Razer Doubles Down On eGPU Tech With Core V2; Blade Stealth Gets 8th Gen Quad-Core CPU

In addition to announcing an updated Blade Stealth ultrabook with 8^th generation Intel Coffee Lake processors, Razer revealed a new version of its external graphics dock - the Core V2.

A Quad-Core Blade Stealth

The new Razer Blade Stealth features a quad-core i7-8550U processor, the flagship CPU of the 8^th generation (Coffee Lake) U-series Intel chips. The CPU itself sports four physical cores with Hyperthreading enabled, giving it eight logical processors. This is double the core count of the previous iterations of the Razer Blade stealth, with the original Blade Stealth sporting a dual-core i7-6500U and the Kaby Lake update featuring a dual-core i7-7500U.

The memory, display, and connectivity remain unchanged from its predecessor, with the new Blade Stealth featuring 16GB of DDR4 memory and a 13.3” 3800 x 1800 IGZO touchscreen display, in addition to a USB 3.1 Type-C port with Thunderbolt 3 (for external graphics dock or display), two USB 3.0 ports, and the same Killer Wireless-AC 1535 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Mobile Coffee Lake processors also come with an improved HDMI interface, which has been upgraded to revision 2.0 (whereas the previous platforms featured an HDMI 1.4 connection).

Razer also changed up the storage of the Blade Stealth. Previously, a 256GB SSD was available, but this time Razer decided to roll out the updated ultrabook with a beefier 512GB storage capacity. We reached out to the company for more information (and to see where the 256GB SSD went). The official word is that initially, the new Blade Stealth will come equipped with a 512GB drive at minimum, but 256GB models will become available down the line.

As a result of the upgrade, the Razer Blade Stealth put on a little weight and bulk, measuring in at 12.6 x 8.1 x 0.54 inches (instead of the previous 0.52-inch profile) and weighing 2.97lbs. (0.04lbs more than the Kaby Lake iteration). However, the Blade Stealth’s new Coffee Lake processor gives it significantly more horsepower under the hood compared to its predecessors. Razer is also touting an improved battery life, and it claimed the 53Wh battery can provide up to 10 hours of juice.

The new Razer Blade Stealth is available now in the US and Canada from Razer’s website, starting at $1,699.

An Encore For The Core

Razer also revealed a new version of its external graphics dock, the Core V2. On the surface, the Core V2 doesn’t look any different from its predecessor. The aluminum design remains, along with the drawer-like mechanism that houses the GPU. There’s still a 500W PSU, four USB 3.0 ports, a USB Type-C port, gigabit Ethernet, and Chroma lighting in two zones. So what did Razer change? Is this just a marketing ploy?

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We reached out to Razer to see if they could help us spot the changes, because on the surface, nothing appears different. A company representative explained that the internal design was modified to allow for taller graphics cards. The port layout in the back of the device was slightly modified to accommodate the internal changes, but for all intents and purposes, this is the same Razer Core that is currently on the market.

The new Razer Core V2 will be available soon (Razer was sketchy on the launch date) for $499. If it’s similar to the previous version, the company will likely offer a discount when you purchase the Core V2 with a Razer-branded laptop.