it should be a good competitor and competitively priced the 1080p models are out... 4k will be out in a month according to the Lenovo Reps....

 

If you have to have a functional, comfortable trackpad, mac is the only way to go. The Razer Blade PRO is a close 2nd. I'll complain about the GS60 Trackpad all day long. . it's junk, it jumps, it's quirky.

Everything I've heard about the 14" Blade trackpad suggests it performs just as mediocre as any other trackpad on the planet.

The Blade pro has 16Gb Ram btw.... [Just sayin', just sayin']

 

Oh yeah, the keyboard is good, I just heard some issues with the touchpad.

Looks pretty good, I'll keep an eye out for it I like how the resolution is exactly double that of 1920x1080, so for gaming I can scale it down 50% without any blurriness.

I wish the Blade Pro was 15", and had a 3k/4k screen. I guess I don't reallllly need 3k... it'd just be nice.

 

This is the reason I'm not considering the 17" this year. I'm hoping in 2015 they refresh the 17" with a high DPI touchscreen. Then I'd buy another. I'd be even happier if they blew out the 2.5" bay and extended the battery to completely fill the front of the chassis from side to side.

 

If you'll all indulge me, I'm going to mini rant for a second here. It's not aimed at anyone specific, I'm just getting this off my chest, and MAYBE someone will have a comprehensive explanation that will give me a different insight.

I don't even understand the fad that is UHD screens. Ooooohhhh. . more pixels. . but the tech is still in it's relative infancy, you have refresh issues, ghosting issues [some have complained] SCALING issues. . and in the notebook scene what you end up with is a bunch of people buying a 14" notebook with an ultra high pixel rate and running the thing at 1600 x 900 24/7 because it either can't handle the rez, software doesn't scale right, or because the context menus in windows are so small nobody can click on the things.

At that rate, WHAT'S THE POINT? Bragging rights??? Beyond a certain resolution, you're just fighting a war against diminishing returns. Now, in a few years, when there's actually UHD *CONTENT*, and they mature the technology enough to where it's on par with a high quality IPS screen [ideally on par with the refresh rate of a TN panel with the quality of IPS screen], I can see maybe as a "kinda nice to have" THINKING about one, but right now? More headache than it's worth.

Though I'll readily agree they absolutely defecated all over the 2014 RBP refresh. It should have been upgraded to *AT MINIMUM* an IPS panel with edge to edge glass. I'm not really fond of touch screens, but a 1808 IPS touchscreen makes a heck of a lot of sense from a consumer standpoint.

 

Have to start somewhere. If we don't implement it, developers won't start writing software and architecting solutions that function properly under HiDPI panels. It's the future, either get out of your horse and buggy and get in the car with us or get off the road.

 

I have been using high DPI screens on my phones and tablets for the past several years. I will take scaling on a high DPI screen over no scaling on a low DPI screen. It's my personal preference. My Blade R2 is relegated to "work" duties for now, so I see no reason to buy the new 17" Pro unless it offers me something I don't have. For me, that's a high DPI touchscreen.

 

3D TV was the future awhile back. 4K TVs were "the future" when they were released a few years ago. now they're already moving to CURVED TVs.

TBH, external MONITORS are horse and buggy technology. maybe you should get out of the car with your external monitors and into the future with devices like Occulus Rift.

Ver. 3.0, with dual UHD displays, of course

.

Ok, but *WHY*??? personal preference. . . . how? 1600 x 900 is 1600 x 900 whether it's scaled on a UHD display or a standard 1600 x 900 screen. . isn't it? Except the drawbacks of the UHD screen mean that not everything scales, menus are either too small or blurry.

Unless you're just referring to the nice glass UHD panel, which I get . . . it adds a nice polish and contrast to the screen.

 

I would like both the glass touch screen and the option to go over a pedestrian 1600x900 or 1920x1080. I'd prefer to let my eyes decide if 1920x1080 on the 14" or 2560x1440 on a 4k 17" is acceptable or not.

