To a large extent, the Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) is the apex of what a gaming laptop should be. Despite its extremely slim profile, it is equipped with some of the most potent mobile gear currently available, such as a brand-new Nvidia RTX 3080 laptop GPU and an eight-core Intel 10th generation processor, as well as a 120Hz 4K 17.3-inch screen.
Of course, there is a cost to all this. Our evaluation unit, which features an Intel Core i7-10875H processor, Nvidia RTX 3080 16GB graphics processing unit, 32GB of RAM, a 4K 120Hz touchscreen, and a 1TB solid-state drive, costs a whopping $3,599.99 (or £3,299.99 or AU$6,499).
It’s one of the most expensive laptops available, pricing many people out of buying one. Furthermore, many people will find those requirements excessive.
However, you get a really potent gaming laptop with a stunning look for the price. The Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) maintains Razer’s tried-and-true aesthetics while being relatively subtle in comparison to other gaming laptops. This makes it suitable for usage in an office or studio without worrying about distracting coworkers with its RGB lighting.
However, that doesn’t mean it has a boring appearance; the Razer Blade 15 has plenty of subtle and not-so-subtle gaming cues, such as a backlit keyboard in the familiar RGB color scheme and a brightly lit Razer logo on the lid.
At 1080p, it performs like a champ, even with the most graphically intensive current games, such as those using ray tracing, enabled.
Even at 4K, you’ll need to dial back several extras to maintain a playable frame rate. Doing this after shelling out more than $3,000 for a laptop computer is probably not something you’d be looking forward to.
It’s a wonderful productivity machine, so the price isn’t completely out of line. Because of its 32GB of RAM and 10th-generation Intel processor, it can handle even the most intensive of work with ease, and its 4K display covers 100% of the Adobe RGB color space, making it a potentially worthwhile investment for digital artists. Very costly, keep that in mind.
Similarly disappointing is the battery life, which lasts for about four hours under normal conditions but much less when playing games or other resource-intensive software. This is definitely a laptop that requires constant charging.
What an impressive laptop, though. It has a stunning screen and is insanely powerful. Although this laptop will serve you well for many years, if you don’t have a particularly large disposable income, you probably shouldn’t even think about purchasing it.
Pricing and Availability
We didn’t expect the Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) to be a bargain laptop because Razer isn’t known for making inexpensive gadgets, and because it has some of the most powerful mobile components available in a laptop.
Even though we were expecting a high price, it nevertheless caught us by surprise. Our review unit, which features an Intel Core i7-10875H processor, Nvidia RTX 3080 16GB graphics processing unit, 32GB of RAM, a 4K 120Hz display, and a 1TB solid state drive, retails at a jaw-dropping $3,599.99 (or £3,299.99 or AU$6,499)
That is a ridiculously high price for a laptop computer and immediately puts it out of reach for the vast majority of people. A dedicated gaming laptop can be had for less money. If you don’t mind using a computer while seated at a desk, buying or building a desktop PC is the way to go.
The Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) is a powerful laptop for gaming, but its 32GB of RAM and other features would be wasted on the task alone. The inclusion of the word “Pro” in the product’s name indicates that it serves as more than just a gaming laptop, but also as a professional workstation. Adding professional use to your plans could help justify the cost.
‘More affordable’ variations are also possible. The Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) may be purchased for $3,199.99 (or £2,949.99, or AU$5,899) It features a 360Hz Full HD display.
The cheapest configuration of the new Razer Blade Pro 17 costs $2,399.99 (£2,249.99, $4,399) and features a 1080p 360Hz display, RTX 3060 graphics processing unit (GPU), Intel Core i7-10875H central processing unit (CPU), 16GB of RAM, and 512GB solid-state drive.
It’s still a lot of money, but it’s more affordable for many individuals. The Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) is a high-end laptop, but the company’s marketing paints it in a very exclusive light.
It’s also worth noting that RTX 3000 series laptops, such as the Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021), are scarce at the time of writing and aren’t likely to become so very soon. Even though bitcoin miners aren’t likely to acquire the Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) in large quantities due to its expensive price (as is occurring with other RTX 3000 laptops), supplies appear to be running limited.
This may make it difficult, if not impossible, to get a Razer Blade Pro 17 even if you have the necessary funds to do so (2021).
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Design
If you’re familiar with Razer’s other products, or even just their design aesthetic in general, you’ll have a good idea of what to anticipate from this one.
That’s right, it’s going to be black and green (including the USB ports). In other words, if you already own other Razer products, the Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) will be a perfect fit. The Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) also has one of the most subtle looks among gaming laptops, making it suitable for usage in meetings and the workplace without drawing undue attention to itself.
The distinctive Razer emblem on the lid (which, of course, glows green) ensures that the hardware will be easily recognizable to any other gamers in the room.
The Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) is well-equipped with a wide variety of ports. An Ethernet jack, two USB-A ports, a USB-C jack, and an audio connector may be found on the left side. A special power cable is required. A USB-C power port may be handier, but it won’t be able to deliver enough power to run the laptop. This means you’ll have to lug the power source around with you whenever you need a recharge.
Performance
We had no issues with the Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021)’s performance at any point during our testing.
The Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) delivers the kind of performance you’d expect from a laptop costing as much as it does.
Our tested unit is equipped with Nvidia’s RTX 3080 graphics processing unit (GPU), the most powerful mobile GPU for gaming.
The Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) has little trouble running games at 1080p. Metro Exodus’s Ultra settings deliver a spectacular visual experience and a very smooth frame rate, with a score of 74.11FPS.
The high refresh rates of the Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) display can be used for less demanding games as well.
It’s not nearly so black and white if you opt for the one with the 4K display. The frame rate of 4K Ultra settings in Metro Exodus was just 19.59 FPS, thus some adjustments could be in order for those who insist on playing at higher resolutions.
Being an RTX card, ray tracing and DLSS are supported, and if you’re OK with 1080p, you’ll have a fantastic gaming experience that few gaming laptops can match.
Our current specs are also fantastic for web designers and other digital artists. Actually, anyone looking for a laptop just for gaming purposes will find 32GB of RAM to be excessive. However, the Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) appears to be a very accomplished workstation when it comes to multitasking with multiple apps open at once, or playing games and streaming them live on Twitch, for example.
The screen’s 100% Adobe RGB coverage, together with the built-in memory card reader, will please photographers and digital artists. It makes for hues that are true to life without looking artificial. However, this screen is not only great for digital artists; it also produces stunning results when used with video.
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Battery
The Razer Blade Pro 17 (2021) has a lot going for it, but its battery life isn’t one of its strong points.
With such strong internals, it’s no surprise that the battery life of this laptop is disappointing. In our video playback test, we obtained slightly over five hours, but in PC Mark 10, we only got four (which replicates intensive day-to-day tasks).
This is abysmal for a laptop in 2018, and it means you’ll be tethered to an electrical outlet for the vast majority of your laptop’s life. However, if you’re looking for a portable laptop, this isn’t it. It’s fine as a desktop replacement, but not ideal.