Customize it to drop the price, or bag a discount during sales.
1.Pricing and specs2.Design and build quality3.Display4.Gaming & benchmarks5.Battery life6.Speakers & audio7.Competition8.Score card9.Should you buy it?
Still, not everyone wants to go big or go home.
Please don’t call it a ‘MacBook for gamers.’ I prefer ‘Surface with RGB.'
They want to travel and play AAA games.
Disclaimer:This review was made possible by a review unit provided by Razer.
The company did not see the contents of the review before publishing.
Still, this alternative aesthetic could help the Blade 14 Mercury Edition appeal to its secondary crowd: creators.
For its design, the Blade 14 looks almost like someone shrank the giganticRazer Blade 18in a hot wash. Thankfully, Razer still clearly understands the importance of controlling temperatures in gaming laptops.
There are modern conveniences, but also a glaring omission.
So, what’s missing?
Connecting an external mouse and keyboard like theRazer BlackWidow V4 Prois a considerable improvement for input.
To be clear, AMD Ryzen CPUs are not a rarity, especially not in custom gaming desktops.
Please don’t call it a ‘MacBook for gamers.’ I prefer ‘Surface with RGB.'
Nevertheless, the 14-inch Blade performs exactly as it should, fitting into its hierarchy as planned.
Far Cry 6lacks NVIDIA DLSS benefits, offering only AMD FSR 1.0.
Deactivating it costs you some frames, but an average of 103 FPS without DLSS is hardly disappointing.
Nothing should change for the Blade 14, but the app failed to generate a proper report after completion.
Razer claims up to 10 hours of battery life is possible on the Blade 14.
The first attempt saw the Blade 14 last for1 hour and 16 minutesbefore the 10% power warning sounded.
Underneath, the vent layout is incredibly similar to its gigantic Blade 18 sibling. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
The game enters an unplayable condition below 10%, so the test ends there.
After recharging the battery, a second attempt using headphones lasted1 hour and 13 minuteswith the same graphical configs.
However, it doesn’t seem to be the case.
Razer opts for a proprietary charger connection again, so you’d better not leave that power brick on a plane.
Blade 14: Score card
Blade 14: Should you buy it?
HDMI-out supports variable refresh rates with compatible GSync and FreeSync monitors.
A gray-colored keyboard would cause far less contrast, but the RGB effects would be lessened.
Animated RGB key effects play with selected games, following loading screens and highlighting numbers for dialog options.
240Hz takes center stage, but the screen excels in multiple categories.
Default ‘blade’ profile provides 100% sRGB, 92% AdobeRGB, and 100% P3 accuracy.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Default ‘blade’ profile tone response.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Default ‘blade’ profile gray ramp test.(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Switching to battery power automatically drops the screen to 60Hz, or you can opt for it manually.
Intelligent vent placement and automatic Razer Synapse app adjustments keep temperatures under control.
Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
PCMark 10 CPU benchmark(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Cinebench R23 CPU benchmark(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
3DMark Time Spy GPU benchmark(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
CrystalDiskMark storage benchmark(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Crossmark combined benchmark(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
All benchmark tests were performed with a custom performance mode to reach its maximum potential.
Cyberpunk 2077(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Baldur’s Gate 3(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Far Cry 6(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider(Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Don’t travel without the AC adapter if you’re planning some intensive portable gaming.
PCMark 10’s ‘Modern Office’ battery benchmark ran its usual stress test for the duration but failed to end properly before automatic shutdown.
Anything above 50% brightness feels excessive indoors, and lower levels help with battery life.
Side-mounted speakers will always be the best option for believable stereo separation.
ASUS offers strong alternatives to portable AAA gaming with its Zephyrus G14 laptop and ROG Ally handheld.
Razer without the green theme feels unusual but might appeal to multi-talented gamers and creators.
