However, having to shell out $2,499 for a discrete graphics card is a bit much to ask, especially when gamers and creative professionals can get the Razer Blade for $1,999. The notebook offers over 9 hours of battery life, a powerful processor, a lovely Retina display and the innovative (though maybe not totally necessary) Force Touch trackpad in Apple's often-imitated-but-never-duplicated design.
MAC BLADE SIZES PRO
When it comes to offering the best combo of productivity and endurance, the MacBook Pro is hard to beat. The Razer Blade wins this contest six rounds to two, making it the best overall choice, but the MacBook Pro 15-inch is no slouch. Winner: Razer Blade. Getting discrete graphics in the starting configuration made all the difference. However, in the case of the MacBook Pro, you'll make the jump to discrete graphics with an AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB of VRAM. The Blade's price rises to $2,199, while the MacBook's price leaps to $2,499. The price jumps significantly when you double the storage to 512GB for both laptops. The Blade packs an Intel Core i7 GPU with 16GB of RAM, a 256GB PCIe SSD and a Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M with 6GB of VRAM. On the MacBook Pro, that gets you an Intel Core i7 GPU with 16GB of RAM, a 256GB PCIe-based flash storage and Intel Iris Pro Graphics. In contrast, the Blade tapped out 5 hours and 42 minutes, which is respectable for a gaming laptop but nowhere near Apple's notebook.īoth systems have a starting price of $1,999. The laptop lasted a whopping 9 hours and 8 minutes on our battery test (continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi). MORE: Laptops with the Longest Battery Life Thanks to the cloud-based Synapse software, gamers can record and map macros to any key on the keyboard as well as track their keystrokes to create a visual representation. The backlit keyboard not only supports 16.8 million colors, but it also can be augmented with one of six lighting effects. However, the Blade's Chroma keyboard is simply a thing of beauty. The MacBook Pro has the edge in typing comfort, offering more travel at 1.3 millimeters, compared with 1.1 mm on the Razer Blade. Winner: Razer Blade. The Blade's QHD+ panel is a trifecta of wins. The Blade continued its winning ways during the brightness test, averaging a dazzling 338 nits, compared with the MacBook Pro's 303 nits. The Blade's display also exhibited strong color accuracy, scoring 0.95 on the Delta-E test (0 is ideal), compared with the MacBook Pro's inaccurate 2.1. When we tested the two machines' color reproduction capabilities, the Blade's panel was off the charts, hitting 120 percent of the sRGB color gamut and topping the MacBook Pro's 86 percent. The neon green and magenta accents adorning various parts of the spaceship were much more vivid on the Blade than on the MacBook Pro. When I watched the 4K "Tears of Steel" trailer, the reflective glare on one of the character's glasses was clear enough on the Blade that I could read a few words on the console he was watching. Boasting a beautiful 14-inch QHD+ (3200 x 1800) touch-screen panel, the Blade is a font of gorgeous color and elaborate detail. Even better, the Razer's USB Type-C port can support all manner of gadgets, including Razer's own graphics amplifier.Īpple's 15-inch Retina display (2560 x 1600) has become synonymous with bright colors and sharp detail - at least until it's placed next to the Blade. Winner: Razer Blade. Despite the conspicuously missing SD card, the Blade offers more ports than its Apple counterpart. However, the Razer lacks an SD card reader, which could turn off some people. There are three USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port and a USB Type-C port, which will allow gamers to hook the system up to Razer's new graphics amplifier, the Core, effectively transforming the lithe laptop into a formidable gaming desktop. The Blade certainly doesn't lack ports and could support a modest gaming battle station.