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With the introduction of the Blade 14’s silver color scheme, the firm also announced a software upgrade that improves peripheral compatibility. A Microsoft Pluton security chip that was reportedly already present in these devices was also turned on.
Silver is now available for the Razer 2022 Blade 14 gaming laptop, giving it an even more MacBook-like appearance. The company will update all 2022 Blade 14 machines’ software to add Thunderbolt capability and convert the two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports to the more feature-rich USB 4 standard. This is the major piece of news.
Except for modular Framework Laptops, it’s extremely uncommon for ports on existing laptops to grow better, and it’s even more unusual for laptops with AMD-based CPUs like this one to support Thunderbolt since Thunderbolt is an Intel technology. The only other one that comes to mind is the 2022 Nitro 5 from Acer, which has an AMD processor.
A Microsoft Pluton security processor that had reportedly been dormant in these devices has also been enabled by the company. To prevent future CPU-based attacks like Spectre and Meltdown that potentially damage PCs, this chip is built into the CPU. If any of this sounds familiar, it’s since Razer first pledged support for USB 4 and Pluton in its pink Blade 14 in July 2022 before changing its mind.
In a news statement, Razer states that the transition to USB 4 will offer “increased peripheral compatibility,” including support for Thunderbolt docks and external graphics card (eGPU) enclosures in addition to other use cases, such as daisy-chaining multiple monitors.
However, Razer has yet to provide one crucial piece of information: speed. While USB 4 offers a minimum speed of 20 Gbps and a maximum speed of 40 Gbps, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 has a speed cap of 20 Gbps. It would be fantastic if Razer could somehow increase these ports’ bandwidth with a software update, but I’m dubious. The improvement here is ambiguous, so The Verge has contacted Razer for more information on the specifications. However, it’s a win either way given the increase in security and compatibility with more peripherals.
