Razer Blade 15 Core i7-12800H 32GB 1TB SSD RTX 3080 TI 360Hz 15.6 Inch Windows 11 Gaming Laptop

Cold.

3080 TI with only 105w? no thanks lol

Edit, feel compelled to update this thread as I've been directly in touch with Razer's support. Both of my laptops endured the trackpad failure, the one not discussed below is a Razer Blade Stealth 13 - on that device, the battery pillowed pretty badly. Need to talk to them about that still, but...

The laptop warranty only being 1 year isn't something that Razer themselves abide by. They are aware of British law and will honour the 2 year minimum - assuming the fault is theirs which I believe it to be. They've been talking me through diagnostics, and I'm happy to report that includes hardware - surprisingly they entrusted me to remove the battery and do some testing. This was quite a relief since I was concerned they'd void the warranty as I've had the back cover off for RAM and storage upgrades.

Long story short, don't buy from eBuyer, but don't be disheartened if they are assholes about warranty - Razer themselves seem to have a reasonable offering.

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I've raved and raved about Razer laptops in the past, because I've now bought 2 and both have been a sublime user experience... Unfortunately that's all now falling apart.

My 2022 Razer Blade laptop, I think a 17", has failed me - the trackpad no longer clicks at all. The support has been an absolute nightmare. I bought it from eBuyer, who refuse to consider a warranty repair because the warranty is only 1 year. This is obviously in contravention of UK and EU law, so when I mentioned this to the rep they simply said I have to find a local repair company to file a report, then they'll investigate.

They won't tell me who to go to, I have to find someone and email their credentials to the support staff who in turn will take a look, then presumably tell me if it's a viable company to go with or not. Then once I get the quote I assume they'll find some way to argue that actually, it's my fault for upgrading the SSD and RAM (the stock wasn't enough for what I need as a software engineer).

As someone with a history of working in IoT, specifically with industrial printers, I know my way around a PCB. I know not to over-tighten screws, basically I consider myself adequately competent with hardware to take the bottom off a laptop and upgrade 2 components. I've a horrible feeling this is going to backfire hideously.

And finally, what I'd do today... Well, let's face it, laptops are crap for gaming. If you want something to play games on, get yourself a Steam Deck for casuals, or a desktop computer for "proper" gaming (I have both, hopefully nobody deems casuals to be an insult). If you want something as I do, for watching videos in bed, and a fair bit of intense software engineering on the go... Honestly, Apple is the better value option right now. With the Arm silicon, there's just no value proposition in these machines. I really want to talk about the great aspects of these laptops, but they don't make up for shoddy service and a 1 year warranty. Maybe Laptops Direct have better service (somehow I doubt it), but even so, the warranty is disgraceful.

In short, the price is good, and if you're lucky you'll get a great deal on a high quality machine. The warranty is awful, though, and I can't recommend it on those grounds. (edited)

Too expensive for dated tech

This compared to Asus ROG Strix G16 G614JZ-N4024W (the one on Very few days ago)? which one would you say better? that has i9 13th gen.

Unlike the 2023 models onwards you’re missing out on battery control when you’re gaming. The risk of battery bloat is going to be higher when you’ve got no option to charge to 80% for example, but 95-100% only. The 360hz display is a bit silly as there’s no sweet spot when you’re running on battery power. Unlike my old Blade 15 with its 120hz display, which had decent run times on battery at 120hz, you’re stuck with 360/60. Having very briefly owned the Blade 17 with a 150W 3070 Ti and 360hz display, the battery life is rather woeful. About 2 hours on battery, and about 2 more when switched to 60hz. Spend £100 less and get the Blade 14, with its same TDP 3080 Ti and QHD 165hz display, IMO.