Tag Archives: Intel Core i7-6700HQ

2016 RAZER BLADE PRO Gaming Notebook Unveiled

BERLIN – Razer today announced the new 17-inch 2016 Razer Blade Pro. Completely redesigned from ground up, the system is made specifically for enthusiasts and power users who want desktop performance but don’t want to sacrifice portability. Packed with more power than ever before possible in a notebook under an inch thick, Razer’s latest system is capable of handling virtually any task, anytime, anywhere.

2016 RAZER BLADE PRO Gaming Notebook

The new 2016 Razer Blade Pro features the latest Intel Core i7 quad-core processor and next-generation NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 GPU. It is the most powerful system ever built by Razer and the thinnest notebook available with a GTX 1080. Other highlights on the new 2016 Razer Blade Pro include Thunderbolt 3 for advanced connectivity options, 32 GB of DDR4 dual-channel memory, up to 2 TB of PCI M.2 SSD in RAID 0 storage and a built-in SD card reader.

While other similarly equipped desktop replacements are more than two inches thick and weigh more than 10 pounds, the new 2016 Blade Pro retains its iconic form factor. Its unibody CNC aluminum chassis still measures just 0.88 inches thin while weighing less than eight pounds. The included AC adapter also dwarfs similarly powered systems and complements the overall mobility of the Blade Pro.

Even more remarkable is the system’s thermal management system. This all new thermal management system in the Blade Pro now includes the worlds thinnest manufactured vapor chamber cooling solution in a notebook. The vapor chamber reduces heat resistance and hotspots by spreading heat quickly, evenly and efficiently. A custom fan design and dynamic heat exchanger are paired with the vapor chamber to maximize heat dissipation. This allows the 2016 Razer Blade Pro to be the most powerful computer ever assembled in such a thin chassis.

The rest of the desktop replacement notebook offers a similar no-compromises approach. A stunning 17.3-inch 4K IGZO monitor with NVIDIA G-SYNC™ technology produces the smoothest possible framerates. The display offers 100 percent Adobe RGB color accuracy to deliver stunning visuals to gamers and professionals.

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Additionally, the Razer Blade Pro is the first notebook to utilize Razer’s Ultra-Low-Profile Mechanical switches. Each switch features a true actuation and reset point. Presses are registered with 65 grams of force, mimicking the feel of full-size mechanical keyboards. The keyboard and trackpad are also Powered by Razer Chroma. This technology unlocks a virtually endless array of dazzling lighting effects that can be customized by the user or synced to display in-game events.

The specs for the 2016 Blade Pro exceed minimum hardware requirements of HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and OSVR HDK 2, making it one of the most mobile VR-ready devices for enthusiasts and developers.

“The original 17-inch Blade was the first laptop that truly blended power and portability in a PC,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. “We’ve taken that approach another step further with the new Razer Blade Pro. The thermal engineering behind it is staggering. It’s incredible how far we’ve come, from having one product and a small team, to today, with a full catalog of gaming systems and a large group of engineers and designers pushing what a portable gaming machine can do.”

“It’s impressive what Razer was able to pack into the new Razer Blade Pro,” said Mark Aevermann, senior product lead for GeForce gaming laptops at NVIDIA. “They have managed to design a gaming laptop with our flagship GeForce GTX 1080, in a form factor gamers can take with them on the road.”

The 17-inch Blade Pro joins the rest of Razer’s award-winning systems lineup. The 14-inch Razer Blade sets the benchmark for mobile gaming, while the 12.5-inch Razer Blade Stealth was named the “Best PC” at CES earlier this year for its combination of performance, value, expandability and portability. Both models recently announced refreshes that are shipping now.

