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No RTX? No Problem — Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti Base Model Laptop Review

Faster than any other Blade 15 GTX laptop. The GTX 1660 Ti is only marginally slower than the RTX 2060 in raw GPU horsepower while retailing for hundreds less and it manages to outperform the fastest Blade 15 Pascal configuration. Some hidden drawbacks like the slightly less accurate display and slower CPU performance detract only little from the overall experience.

When Razer refreshed its Blade 15 series earlier this year, fans had the option between RTX 2060, RTX 2070 Max-Q, or RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics. It wasn't until a few months later that Nvidia launched the less expensive mobile GTX 1660 Ti for gamers who wanted the benefits of Turing without the fancy RT or DLSS features.

The latest Blade 15 configuration comes equipped with the GTX 1660 Ti to lower the barrier of entry for users on tighter budgets. Whereas the least expensive SKU used to be the RTX 2060 configuration for $2000, the new GTX 1660 Ti configuration is $400 less while sporting the exact same ports, RAM, and CPU as its pricier RTX siblings. Its display, however, will use a slower 60 Hz panel with an option to upgrade to 144 Hz.

As explained here, Blade 15 laptops come in slightly different thicknesses depending on the SKU. The GTX 1660 Ti chassis is the "Base Model" instead of the "Advanced Model" meaning that it is the thicker version with a different set of features as we will detail below.

The 15.6-inch Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti competes directly against other mid-range to high-end ultrathin gaming laptops like the MSI GS65, Aorus 15, Asus Zephyrus S GX531, Lenovo Legion Y740-15, Alienware m15 R2, and the HP Omen X 2S 15. The Dell XPS 15 and Gigabyte Aero 15 can also be seen as alternatives since Razer wants to target content creators and professionals as well. We recommend checking out our existing review on the Blade 15 GTX 1060 Max-Q to learn more about the physical features of the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti since they share the same chassis.

Related news: Razer Blade Pro 17 has the fastest GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU

More Razer Blade reviews:

Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti (Blade 15 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-9750H 6 x 2.6 - 4.5 GHz, Coffee Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile - 6 GB VRAM, Core: 1455 MHz, Memory: 1500 MHz, GDDR6, 436.30, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4-2666, 19-19-19-43, Dual-Channel
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, BOE NV156FHM-N4K, IPS, BOE0804, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM370
Storage
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ, 256 GB 
, Secondary: Seagate ST1000LM048
Soundcard
NVIDIA TU116
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 19.9 x 355 x 235 ( = 0.78 x 13.98 x 9.25 in)
Battery
65 Wh Lithium-Polymer
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 720p
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Razer Central, Synapse, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.1 kg ( = 74.08 oz / 4.63 pounds), Power Supply: 691 g ( = 24.37 oz / 1.52 pounds)
Price
1800 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

All Blade 15 laptops thus far share the same footprint but with different thicknesses depending on the configuration. This particular SKU shares the same Base Model chassis as the Blade 15 RTX 2060 or Blade 15 GTX 1060 Max-Q instead of the thinner Advanced Model chassis of the Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q or Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q. The Base Model and Advanced Model designs are nearly identical save for some notable differences as listed here:

  • Base Model includes single-zone RGB lighting only instead of per-key RGB
  • Base Model is slightly thicker by 2.1 mm (17.8 mm vs. 19.9 mm)
  • Base Model integrates gigabit RJ-45 and a 2.5-inch SATA III bay
  • Base Model comes with a 200 W AC adapter instead of 230 W
  • Battery capacity is smaller on the Base Model (65 Wh vs. 80 Wh)
  • No IR camera for Base Model
  • No vapor chamber cooler for Base Model
  • 144 Hz IPS is optional for Base Model
360.5 mm / 14.2 inch 276 mm / 10.9 inch 18.3 mm / 0.72 inch 2.2 kg4.76 lbs358 mm / 14.1 inch 248 mm / 9.76 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 1.8 kg4.05 lbs356 mm / 14 inch 250 mm / 9.84 inch 19 mm / 0.748 inch 2.1 kg4.68 lbs355 mm / 14 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 2.1 kg4.63 lbs357 mm / 14.1 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 17 mm / 0.669 inch 2 kg4.41 lbs355 mm / 14 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 17.8 mm / 0.701 inch 2.2 kg4.87 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

The images below compare the thicker Base Model Blade 15 GTX 1060 Max-Q (bottom) to the thinner Advanced Model Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q (top). The Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti is exactly the same as the Blade 15 GTX 1060 Max-Q except that its AC adapter port has changed to match the one on the Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q. In other words, the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti AC adapter is compatible across all Blade 15 Turing laptops while being incompatible with last generation Blade 15 Pascal laptops.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 Type-A, HDMI 2.0, mDP 1.4, Kensington Lock
Right: Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 Type-A, HDMI 2.0, mDP 1.4, Kensington Lock
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity
Left: AC adapter, Gigabit RJ-45, 2x USB 3.1 Type-A, 3.5 mm combo audio
Left: AC adapter, Gigabit RJ-45, 2x USB 3.1 Type-A, 3.5 mm combo audio

