The latest Razer Blade 14 packs AMD’s top mobile Ryzen processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics into a slim, sleek, attractive laptop with
Razer Blade 14 (2023): As Configured – $2,699 (Starting $2,399)The latest Razer Blade 14 packs AMD’s top mobile Ryzen processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics into a slim, sleek, attractive laptop, with impressive results.Attractive DesignStrong PerformanceLatest AMD Platform with Ryzen AIBeautiful, High-Refresh DisplayGood Built-In AudioPrice PremiumSome Sharp EdgesFinnicky Trackpad Buttons
The next wave of AMD-powered laptops is due to hit store shelves soon, built around Ryzen 7040 series processors, codenamed “Phoenix”. Unlike top-end “Dragon Range” Ryzen 7045 HX series processors, which target larger gaming laptops and desktop-replacement mobile workstations, the AMD Ryzen 7040 series is designed to accommodate many more smaller, lighter form factors, with more modest default TDPs in the 35w – 54w range. AMD Ryzen 7040 series processors are also based on a fresh slice of silicon, which features up to 8 Zen 4 cores, integrated RDNA3 graphics, and a dedicated Ryzen AI processor that enables some interesting new capabilities – for an x86 platform at least.
The first Ryzen 7040-based system we’ve gotten ahold of is the slick Razer Blade 14. As its name suggests, the Blade 14 features a 14” display, and despite being only .7” thick, the machine is packing a beefy Ryzen 9 7940HS processor and GeForce RTX 4070 series graphics. That’s a lot of concentrated oomph for such a portable laptop, but Razer’s redesigned vapor chamber cooling system is reportedly up for the task. We’ll find out if that’s that case soon enough…Razer Blade 14 (2023) Gaming Laptop SpecificationsFIND THE RAZER BLADE 14 @ AMAZON
There will be three initial configurations of the Razer Blade 14, a base model with a GeForce RTX 4060 and 16GB of RAM, a mid-tier model with a GeForce RTX 4070 and 16GB of RAM, and a top-end model with a 4070, 32GB of RAM, and a Mercury White finish. All of them are powered by the Ryzen 9 7940HS, however, and come equipped with a 1TB NVMe SSD, Qualcomm WCN6856 Wi-Fi6E with Bluetooth 5.2, and the same QHD+ 14”d display.
We tested the mid-tier model. More specifically, this machine is built around the 8 core / 16 thread Ryzen 9 7940HS (16MB L3 cache, 5.2GHz boost), which features integrated Radeon 780M graphics. The processor is paired to 16GB of DDR5-5600 RAM, in a dual-channel configuration. And more importantly, the memory is slotted and can be upgraded up to 64GB. There’s also a 1TB Samsung NVMe PCIe Gen 4 SSD on-board, and of course, the GeForce RTX 4070. As configured in the Blade 14, the GeForce RTX 4070 has 4,608 CUDA cores, 8GB a GDDR6 VRAM, and a boost clock of 2,175MHz. The GPU has a TDP of 140W as well, which should give it some additional breathing room versus some other thin and light machines featuring the RTX 4070.Razer Blade 14 Build Quality & Design
The Razer Blade 14 is not a totally new platform – Razer first released a 14” model back in 2021 – but quite a few updates and upgrades have been made that help separate this newest iteration from its predecessors.
Whereas many other gaming laptop manufacturers style their products with bold, angular designs and garish extras, the Blade 14 has an understated aesthetic that would be equally acceptable in a boardroom or game room.
