The Gateway 14.1" is a budget-friendly laptop with basic specs suitable for general use; however, it may struggle with demanding tasks due to its lesser storage, RAM, and processor. Conversely, the Razer Blade 17 is a high-end, powerful machine with significantly more storage and RAM, and a high-performance processor and graphics card, making it well-suited for 3D rendering, machine learning, engineering, and intensive gaming. The Razer also boasts a higher resolution display with better color coverage, which is ideal for creative work, but does come with a higher price tag and is less portable due to its larger size and heavier weight. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Gateway 14.1"
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Razer Blade 17
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.6/10
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
208.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" laptop, with basic CPU and RAM, lower screen resolution and brightness, and less robust build and heat management, underperforms in speed, multitasking, and visual experience compared to the Razer Blade 17, which boasts a high-end CPU, ample RAM, a superior screen quality with higher resolution and brightness, resulting in significantly smoother and more responsive usage for a variety of tasks. While the Razer is heavier and less portable, it more than compensates with a much more capable system overall, though the Gateway offers a lighter build and potentially longer battery life despite its limited performance.
Gaming and AI
5.4/10
8.6/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" is hindered in gaming and 3D tasks primarily due to its less powerful Intel UHD Graphics 600 GPU and lower screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which are not suitable for demanding visuals and fluid motion required in these activities. In contrast, the Razer Blade 17 excels with its high-end Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU and a much higher refresh rate of 144Hz, allowing for superior graphic processing and a smoother visual experience, necessary for intense gaming and 3D rendering.
Engineering and Design
5.5/10
9.1/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Gateway 14.1" falls short for engineering and design due to its lesser CPU, RAM, GPU, and screen quality, making it unable to handle demanding software used in these fields. Conversely, the Razer Blade 17 excels with its superior CPU, RAM, GPU, and high-quality screen, providing the necessary power and precision for complex engineering tasks and design work.
Content Creation
5.8/10
8.5/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for content creation, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
5.8/10
8.5/10
3.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for software development, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
6.0/10
8.6/10
14.1in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
208.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
The Razer Blade 17 has a better screen than the Gateway 14.1" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Gateway 14.1" offers acceptable clarity and brightness for everyday tasks and sufficient color accuracy for casual design work, but the screen may not be sharp or vibrant enough for high-end engineering software or visually intensive games. The Razer Blade 17's display provides high resolution and excellent color representation, making it ideal for detailed engineering and design tasks, yet its lower refresh rate limits its capability for smooth rendering in fast-paced 3D games. While the Gateway is more budget-friendly and offers basic functionality, the Razer is geared towards professionals needing quality visuals, though gamers might seek out other models with faster refresh rates for the best gaming experience.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Gateway 14.1" has 8 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
14.1in
SIZE
17.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
6.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gateway 14.1" has very good portability, while the Razer Blade 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
8.5/10
The Razer Blade 17 has very good build quality, while the Gateway 14.1" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$99
$4,300
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Gateway 14.1" has a price of $99 and the Razer Blade 17 costs $4,300.
"The Gateway Ultra Slim 14" is surprisingly quiet with long battery life. The inexpensive Gateway excels at maximizing performance per dollar with lots of RAM and storage, super-quiet fan, and a long battery life. It can even house up to two M.2 SSDs which we weren't expecting from such a cheap system. However, the iffy reliability of the keyboard and USB-C port on our test unit means users should double-check for these potential issues immediately after purchasing."
"Our test configuration of the Blade 17 targets gamers and creative professionals. A Core i9-12900H processor, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP after the BIOS update, 16 GB of VRAM), and 32 GB of working memory equip the laptop for video processing, rending, and 4k gaming at the highest level. In addition, a fast PCIe-4 SSD (1 TB) ensures short load and storage times. With the Blade 17 (Early 2022), Razer delivers a successful and powerful work device for creative professionals. But this also has its price."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 14.1" or the Razer Blade 17
About Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
About Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
98,595
Recommendations made
21,363
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.