PAX 2012: NEW Razer Blade For $2499 - Better CPU and GPU

Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan announced a NEW Razer Blade Gaming Laptop (17.3-Inch) will launch at the end of September 2012. Min-Liang Tan said at PAX 2012 the old Razer Blade's estimated 30-day inventory sold out in ... only 30 minutes -- and that was when the laptop had a lesser graphic card spec than the Alienware and ASUS competitors. The Razer Blade is the thinnest laptop in the world with only .88 inches thickness. The Switchblade UI allows players to customize the 10 Dynamic Adaptive Tactile Keys, and the Multi-Touch LCD Track-Panel. The old Razer Blade is still available at Amazon. But why pay $2799 for the old one? The NEW Razer Blade contains the Intel Core i7 Quad-Core 3rd Generation processor. Intel hasn't even announced this CPU yet. An NVIDIA GeForce GTX660M which is the standard high-end GPU in the Alienware M17X and ASUS G75VW BBK5. Razer benchmarked the NEW Razer Blade against these two known Gaming Laptops, and they performed equally in terms of average FPS while playing Diablo III, Battlefield 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The NEW Razer Blade still has the 17.3" LED Backlit (1920x1080 Full HD), the custom-made ultra-slim power supply and the Switchblade UI. Ultra-portable form factor: All aluminum chasis, 0.88" thin, 6.6lbs weight. It now has a 64GB SSD + 500GB HDD Hybrid-drive. This hybrid drive intelligently learns which files you access more often, and automatically transfers those files to the 64GB SSD as sort of a cache to speed up the launch of those files and programs. Two times the space and three times the speed of traditional hard drives. It has now three USB 3.0 ports, a dual-band WiFi modem (2.4GHz/5GHz) -- better range, less interference and faster speeds. The Switchblade UI applications are insane. You can watch YouTube videos in the small LCD viewer, can take screenshots and view the thumbnail galleries within the Multi-Touch LCD viewer on the keyboard, and click a facebook button to automatically upload the screenshot without leaving the game (nor going to the desktop). The NEW Razer Blade is basically the same size and weight as the old model, has better CPU, GPU and RAM -- but instead of having a bigger price, it is now only $2499 -- down from $2799. That's three hundred bucks cheaper. There is a second NEW Razer Blade model at only $2,299. Both Razer Blade models can be pre-ordered here and ships in 30 days (October 1). Owners of the Old Razer Blade will have the benefit of paying $500 less for the NEW Razer Blade. Pretty cool for upgrading, or to keep the new one and gifting the old one to a friend or family, or those who plan to sell the old one. Watch Min-Liang unveiling the NEW Razer Blade at PAX 2012:

• The new Razer Blade: The Beauty is Now the Beast. Imagine the performance of a traditional high performance gaming luggable but in an ultra-portable form factor. The new Razer Blade now comes packed with extreme levels of performance - featuring a future 3rd Generation Intel Quad Core Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX660M, 8GB 1600Mhz RAM, three USB 3.0 ports, and a 64GB SSD/500GB HDD hybrid drive. This beast will run next-gen games wherever you go. Despite rivaling the performance of most powerful gaming laptops out there, the new Razer Blade is half their thickness at 0.88" thin, and half their weight at only 6.6lbs. Plus, the Switchblade UI lets you customize to your play style in ways you never could before with all new applications for games like Skyrim, BF3, TF2, and more. Or you can watch YouTube on it while waiting to respawn. Your choice.

Processor

• Future platform with 3rd Generation

• Intel® Core™ Processor

Chipset

• Intel® HM77 Express Chipset

Memory

• 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz

  Storage

  • 500GB 7200RPM HDD (Primary Storage)

  • 64GB SATA III SSD with NVELO

  • Dataplex™ Software (Cache Acceleration)

  Graphics and Video

  • Integrated Intel® GMA HD – Mobile Mode

  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660M 2GB GDDR5

  • VRAM with NVIDIA Optimus™ Technology

  Display

  • 17.3” Full HD 16:9 Ratio, 1920x1080

  • LED Backlit

  Additional Features

  • Razer™ Switchblade User Interface

  • Razer™ Anti-Ghosting Keyboard

  • Razer™ Synapse 2.0 Enabled

  • Built-in HD Webcam (2.0MP)

  • Built-in Speakers

  • Integrated Digital 7.1 Surround Audio Support (via HDMI 1.4) Dolby® Home Theater® v4 Audio

  • 1x HDMI 1.4 Audio and Video Output

  • 3x USB 3.0

  • 1x 3.5mm Audio Microphone/Headphone

  • Combo Jack

  • 1x Kensington Lock

    Power

    • Integrated 60Wh Battery

    • Compact AC Adapter (120Watt)

    Communications

    • 1x Gigabit Ethernet Port

    • 1x Integrated Intel Wi-Fi 802.11 A/G/N

    • 1x Integrated Bluetooth® 4.0

    Size and Weight

    • Width: 16.81 inches (42.7cm)

    • Depth: 10.90 inches (27.7cm)

    • Height: 0.88 inches (2.24cm)

    • Weight: 6.6 pounds (2.99kg)

    Operating System

    • Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit