Razer Blade 15 base model 2021 Review

Just last week has been really crazy as we’ve hearing a lot about the new RTX 3000 series GPU’s, how other gaming companies have already used the new RTX GPU’s in their laptops.

Today, we are here with Razer finally adopting the new RTX beast into their gaming laptop series. And God, I am just stunned to see the results and I am extremely excited to share it with you guys. Because what I am seeing here is probably one of the biggest things that’s ever happened with Razer’s gaming Laptops. The new Razer Blade 15 2021 is now equipped with the latest RTX 3070 GPU, and the changes that we see is definitely mind-blowing.

Let’s dive right into it.

Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 Specifications

Razer Blade 15	Advanced ModelNEW	Base ModelNEW
OS	Windows 10 Home	Windows 10 Home
CPU	8-Core Intel® Core™ i7	6-Core Intel® Core™ i7
GPU	Up to GeForce RTX 3080	Up to GeForce RTX 3070
Screen	FHD 360 Hz, QHD 240 Hz or 4K OLED Touch	FHD 144 Hz or QHD 165 Hz
SSD	1 TB PCIe  Extra M.2 PCIe Slot	512 GB PCIe  Extra M.2 PCIe Slot
RAM	16 GB/ 32 GB RAM	16 GB RAM
Cooling	Vapor Chamber	Advanced Heat pipe
Keyboard	Per-key RGB Razer Chroma	Single-zone RGB Razer Chroma
Other Ports	SD Card Reader	Gigabit Ethernet
Height	0.67” / 16.99 mm	0.78” / 19.9 mm

The model that we are currently reviewing is the Razer Blade 15 Base Edition 2021 version with QHD 165Hz screen refresh rate. The laptop comes with an 6-Core Intel^® Core™ i7 Processor with 16 GB of RAM and loading the weight with the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU. It also comes with 512 GB of RAM and a Full HD 144Hz display. Additionally, you can also get the QHD version with 16Hz of screen refresh rate. In both versions you get 100 sRGB colour. While, the average brightness hangs around 300 nits of brightness.

The QHD 165Hz base model version of the Razer Blade 15 2021 retails for $2199 dollars. While if you are going for the Advanced Model, prices start from $2499 dollars.

Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 Design

Straight up, the build quality of the Razer Blade 15 2021 is definitely going to be better than last years version. It’s covered with CNC Aluminium that just feels extremely premium and very luxurious to touch and feel upon. I mean this is one of the gaming laptops with the best build quality.

It’s like a solid block of high quality metal plated around the laptop and it just makes the laptop extremely sturdy and strong. When you open the lid, you can open it with one finger and there is no wobble or shaking with the screen at all. Extremely bold, sturdy and strong.

The laptop still shares the same type of design like last year’s following that minimalistic look and feel of Razer Blade’s usual chassis asthetics but this time, I really do feel that Razer has drastically improved upon build quality.

The next thing we notice which is a big difference from last year’s model is that the base of the laptop no longer has that rounded base shape. Meaning, this year’s model is fully like a solid block with minor rounded edges around the laptop. This really also makes the laptop look much thinner than last year’s model.

Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 DISPLAY

In, 2021, Razer has adopted the QHD display option which is basically a 1440p resolution display where you can basically enjoy playing games at a higher resolution. Meaning, better screen, more sharpest and details. And on top of that, you also get that 165Hz screen refresh rate on that display with Nvidia’s G-Sync variable refresh rate tech built in which is amazing.

Normally, QHD screen will definitely look better than Full HD display, just because there is more resolution and more details. When you compare the Razer Blade 15 2021 QHD screen with other gaming laptops that have a Full HD Display, you can clearly notice the difference. The Razer Blade looks just a lot more nicer, sharper and better.

While in Full HD screen, the display and the colours are great, sharpness great, but you will still notice some pixels bleeding when you look at the screen. Not a big issue while you are gaming, but if you are a content creator, it might bug you slightly.

Otherwise, the Razer Blade 15 2021, amazing display, great sharpness and of course that 165 Hz screen refresh rate just means you can enjoy playing games above 144Hz at QHD or high resolution.

Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 KEYBOARD & TRACK PAD

The Razer Keyboard is still one of the good keyboards you can find on a gaming laptop. It is not the best but it is also not the worst.

