Billing it as the “world’s first true gaming laptop”—a claim some might refute—boutique PC maker Razer has taken the wraps off the Razer Blade, sporting a fast second-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce graphics, a high-res 17-inch display, and a full aluminum chassis that lends the rig surprising portability—especially compared to most gaming notebooks on the market. Many high-performance notebooks come in over two inches thick and commonly weigh as much as ten pounds: the Razer Blade is 0.88 inches thick, and weighs under 7 pounds.
“The Razer Blade was designed to give gamers a laptop they could truly use on the go,” said Razer CEO and creative director Min-Liang Tan, in a statement. “Its sleek, lightweight aluminum construction makes it the thinnest 17-inch gaming laptop available today.”
The Razer Blade sports a dual-core second-generation Intel Core i7 processor running at 2.8 GHz, with Turbo Boost able to take a core up to 3.5 GHz during intensive tasks. The Blade also features a 17.3-inch 1,920 by 1,080-pixel HD display drive by either Intel integrated graphics (when you’re just checking mail or popping on the Web) along with an Nvidia GeForce GT555M graphics controller with 2 GB of dedicated video RAM for gaming sessions. The system also features a 320 GB 7200 SATA hard drive, one USB 3.0 port and two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI output, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 wireless networking, and an HD webcam.
The Blade also features Razer’s Switchblade user interface, made up of 10 tactile keys and a combo LCD display and multitouch panel: users can program the keys for game-specific functions, and while using a mouse the LCD displays game information. In a second mode, the LCD functions as a multi-touch capable input device.
Razer says the Blade should be available in North America in the fourth quarter of this year, with prices starting at $2,799.99.
