Razer Blade Stealth (late 2016, Intel 7500U, UHD / HiDPI) Linux Ubuntu & Arch setup, including Razer Core with discrete NVIDIA GPU setup connected via thunderbolt. This page is available as Github Page Contact me at twitter @rolandguelle for questions or open an issue. My current setup is Ubuntu 20.10 (Ubuntu, Gnome, Wayland). Hi everyone Shadowbane here and as some of you know I have recently switched from Windows to Linux (running Linux Mint 19.3). Now that I have gotten the introductions out of the way😄 I will get down to the reason I am creating this post. As some of you may be aware, I recently built a new desktop and this time around I thought I would purchase a gaming keyboard and gaming mouse.

• Razer Blade Linux Fan Control
• Razer Blade Bios Update
• Razer Blade Stealth Linux

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Razer Blade is Razer's line of gaming laptops. There is currently a 13' model (Razer Blade Stealth), 15' model (Razer Blade), and a 17' model (Razer Blade Pro).

This article or section needs expansion.

Due to the proprietary SBUI trackpad on the 17' model, it will be extremely difficult to get it to work without extensive USB protocol reversing.

Installation

Before uninstalling windows make sure to update the bios. It is easier to install the Razer drivers with windows. You can find updates on the support page related to your model.

If you are for some reason unable to boot into windows to perform the update, there is still a patch that you an apply to your kernel build to get things working. However, this will unlikely be maintained due to the availability of the BIOS patch.

The normal installation process works in general with the exceptions enumerated below.

Touchpad

Razer Blade Linux Fan Control

Install the xf86-input-libinput package: this is also the only one that will enable natural scrolling. See Libinput for more information on this driver.

Alternatively, if you prefer using the Touchpad Synaptics driver, install the xf86-input-synaptics package.

If you have issues with the touchpad not working after resuming from sleep, restarting the module i2c_hid seems to work.

In the 2013 version the touchpad works only on Linux 4.0+ without libinput-based X.Org input driver (xf86-input-libinput) thanks to Andrew Duggan's work.

In the 2018 version the touchpad works with the vanilla kernel with BIOS version 1.05.

In the 2019 version the touchpad works with the vanilla kernel and BIOS version 1.02.

Touchscreen

While the touchscreen will provide basic functionality out of the box, it is best to use touchegg^AUR to configure multitouch gestures. These include two-finger scrolling, right-click, etc.

Graphics Drivers

The graphics card works OK with the standard intel drivers which you can install with the xf86-video-intel package. See Intel graphics for more information on installation and configuration.

Issues with screen flickering seem to be resolved by changing AccelMethod to uxa as described in the SNA issues^{[broken link: invalid section]} section.

If you experience screen tearing while scrolling add the following line to the conf above: Option 'TearFree' 'true' and set the 'AccelMethod' to 'sna' and comment out 'uxa'

If you have an Intel Kaby Lake chip wikipedia:Kaby_Lake, and the issue is not fixed with the conf above, add to i915.enable_rc6=0 to the kernel parameters.

Hybrid graphics

If the discrete Nvidia GPU is switched off before starting Xorg or Wayland, then the system freezes. The only possible solution is to manually disable/enable the discrete card after starting the graphical session.However there is a ACPI DSDT fix available which fixes this problem. Check the repository for more information.

Known issues

The trackpad does not work with certain bios versions.

2013 version problems

• SwitchBlade UI does not work due to lack of drivers.
• Trackpad scrolling does not work.

2019 Razer Blade Stealth

• Doesn't resume from sleep properly when the lid is opened. A workaround has been merged into the 5.6 kernel.

Audio

On the latest 'KabyLake' Intel CPU, if you also have a dual-boot with Windows, you might experience some audio issues when booting to Windows and restarting on Linux. The problem is no sound from the speakers and some cracking noises on the headphones - especially when using the touchpad -.No official solution has been posted yet, but a quick hack is to completely shut down the computer (so power off, not restart).

