Razer Blade 15 4K OLED (2019). The Best Yet!

Posted on by

Here’s the reality: The new Razer Blade 15 4K OLED model isn’t much different from the last model I owned. The “only” changes are a better GPU, a slightly newer CPU, the 4K OLED screen and a small, but not unimportant, cosmetic upgrade. These revisions do not necessarily represent a good reason or value if you’re moving from the laptop I previously used (and for the record, that’s not why I migrate). However, if you’re fascinated with emerging technologies this is a laptop worth checking out.

Let’s start with the big one: The OLED screen. In a word: Wow. I have been watching television on a 60″ LG OLED TV for the past couple of months and it’s breathtaking. The 15″ 4K Samsung screen on the Razer is no less breathtaking and it’s difficult to believe how far screen technology has come (for some reason I’ve had the image of a CRT laptop stuck in my head for years).

The level of color richness is intense- maybe even a little exaggerated (which you could always adjust if you hated the insane level of beauty). To be fair the color on some LCD screens comes close, but in terms of contrast there’s just no contest. The Razer’s screen has no edge bleed and, when watching HDR content, the black screen is nearly indistinguishable from the bezel (this is an excellent OLED screen demo). Color evenness and brightness are excellent and my screen, so far as I can tell, is defect free (pixel density is so high I doubt a single dead pixel could be easily seen with the naked eye). Overall, a very solid win.

It’s not completely perfect thought. Past OLED panels have suffered from screen burn in. That’s a TBD issue at this point, but a computer screen has many static components (hey Windows bar, I’m looking at you). Also, while OLED screen are more energy efficient when showing black (as the pixel is effectively off) they consume more power than LCD counterparts when showing white. Thus far in my testing the new OLED Razer has shorter battery life than the my previous model. Finally, there is a strange, almost unnoticeable flickering effect when scrolling through dark images on a white background and even sometimes while typing or selecting text (I changed my screen to 59hz and turned off the screen refresh in the Intel graphics control panel- this seems to have eliminated the typing flicker which was my biggest concern).

Out of the box the Razer 15 ran a respectable 16463 in 3DMark’s Firesrike. After a RAM upgrade (16GB to 32GB) and an SSD swap (512GB to 2TB) the computer managed a 16108. This drop may be a software (driver) configuration issue – I had a hell of a time getting everything loaded back onto the computer and working so there’s a chance I messed something up somewhere. Still, this is a fairly mild performance drop and not something I’ll worry about too much while I work to sort it out. I ran the Firestrike test several times and, oddly, the score was better with the Razer Synapse performance modes set lower (follow up: after more tweaking this was not an ongoing issue).

Based on my very limited 3DMark testing the GPU is a solid step up (the RTX 2080 scored an 18912 vs the GTX 1070’s 15917). However the CPU-intensive physics score seems to take a significant hit compared to my previous computer’s performance (the i7-9750H posted a 14348 compared to the i7-8750H’s 16783). I definitely have some questions about what may cause this performance drop (I know Razer is undervolting the CPU but it shouldn’t affect the score this much). Overall the performance on this new Razer is more than sufficient for my needs. I’m not a huge gamer but I tried out my go-to favorite, Doom, at 4K and it played well and looked incredible- that contrast!

3DMark Follow Up: I changed a couple quick settings and I came up with this new run. The surprising thing here is that g-sync is on (or, at least, it thinks that it is). What’s even more surprising is that there’s no way to enable / disable g-sync in the Nvidia control panel (the “display” portion of the menu isn’t there). After fiddling with a few more setting I ended up with the following run. Bizarrely I didn’t get a g-sync warning and the while the graphic portion of the score is higher the CPU side of things has tanked a bit. I would love to understand what’s going on (tell me, dammit!).

So… what did Razer get right? It’s a big one for me because I work in the dark so often (physically and metaphorically). All of the keys are their respective functions are now backlit. It’s small modification but it will make things so much easier in low light situations.

