I ’m pit the best gaming laptop against the best productiveness laptop computer and seeing who comes out on top . It ’s a real sumo match of thebig male child of the laptop computer world . No , not in majority , but the high - conclusion Razer Blade 16 and MacBook Pros with M3 Max bill themselves as top - of - the - line laptops that thread the needle between portability and power . One ’s billed for play , the other for high - end productivity , but both companies exact their microcomputer beseem both .
Why compare a Windows gaming PC to Apple ’s most knock-down mainline laptop computer ? These gadget are ultra - premium , extremist - expensive laptop computer that predict to become your main means of on - the - go computing for many years after purchase . TheM3 Max MacBook Pro 16 in my self-control costs $ 4,000 . MyRazer Blade 16with the new OLED , 240 Hz display , and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU goes for $ 4,200 MSRP . They ’re both intrepid , Al - hull behemoths , and since November of last yr , they brought the newfangled M3 Macbook Pro . Both have an anodized black finish that makes them tolerant to fingerprint .
The Blade 16 may call itself a gaming twist first and first of all . Still , it has enough under - the - hood performance to carry out some intensive interpretation task that may ferment the heads of any 3-D clay sculpture or video - producing master . On the other hand , the MacBook with an M3 Max chip is a productiveness - first design . However , Apple has been expressly attempt to woo gamerswith the up-to-the-minute version ofmacOS incorporating a “ gaming mode”that increment framerates by limiting background tasks , interchangeable to mise en scene that already exist on Windows .
They’re both expensive with high-quality parts, and you’ll likely be only able to afford one.Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
If you need one of the most capable workplace devices for intensive rendering or a ride - or - die Apple lover looking to burn cash , you ’ve in all probability already made your buying determination . Suppose you ’re a cap “ G ” gamer who only wants to fill their drive with as many championship on their Steam program library as possible . In that pillow slip , you ’re somewhat place on the Blade 16 or perhaps other play laptops with the best possible specs usable today .
But for those who are hang on to several thousand one dollar bill with the anticipation they wo n’t need to bribe another laptop for many , many years on , and for those who want a microcomputer that can manage any task that you make at it before popping it in your backpack and taking it on the go , this guide may provide help you ward off you end up cast out your wallet into the fires of bad purchasing decisions .
tidy sum of quality options are useable for those who could make do with slenderly less great power , most for less than $ 2,000 . Those with a play fixation and limited budget might even assay a fewexamples of the budget play laptopscurrently available for at orless than $ 1,000 . If you want a productiveness laptop , might we suggest look at the slim , lightweightMacBook Air lineor more late PCs like theMSI Prestige 16 AI EVO ?
Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
MacBook Pro Vs. Razer Blade 16 Display and Design
OLED Still Beats Liquid Retina
Both projection screen on the MacBook and Razer are thick and beautiful , but the Blade 16 take the border only due to the deep contrast of organic light-emitting diode versus Apple ’s displays . The new 2024 Blade sports a QHD+ resolution , 240 Hz OLED that hits all the scratch of what I require from a modern , mellow - end screen . There ’s no beating around the George Herbert Walker Bush ; it ’s just a skillful screen door . The only ill is the maximum brightness of 400 nit compare to the MacBook Pro ’s tell 600 nit at SDR preferences ( and high with HDR ) .
Last class ’s Blade 16 modelwith the treble firmness and mini - conduct showing may cost slightly less than the 2024 edition , depending on where you buy it . However , the slight price bump may be deserving it for what ’s quickly becoming the new standard for high - quality displays , whether you ’re a gamer or not .
Apple used the Liquid Retina XDR nomenclature to delineate its screens , but in the destruction , they are still IPS LCDs . There ’s nothing inherently haywire with that , and it ’s still a calibre display , but it misses out on the colouration contrast of organic light-emitting diode . Its max refresh rate is 120 Hz , which is still fair for most laptop computer , but some game can do good from higher refresh rate . If you have one lying around , the laptop can underpin 240 Hz on an external monitor .
Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
You have to have both laptop in helping hand to sense how similar the shape timber is between Razer ’s and Apple ’s designs . They both expend CNC aluminum , which at least feels long-wearing . Both should stave off fingermark and scratches , though I ’ve find one mar on my Razer that I distrust must have happened during publicity . However , what ’s more of import is the total sizing of each machine . The Blade 16 weigh about 5.4 pound compare to the MacBook Pro ’s 4.8 . If .6 pounds of difference matters to you , you should also regard how the MacBook is a more heavyset gadget overall . The MacBook Pro is .61 inches tall when close up compared to the .86 Blade 16 . Both still do to slip nicely into a back pack ’s laptop computer pouch , which , in the end , should be the closing all , be all when it comes to overall dimensions .
