Razer Blade 16 (2024) Evaluation: A Stunning Laptop computer Let Down by Inconsistent Efficiency

The Razer Blade 16 is a giant laptop computer in dimension and functionality, although it additionally comes with some compromises. Nevertheless, Razer frames its Blade laptops, and so they cater to players first, a subset of shoppers notoriously fickle about efficiency. Creators aren’t far behind with their demanding wants, which Razer is aware of. They’ve advised me, “We consider players are creators, and creators are players.”

I approached this 2024 iteration of the Blade 16 with that in thoughts. Even with its distinct gaming character, how does it carry out as a productiveness instrument? Can it declare to be a worthy different to slimmer and lighter alternate options?

Huge Boy

My loaner evaluation unit is actually the bottom configuration. Which means a 14th-gen Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU with 24 cores and a Nvidia GeForce RTX4070 GPU. The 16GB of RAM is a bit low for that type of energy, for my part, whereas the 1TB SSD may be seen as modest in case you want ample storage.

The 16-inch (2560 x 1600) QHD+ 240Hz OLED is the true jewel of the entire ensemble — a stunning canvas with excellent distinction and shade replica. It’s a Samsung panel co-developed with Razer to offer it a novel look.

The port choices are additionally agreeable, with one HDMI 2.1, one Thunderbolt 4, one USB-C 3.2, three USB-A 3.2, and a UHS-II SD card slot. Plus, a headphone jack, after all. That card slot is essential in bridging the hole between consumption and creation as a result of it doesn’t require a hub or adapter to fit your card in. The 2023 Blade 16 has the identical ports and card slot, so any outreach to creators, together with photographers and videographers, is similar this time.

All the energy below the hood comes with compromises up entrance. The Blade 16 weighs 5.4 kilos, whereas the 280W adapter is a brick in its personal proper, including an additional couple of kilos. A part of the burden stems from the aluminum physique with a premium really feel. There’s nothing about this laptop computer that screams low-cost to me, and it’s clear Razer put thought into the way it feels when touching it. Granted, the floor is a complete fingerprint magnet, however nothing about it feels in any other case inferior.

Besides once you’re flirting with as a lot as eight kilos to merely take your laptop computer with you, you could strongly take into account the place you intend to make use of it most. If it’s parked in your workstation at house as a part of a broader setup with an exterior monitor, extra restricted portability could also be high quality. However I’m combining the laptop computer and adapter as a result of battery efficiency all however calls for or not it’s inside attain.

Getting Issues Executed, Listening to the Roar

I haven’t typically used laptops that render pictures and run by way of batch edits just like the Blade 16 can, even when the benchmark outcomes under aren’t all that spectacular. The mixture of CPU and GPU energy is adequate with particular workflows. I did much less video in my testing, as my workflows are extra targeted on nonetheless pictures, however rendering 4K or 1080p footage was buttery clean. To not point out the excellent shade accuracy I may belief when taking a look at it. There’s additionally one thing distinctive about utilizing a laptop computer with an RGB backlit keyboard to do imaging post-production.

I pushed what I may onto the machine operating Photoshop and Lightroom. Together with Bridge, I had all three operating concurrently for lengthy intervals. To make issues extra fascinating, I additionally ran DxO PureRAW 4 to gauge efficiency additional, together with DaVinci Resolve for video. All that whereas additionally having net browsers open — and when the temper struck, to play some video video games, too. There’s not a complete lot this laptop computer can’t deal with from a productiveness standpoint, even when there are extra highly effective choices on the market.

Certainly, Blade 16 could be a beast in the appropriate state of affairs, and typically it roars like one when the followers go into motion to chill it down. Engaged on photographs, it by no means acquired as scorching because it did whereas gaming, but it surely’s completely different from the type of laptop computer I might suggest resting in your lap as the warmth might be problematic. The fan noise can also be a type of subjective issues that may both grate on you otherwise you study to drown out one way or the other, be it listening to music on headphones or simply concentrating a lot on the duty at hand that you just one way or the other block it out.

The CPU and GPU largely share duty for the warmth and subsequent fan noise, although it’s not clear Razer can allow you to do a lot about it. Its Synapse software program provides some granular management over sure efficiency metrics however not sufficient to maintain issues a lot quieter. One of many caveats is that it additionally appears to matter what order you do issues in. For instance, if I used to be gaming first after which determined to give up that and go to work on Photoshop or Lightroom, the followers wouldn’t essentially die down regardless of the decrease computational and graphics load on the machine. They ultimately would reduce in depth, however provided that I didn’t maintain a number of apps open on the similar time.

If I reversed that and began working first and gaming later, the followers wouldn’t buzz into motion as rapidly or rigorously till gameplay began. To be honest, that’s not unusual for PC laptops able to operating premium video games, however once you’re spending upwards of $3,000, efficiency expectations must be paramount and these kinds of issues can stand out.

The Display screen Units the Tone, Battery Doesn’t

The factor is, the OLED is simply so good to have a look at. That is one show I don’t need to nitpick about on the subject of the way it shows shade and element. And with such a excessive display refresh price, video advantages on prime of that. On that aspect, I perceive Razer’s resolution to not overhaul something and easily refresh the Blade 16 in 2024 with a brand new CPU and show.

