Razer Blade 14 evaluate: Peaceable Razer’s most versatile gaming notebook computer

Mark When Reviewed

2699.99

Greatest Costs At the present time: Razer Blade 14

The Razer Blade 14 laptops I relish reviewed in the previous relish in any respect times punched above their measurement showing performance a lot like higher gaming laptops. The 2024 version will not be any totally different. Whereas the notebook computer’s handsome QHD+ 240Hz demonstrate remains with regards to the the same as final year, upgrades to its CPU and GPU lend a hand consequence in first charge performance boosts and a few AI advantages. Read on to discover extra.

Buying for extra choices? Take a look at out PCWorld’s roundup of the most effective gaming laptops obtainable perfect now.

Razer Blade 14: Specs

Razer’s smallest and most compact gaming notebook computer comes with an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and a QHD+ (2560×1600) demonstrate with 1TB of SSD storage this year. On high of that, that that it is likely you’ll well maybe maybe also defend your GPU poison – either Nvidia’s unparalleled mid-fluctuate GeForce RTX 4070 GPU or the extra entry-diploma RTX 4060 GPU.

Razer’s online page additionally potential that you simply can make a replacement your coloration resolution and your sequence of RAM. For coloration, Gloomy or Mercury are the 2 choices obtainable and they both survey very orderly. Razer has canceled charging the $400 extra you had to pay final year for the Mercury option when put next to the Gloomy, which is welcome news. The Blade 14’s RAM comes in either 16GB or 32GB flavors however is upgradable to a whopping 96GB. My evaluate unit’s specs are as follows:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS

RAM: 32GB DDR5 / 5600MHz

GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070

Showcase: 14-shuffle, QHD+ (2560×1600) resolution, 240Hz refresh charge, 100 percent DCI-P3 coloration gamut, anti-glare with matte pause, AMD Free Sync Top class, Calman verified

Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD

Ports: 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 2 x USB4 Form-C (with Strength Supply and Showcase Port 1.4), HDMI 2.1 port

Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Webcam: 1080p Windows Hey IR camera

Weight: 4.05 pounds (1.84kg)

Dimensions: 0.70 x 8.97 x 12.23 inches

Battery ability: 68.1 Watt-hour

Mark: $2,699.99

Razer’s online page displays a snide tag of $2,199.99 for a Blade 14 mannequin with an RTX 4060 GPU and 16GB of RAM. Nonetheless flipping the specs to the tip-of-the-line mannequin with an RTX 4070 GPU and 32GB of RAM and you’ll must pay a groovy $2,699.99. That final tag worth is steeper than some 14-shuffle opponents with similar specs.

As an illustration, a 2024 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 with the the same AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, at the moment charges perfect $2,199.99. To be elegant, though, the Blade 14 is priced extra competitively than final year. A tag worth of $2,699.99 knocks $100 off the worth off the tip-line mannequin I reviewed in 2023, so kudos to Razer for making that happen.

Razer Blade 14: Procure and Make

Strong and sublime are the absolute best adjectives for the 2024 Razer Blade 14’s chassis that demonstrates the the same tension and top charge survey that Razer Blade laptops relish change into wisely acknowledged for. Razer’s packed with life manufacturing task is as soon as more why, it CNC-mills the notebook computer chassis from a unparalleled block of aluminum.

But for all the aluminum it sports, the 2024 Razer Blade 14 is over as soon as more rather transportable. It weighs perfect 4.05 pounds, meaning that that it is likely you’ll well maybe maybe also bewitch it up with one hand and mild raise your morning espresso in the other. Its pint-sized chassis measures 0.70 x 8.97 x 12.23, so perfect love its 2023 forebear, this most modern mannequin with out difficulty suits true into a backpack or satchel. A precious combination of USBC4 and USB-A ports, a HDMI 2.1 port and 3.5mm audio jack contrivance that that it is likely you’ll well maybe maybe also conveniently accommodate an in style list of gaming peripherals.

Surprisingly, though, it doesn’t procure the award for the smallest or lightest 14-shuffle gaming notebook computer in 2024. For me, no longer no longer as a lot as from the laptops I’m at the moment reviewing, the 2024 Asus Zephyrus G14 takes the cake for portability. It weighs perfect 3.31 pounds and measures 0.63 of an shuffle thick.

Peaceable, the Blade 14 is exceptionally wisely made. Taking a watch around the chassis and Razer has left a top charge worth on perfect about the whole lot. The hinge incorporates a unparalleled steel bar that’s tuned so that that that it is likely you’ll well maybe maybe also eradicate the lid with perfect one finger. You maybe also can casually prop it up, however it’ll pause build precisely and obtained’t shut with excited play.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Two other indispensable aspects impressed me. One is the notebook computer’s delicate matte anodized pause, which dulled my fingerprints to perfect invisible smudges. The opposite is the laser-minimize upward facing speaker grilles which could well maybe be rather discreet. Certainly, if laptops relish been made precisely to my resolution, the 2024 Razer Blade 14 is precisely how I’d in any respect times need mine to survey and if truth be told feel.

Razer Blade 14: Keyboard and trackpad

Upon booting it up, the 2024 Razer Blade 14 lit up with a mesmerizing blue mild demonstrate, thereby filling my mind with all the probabilities for per-key personalization on the Razer RGB Chroma keyboard.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

The keys relish the the same low profile and aloof if truth be told feel as in the 2023 Razer Blade 14. As to the keyboard layout, it’s with regards to an equivalent to the 2023 Razer Blade 14. Space is at a top charge, however Razer balances the major replacement out wisely, so nothing feels runt. You even bag the lush of left and perfect Shift and Assign a watch on keys for your ancillary commands.