Communication

The Intel 9560 comes standard for theoretical transfer rates of up to 1.73 Gbps. Users can swap and upgrade to the Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 much like on our Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
718 MBit/s +9%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
678 MBit/s +3%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
659 MBit/s
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
507 MBit/s -23%
iperf3 receive AX12
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
Killer Wireless-AC 1550i Wireless Network Adapter (9560NGW)
696 MBit/s +7%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200
688 MBit/s +6%
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
656 MBit/s +1%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
649 MBit/s

Maintenance

Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti with traditional copper heat pipes and a secondary 2.5-inch SATA III bay
Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti with traditional copper heat pipes and a secondary 2.5-inch SATA III bay
Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q with vapor chamber cooling and a larger battery
Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q with vapor chamber cooling and a larger battery

Warranty

The standard one-year limited warranty applies with the option to extend to three years for an additional $250. This is pricier than what Dell, HP, or Lenovo offer for their gaming laptops likely because they benefit from larger economies of scale than Razer.

Razer has added Creator mode and Gaming mode to its list of performance profiles. The system runs fastest in Creator mode
Razer has added Creator mode and Gaming mode to its list of performance profiles. The system runs fastest in Creator mode

Display

We had anticipated the 144 Hz panel on our Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti to be the same 144 Hz LG Philips panel as found on our Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q, but this is not the case. Instead, the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti shares the same BOE NV156FHM-N4K IPS panel as found on the Acer Predator Triton 500. Characteristics like contrast ratio, color coverage, brightness, and response times are therefore slightly different between the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti and Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q. They're thankfully marginal and so most users won't even notice that Razer has swapped panel providers, but this is noteworthy nonetheless.

An interesting find is that a pulse-width modulation of 200 Hz is now present on all brightness levels up to 99 percent whereas this phenomenon is almost completely absent on the Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q and 2080 Max-Q SKUs. Users sensitive to onscreen flickering may want to avoid this GTX 1660 Ti SKU as a result.

Uneven backlight bleeding is present and just barely noticeable on our test unit. It's not enough to be distracting during regular use or video playback.

Visual experience is still close to the Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q even though the panel provider has changed
Visual experience is still close to the Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q even though the panel provider has changed
1080p240 and 4K UHD OLED are reserved for the higher-end RTX 2070 Max-Q and 2080 Max-Q SKUs only
1080p240 and 4K UHD OLED are reserved for the higher-end RTX 2070 Max-Q and 2080 Max-Q SKUs only
Minimal uneven backlight bleeding along the bottom edge
Minimal uneven backlight bleeding along the bottom edge
No major graininess issues on the matte panel
No major graininess issues on the matte panel
307.7
cd/m²
310
cd/m²
310.7
cd/m²
294.2
cd/m²
312.7
cd/m²
291.8
cd/m²
295
cd/m²
322.5
cd/m²
299.7
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
BOE NV156FHM-N4K tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 322.5 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 304.9 cd/m² Minimum: 16.94 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 312.7 cd/m²
Contrast: 1158:1 (Black: 0.27 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.57 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 2.91
ΔE Greyscale 4.3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
91.3% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
59.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
66.5% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
91.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
65.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.29
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
BOE NV156FHM-N4K, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
Sharp LQ156M1JW03 (SHP14C5), IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
LG Philips LGD05C0, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
Sharp LQ156M1, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
Samsung 156WR04, SDCA029, OLED, 15.60, 3840x2160
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
Sharp LQ156M1JW03 (SHP14C5), IGZO, 15.60, 1920x1080
Display
4%
1%
1%
27%
1%
Display P3 Coverage
65.3
66.9
2%
65.3
0%
65.3
0%
88.1
35%
65.3
0%
sRGB Coverage
91.8
98.1
7%
94.9
3%
95.1
4%
99.6
8%
95.5
4%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
66.5
68.5
3%
66.3
0%
65.9
-1%
91.8
38%
66.5
0%
Response Times
3936%
-20%
3932%
30%
3889%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
13.6 ?(7.2, 6.4)
12.8 ?(6.8, 6)
6%
16.8 ?(9.2, 7.6)
-24%
16.4 ?(7.6, 6.8)
-21%
2.3 ?(1.1, 1.2)
83%
15.2 ?(7.6, 7.6)
-12%
Response Time Black / White *
10 ?(6, 4)
10.4 ?(6, 4.4)
-4%
11.6 ?(7.2, 4.4)
-16%
8.8 ?(4.4, 4.4)
12%
2.4 ?(1.1, 1.3)
76%
11.2 ?(6.8, 4.4)
-12%
PWM Frequency
200 ?(99)
23810 ?(10)
11805%
23810 ?(24)
11805%
59.5 ?(100)
-70%
23580 ?(24)
11690%
Screen
17%
7%
-17%
6%
6%
Brightness middle
312.7
293
-6%
314.7
1%
324.2
4%
421.2
35%
266
-15%
Brightness
305
270
-11%
312
2%
304
0%
417
37%
248
-19%
Brightness Distribution
90
87
-3%
90
0%
90
0%
94
4%
89
-1%
Black Level *
0.27
0.29
-7%
0.38
-41%
0.38
-41%
0.31
-15%
Contrast
1158
1010
-13%
828
-28%
853
-26%
858
-26%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.57
1.69
63%
2.56
44%
5.01
-10%
6.06
-33%
2.78
39%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
6.81
3.37
51%
4.89
28%
12.7
-86%
11.89
-75%
5.96
12%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
2.91
1.24
57%
1.71
41%
1.64
44%
0.91
69%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.3
2.3
47%
3.4
21%
7.9
-84%
2.8
35%
3.58
17%
Gamma
2.29 96%
2.3 96%
2.3 96%
2.35 94%
2.15 102%
2.46 89%
CCT
7098 92%
6758 96%
6435 101%
8455 77%
6235 104%
7186 90%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
59.4
63
6%
60.7
2%
60.8
2%
81
36%
62
4%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
91.3
98.5
8%
94.6
4%
95.5
5%
99.6
9%
96
5%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
1319% / 707%
-4% / 2%
1305% / 683%
21% / 16%
1299% / 691%

