Oh, spring – when a young man's thoughts turn to … university. The trioxlight forum member scans laptops for college next year and is looking for a notebook that can handle photo and video editing.
Currently, trioxlight has a Microsoft Surface laptop (starting at $ 699.99) but is worried about how it will stay. when editing videos using Vegas and Adobe Premiere, due to the dual-core processor of the laptop. So now they are looking to invest in the 13-inch Razer Blade Stealth (starting at $ 1,199.99).
However, trioxlight has questions about the quality of the screen, particularly in relation to Adaptive Backlight Content Control (CABC), which automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen backlight in an effort to increase the brightness of the screen. Details of the image and preserve the battery life.
We take a look at both laptops to see which one is best for Trioxlight's needs. But before you start, here are the specifications for each system.
| Microsoft Surface Laptop | Razer Blade Stealth (13 inches) | ||
| CPU | Intel Core i5-7200U at 2.7 GHz | Intel Core i7-8550U 1.8 GHz | |
| GPU [19659012] Intel® Iris Plus Graphics 640 | Intel HD Graphics 620 | ||
| RAM | 8GB | 16GB | |
| Storage | 256GB SSD | 512GB PCIe m.2 SSD [19659012] Display [19659009] 13.5 inches, 2256 x 1504 pixels | 13.3 inches, 3200 x 1800 pixels |
| Dimensions | 2.8 pounds, 12.1 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches | 2.8 pounds, 12.6 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches |
[19659027] Screen
Razer knows how to make a beautiful display, as evidenced by its 32.3 x 3200 13.3-inch touch panel. In our tests, the screen reproduced 121 percent of the sRGB range and averaged 328 nits of brightness. The touch screen of the 13.5-inch, 2256 x 1504 Surface Laptop is more colorful and bright, with 135 percent and 361 nits, which definitely gives it an edge.
Trioxlight is concerned about the CABC that alters the backlight and changes how an image looks It would not necessarily matter if you were watching a movie, but considering they want to take photos and videos, it's something to think about. Fortunately, Razer has a firmware update tool to disable the feature.
MORE: The best laptops for business and productivity
According to our sister site Anandtech, the Surface Laptop also has CABC, but it is not as severe as other systems, affecting the brightness of only 20 at 30 nits. And although you can disable the adaptive brightness in the system, there is no direct way to do the same with adaptive contrast. It is something that Trioxlight will have to take into account.
Winner: Microsoft Surface Laptop
Design
I am a long time fan of the design of the Razer laptop. CNC obsidian aluminum has a top quality construction and looks very sexy. And if the black is not trioxlight, you can get the laptop in an equally dazzling metallic gray, but that means you lose that captivating Chroma keyboard with its individually lit RGB keys.
With 2.8 pounds and 12.6 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches, the Stealth is the lightest and thinnest notebook in the Blade family. As for the ports, the system has a USB 3.0 port and a full HDMI 2.0 port on the right side, with another USB 3.0 port, Thunderbolt 3 port and headphone jack on the left.
And while Razer opts for majestic designs, Microsoft dares to play with color, offering Surface Laptop in various colors, including burgundy, platinum, cobalt blue and graphite gold. The color, however, is not cheap. With the exception of platinum, which you get for $ 699, you can get the other colors only if you're willing to spend $ 1,299.99 to get started.
Whichever color the trioxlight light chooses, the fingers pass through Alcantara's keyboard. cover. The Surface laptop weighs the same as the Stealth, but is a little thicker, with 12.1 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches. We were disappointed to learn that Surface Laptop does not have a USB Type-C or Thunderbolt 3 port. Instead, it has a full-size USB 3 port and a Mini DisplayPort with a patented connector that offers power, video and data, and is compatible with the $ 199 Surface Dock in case you need more ports.
Winner: Microsoft Surface Laptop
Performance
Unfortunately, we did not review the Core i7 configuration of Surface Laptop (we evaluated the Core i5 model), so this will not be a comparison of apples to apples. Also keep in mind that Microsoft has yet to launch a Surface Laptop configuration with an Intel 8th Gen processor.
When we run our general performance test, Geekbench 4, the Intel Core i5-7200U 2.7 GHz processor Surface Laptop scored 7,157, while Stealth's 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8550U CPU reached 13,694, almost beating its competitor. During the productivity test, in which both systems matched 20,000 names and addresses, Stealth completed the task in 3 minutes and 21 seconds, while Surface Laptop finished at 4:01.
MORE: Which laptop CPU is correct? for you?
To test the SSD disk of each laptop, we ask you to copy a 4.97GB multimedia file. The Surface Laptop (256GB SSD) delivered a transfer speed of 110.6 megabytes per second, and the Stealth (512GB PCIe M.2 SSD) had an impressive speed of 462.6 MBps.
Although none of the laptops will play Far Cry 5 soon (unless you have an eGPU to use with Stealth), the integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 GPUs from both systems are powerful enough to handle games and light to moderate editions. Stealth pumped 53 frames per second during the Dirt 3 benchmark, while the Surface Laptop delivered 68 fps.
Winner: Razer Blade Stealth
Battery Life
The Surface Laptop definitely has power, which lasts 9 hours and 2 minutes on our battery test. Despite the power of Stealth and its good looks, Razer has not yet discovered how to extend the life of the laptop battery. The laptop came out only after 5:21.
Winner: Microsoft Surface Laptop
Operating System
Instead of Windows 10 complete, the Surface Laptop has Windows 10 S, a simplified version of the Windows operating system. This simplified version of the operating system only allows you to download applications only from the Windows Store, so it does not mean Google Chrome, Adobe Photoshop Premiere or many other main applications.
It also means that trioxlight has been relegated to using Edge as a browser and Bing as a search engine, which is less than ideal. However, these limitations ensure that system performance is faster and that the system is better protected against malware that may come from third-party applications.
Stealth has a full version of Windows 10, which greatly expands the selection of applications. However, downloading applications and utilities from third-party sites can be a game of chance and can introduce the laptop to all types of malware. Even so, you can download Chrome, and you are not limited to the Windows Store.
Winner: Razer Blade Stealth
Conclusion
Ultimately, the Stealth Razer Blade offers more power in its elegant 13-inch frame than the Microsoft Surface Book, thanks to the Intel processor of the eighth generation. The laptop also offers faster transfer speeds and the full Windows 10 experience. And although the Blade Stealth has CABC, Razer has included a way for trioxlight to disable the feature. However, a fairly low battery life is an albatross around the neck of a laptop for good measure.
Microsoft's Surface Laptop comes in a variety of striking colors and features a screen that is brighter and more vivid than the Stealth panel. But with that machine, trioxlight will have to be fine without disabling the CABC or going through a bit of hassle to do so. They will also have to deal with a less powerful system with a slower SSD and Windows S, a restrictive version of the Windows 10 operating system. But the system has the advantage of lasting more than 9 hours with a load.
But since Trioxlight already has Surface Laptop, I would not recommend spending $ 1,299 unless it requires more power and access to better video editing tools. [19659003] Credit: Shaun Lucas / Laptop Mag