Aside from the keyboard illumination this new Razer is nearly identical to it’s predecessor. Scratch that- it is identical. There’s very little point in covering it’s appearance, build quality, etc., because none of those aspects have changed. I will restate that it’s a beautiful looking laptop.

My gripes with the model are still the same as before. I’d like an SSD card reader and a network jack. I’d also like to see some better thermal control on the left side of the palm rest. When doing day to day tasks it heats up a bit warmer than the right side. This is not to say it’s uncomfortable, but the inconsistency is off-putting.

We’ve come a long way from my first Razer. In my opinion, the new Razer 15 4K OLED  (2019) is exceptional and, for the time being, about as close as you can get to a perfect portable workstation. The performance increase is respectable and the OLED screen is something you have to see to believe. No regrets on this one.

Model: Razer Blade 15 – Advanced Model
OS: Windows® 10 Home (64-bit)
Processor: 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H 6 Core (2.6GHz/4.5GHz)
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX™ 2080 with Max-Q Design (8GB GDDR6 VRAM)
Display: 15.6″ OLED 4K Touch 60Hz, 100% DCI-P3, HDR400, factory calibrated
Storage: 512GB SSD (NVMe) / Upgraded: 2TB Samsung SSD (NVMe)
Memory:16GB Dual-Channel (8GB x 2) DDR4 2667MHz / Upgraded: 32GB (16GB x 2)
Battery: 80Wh
Keyboard: Per-key RGB powered by Razer Chroma™
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-A) x3, Thunderbolt™ 3 (USB-C)
Wireless: Intel® Wireless-AX200 (802.11/a/b/g/n/ac/ax), Bluetooth® 5
Webcam: Windows® Hello built-in IR HD webcam (1MP / 720P)
Finish: Black with backlit green logo and green USB ports
Dimensions: 0.70″ x 9.25″ x 13.98″ / 17.8mm x 235mm x 355mm
Weight: 4.83 lbs / 2.19 kg

Other Laptop Links:

Apple 520C
Apple 540C
Review: Pulse 17
Review: 2014 Razer Blade
Razer Blade Pro
Razer Blade 15 (2018)
Razer Blade Stealth (2019)

Antigravity Lithium Battery Install – Porsche 991 Turbo S

Posted on by

Freak, Cam. Is every post on your blog about some car crap! Hey, thanks for noticing. But it’s not just about cars- it’s about health. Many of you know I’m big into weight loss. I think this video may help people lose weight quickly and safely. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change.

So you want to lose a bit of weight, eh? A lithium battery might be just what you need! They’re not cheap, but the weight reduction is legitimate. Spoiler: I knocked off forty three pounds by switching from a lead-acid to a lithium battery. Forty three pounds!  This video also demonstrates the removal & installation process of the battery in a Porsche 991 Turbo (as always it was more difficult than I thought it would be):

If you watched the video then you’ll know I had to do a bit of cosmetic surgery, but I’d call the operation a success. So far the battery works as advertised- weighs less, starts right up and the car drives great. I have negated he additional weight added by with methanol kit (& actual methanol) and my fire extinguisher. As I mentioned before, they are pricey, but a lithium battery is a pretty easy win!

7/13/2019: I decided to remove the battery when there’s no current concern about weight reduction. A couple of times in the last month I’ve had the PCM cut out followed by multiple dash errors (i.e. steering fault, PDCC fault, etc). I think this may be related to the battery but I’m not certain (seems like some type of power surge / drop). I removed it today and reinstalled my tune so we’ll see how things play out.

Antigravity H7 Lithium Battery
Guardian Tactical OTF

Rennline Fire Extinguisher Mount Install – Porsche 991

Posted on by

Safety first! I have never kept a fire extinguisher in any car I’ve owned. Even though I’ve never had a car fire I’ve often considered installing in some type of fire suppression device. With the addition of methanol into my car I figure I’d better not push my luck too and so…

I picked up a Rennline fire extinguisher mount for my 991 along w/ a 2.5 lb H&R Performance extinguisher w/ Halguard (if you’re interested you can get your own here). I opted for a Halguard model – this shoots out a fire suppression gas as opposed to a fine powder (not big on powders after I had a fire extinguisher blow up at work once).