* ... smaller is better

Color space is actually slightly narrower than on both the Sharp and LG Philips panels of the Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q and Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q, respectively, at 91 percent sRGB. This has no major implications on the actual gaming experience of the laptop.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB

The panel is not as well calibrated as the displays of the pricier RTX options. Most notably, color temperature is slightly cooler than it should be at almost 7100K and so the average DeltaE values for grayscale and colors are impacted. Our calibration attempt addresses these shortcomings as shown by the Calman results below.

Grayscale before calibration
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
10 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 6 ms rise
↘ 4 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 21 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
13.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 7.2 ms rise
↘ 6.4 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 21 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 200 Hz ≤ 99 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 200 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 99 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 200 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Outdoor visibility and viewing angles are similar to other Blade 15 IPS SKUs since maximum brightness and contrast ratios are not all that different between them. You'll want to stay under shade whenever possible or colors will become washed out.

Outdoors under sunlight
Outdoors under sunlight
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under sunlight
Outdoors under sunlight
Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles

Performance

LatencyMon
LatencyMon

Unlike Asus or MSI who tend to offer a very wide range of CPU options for the same chassis, Razer's approach is more streamlined. All current Blade 15 SKUs ship with the same Core i7-9750H CPU with no Core i5 or Core i9 alternatives. A Core i9 option could have potentially made it easier to reach very high frame rate targets, but the Core i7 is a more balanced option given the GTX 1660 Ti GPU.

Nvidia Optimus comes standard across all SKUs and so G-Sync has been omitted. LatencyMon shows no DPC latency issues even with wireless enabled.

Processor

We always say that just because two laptops share the same CPU, their performances may not be the same. In this case, the Core i7-9750H in the Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q is about 15 percent faster than the Core i7-9750H in our Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti according to CineBench R15 Multi-Thread. The pricier RTX 2080 Max-Q SKU is able to maintain its CPU lead over our GTX 1660 Ti SKU even after extended periods of stress.

Perhaps the more disappointing aspect is that the CPU in our test unit is 18 percent slower than the average Core i7-9750H in our database taken from 43 other laptops. While raw performance is still faster than the Core i5-8300H, i5-9300H or older i7-7700HQ, we know that the i7-9750H in the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti is capable of much more based on what we've experienced on other laptops with this same processor.

Our scores below were recorded with Razer's Creator Mode active. Running on Gaming Mode results in even slower CPU performance as shown by these CineBench screenshots.

See our dedicated page on the Core i7-9750H for more technical information and benchmarks.

CineBench R15 Creator Mode
CineBench R15 Creator Mode
CineBench R15 Gaming Mode
CineBench R15 Gaming Mode
CineBench R20 Creator Mode
CineBench R20 Creator Mode
CineBench R20 Gaming Mode
CineBench R20 Gaming Mode
060120180240300360420480540600660720780840900960102010801140Tooltip
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø925 (918.74-983.02)
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1056 (1046.13-1175)
Alienware m15 R2 P87F GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, 2x Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G (RAID 0); CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1026 (960.41-1036.48)
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE-051US GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø991 (974.33-1083.86)
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
203 Points +19%
Eurocom Nightsky RX15
Intel Core i9-9980HK
202 Points +19%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
189 Points +11%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (170 - 194, n=82)
183.7 Points +8%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-8565U
Intel Core i7-8565U
174 Points +2%
MSI GF63 8RC-040XPL
Intel Core i5-8300H
171 Points +1%
Lenovo Legion Y540-17IRH
Intel Core i5-9300H
171 Points +1%
SCHENKER Key 16
Intel Core i7-8750H
171 Points +1%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
Intel Core i7-9750H
170 Points
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
156 Points -8%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
144 Points -15%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Eurocom Nightsky RX15
Intel Core i9-9980HK
1821 Points +89%
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
1721 Points +79%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
1465 Points +52%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (952 - 1306, n=85)
1182 Points +23%
SCHENKER Key 16
Intel Core i7-8750H
1116 Points +16%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
Intel Core i7-9750H
964 Points
Lenovo Legion Y540-17IRH
Intel Core i5-9300H
850 Points -12%
MSI GF63 8RC-040XPL
Intel Core i5-8300H
805 Points -16%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
805 Points -16%
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
733 Points -24%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-8565U
Intel Core i7-8565U
677 Points -30%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
2.11 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (1.96 - 2.19, n=10)
2.1 Points
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.83 Points
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
1.64 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
18.94 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (11.3 - 14.1, n=10)
13 Points
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
9.21 Points
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.17 Points
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Eurocom Nightsky RX15
Intel Core i9-9980HK
45527 Points
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
42677 Points
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
42456 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (28251 - 36304, n=13)
33539 Points
SCHENKER Key 16
Intel Core i7-8750H
32846 Points
Lenovo Legion Y540-17IRH
Intel Core i5-9300H
25656 Points
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
21978 Points
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
20687 Points
Rendering Single 32Bit
Eurocom Nightsky RX15
Intel Core i9-9980HK
7877 Points
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 15 Turing
Intel Core i7-9700K
7682 Points
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
6967 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
  (6659 - 7214, n=13)
6923 Points
SCHENKER Key 16
Intel Core i7-8750H
6579 Points
Lenovo Legion Y540-17IRH
Intel Core i5-9300H
6421 Points
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5939 Points
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
4770 Points
wPrime 2.10 - 1024m
MSI GF63 8RC-040XPL
Intel Core i5-8300H
278.5 s *
Asus FX503VM-EH73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
231.7 s *
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
197.1 s *
Average Intel Core i7-9750H
 
