The 2016 Razer Blade Pro Review
by Brandon Chester on March 6, 2017 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
- Razer
- Razer Blade Pro
GPU Performance
The headline feature of the 2016 Razer Blade Pro is definitely its use of NVIDIA's GTX 1080 GPU. NVIDIA's Pascal generation of GPUs has brought us to the point where you really can get essentially the same GPU performance from a laptop as a desktop, although the base clock speed is slightly lower than its desktop counterpart, and thermals can play a large role in laptop performance. GTX 1080 is still NVIDIA's flagship GPU, and the Blade Pro is the first machine I've seen with it that isn't a ridiculously bulky desktop replacement laptop.
In theory, using GTX 1080 does get you about the same performance as a desktop with the same GPU, but as I mentioned before, thermal constraints can cause a gap in performance. Other factors like the speed of the CPU can also have an impact, so it's important to properly evaluate the Blade Pro even though knowing the specifications already provides an idea of how well it will perform. With that in mind, I've run the Blade Pro through our standard GPU workflow for laptops.
3DMark
3DMark has evolved over the years to match the increasing performance of GPUs. In the newer, more GPU-intensive tests like Fire Strike, Sky Diver, and Cloud Gate, the Razer Blade Pro is right near the top of the chart. In Fire Strike and Sky Driver it wins against the MSI GT80 with it's dual GTX 980M GPUs, but it comes in a bit lower in Cloud Gate. The Clevo P870DM2 always comes in first as a result of its faster desktop CPU, which isn't unexpected. Overall, 3DMark shows the strong performance of NVIDIA's GTX 1080 and the Blade Pro.
GFXBench
GFXBench basically exists for testing lower-performing laptops, as well as to verify that nothing is wrong with a laptop's performance for OpenGL titles. The Blade Pro performs as expected in both cases, sitting between the Clevo P870DM2 and the ASUS ROG Strix.
Dota 2 Reborn
Dota 2 is really CPU-bound at this point, with all the 6700HQ-based laptops achieving similar levels of performance. While the Blade Pro is at the same level as ASUS's GTX 1070 ROG Strix, the Clevo P870DM2 with its i7-6700K is nearly twice as fast as the Blade Pro despite using the same GPU. Ultimately this situation isn't unexpected for Dota 2, and the Blade Pro won't have any trouble with it even if the resolution is increased beyond the 1080p resolution that we test at.
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider is perhaps the best showing for the Blade Pro, with performance being very close to that of the Clevo P870DM2, and significantly faster than any of the other laptops that we've tested.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider is a newer addition to our benchmark suite, so there aren't many results at this point. However, the order of the top results here mirrors the previous Tomb Raider test, with the Clevo P870DM2 at the top, followed by the Blade Pro, and the ASUS ROG Strix coming in third.
Civilization VI
Civ VI is a relatively new addition to the benchmark suite, and the only other laptop on record is the ASUS ROG Strix. As usual, Civ remains a more CPU-bound title, and with the same i7-6700HQ the Blade Pro performs essentially the same as the ROG Strix despite the difference in GPUs. Using one of Intel's faster CPUs would have helped differentiate the Blade Pro from other laptops in these CPU-bound titles, which would have avoided the awkward situation where a $3700 laptop doesn't perform any better than one which is less than half the price.
Bioshock Infinite
Bioshock Infinite is a case where the Blade Pro falls pretty far behind the Clevo P870DM2. I actually find the result of the P870DM2 to be somewhat questionable, as it seems higher than I would think is possible, so I can only assume that it must have been a really lucky run. In this case the Blade Pro performs slightly better than the MSI GT80 with its pair of GTX 980M GPUs, which is still quite a feat.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisition is one case where the Blade Pro is actually closer to the ASUS ROG Strix with its GTX 1070 than the Clevo P870DM2 which also uses GTX 1080. This is really something that depends on the game, and whether there are situations where the CPU becomes the limiting factor for performance. The performance is still significantly better than the GTX 1070, and noticably faster than a pair of 980Ms.
Shadow of Mordor
The Blade Pro performs well in Shadow of Mordor, although this is another case where the frame rate is slightly closer to that of the ASUS ROG Strix with its GTX 1070 GPU than the Clevo P870DM2. Still, the performance is quite impressive, especially when you consider how the Blade Pro is again surpassing the performance of the MSI GT80 which used a pair of GTX 980M GPUs and was the performance leader for laptops until the launch of NVIDIA's Pascal parts.
Grid Autosport
GRID is another case where machines become CPU limited at our test settings. The Blade Pro sits alongside several other laptops with lesser GPUs, while the Clevo P870DM2 has a large lead because of its desktop i7-6700K CPU. While Razer couldn't have put a 91W desktop CPU in their laptop, using a faster quad core mobile part could have improved performance here.
GPU Conclusion
When I first looked into gaming laptops many years ago as an interested consumer it was typically the case that NVIDIA's mobile parts reflected the performance of the GPU three tiers below that of the desktop card with a matching name. The performance that you can achieve in a notebook has gone up substantially since that time, and we're now seeing what are basically desktop parts shipping in laptops. In the case of the Razer Blade Pro, you have NVIDIA's GTX 1080, which is their flagship card for notebooks.
