Razer Blade 17 (Early 2022) review: Elegant 4k gaming laptop with a bright screen

The Razer Blade 17 is targeted towards gamers and creative professionals – particularly in our tested high-end configuration with a Core i9-12900H CPU, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, and 17. 3-inch 4k display with accurate colors. The price point lies at around 4,700 Euros (~$4,900).

In addition to the RTX 3080 Ti, its US sibling that we already tested had a Core i7-12800H CPU and a QHD-Panel (240 Hz). The competitors include extremely powerful laptops such as the Alienware x17 R2 P48E , the Medion Erazer Beast X30 , and the MSI Stealth GS77 12UHS . You can find information on the case, connection equipment, input devices, and speakers in our review of the identically constructed Blade 17 2022 (Core i7, QHD) .

In our test unit, Razer uses an impressive 17. 3-inch display with a 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels) and 144 Hz refresh rate that offers a higher brightness (486. 3 cd/m²) and shorter response times than the displays of the competitors.

This also goes for the comparison with the QHD panel of the US sibling model that we already tested. The contrast of 1,143:1 is also at a high level, and we did not observe any PWM flickering during our measurements. In terms of the color reproduction and color space coverage, the 4K panel and the QHD panel of the sibling model are similar, with both models delivering good values of almost identical levels already in the state of delivery.

The average color deviations remain within the target range of DeltaE < 3. A calibration brings further improvements, and our profile file is linked in the info window on the display above for your free download. However, the 4K panel shows some slight weakness in the blue tones even after the calibration.

Both displays are able to cover the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces completely, and the AdobeRGB color space is at least covered to 86 and 87% respectively. The IPS panel offers stable viewing angles and can be read from any angle. Thanks to the fairly high display brightness, you can also read its contents easily outdoors.

With the Blade 17, Razer offers a 17. 3-inch gaming laptop that is able to bring all the current games to the display smoothly. You can switch between the three available performance profiles (“Balanced,” “Silent,” and “User defined”) by using the “Fn” + “P” key combination.

The “User defined” profile allows you to set the sub-presets for the CPU (“Low,” “Medium,” “High,” and “Boost”) and GPU (“Low,” “Medium,” and “High”) via the Razer Synapse software. In battery operation, the only profile available is “Balanced. ” During our test, we used the “User defined” profile with the “Medium” (CPU) and “High” (GPU) sub-presets, which is the default setting in the state of delivery.

In addition, we ran several benchmarks using the “Silent” profile, at maximum performance (CPU: “Boost”, GPU: “High”), and in the dGPU mode. You can find the results in the charts below. The Core i9-12900H processor (Alder Lake) consists of six performance cores (Hyperthreading, 2.

5 to 5 GHz) and eight efficiency cores (no Hyperthreading, 1. 8 to 3. 8 GHz).

In total, this results in 20 logical CPU cores. During the CB15 Multi Thread test, the “Medium” CPU sub-preset ensures speeds (P cores: 2. 6 to 2.

7 GHz, E cores: 2. 1 GHz) just above the basic clock speed. The Single Thread test completes with high clock speeds (P cores: 4 to 4.

6 GHz, E cores: 2. 1 to 3. 7 GHz).

In battery operation, the values are significantly lower. Using the same CPU presets, the Core i9 only delivers a slight performance advantage in the peaks compared to the Core i7-12800H processor of the sibling model. This is not surprising, since both CPUs offer the same amount of cores and the Core i9 offers a slightly higher maximum speed (5 GHz vs.

4. 8 GHz). In multi-thread operation, the intensity of the Turbo usage depends a lot on the selected CPU sub-preset.

In all cases, the CPU is able to run constantly at an even clock speed, which is shown by the CB15 loop test. It is noticeable that the CPU clock speed drops slightly from the first to the second/third run, regardless of the selected preset. The i9 CPU will only bring a noteworthy advantage to the user compared to the i7 CPU in some brief load peaks.

Under longer loads, the performance gap between both processors is narrowing, and they end up very close to each other. The hardware of the smoothly running system delivers more than sufficient computing performance for gaming, video cutting, and rendering. The transfer rates of the working memory range at normal levels for the DDR5-4800 storage.

They are accompanied by good PC Mark results. The standardized Latency Monitor test (web surfing, 4k video reproduction, Prime95 High Load) revealed some conspicuous behavior in the DPC latencies. The system doesn’t appear to be suited for real-time video and audio processing.

Future software updates might lead to improvements or even make things worse. Razer has equipped the Blade with a 1-TB SSD (PCIe 4, M. 2-2280) from Samsung that delivers very good transfer rates.

