The Razer Blade Pro 17 comes with advanced connectivity, making it the perfect choice for work. Featuring USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2.5Gb Ethernet, a UHS-III SD Card Reader, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Windows Hello, and Thunderbolt™ 3— simply plug in your external devices to set up your workstation on-the-go. If you're running low on power, connect the USB-C. An entirely open source driver and user-space daemon that allows you to manage your Razer peripherals on GNU/Linux.
tl;dr The Razer Blade 2015 is a great portable gaming workstation. After months of research, tweaking, and ironing out the kinks, I've found that Linux Mint runs beautifully. The only problem still unresolved is an issue with the internal webcam.
Prologue
I've been looking for a portable gaming PC for a while. Last year, Lifehacker's review of the 2015 Razer Blade Full HD convinced me that was the machine I've been waiting for.
A few months back Razer finally put that model up on Amazon, at a discount. With the power of a credit card, I finally had the mini gaming workstation of my dreams in hand!
I've done 3 or 4 full builds of Linux before, all with Mint. One on a Chromebook, but mostly on machines with slightly dated hardware. This build has by far been the hardest, and I learned the hard way that Linux isn't as stable on 'new' hardware.
Chapter 1: Pre-install
Expand SSD storage (optional)
The SSD in the Full HD edition is about 250 GB. If you're like me and want to dual-boot, this doesn't leave much space to split. If you're going to replace the ssd with a larger one, now's the time to do it. Here's a video on how:
Prepare your SSD (optional)
There's loads of stuff that can be done to reduce the wear on a SSD. Several things on this list can, and should, only be done before install. It's something to consider.
Get a bootable USB drive
Get the download for Mint from the downloads page, I highly recommend you choose the Mate version over Cinnamon. Mint and Cinnamon are the window managers that come bundled with their respective version of the Mint download. This choice will come into play later. Although, if you choose Cinnamon and run into problems, there are ways to switch after the fact.
Open up the Linux Mint User Guide and follow the instructions under the 'Check the MD5' section of the guide for verifying the Linux Mint download. You'll also want this open for details on most of the initial setup process. This post only covers steps beyond the guide.
Use this tutorial to mount the downloaded .iso to a USB drive that's at least 2GB.
Chapter 2: Install
Plug the Razer Blade into a power source. Follow the directions in the user guide to boot from USB and start the install process.
If you end up on the partition menu to customize the size of the install, make sure to add a few GB partition as 'swap area'. Among other things, this is important for resuming from a suspend. Learned this the hard way.
Follow the rest of the directions to install completely and remove the USB drive (it'll prompt you).
After install, boot up the machine, sign in, and install any updates from the Update Manager. Inquisitor dragon age.
Chapter 3: Fixing hardware issues
There are several parts of the hardware that just aren't hooked up right with the base install. I ran into issues with suspend black-screening indefinitely, two-finger scroll not working and other touchpad issues, and the internal webcam not working.
The only concrete and consistent fix I've found is to change the version of the Linux kernel being used to one of the more recent versions. This is a critical part of the system, so use caution, but I was able to fix most of my hardware issues this way.
Changing the kernel
Using the same Update Manager, navigate to View > Linux Kernels. This menu shows the full list of kernels available to switch to. As of this writing, the recommended and default kernel for Mint is 3.19.0-32. I tried several different versions, some fixing some issues and creating others. The version I found most stable is 4.2.0-18, and that's what I landed on.
Load up 4.2.0-18 and then restart the machine. Mint should automatically boot into the latest version.
This should fix the touchpad and suspend issues. The internal webcam issue still haunts me. I've worked around it by booting into Windows (works fine there) or using an external one. There are severalthreads that have mentioned this as a common issue.
Chapter 4: Fixing software issues
As I'll touch on in the last chapter, battery length was a bit disappointing at first. With Cinnamon, by default I was barely getting 1.5 hours of battery life with general usage (internet browsing, videos, code editor)! Maybe 2.5 using Windows. At first this felt like a deal breaker, until I fixed the issues actually causing the power drain. Now I can get around 3.5 - 4. Which, in my opinion, is decent for a laptop gaming rig.
Switching to Nvidia drivers
At some point, it may be explicitly beneficial for you to switch to the Nvidia video card drivers over the default open-source X.Org drivers. Switching will also provide more fine grain control over the video card and provides the ability to switch between Performance settings and Power Saving settings.
Mint comes installed with Driver Manager. Open that up. There should only be the one set of video driver options. The OS recommends switching to the nvidia-352 drivers but I went with nvidia-352-updates just to get the latest fixes.
Apply the changes and restart when it prompts.
Switching from Cinnamon
I made the mistake of installing the Cinnamon version of Mint, which led to some problems. Cinnamon, just like Mate, is a display manager for the OS. It's a bit cleaner and chicer than Mate, but I ran into huge performance issues with Cinnamon. This screenshot below depicts the issue.
CPU usage would start oscillating randomly. I noticed because, without any high-demand programs running, scrolling and typing would start lagging. Every time it happened I opened up the System Monitor and found this same pattern. The process that was causing this CPU fluctuation was Cinnamon. I tried a myriad of commands, tweaks, and tricks to try to fix the issue, but was never successful. I ended up switching to Mate, which resolved these issues completely.
Switching to Mate isn't hard. Following a tutorial like this should do the trick. After installing Mate, remember to set it as your default by opening up Login Window > Options > Default session.
Doing this also ended up giving me an hour or so of battery life back, so I highly recommend it.
Chapter 5: Power savers
The rest are just tips for getting the most out of the battery.
Set the autostart brightness
By default the brightness of the screen is all the way up. I rarely want it that high, so I set the autostart brightness to about 40%. That way I don't have to remember to lower it everytime. This answer explains how-to (the comments explain how to find your brightness levels).
Consider disabling bluetooth
Keeping bluetooth running all the time chews up battery life, just like it does on your phone. There are several ways to disable bluetooth in Linux Mint.
Epilogue
That's it. After months of tweaking, and 3 re-builds of the same machine I've come out happy with my Razer Blade. As I mentioned, my only issue left is the internal webcam. Hopefully, as the hardware becomes more supported, the kernels will fix this issue.
Fix something I didn't mention, or have a question? Leave your comments in the section below.
This article or section needs language, wiki syntax or style improvements. See Help:Style for reference.
There are currently no official drivers for any Razer peripherals in Linux. However, Michael Buesch has created a tool called razercfg to configure Razer mice under Linux. There also exist scripts to enable macro keys of Razer keyboards.
Another package, openrazer-metaAUR can be used to enable Razer support along with polychromaticAUR or razergenieAUR for GUI configuration. Don't starve shipwrecked guide. Supported devices are listed at https://openrazer.github.io/#devices.
razercfg
Compatibility
razercfg lists the following mice models as stable:
- Razer DeathAdder 2013
- Razer DeathAdder 3500 DPI
- Razer DeathAdder Black Edition
- Razer DeathAdder Chroma
- Razer DeathAdder Classic
- Razer Krait
- Razer Naga 2012
- Razer Naga 2014
- Razer Naga Classic
- Razer Naga Hex
- Razer Taipan
And the following as stable but missing minor features:
- Razer Boomslang CE
- Razer Copperhead
- Razer Lachesis
Installation
Download and install razercfg or razercfg-gitAUR for bleeding edge git releases from the AUR.
You also need to edit your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file to disable the current mouse settings by commenting them out as in the following example, where also some defaults are set as suggested by the author:
It is important to only have Mouse and not Mouse# listed in xorg.conf.
The factual accuracy of this article or section is disputed.
Restart the computer, then enter:
Then start the razerd daemon and possibly enable it.
Using the Razer Configuration Tool
The factual accuracy of this article or section is disputed. Adfly link extractor extension.
There are two commands you can use, one for the command line tool razercfg or the Qt-based GUI tool qrazercfg.
From the tool you can use the 5 profiles, change the DPI, change mouse frequency, enable and disable the scroll and logo lights and configure the buttons.
If the colors reset on reboot edit the config file directly and test with another reboot:
'static' can probably be changed to spectrum or breathing, and mode/color lines can be removed if led is set to 'off'.
OpenRazer
Compatibility
A list of compatible devices can be found here.
Chapter 4: Fixing software issues
As I'll touch on in the last chapter, battery length was a bit disappointing at first. With Cinnamon, by default I was barely getting 1.5 hours of battery life with general usage (internet browsing, videos, code editor)! Maybe 2.5 using Windows. At first this felt like a deal breaker, until I fixed the issues actually causing the power drain. Now I can get around 3.5 - 4. Which, in my opinion, is decent for a laptop gaming rig.
Switching to Nvidia drivers
At some point, it may be explicitly beneficial for you to switch to the Nvidia video card drivers over the default open-source X.Org drivers. Switching will also provide more fine grain control over the video card and provides the ability to switch between Performance settings and Power Saving settings.
Mint comes installed with Driver Manager. Open that up. There should only be the one set of video driver options. The OS recommends switching to the nvidia-352 drivers but I went with nvidia-352-updates just to get the latest fixes.
Apply the changes and restart when it prompts.
Switching from Cinnamon
I made the mistake of installing the Cinnamon version of Mint, which led to some problems. Cinnamon, just like Mate, is a display manager for the OS. It's a bit cleaner and chicer than Mate, but I ran into huge performance issues with Cinnamon. This screenshot below depicts the issue.
CPU usage would start oscillating randomly. I noticed because, without any high-demand programs running, scrolling and typing would start lagging. Every time it happened I opened up the System Monitor and found this same pattern. The process that was causing this CPU fluctuation was Cinnamon. I tried a myriad of commands, tweaks, and tricks to try to fix the issue, but was never successful. I ended up switching to Mate, which resolved these issues completely.
Switching to Mate isn't hard. Following a tutorial like this should do the trick. After installing Mate, remember to set it as your default by opening up Login Window > Options > Default session.
Doing this also ended up giving me an hour or so of battery life back, so I highly recommend it.
Chapter 5: Power savers
The rest are just tips for getting the most out of the battery.