In the tests above it's clear that the Razer Blade Pro is one of the fastest notebooks on the market. The GTX 1080 provides a substantial increase in performance compared to laptops like the ASUS ROG Strix which use GTX 1070. However, if you were expecting the same performance as Clevo's P870DM2 you may be feeling somewhat left down. I was initially suprised by the gap, especially with the Razer Blade Pro being closer to the ROG Strix than the P870DM2 in some situations. After some examination, I've concluded that there isn't really any GPU throttling occuring, and looking at the titles where the gap is largest makes it evident that we're seeing the impact of differing CPUs. The Blade Pro's 2.6GHz i7-6700HQ is no slouch, but it's not going to keep up with a 4GHz i7 sitting in a desktop replacement that's twice as thick.
While this situation is unavoidable, there are two things I want to highlight. The first is that Razer could have, and should have used i7-6920HQ. I mentioned that on the previous page, and it bears repeating here. The Blade Pro is a premium laptop that starts at $3699. It's a machine that spares no expense, and it should be using Intel's fastest quad core chip. This would help in narrowing the gap between it and the P870DM2, and I'm pretty sure Razer would still bring in a healthy margin on the laptop.
The other point I wanted to mention is that the gap between the Blade Pro and the P870DM2 will be diminshed when running games at UHD. At that point the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the difference in CPU performance has a smaller impact. Unfortunately, a single GTX 1080 really isn't sufficient to run modern titles at UHD unless you reduce the graphical settings to a point where the game probably looks worse overall than it did maxed at 1080p.
Ultimately, the Razer Blade Pro is still an incredibly fast machine, and 1080p is a perfectly suitable resolution to run games at on a 17-inch display. For example, I played through Deus Ex: Mankind Divided at max settings on the Blade Pro at 1080p and I was never bothered by scaling artifacts or aliasing. For $3699 I think Razer should have put in the fastest possible CPU in order to maximize performance, but as it is the Blade Pro is still highly capable and should be able to run modern games at high settings for the forseeable future.
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fanofanand - Monday, March 6, 2017 - link
I just wanted to agree with the author on one point, I also have the deathadder and it is the greatest mouse I have ever used for any purpose. It has been beaten on relentlessly and still operates flawlessly. The rest of Razer's products are overpriced garbage (I say that from experience) but their mice are top notch.BrokenCrayons - Monday, March 6, 2017 - link
I hope the current model deathadder chroma lives up to all the hype. I'm buying one as a gift for a certain mmo addict living in my home that's used a cheap Dell mouse to the point where the left mouse button isn't working anymore. I'm genuinely surprised the Dell lasted for so long (5 years) considering how much rage-clicking, grunting, and anger it endured. Even my son wasn't as hard on his mice back in the day when he was young and prone to gamer outbursts.colonelclaw - Monday, March 6, 2017 - link
Plus one for the Deathadder. I've been using them for, I think, over 7 years. In my office I let anyone choose any mouse they like, and over half the staff have gone for a Deathadder. Conversely, for keyboards, no two people have chosen the same (I went for a Corsair K70)BrokenCrayons - Monday, March 6, 2017 - link
Ah thanks for the insight! It's kind of funny this even came up here since I was planning to order one today. It's great to have a few thumbs up on it since it's a present...kind of makes it matter more that it works really well.Don't bury the keyboard yet. :) It's also an OEM Dell board and it's holding up pretty well so far with no complaints. Unlike the mouse, I've not yet heard a complaint about it. I suppose if I ask, I might be opening the door for the next gift though. Haha, it's got to be timed well so it can fall relatively in line with a birthday, Christmas, or Baby Daddy Day yet not close enough to any of those so it can stay a surprise.
SkipPerk - Wednesday, April 19, 2017 - link
I have a death adder and love it as well. I do hate the branding though.Barilla - Monday, March 6, 2017 - link
I'd love to see a review of the Koenigsegg One:1 and the journalist making a comment "but the bulk of the chassis is carbon fiber reinforced polymer, which is still plastic no matter how you put it." ;)I mean, come on. This plastic bashing needs to stop. There are some products made of cheapo plastic that are absolutely terrible, and completely deserve to be called out, but it's not like every plastic product is bad and especially if the plastic we're talking about is carbon fiber.
We use carbon fiber to replace aluminium in hypercars, planes, and spaceships, but suddenly it's not premium enough for a laptop?
Sorry if this reads like an angry rant, but I'm really tired of this notion that everything needs to be made of metal and glass or is otherwise inferior.
Brandon Chester - Monday, March 6, 2017 - link
Let me know when the sensibilities of cars apply to laptops. It's not a coincidence that Razer is the only OEM who can pull off these thermal designs and are also basically the only one making gaming laptops out of aluminum. The material used for the chassis has a significant impact on the thermal profile.BedfordTim - Monday, March 6, 2017 - link
You are right that aluminium is great from a thermal point of view but Barilla has a point that, as long as the thermal are OK, plastic is not inherently a bad design choice. Glass is a terrible material for everything except displays and yet reviewers never criticise it.Murloc - Monday, March 6, 2017 - link
plastic always cracks at some point.BrokenCrayons - Monday, March 6, 2017 - link
Plastic laptops usually survive long enough to provide an adequate service life to the owner. Cracks from fatigue and abuse that do happen sooner often don't adversely impact functionality enough to make a laptop unusable. Its not an ideal material for longevity, but computers have historically been produced with a limited useful lifespan in mind anyway. Although I'd also prefer some metal, in lower priced machines (certainly not the Razer Blade Pro in this review) plastics are a good enough solution.