Razer Blade 15" Advanced QHD - RTX 3080

michaeldtaylor · 8 Feb 2021 at 10:43

Hey guys,

I've done a lot of research and think I am fine, but want to pick the brains of this community as Razer forums seem less than helpful. If anyone has a Razer Blade 15" Advanced (2020) with RTX 2080 Super etc, then that would be useful.

I've just placed a pre-order for Razer Blade 15" Advanced QHD - RTX 3080.

QHD is a big factor for me. I currently have an old Alienware m13 OLED QHD. 4K is too hard to power at decent Hz and HD isn't sufficient for software development and other productivity tasks. QHD is the sweet spot IMO.

I seriously considered a ASUS ROG Zephrus G15 as similar specs, but better processor (Ryzen). In the end I decided to go Intel because of Thunderbolt - I like the idea of being able to use an eGPU in the future if I want to.

The point of this. The Razer has no mini-DisplayPort anymore. I have both a HP Reverb G2 and Odyssey G9 monitor.

1. Does anyone know the TDP/TGP for sure? I'm guessing 90-95 (max-Q ranges as per 2080 Super) and similar to the ASUS ROG Zephrus G15? I've seen one Razer Blade 17 review on YouTube that suggests this sort of range, but nothing on the 15".

2. I'm 95% confident that the Thunderbolt 3 port is wired to the RTX and can be adapted to DisplayPort 1.4. This would be a total deal breaker if it wasn't! This should allow me to connect to the Odyssey G9 and hopefully push it at 120Hz+. Does anyone know how the USB-C ports are wired up? Can I get DP Alternate Mode 1.4 out of a USB-C port from the RTX with a suitable cable?

3. Thunderbolt 3 and 4 are very similar from a spec POV. 11th gen H-series Intel with provide TB4, and possibly 2 ports like Evo laptops. Does anyone have any idea when Razer might update laptops to 11th gen, if they are pushing RTX 3080 stuff now?

Any help or educated guesses appreciated!

Thanks,

Michael

Kohaashi · 8 Feb 2021 at 10:59

I’ve been looking into the same things as well but for the Pro 17. Unfortunately they don’t do a QHD Blade Pro 17 with 3080 so I’ll likely get the 3070 version instead.

Apparently the TB3 port on both the 15 and Pro 17 do support DP, from posts that I have found on the internet. I have reached out to Razer as well asking if they can confirm the same. My query to Razer was with regard to the Pro 17 model though.

Regarding 11th gen Intel, I believe Intel is currently expected to release the 8 core chips for laptops around May/June time. There are no confirmed dates at present but rumour has it Intel may announce them at Computex 2021 which starts 5th June.

michaeldtaylor · 8 Feb 2021 at 11:07

Yes, I was originally looking at Alienware again, but the lack of QHD options is a real bummer all round.

As for Razer Blade 17", here is the video I mentioned:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6LWm6RQgBI&t=223s

However, I still don't know whether the Razer Blade 15" will have the same TDP/TGP. I'm guessing so.

I've done a LOT of reading on Thunderbolt etc, and yes I'm pretty confident that's wired up to the RTX and allows DP 1.4 Alt Mode. Ideally I'd like to run the monitor from a USB-C port though, and keep the Thunderbolt for a TB dock/eGPU. Daisy chaining eGPU off a dock gives other headaches like latency etc.

Kohaashi · 8 Feb 2021 at 11:59

Will you be using the eGPU with an external display? If not, then from what I have read there is little point in getting an eGPU, especially with you ordering a 3080 laptop.

I would only consider an eGPU if I were buying a laptop with a propriety port like Alienware or the new Asus Flow as the performance of the eGPU takes a large hit otherwise.

michaeldtaylor · 8 Feb 2021 at 12:03

Yes, the eGPU would only be used to power the Odyssey G9 (or whatever similar monitor I have at the time). I doubt I'd bother with the eGPU for a few years in any case, but it's nice to have the option.

I currently have an Alienware m13 with AGA. The problem with AGA is that it's sort of semi-deprecated (no official support beyond RTX 2080ti) and won't fit larger graphics cards anyway.

One of the motivations on getting this new laptop is that I wanted to use my AGA with a Desktop 3070, because I can't justify buying a Desktop 2080 Super/ti card, but obviously can't get a 3070 FE for decent money, and it doesn't officically work in the AGA anyway! So unless Alienware have a new AGA coming soon that they haven't announced yet, it is a dead end.

eGPU is a "nice to have" more than anything else.

I also seriously considered the Flow, but the reviews I saw of it so far showed that even with 150W TDP (which is great), it wasn't as fast as some integrated 3080s. Some of that could be down the drivers etc, but it is even more proprietary than the AGA and you are at the mercy of ASUS. At least the AGA is upgradeable upto a point!

From the reviews I've seen on YouTube (Razer Core X), you get about 20% hit using TB3. However, if I decided to get a 3090 or 4080 or whatever in the future, 20% less performance is still a massive improvement over a Laptop 3080 @ 95W TDP. So compared to a desktop machine, not great, but compared to a laptop, a big upgrade.