The Razer Blade is the talk of the town among gamers. It’s got a similar look and feel to the MacBook Pro 17″ from Apple, plus the guts any game can love. But the recently updated MacBook Pros are no laughing matter; just put Windows on it and you have a formidable gaming machine, one that’s slick and offers some of the best battery life you can get on a laptop. So how do the two compare?

Design

Comparing any laptop to the MacBook has been trouble when discussing design. The aluminum unibody design, simple logo, light power brick…it’s simplicity at it’s finest. Razer takes a lot of those same elements and implements them into the Blade. It’s black instead of white, but otherwise could be mistaken for a MacBook closed except for the Razer logo. The Blade really is the darker, more devious brother to the MacBook Pro. In a strange twist of irony, the Blade is actually larger but thinner. Here are the dimensions of both:

MacBook Pro 17″ – 15.47″ x 10.51″ x 0.98″, 6.6lbs (2.99kg)
Razer Blade – 16.81″ x 10.9″ x 0.88″, 6.6lbs (3kg)

Based on size alone, the Blade is longer and taller, and has a bigger display, but is 0.1″ thinner and almost exactly the same weight.

Open both up and the main design difference is abundantly clear: the trackpad on the Blade is not below the keyboard. Instead, it’s based on the Razer Switchblade, a device with only LCD-backlit and completely adjustable buttons. On the Blade, users can pre-assign different functions to all ten buttons above the 3″ LCD display. That display also acts as the trackpad, so there is no chance of accidentally palming it with your other hand. And because it’s an LCD display, it can double as almost anything, from a secondary screen to watch YouTube videos to a number pad. Apple uses the extra space on the MacBook for speakers, which is nice. But for gaming, no laptop is going to be good enough.

It may seem like a tough call, because on the one hand people who like using their left hands to mouse just won’t like the Blade’s trackpad. It’ll be impossible to use. On the other hand, Razer matches the excellence in design from Apple and takes it a step further with something no one has ever done before.

Winner: Razer Blade

Ports

Ports may not seem so important, especially on a laptop, but if you’re buying a 17″ model for over $2500, you’re looking for a desktop replacement. Docks are a pain and expensive, so everything needs to be built directly into the machine.

The MacBook Pro features 3 USB 2.0 ports, a Firewire 800 port, Ethernet, audio in and out, and the new Thunderbolt port. The Blade has 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB 3.0 port, an HDMI 1.4 port (which supports 3D, 4K resolutions, 7.1 surround out, etc.), and a single audio in/out combo port. Deciding which is better appears tough, but based on today’s technology landscape, it’s a fairly simple choice. There simply aren’t Thunderbolt devices, but USB 3.0 is the up and coming standard. Video out is also hugely important, and right now Apple owners have to buy a mini-DV adapter plugged into the Thunderbolt port.

Winner: Razer Blade

Parts (components)

Here’s a look at the spec sheet:

The two machines are very similar in components, which isn’t surprising considering the pricing on both. There are three notable differences: the GPU, battery capacity and price (we’ll get to the latter two in a bit). AMD’s 6770M is a great card, and can definitely handle any and all of your gaming needs (though  OS X can’t). However, the GT555M is, while not the top-of-the-line mobile GPU (that would be the GT 580M), it’s damn fast. However, it’s not so much about the GPU speed in this case, but the GPU RAM. The Blade’s GT 555M comes with 2GB, compared to the 6770M’s 1GB. That will make the biggest difference in gaming (and application) use. Then again, with 8GB of RAM, most users won’t actually notice that except in heavier games. Other applications won’t take advantage of it, for the most part.

Update: As many astute readers pointed out, there are two major differences between both machines that were not originally discussed. The first is the CPU. The MBP has a quad-core processor, while the Blade uses a Dual-core processor. Both are i7, though the MBP will perform better with applications that utilize more than two cores.

