In its base configuration, the workstation laptop features a 16GB Quadro RTX 5000 GPU, 32GB of dual-channel DDR4-2933MHz RAM and a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD. You can configure the computer with up to 64GB of RAM and 4TB of internal storage. 

The Blade 15 Studio Edition is available to buy today. At $4,299, the new model is $300 more expensive than its predecessor. More capable processor aside, the updated Studio Edition isn’t significantly better than the laptop that came before it. Part of the appeal of last year’s model was its price relative to other workstation laptops. For $4,000, you got a lot of computing power in a small and attractive package. To be clear, creative professionals will still find a lot to like about the Blade 15 Studio Edition, especially now that it comes with an 8-core processor. However, they may look to other options before considering Razer’s latest laptop.

The rig can support up to 64GB of RAM, with space for up to four DDR4 RAM sticks — more than enough for most gamers but if you’re a RAM hog you might want to hold out for 128GB support, which Origin says is coming soon. There are several display options available, too, all supporting NVIDIA G-SYNC, including the 17.3” 240Hz 1080p display and 17.3” 60Hz UHD 4K display. Connectivity comes in the form of Thunderbolt 3, mini display port and HDMI ports, plus five USB ports, so if you want to add extra screens you’ve got a lot of choice about how you do it. Naturally, there’s a full RGB per key backlit keyboard, too.

Of course, it’s not cheap — it’s all the grunt power of a desktop artfully packed into a laptop, after all — so the EON17-X will set you back at least $2,599, more depending on your desired specs. You can also get your machine UV printing, laser etching or a custom paint job while you’re at it. This gaming beast is available direct from OriginPC.com now, and comes with free lifetime 24/7 US-based phone support.

Things actually get a bit more interesting as you move down the line, though. The i7-10700K is essentially the same chip as that 9900K, an 8-core, 16-thread 5Ghz processor that should retail for about $100 less. In fact, all the core chips down to i3 now feature hyperthreading, which can boost performance in certain programs by 20-30%. This actually makes the i3 potentially appealing. The i3-10300 looks suspiciously similar to Intel’s last 4-core flagship, the i7-7700K, but should cost $150. That might not cut it for super heavy workloads like rendering or data processing, but for most games and daily tasks, the i7-7700K still holds up.

Of course, there are downsides. These CPUs all require a new motherboard and chipset, called Z490, and they don’t enable PCIe 4.0, the new interface standard that allows for super fast storage. There are rumors that Intel’s next CPUs might keep compatibility with Z490 and that those chips will add PCIe 4.0, but for now you’re stuck with PCIe 3. It should be noted that AMD’s high-end chips all support PCIe 4.0, and AMD has managed to keep motherboard compatibility for the past three years. (Although PCIe 4.0 does require a motherboard with one of its latest chipsets.) These Intel 10th-gen chips are also still based on Intel’s aging 14nm manufacturing process and Skylake architecture, so aside from more cores, don’t expect huge performance gains here.

Do these Intel 10th-gen chips bring the competition back to AMD? Well, it’s a step in the right direction. They do offer more cores for the same price, and unlock features up and down the product line. Intel’s chips do also tend to be a little faster per-core in certain programs, but AMD is catching up, and they do offer some compelling alternatives, like the 12 core 3900X, which can be found for around $430. After years of CPU stagnation, any competition is good, and as price-per-core has plummeted over the past three years, we consumers get to reap the benefits.

Intel made a bold statement today at CES: It’s surpassing the 5GHz barrier with its upcoming Core i7 H-series 10th generation processors, which are headed to notebooks. That’ll make them even faster than its current top-of-the-line Core i9 H-series chip, the 9980HK, which maxes out at 5GHz. Sure, it’s not too surprising that Intel is reaching beyond that speed, but it’s notable that it’s doing so in the lesser i7 line. And as usual, you can expect the next i9 chip to come in even faster than that i7.

Additionally, the company claims the 10th-gen H-series processors will also scale better across eight cores, which should also lead to a decent performance boost. Intel wouldn’t divulge any more details about its upcoming processors, but we can expect to hear more during its CES keynote on Monday.