154.4 s *
MSI GE75 9SG
Intel Core i9-9880H
118.7 s *
Eurocom Nightsky RX15
Intel Core i9-9980HK
110.4 s *

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
170 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
964 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
109.8 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help

System Performance

PCMark benchmarks are consistently below average when compared to other laptops equipped with the same i7-9750H CPU and GTX 1660 Ti GPU. We suspect that the poor CineBench results above have attributed to the lower PCMark numbers.

PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 10
Score
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5839 Points +10%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
5697 Points +7%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (4807 - 5829, n=15)
5531 Points +4%
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i9-9980HK, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV1T02
5469 Points +3%
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, 2x Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G (RAID 0)
5374 Points +1%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5301 Points
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE-051US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
4646 Points -12%
Essentials
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i9-9980HK, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV1T02
9701 Points +3%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
9472 Points +1%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
9405 Points
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (8621 - 10098, n=15)
9360 Points 0%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
9109 Points -3%
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, 2x Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G (RAID 0)
8791 Points -7%
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE-051US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
7200 Points -23%
Productivity
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
8200 Points +12%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
7695 Points +6%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (7241 - 8136, n=15)
7519 Points +3%
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i9-9980HK, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV1T02
7494 Points +3%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
7290 Points
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, 2x Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G (RAID 0)
7180 Points -2%
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE-051US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
6938 Points -5%
Digital Content Creation
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
7236 Points +23%
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
6888 Points +17%
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, 2x Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G (RAID 0)
6675 Points +13%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (4426 - 7638, n=15)
6558 Points +11%
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i9-9980HK, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV1T02
6110 Points +4%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5898 Points
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE-051US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5452 Points -8%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
4851 Points +19%
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE-051US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
4676 Points +15%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (4074 - 5217, n=11)
4518 Points +11%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
4380 Points +8%
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, 2x Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G (RAID 0)
4207 Points +3%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
4074 Points
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i9-9980HK, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV1T02
3799 Points -7%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
6035 Points +10%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
5749 Points +5%
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE-051US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5731 Points +5%
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, 2x Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G (RAID 0)
5706 Points +4%
Average Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (5041 - 5913, n=12)
5540 Points +1%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5480 Points
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i9-9980HK, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV1T02
4762 Points -13%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4074 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5480 points
PCMark 10 Score
5301 points
Help

Storage Devices

All Blade 15 and Blade Pro 17 configurations thus far ship with Samsung SSDs in contrast to most other OEMs where it can be difficult to know what drive you're going to get. The Dell Alienware series, for example, ships with drives from Lite-On, Toshiba, SK Hynix, and Samsung.

As mentioned earlier, the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti includes a secondary 2.5-inch SATA III bay that's missing on the thinner Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q and RTX 2080 Max-Q SKUs. This is especially useful for cost-conscious users because investing in a 2 TB HDD is far cheaper than a 2 TB M.2 SSD. The 1 TB Seagate HDD in our unit returns an average transfer rate of 101 MB/s which is excellent for a 5400 drive.