However, the vast majority of today’s applications, including high-end apps, do not utilize more than two cores. Most only use one core. Most people who use two cores are running multiple applications simultaneously. The question here, frankly, is whether faster performance is more important than more cores (more simultaneous processes).

For someone purchasing either computer for gaming, the Blade is the clear winner. Faster is better, and there are only a handful and a small one at that, that use even two cores. Most use just one. However, the L3 cache is the big differentiator, and the base MBP CPU has 6MB of L3 cache, compared to the upgraded 2.5GHz with 8MB. Ultimately, I’d need to test both machines out, but what is clear is that the upgraded CPU will have better overall performance (perhaps not with today’s games and applications, but definitely over time) than the Blade’s i7. The base model CPU, however, likely will not be as powerful.

The second is using 3rd party hardware. The fact is most of us don’t do that, and likely never will. There is certainly the option to upgrade the RAM or from a HDD to SSD, but once again those are expensive steps to take. They’re not Apple expensive, but it’ll cost you no matter what. The same options will be available with the Blade as well, so they weren’t even discussed.

Finally, price. For the most comparable machine, Apple fans need to put down $750 more and still get a slower processor and a lesser GPU. If the SSD is scratched on the MacBook and replaced with a 750GB 7200RPM hard disk, then it’s roughly the same price, but as we’ve found with today’s applications and operating systems there is a pretty stark difference in speed and quality between HDD and SSD. But, again, for a desktop replacement more space may be the more important thing.

Winner: Razer Blade

Battery Life

The MacBook Pro has a denser battery, one that promises to last for 7 hours per charge. Razer isn’t advertising battery life on the Blade because it isn’t that great, but at CES I was told 1.5-2 hours of heavy gaming per charge. We’ll have to wait and see how it performs for daily use, because lord knows getting a laptop like this doesn’t mean we’ll be playing games on it every second of use.

Winner: Apple MacBook Pro 17

Features

Based on the specs, Razer wins thanks to a few minor upgrades over what Apple currently offers, such as Bluetooth 3.0 (over 2.1), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (a/b/g/n can cripple networks for users if one person is connected through the “a”, so eliminating it altogether is better for everyone). Apple does include the DVD-R drive (does anyone use those anymore?) which for some gamers who don’t download all their games will be a major loss with the Blade. Then again, who buys a $2,800 gaming machine and uses discs? Apple also has a denser 1200p display, compared to Razer’s 1080p. Apple also has an option for glossy or antiglare displays, while Razer ships only with glossy screens.

The big feature, of course, is Switchblade. We’ll have to wait and see how good it is in actual use, but even if you don’t use it to it’s every capability the mouse all the way to the right may prove to be an excellent design choice, so long as you aren’t left handed.

Winner: Razer Blade

Price

Pricing is tough in this case. The MacBook Pro 17″ can be purchased anywhere from $2,500-$4,100, and there are a lot of options to change. A jump between 2.4 and 2.5GHz may not seem like much, but the L3 Cache is 2MB bigger, which is a big deal. 4GB to 8GB is a big deal. The dealbreaker is Apple’s ridiculously expensive SSD drives. The 128GB SSD is only $50 more than the 750GB 7200RPM HDD, but the 256GB SSD is $450 more expensive. Add on $1K for the 512GB. SSD pricing has always been crazy, but as always Apple raises the bar.

Then again, for a gaming machine with 8GB of RAM and at least 1GB of VRAM, an SSD will help, but not all that much. Unless gamers plan on playing while in a car (which is going to be hard on a 17″ laptop), a standard HDD would be fine. The problem is even sticking with the faster HDD keeps the MBP at $3,050. You may say, “at these prices what’s a couple hundred dollars”, except that in this case you are paying more for slower parts.

Normally we award the winner in price to the product with the most choice, but in this case the Blade is more affordable. Even though it comes in only one size, compared to the customization of the MBP, the Blade is simply more bang for your buck.

