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Razer’s Latest Blade PC Offers A Laptop With Added Desktop Power

by Mike Futter on Jan 06, 2016 at 02:40 AM

Razer has announced the latest revision for its Blade laptop, aiming to offer both portability and desktop power. The Razer Blade Stealth weighs in at under three pounds, but connects to a “Core” housing that delivers desktop graphics.

There are two different versions of the Razer Blade Stealth, priced at $999 and, depending on configuration, capping out at $1,599. The less expensive model boasts a 12.5-inch Quad HD display (2560 x 1440). The higher-end edition is also 12.5-inch, but comes packed with a 4K display (3840 x 2160).

The Razer Blade Stealth is designed for portability, but it might not be the best solution for gaming on its own. It only includes onboard Intel HD 520 graphics.

For gaming, you’ll want to get a Razer Core, which is designed to house up to a double-wide, full-length PCI graphics card. In other words, most of what Nvidia and AMD have to offer will fit. The Core also includes four USB 3.0 ports, gigabyte ethernet, a 500-watt power supply (for graphics cards requiring up to 375 watts), and two-zone Chroma lighting.

The Blade Stealth connects to the Core via a Thunderbolt cable, which pulls the GPU power onto the laptop screen. The only drawback seems to be the 8 GB of LPDDR-1886 MHz RAM. The spec sheet doesn’t indicate that the RAM can be upgraded.

Here are the full specs for both devices:

Razer Blade Stealth:

  • 12.5 in. IGZO 16:9 aspect ratio, capacitive multi-touch display
  • QHD (2560 x 1440) -128 GB / 256GB PCIe SSD options
  • UHD (3840 x 2160) - 256 GB / 512 GB PCIe SSD options
  • Intel® Core™ i7-6500U Dual-Core Processor (2.5 GHz / 3.1 GHz)
  • Intel® HD Graphics 520
  • 128 GB / 256 GB PCIe SSD options (QHD display models)
  • 256 GB / 512 GB PCIe SSD options (UHD display models)
  • 8 GB Dual-Channel System Memory (LPDDR3-1866MHz)
  • Windows® 10 (64-bit)
  • Wireless-AC (802.11a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth® 4.1)
  • Thunderbolt™ 3 (USB-C)
  • USB 3.0 port x 2 (SuperSpeed)
  • Built-in webcam (2.0 MP)
  • Chroma anti-ghosting keyboard with individually backlit keys
  • HDMI 1.4b audio and video output
  • Built-in stereo speakers
  • 3.5 mm headphone/microphone combo port
  • Built-in array microphone
  • Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) security chip embedded
  • Compact 45 W USB-C power adapter
  • Built-in 45 Wh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery
  • 0.52 in. / 13.1 mm (Height) x 12.6 in. / 321 mm (Width) x 8.1 in. / 206 mm (Depth)
  • 2.75 lbs. / 1.25 kg

Razer Core:

  • Connection to PC via Thunderbolt™ 3 using included 40Gbps cable
  • Supports single double-wide, full-length, PCI-Express x16 graphics card
  • GPU max dimensions -- 5.98 in. / 152 mm (Height) x 1.73 in. / 44 mm (Width) x 12.20 in. / 310 mm (Length)
  • GPU max power support -- 375 W
  • USB 3.0 port x 4 (SuperSpeed)
  • Gigabyte Ethernet (10/100/1000)
  • Chroma lighting (2 zones)
  • Built-in 500 W power supply
  • 8.6 in. / 218.4 mm (Height) x 4.13 in. / 104.9 mm (Width) x 13.38 in. / 339.9 mm (Length) 

You can pre-order the laptop component now for shipment at the end of the January. The Razer Core doesn’t yet have a firm release date, but will be shipping soon. The price has also yet not been revealed.