Should I Buy a Razer?

Hello all.

I am looking to buy a new laptop. I currently own a MacBook Pro from 2008. What I'm looking for in a new laptop is that same kind of durability (4+ years) and dependability.

My price range is between $1200-2100

I'd like a quad core, i7 processor, don't care all that much about graphics (I may play Skyrim from time to time.)

Prefer 16GB of RAM, 8 is acceptable.

Hard drive should be either solid state or 7200 rpm. Preferably at least 500 GB of storage.

The display size doesn't matter at all.

I would like 5+ hours of battery life (medium use, internet surfing and the occasional Microsoft office program).

I'm looking to switch back to Windows, just for a change of scenery, so please do refrain from suggesting I get a mac (even if it may very well be the best option).

It's definitely a plus if I could replace the hard drive, battery, add more RAM, etc. myself, but understandable if not.

Anyone know of SD slot/optical drive solutions for Razer products?

If I forgot to mention something, it's because it wasn't important.

One particular question I have is regarding the type of servicing you get with Razer products.

Finally, of Razer products, I am most interested in the 2013 model of the Razer Blade.

Non-Razer suggestions are also welcome.

I am very aware that what I'm looking for may not exist, and yes, this is posted on the "What laptop should I buy" forum.

Thank you in advance!

 

If you dont care about the graphics performance then you can just buy a new MacBook model 2014.
But if you still want a Razer, then my advice would be to wait for the refresh with 2nd generation Maxwell GPU (GTX 970M or 980M), which is much more energy efficient.
In my opinion, when buying a laptop of over $US 2000, one should care if the refresh is coming soon or not, and wait for it if possible, specially when there are arquitectural changes in CPU or GPU that can provide the performance needed for the next 3~4 years, as Kepler GPU did.

 

I doubt razer will be refreshing the Blade until Spring of 2014.

 

Well, I would get the 2013 model, sans touch screen. So I think the price is hovering around $1800 right about now.

 

They will most likely release a 970M unit in spring 2015..

 

sorry that's what I meant 2015.

 

Did you really think so? It's so far...

 

At that point of year 2015 it would be a better choice to skip 970M and 980M which are 28nm, and go directly to the 20nm ones... GTX 1080M ?

 

Well they haven't missed a generation since the 5xxm series so I doubt they will skip the 970m.

 

Hi everyone, I have a question about whether or not to purchase the new razer blade 14". I do have an Xbox one and a surface pro 2 and I do use steam. I'm thinking about buying this cuz I am in the military and deploy much so its easier for me to take a laptop rather than an Xbox. My main issue is if the razer blade able to replace my Xbox one completely? I do play a lot of first person shooter games like COD, Titanfall, you get it. I don't want to regret getting rid of my Xbox one.

 

Yeah, that makes no sense to wait over 6 months to release a 970m version. They should have been all over this. By then it will be obsolete and there will be some other thing up and coming to wait for.

 

Umm I do not think so. Order the fangbook with 970M. 1700, comes with 6gb of 970M better processor and you can upgrade the screen to 4k with 1800. You can choose to add more ram and storage depending on your wants.

 

razer is likely waiting for the new broadwell processors to launch. They usually announce new products once a year, much like companies such as apple, and it would make sense for them to wait until they can get an upgraded cpu + gpu for their new product.

 

The 970M will be far from obsolete even 2 years from now..

 

I disagree, we will see a refresh in Q1 of 2015. Razer is always very competitive with the other gaming laptop manufacturers, especially now others are trying to penetrate their market space in producing a thin & light gaming machine.

If we see the 970m & 980m this year, the Razer refresh will shortly follow. Others may give you advice stating otherwise... mainly because they own current models and will be slightly butt hurt when the refresh arrives.

Trust me by the way 970m is not enough for a 4k screen.

I have a desktop setup with sli 780 ti's ... and it's not near enough for smooth 4k gaming. I have a 4k monitor and are usually playing games at 1440p to ensure 40-60 FPS gameplay.

 

I don't even know where the hell people get this 1 year period that razer launches products

just lets go by the GPU evolution, 555m, 660m, 765m, 870m and 860m.

They launched their 1st notebook in 2012, late 2012 they released the 2nd one, then they split the with the edge and the afterwards the 14 at 2013, then we have the 2014 models.

There were 4x 17" models and 2x 14" models

Most OEMs are still in the preorder phase, they just released the devices, they aren't still delivering them yet.

Anyway, they should release them very soon, otherwise they will risk losing money

 

It is a competitive market, they should refresh their product lineup with the 970M/980M Maxwell soon this year or Q1 2015, otherwise they will loose a lot of potential buyers.
People who already own a 2014 model should not feel bad, this is how technology works. Moreover, refreshes are meant for people owning at least a 2 year old laptop.

 

I don't feel bad at all, but I still don't think they will refresh until Feb-March... I have no idea though, only Razer knows.

 

I would never feel bad with only one upgrade to a hole system, c'mon the 870m plays absolutely everything on high/ultra settings, the non gamming battery life is more than enough. I would not upgrade it for just 5 to 10 fps (since one can always tune the video options and still don't see a difference on a 14" fhd or more panel) and an hour plus of battery life (just throwing numbers here). I will wait for a more comprehensive upgrade like what I posted to the wish list thread. Plus the issue I see with mine regarding temperature is from the Intel chip staying at the 90 range, not Nvidia which already stays at 70 high 80 low range without throttling. But if you don't own an 870m version go ahead and pull the trigger the notebook is the closest to perfection by now IMHO. Cheers