AS SSD
AS SSD
HD Tune (Secondary HDD)
HD Tune (Secondary HDD)
CDM 5 (Primary SSD)
CDM 5 (Primary SSD)
CDM 5 (Secondary HDD)
CDM 5 (Secondary HDD)
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
2x Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G (RAID 0)
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV1T02
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE-051US
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
AS SSD
23%
13%
29%
6%
-17%
Seq Read
1829
1832
0%
1925
5%
1723
-6%
2517
38%
1612
-12%
Seq Write
1315
1864
42%
2371
80%
1386
5%
924
-30%
1475
12%
4K Read
51.3
52.1
2%
37.2
-27%
43.25
-16%
59.1
15%
43.09
-16%
4K Write
106
108.3
2%
108.9
3%
98.3
-7%
126.5
19%
83.8
-21%
4K-64 Read
917
1159
26%
1177
28%
1078
18%
876
-4%
611
-33%
4K-64 Write
1212
1807
49%
1135
-6%
1456
20%
922
-24%
570
-53%
Access Time Read *
0.063
0.05
21%
0.065
-3%
0.05
21%
0.042
33%
0.071
-13%
Access Time Write *
0.104
0.034
67%
0.108
-4%
0.039
62%
0.065
37%
0.045
57%
Score Read
1152
1394
21%
1407
22%
1294
12%
1186
3%
815
-29%
Score Write
1450
2102
45%
1481
2%
1693
17%
1141
-21%
802
-45%
Score Total
3177
4221
33%
3633
14%
3638
15%
2870
-10%
2039
-36%
Copy ISO MB/s
1539
2083
35%
2073
35%
3182
107%
2086
36%
Copy Program MB/s
513
496.5
-3%
576
12%
984
92%
454.2
-11%
Copy Game MB/s
1150
977
-15%
1426
24%
1824
59%
1141
-1%

* ... smaller is better

Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 3251 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 1417 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 578 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 494.9 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 1494 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 1427 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 41.1 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 135 MB/s

GPU Performance

Unlike the under-performing CPU, the GTX 1660 Ti GPU is performing where we expect it to be at within 5 percent of the average mobile GTX 1660 Ti in our database. Users can expect 40 to 50 percent faster performance than the last generation Blade 14 GTX 1060 and 50 to 60 percent faster performance than the mobile GTX 1650. The desktop GTX 1660 Ti is still about 10 to 15 percent faster than our mobile variant.

Keep in mind that the mobile RTX 2060 is only about 10 percent faster than our GTX 1660 Ti. If you're not interested in any RTX specific features, then the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti can offer higher performance-per-dollar than the Blade 15 RTX 2060. All current titles will run smoothly at 1080p60 with most settings on Medium or Medium-High.

Idling on Witcher 3 for one hour shows no recurring frame dips to suggest no interrupting background activity when gaming. There was a small dip to 38 FPS near the beginning of the test as shown by our graph below, but this never occurred a second time.

See our dedicated page on the mobile GeForce GTX 1660 Ti for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

Cloud Gate Creator mode
Cloud Gate Creator mode
Fire Strike Creator mode
Fire Strike Creator mode
Time Spy Creator mode
Time Spy Creator mode
Cloud Gate Gaming mode
Cloud Gate Gaming mode
Fire Strike Gaming mode
Fire Strike Gaming mode
Time Spy Gaming mode
Time Spy Gaming mode
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9900K
151390 Points +54%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
115893 Points +18%
Razer Blade Pro 2017
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
107110 Points +9%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X
107083 Points +9%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
106170 Points +8%
Asus Strix Hero III G731GV
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
101481 Points +3%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
98452 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (59839 - 104780, n=18)
94171 Points -4%
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop), R7 2700X
91194 Points -7%
MSI P65 8RF-451 - Creator
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
73739 Points -25%
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i7-9750H
59375 Points -40%
Asus TUF FX705GE-EW096T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H
49314 Points -50%
Razer Blade (2017) UHD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
48409 Points -51%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9900K
25126 Points +70%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
20718 Points +40%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X
19338 Points +31%
Razer Blade Pro 2017
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
18879 Points +28%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
18153 Points +23%
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop), R7 2700X
16024 Points +9%
Asus Strix Hero III G731GV
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
15696 Points +6%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (14186 - 16488, n=24)
14867 Points +1%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
14753 Points
MSI P65 8RF-451 - Creator
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
14463 Points -2%
Razer Blade (2017) UHD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
10715 Points -27%
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i7-9750H
9350 Points -37%
Asus TUF FX705GE-EW096T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H
7791 Points -47%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
MSI GT76 Titan DT 9SG
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9900K
10243 Points +92%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
7840 Points +47%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X
7732 Points +45%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
6728 Points +26%
Razer Blade Pro 2017
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
6380 Points +20%
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop), R7 2700X
6131 Points +15%
Asus Strix Hero III G731GV
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
5913 Points +11%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (5335 - 6123, n=22)
5653 Points +6%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
5335 Points
MSI P65 8RF-451 - Creator
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
4734 Points -11%
Razer Blade (2017) UHD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ
3478 Points -35%
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i7-9750H
3470 Points -35%
Asus TUF FX705GE-EW096T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H
2536 Points -52%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
27762 Points +44%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X
26413 Points +37%
Razer Blade Pro 2017
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
24868 Points +29%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
22723 Points +18%
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop), R7 2700X
22128 Points +14%
Asus Strix Hero III G731GV
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
20765 Points +7%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (18610 - 22670, n=24)
20096 Points +4%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
19329 Points
MSI P65 8RF-451 - Creator
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
18234 Points -6%
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i7-9750H
13143 Points -32%
Asus TUF FX705GE-EW096T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H
9466 Points -51%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop), R7 2700X
13940 Points +22%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X
13742 Points +20%
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H
12460 Points +9%
Asus Strix Hero III G731GV
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, i7-9750H
12260 Points +7%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (9500 - 13311, n=23)
12019 Points +5%
MSI GF75 Thin 9SC
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i7-9750H
11904 Points +4%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
11416 Points
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
10749 Points -6%
Razer Blade Pro 2017
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile, i7-7820HK
10129 Points -11%
MSI P65 8RF-451 - Creator
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q, i7-8750H
8855 Points -22%
Asus TUF FX705GE-EW096T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-8750H
8540 Points -25%
3DMark 11 Performance
16594 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
31563 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
12926 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
5406 points
Help
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 17 Coffee Lake Refresh
Intel Core i9-9900K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
87 fps +30%
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
87 fps +30%
HP Omen X 2S 15-dg0075cl
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
83 fps +24%
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop)
76.7 fps +14%
Asus G752VS
Intel Core i7-6820HK, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile
72 (59min) fps +7%
Asus Strix Hero III G731GV
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
70 fps +4%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (62 - 73, n=8)
68.4 fps +2%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
67 fps
Asus TUF FX705GM
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
47 fps -30%
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
34 fps -49%
Asus TUF FX705GE-EW096T
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
31 fps -54%
HP Envy 13-ah0003ng
Intel Core i7-8550U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
7 fps -90%
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q
81.3 fps +58%
HP Omen X 2S 15-dg0075cl
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q
69 fps +34%
Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Desktop)
62 (43min - 74max) fps +20%
SCHENKER XMG Ultra 17 Coffee Lake Refresh
Intel Core i9-9900K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Mobile
61.7 fps +20%
Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
  (51.6 - 65.1, n=21)
56.2 fps +9%
Asus Strix Hero III G731GV
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile
56 fps +9%
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
Intel Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
51.6 fps
Asus TUF FX705GM
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
36.5 fps -29%
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
Intel Core i9-9980HK, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
36 fps -30%
Asus TUF FX705GE-EW096T
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
25.8 fps -50%
HP Envy 13-ah0003ng
Intel Core i7-8550U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
9 fps -83%
05101520253035404550Tooltip
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ: Ø47 (38-50)
low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 291.2 259.6 241.3 132.5
The Witcher 3 (2015) 247.6 169.7 97.5 51.6
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 115 83 75 67