The side speaker systems on both devices flank the humiliated - visibility keyboards and trackpad . The trackpad on the Blade is about .25 inch wider than Apple ’s , though we ’ll get into how they both feel and function in the “ Usability ” incision . While both have exchangeable sizing bezels around the screen , the MacBook Pro still uses the damn notch , which we still opine is a pretty hapless use of that space , considering iPhones like theiPhone 15 linenow make use of the ready to hand Dynamic Island .
But what may put the Razer over the edge here , beyond the sieve , of path , is the number of ports on offer . The Razer has an HDMI 2.1 , two USB - C ( one Thunderbolt 4 and another USB 3.2 ) , and three separate USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type - A alongside the full SD - card slot . The MacBook has good deal of USB - coke connection but no USB - A. The Razer ’s proprietary charging port is annoying since it can block off access to some cables , depending on its orientation course . Still , I would rather have more options to plug away in some of my other computer peripheral than scrounge for a USB - C to USB - A convertor .
Photo: Angel Fajardo / Gizmodo
Winner : Razer Blade 16
MacBook Pro M3 Max Vs. Razer Blade 16 Performance and Gaming
Macs Still Aren’t the Place for Gaming
This is plausibly the most ambitious category to judge , and it all has to do with Apple ’s strained ecosystem that still miss accession to some of the most democratic titles of the last several twelvemonth . The Cupertino , California tech giant has made several pass hope to become a Modern haven for gambling , pushing titles like last year ’s Resident Evil 4 remake and Death Stranding : Director ’s gash at the startle of this year . And yet , it ’s still a pain in the stern to play a lot of Windows - centrical titles that those PC ’s routinely savor .
TheBlade 16model I based my tests on was the version that do with 32 GB of RAM , an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 mobile GPU , and the standard 14th - Gen Intel Core i9 - 14900HX . That CPU is a 24 - core ( 8 atomic number 15 and 16 E CORE ) at 5.80 GHz . It ’s quite a hassle to compare that x86 - based silicon chip directly with the ARM - base APU contained within the M3 Max . That ’s a 16 - core mainframe ( up to 12 P cores with 4 Es cores ) with up to 40 cores of GPU . This version of the MacBook also rollick 48 GB of RAM , which might tip the scale on a everlasting bench mark - to - bench mark equivalence .
TheMacBook Pro with M3 Maxhas the edge regarding anything CPU - bear on . In bench mark like Geekbench 6 and Cinebench R24 , the M3 Max chip beats the Intel Core i9 , not by a few XII points . The MacBook Pro , with the most mellow - end specs , doubles Blender ’s benchmarks over the Razer Blade 16 on every metric .
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
But once you weaken into actual computer software , the Razer Blade shows how secure a dedicated GPU can be . With similar high preferences across the MacBook M3 and Razer Blade 16 , the Blade perform outstanding compare to its likewise - priced counterpart . I could fall apart well over 160 FPS in internal areas in Baldur ’s Gate III and still perplex 80 FPS in crowded , open configurations with the Blade . To compare , I could strike 130 FPS on mellow options in wild place setting and low 70s , or even lower , when on the Baldurian streets during Act 3 .
The M3 Max Mac will sputter to collide with high FPS on specific titles , whereas the Blade can advertise those to the limit with few tradeoffs . It ’s obvious what the real use display case of each laptop truly is . Apple would love the MacBook Pro to be your play building block , but it simply ca n’t be , not when it miss access to many major games of the past few yr . Still , it ’s no slouch on performance for what is there . Spin back to the Razer Blade 16 , and you have the reverse . It ’s one of the best gaming laptops you may grease one’s palms in condition of raw power , and while it ’s no slouch for rendering project , it ’s not the best . If you ’re a sometimes 3D modeller and a full - time gamer , go with the Razer . If you ’re the opposite , go with the MacBook Pro .
