Perhaps you remember the Razer Blade, one of the very best thin gaming laptops on the market? We absolutely loved the last version, with its 3,200x1,800-pixel resolution screen, powerful Nvidia graphics, super-thin aluminum chassis and ultra-responsive programmable Razer keyboard. Now Razer has announced a new version of the Blade, with newer Intel CPUs and the newest Nvidia graphics, packed into the same body.
The new Blade has a quad-core 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-4720HQ CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M graphics with 3GB of GDDR5 VRAM, and 16GB of DDR3L RAM, up from 8GB last year. SSD options include 128, 256 or 512GB, and that same multi-touch 14-inch IGZO 3,200x1,800 display remains intact.
The whole laptop weighs 4.5 pounds (2kg), and is 0.7 inches (18mm) thick. The new starting price is $2,199 in the US, which equates to roughly £1,465 or AU$2,870, with UK and Australian prices yet to be announced. You can order online from either the Razer Store or the Microsoft Store, but it will also be in some Microsoft retail outlets starting February 16.
There's also a step-down 14-inch Blade this year, with a 1,920x1,080 IPS non-touch display, replacing the older 17-inch Razer Blade Pro. This Blade has the same CPU and graphics but 8GB of base RAM and a 256GB SSD, for $1,999 (equivalent to £1,330 or AU$2,610).
Stay tuned for a review: we should have one in-house shortly.