In addition, the laptop offers space for a second SSD (PCIe 4, M. 2-2280). A BIOS update from June 2022 increases the TGP of the built-in GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (VRAM: 16,384 MB GDDR6) from 165 to 175 watts – without showing any effect on the benchmark results.

However, in all cases, the results still range above the average of the RTX 3080 Ti average that we determined previously. The TGP is not fully used, which is shown by our The Witcher 3 test. The graphics performance can be increased without a BIOS update, since the laptop offers the option for direct image output via GeForce GPU.

The hardware allows 4k gaming at high to maximum settings. Usually, the frame rates range above the average for the RTX 3080 Ti. The direct image output via GeForce GPU leads to a sometimes significant increase in the values.

With similar performance settings, the sibling model produces values at an identical level. The frame rates remain at a constant level even over a longer time period, which is shown by our The Witcher 3 test (FHD, max. settings, 60 min.

runtime). In everyday operation (office, Internet), the laptop doesn’t produce excessive noise. Occasionally, the fans even remain completely turned off and there is silence.

Under load, it can get loud with a maximum noise level of up to 51 dB(A) (stress test, The Witcher 3 test). The “Silent” performance profile offers itself for everyday operation. Although the laptop then doesn’t run silently, it still produces less noise and heat.

The reduced computing performance is also sufficient for gaming. In everyday operation (office, Internet), the case temperatures remain within a green range. While the laptop warms up noticeably under load (stress test, The Witcher 3 test), the heat development still remains within acceptable limits.

However, the CPU temperatures can reach up into the red range at times. Already at the beginning of the stress test (with Prime95 and Furmark running for at least one hour), the CPU runs at low clock speeds (P cores: 2. 1 to 2.

2 GHz; E cores: 1. 6 to 1. 7 GHz).

Continuing, the values drop to 1. 8 GHz for the P cores and 1. 4 GHz for the E cores.

The GPU clock speed drops from about 1500 MHz to around 1250 MHz. The stress test represents an extreme scenario, and we use it to evaluate whether the system remains stable at full load. During idle operation, the power consumption turns out relatively high at up to 34 watts, and some of the competitors are more efficient here.

Under high load, the consumption of the Blade is at a level similar to the competitors, and sometimes even lower. The Alienware x17 R2 P48E represents an outlier toward the top. While it consumes significantly more power, it generally also produces the best benchmark results.

The included 280-Watt power supply is sufficiently large. Note: The QHD sibling model was tested with the “Boost” CPU preset and dGPU mode activated. This explains its higher consumption during idle operation and under low loads.

In the WLAN test (loading web sites via script) and video test (playing the short film Big Buck Bunny (H. 264 coding, FHD) in a constant loop), the 17. 3-inch laptop achieves runtimes of 3:49 h and 4:50 h respectively.

Due to lower display resolution of the QHD Blade , it is not surprising that it can achieve a longer battery life using the same 82-Wh battery. Our test configuration of the Blade 17 targets gamers and creative professionals. A Core i9-12900H processor, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP after the BIOS update, 16 GB of VRAM), and 32 GB of working memory equip the laptop for video processing, rending, and 4k gaming at the highest level.

In addition, a fast PCIe-4 SSD (1 TB) ensures short load and storage times. With the Blade 17 (Early 2022), Razer delivers a successful and powerful work device for creative professionals. But this also has its price.

The CPU and GPU are able to run constantly at high clock speeds. As usual for this device class, the noise and heat development are at a high level. A realistic battery life of between 4 and 5 hours is still okay for a powerful 4K laptop.

The highlight is the bright and responsive 17. 3-inch display (4K, IPS, 144 Hz) with an accurate color reproduction (DCI-P3: 100%). The Blade costs about 4,650 Euros (~$4847), which is about 400 Euros (~$417) more than the QHD model .

Is it worth it? The Core i9 delivers hardly any additional power compared to the Core i7 of the sibling model, particularly under constant load. And the sibling offers a better battery life. Another point for the QHD model that we tested previously is the support of Advanced Optimus.

The 4k Blade doesn’t offer this. The 4K display offers a significantly higher brightness and shorter response times than the QHD panel. If in addition to the higher resolution, these criteria aren’t the deciding factors, you can safely choose a QHD Blade.

The QHD and 4K panel are equally good in terms of the color reproduction and color space coverage. As an alternative to the Blade 17, you could also get the Medion Erazer Beast X30 . It has almost the same dimensions but brings less weight to the scale.

In terms of the graphics performance, it remains slightly behind the Razer laptop. The Razer Blade 17 in a similar configuration (Core i9-12900H, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, 4k display) is available for $4,300 from Amazon and also from Razer directly for the same price. .