The keyboard that you get on the Razer Blade 15 2021 is equipped with Razer Chroma™ RGB which means you can customise the colours of the keys using the Razer Software.

As far as the typing experience is concerned, the Razer Keyboard is definitely very comfortable. You won’t have problems while typing and since last year, nothing much has change, you will still get the same typing experience as last year.

While the Trackpad on this Razer Blade is amazing. It has definitely been improved and I feel like they have added more accuracy and precision into the Trackpad. Therefore, when you use it, it really feels extremely precise and accurate. There’s no lags when you move the mouse pointer using the trackpad and overall, a great trackpad.

The size if the trackpad is also very big unlike other gaming laptops which means it’s much more comfortable to use.

Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 PORTS

The Thunderbolt 3 ports and a new HDMI 2.1 display for 4K resolution up to 120 frames per second will be included in each version of Razer Blade 15 2021 Laptops.

On the left side you have one USB Type-A ports, power port, a Gigabit Ethernet, USB Type-C and a 3.5 mm Combo Audio port.

On the right side, you have 2 USB Type-A ports, one USB Type-C, HDMI 2.1 and a Kensington Lock.

Unlink other laptops where the ports are all pushed towards the user, for Razer Blade, the ports are properly placed in a very organised manner. You have one USB Type C ports on each sides, USB Type A ports on each sides and all of the ports are neatly placed which is great.

However, in case if you are wondering if you will get SD Card slot, while that is only available for the Advanced model which is going to be a little expensive.

Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 GAMING PERFORMANCE

Finally, what we have all been waiting for, let’s talk about performance.

CINEBENCH R23

• Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 – 6772
• HP Elite Book – 8248
• Acer Nitro 5 – 9525
• HP Omen 15 – 11347

3D MARK FIRE STRIKE

• Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 (RTX 3070) – 18365
• LEGION 7i (RTX 2080S) – 18626
• Razer Blade 17 (RTX 2080s)– 18727
• AORUS 15G (RTX 3070) – 20134

SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER – FULL HD HIGH

• Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 (RTX 3070) – 91 fps
• LEGION 7i (RTX 2080S) – 96 fps
• AORUS 15G (RTX 3070) – 113 fps

DEUS EX MANKIND FULL HD HIGH

• Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 (RTX 3070) – 91 fps
• LEGION 7i (RTX 2080S) – 96 fps
• AORUS 15G (RTX 3070) – 84 fps

METRO EXODUS FULL HD HIGH

• Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 (RTX 3070) – 83 fps
• LEGION 7i (RTX 2080S) – 84 fps
• AORUS 15G (RTX 3070) – 84 fps

COD BLACK OPS Cold War FULL HD HIGH

• Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 (RTX 3070) – 113 fps
• LEGION 7i (RTX 2080S) – 112 fps
• AORUS 15G (RTX 3070) – 114 fps

The performance scores that we are seeing here is with the new RTX 3070 GPU and considering the fact that the rest of the laptops are equipped with the legendary expensive RTX 2080 Super GPU, you can see that the performance is not at all bad.

Considering the fact that this is the base model of the Razer Blade 15 2021, it is still able to match up with the performance of the last year’s RTX 2080 Super GPU. With AORUS 15G being slightly faster but still the performance levels on all the test are almost identical and we hardly see a difference of frame rates over 10 fps.

Razer Blade 15 Base 2021 FINAL THOUGHTS

Lastly, Razer has it own 65 Whr, battery which will definitely not last long enough if you are into gaming. However, if you are looking to do some productivity tasks, you can expect 4 to 5 hours of battery from the Razer Blade 15 2021 version.

Overall, certainly Razer Blade 15 Base model here is not the fastest gaming laptop you can buy for the price. But if you get the RTX 3070 version which retails for $1999 dollars, you can definitely see more performance in your gaming laptop.

Lastly, it is still Razer and the performance specs that you are seeing might seem low but remember that the laptop still costs $1,999 dollars and for that price, the kind of performance you are getting is still worth it.

Because Legion 7i is a laptop that retails for $3400 dollars and the AORUS 15G with RTX 3070 will cost you over $2800.

Therefore, overall, there’s lots of value in the Razer Blade 15 2021 for the price that it comes with.

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