 

These are all great points and super big annoyances. But the answer is easy: because when you have a PPI that high, it looks frickin' GORGEOUS. So people make sacrifices.

 

Now THAT wouldn't be a bad option. Higher than 1080, but not so high that an 860/870m couldn't drive it, and not so PPI crazy that you need a magnifying glass, pepper, and tweezers to find the folder icon

That's a fair point. Subjective, but fair. Of course, I'm the guy that has a 27" Apple Cinema display, but uses the Dell 2913WM because I prefer the added FoV for games [and because I do a lot of multiple spreadsheet data copying for work.]

But yea, all things considered I'd rather hook up my SP2 to the Apple than watch netflix on my desktop. There is NOTHING like watching 21:9 movies in full screen with no black borders to muck it up, tho

 

no No NO ! 1080P and 15" is the perfect combo. This stupid race for crazy DPI drives me crazy !
I have a Sony SVS15 with FHD IPS screen that I want to replace but I can't find anything that I like. Higher resolution is pure waste and source of trouble...
The high DPI screen on the RB 14 is the reason I don't buy it (and they had to go with 870M to fill all these pixels where a nice 1080P screen + Maxwell 860M is a much smarter choice)
and please people, don't talk about MSI GS60, I saw it in the shop and it screams cheap cheap cheap. Definitively not for me (even if I understand that some people find it nice, compared to a blade, its 2 steps down in quality)

 

Sorry, it's not the future. It's utterly useless marketing gimmick that a 14" uses a 4k panel. Even with your eyes at 10cm in front of the screen, you can"t see any pixel. I already can't see any pixel at working distance of my 15" FHD screen. So what's the point ? What will be next ? 8k on 10" pad ?
Please folks, use some common sens, its because people buy these useless techs that manufacturers think they can push the specs in stupid territory...

 

People buy equipment for different reasons. What might be perfect for you, isn't going to be perfect for everyone else. I've heard plenty of people proclaim that 14" is perfect while 15.6 is too large or that both are too small and 17" is perfect.

Don't ask people not to discuss alternatives in a thread created specifically about them just because you don't like it.

That being said, I think the Ghost Pro is the closest competitor. While it doesn't have the build quality of the Blade, the additional hard drive, screen size, and ethernet port while being cheaper and lighter put it ahead for me.

 

I feel like everyone said the same or similar things about the retina display on the iPhone 4 at first. Everyone said who cares, what's the difference...but now, no one will buy a phone if you can see the pixel. Heck, I have a 1920x1200 screen on a 15" and I still think it looks like you are looking through a screen door as compared to my iPhone or a tablet.

That being said, I'll also like that fact that, for photo and video editing, it is much closer to actual size on the screen than before.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

High PPI allows LCDs to relive the CRT era. No longer will we be confined to a "native resolution". Once the little points of light are so small that we can't see them anymore, non-native resolution (which is all CRTs had) becomes comfortable.

This first step into high PPI screens is not for everyone. Thankfully, as an older individual, medical science says my eyesight's going straight down the tubes anyway so I can benefit from high PPI before the kids with their eagle eyes and their Beats headphones and their facebooks...

I get it if someone's not happy about high PPI as it stands now, but consider what it will be like when we have 14" or 17" 8k displays, or higher. At that point the discussion of running at "native resolution" will end.

 

I never said that 15" is the right and only size ; I said that 15" + FHD is the right combo. Like I think that 14" and FHD is also the best combo (as of now).
PS: I owned laptops of many sizes, from 10" to 15" so I understand that each size has his own merit.

 

No one needed HD when that was new. No one needed 20mbit internet in their house in 1995. Stop rallying against progress you will always lose.

 

This link for customizing the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K has me freaking out:

HIDevolution MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K 097 3GB GTX 870M 15.6" WQHD+ 2880x1620

Does anyone know how legit these guys are?

I mean I just speced out this:

• i7-4710HQ
• IC Diamond thermal compound installed (might help heat? I don't have experience with IC Diamond and it might be a rip-off)
• GTX 870M
• 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
• Samsung 840 EVO Series SATA3 6Gb/s 750GB SSD
• 15.6" IPS WQHD+ (2880x1620) LED (non-touch )
• 30 Days Zero Defective Pixel Guarantee
• 2 Year Limited Warranty w/ 1 Year Accidental Damage "No Oops" Protection (1 Year Global Warranty), LIFETIME HIDevolution Technical Support

... for $2,429.00 !!!

The one thing I don't like about the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K compared to the 2014 Razer Blade is that:

• It doesn't have a touch screen
• I think the keyboard is slightly inferior
• The trackpad without separate clickable buttons sucks (so in other words, this thing needs to be paired with peripherals when gaming)
• I believe it will have slightly less battery life
• And I do like the aesthetics of the RB better

But as you can see above, that build is technically superior in almost every way with more space, and at a cheaper price. Plus you get the benefit of a network port, an SD slot, and a Display Port which I assume means we can use this with a G-SYNC monitor. It also has a few internal technologies I would probably rather have over the default stuff, such as Creative sound and Killer E2200 Game Networking LAN. I might be crazy but... I'm starting to wonder if this wouldn't be the way to go. The one thing I'm waiting to hear more about is the responsiveness of the panels (refresh rate, response time, etc.) I've heard reports that the 2014 RB has some noticeable smearing, probably due to response time... so I'm curious how the screens compare overall.

 

I'm rallying against useless tech (that is not "progress"), not useful one. if you can't understand...

 

Wow, a lot of commentary since last night!

I got the Blade Pro, My wife ended up with the GS60. The GS60 ISN'T bad. Ok, it's not aluminum [I believe it's the same alloy they use for the Surface Pro] and I don't like how the screen bezel on the top corners has an ever so slight gap, like they forgot to put the tabs on to hold it together, but the screen is high quality and it performs just as well as the Blade Pro. . . which isn't shabby for using the Kepler 860m.

Retina phone screens: Apples and oranges between phones/tablets and full fledged computers running Windows. how IOS/Android handle scaling is *WORLDS AWAY* different from how Windows fails to handle it.

IC7 Diamond is legit, but I'd like to know why they removed the 3k 3840 x 2160 touch screen? Unless they're upgrading the screen from the $1800 1080 panel??

MSI Global GS60 2PE Ghost Pro


As far as the GS60 vs the Blade/Blade pro, yes, you get more this and more that, and I *REALLY* wish the Blades had display port out. I'm even tempted to say the Steel Series keyboard feels a bit better than the Razer.

There are two reasons that I went Blade over Ghost:

1) Build quality. The GS60 is fairly well built, but it does not feel as SOLID as the aluminum Chassis on the Razer. The lid flexes, and the bezels almost seem DESIGNED to stay slightly separated.
2) Customer service/Warranty. I've never dealt with MSI customer service, but I *HAVE* dealt with Razer's. This *ALONE* is worth the price premium for my notebook. Speaking to someone here in the states that speaks American English and out of the gate speaks to me as if I'm very computer literate [and I am] as opposed to someone for whom English is a second language, knows nothing about computers and reads his entire troubleshoot from a script, and is completely unable to grasp the concept that I might know whether or not my computer is PLUGGED IN.

If it sounds like a commercial for Razer, it's because they've Earned my loyalty with several very satisfactory experiences.

 

I was actually asking if hidevolution.com was legit (because of all the customization they do). Useful to know about the IC diamond though.