Winner: Razer Blade

Of course, if you’re looking for a gaming laptop, the Blade my not be your best bet. After all, the RAM and GPU, and even the SSD, are all fairly limited when compared to what you can get on larger machines like the Alienware M17x or Maingear’s Titan-17. On the M17x alone, for the same price I can double the RAM, get a much better GPU and a hybrid HDD/SSD, and a 3D display for 3D gaming.

However, today there is nothing that offers the build and design of a MacBook and makes it game-worthy. The Razer Blade offers to do just that, and for the gaming industry and hardcore gamers, that’s exciting. It means we don’t have to lug around giant heavy laptops to play, or be ashamed of how big and bulky they are. There is a bright future, and perhaps it’s in the Razer Blade. We’ll see when it comes out, in February.

Decals for the back of your Macbook have been making their way around the webosphere for some time now.  So naturally, we’re a little hesitant to post on any additional ones.  But we just couldn’t help ourselves when it came to the Sub Zero Macbook Decal.  Needless to say, the Apple logo, which glows when the computer is open and turned on, floats in between Sub Zero’s hands as if he is about to fire it at a foe.

The design comes by way of William and Cindy on Etsy and it’s available in 3 sizes: 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch.  The design is printed on a white vinyl and while it can be removed without leaving any unwanted residue, it can’t be replaced, so don’t mess up.

Too bad they’re all sold out, and at $9.99 we’re not too surprised.

Charging the iPad and laptop at the same time isn’t exactly a quandary faced by most people. Sure, it requires two plugs or simply plugging the iPad into your computer. But for those that travel and don’t want to carry around two chargers, the PlugBug makes a ton-o sense.

The genius of the device is that it’s made to work exclusively with all Macbook Pro adapters. You know that removable plug? You simply slide that off, and instead of replacing it with the extended Mac power cord you slip on the PlugBug. The red portion, which denotes the PlugBug, can deliver 10 watts of power, so charging your iPad up happens as fast as possible and you won’t have to occupy one of your precious USB ports on your Macbook Pro.

To ensure your iPad or iPhone doesn’t feel left out, the PlugBug also includes it’s very own outlets, so it can serve as a standalone charger for any USB device. This also means PC users, or those that aren’t smart enough to switch to a Macbook can still use the device.

However, if you travel internationally, the PlugBug won’t have a place in your arsenal of road warrior tools since it negates the ability to swap in a foreign plug and thus eliminates its convenience.

The PlugBug is available now for $34.99.

]]> http://www.gadgetreview.com/2011/11/plugbug-dual-charger.html/feed 0 http://www.gadgetreview.com/2011/10/new-macbook-pros-in-time-for-the-holidays.html http://www.gadgetreview.com/2011/10/new-macbook-pros-in-time-for-the-holidays.html#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:27:33 +0000 Christen Costa http://www.gadgetreview.com/?p=112285

Generally speaking, Apple has a tendency to make waves when they update their products, unless of course it’s a smaller iteration  And that’s what happened yesterday, when the Cupertino company quietly boosted the specs of their Macbook Pros; they didn’t update the form factor.  So if you’ve been holding out on purchasing a new laptop, now might be the time to buy, unless of course you want to hold out for the rumored 15-inch and 17-inch Macbook Airs, as we reported a few months ago?

So what’s changed?

The entry level Macbook Pro, the 13-inch received a 2.4Ghz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor as well as a 500GB hard drive.  It still costs $1,199.  The next model up of the same size, scored a a 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 and a larger 750GB hard drive.  The price also remains the same at $1,499.

As for the 15-inch models, both now include quad-core Intel Core i7 processors.  The lesser of the two has a 2.2GHz processor and a 500GB hard drive and a a faster AMD Radeon HD 6750M discrete graphics card with 512MB of GDDR5.  The faster machine now sports a 2.4Ghz chips, a 750GB hard drive and AMD’s Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB of GDDR5.  They sell for $1,799 and $2,199 respectively.

Lastly, the lower end 17-inch Macbook Pro scored the same update as the top tier 15-inch Macbook pro, though you can bump that to 2.5GHz for $250 more.  It starts at $2,499.

