Razer's big-screen Blade Pro gets a cheaper option

Razer's big 17-inch Blade Pro is one of the slimmest big-screen gaming laptops you can buy, but it's also one of the most expensive, starting at $3,999 in the US (or £3,799 and AU$5,899).

Now Razer has a new version of the system, with a more budget-friendly graphics card and screen and a lower price. The new Razer Blade Pro drops from a very high-end Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 GPU (the current gold standard for gaming laptops) to a more mainstream Nvidia GeForce 1060. The display goes from a 4K-resolution version to a 120Hz IPS 1,920x1,080 full HD panel.

Because of these tweaks, the updated version of the Razer Blade Pro now starts at $2,299 in the US and £2,099 in the UK, which works out to AU$2,899. 

The switch to a full HD display is probably a good thing. The Nvidia 1060 GPU is fine for rendering at 1,920x1,080, but you might have to dial down quality settings to drive a 4K screen. More importantly, in our CNET Labs tests, 4K displays always drain laptop batteries much faster than similar systems with HD screens. When faced with a choice, we generally take 1080p over 4K in laptop screens. 

And while it's a few notches down from the top of the line, the Nvidia 1060 GPU can easily drive high-end virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. In the systems we've tested it in, the 1060 is the best balance of value and performance for a laptop GPU right now. 

The processor in the 6.8-pound (3.07kg) entry-level configuration is an Intel core i7-7700HQ, which is paired with 16GB of RAM and a storage combo of a 256GB SSD and 2TB HDD. 

To go along with this revamped 17-inch laptop, Razer also has a new 17-inch laptop backpack. The Razer Rogue is made of ballistic nylon and has a built-in rain cover. There's no price for the new backpack yet, but the existing 15-inch model is $99 in the US. 

The new Blade Pro is expected to be available on Razer's  website in September, and from other retailers in the fourth quarter of 2017.