I'm not sure what you mean by removing the 3k touch screen. None of the MSI Ghosts have touchscreen as far as I know, and the "3k" display res in the just announced Pro model has always been advertised as 2880x1620 has it not? MSI Notebook Official Website | G Series - GS60 Ghost Pro 3K-095 Gaming Notebook / Laptop

That's actually one of the reasons I was also looking at this hidevolution.com ... because they seem to have better, extended warranties than Razer, covering everything from accidental damage to Zero Defective Pixel Guarantee (the pricing I listed above includes both). But again... I'm just wondering how legit

 

I think your attitude is a bit silly. I've had several generations of iPads, from the first-gen iPad up to the iPad Air (and a few iPod Touches) - and the switch to Retina was a big plus, with text and graphics being noticeably crisper. And as someone who works in InDesign, I very much appreciated even the tiny amount of extra real estate I got on my old Alienware M17x R2, which had a 1920 x 1200 RGB-LED screen - it was quite useful while I worked. Just because the Blade has a smaller screen doesn't make the increased resolution useless tech. And as many people have pointed out, Windows 8 does a decent job with DPI scaling. If there's a problem with running certain programs and getting them to display properly, I'll wager that it's mostly due to lazy devs who don't want to do the extra work necessary for proper DPI scaling.

I'm sure that they probably try to justify it by saying that most people use 1080p and that they don't need to bother. While I would perhaps agree that the resolution in the Blade could be considered a bit of overkill with just an 870m to power it, it's still not useless tech. Without people actually trying to make new technologies work, we probably wouldn't have many of the advances we've had to date in science, technology, or medicine. Would you actually prefer working on some horribly massive, outdated CRT monitor today? I sure wouldn't.

If you have such a problem with "useless tech" like high-res screens, then there are plenty of companies making use of those standard 1080p resolutions. If the Blade Pro ever ups the screen resolution (and the graphical horsepower), I wouldn't mind getting one of those. I may still pick up a current Blade 14 even though I canceled my initial preorder due to the shipping delays (still haven't quite decided, although the fact that I could end up paying less for one via the Microsoft store is sort of making me lean towards buying one again despite my current inclination to wait for the next revision).

 

^^THIS^^

Windows 8/8.1 handles scaling perfectly. If you have scaling issues, it's the third-party software you're using.

Microsoft is constantly adding workarounds to Windows, so that legacy software is still supported. Sometimes I wish they would take the Apple route--"If you don't update your $hit, it's not going to work with our new OS.

 

Agreed! I've hated windows scaling on other devices but I like it on the blade since at 200% things look really nice as opposed to 125/150% which often looks weird.


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so in the display settings in windows, when you select 100%, 125%, 150%, that's third party software??? I'm confused, because I thought that was part of Windows itself. . and it works like absolute GARBAGE on the Surface Pro 2. If you set higher than 100%, all the text is blurry as all get-out. Yes, the SIZE is fine, but the blurry text gives me a headache in 15 minutes. So it's not "perfect", it's still garbage. Can't be the screen, because it's crystal clear at 100%. It's a function of SOFTWARE. I've seen the Lenovo with the 3k screen, it does the EXACT SAME THING. Now, they say that if you go from 3800 x 1800 to 1600 X 900 [cut resolution in half] the text doesn't get blurry like that, and I haven't tested that. In that case, we're back to the "why bother getting a 3k screen if you're going to run it at 1600 x 900 ... /pointless

PS, the more pixels, the more power consumption.....

AFAIK the only "customization was the IC7 diamond and POSSIBLY the screen. I don't know what screen the Ghost pro is SUPPOSED to come with . . .3k suggests 3800 x 1800. I see where I misread the spec on the one I listed tho. That's the major problem with MSI: generic implementation with a thousand nitpicky customizations.

I have no experience with that retailer. I'd suggest someone like XoticPC.com [gentech PC also has a decent reputation on these forums, though I've never dealt with them]

Given the choice, I'd rather go with the manufacturer's extended warranty, even though it'll cost you a few bucks more. That's just personal opinion, no real experience behind it.