All models are available now at Apple’s website and should be reflected at other retailers later this week if not early next week.

Macmall is offering the lowest price we’ve seen on this new 2011 Apple MC965LL/A 13.3-Inch MacBook Air!

If you’ve been waiting for the ultimate portable computing experience then this discount price may just peak your interest! This latest addition of Macbook Air is coming at you for the lowest price we’ve ever seen! This little Macbook comes with a 13.3-Inch 1440 x 900 High Definition display for plenty of content viewing and multitasking. It’s also powered by a speedy Intel Core i5 1.7Ghz Processor with Intel HD 3000 Graphics along with 4GBs of DDR3 Memory. It also comes with a huge 128GB Solid State drive for the fastest storage around and tons of connectivity which includes Wireless-N, Bluetooth, Thunderbolt and much more. Don’t miss out on this exciting offer!

Holy price break!  You can’t beat this deal on this laptop.  Macmall has it for $1,188.19.  Compare that to Apple’s $1299 price.  S&H starts at $13.  Make sure you get to checkout to receive this price – you must go beyond the second page.

Amazon is offering the lowest price we’ve seen on this Apple MacBook Air MC965LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop!

If you’ve been looking to get your hands on the latest Macbook Air then now is certainly the time! For those who don’t know, the Macbook Air has always been prided to be one of the thinnest laptop computers you can find. That certainly shows with its maximum depth of about half an inch, with the side profile bearing that it’s about the height of a USB port. It’s also blazing fast, operating on the latest Mac OS X Lion and coming packed with a 128GB Solid State Drive. It’s also powered by a speedy 1.7Ghz Intel Core i5 Processor and manages to hold 4GBs of DDR3 memory within it’s super sleek design. This one has a 13.3-Inch LED display which graphics are powered by Intel HD 3000 technology and it comes in at a huge 1440 by 900 resolution. To make it even better you also get up to 7 hours of battery time, so as the size implies you can easily take it anywhere you go!

This is the BEST price we’ve ever seen for this particular model.  It’s $64 below Apple’s retail cost and you won’t pay tax or shipping.

We’ve seen how attractive Bamboo can be when juxtaposed with Apple’s line of Macbooks.  Case in point is the Bamboo Blackbox sleeves and Silva cases.  So why not add another one to that list?

The Bamboo backs from Grove are designed to work with Apple’s entire line of Macbooks, including the 11″ and 13″ Macbook Airs.  Installation is as simple as placing a sticker, and they say it doesn’t leave any nasty residue once you remove it.  The backing measures just .35-inch thick, so it won’t negate your Macbook Pro’s svelteness, though we can’t say the same for the Air.  While you can’t customize the logo (at least not yet), you can choose from a variety of symbols that will glow thanks to Apple’s logo on the back of the Macbook’s screen.

Each backing costs $29 no matter the size, is handmade in Portland, Oregon and is oiled by hand for a glossy, refined finish.

According to our pals over at Macrumors, Apple is working on an ultra-thin 15-inch Macbook.  It’s not clear at this point if it will adopt the same specs and limited feature set as the recent released Macbook Airs, but the site says that the laptop is in the late testing stages at Apple.

In the past Apple has indicated that it is looking to move away from all things spinning (hard drives and optical drives) inside of their machines.  So we see the chances of this rumor as being true pretty darn good.  Macrumors also says that Apple is working on a 17-inch version, though there doesn’t seem to be any indicator as to where that is in the development phase.

On the other hand, Apple just released the brand new Macbook Airs.  So it begs the question why they’d release another laptop with an almost comparable feature set, but with a larger, more popular screen size.  However, Apple has long sold the Macbook Pro in 3 different sizes (13″, 15″ and 17″), so the move wouldn’t be all that unorthodox.

UPDATE: Checkout our Macbook Air 13-inch (2011) review.