Tips and tricks

Tweaking

If you are using GNOME, the gnome-tweak-tool can be used to adjust the window and font scaling. A font scale of 1.25 puts the font sizes closer to how they are displayed by default in Windows 10.

If you are using an external monitor that is not HiDPI, you can use xrandr to alter the scaling of the external monitor using the instructions for Multiple Displays. You may have better results though running GNOME on Wayland. When installed, clicking the gear icon in GDM will allow you to select Gnome On Wayland and will default to that in the future.

Power management

Configuration option 1 is compatible if you use optimus manager to switch between intel and nvidia drivers.

Power modes and fan control

Razer-Laptop-Control can be used to switch between balanced, gaming and creator power modes, as well as manually adjust fan RPM for much better gaming performance and cooling. You can install it via razer-laptop-control-dkms-git^AUR package for the driver, and use razer-laptop-control-git^AUR package for the CLI tool

Troubleshooting

2016 model issues

Webcam

There is a known issue using high resolutions (more than 360p) on the webcam video driver used by this models. This is well described in this issue #207045 from the Linux Kernel. You can solve it using Arch_Build_System to build your custom kernel and applying this small patch.

Here is how to Patch your kernel.

2014 model issues

• touchpad (multitouch, although this may be a kernel bug that has since been fixed)
• keys to increase/decrease screen illumination not working
• keys to increase/decrease keyboard illumination not working

Possible trackpad solution

Source^{[dead link 2020-04-02 ⓘ]}

Then install the xf86-input-synaptics package.

Feature still not working: pinch to zoom, 3rd mouse button.

Webcam

Setting the uvcvideo option 'quirks=128' appears to let the webcam work at 720p30, thus enabling Google Hangouts support. cheese works after changing resolution to 720p and relaunching. Multiplying the quirk by a power of 2+ further improves video quality to a point. 'quirks=512' seems to work best for one user.

Keyboard

The openrazer-meta^AUR package enables backlight control capabilities (including effects) and macro controls. You may use polychromatic^AUR or razercommander-git^AUR for a GUI to set the keyboard options.

For more information on OpenRazer, see the Razer peripherals#OpenRazer

Infinite suspend loop

Add the following kernel param:

to fix the suspend-resume-loop after closing the lid the first time after boot.

Suspend Loop

Suspending (Close laptop lid) does not seem to work with a basic installation. The lid state transitions from 'open' to 'closed' correctly the first time (and the system suspends), but after resuming from suspend by opening the lid, the lid state does not change back to 'open'. This results in the laptop entering a suspend loop because systemd monitors the lid state, sees that the lid is closed, and suspends the system.

A bug was filed against the kernel ACPI driver in November 2016. It contains a fair amount of documentation on the issue along with a workaround which seems to solve the problem.

To work around the issue, add the following to your kernel parameters:

This will instruct the acpi driver to generate an extra open event when waking from suspend which will keep the system up.

You can check that the setting was acknowledged:

And also view all boot parameters:

Suspending

Some users are reporting the laptop immediately waking up after suspending. It appears to be XHC (USB 3.0 chip) that is causing the wakeups.

You can fix this by running

This will not persist on a restart though. To run this command on every startup, see Systemd#Writing unit files.

Suspending stall issue

If you have suspending stall issue, try to add a new file in /etc/modprobe.d/ with the following contents:

If you have an infinite suspend loop after the first time you close laptop's lid then try adding button.lid_init_state=open to your kernel parameters.[1]

Screen flickering / distorted / noise on 2017 stealth

Option 1: Change edp_vswing=2

Add the kernel parameter:

Other fixes (changing xf86-video-intel settings like DRI and AccelMode do not seem to help)

Option 2: Use LTS Kernel With enable_rc6=0

Razer Blade Bios Update

If the above does not work try adding the following kernel param instead:

The parameter is not available in the latest kernels (e.g. '4.17.5-1') but the linux-lts kernel does (e.g. '4.14.54-1-lts'). This was the only thing I found that worked on my Razer Blade Stealth 13 with i7-8550U cpu.