 

Windows 8.1 DPI Scaling Enhancements

To quote from the article:

There are a lot of things apps can do to optimize the user experience for DPI scaling. If we take a photo editing app as an example, there are some very important considerations. A photo editing app may want to scale UI elements like buttons and checkboxes, but not scale other content. If we consider the image viewing area of the app it may be critically important that that portion of the UI not be scaled. If the image viewing area of the app was automatically scaled to 200% you’d never be able to see your photo at native resolution because it would be pixel doubled. This could be a problem if the reason you bought that 4K display was to see more of your images at native resolution!

Windows 8.1 provides APIs for apps to know what the optimal scaling value is. If you were developing that photo editing app, you could scale the toolbars and chrome based on the optimal scaling value and leave the image viewing area at 100% scale. Perfect!

One example of an app that responds to DPI scaling in the Windows 8.1 Preview is IE 11. IE 11 uses the API to determine the optimal zoom level and adjusts it automatically.

If I'm not gravely mistaken, that basically means that Microsoft has given software developers the ability to code their programs appropriately to take advantage of DPI scaling in Windows 8.1. If the developers of a third-party program (game/browser/whatever) choose not to use the API, then presumably that is when you get issues with blurriness, etc. Like someone else said, if MS forced the developers into using the API Apple-style, I suppose there might be more progress in terms of developers actually including proper DPI scaling within their software.

 

Developers for OSX aren't forced to use anything. They just go and do their jobs.

Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

 

No, that's Microsoft's API to let you select an interface element size that is comfortable for you. Microsoft uses these APIs correctly and that's why IE11 and Office 2013 look absolutely gorgeous on a HiDPI display. You just mention text generally, but I'm assuming this is text inside a third-party program like Chrome, which is one that I hear the most complaints about. Adobe is horrible too, as they don't allow any of their interface to scale.

Perhaps "force" is a strong word, but Apple doesn't screw around with backwards-compatibility, so you either adapt or die.

 

^ That, more or less - while I don't literally think that OSX devs are forced into anything, they do seem to be more aware that there are standards that need to be met. At any rate, it would certainly be nice if people developing software for Windows took the DPI-scaling issue more seriously. If more and more people adopt higher-res screens, maybe it will get to the point that they'll just have to start doing a better job at optimizing their software so that it looks good no matter what resolution the user prefers.

 

exactly thats why I said, they aren't forced, they just do their jobs and done.

being one myself I don't feel any kind of force pushing me to do that. The majority still own not retina displays or whatever you want to call the high dpi displays, the majority owns the old ones, however! I can push for some minor changes in code and other stuff and voilá its compatible!

interestingly enough its the same damn thing in windows. you have the tools you just choose to not use those.

hell I still have to use at the company some IE6 only sites!

and sincerely? those high dpi panels are just great to use.

 

Text in windows itself is blurry at 125% and 150%. Unless you're classifying the O/S itself as a 3rd party app

 

I guess I just haven't experienced that--on my Blade or my rMBP. Maybe I'm not as sensitive to it. I can see the horrible things Chrome does to text though.

 

That I just don't believe, would you please provide a scenario where windows OS itself shows blurry text at native resolution with zoom (any level).

It is mind boggeling that Google haven't put any more effort in optimizing Chrome for Windows (high DPI screens) when they do so well on other OS:es.

Anyhow, if Chrome is your favourite browser and you would like to use it on high DPI screens in windows, there is away to "fix" it.
Check out this article, in middle of page 3 for instructions)
AnandTech | Scaling Windows - The DPI Arms Race

 

So I went and hooked up my 2560 x 1440 Display. Increased scaling to 150%, and had 0 issues with fuzzy text in windows or even in Chrome [Ccleaner did, until I updated it]

Then I went back to the onboard display, and low and behold. . . . NO BLUR!!

So barring a restart defaulting scaling to some blurry medium, I retract my entire complaint [a rarity, but it happens]

For the record, even CHROME is crisp and clear @ 150% now...

