Razer Blade 14 review: Still Razer's most versatile gaming laptop

Price When Reviewed

2699.99

Best Prices Today: Razer Blade 14

$2,699.99

The Razer Blade 14 laptops I’ve reviewed prior to now have all the time punched above their dimension exhibiting efficiency akin to bigger gaming laptops. The 2024 model is not any completely different. While the laptop computer’s beautiful QHD+ 240Hz show stays nearly the identical as final 12 months, upgrades to its CPU and GPU assist result in respectable efficiency boosts and some AI advantages. Read on to search out out extra.

Looking for extra choices? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best gaming laptops accessible proper now.

Razer Blade 14: Specifications

Razer’s smallest and most compact gaming laptop computer comes with an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and a QHD+ (2560×1600) show with 1TB of SSD storage this 12 months. On high of that, you possibly can select your GPU poison – both Nvidia’s highly effective mid-range GeForce RTX 4070 GPU or the extra entry-level RTX 4060 GPU.

Razer’s web site additionally lets you choose your coloration choice and your alternative of RAM. For coloration, Black or Mercury are the 2 choices accessible and so they each look very fashionable. Razer has canceled charging the $400 further you needed to pay final 12 months for the Mercury possibility in comparison with the Black, which is welcome information. The Blade 14’s RAM is available in both 16GB or 32GB flavors however is upgradable to a whopping 96GB. My overview unit’s specs are as follows:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS
RAM: 32GB DDR5 / 5600MHz
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070
Display: 14-inch, QHD+ (2560×1600) decision, 240Hz refresh price, 100 % DCI-P3 coloration gamut, anti-glare with matte end, AMD Free Sync Premium, Calman verified
Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
Ports: 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 2 x USB4 Type-C (with Power Delivery and Display Port 1.4), HDMI 2.1 port
Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Webcam: 1080p Windows Hello IR digital camera
Weight: 4.05 kilos (1.84kg)
Dimensions: 0.70 x 8.97 x 12.23 inches
Battery capability: 68.1 Watt-hour
Price: $2,699.99

Razer’s web site exhibits a base worth of $2,199.99 for a Blade 14 mannequin with an RTX 4060 GPU and 16GB of RAM. But flipping the specs to the top-of-the-line mannequin with an RTX 4070 GPU and 32GB of RAM and also you’ll have to pay a cool $2,699.99. That final price ticket is steeper than some 14-inch opponents with comparable specs.

For instance, a 2024 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 with the identical AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, at the moment prices simply $2,199.99. To be honest, although, the Blade 14 is priced extra competitively than final 12 months. A price ticket of $2,699.99 knocks $100 off the worth off the top-line mannequin I reviewed in 2023, so kudos to Razer for making that occur.

Razer Blade 14: Design and Build

Strong and trendy are the very best adjectives for the 2024 Razer Blade 14’s chassis that demonstrates the identical rigidity and premium look that Razer Blade laptops have turn out to be well-known for. Razer’s vigorous manufacturing course of is once more why, it CNC-mills the laptop computer chassis from a strong block of aluminum.

Yet for all of the aluminum it sports activities, the 2024 Razer Blade 14 is as soon as once more fairly moveable. It weighs simply 4.05 kilos, which suggests you possibly can maintain it up with one hand and nonetheless carry your morning espresso within the different. Its pint-sized chassis measures 0.70 x 8.97 x 12.23, so similar to its 2023 forebear, this latest mannequin simply suits right into a backpack or satchel. A helpful mixture of USBC4 and USB-A ports, a HDMI 2.1 port and 3.5mm audio jack means you possibly can comfortably accommodate an ordinary checklist of gaming peripherals.

Surprisingly, although, it doesn’t win the award for the smallest or lightest 14-inch gaming laptop computer in 2024. For me, at the very least from the laptops I’m at the moment reviewing, the 2024 Asus Zephyrus G14 takes the cake for portability. It weighs simply 3.31 kilos and measures 0.63 of an inch thick.

Still, the Blade 14 is exceptionally nicely made. Looking across the chassis and Razer has left a premium imprint on nearly the whole lot. The hinge incorporates a strong metallic bar that’s tuned as a way to carry the lid with only one finger. You can casually prop it up, nevertheless it’ll keep put precisely and received’t shut with livid play.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Two different notable options impressed me. One is the laptop computer’s easy matte anodized end, which dulled my fingerprints to only invisible smudges. The different is the laser-cut upward going through speaker grilles which are fairly discreet. Indeed, if laptops have been made precisely to my choice, the 2024 Razer Blade 14 is strictly how I’d all the time need mine to appear and feel.

Razer Blade 14: Keyboard and trackpad

Upon booting it up, the 2024 Razer Blade 14 lit up with a mesmerizing blue gentle show, thereby filling my thoughts 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 have the identical low profile and mushy really feel as within the 2023 Razer Blade 14. As to the keyboard structure, it’s nearly equivalent to the 2023 Razer Blade 14. Space is at a premium, however Razer balances the important thing choice out nicely, so nothing feels cramped. You even get the posh of left and proper Shift and Control keys on your ancillary instructions.