The install was a bit more complicated than I imagined but I’m pleased with the results:

Helpful Hint: If you install a similar setup in your car I’d recommend a bit of practice. You’ll need to be able to release the holding clips and remove the extinguisher from its cradle quickly all while sitting in an adjacent seat. When fighting a fire, remember the P.A.S.S. acronym. Pull the pin. Aim at base (closer proximity is better). Squeeze the trigger. Sweep side to side. Hopefully you don’t have a fire in your car (or anywhere you don’t want one) but it never hurts to be prepared.

MACarbon Seat Belt Buckle Repair

Posted on by

These MACarbon seat belt buckles have been a bit of a headache for me. I had to modify the covers for the two rear buckles before they would fit. A recurring warning light forced me to replace the front passenger side buckle altogether. And then the new buckle promptly “broke” apart (the two parts of the housing separated and it’s much worse where the belt is attached and there’s tension). I’m not sure if I’d buy / install these parts again.

Regardless, I’m a guy that looks for solutions. The first thing I tried was epoxy. I glued the halves back together but they came apart again shortly after transporting a  passenger. I considered a number of different options before settling on some 3M adhesive- the same stuff you might cover the exterior of your car with. I cut out a couple of sections and did some test fitting.

Originally I had just intended the fitting to be temporary but the 3M seemed to be exceptionally strong and the installation went fairly well (you can see the lines in the pictures but in real life it’s very hard to see where the film is at all).

One of the back seat belt buckles also had a case that was coming apart so I applied the 3M there as well. I suppose my next step will be to see how well the film works over the coming months (I’m worried about its ability to stick and the potential of stretching). In the meantime this appears to be a quick and elegant solution for anyone with a similar problem (and not just limited to seatbelts folks– you can wrap this clear 3M film around pretty much anything).

Collecting Cars: A Practical Guide (1/18 Scale)

Posted on by

If anyone actually reads my blog you may have noticed that I have a thing for cars. Many of you might not know this, but a few years ago I made a rule for myself: One car, one truck. I’d like to unequivocally state that this has been a fantastic rule and keeps things really simple for me (thinking of you, warehouse full ‘o cars). Right now I’ve owned my truck for over four years and my car for nearly three years- that has got to be some kind of a record for me!

Now and then I still get tempted by vehicles (new & used) but I’ve found a much cheaper and space efficient method to collect cars: behold, the 1:18 scale model. I don’t have too many at this point but my collection is growing little by little. I started it off with a Turbo S Exclusive Edition and have added a few here and there:

Takumi Fujiwara’s 1986 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex AE86 from the Initial D comics / TV series. I love the detail on the interior and engine bay. This is an excellent quality model.

This is the Porsche 991.2 Turbo in metallic white. It’s similar to my car but it’s the newer generation (physical differences between the 991.1 and 991.2 include the engine vents and rear lights). The quality level on this one is okay but it’s a notch down from the others and a bit slower than my 2016 991.1 😀

The McLaren 720s is a car I have seriously considered but, as with the 991.2, this seemed like a much more economical way to own one. The detail on the carbon fiber parts and interior is fantastic (although it’s worth mentioning the doors and rear hatch don’t open). The actual color is a light grey but it photographs more like an off-white.

As you can see from these pictures my iPhone 7 doesn’t take great photos (or you may be tempted to think I’m not a particularly good photographer… I would not necessarily argue). I may try and set the cars up and take some better shots with my DSLR eventually… but for now it’s just fun to pick up a “new car” for the price of a tank of gas.

Next on my list: Lamborghini Aventador!