Option 3: Use intel_idle.max_cstate=1

Instead of reverting to the LTS release, I was able to add the following kernel parameter:

This changes the power options for the kernel. This will increase power usage, as it keeps the processor on all the time. More information can be found here: https://gist.github.com/wmealing/2dd2b543c4d3cff6cab7 . I did not try any other cstates. It may be worth setting max_cstate as high as possible to reduce power usage. I have tested from 8 downward and the first one to work was 'intel_idle.max_cstate=4'

Possible trackpad solution for 2013 version

Source^{[dead link 2020-04-02 ⓘ]}

Then install the xf86-input-synaptics packages.

Feature still not working: pinch to zoom, 3rd mouse button

This article or section needs expansion.

pcieport PCIe Bus Error

You may see the following errors in dmesg:

To fix this, add kernel param:

2013 version

What works

Source^{[dead link 2020-04-02 ⓘ]}

• Wireless
• Switchable graphics
• Bluetooth
• Keyboard light (HW controlled)
• UEFI boot

See also

The Razer Blade 15 Advanced is a great workstation, especially if you plan to use with Linux. This review focuses on how the Razer Blade performs with Linux and how to configure Optimus and Co. to work flawless with Arch Linux.

Note: This is an ongoing review and it's going to be updated from time to time with new observations, benchmarks etc. (2020/03/01)

Hardware Specs

I got the 'entry' version of the Advanced Model of the Razer Blade 15 with the RTX 2070 Max-Q and upgraded the memory and SSD myself. This is straightforward, just remove 10 screws on the bottom with an Torx T5 screwdriver. There are no clips etc. holding it in place, just a magnet in the middle holding it slightly.

• Intel Core i7-9750H
• 64 GB DDR4 2666 Mhz CL 18 (Self-Upgraded)
• Nvidia RTX 2070 Max-Q (Optimus)
• 2 TB Samsung Evo Nvme SSD (Self-Upgraded)
• FHD Display with 240Hz
• Intel AX200 WIFI Controller

Installation

The Arch Linux installation is straightforward for the Razer Blade 15. Just disable Secure Boot in the Bios (Del Key) before installing and boot in UEFI mode.

The AX200 wifi card is working out of the box with recent kernel versions (> 5.1) and the hardware is detected without any issues on Arch Linux. All devices are working, including the integrated webcam (IMC Networks - Azurewave) and the Thunderbolt 3 Controller.

The ElanTech touchpad (ELAN0406:00 04F3:30A6) and the Razer Keyboard (with RGB control per key) works out of the box and without issues too. OpenRazer keyboard control with RazerGenie is working great. Razers effort providing an Open Source Linux solution for that was one of the reasons I picked the Notebook (Kudos!).

The 240 Hz display is automatically detected and works flawless, no need to play around xrandr. I am using the Linux Zen Kernel (pacman -S linux-zen), as it makes the desktop experience 'snappier'. For the Nvidia GPU / Optimus configuration see the section below.

Performance

The Linux performance of the Razer Blade 15 is great, even better then on windows so far. The out of the box CPU undervolting (-100 mV) by Razer is helping keeping it cool and stable also on higher turbo-boosts. CPU performance is great so far, temperatures are low and during day to day usage it's almost silent. Phoronix Test Suite benchmarks are going to follow.

The Intel UHD 630 GPU is doing fine, which is not a real surprise for a Full HD only display, even with 240 Hz. With an 4k display (like the OLED one the Gigabyte Aorus, which I also tested), the UHD 630 would reach its limits, for example when scrolling in a browser.