Emissions

System Noise

The cooling solution consists of twin 40 to 45 mm fans and three large copper heat pipes. Fan noise is generally louder than on the RTX 2070 Max-Q or 2080 Max-Q SKUs due in part to the spinning HDD adding another layer of noise on top of the fans. When gaming on Creator mode, expect fan noise to settle in the 48 to 51 dB(A) range compared to "only" 45 dB(A) on the Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q.

Fan noise when gaming changes depending on the performance setting. When in Balanced mode, for example, fan noise will settle at 44 dB(A) for longer.

Fan noise is louder than other Blade 15 laptops, but still quieter than the Alienware m15 R2 or Gigabyte Aero 15
Fan noise is louder than other Blade 15 laptops, but still quieter than the Alienware m15 R2 or Gigabyte Aero 15
The heat pipes are thicker than on most other laptops
The heat pipes are thicker than on most other laptops
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i7-9750H, 2x Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G (RAID 0)
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i9-9980HK, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV1T02
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-9750H, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE-051US
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
Noise
8%
-11%
3%
-11%
4%
off / environment *
28.5
28.3
1%
28.3
1%
28.2
1%
30
-5%
28.4
-0%
Idle Minimum *
30.3
28.8
5%
28.5
6%
28.2
7%
31
-2%
28.4
6%
Idle Average *
30.5
28.8
6%
28.5
7%
28.2
8%
34
-11%
28.4
7%
Idle Maximum *
30.5
29
5%
49
-61%
30.4
-0%
39
-28%
29.6
3%
Load Average *
41
33.5
18%
49
-20%
43.8
-7%
46
-12%
43.5
-6%
Witcher 3 ultra *
48
45
6%
49
-2%
47.2
2%
53
-10%
45.7
5%
Load Maximum *
51.9
45.2
13%
55
-6%
47.2
9%
55
-6%
45.7
12%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle
30.3 / 30.5 / 30.5 dB(A)
Load
41 / 51.9 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 28.5 dB(A)

Temperature

Dual rear exhaust
Dual rear exhaust

Put powerful components inside a thin metal chassis and high surface temperatures become inevitable. The palm rests and keyboard center could have been cooler as they can reach almost 40 C even without much onscreen activity.

When gaming, surface temperatures will be just as warm as on the pricier Blade 15 RTX laptops even though performance is slower. We're able to measure hot spots of 51 C to 53 C on the top and bottom sides of the laptop compared to 49 C on the Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q. The competing MSI GS65 9SG runs a bit cooler on average towards the center of the keyboard.

