Razer Debuts New ‘Core X’ Graphics Dock, Blade 15 Laptop
Razer announced an updated version of its Blade 15 gaming laptop in addition to a new external graphics enclosure called the Core X.
Thinner Blade
The new Razer Blade 15 features a six-core eighth-generation (Coffee Lake-H) Intel Core i7-8750H processor with 16GB of DDR4-2667 memory (with support for up to 32GB), up to a 512GB PCIe SSD, and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or GTX 1070 graphics with the Max-Q design. The 15.6” display can be configured as a 1920 x 1080 144Hz panel with 100% sRGB color or a 4K (3840 x 2160) 60Hz IPS touchscreen with 100% Adobe RGB color support.
Razer claimed the new Blade 15 is the world’s smallest 15.6” gaming laptop, boasting a profile as thin as 0.66” and weighing as little as 4.56 lbs. (with GTX 1060 models). The GTX 1070 models are slightly larger and heavier, with a 0.68” profile and weighing 4.73 lbs. All versions of the new Blade sport a USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port and three USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-A ports, in addition to a mini DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 interface for display output and an Intel Wireless-AC 9260 802.11ac WiFi module with Bluetooth 5.0.
The new Razer Blade 15 is available now from the company’s website. Currently, the only models in stock feature a 144Hz 1080p display and GTX 1070 Max-Q graphics, with a 256GB or 512GB PCIe SSD, priced at $2,399.99 and $2,599.99, respectively. GTX 1060 models will arrive in June, starting at $1,899.99.
Razer Blade 15 (2018)
Bigger Core, Lower Price
The Razer Core X is the company’s third external graphics enclosure, and similar to the previously available Core v2, it doesn’t come with a graphics card installed. Also similar to its predecessors, it can accommodate up to full-length AMD Radeon and Nvidia GeForce or Quadro PCIe x16 graphics cards. However, the Core X is the only Razer enclosure that can accommodate 3-slot graphics cards. The company also expanded official compatibility for all of its Core eGPU enclosures with support for Windows 10 Thunderbolt 3-enabled PCs (instead of just Razer-branded laptops) and Mac laptops. The latter limits GPU compatibility to AMD Radeon graphics.
The Core X is larger than its predecessors, but it’s made of aluminum sheet metal. This greatly reduces the production costs compared to the smaller CNC-aluminum v2 chassis. The 650W power supply offers more juice than the previous versions (the v1 and v2 sport a 500W PSU), but it’s a standard ATX-sized PSU and is less expensive than the v2’s slimline PSU. The Core X also doesn’t have any additional I/O (the v2 has an Ethernet port and a USB hub), and the reduced functionality enables Razer to offer the new enclosure for less money than previous models.
The new Razer Core X external graphics enclosure is available from the company’s website for $299.99.
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Razer Core X External Graphics Enclosure
Derek Forrest was a contributing freelance writer for Tom's Hardware. He covered hardware news and reviews, focusing on gaming desktops and laptops.