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Razer unveils a revamped Blade Stealth and a new external GPU, the Core V2

Good news for laptop gamers, Razer recently refreshed its Blade Stealth lineup along with its companion the Razer Core external GPU enclosure. Outfitted with Intel’s latest eighth-generation processors, a new Quad HD touchscreen, and 16GB of RAM the Blade Stealth is ready to take on the latest batch of rivals from competitors like Dell and Asus.

The new ultraportable laptop configuration starts at $1,700 and features an Intel Core i7-8550U processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a Chroma-lit keyboard — only on the black model though. The understated gunmetal model features a keyboard with white backlighting.

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What makes the Blade Stealth special, however, is its relationship with the Razer Core graphics enclosure. Neither the original Blade Stealth or the new version feature discrete GPUs, so their gaming performance is limited unless they are hooked up to an external GPU like the Core V2.

“Our engineers have done something truly remarkable with the new Blade Stealth by significantly increasing power while extending battery life,” Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. “The new Blade Stealth is the most well-rounded Windows laptop out there, and it can be further supercharged with the help of the new Razer Core V2.”

Razer’s new GPU enclosure improves on the original model by redesigning the internal layout to accommodate a wider range of graphics cards. Following in the footsteps of the original Razer Core, the Core V2 is also built from CNC machined aluminum, with a dual Thunderbolt 3 internal controller design with separate lanes for graphics and connected devices.

The new design sports a 500W power supply, along with additional cooling fans to keep your graphics card running smoothly, even when you’re knee-deep in dead orcs. It’s worth pointing out, however, that the Core V2 only supports 375W graphics cards, that excess power is for the rest of your devices.

That’s right, the Core features four additional USB 3.0 ports, an ethernet port, and two Chroma lighting zones.

The new Razer Blade Stealth, with a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, starts at $1,700, and it’s available from the Razer Store. The Razer Core V2 will be available for $500 and starts shipping soon within the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

Jaina Grey
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jaina Grey is a Seattle-based journalist with over a decade of experience covering technology, coffee, gaming, and AI. Her…
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