If anyone recalls I started a thread asking for advice in getting a new laptop, and here's the end result. For some background, I was helped in this thread Laptops - Mac vs. Windows and @englanddg recommend a Razer laptop. Pricey to be sure, but I was looking at getting a MacBook Pro, which would potentially cost me 3k, when you factor in the items that need to be included, i.e., AppleCare.
Anyways I opted to buy the Razer 15.6 laptop over others and I'm very pleased with the machine. It came last Wednesday and so I'm still on my first week of ownership.
Specs:
Intel Core i7-8750H, 16GB ram, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, display FHD 144Hz (as opposed to 4k).
I opted for the 1060 over the 1070 for a number of reasons, including budgetary, heat and not needing the 1070
Performance:
Firestrike: I was averaging a score of around 10,450 and from my research that's very good for a 1060. I hadn't realized that the 1070 is much faster (scores in the 14 to 15k range). I'm not a gamer so that doesn't really bother me and I'm happy I spent only 2,100 vs. 2,500
Review:
The extertier of the laptop feels solid and well made, I'm very impressed in the fit and finish. The keyboard feels great and unlike the new MacBook Pros it shouldn't have an issue with keys breaking.
The display is gorgeous, its a matte finish, something that I sourly missed. Many computer makers have moved away from matte and opted for glossy, but I'm incredibly happy with matte. There's some slight light bleed on the bottom of the screen. Normal usage does not reveal it, only when you run a lightbleed test will you see the faintest results.
The bad boy houses a 6 core intel i7-8750H processor and given how thin it is, there is a risk of heat. This is one (of a number) reason why I was hesitant on buying it. The Razer unlike other computers uses a vaper champer which is superior to heat pipes and that helps a lot. In running the benchmarks, I was hitting 70c, maybe a little into the 80s. For normal operations I have the turbo disabled, and i've slowed the processor down (in the power options control panel) and keeps my temps in the 40s with a peak temp of 67c. I also have it undervalued by -.145V
Fans - here's one aspect that I could consider a bummer. They are a bit aggressive, and more noticable then on my MacBook Pro. They're not obnoxious, even at high speed but it is an adjustment to deal with them over an almost silent MBP.
The ports are your typical USB 3.1, a single Thunderbolt/USB-C, Mini DisplayPort (1.4), and a HDMI. I'm very impressed with the number of ports and the variety, the only thing that's missing is a SD card port, I really, really wanted one of those, but I can adapt.
Overall I'm very happy with the machine, I may update this in about a week with my final decision to keep or send it back. Since I've been buying Macs for a long, this windows machine will take some time to ensure I didn't make a mistake. I do use windows at work, and I actually boot into windows on my iMac, so its more about the hardware then software, i.e., buying a Mac vs. PC.
Some eye candy:
Anyways I opted to buy the Razer 15.6 laptop over others and I'm very pleased with the machine. It came last Wednesday and so I'm still on my first week of ownership.
Specs:
Intel Core i7-8750H, 16GB ram, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q, display FHD 144Hz (as opposed to 4k).
I opted for the 1060 over the 1070 for a number of reasons, including budgetary, heat and not needing the 1070
Performance:
Firestrike: I was averaging a score of around 10,450 and from my research that's very good for a 1060. I hadn't realized that the 1070 is much faster (scores in the 14 to 15k range). I'm not a gamer so that doesn't really bother me and I'm happy I spent only 2,100 vs. 2,500
Review:
The extertier of the laptop feels solid and well made, I'm very impressed in the fit and finish. The keyboard feels great and unlike the new MacBook Pros it shouldn't have an issue with keys breaking.
The display is gorgeous, its a matte finish, something that I sourly missed. Many computer makers have moved away from matte and opted for glossy, but I'm incredibly happy with matte. There's some slight light bleed on the bottom of the screen. Normal usage does not reveal it, only when you run a lightbleed test will you see the faintest results.
The bad boy houses a 6 core intel i7-8750H processor and given how thin it is, there is a risk of heat. This is one (of a number) reason why I was hesitant on buying it. The Razer unlike other computers uses a vaper champer which is superior to heat pipes and that helps a lot. In running the benchmarks, I was hitting 70c, maybe a little into the 80s. For normal operations I have the turbo disabled, and i've slowed the processor down (in the power options control panel) and keeps my temps in the 40s with a peak temp of 67c. I also have it undervalued by -.145V
Fans - here's one aspect that I could consider a bummer. They are a bit aggressive, and more noticable then on my MacBook Pro. They're not obnoxious, even at high speed but it is an adjustment to deal with them over an almost silent MBP.
The ports are your typical USB 3.1, a single Thunderbolt/USB-C, Mini DisplayPort (1.4), and a HDMI. I'm very impressed with the number of ports and the variety, the only thing that's missing is a SD card port, I really, really wanted one of those, but I can adapt.
Overall I'm very happy with the machine, I may update this in about a week with my final decision to keep or send it back. Since I've been buying Macs for a long, this windows machine will take some time to ensure I didn't make a mistake. I do use windows at work, and I actually boot into windows on my iMac, so its more about the hardware then software, i.e., buying a Mac vs. PC.
Some eye candy: