Razer has introduced a brand new replace for its newest 2022 Razer Blade 14 notebooks that may improve the techniques to USB4 connectivity – with out requiring new {hardware}. The replace will come within the surprising type of a software program replace, that may improve the Blade 14’s twin Sort-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports to USB 4. As well as, the replace will give the notebooks 40Gbps of bandwidth to play with.
Upgrading the USB ports on a laptop computer with a software program replace is just not one thing you see each day. Sadly, Razer hasn’t shared particulars on the way it might improve the 2022 Blade 14 to USB 4 with software program alone. Nonetheless, DIY laptop computer producer Framework lately issued a really related improve for its Twelfth-Gen fashions.
In accordance with a current Framework weblog publish, Framework’s laptops have supported USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4 for years, regardless of not having official assist till final week. It’s because the {hardware} was already in place, together with the retimers, USB energy supply controllers, energy circuitry, and connectors to assist each USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4. Nonetheless, it took Framework two years to handle all of the bugs associated to each connectivity requirements. Final week the corporate lastly unveiled a fully-certified firmware replace for Thunderbolt 4 particularly, however it seems the USB 4 replace remains to be pending.
Nonetheless, we suspect Razer had the same roadmap with the 2022 Razer Blade 14 notebooks, the place these laptops had been constructed with USB 4 in thoughts on the very begin of the design course of. Nonetheless, because of delays and bugs occurring throughout the certification course of, Razer lastly has a USB 4 software program replace prepared for the general public.
For those who personal a 2022 Razer Blade 14, head to Razer’s assist web page (opens in new tab) to obtain the brand new replace to get official USB 4 assist. For extra particulars on USB 4, take a look at our USB information right here, however merely put, USB 4 is the successor to USB 3.2 – and all of its completely different variants, with the largest improve being its bandwidth, rated at 40Gbps.
However that is not all; Razer can also be pairing the replace with Microsoft Pluton assist, giving 2022 Razer Blade 14 notebooks further safety from attackers. Pluton is a devoted chip on the CPU that’s used as a substitute of the TPM module on the laptop computer. This provides additional safety and prevents attackers from accessing the communication lanes between the 2 chips. For all intents and functions, Pluton capabilities as a safer TPM module.
Razer can also be asserting a brand new colour for the 2022 Blade 14, known as the Mercury Version (opens in new tab), which resembles the colour of a standard Apple Macbook. The brand new colour will probably be obtainable on two new SKUs, that includes a Ryzen 9 6900HX processor paired with both an RTX 3060 GPU or an RTX 3070 Ti. The 3060 variant is priced at $1999.99, and the 3070 Ti mannequin is $2,599.99.