3/1/2019: Look like I lied! I found this little guy and a pulled the trigger (I’m keeping it at work since my house is already overloaded with white cars). This is a British exclusive so the steering wheel is on the right side. I couldn’t get a good shot of the interior but it’s incredibly detailed. This is a resin model (doors don’t open). Hot!

4/11/2019: Lamborghini Aventador acquired. This is the Mansory licensed “Carbanado” edition with carbon fiber additions (the model does not have real carbon fiber). I love how this one looks.

2/28/20: 1/18th scale Lamborghini Aventador. This is a one/one custom model. The body on this one is matte white- I love how it photographs.

This is a cool one- a custom made replica of my Lamborghini Huracan (from Atelier). While they can’t replicate the supercharger, custom hood and other mods they did do the calipers in white. And it was cool to be able to pick the base options and get it signed by the artisan. Also added this model to my 1/18 scale collection post.

Since I’m a Koenigsegg man now I figured I’d pick up one of their cars (this time a model). This is a 1/18 scale Jesko by FrontiArt. The attention to detail is impressive and the smaller scale really lets you appreciate the vehicle’s shape.

11-20: 1/18 Scale Koenigsegg Gemera by FrontiArt

2/05/2021: Caption

Movies Watched in 2018

Posted on by

I really dropped the ball in 2018. I don’t think I even wrote down some of the movies that I watched. I know I can do better in 2019!   My goal for 2019 year is 60 movies, 1/3 in theaters! Let’s do it! 

This post covers all the movies that I have watched in 2018 (these have to be fairly current movies from this year or late last year to make the list). Newest movies are at the top. 2018 movie total: 37 movies, 21 in the theater. If anyone is curious about previous years just search “movies watched in” to find more posts.

Marry Poppins [Theater]: I definitely preferred the original, although that might just be nostalgia talking. The new one was good but I didn’t leave the theater singing any of the songs.

Crazy Rich Asians: What a life- not sure if I mean that in a positive or negative way. Certainly an interesting movie that provides an interesting window into a niche part of another culture.

The Mule [Theater]: Thew preview made this look soooo sad. But it really wasn’t that bad. A solid thriller / mystery mixture. Side note: Clint Eastwood may be old but the guy is still a badass.

Wreck It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet [Theater]: I loved the depiction of how the Internet works and the scene with the Disney Princesses was an instant classic. Solid entertainment.

Instant Family [Theater] – Loved this movie. Adoption is something that’s near and dear to me and I feel like this movie captures a lot of the right emotion. It’s a bit over engineered but not preachy.

Free Solo [Theater] – Alex is insane. There’s no other word for it. But being insane also makes you incredibly interesting. Watching Alex summit El Cap with no protective climbing gear is literally breathtaking.

The Spy Who Dumped Me: Laaaame. Also, I need to finish this.

Mission Impossible: Fallout: Tom Cruise can only give 100%. Ethan saves the day again and it’s pretty darn exciting.

The Meg- Absolutely ridiculous. To really enjoy this movie you’d have to suspend belief to a level that is simply not achievable in this reality.

Red Sparrow: Dark, exciting & well done.

Tag: Ehhh… love the idea. The movie was so-so.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: These movies just get bigger and weirder. At this point we have an heir apparent murdering his mentor and scientists so he can auction off dinosaur “weapons” to international terrorists. It’s a long way from an amusement park.

Ocean’s 8: Enjoyable. Who knew Danny had a sister?

Transformers the Movie: Brought back some serious nostalgia.

Rampage [Theater]- Are we a little Rocked-out yet? Maybe a little. Not great, but as an avid player of Rampage in my youth (on an Apple IIe, no less) I found this a nostalgia-inducing ride.

Ant Man & The Wasp [Theater] – I liked this better than the original (although, I probably don’t remember the original very well at this point). Every Marvel movie is similar but their formula works so well I’m not tired of it yet.

Pacific Rim 2- I guess this is what happens when you make a sequel no one wanted? It’s got some fun moments, but it’s just not epic like the first one.

Incredibles 2  [Theater]: Not as good as the original. Those were big shoes to fill.