Price

Starts at US$3,699 / €4,199 / £3,399

Availability

Razerzone.com – Expected to ship in November for US & Europe

2016 Razer Blade Pro Features

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (8GB GDDR5X VRAM)
Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad-Core Processor (2.6 GHz / 3.5 GHz)
17.3-inch IGZO UHD G-SYNC, 16:9 ratio, 3840 x 2160, with LED backlight, with capacitive multi-touch
Windows 10 64-bit
512 GB SSD RAID 0 (2x 256 GB PCIe M.2) / 1 TB SSD RAID 0 (2x 512 GB PCIe M.2) / 2 TB SSD RAID 0 (2x 1 TB PCIe M.2) options
32 GB Dual-Channel System Memory (DDR4, 2133 MHz)
Anti-ghosting individually backlit ultra-low-profile mechanical keyboard
Killer DoubleShot Pro:
- Killer Wireless-AC 1535 (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth® 4.1)
- Killer E2400 (Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000)
Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)
USB 3.0 port x3 (SuperSpeed)
HDMI 2.0 video and audio output
SDXC card reader
Built-in stereo speakers
Dolby Digital Plus Home Theater Edition
7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)
3.5 mm headphone/microphone combo port
Built-in webcam (2.0 MP)
Array microphone
Razer Synapse enabled with programmable keyboard, trackpad, backlighting, and fan control
Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) security chip embedded
Kensington security slot
Compact 250 W power adapter
Built-in 99 Wh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery
Approx. Size: 0.88 in. / 22.5 mm (Height) x 16.7 in. / 424 mm (Width) x 11 in. / 281 mm (Depth)
Approx. Weight: 7.80 lbs. / 3.54 kg

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New Razer Blade Gaming Laptop Launched

IRVINE, Calif. – Razer, a world leader in connected devices and software for gamers, today announced its new Razer Blade gaming laptop. The Blade’s specs have been improved across the board from its predecessor, and it is now more affordable than ever before.

The new Razer Blade houses the latest 6th generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M GPU with 6 GB of VRAM. PCIe SSD technology offers up to three times faster speeds than traditional solid-state drives. Killer Wireless-AC is included. All models will feature 16 GB of DDR4 dual-channel RAM.

All Razer Blade models also come with a stunning 3200×1800 QHD+ display. The laptop remains 0.70 inches (17.8 mm) thin, but now weighs only 4.25 pounds (1.93 kg), making it even more portable than previous generations. The screen and internals are housed in a CNC-milled aircraft grade aluminum chassis.

The Razer Blade

Following Razer’s Blade Stealth Ultrabook – will be the second laptop in the world equipped with individually backlit RGB keys. Millions of color options for the anti-ghosted keyboard are available thanks to Razer’s Chroma technology.

All Razer Chroma products, which include mice, keyboards, headsets and a mouse mat, feature 16.8 million customizable colors and a range of effects such as spectrum cycling, breathing, reactive and more. Lighting effects are enabled through Razer’s Synapse software that allows synchronizing lighting colors and patterns between Chroma devices with the click of a button.

[adrotate banner=”4″]An SDK is available for developers to integrate Chroma lighting effects in-game. It is already supported by AAA game titles, including Call of Duty, Dota 2, Overwatch and Blade and Soul.

The Razer Blade gaming laptop will follow the Razer Blade Stealth’s direct-to-consumer pricing model to keep costs down. Previously at $2,399 for a QHD+ display, the new Razer Blade now starts at $1,999.

“We are getting much more aggressive as far as price point, but that hasn’t come at a cost to the performance or design of the Razer Blade,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. “We’ve improved nearly every aspect of the 14-inch laptop, from CPU and GPU performance to system memory and port selection. Chroma technology unlocks an unprecedented, immersive experience on a gaming laptop.”

The new Razer Blade will be compatible with the Razer Core external graphics enclosure in the near future. Utilizing Thunderbolt 3, the Razer Core will connect to the Razer Blade, providing desktop-class graphics and additional connectivity such as USB 3.0 and Ethernet. Thunderbolt 3 provides remarkable connectivity via the Blade’s compact USB-C port at speeds of up to 40 Gbps, the fastest, most versatile link to any dock, display or data device.