System idle (top)
System idle (top)
System idle (bottom)
System idle (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (top)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Witcher 3 stress (bottom)
Prime95+FurMark stress (top)
Prime95+FurMark stress (top)
Prime95+FurMark stress (bottom)
Prime95+FurMark stress (bottom)
Max. Load
 46.2 °C
115 F
52 °C
126 F
46 °C
115 F
 
 42 °C
108 F
50.2 °C
122 F
42 °C
108 F
 
 39 °C
102 F
37.2 °C
99 F
39.6 °C
103 F
 
Maximum: 52 °C = 126 F
Average: 43.8 °C = 111 F
42.2 °C
108 F
52.2 °C
126 F
42.8 °C
109 F
43.6 °C
110 F
49 °C
120 F
43.4 °C
110 F
41.2 °C
106 F
43.6 °C
110 F
40.6 °C
105 F
Maximum: 52.2 °C = 126 F
Average: 44.3 °C = 112 F
Power Supply (max.)  60 °C = 140 F | Room Temperature 23 °C = 73 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 43.8 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 52 °C / 126 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 52.2 °C / 126 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 34.3 °C / 94 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(-) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 39.2 °C / 103 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 39.6 °C / 103.3 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-10.7 °C / -19.3 F).

Stress Test

Core temperatures are generally warmer than on the Blae 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q as shown by our screenshots and table below. Interestingly, overall performance and clock rates for both the CPU and GPU are faster when on Creator mode than Gaming mode.

CPU clock rate stabilizes at just 2.8 GHz when running Prime95 compared to 3.1 GHz on the Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q. These results line up with our CineBench loop test observations above where the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti performs slower despite having the same Core i7 processor.

Running on batteries will impact performance. A Fire Strike run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 10394 and 3561 points, respectively, compared to 14800 and 14753 points when on mains.

System idle
System idle
Prime95+FurMark stress (Creator mode)
Prime95+FurMark stress (Creator mode)
Prime95 stress (Gaming mode)
Prime95 stress (Gaming mode)
Prime95 stress (Creator mode)
Prime95 stress (Creator mode)
Witcher 3 stress (Gaming mode)
Witcher 3 stress (Gaming mode)
Witcher 3 stress (Creator mode)
Witcher 3 stress (Creator mode)
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature (°C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
System Idle -- -- 52 50
Prime95 Stress (Gaming mode) 2.3 -- 65 --
Prime95 Stress (Creator mode) 2.8 -- 70 --
Prime95 + FurMark Stress (Creator mode) 3.2 - 3.3 1410 89 83
Witcher 3 Stress (Gaming mode) 4.0 1650 76 79
Witcher 3 Stress (Creator mode) 4.0 1710 82 80

Speakers

Pink noise at maximum volume
Pink noise at maximum volume
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2040.7442538.340.53140.838.84037.938.55038.6396338.540.18035.436.610034.338.812535.142.216033.649.520032.952.725032.359.131531.964.740030.867.95003168.363030.170.380030.171.1100030.872.7125029.170.2160028.770.8200028.668.5250028.568315028.365.940002867.5500027.961630027.858.5800027.856.91000027.753.91250027.549.81600027.447.4SPL41.180.1N4.247.3median 29.1median 64.7Delta1.58.335.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseRazer Blade 15 GTX 1660 TiApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 13.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.3% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | reduced highs - on average 5.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 88% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 8% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 73% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 21% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Perhaps counterintuitively, the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti consumes about the same amount of power as the Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q and RTX 2080 Max-Q SKUs when gaming even though the latter systems offer 25 percent and 45 percent faster performance, respectively. This is because Nvidia specifies very similar GSP (Graphics Subsystem Power) ranges from its mobile GTX 1660 Ti up to the RTX 2080 Max-Q. The 160 W to 180 W range appears to be the most common amongst Max-Q laptops when gaming and the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti is no different.

We're able to measure a maximum consumption of 195 W from the small-medium (~15.8 x 6.5 x 2.5 cm) 200 W AC adapter when running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously. Unlike what we observed on the Blade 15 RTX SKUs, however, consumption would fluctuate between 127 W and 190 W instead of remaining steady as shown below. Recharge rate will slow to a crawl when under such extreme processing conditions.

As reported earlier in the year, the AC adapters of Blade laptops can become much warmer than most other AC adapters at 60 C or higher when gaming. Avoid placing any sensitive items, surfaces, or cables in direct contact with AC adapters in general.

Constant consumption when running Witcher 3. Its rate of 159 W is very close to the 162 W rate of the Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
Constant consumption when running Witcher 3. Its rate of 159 W is very close to the 162 W rate of the Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
3DMark 06 power consumption
3DMark 06 power consumption
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 10s mark. Consumption fluctuates heavily instead of remaining stable
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 10s mark. Consumption fluctuates heavily instead of remaining stable
Prime95 initiated at 10s mark. Consumption jumps to 102 W for about 20 seconds when Turbo Boost is highest before stabilizing at 82 W
Prime95 initiated at 10s mark. Consumption jumps to 102 W for about 20 seconds when Turbo Boost is highest before stabilizing at 82 W
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.56 / 1.14 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 18.7 / 30.7 / 33.9 Watt
Load midlight 93.4 / 195.3 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
i9-9980HK, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV1T02, OLED, 3840x2160, 15.60
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, Intel SSD 760p SSDPEKKW512G8, IGZO, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE-051US
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
MSI GP65 Leopard 9SE-225US
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, Toshiba KBG30ZMT512G, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Power Consumption
19%
39%
2%
33%
16%
Idle Minimum *
18.7
12.5
33%
6.2
67%
21
-12%
8.7
53%
13.6
27%
Idle Average *
30.7
15.3
50%
9.6
69%
23
25%
13
58%
17.9
42%
Idle Maximum *
33.9
20.7
39%
21.2
37%
32
6%
14.3
58%
20.6
39%
Load Average *
93.4
90.2
3%
104.3
-12%
97
-4%
107.4
-15%
96
-3%
Witcher 3 ultra *
158.9
162
-2%
91.7
42%
148
7%
129
19%
154.6
3%
Load Maximum *
195.3
209.3
-7%
135.3
31%
213
-9%
151.5
22%
218.6
-12%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