Guess what guys? We’ve got…oh, you read the title. Well, then go on through to see the video.

Stay tuned for a full review of the Macbook Air 13″, as well as OS X Lion

Sorry, but we just can’t resist reporting that a new set of Apple products will arrive any day now.  But, don’t get too excited, because the rumored product refresh isn’t an iOS device and nor is it a beefed up laptop with a touchscreen.  9to5Mac, according to an inside source, says we can expect two new product refreshes in the coming weeks.

First off, Apple will be update the White Macbook Pro to include their Thunderbolt port and a faster processor.  The model number will be: MC914LL/A.  And in less exciting news, you can expect a refresh of the Mac Mini.  Supposedly, three models will get rolled out, which will include a standard version, a built to order version and a server version.  All will probably have faster processors, but it’s not clear if they’ll include Thunderbolt.  Models numbers include: MC936LL/A, MC815LL/A, and MC816LL/A.

On another note, 9to5Mac still expects Apple to update the Macbook Pros later this month, but in all likelihood they’ll arrive in August.  Here’s still hoping for the iPhone 5 in September.

A rumor emerged today that the Macbook Airs will receive a processor update in the coming weeks, at least according to Wall Street analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.  The current Macbook Airs utilize the now old and some what antiquated Core 2 Duo processors.

According to TUAW the new low voltage Core i3 and i5 chips, which are set to replace the aforementioned processors, will include between 3 and 4 MB of Smart Cache and will support up to 8GB of RAM, twice the current Macbook Air’s capability.  It’s also rumored that the svelte laptops will support Intel’s Thunderbolt tech for ultra fast transfer speeds.

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Bamboo is a highly sustainable wood, which is just one of the reasons why we’re heavily endorsing SILVA Unlimited’s cases for 13-inch and 15-inch Macbook Pros.  They’re made from 100% solid carmel Bamboo and include a hand-crafted leather strap.  The interior is lined with wool felt to protect your lappy from bumps and drops.  And let’s not forget that they’re all hand crafted.

However, keep in mind that they cost $180 each and weigh about 2lbs.  That’s some serious heft on your wallet and arm.

They say they’re currently working on a case that will be compatible with the 17-inch Macbook and the iPad.

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B&H Photo is selling off this MacBook Pro MC700LL/A Core i5 13.3-inch Laptop w/ Parallels Desktop 6 Software for a discount!

If you’re in need for a portable media machine with an exceptionally slim design than take a look at this deal. This Apple Mac Book Pro features a super sleek 13.3-Inch High Definition display that can go with you anywhere and display everything with beautiful clarity. It is powered by an impressive array of innards including a speed Intel Core i5 2.3Ghz processor to easily chew through even the most demanding applications and media as well as 4GB’s of RAM for easy multitasking. It also features a large 320Gb hard drive for maximum storage as well as a Super Drive for burning and viewing any of your disk media. It includes a face-time webcam and full wireless N support with Bluetooth 2.1 EDR. It comes bundled with Parallels 6 Software which allows you to run a variety of other operating systems all within Mac Side-by-side

The deal comes to $1,149.95 + Free Shipping = $1149.95!

J&R, via Amazon is selling this Apple MacBook Air MC505LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop for a discount!

If you’ve been looking for the ultimate portable Mac experience then look no further than this deal! The Apple Macbook Air is by far one of the thinnest notebooks available, and it certainly shows in its design. It is designed with ultimate performance, energy efficiency and micro sizing in mind. It features a super compact 11.6-Inch high definition display to show off your applications and media with true style, as well as a multi-touch glass touchpad to control it all with ease. It includes a speedy Intel Core 2 Duo 1.4Ghz processor to easily speed through applications, 2GBs of RAM form easy multitasking and 64GB flash memory storage for ultimate performance. With the Air you have up to5 hours of wireless usage along with over 30 days of standby time so you never have to worry about losing battery.

The deal comes to $999 – $50.01 Instant Discount + Free Shipping = $949.99!