When you want to use the external display connections, you need to switch to the Nvidia GPU. Thanks to the optimus-manger this is way easier in Arch Linux nowadays than before. (See Nvidia Optimus below). Performance-wise the RTX 2070 Max-Q is doing fine with the proprietary Nvidia Driver (440 Version). Just did some basic testing with glxgears, which were fine. Going to add some Unigine benchmarks later.

GPU / Nvidia Optimus

GPU switching works great with optimus-manager and the proprietary Nvidia driver. As i am using the Linux Zen Kernel, so I am using the dkms version. It makes switching between and hybrid approach (the Nvidia driver turns the card off itself) and the Nvidia RTX 2070 easier and allows saving power when on battery only. The proprietary Nvidia driver offers an integrated power management solution (still marked as experimental) for saving power, which makes using bbswitch obsolete and allows staying in hybird mode, instead of going Intel GPU only.

There are three power saving options available in the Linux Nvidia driver:

• 0x00: This is the default option, no power managment and the GPU is always turned on
• 0x01: The Nvidia GPU is allowed to go into the lowest state, whenever an application requiring the Nvidia GPU it's put into an active state.
• 0x02: The most advanced state, also includes automatic detection of connected devices.

See this guide for an extended explanation. As you need to restart your Xorg server anyways to switch between the Intel and Nvidia GPU, you can just use the most 'advanced' mode 0x02.

Configuration

Create an nvidia.conf in /etc/modprobe.d with the following content:

Once set you need to reboot.

Switching between the Intel and Nvidia GPU using optimus manager is straight forward:

Please note this is going to kill your current Xorg session.

Battery runtime

Without heavy use and on the lowest Nvidia power state (0x02 see Nvidia Optimus) powertop (no optimizations) is showing a discharge rate of 9 to 12 W, which is fine for a 240 Hz display. In daily use i get around 5-8 hours so far (with Intel GPU only).

Noise / Temperature / CPU Undervolting

During basic users the coolers are almost silent. During day to day use (Development with VSCode / Jetbrains products, Docker, Surfing) it stays quiet too. You only notice the coolers, once you are compiling software, like an custom kerne or other packages (like from AUR).

I didn't notice any coil whine on my model. As there were some reviews complaining about it, you should definitely check for it once it arrives.

The CPU temperature stays below 50° degrees Celsius most of the time, even during normal use. Razer already undervolted the CPU and the CPU Cache by around -100 mV, so there is not much space left for more undervolting. As the temperatures are fine for me, I didn't bother undervolting more.

Stability

The Razer Blade runs rock-stable so far, didn't had any glitches and even with an uptime of almost 4 days in docked mode no issues showed up. With the out of the box Bios Version (1.0.5) there were no hardware detection / ACPI issues. Standby (S3) is working fine, same for lid close / open detection. For dock use you can disable standby on lid close in the systemd-logind configuration (/etc/systemd/logind.conf - set HandleLidSwitch to ignore).

Throttling

Compared to the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 (i7-8850H), the Gigabyte Aorus (i7-9750H) and the MSI GS65 (i7-8750H) the Razer Blade 15 CPU is throttling less often so far. Especially the Lenovo and MSI throttled quite fast once you put some load on them. The Blade 15 is behaving way better here (even with undervolting on the other machines), didn't had any Kernel warning for overheating so far.

Razer Blade Stealth Linux

Verdict

After testing a lot of notebooks during the last years, I was really surprised about the Razer Blade 15 Advanced CPU + GPU performance and stability. It's working without issues and stable with Arch Linux and Kernel 5.5.7 so far. If you are looking for a decent and modern Linux Notebook, you should take the Razer Blade 15 into account.

• Great performance
• Stable and Quiet during day-to-day usage
• Awesome display
• Build Quality and decent design
• Good battery runtime
• OpenRazer support

• Heavy 230W charger
• No Thunderbolt 3 charging
• Optimus switching (it's working, but ...)
• Proprietary Nvidia driver