Razer Blade 15 series now has a total of four different thicknesses depending on the SKU
When the original Blade 15 launched last year, it came in two GPU options (GTX 1060 Max-Q and 1070 Max-Q) and two thicknesses (0.66-inches and 0.68-inches). A few months later, Razer introduced a thicker Base Model option (0.78-inches) in order to support an internal 2.5-inch SATA III bay. Now with GeForce RTX launching in just a few weeks on the Blade 15, there will be yet another change in thickness to 0.70-inches for all RTX SKUs.
The footprint (length x width) of all Blade 15 configurations will otherwise remain the same.
Why keep changing the thicknesses of the same Blade 15 design? It all comes down to optimizing performance and cooling. According to Razer, the new GeForce RTX chips are ever-so-slightly thicker than their Pascal counterparts and so small changes to both the chassis and cooling solution had to be done in order to properly accommodate them. It really shows that Razer is walking on a fine line in terms of chassis design to offer the thinnest look possible given the GPU options available.
Even so, the differences we're talking about are just fractions of a millimeter as shown by our table below. All but the most hardcore Razer fans won't even notice the minuscule differences in practice. We still find it worth mentioning nonetheless as other OEMs simply swap out the GPUs from existing designs without needing to adjust the dimensions. Razer seems to be a notable exception in this case.
Expect our full review on the 2019 Blade 15 RTX Advanced Model in the coming weeks.
Blade 15 Original | Blade 15 Advanced Model | Blade 15 Base Model | Blade 15 RTX Advanced Model | |
---|---|---|---|---|
GPU | GTX 1060 Max-Q | GTX 1060 Max-Q, 1070 Max-Q | GTX 1060 Max-Q | RTX 2060, 2070 Max-Q, 2080 Max-Q |
Dimensions | 355 x 235 x 16.8 mm (0.66") | 355 x 235 x 17.3 mm (0.68") | 355 x 235 x 19.9 mm (0.78") | 355 x 235 x 17.8 mm (0.70") |
Weight | 2.07 kg (4.56 lbs) | 2.10 kg (4.63 lbs) | 2.03 kg (4.48 lbs) | 2.07 kg (4.56 lbs) up to 2.15 kg (4.73 lbs) |
Source(s)
Razer