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Over the years, Razer has gained a status for producing dozens of flashy, neon-lit, and infrequently gaudy gaming equipment. If you are a PC gamer, there is a first rate probability you are utilizing a Razer mouse, keyboard, or headset proper now. But certainly one of the most fun gadgets in Razer’s arsenal is not simply an adjunct, however a totally featured gaming laptop computer.The Razer Blade 16 — the 16-inch mannequin in the bigger Blade lineup — is a high-end gaming laptop computer that highlights the finest components of Razer’s iconic design philosophies. It features a highly effective Intel i9 processor and as much as an Nvidia RTX 4090 graphics card, packed into an incredibly slim body. It additionally encompasses a brilliant “Dual-Mode” display, probably the finest on any gaming laptop computer, which may swap refresh charges and resolutions on the fly, going as much as 240Hz or 4K high quality.I’ve spent weeks with the Razer Blade 16 (in addition to its smaller sibling the Blade 15), and I’m satisfied it is the finest wanting gaming laptop computer round. However, it’s held again by a bottlenecked CPU, unhealthy trackpad, and an eye-poppingly costly value — a lot in order that I’d primarily advocate it to patrons who favor premium seems over efficiency.
Razer Blade 16
The Razer Blade 16 has a modern all-metal body, a display that helps as much as 4K decision or a 240Hz refresh charge, and customizable RGB lighting, making it the finest wanting gaming laptop computer on the market.
The Razer Blade 16 seems higher than some other gaming laptop computer
The Razer Blade 16’s distinctive display is available in QHD and twin 4K/FHD configurations.
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The Blade 16 is constructed with a strong aluminum chassis that provides the laptop computer a easy however modern design. There aren’t any bizarre fan bumpers or flimsy display hinges. It’s not flashy — the solely RGB-enabled areas are the keyboard symbols and emblem on the case — but it surely’s clean and appears incredible. The solely actual draw back to this design is that it picks up fingerprints simply, however you possibly can resolve that with a microfiber fabric and a minute of cleansing.The Blade 16 would not seem like different gaming laptops. If something, it jogs my memory most of the MacGuide Pro, one other laptop computer lauded for its elegant design. That’s very true in the event you purchase the Blade 16 in its “Mercury” white colour. It would not harm that the Blade 16 is splendidly slim — lower than an inch thick when closed — and comparatively gentle — solely 5.8 kilos. If you are a brand new PC gamer who’s going from a Mac to Windows, the Blade 16 is a good machine that will help you make that swap with out shedding the lovely design you are used to.What helps the Blade 16’s design really stand out, although, is its display. Most variations of the Blade 16 are configurable with a QHD (2560×1440) 240Hz LED display, which is already amongst the finest on the market. But the Blade 16’s RTX 4070, 4080, and 4090 fashions can as an alternative embody a singular “Dual-Mode” Mini LED display which you can toggle between 4K at 120Hz and FHD (1080p) at as much as 240Hz. You’ll have to restart the laptop computer everytime you need to swap, however that is a small bump.This visible flexibility implies that the Blade 16’s display is completely constructed for any state of affairs. Playing a fast-paced recreation like Valorant? Bump your system as much as 240Hz for the smoothest gameplay potential. Doing some exact photograph enhancing? Switch to 4K decision to catch even the smallest particulars. I examined the RTX 4070 mannequin with the dual-mode display, and cherished each choices.
The display is quick, crisp, and splendidly vibrant.
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Add in a peak brightness of 1,000 nits for the dual-mode show or 500 nits for the QHD model — each extremely uncommon amongst gaming laptops — and you’ve got a supremely high-quality show. I maintain the brightness of all my gadgets maxed out always, and even I sometimes needed to flip down the Blade 16’s brightness to guard my eyes.Razer prides itself on aesthetics. And in that division, the Blade 16 excels.The laptop computer’s high-end {hardware} performs properly — however the CPU has points
Every Blade 16 mannequin comes with new and highly effective {hardware} by Intel and Nvidia.
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When it involves {hardware} and efficiency, the Blade 16 earns its premium standing. Mostly.Its 4 major configurations are differentiated by their graphics playing cards, which vary from an Nvidia RTX 4060 all the approach as much as a 4090. My assessment unit, which options an RTX 4070, carried out extremely properly throughout the board, in FHD, QHD (via an exterior monitor), and 4K resolutions. Popular however low-effort video games like Valorant and Rocket League constantly put out tons of of frames per second (FPS), and higher-end video games like Grand Theft Auto V and Overwatch 2 provided a strong 60 FPS. More intensive video games — like Elden Ring, BeamNG.drive, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, and Cyberpunk 2077 — gave me a constant 60 FPS at excessive settings as properly, with common dips when loading new areas. You doubtless will not have to show down many settings to maintain the body charge constant.These 40-series chips additionally assist Nvidia’s AI-powered DLSS options, which may artificially create additional frames in supported video games. Even in the most intensive titles, this labored easily at any time when I enabled it.Where the Blade 16 struggles, nonetheless, is in the CPU division. All Blade 16 fashions use a 24-core Intel Core i9-13950HX processor, which in concept is certainly one of the strongest laptop computer CPUs obtainable. And to be clear, the laptop computer runs very properly! During my time with the Blade 16, apps opened rapidly, I multitasked with out points, and intensive applications like Adobe Photoshop and Premiere ran and not using a hitch, even when enhancing high-res RAW picture recordsdata.But throughout a number of Geekbench checks which simulate a wide range of CPU-intensive duties, the Blade 16 scored equal to or worse than the Dell G15’s 14-core i7-13650HX. And boot-up occasions weren’t almost as quick as related laptops — why?