Verdict : Like most preadolescent human relationship , it ’s complicated
Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
Razer Blade 16 Vs. MacBook Pro 16 M3 Max Battery Life
Apple Has the Edge on Longevity
On average , I could work four to five hours on the Razer Blade 16 unplugged , doing simple browsing and body of work tasks . you may squeeze out an hour or two more with low - power context . That ’s a little better than many gambling laptops , but it ’s not just enough for an full workday without a plug . The 330W charging unit that get in - boxwood is n’t as monolithic as they fall , but it ’s still a chunky brick that will weigh down anybody on the go . It ’s thick enough , but I would prefer to drag along something modest , like a 45W brick , and plug away it in through USB - C.
The M3 MacBook Pro will do the job for far longer . I ’ve drop 8 hours on the M3 Max doing regular browsing and oeuvre tasks without seeing it drop below 30 % . The power efficiency mise en scene are good enough . You do n’t have to flip any switch to eke out a few more second of juice , though the eminent power modal value , best for gaming options , will run down the battery virtually as fast as the Razer Blade .
Winner : MacBook Pro M3 Max
MacBook Pro M3 Max Vs. Razer Blade 16 Usability and Sound
The Razer Blade Needs a Better Keyboard and Trackpad
You do n’t have to listen hard to hear the difference between MacBook Pro ’s and the Blade ’s sound calibre . When reviewing it earlier this calendar month , I regard the Blade ’s loudspeaker system pretty strong , with bass that could fill a way and explain the need for any sound bar or outside speaker system . Yet , it does not compare to the MacBook Pro ’s six - verbaliser system and strength - canceling woofer . There ’s an amazingly clean lineament to the Pro ’s sound , whether watching movies on Netflix or streaming nonsense on YouTube .
Apple sometimes gets too much credit for its direction on usability , but at the very least , you bang you wo n’t unchurch out the company over its keyboard . What ’s most striking about Razer ’s ultimate , super gamey - conclusion purpose is that the company has not put any creative thinker toward folk who will end up typing and scrolling on their $ 4,200 laptop computer . The keyboard is a round-eyed chicklet design with garish LED underneath . This would be good enough on a budget PC , but it ’s not even that potent a selection for most gamers .
Worse , by far , is the trackpad . The Blade 16 has such a problem with palm rejection that if you ’re the typist who reside his forearm on the front , you will end up routinely clicking where you did n’t intend to while typing . I wrote half this review on the Blade and one-half on the MacBook Pro , and I would much rather typewrite for any distance of time on Apple ’s high - end computing machine than attempt to wrestle with Razer ’s terrible trackpad .
That ’s not to say the MacBook is any dream to type on . It ’s really the same Magic Keyboard Apple ’s used since theentirely earned death of the butterfly keyboard . The low - profile mechanical Francis Scott Key have a slightly softer feel to the Razer Blade ’s design , but neither offer any “ pizzaz ” that gives a tactile feel to your typing experience . The MacBook trackpad is n’t some miracle of conception either , but it has much practiced palm rejection . If the alternative were based merely on the power to type on your laptop computer , the MacBook would win hired hand down .
The Winner : MacBook Pro M3 .
MacBook Pro M3 Max Vs. Razer Blade 16 Verdict
Pick Your Poison
If anything , these tests show there ’s still no all - in - one gadget that would be safe for every kind of laptop force exploiter . TheM3 Max MacBook Prois the most powerful gadget of this toll point I ’ve used , though that only accounts for non - gaming tasks . TheRazer Blade 16is a slap-up gaming laptop , perhaps the epitome of high functioning and price . It can accomplish other tasks but wo n’t be as prosperous or pleasurable as potential .
Both devices are splurges , but if you have a hankering to do anything other than play , the M3 Max MacBook Pro does the job . Its base control and legal quality thump the Razer Blade 16 despite being nearly tantamount in price . It can still play some games on mellow options , but I care Apple could finally confirm its plans to reach across and drag more developers onto its side of the walled garden . You could plume up with the folk music on ther / macgamingsubreddit for a few tip and conjuration for getting some titles to go , but it ’s a portion of work because you ’re ante up upward of $ 3,000 for a individual data processor .
The Razer Blade act games on gamey setting and a nice , beautiful , fast concealment . It can function intensive plan better than most , but its keyboard and trackpad leave a circle to be desired . Take them for what they are , as these are two very different gimmick . It ’s still too bad there ’s not one laptop that ’s been capable to maximise everything , especially when companies ask you to pay chiliad of dollars for them .
need more of Gizmodo ’s consumer electronics pickaxe ? Check out our guides to thebest laptops , best tv , andbest phone . If you need to read about the next big thing , see our guide toeverything we know about the iPhone 16 .
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