We flipped the adapter over after gaming for an hour to record a surface temperature of 80 C
We flipped the adapter over after gaming for an hour to record a surface temperature of 80 C

Battery capacity is 19 percent smaller than on the Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q or RTX 2080 Max-Q SKUs since the secondary SATA III bay prohibits a larger battery. Consequently, runtimes are shorter on the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti by about 16 percent according to our WLAN loop test designed to reproduce web browsing loads. Our final tally of 5.5 hours is great for a gaming laptop even though its a couple of hours shorter than most Ultrabooks with Core U CPUs.

Charging from empty to full capacity takes about 1.5 hours. The system cannot be recharged via USB Type-C.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
5h 30min
Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, 65 Wh
Razer Blade 15 RTX 2080 Max-Q
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, 80 Wh
MSI GP65 Leopard 9SE-225US
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, 51 Wh
Alienware m15 R2 P87F
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, 76 Wh
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650
i9-9980HK, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, 97 Wh
Gigabyte Aero 15 Classic-XA
i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, 94.24 Wh
Battery Runtime
19%
-29%
1%
42%
28%
WiFi v1.3
330
393
19%
234
-29%
332
1%
467
42%
421
28%
Reader / Idle
953
359
554
910
545
Load
102
65
44
199
181

Pros

+ secondary 2.5-inch SATA III bay
+ attractive minimalist design
+ rigid, high quality chassis
+ full-size Arrow keys
+ upgradeable RAM
+ Thunderbolt 3
+ large clickpad
+ Gigabit RJ-45

Cons

- fingerprint magnet — perhaps an oleophonic coating in the future?
- palm rests and AC adapter could be cooler when gaming
- display not as well calibrated as the Blade 15 RTX series
- PWM present on all brightness levels up to 99 percent
- below average Core i7-9750H performance
- louder fans and warmer core temperatures
- soft clickpad feedback

Verdict

In review: Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti. Test model provided by Razer US
In review: Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti. Test model provided by Razer US

In the world of laptops, the GeForce RTX 2060 is only about 5 to 10 percent faster than the GTX 1660 Ti when RTX-specific features like RT or DLSS are disabled. If you have no interest in such options, then you can save yourself $400 without impacting your gaming experience all that much with the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti. This alone makes the new configuration more attractive for budget-conscious gamers.

Even though the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti is the least expensive Blade 15 Turing option, it is actually faster than the fastest last generation Blade 15 GTX 1070 Max-Q by about 10 to 15 percent when gaming. Users are still getting a superior gaming experience than what the best Blade 15 Pascal series had to offer in this regard.

There are a few hidden drawbacks to the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti aside from what we mentioned in the Case section above. Firstly, PWM is present on almost all brightness levels at a low enough frequency that it might affect some users sensitive to onscreen flickering. Secondly, the display is not calibrated as well as the displays of the Blade 15 RTX series. Color temperature, for example, is slightly cooler than it should be out of the box. Thirdly, fan noise and core temperature will be slightly louder and warmer, respectively, since the Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti comes with no advanced vapor chamber cooling. Fourthly, games seem to run a little faster in Creator mode than Gaming mode since CPU performance is higher in Creator mode. You may as well skip Gaming mode entirely and just stick with Creator mode for maximum performance.

The most noteworthy drawback is CPU performance because it is slower than on the Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q or 2080 Max-Q even though they all house the same Core i7-9750H processor. The ~15 percent deficit won't impact gaming performance all that much especially if your target is only 60 FPS, but it's unfortunate nonetheless for enthusiasts or content creators who want every ounce of juice possible from the Core i7-9750H.

Aside from the special notes above, most of our existing comments about the Blade 15 series apply here on the GTX 1660 Ti configuration. Surface temperatures, brightness, colors, and even power consumption are all very close between these Blade 15 Turing SKUs despite their differences in performance.

Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti - 09/19/2019 v7
Allen Ngo

Chassis
89 / 98 → 90%
Keyboard
81%
Pointing Device
88%
Connectivity
64 / 80 → 80%
Weight
62 / 10-66 → 94%
Battery
66 / 95 → 70%
Display
85%
Games Performance
90%
Application Performance
90%
Temperature
80 / 95 → 84%
Noise
80 / 90 → 89%
Audio
71%
Camera
38 / 85 → 44%
Average
76%
84%
Gaming - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > No RTX? No Problem — Razer Blade 15 GTX 1660 Ti Base Model Laptop Review
Allen Ngo, 2019-09-21 (Update: 2019-09-25)