Tomb Raider – This movie legitimately numbed my mind. Every single decision that Laura Croft makes is wrong. It’s seriously like she has the frontal lobe of a three year old kid. It’s a bad movie. There’s no other way to describe it.

A Quiet Place  [Theater]: Good ‘n scary.

Solo [Theater]: Why did critics bag on this? Awesome.

Dead Pool 2 [Theater]: First one was better.

Overboard [Theater]: A funny modern update. Worth a watch!

Avengers: Infinity War [Theater] – This movie was a beast. There’s so much going on here all the time that it’s fairly intense to watch.

I Feel Pretty [Theater] – Fun movie espousing the virtues of self confidence (or maybe obliviousness).

Black Panther [Theater] – Good, but not fantastic. I can absolutely appreciate the diversity here but I think it overshadowed the actual movie. Michael Jordan is a great bad guy.

Ready Player One [Theater] – Not like the book, but still pretty fun. I’ll be curious to see how my kids enjoy it (or not).

Maze Runner: Death Cure [Theater] – I can’t even pretend to understand this series. But I’m glad Dylan O’brien has healed up.

Geostorm – One day! Probably not. I like how there’s only one guy in the whole world who can fix stuff in these movies.

Annihilation [Theater] – I liked it. Wild visuals. Saw this with Fran and I think it really disturbed her.

Murder on the Orient Express [Theater] – I guessed the ending (I haven’t read the book)! Fun to watch it play out.

I completely forgot to write down what I was watching… I suppose as I get older my inclination to judge has dwindled. I think I’ll just jot down the movies I’ve seen with a few thoughts instead of trying to rate them.

The Greatest Showman [Theater] 8.5/10 – Ha! Wow. I loved this movie. I’m sure some would call the plot contrived, but I don’t really care. It pushed all my feels and the soundtrack was spectacular. Best movie of 2018 so far.

The Mountain Between Us [Home] 6.5/10 – I don’t know what it’s like to be in a plane crash and then get trapped on the side of a mountain. But I would think people would be a little more desperate. They would certainly not act like they were just going for a hike. Would they? Implausible but enjoyable enough.

American Made [Home] 8/10 – I wasn’t expecting the ending although when you deal drugs internationally I suppose that’s what happens. Another great job by Tom Cruise (why can’t this guy get the respect he deserves?).

The Hitman’s Bodyguard [Home] 7/10 – Quite a bit more thoughtful and entertaining than I expected. Ryan Reynolds always plays the same guy. And Samuel Jackson always plays the same guy. It’s weird, but here it seems to work.

Baby Driver [Home] 7/10 – I thought this started out great. But somehow toward the end it got a little silly. Maybe that was the movie’s intent, but I didn’t feel like it worked. Still, I like any movie with a car that gets driven fast.

Thor Ragnarok [Theater] – Awesome. Easily my favorite Marvel movie in years. Growing up I never felt like Thor was cool, but now he might just be my favorite.

SideShow “Shouldn’t-A-Bought” Showcase

Posted on by

Sideshow Toys is killing me. As a kid I loved action figures I could play with and now, as an adult, I love action figures I can’t play with. Some of the stuff they put out is just too much for me to resist. Like this Infinity Gauntlet. Seriously, who doesn’t want one of these floating around their home:

And over on the work side of things I added a few more statues from various shows, movies and games that I like: The Captain America solider (stealth version), Iron Man (Mark III), and Ken from Street Fighter II.

I’d love to say these make the office a bit more classy… but that’s not really the effect they’ve had.

I moved a couple of the Primes over to work and added the Prime 1 Studios Megatron. I hate to admit it, but I think he’s a cooler figure than the Prime 1 Optimus. In general, and despite my weird nerd junk, I feel like the office is coming along well. I need to get my art put up. I’m so happy they let me have an office. I should totally go work there sometime (maybe sooner than later).

Prime 1 Studios makes some really badass stuff. Can’t wait for their next Robotech release.