Razer Blade 17 review

Razer’s Blade is still the laptops to buy if you’re looking for a dead-serious, minimalist gaming PCs. Its aluminum-clad style resembles Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 4 more than a gaming laptop would. When it comes to build quality, port variety, and having a fantastic keyboard and trackpad combo, the Blade line is unmatched by the competition. Now, Razer offers a selection of Blade gaming laptops in different sizes and pricing ranges.

But the 2022 Blade 17 brings the heat without actually bringing that much heat for those who desire the largest, most potent Blade in the Razer knife block. From the appearance, the Blade 17 (formerly known as the Blade Pro 17) resembles earlier models, but Razer’s upgrades to its cooling system and fans keep it running cooler and quieter than before. This is true even if it now has even more potent specifications. That includes improved RTX graphics, faster DDR5 RAM, and a faster Intel 12th Gen processor for 2022.

Razer Blade 17 review: Design

The matte black metal chassis of the Blade 17 lacks any extraneous humps or chevrons. It’s thinner than some of the less powerful laptops on our list of the best gaming laptops (0.78 inches), and it’s impressive that Razer managed to cram so much power into such a small area. The display’s thin bezels, one of which houses 1080p Windows Hello webcams, keep the footprint of the device as compact as it can be for a 17-inch device. I worked in a cafe for a few hours without anybody giving my laptop a second notice because it has the precise kind of small, understated appearance I want in a gaming laptop. The body still gathers fingerprints like previous Blade computers, but a new coating makes them less obvious and slightly more acceptable.

Razer Blade 17 review: Keyboard and touch pad

The same RGB-backlit keyboard, discrete stereo speaker grilles on either side, a precise glass trackpad, and a pleasantly small bezel surrounding the 17-inch display are all visible when the lid is opened. Above the screen is a 1080p webcam with IR for Windows Hello. The lack of a numpad here seems a little odd, even if earlier Blade 17 versions also lacked this functionality. There’s a numpad on most 17-inch laptops (and many 15-inch ones), and this one lacks a dual-function morphing trackpad like the Asus Vivobook Go.

Some users will undoubtedly notice its absence, however perhaps it’s to provide more place for the speakers. These all-metal chassis have a tendency to become a little warm while you’re using resource-intensive software or playing games, so heat is expelled through a lengthy grille between the keyboard and the screen hinge while cold air is drawn in by large fans on the bottom of the laptop. This implies that no hot air will be blowing on your hand if you’re using a mouse.

Razer Blade 17 review: Display

The review unit we received has a 1440p, 240Hz panel and retails for a staggering $3,999.99. There are several models available, the least expensive of which costs a still-expensive $2,799.99 and replaces the GPU and RAM with an RTX 3060 and 16GB of DDR5. Even still, that massive show is simply stunning. 99% sRGB color reproduction, with brilliant hues and clear, deep blacks, is combined with amazing clarity and sharpness to create images that artists and photo editors will adore. This means that the Blade 17 may quite happily serve as a platform for both high-end gaming and content creation activities when combined with the premium components.

Razer Blade 17 review: Audio

Additionally, Razer has increased the power envelope for the brand-new RTX 3080 Ti graphics chip. According to the Nvidia control panel software, the RTX 3080 Ti in this laptop has a boost clock of 1,395MHz and can produce a maximum output of 165W, up from the late 2021 model’s 130W. It can be a little harder on thicker laptops, but I was impressed that Razer increased the power, even though I was first concerned about the possibility of increased heat production and loud fan noise.

However, as I already noted, neither of those really stood out as a problem in this situation. The built-in speakers allowed spectators to listen to the games but didn’t overpower the audio. Obviously, they were louder without the game’s music to cover them up, but they’re still not as loud as some other gaming laptops I’ve used, which make neighbors at home worry.

Razer Blade 17 review: Graphics

From the appearance, the Blade 17 (formerly known as the Blade Pro 17) resembles earlier models, but Razer’s upgrades to its cooling system and fans keep it running cooler and quieter than before. This is true even if it now has even more potent specifications. That includes improved RTX graphics, faster DDR5 RAM, and a faster Intel 12th Gen processor for 2022.

Additionally, this Blade 17 features a few additional design and functionality upgrades in all of Razer’s 2022 models, like larger keycaps and speaker grilles that have been laser-cut. Additionally, similar to the Blade 17 that will be released in late 2021, this model sports a fingerprint-resistant coating from Razer and a 1080p Windows Hello webcam rather of a 720p camera.

Razer Blade 17 review: Performance

The Razer Blade 17 can be set up with a wide range of specs, from the basic Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU to the very powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti. Also included are a state-of-the-art Intel Core 12th Generation (Alder Lake) processor and either 16GB or 32GB of DDR5 RAM. A gaming laptop couldn’t have much more to offer.

The Razer review model has a GPU from Nvidia called the RTX 3080 Ti, a CPU from Intel called the Core i7-12800H, and 32GB of RAM. This is almost the best combination. It can’t get any better than an i9 Intel chip. Based on benchmark tests, this gaming laptop is the most powerful one I’ve ever looked at. It did better than the ROG Zephyrus M16 2022 and Alienware x17 R2 laptops, which got 13,144 and 12,671 on the multi-core Geekbench 5 test, respectively.

Razer Blade 17 review: Battery life and heat

But all that power comes at a price. Fans on the Razer Blade 17 are definitely loud, and a low-pitched whine can be heard even when the computer is just sitting on the Windows desktop. When playing games for a long time, the metal chassis quickly gets so hot that the area above the keyboard is too hot to touch. Thermal performance constraints shouldn’t be a problem here because the temperatures of the internal parts stayed in a good range.

Lastly, the battery’s performance in the PCMark 10 gaming battery life test is somewhere between “unimpressive” and “shockingly bad.” It was over in less than an hour. Even though gaming laptops aren’t known for having long battery lives, this is a particularly bad performance. Even though simple tasks like word processing and web browsing won’t drain the battery completely, you can’t use it all day.

Razer Blade 17 review: Configuration options

The tested high-end version of the Razer Blade 17 is made for gamers and creative professionals. It has a Core i9-12900H CPU, a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, and a 17-inch laptop 4k display with real colours.

It will cost about 4,700 Euros ($4,900). We’ve already looked at its US version, which had an RTX 3080 Ti GPU, a Core i7-12800H CPU, and a QHD-Panel (240 Hz). Laptops like the MSI Stealth GS77 12UHS, the Alienware x17 R2 P48E, and the Medion Erazer Beast X30 are also in the running.

Razer Blade 17 review: Conclusion

The brand-new Razer Blade 17 has the best build quality on the market, a clear, bright screen, and consistent frame rates at maximum settings, even in the most difficult games. The battery and speakers aren’t too big of a problem, but the price and the worry that a cheaper device that can do the same things as the Blade 17 might come out in a few months are. But as a gaming laptop, it’s about as good as it gets right now.