System Performance
Now that we've gotten our hands on quite a few notebooks sporting Intel's 8th Generation quad-core mobile processors, we can start to make some interesting comparisons. We've also included for the first time the AMD Ryzen 5 2500U-powered HP Envy X360.
In Cinebench R15, we see the Razer Blade Stealth with a strong single-threaded score, but it falls behind to last place with the multi-threaded benchmark.
Video transcoding in Handbrake shows the AMD-powered HP Envy x360 coming out in first for CPU rendering speed by almost 6% over the Razer Blade Stealth. In the GPU-accelerated Quick Sync test, the Blade Stealth is 8% slower than the Dell Inspiron 13 7373.
PCMark 8 is a benchmarking suite that aims to emulate several different usage scenarios ranging from basic productivity to mixed workloads with light gaming and to applications for creative professionals like photo and video editing. While the "conventional" tests are running applications as you'd expect, the "accelerated" versions add OpenCL acceleration and use the available GPU devices for some operations.
PCMark 8 shows mediocre performance for the Razer Blade Stealth. While it's marginally faster than the R5-2500U powered HP Envy, the Blade Stealth loses to every other 8th Generation-equipped notebook tested.
One thing not apparent from these numbers is how quiet the Razer Blade Stealth is when under full CPU load. While running benchmarks in the office, I couldn't hear the fans over the ambient noise until very close to the computer, something of an oddity of modern notebook designs.
I think some of the performance gap between the Razer Blade Stealth can be explained by prioritizing lower operating noise levels over absolute cooling performance.
Overall, the Razer Blade Stealth holds its own against the other 8th Generation Intel notebooks and strikes the best balance between noise levels and performance we have seen yet out of a notebook equipped with one of these processors.
Storage Performance
For a look at storage performance of the Samsung PM961 SSD found in the Razer Blade Stealth, we turned to the disk benchmarking utility ATTO.
Sequential performance in ATTO is in line with what we've come to expect from the Samsung PM961 (the OEM version of the Samsung 960 EVO). This is class-leading performance as far as M.2 NVMe SSDs are concerned.
What about the speakers, any
What about the speakers, any good?
I’ll wait for some real tests
I’ll wait for some real tests with some other benchmarking software than PCmark8. And really I’d rather see software that specifically stress tests the GPU under OpenCL worlkoads and not this software that “May” make use of OpenCL in “Some” software.
“Razer is not a current client of Shrout Research for products or services related to this review.”
Razer does not worry me but Intel now that can be of worry for some widespread Influnce across many websites.
This just feels so AnTuTu.
I own one of these. Have had
I own one of these. Have had the quad-core for a while now. Speakers suck. My unit has been flawed a few times. My touch screen is disabled by me otherwise it auto clicks because of pressure points. After saying that my speakers may suck because they are broken. Sound set to 100 and it’s as loud as my phone is at 30%. I have Google pixel. I don’t have bad hearing but to hear any videos or my friends talk through this laptoo I need to hook it up external speakers or head set. I love Razer as a company and for accessories but quality and quantity control of the blade stealth is awful. Yes mine works. Doesn’t function to 100% from day one.
Support for issues after the
Support for issues after the sale is lacking from most laptop OEMs unless it’s some Business Laptop SKUs purchased under some big enterprise level contract. Laptop OEMs generally follow the Foist and Flee mentality for consumer class laptops and just look at the driver updates and other such software support after the sale when the laptop gets more than a few years old and laptop speakers should be able to produce enough volume.
I’d RMA that laptop for a refund and even if the warrenty expires there may be lemon laws in place where you live.
If you want good build quality get a business class laptop as those tend to have better parts used, if you get the models that are sold most under those large enterprise contracts. OEMs tend to build certain Laptop SKUs to last because of the Enterprise client repeat business concerns so those SKUs will have the better parts/build quality.
Sometimes Microcenter has great deals on Business laptops if you are not wanting the latest model and you can get last years model one sale brand new at about 60% of what the laptop cost when it was the latest technology. A lot of Business laptops come with discrete mobile graphics also and still do not cost as much as this reviewed and overpriced Stealth SKU. The Stealth costs that much and no discrete mobile graphis and Intel’s Intel UHD Graphics 620 is not that great for what Intel/OEM are charging on this SKU.
AMD should be producing some Raven Ridge/Ryzen Pro APU variants shortly and hopefully that will see plenty of Business Class laptops with Zen/Vega inside. Support on the business class laptops goes 5+ years and that’s a little longer than on the consumer SKUs where after 3 years support really starts to degrade.
I suspect that Intel is in high gear with its Nefarious Intel preferred supplier/OEM program and Intel(covers the advertising/other expenses) sponsored content where the benchmarks are carefully chosen so as to not let Intel Graphics performance appear as bad. So beware of those reviews that may be using cherry-picked results that basically amount to lies of omission sorts of outcomes.
I’ve had my blade stealth for
I’ve had my blade stealth for 3 months so far and it is a beast…. I’ve thrown a lot at it – PUBG, Witcher 3, LoL, Fortnite (paired with a razor core v2). I mainly use mine for work and AutoCAD runs great.
Not sure why you think the speakers are quiet. Mine get insanely loud….for a laptop. Way lounder than my wife’s MacBook pro. I’ve been extremely happy with my purchase. Maybe I’m just lucky.
Maybe your “Experience” is
Maybe your “Experience” is just damage control!
Nah, I’ve had one for about a
Nah, I’ve had one for about a year and have nothing negative to say at all. Well, maybe just a small gripe with the cpu whine, but that’s it.
Looks like Raven Ridge is
Looks like Raven Ridge is getting that old Intel($$$$$) influenced single memory channel treatment from laptop OEMs again. And the Ryzen 7 2700U is not seeing the love either at inside of OEM laptops as an option. That’s deja vu all over again for you and that paymet(bribes) system that should be catching the attention of the antitrust regulators/regulations.