What you need to know
- RazerCon 2024 is currently underway in Hamburg, Germany.
- Among many other announcements, Razer unveiled news that Intel's Thunderbolt Share feature is coming to all Blade 18 (2024) models.
- Thunderbolt Share was first introduced by Intel in May 2024 as a solution for speedy PC-to-PC connectivity.
- Thunderbolt Share works with Thunderbolt 4 and 5 ports, but laptops must be officially "Thunderbolt Share" licensed for it to work.
Razer is well-known as one of the leading makers of gaming laptops and gaming accessories, and its premium products often include the bleeding edge of innovation. Its RazerCon 2024 expo is currently underway in Hamburg, Germany, with the company showing off a ton of new hardware, software, and upgrades.
One major piece of news that caught my attention involves Intel's Thunderbolt Share technology coming to the Razer Blade 18. The Blade 18 for 2024 is the most powerful laptop we've ever tested at Windows Central, and it's also one of the only laptops on the market to feature the latest Thunderbolt 5 connectivity.
If the awesome transfer speeds with up to 80Gb/s bi-directional bandwidth and DisplayPort 2.1 support for external monitors weren't enough, the latest Blade 18 models are now licensed for Thunderbolt Share. PC-to-PC transfers just got a whole lot easier.
Why Thunderbolt Share matters for PC users
As far as PC-to-PC sharing goes, Thunderbolt Share is shaping up to be the fastest and most convenient — at least as long as you have a PC with a Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 5 port. Thunderbolt Share is a downloadable piece of software that, when applied to a licensed PC, unlocks some handy tools.
My colleague and Windows Central Editor Ben Wilson saw Thunderbolt Share in action during his time at Intel's 2024 Tech Tour in Taipei, where the company was demoing "seamless file transfer and desktop sharing," and it's finally coming to laptops with this Blade 18 announcement from Razer.
Why is Thunderbolt Share a big deal? As someone who frequently has more than one PC running at once on my desk, it looks like an incredibly easy way to not only transfer and share files but also to effectively set up a KVM (Keyboard-Video-Mouse) switch for sharing accessories and monitors between PCs.
Thunderbolt Share works with a direct connection between two licensed PCs, and it also works if you place a Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 5 dock somewhere in between. While it's great for creators and multitaskers who incorporate multiple PCs into their workflow, it also applies to PC gamers (hence the Blade 18 licensing).
Many PC gamers, including myself, like to have guides, maps, and streams open on a separate monitor, but running extra software can steal resources. With Thunderbolt Share, you'll be able to run two PCs seamlessly on the same desk; one for gaming and the other for supporting software.
In a more general sense, being able to drag and drop files between PCs or migrate entire systems (I can see this is a great alternative for cloning) without relying on third-party software or cloud storage will only improve security and privacy.
Here's the rub: Intel says that Thunderbolt Share technically works with any desktop or laptop PC with Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 5 and that meets the minimum requirements. Those requirements are as follows:
- PCs with Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 5 ports
- Windows 11 as an OS
- A certified Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 5 cable
- Intel Graphics Driver version 0.101.4826 (or newer)
However — and it's a big however — at least one of the PCs must have Thunderbolt Share licensing. So let's say you have a Razer Blade 18. You can connect it to any of the best Windows laptops with a Thunderbolt 4 or 5 port (or with a Thunderbolt dock in between) to gain access to the features.
Intel lists Acer, Lenovo, MSI, and Razer as laptop makers that are in on Thunderbolt Share, but as far as I can tell the Blade 18 is the first laptop licensed for the new tech. It's expected to come to other Blade laptops in the future, including those with Thunderbolt 4. Dock makers like Belkin, Kensington, OWC, and Plugable are also listed as on board with the program. Ben Wilson tested and reviewed the Kensington SD5000T5 EQ, one of the world's first Thunderbolt 5 docks to hit the market.
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Razer's Blade 18 (2024) is a monster gaming laptop
As if PC gamers with deep pockets needed even more reason to consider the Razer Blade 18, its new Thunderbolt Share licensing makes it even easier to transfer files and split accessories between PCs.
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My colleague Ben Wilson tested and reviewed the Blade 18 for 2024 earlier this year, ultimately handing it a Windows Central Best Award and a 90% overall score. No, it's not perfect, but as Wilson put it, it's "still the world's most powerful gaming laptop."
In his review, Wilson highlights the fact that the laptop — equipped with an Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4090 Laptop GPU — can "effortlessly run almost any game at Ultra settings." The choice between an LCD screen with UHD+ resolution at 240Hz or a QHD+ mini-LED screen at 300Hz is applauded, and he also points out that the USB-C ports are Thunderbolt 5.
The laptop is heavy and has a big footprint, but that's expected with this level of performance hardware inside. It also has dreadful battery life (also expected), and its fans work hard to keep it cool. Nevertheless, it's much easier to carry around than a high-end desktop gaming PC, which it was it's trying to emulate.
Razer Blade 18 prices start at a whopping $2,800 and climb quickly as you add more powerful performance hardware.