Set the autostart brightness
By default the brightness of the screen is all the way up. I rarely want it that high, so I set the autostart brightness to about 40%. That way I don't have to remember to lower it everytime. This answer explains how-to (the comments explain how to find your brightness levels).
Consider disabling bluetooth
Keeping bluetooth running all the time chews up battery life, just like it does on your phone. There are several ways to disable bluetooth in Linux Mint.
Epilogue
That's it. After months of tweaking, and 3 re-builds of the same machine I've come out happy with my Razer Blade. As I mentioned, my only issue left is the internal webcam. Hopefully, as the hardware becomes more supported, the kernels will fix this issue.
Fix something I didn't mention, or have a question? Leave your comments in the section below.
This article or section needs language, wiki syntax or style improvements. See Help:Style for reference.
There are currently no official drivers for any Razer peripherals in Linux. However, Michael Buesch has created a tool called razercfg to configure Razer mice under Linux. There also exist scripts to enable macro keys of Razer keyboards.
Another package, openrazer-metaAUR can be used to enable Razer support along with polychromaticAUR or razergenieAUR for GUI configuration. Don't starve shipwrecked guide. Supported devices are listed at https://openrazer.github.io/#devices.
razercfg
Compatibility
razercfg lists the following mice models as stable:
- Razer DeathAdder 2013
- Razer DeathAdder 3500 DPI
- Razer DeathAdder Black Edition
- Razer DeathAdder Chroma
- Razer DeathAdder Classic
- Razer Krait
- Razer Naga 2012
- Razer Naga 2014
- Razer Naga Classic
- Razer Naga Hex
- Razer Taipan
And the following as stable but missing minor features:
- Razer Boomslang CE
- Razer Copperhead
- Razer Lachesis
Installation
Download and install razercfg or razercfg-gitAUR for bleeding edge git releases from the AUR.
You also need to edit your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file to disable the current mouse settings by commenting them out as in the following example, where also some defaults are set as suggested by the author:
It is important to only have Mouse and not Mouse# listed in xorg.conf.
The factual accuracy of this article or section is disputed.
Restart the computer, then enter:
Then start the razerd daemon and possibly enable it.
Using the Razer Configuration Tool
The factual accuracy of this article or section is disputed. Adfly link extractor extension.
There are two commands you can use, one for the command line tool razercfg or the Qt-based GUI tool qrazercfg.
From the tool you can use the 5 profiles, change the DPI, change mouse frequency, enable and disable the scroll and logo lights and configure the buttons.
If the colors reset on reboot edit the config file directly and test with another reboot:
'static' can probably be changed to spectrum or breathing, and mode/color lines can be removed if led is set to 'off'.
OpenRazer
Compatibility
A list of compatible devices can be found here.
Installation
Install the openrazer-metaAUR package. Don't forget to add your current user to the group plugdev with the command sudo gpasswd -a $USER plugdev and logging out and back in.
How to use
The recommended way is to use a graphical front-end for interfacing with the drivers.
- polychromaticAUR: A WebKit-based front-end featuring profiles
- razergenieAUR: A Qt-based front-end
- razercommanderAUR: A GTK-based front-end
Razer Blade 15 Linux
Troubleshooting
Visit the Troubleshooting page in the OpenRazer wiki.
Razer keyboards
There are currently two Python scripts available to enable the extra M1 - M5 macro keys, that certain Razers have, under Linux:Note that this does not allow to assign any content to Macro keys, it merely will enable the sending of keycodes. For Razers without M1 -M5 extra keys there is no point using this tool.
Blackwidow Control
Features
- confirmed to work with regular BlackWidow, BlackWidow 2013 and BlackWidow Ultimate Stealth 2014
- should also work with BlackWidow Ultimate, BlackWidow Ultimate 2013 and BlackWidow 2014
- does not work with BlackWidow (Ultimate) 2016 yet
- uses Python 3
- allows to control the status of the LED
- contains a file with udev rule so macro keys will be enabled automatically when the keyboard is plugged in
How to Use
Install it from AUR blackwidowcontrolAURAfter install run as root
Then use the shortcut utility of your Desktop Enviroment to map the keys, i.e. to actually use the macro keys for something useful. For example, the 'KDE global shortcuts' GUI (find it in system settings) can assign macros to a key on any keyboard, not just Razers.
Blackwidow macro scripts
Features
- Works with BlackWidow Ultimate and Stealth 2013 (unknown whether it works with other versions or keyboard models)
- adding the '021e' ID for Ornata Chroma makes the Game-mode feature (white 'G' LED) work on Ornata Chroma as well.
- Uses Python 2
- Bundles scripts to create and execute macros
Troubleshooting
Mouse randomly stops working
Razer Blade 2017 Review
If your razer mouse stops working after some time, however, led flashes or lights up, but reboot and re-plugging does not help, try the following commands.
Razer Blade Linux Drivers
Unload ehci_pci and ehci_hcd modules:
Disconnect the mouse, wait a few seconds and run the following commands to load modules back:
Connect the mouse and it should be working.
Razer Blade Advanced Linux
