New Razer Blade laptop up close (pictures)

The $1,799 14-inch Razer Blade laptop isn't cheap, but it's stylishly packaged.

The AC adapter brick's not too large. Packaging is minimal.

In its all-aluminum, matte-black design, this Razer Blade is similar to the 17-inch version we reviewed last year, but this one's far more compact.

In terms of dimensions, it's similar to the 13-inch Retina Display MacBook Pro, with a wider footprint.

The 14-inch matte display has a 1,600x900-pixel resolution. It's OK, but not nearly as crisp and impressive as displays on other current laptops at this price.

A backlit keyboard feels crisp and responsive, as do the large touch pad beneath and its physical click buttons, but there aren't any standalone macro keys, nor a number pad. You can program keys via Razer's Synapse 2.0 software.

Yes, it's sleek.

Backlit keys, up close.

It's not ultrabook-thin, but the 0.66-inch-thick, 4.1-pound Blade is extremely easy to carry around.

Ports are sparse: three USB 3.0, HDMI, and a headphone jack, but no Ethernet or SD card slot.

You'll probably plug in a mouse or control pad, but keyboard controls work nicely.

No touch screen on this Blade; you'll have to use the touch pad for Windows 8 gestures.

Comfy lap typing.

You could use the new Blade as a regular laptop. But the base 128GB solid-state drive may not be enough for a lot of gamers (you can upgrade to 256GB or 512GB).

The screen tilts back farther than you'd expect.