An 18-inch gaming laptop computer that does probably the most

Because the 7-pound Razer Blade 18 sat on my desk, its all-black unibody case and enormous 18-inch screen towering earlier than me just like the monolith from 2001, I couldn’t assist however assume, “Who the hell wants such a big-ass pc?” I’m positive they’re on the market — the avid gamers with deep pockets and little regard for portability, the video editors who demand as a lot display house as potential. However on the entire, the marketplace for the Blade 18 is fairly small, particularly whenRazer’s Blade 14 and 16 strike a much better steadiness of worth, efficiency and weight.

What the Razer Blade 18 guarantees, in case you select to just accept its gargantuan proportions, is unbridled energy and display actual property. It’s operating Intel’s new Core Extremely 9 275HX processor, a 24-core beast with a most velocity of 5.4GHz. Its 18-inch display can attain as much as 240Hz at barely over 4K (3,840 by 2,400 pixels) and 440Hz when downscaled to 1080p+ (1,920 by 1,200). And naturally, you’ll be able to equip it with NVIDIA’s quickest cell GPU, the GeForce RTX 5090. Given every little thing underneath the hood, it’s actually spectacular it weighs simply seven kilos, alongside a 2.1-pound energy adapter. (Compared, the equally premium 18-inch Alienware Space 51 is available in at 9.5 kilos with a 2.2-pound energy adapter.)

Once we final reviewed the Razer Blade 18 a couple of years in the past, my colleague Sam Rutherford bristled on the laptop computer’s dimension, battery life and excessive price (which may attain upwards of $5,000 when absolutely decked out). All of these factors are completely truthful, however this time round it’s simpler to see what Razer is attempting to do with the Blade 18: It’s merely doing probably the most for the individuals who demand it. And it’s doing so with the superb construct high quality we’ve come to anticipate from Razer (albeit with a excessive $2,799 beginning worth).

In case you’re nonetheless attempting to wrap your head round why an 18-inch laptop computer even exists, the Razer Blade 18 isn’t for you. And actually, the idea isn’t even that farfetched. Given the transfer in the direction of thinner show bezels and different refinements, laptop computer makers have been in a position to squeeze in bigger screens within their typical case sizes. The Razer Blade 16 was a bit heavier than the Blade 15 when it launched, however now Razer has slimmed its case down significantly. The Blade 18 equally serves as an improve to the outdated Blade 17 — and what an improve it’s. 

My evaluation unit, which was outfitted with that new Intel chip, an RTX 5090, 64GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD tackled Cyberpunk 2077 with all of its settings cranked and not using a sweat. At its native decision, which once more is a bit increased than 4K, it reached 131 fps with 4X body technology (which makes use of DLSS 4’s upscaling to interpolate further frames). That’s roughly half as quick because the desktop RTX 5090 operating in 4K with the identical settings — however don’t overlook, that GPU alone usually runs between $2,000 to $3,000 today. Razer fees an extra $1,400 to improve the Blade 18 from an RTX 5070 Ti to the 5090. (And for the report, the overall price for our absolutely decked out testing unit was $4,599.)

Past body charges, Cyberpunk 2077 merely appeared nice on the Blade 18’s 240Hz IPS LED show. It’s not as vibrant because the MiniLED screens Razer gives on the Blade 16, and it doesn’t provide the insane distinction ranges of an OLED display, but it surely does the job effectively. For the value, although, it could have been good to see extra trendy display know-how. Just like the Blade 16, the 18 additionally gives a dual-mode show, which is the way it reaches these increased 440Hz refresh charges in 1080p+. 

It labored as marketed in Overwatch 2, the place I performed a number of matches effectively above 300fps with top quality settings. The extra seen frames are significantly useful throughout fast-paced moments, the place you will have the blink of a watch to take out an opponent earlier than they headshot you. 

I had little doubt the Blade 18 could be quick, however I additionally observed that it felt genuinely extra immersive than the Blade 16 due to its extra expansive show. As I leaned in throughout Cyberpunk 2077, Halo Infinite and Overwatch classes, it nearly felt like I used to be in entrance of a desktop setup. That’s finally what you’re paying for with this machine. Once I opened up audio recordsdata in Audacity, I additionally observed that the extra display house merely made it simpler to sift via my timelines.

On the subject of direct benchmarks, the Core Extremely 9 chip isn’t significantly better than Intel’s Thirteenth-gen {hardware} in single-threaded duties, and it’s typically greatest by AMD’s newest batch of {hardware}. Intel has made vital progress in multi-threaded checks like Geekbench 6, although, and that kind of efficiency makes the Blade 18 best for duties like video rendering and complicated video games.

The Blade 18 additionally ran remarkably cool: Throughout a 3DMark stress take a look at, which concerned operating one demo 20 occasions in a row, the CPU stayed at 70 levels Celsius more often than not, with occasional spikes to 85C. In the course of the CPU-heavy Cinebench checks, Intel’s chip jumped to 80C on common with some jumps to 90C. The GPU, in the meantime, held a gradual 70C and by no means wavered throughout 3DMark benchmarks. The followers positive can get loud, although, as you’d anticipate for a system that’s comparatively skinny and must pump out a ton of warmth.

Razer has been constructing sturdy and engaging gaming laptops for effectively over a decade now, so it’s not an enormous shock that the Blade 18 feels extremely stable and premium. Its keyboard has an excellent depth to it that feels simply pretty much as good taking part in shooters because it does whereas typing, and its trackpad is splendidly clean and correct. (It does get a bit overzealous when detecting multi-touch gestures, although.) Port-wise, the Blade 18 additionally packs in every little thing you’d need, together with three USB Kind-A 3.2 connections, one  Thunderbolt 5 USB-C port, a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, 2.5Gb Ethernet and a full-sized SD card slot.

Personally, if I had to decide on between Razer’s present lineup, I’d go along with the Blade 16 in order that I may really carry it round and sometimes use it as a productiveness machine. Not so with the Blade 18 — its quick two hour and 17 minute battery life (in PCMark 10’s battery benchmark) means you’ll all the time have to lug round its beefy energy adapter. After an hour of penning this evaluation, its battery life additionally dropped from absolutely charged to 38 p.c. However actually, no person is shopping for this factor simply to cope with spreadsheets and emails. You need final energy and an unlimited display? Then battery life will undergo.

To paraphrase The Lord of the Rings, one doesn’t merely select to dwell with an 18-inch gaming laptop computer — not with out contemplating all the conveniences you’re forsaking. For the sickos who would dare tread that path, the Blade 18 is a solidly constructed powerhouse that weighs considerably lower than rivals just like the 18-inch Alienware Space 51. Simply be ready to pay Razer’s excessive worth to personal one.