The Razer Blade’s Precision Glass trackpad feels extremely easy to the contact however not too slippery. It let me slide my finger throughout it rapidly however cease with pinpoint accuracy.

Razer Blade 14: Display and audio and webcam

The Razer Blade 14’s show is similar as within the 2023 mannequin, which suggests it too is beautiful and exceptionally easy.

To refresh a few of its greatest factors, the QHD+ (2560x1600p) panel is framed up by ultra-thin bezels and in a tall 16:10 facet ratio. It additionally includes a quick 240Hz refresh price. That final characteristic was like having an extravagant fifth gear for my video games in that I did discover a marked discount in display tearing and glitching in video games that I typically have points with like Elden Ring.

The colours within the DCI-P3 panel are additionally wealthy various and the element is extremely crisp at 2560×1600. The panel can be very vivid. I measured a peak brightness of 445 nits, which together with the show’s anti-glare coating allowed for respectable visibility close to sunlit home windows.

The Razer Blade 14’s stereo audio system produce clear and vivid mid-range and treble frequency audio. Sound can be projected nicely from the upward going through audio system. Although, it ought to be mentioned, the laptop computer’s bass isn’t something to cellphone dwelling about. But that’s to be anticipated in such a small laptop computer.

I used to be additionally happy with the laptop computer’s 1080p webcam, which produced clear photos with natural-looking gentle in conferences.

Razer Blade 14: Gaming efficiency

AMD’s Ryzen 9 8945HS replaces final 12 months’s Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU within the Blade 14. This new CPU, which additionally belongs to AMD’s Ryzen 9 collection, makes use of AMD’s Hawk Point structure. It options eight Zen 4 cores and 16 threads.

Speed-wise, this CPU operates from a base frequency of 4GHz as much as a lightning fast most turbo frequency of 5.2GHz. The chip integrates second era Ryzen AI know-how within the type of an built-in NPU, which may very well be an enormous drawcard for creators trying to harness extra AI generative energy in apps like DaVinci Resolve. It additionally permits Windows Studio Effects on the laptop computer, reminiscent of background blurring and webcam automated framing.

Here, although, I used to be extra inquisitive about discovering out how nicely the CPU would rise up for triple-A gaming, for which I ran a bunch of benchmarks.

Laptops in my comparisons have been gaming laptops sporting equally highly effective CPUs. The comparability discipline included the 2023 Razer Blade 14, which makes a helpful level of reference for year-on-year efficiency enhancements.

In Maxon’s Cinebench Multi-Threaded benchmark, which fires all of the cores of the laptop computer’s CPU, the Razer Blade 14 turned in a rating of 6,878. While some bigger extra highly effective laptops outclassed the Razer Blade 14 on this take a look at, its rating nonetheless infers strong efficiency in CPU-intensive duties like encoding or triple-A gaming.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

The HandBrake take a look at duties the laptop computer to encode a 30GB MKV file to an MP4 utilizing the Android Tablet preset, with a shorter length to complete thought of a greater end result. Here, the Razer Blade 14 completed in 884 seconds. Again, that’s a center of the sphere end result, nevertheless it’s an enchancment over the 2023 mannequin’s HandBrake end result.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Now on to the graphical benchmark. When I ran the 3DMark Time Spy 1.2 benchmark, the Razer Blade 14 punched nicely above its chassis dimension to put third in our efficiency chart. This end result proves its RTX 4070 is extraordinarily adept at 3D graphical duties like 3D rendering for gaming – even when pitted towards RTX 40 Series GPUs in bigger laptops just like the Razer Blade 16.

Razer Blade 14

Razer Blade 14

Razer Blade 14

Finally, in each of the gaming benchmarks the Razer Blade 14 impressed me with its excessive body per second output.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

To make sure, this bides nicely for hitting framerates above 120 fps within the newest video games; the Razer Blade 14 will try this comfortably.

Razer Blade 14: Battery efficiency

To take a look at the battery life, I charged the laptop computer’s 68.1 watt-hour battery to full capability. The sound was switched to 50 % and an affordable pair of headphones plugged in cut back noise. I additionally switched the laptop computer to airplane mode and turned off the keyboard lighting. Lastly, I set a 4K Hollywood film to repeat and timed how lengthy the laptop computer took to enter standby mode.

The Razer Blade 14 lasted 595 minutes (9 hours and 55 minutes), which is a really positive end result for a gaming laptop computer. It’s value noting, nonetheless, that our PCWorld battery take a look at is just not notably a fast energy drainer. In a real-life gaming situation, you could possibly anticipate about half that battery life (roughly 4 and a half hours), so that you’ll nonetheless need to maintain the Razer Blade 14’s adapter helpful when you intend to play uninterrupted all day lengthy.

Razer Blade 14: Should you purchase it?

Although it’s costly, the Razer Blade 14 2024 has commendable efficiency and lovely fluid visuals for its dimension. For me, that’s what makes the Razer Blade 14 such an awesome possibility – I primarily see the whole lot I might need in a laptop computer right here. A strong strong body, nice efficiency, and wonderful visuals and all in a compact moveable unit. If you possibly can afford one and are tempted, it’s best to completely make the leap.