Gaming laptop Razer Blade upgraded in new version

Razer’s attempt at a gaming laptop, the Razer Blade, made its debut in 2011. The laptop was quite popular with the high-end gaming enthusiasts who like to carry their gaming systems with them. Now, according to Pocket Lint, Razer wants to up the ante with the release of the next iteration of the Razer Blade.

The Razer Blade with the Switchblade UI

The new version of the Blade will feature a third-generation Intel Quad-core processor, and an Nvidia GTX 660M graphics card, while maintaining its slim 22mm thickness and a weight of 3.1kg. The laptop will also stick to its 17.3-inch display. According to the manufacturer, the new hardware will allow the laptop to be twice as powerful as the original, while maintaining portability. Other changes include 2GB of DDR5 video memory, 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 RAM, a 500GB HDD running at an RPM of 7200 as the primary storage, and a 64GB SATA III SSD with NVELO Dataplex software. Also new is the thermal system, which has been remade to keep the laptop running at a lower temperature. While the new hardware is fine, much like the first Razer Blade, Razer seems to have gone with lower storage memory. For the sake of comparison, the original Razer Blade featured a Core i7 2640M, 8GB of RAM, an Nvidia GT 555M with Optimus, 60Wh battery, 320GB hard drive and a built-in HD camera.

While things under the hood have changed, the Razer Blade maintains its unique Switchblade UI. On the right side of the backlit keyboard are 10 programmable macro keys that dynamically change depending on the game you are playing along with matching icons. Of course, the game profiles will have to be present in order for this to work and so far Razer has promised support for popular games such as Battlefield 3, Rift, End of Nations, League of Legends and many more. The really interesting bit is the large colour LCD panel below the macro keys. It features two modes. It can either display in-game information as you are playing or act as a multi-touch trackpad. Other than the whole dynamic keys bit and the aluminum body, this is not revolutionary by any means. Dell’s Vostro 3750 is a perfect example as it delivers great gaming performance, even though it wasn’t designed for that task.

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Razer seems all set to go toe-to-toe with Dell in the dedicated gaming laptop market. Pre-orders for the Razer Blade is set to cost $2,499 (around Rs 1.4 lakhs), and shipping will begin in North America from 30 September.