The Blade 16’s Intel CPU would not at all times carry out in addition to it logically ought to.
Michael Chan and Paige Clarke/Insider
The offender could possibly be the battery. My Razer Blade 16 mannequin comes with a 280W charger, whereas the Dell G15 has a 330W charger, which made me suspect that the Blade 16 might have a weaker energy provide. It’s additionally a lot thinner than the G15, which normally suggests much less energy. This would result in a bottleneck, as the Blade 16’s CPU merely would not have sufficient energy to run at max efficiency. But the specs for each laptops, the Blade 16’s built-in battery appears to have the next voltage. It is also that the Blade 16’s CPU has a decrease base frequency. The listed specification sheets present that there’s a distinction, however not a lot that it ought to have this a lot of an affect: 2.20GHz for the Blade 16’s i9, and a couple of.60GHz for the G15’s i7.If you need to squeeze the most energy out of the Blade 16’s CPU, you may need to overclock it, which is straightforward to do via the pre-installed Razer Synapse app. Sure sufficient, cranking the CPU each to the really useful overclock speeds and the maximums each resulted in significantly better Geekbench outcomes.But it is a disgrace that it is advisable overclock the CPU for it to carry out higher than a weaker (and much cheaper) laptop computer. And though I have never seen any issues but, I’m cautious that warmth points would possibly crop up from continually overclocking a laptop computer this skinny.Other design flaws put the Razer Blade 16’s costly value in query
The laptop computer’s souped up {hardware} and aesthetics come at a excessive value.
Michael Chan and Paige Clarke/Insider
That CPU bottleneck is not the solely flaw. The Razer Blade 16’s absolute worst high quality is its trackpad, which feels depressing to make use of. The Blade 16 trackpad continually both misses clicks, or acts such as you’re holding it down for a lot longer than you really are, which ends up in a great deal of unintended drags and drops. I had the identical points on each the Blade 16 and 15. At least the keyboard feels good to sort on, even whether it is small.I’m additionally aggravated by how shut the followers are to the vents on the backside aspect of the laptop computer. If you set your arms wherever close to the again when choosing the laptop computer up, it is approach too straightforward to push the vents into the followers, which ends up in a scary grinding sound. And when you have thick leg hair like I do, resting the laptop computer straight in your thighs ends in your hair actually getting caught in the followers. Many of those points aren’t uncommon on gaming laptops. But they’re disappointing flaws, particularly once you begin to take a look at the Blade 16’s value.The Blade 16 begins at $2,700 with an RTX 4060 and a QHD 240Hz display. If you need the dual-mode display, you may have to shell out a minimum of $3,300 for the RTX 4070 model. And if you’d like the best possible mannequin potential — an RTX 4090, the dual-mode display, 2TB of storage, and 32GB of RAM — it will price a whopping $4,300.That’s wild, and makes it probably the most costly 16-inch gaming laptop computer on the market. It’s far costlier than even the Alienware m18, our high-end decide for the finest gaming laptop computer, which has extra space for storing, a greater CPU, and a greater trackpad/keyboard combo for about $3,700. When you purchase the Razer Blade 16, you are not paying for its energy — plenty of laptops have a high-end CPU and GPU. You’re paying for that energy in a slim, transportable, and exquisite package deal, identical to with a MacGuide. The aesthetic is what’s most vital right here, and the efficiency comes second.Razer Blade 16: SpecsThe Razer Blade 16 is not as customizable as another gaming laptops. Most specs are locked to allow them to solely be mixed with sure different parts.In the desk under, I’ve listed all the potential specs that the Blade 16 can have, however observe that not all combos can be found collectively. Bold textual content represents the specs that my assessment mannequin has.Should you purchase the Razer Blade 16?
The Blade 16 is gorgeous, however won’t be price the cash.
Michael Chan and Paige Clarke/Insider
Yes, however you should not purchase simply any obtainable mannequin. I’d solely advocate the Razer Blade 16’s RTX 4060 ($2,700) and 4070 ($3,300) fashions — previous that, and also you’re paying approach an excessive amount of cash for diminishing returns.The RTX 4060 and 4070 are each highly effective sufficient to play a superb 99% of video games, with the overwhelming majority at excessive or most settings. They look simply pretty much as good on the exterior as the costlier fashions, and even share the identical CPU. And they each have nice screens: The RTX 4060 mannequin has the QHD 240Hz show, and the RTX 4070 mannequin has that incredible dual-mode Mini LED show.On prime of this caveat, I need to stress once more that the Razer Blade 16’s largest power is the way it seems, not the way it performs. If you are shopping for a gaming laptop computer solely for its energy, you are higher off with the Alienware m18 or Asus ROG Strix G18. But if you’d like a laptop computer that appears as modern as it’s robust, or you might have a particular want for the dual-mode show, then the Blade 16 ought to be certainly one of your first decisions.
William Antonelli
Tech Reporter for Insider Reviews
William Antonelli (he/she/they) is a author, editor, and organizer based mostly in New York City. As a founding member of the Reference staff, he helped develop Tech Reference (now a part of Insider Reviews) from humble beginnings right into a juggernaut that pulls over 20 million visits a month.
Outside of Insider, his writing has appeared in publications like Polygon, The Outline, Kotaku, and extra. He’s additionally a go-to supply for tech evaluation on channels like Newsy, Cheddar, and NewsNation.
You can discover him on Twitter @DubsRewatcher, or attain him by e-mail at [email protected].
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