Pre-Order

Pre-orders for the Razer Blade will start today on RazerStore.com. Units will ship in April. Further retail availability will be announced later this year.

Price

U.S. $1,999 – 256 GB PCIe SSD
U.S. $2,199 – 512 GB PCIe SSD

Availability

Razerzone.com – Pre-order March 15th, ships in April

Product Features

Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad-Core Processor (2.6 GHz / 3.5 GHz)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M (6 GB GDDR5 VRAM)
16 GB Systems Memory (DDR4, 2133 MHz)
Windows 10 64-bit
256 GB / 512 GB SSD (PCIe M.2) options
14.0-in. IGZO QHD+ 16:9 Ratio, 3200×1800, with LED backlight, capacitive multi-touch
Anti-ghosting keyboard with per-key lighting Powered by Chroma
Killer Wireless-AC 1535 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 4.1)
Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)
USB 3.0 port x3 (SuperSpeed)
HDMI 1.4b video and audio output
3.5 mm headphone/microphone combo port
Built-in webcam (2.0 MP)
Built-in stereo speakers
Array microphone
Dolby Digital Plus Home Theater Edition
7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)
Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) security chip embedded
Razer Synapse enabled with programmable keyboard, trackpad, backlighting, and fan control
Kensington security slot
Compact 165 W power adapter
Built-in 70 Wh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery
Approx. Size: 0.70 in. / 17.9 mm (Height) x 13.6 in. / 345 mm (Width) x 9.3 in. / 235 mm (Depth)
Approx. Weight: 4.25 lbs. / 1.93 kg

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HP ENVY 15t (15t-ae100) Laptop Review

The HP ENVY 15t comes in 3 different processor and graphic card configurations :

Intel i7-6700HQ quad-core processor with integrated Intel HD Graphics, or
Intel i7-6500U dual-core processor with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M 4GB GPU, or
Intel i7-6500U dual-core processor with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 940M 2 GB GPU.

This review will cover the top HP ENVY 15t configuration with the quad-core Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor with Intel HD Graphics. Let’s take a look!

HP ENVY 15t Specifications

Processor	6th Generation Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad Core Processor
Graphics Processor	Intel HD Graphics 530
Display	15.6″ Full HD WLED-backlit IPS Display (1920×1080)
Memory	8 GB DDR3L – 1 DIMM
Storage	1 TB 5400 RPM Hard Disk Drive
Primary Battery	3-cell 55.5 WHr Lithium-ion Battery
Optical drive	SuperMulti DVD burner
Keyboard	Backlit Keyboard
Personalization	HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Dual Digital Microphone Fingerprint Reader
Networking	Intel 802.11ac WLAN and Bluetooth(R) [1×1]
Audio	Bang & Olufsen with 4 speakers and 1 subwoofer

HP ENVY 15t Design & Build

The top cover and rear display cover of the HP ENVY 15t laptop is made of aluminium. The display bezel and bottom cover, on the other hand, is made of plastic. The display bezel has some play when I press it on the top left corner. The display doesn’t sit flush against the main chassis either. I’m not sure if this is part of the design, but the gap in the middle actually helps me lift up the display.

To keep the quad-core Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor cool, the HP ENVY 15t laptop has large cooling vents at the bottom, as well as out the back. There are perforations on the underside on both sides near the front – they are the vents for two of the four Bang & Olufsen speakers.

The designers of the HP ENVY 15t designed the display so that it actually elevates the rear end of the laptop away from the table surface. This improves ventilation under the laptop, which is usually a dead space.

On the left side, you will find the power connector, an AC/battery light, the RJ-45 network lights and jack, a HDMI port, two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.0 charging port, a headphone/microphone port, and an SD Card reader.

On the right side of the HP ENVY 15t, you will find the Power and hard disk drive activity lights, a security cable slot, the optical drive and a USB 3.0 port.