My sense is that the display is likely one of the greatest causes to contemplate getting this laptop computer — however provided that you’re an avid gamer as effectively. In any other case, it’s simply costly overkill. I’ll admit, although, I did take pleasure in going by way of a few of my older photographs on this show to see what stood out. I don’t know if the Mini-LED variant presents a greater visible, however the OLED does effectively with 99.9% sRGB protection and 153.9% gamut quantity. To not point out 99.9% DCI-P3 shade area and 107.6% quantity. The HDR on this machine is simply superb.

Besides, the battery isn’t. I do know it’s asking quite a lot of a machine of this dimension and spec to last more, however hitting 5 hours per cost is a feat on this case. Relying on display brightness and the way a lot the parts chug alongside, you might be fortunate even to hit 5 hours. Thoughts you, that’s with blended utilization, the place gaming alone dwindles it even additional. The beefy 280W charger (different configurations include a 330W charger) did a terrific job charging it again up rapidly, taking about 90 minutes to get again to full.

The scale and weight are one factor, however productiveness calls for longevity, and that’s the place issues get dicey with the Blade 16. It’s a premium construct, little question, and regardless of a big battery inside, it guzzles energy at charges which may be unacceptable once you plan to work out within the subject repeatedly.

Benchmark Exams

Editor’s Be aware: This evaluation has been in a holding sample for about two months, as PetaPixel has labored alongside Razer to isolate and remedy a difficulty that has plagued importing pictures into Lightroom Traditional on this machine. Whereas some features of utilizing Lightroom Traditional have been high quality, similar to exporting, import efficiency has been something however. Even after going by way of a number of channels, and partially resolving the problem, there’s nonetheless one thing occurring. Razer says the issue considerations how Lightroom works with Intel’s Raptor Lake HX processors. Intel is experiencing instability woes throughout a number of machines, and whereas we have now carried out our due diligence, and the writer of this evaluation, Ted Kritsonis, has gone above and past troubleshooting and operating benchmark after benchmark, it’s time for this evaluation to exit the door. The Lightroom part will stay incomplete, and Kritsonis explains extra about this particular situation, together with the ways in which customers can partially right for it, in a separate article. All different benchmark exams labored as anticipated.

Photoshop

The Razer Blade 16 (2024) is the worst performer on this checklist, however not by a big margin. In fact, it’s additionally a pocket book, whereas a number of the greatest machines on this checklist are desktops. The MSI Creator and the MacBook Professional fashions listed here are good factors of comparability, moderately than the Mac Extremely or Maingear MG-1 desktop machines.

Wanting on the class breakdown, the Razer Blade 16 struggles a bit, however is once more within the basic neighborhood of the competitors.

Lightroom (Export Solely)

Exporting pictures in Adobe Lightroom Traditional has confirmed to be totally regular on the Razer Blade 16, so we are able to nonetheless check out these outcomes as regular.

Once more, the Razer Blade 16 is just about close to the underside of the checklist, however not by an enormous margin.

Premiere Professional

On condition that the Razer Blade 16 is constructed with gaming in thoughts and has a strong GPU, it ought to come as little shock that its efficiency in Premiere Professional, a GPU-heavy utility, is comparatively higher than its efficiency in Photoshop and Lightroom. The Razer Blade 16 performs effectively right here, delivering efficiency between Apple’s first M-series MacBook Professional and its latest machines.

Efficiency Takeaways

The elephant-sized Lightroom within the room apart, the Razer Blade 16 (2024) is an okay performer. It’s close to the underside of our take a look at charts, but it surely’s not so out of the race that customers ought to scoff. It’s undoubtedly constructed for players, which helps extra with video modifying purposes than photograph modifying ones, however its efficiency shouldn’t be so unhealthy that it must be outright tossed out. The Razer Blade 16’s greatest strengths don’t like in our benchmarking, although.

Are There Options?

This can be a powerful one as a result of the Blade 16 proves it’s a gaming laptop computer first. In that vein, you would get good outcomes from, say, an Asus ROG Strix or Alienware Predator Helios machine, each of which cater to players first. PC producers additionally supply loads of selection for creatives anyway, so that you’re not essentially restricted in scope until gaming is in your need checklist as effectively. Not all rating factors on battery life, however they’ll supply the ability and efficiency essential to do a job effectively — significantly for photographs.

Then there’s the MacBook Professional 16, typically a benchmark on this realm. Apple’s silicon offers its laptops a novel edge as a result of it makes each the {hardware} and software program. That’s not one thing PC producers can level to as a definite benefit on their finish; Intel doesn’t make laptops, and Microsoft doesn’t make chips. It’s additionally not clear how effectively Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Sequence chips will fare as they enter the market in higher portions. So, whereas the Blade 16 can crush a MacBook Professional on heavy graphics (like gaming), the Professional returns the favor in energy effectivity.

Ought to You Purchase It?

No. Nevertheless, if the Razer 16 fits your workflow and finances and you may reside with its instability in Lightroom, it’s a fairly machine with a wonderful show, and one may see the case for it. However finally, a person might want to actually worth the machine’s look, good assortment of ports, and its stellar display to justify the acquisition.