Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsThe best? The best.
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2019
After way too much research and weighing pros and cons, I finally decided to pull the trigger on the 15" Blade Base model (with ethernet) with GTX 1660Ti. I needed something that would be overkill as a desktop replacement in the field. This is it.
Purpose: I work as a sound mixer in film production and occasionally we have musical elements that require a serious workstation. I needed a powerhouse for multi-tracking Pro Tools. I occasionally game on it, I'd say about 20% of the time, but primarily this is for sound/audio tasking in a professional environment.
Pros:
- specs. I love a laptop that can crush most desktops.
- brilliant screen. Awesome colors, great contrast, and of course 144hz is mandatory for gaming. I can't use 60hz anymore, even for daily office duties, I can see the flicker now, and it fatigues me.
- build quality is superb. It looks fantastic, feels exceptionally well made, definitely puts MacPro aesthetic and "quality" to shame. Also, durability is expected to be top notch. When I'm shopping for new equipment, if it's on demo in a store, I'll go in and do drop tests; spike it into the counter, slam it around, bend the screen, mistreat it, pound the keyboard, hit the trackpad, etc. Out of everything, this felt the best. No creaking of the chassis when you pick it up at a corner, no flex when you push on the case, none of that BS.
- performance is incredible. I've never seen it hiccup or stall on anything, even when recording 5-6 tracks in ProTools with dozens of CPU-intensive plugins running. I loaded up some massive sessions (80+ tracks) with plugins on every slot, and it still wasn't even trying. Now I'll even do quick edits to sessions instead of firing up the desktop rig. I don't play Call of Dooty MW, but all the other modern and less modern games I threw at it were a cakewalk.
- ports. it has the perfect combination. I have the Base model (w/ ethernet), and along with the USB-C port, there's really no reason why you can't match any desktop rig in terms of connectivity. I plugged in my Satechi USB-C breakout, and everything worked simultaneously.
- aesthetic. I have to say it again, it looks phenomenal.
Cons:
(these are VERY pessimistic, like if I was in a horrible mood and someone forced me to say negative things)
- despite the screen being incredible, there is *some* light bleed at the corners (3 of 4, to be exact). I understand this to be a big flaw for some people, but I don't play visually dark games. Even when watching a dark scene in a movie, I can't tell. It's only on bootup when the screen is 99.99% black. Occasionally when Photoshopping I'll notice it, but again, it's very very minor in the overall perspective of having other colors/things on the screen.
- keyboard takes getting used to. after 2 days it felt natural, but it's not the easiest learning curve. I have a mechanical keyboard on my desktop with Cherry Browns, so the contrast couldn't be more extreme, but I can flip flop between the two with no problem now. Also, per other peoples' comments, the arrows are definitely misplaced; they need to be moved one button/column over to the right, or swapped with the shift key.
- battery life is pretty bad. But, this IS a gaming machine/desktop replacement. With screen brightness cranked and playing an intensive game, I can barely make it over 2 hours. Day to day office use with screen brightness set moderately, I can pull maybe 4-5 hours. It does recharge quickly, however.
- fans. they're definitely there. this would be a legit negative trait. If you're in a bone quiet room doing emails and youtube, you'll barely hear them. But, if you're gaming, they get pretty loud. For the performance, this is a small caveat.
- lid logo, this is the only other real "negative" quality for me. In a professional setting, I can't have it glowing, as much as I personally do love it. I skinned it with the matte black cover from SopiGuard. Still looks awesome.
Again, I just want to reiterate these cons are subtle at their worst. I wanted to give a thorough breakdown of the bad qualities, as mild as they are.
Overall: If you can afford it, do it. Get the 4-year warranty through Amazon (Asurion) so you have nothing to lose. I turn on the desktop rig significantly less now, when it's so easy to reach for the Blade and get work done. I'm not a brainless Razer fanatic by any means, but I have to admit, this is the best option out there right now, and I'm becoming a fan.
