Razer Blade 17 Pro 2019

Razer updated its 17-inch Blade Pro gaming laptop in 2019 to bring it in line with the 15-inch model, which was updated earlier. The 17.3″ Pro now has a lot in common with its smaller sibling, including the important GPU options. It’s also quite thin and light for a gaming machine and therefore Razer has opted for the power-optimized Max-Q Design versions of the RTX 2070 and 2080 graphics cards.

Razer Blade 17 Pro 2019 Configurations

Due to its slim design, the 2019 model of the Razer Blade Pro competes primarily with similarly-equipped thin-and-light models such as Alienware’s m17 and Asus’ Zephyrus S GX701. There is only one choice of CPU, namely the 6-core Intel Core i7-9750H, which is slightly faster than its predecessor the Core i7-8750H and more than sufficient for any gaming loads.

Razer only uses Nvidia RTX graphics cards for the 2019 Blade Pro, including the RTX 2060, RTX 2070 Max-Q or RTX 2080 Max-Q.  The amount of RAM is 16 GB by default and can be upgraded to 64 GB. Similarly, the storage configuration can be upgraded from the standard 512 GB of PCIe SSD space to two M.2 drives in total (up to 2TB/slot). As of this writing, you have to perform RAM and storage upgrades yourself, as it’s not configurable online before purchase.

There’s only one display option for the Blade 17, which is a 144Hz Full HD (1080p) panel capable of reproducing 100% of the sRGB color spectrum.

Performance

Since the Blade Pro is only available with a 1080p display, overall gaming performance is decided entirely by your choice of GPU. Compared to the more desktop-like RTX 2080 found in e.g. MSI’s GT75, the Max-Q variants are noticeably slower.

The above scores are rounded-off averages from a range of benchmark runs with representative systems (not identical). Exact scores will differ between systems and individual runs.

The Max-Q design version of the RTX cards, i.e. the RTX 2070 and RTX 2080 Max-Q (there is no RTX 2060 Max-Q) are optimized for lower power draw and temperatures. This means that they don’t offer the same performance as desktop versions (or non-Max-Q laptop RTX GPUs).  Nevertheless, they are still the most powerful mobile GPUs available in 2019, being second only to the non-Max-Q models.

Regardless of your choice of GPU for the Razer Blade Pro 17, all titles (as of 2019) are playable at high settings and 60+ FPS using the laptop’s native 1080p resolution.

Other Features

Razer has equipped the Blade Pro with a per-key RGB backlit “Chroma” keyboard. Premium materials are used throughout and the weight is 6.06 lbs / 2.75 kg, which is low for a 17.3-inch laptop. Another useful feature is the laptop’s Thunderbolt 3 port.

Reviews

The Blade Pro is also part of our list of top-rated 17.3″ laptops for 2019.

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