Apple products are no longer few and far between.  Sit in any coffee shop and a fair bit of them will be Macbook Pros.  So it’s only fitting that your sense of individualism has significantly diminished as Apple’s market share has vastly increased.

Enter Colorware, a company that has long been outfitting a wide array of hardware in a vast color palette at an added cost.  Entering their stable of products not more than a few weeks after launch is Apple’s latest Macbook Pro computers.  You know, the ones replete with the second gen Intel core processors and the Thunderbolt interface. But, as always a Colorware Macbook Pro comes at a premium.  A fully detailed machine, direct from Colorware, will run you $1,950 while a pre-purchased machine sent in will set you back $550.  Both have a 2-3 week turn around time.

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Update: Apple just announced the new Macbook Pros for 2011.

We’ve been hearing that the latest iteration of Macbook Pros will sport a hybrid storage system that includes an SSD and spindle.  But according to a leaked spec sheet (seen above) of the yet to be announced 13-inch Macbook Pro that isn’t true, unless of course this is just the low end model.

So what’s new in the new 13-inch Macbook Pro?  The processor is getting a bump to a Core i5, which is a jump over the Core 2 Duo, the GPU has been replaced with an Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor with 384mb of RAM and it will support Intel’s Lightpeak, which Apple seems to be branding “Thunderbolt”.

There is no word on a price, but a previous rumor by way of Best Buy indicated that we’ll see a price cut.  If we had to place a bet, we’d wager that this model will replace the current white Macbook, which possibly means it will receive the same price tag of $999.

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Update: Apple just announced the new Macbook Pros for 2011.

Last night, Engadget reported that Best Buy’s Laptop Configurator tool is showing a handful of new Apple Macbook skus.  In addition to that, the system is also displaying a set of new price points for models that should replace the now 13-inch and 15-inch Macbook pro as well as a new sku and price point of $2,499 that points towards a 17-incher.

Color us interested, but this really doesn’t give us any additional deets on the impending Macbook refresh.  What we’re trying to say is that we know an update is due, but what we really want are the specs and release date, though I suppose this is another indicator that a Macbook refresh is soon on its way.

We checked Best Buy’s laptop configurator and couldn’t see these.

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Do you see that chart? That’s the blood, sweat and tears of thousands of slaves running a battery of 4,000+ tests to determine just one, almost insignificant fact: which is faster, Parallels or VMWare?

Well, Mac owners, you are in luck. After running through at least 50 interns (with a mortality rate of 98%), MacTech Labs has released their findings. Parallels, in the overwhelming majority of tests, beats VMWare, utterly annihilating it overall. MacTech did a thorough, and I mean thorough study to determine just how fast, which you can read in gory detail if you so choose. Considering they’re the same exact price, and considering the hordes of proof that MacTech is enslaving it’s poor, unsuspecting readers, there’s no reason to even consider the alternative.

Unless you’re a Boot Camp kind-of-guy.

Mactech Labs

The price, from PC Connection Express for $974.99 – $125 mail-in-rebate + free ship = $849.99!

This rebate ends 12/31/2010

Here is Apple’s new Macbook Air.  At its thickest point it’s .68-inch and weighs just 2.9lbs.  It uses a complete aluminum unibody construction, has a full sized keyboard, full sized trackpad, 13.3-inch LED backlit display at 1440×900 (more than the 15-inch Macbook pro), Core 2 Duo processor, NVIDIA GeForce 320m and Facetime camera.

There is NO hard drive or optical drive – Apple has moved to flash storage – solid state.  This means “instant on”.  In terms of battery life Steve J says it will provide 7 hours of use while surfing the web and up to 30 days standby.

Wowzers, there is also an 11.6-inch version and it weighs just 2.3lbs.  Specs are comparable yet the screen has a 1366×768 resolution.  Battery life is 5 hours on the “wireless web” and the same 30 days of standby time.

Pricing?  They start at $999 and top out at $1,599.  They’re available starting today.