 

Check that link I posted again... there are quite a few customization options for the Ghost from that site: many different storage options and combinations, RAM choice, and in an entertaining move even logo color. And as far as I can tell, there is no screen customization. They list the same screen as the default Ghost Pro model. (And logically, it makes sense. Swapping HDDs and RAM is a lot easier than swapping a laptop's screen.)

MSI isn't the one offering the options, that site is... but I'm a bit confused by you thinking that's a con. Options are almost ALWAYS a plus. I'm thrilled to have found that place (again, if it's legit, hah!)

 

I didn't look at the site, just the quoted specs. it's easy for them to offer the customization options because swapping out a HDD or sticks of ram is no-brainer easy. It's a con because the cost of said customization is usually where these companies rip you off. Of course, I've been building my own desktops for longer than I'd care to admit, and I've had the dubious pleasure of tearing down more than my share of Asus and MSI notebooks to repaste or otherwise fix manufacturing defects, so I'm a bit of an elitist [expletive deleted]


Hve you checked them to find out if they're listed with the BBB, or possibly to see if they have a reputation on trusted sites such as Ebay or Amazon?

 

Yeah, I get it. I've been building my desktop systems for 14 years. Now adays with the laptop scene it's a bit different from many angles. I guess I'm of the mindset that if you purchase a machine knowing you want to swap out parts fairly quickly, in most circumstances that's also a waste of money because you're paying for the hardware that it comes with and then paying again for the new hardware you're swapping out. I suppose if you need the stock hardware for something else anyway it's a different story.

The thing that really attracted me to that hidevolution.com site was that, when all was said and done with my MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 3K customization, it added only marginally to the price. I ended up with a machine that was technically superior to the RB2014 (by an even larger margin than it was with stock parts) and it was still less money if you compare to a RB with a decent amount of storage (but still far less than the customized Ghost). That's what got me excited.

So I found this thread about HIDevolution.com: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-17-m17x/562083-hidevolution.html
It's a long read with mixed feedback. I stopped reading after a page or two because it wasn't actually that helpful, but I'll eventually read through it all.

BBB rating is an F: Evolution Computers, Inc Business Review in Torrance, CA - Serving the Silicon Valley BBB

That scared me at first, but then I noticed that they only have 1 complaint, so I'm a bit confused by that score. I think it's just because that company is not BBB Accredited.

Good rating on eBay: Amazon.com At a Glance: HIDevolution Computers and Electronics

Good rating here too: Hidevolution.com Reviews - hidevolution.com Ratings at ResellerRatings

Seems advantageous for the international market as well. I think I'm going to give them a serious consideration, as some of those customizations seem worth it... especially around all the storage options. For those interested, they also do some customization for the RB 2014 (though the options aren't nearly as useful): http://www.hidevolution.com/new-razer-blade-14-qhd-gtx-870m.html

 

Yeah, 20/20 had an expose' on this awhile back. If your company is not an active, dues paying member of the BBB, you get a crap rating. I wouldn't consider the BBB an accurate source of information.

 

Aorus 3xplus is a great alternative but shipping to europe would costs SO much money. What alternatives are still out there? Should i wait for the new tech to come out this month and wait until nov/dec to buy something new (I want to sell my rMBP due to the lack of games & power).


The razer blade is super slim, but I believe the screen size is just on the money. 14inch is the best screen size there is in my eyes. I'd rather have a notebook that is a bit thicker and packs more punch then an ultrabook with a 15inch or 13inch screen.


Did anyone else find any alternatives to the razer blade in the 1500$ region? (seeing you don't pay for the name then ^^)

 

Lenovo y50, asus g551, acer aspire v nitro...

The nitro has an ips display over the tn on the other two... But all three are limited by 860m in comparison to the 870m found in the razer blade...

 

Well, isn't it smarter to just wait a month until the new versions come out with m-cores ect?

I really like the look of the razer blade but the pricetag is just super high