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HP ENVY 15t Display

HP offers two WLED-backlit display options with the HP ENVY 15t laptop – a standard display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 display, or an IPS display with a higher resolution of 1920 x 1080. I would recommend the 1920 x 1080 IPS display. This particular laptop used an IPS display made by LG.

Touchpad & Keyboard

The HP ENVY 15t‘s touchpad is fairly big which is nice, but it requires too much force to click. I end up using one or two finger taps instead of the hidden TouchPad button. The back-lit keyboard came standard. No real complaints about the keyboard’s performance. The keyboard’s a little chatty, but at least it doesn’t flex.

That can’t be said for their attention to detail. The keys were not centered properly – there is a noticeably larger gap on the left side of the keys. The silver-on-silver colour scheme actually accentuated the misalignment of the keys.

Page 2 > Features, SSD Upgrade & Our Verdict!

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WLAN & Bluetooth

The HP ENVY 15t comes with three WLAN options – a 802.11b/g/n module, or an Intel Dual-Band Wireless-AC with either 1×1 or 2×2 stream capability. This particular laptop was equipped with a Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 module with 1×1 stream.

Battery & Power Supply

The HP ENVY 15t comes with a built-in 3-cell lithium-ion battery with a battery capacity of 55.5 WHr. HP rates the ENVY 15t laptop as capable of running for up to 9.5 hours on this small battery. This is probably based on the dual-core configuration. I managed to squeeze out 4.5 hours of battery life playing YouTube videos.

The HP website states that the ENVY 15t configurations with integrated graphics comes with a 45 W power brick. However, it is only true for the dual-core configurations, which are not currently being offered. The sole configuration with integrated graphics was the Intel quad-core configuration – it comes with a larger 90 W power brick.

Storage

All HP ENVY 15t configurations allow you to opt for a 5400 RPM hard disk drive with a storage capacity of either 1 TB or 2 TB. If you opt for the 4 GB discrete GPU configuration, you can opt for a dual-storage combination of a 256 GB solid state drive, with a secondary 1 TB 5400 RPM hard disk drive.

M.2 solder points without a socket on the i7-6700HQ quad-core configuration

In case you are wondering, the 256 GB SSD is an M.2 module. However, the lack of an M.2 socket on the motherboard of this quad-core configuration prevents you from adding your own M.2 SSD upgrade.

Solid State Drive (SSD) Upgrade

Since HP did not offer the SSD option for their Intel Core i7-6700HQ configuration, I decided to swap in one of my 2.5″ SSDs.

Accessing the internal of the HP ENVY 15t requires the removal of the optical drive (1 screw), and the base enclosure (14 screws). The base enclosure is made of plastic, and is fragile near the optical drive section.

The battery cable has to be removed before you can service any components.

To remove the hard drive drive from its bracket, the battery must first be disconnected and removed (5 screws). A sloppy LED board ribbon cable can be seen after the removal of the hard drive. I had to correct that…

After swapping the SSD into the bracket, I encountered a problem – the speaker cable was caught under the SSD. Attempts to reroute it around the SSD caused it to be too snug. In the end, I had to loosen the cable to reroute it. During reassembly, I manage to bend one of the battery connector pins. That shows how fragile these components can be, so be careful!

My Verdict

The HP ENVY 15t laptop laptop offers one of the cheapest quad-core Intel processor configurations in the market, if you do not need discrete graphics.

However, its internal design leaves much to be desired. Upgrading its RAM or swapping its HDD for an SSD will not be an easy task for mainstream users due to the many crucial steps they will need to take. They also have to be very careful about what they are doing.

Aside from its interior sloppiness, the laptop feels solid.

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What I liked

1920 x 1080 IPS display
Fingerprint scanner
Large touchpad

What I disliked

M.2 socket only available with the 4 GB discrete graphic card configuration (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M)
Non-easily accessible panel
Touchpad requires too much force to click (ended up using tap function, instead of click)
Lack of SSD option (not a big deal since it’s cheaper to buy one on your own to replace the HDD)
Some sloppiness in assembly

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