The Razer Blade’s Precision Glass trackpad feels extremely delicate to the touch however no longer too slippery. It let me glide my finger all the contrivance in which by it like a flash however end with pinpoint accuracy.

Razer Blade 14: Showcase and audio and webcam

The Razer Blade 14’s demonstrate is the the same as in the 2023 mannequin, meaning it too is handsome and exceptionally delicate.

To refresh about a of its most effective aspects, the QHD+ (2560x1600p) panel is framed up by extremely-skinny bezels and in a substantial 16: 10 component ratio. It additionally aspects a like a flash 240Hz refresh charge. That final characteristic used to be love having an extravagant fifth gear for my video games in that I did survey a marked reduction in veil veil tearing and glitching in video games that I continuously relish points with love Elden Ring.

The colors in the DCI-P3 panel are additionally rich various and the component is amazingly crisp at 2560×1600. The panel is additionally very interesting. I measured a high brightness of 445 nits, which on the side of the demonstrate’s anti-glare coating allowed for warm visibility shut to sunlit home windows.

The Razer Blade 14’s stereo speakers slay certain and interesting mid-fluctuate and treble frequency audio. Sound is additionally projected wisely from the upward facing speakers. Though, it can maybe well maybe mild be stated, the notebook computer’s bass isn’t anything to phone home about. Nonetheless that’s to be expected in this kind of shrimp notebook computer.

I was additionally happy with the notebook computer’s 1080p webcam, which produced certain pictures with natural-taking a watch mild in meetings.

Razer Blade 14: Gaming performance

AMD’s Ryzen 9 8945HS replaces final year’s Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU in the Blade 14. This contemporary CPU, which additionally belongs to AMD’s Ryzen 9 sequence, makes use of AMD’s Hawk Point structure. It aspects eight Zen four cores and 16 threads.

Tempo-clever, this CPU operates from a snide frequency of 4GHz as a lot as a lightning mercurial maximum turbo frequency of 5.2GHz. The chip integrates second generation Ryzen AI technology in the bag of an integrated NPU, which will most definitely be a mountainous drawcard for creators taking a watch to harness extra AI generative vitality in apps love DaVinci Resolve. It additionally permits Windows Studio Results on the notebook computer, comparable to background blurring and webcam automatic framing.

Right here, though, I was extra to find out how wisely the CPU would arise for triple-A gaming, for which I ran a bunch of benchmarks.

Laptops in my comparisons relish been gaming laptops carrying equally unparalleled CPUs. The comparability discipline integrated the 2023 Razer Blade 14, which makes a precious level of reference for year-on-year performance improvements.

In Maxon’s Cinebench Multi-Threaded benchmark, which fires all the cores of the notebook computer’s CPU, the Razer Blade 14 become in a catch of 6,878. Whereas some higher extra unparalleled laptops outclassed the Razer Blade 14 in this test, its catch mild infers sturdy performance in CPU-intensive initiatives love encoding or triple-A gaming.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

The HandBrake test initiatives the notebook computer to encode a 30GB MKV file to an MP4 the utilization of the Android Tablet preset, with a shorter length to pause opinion of a bigger consequence. Right here, the Razer Blade 14 accomplished in 884 seconds. All over again, that’s a center of the discipline consequence, however it’s an enchancment over the 2023 mannequin’s HandBrake consequence.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Now on to the graphical benchmark. After I ran the 3DMark Time Glimpse 1.2 benchmark, the Razer Blade 14 punched wisely above its chassis measurement to plight third in our performance chart. This consequence proves its RTX 4070 is amazingly adept at 3D graphical initiatives love 3D rendering for gaming – even when pitted against RTX 40 Series GPUs in higher laptops love the Razer Blade 16.

Razer Blade 14

Razer Blade 14

Razer Blade 14

Lastly, in both of the gaming benchmarks the Razer Blade 14 impressed me with its high frame per second output.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

To make certain, this bides wisely for hitting framerates above 120 fps in basically the most novel video games; the Razer Blade 14 will enact that conveniently.

Razer Blade 14: Battery performance

To test the battery lifestyles, I charged the notebook computer’s 68.1 watt-hour battery to beefy ability. The sound used to be switched to 50 percent and a low-payment pair of headphones plugged in minimize noise. I additionally switched the notebook computer to airplane mode and become off the keyboard lights. Lastly, I space a 4K Hollywood movie to repeat and timed how prolonged the notebook computer took to enter standby mode.

The Razer Blade 14 lasted 595 minutes (9 hours and 55 minutes), which is a actually fine consequence for a gaming notebook computer. It’s worth noting, alternatively, that our PCWorld battery test will not be any longer seriously a transient vitality drainer. In a true-lifestyles gaming misfortune, that that it is likely you’ll well maybe maybe also build a query to about half that battery lifestyles (roughly four and a half hours), so that you simply’ll mild wish to lend a hand the Razer Blade 14’s adapter to hand whenever you happen to propose to play uninterrupted all day prolonged.

Razer Blade 14: Must you select it?

Though it’s expensive, the Razer Blade 14 2024 has commendable performance and handsome fluid visuals for its measurement. For me, that’s what makes the Razer Blade 14 this kind of broad option – I if truth be told seek the whole lot I’d need in a notebook computer here. A unparalleled sturdy frame, sizable performance, and unprecedented visuals and all in a compact transportable unit. Must that that it is likely you’ll well maybe maybe also give you the money for one and are tempted, you want to mild fully bewitch the fall.