Category Archives: Computers

[CES 2023] LG Introduces More gram for the Masses

January 10, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

LG introduced their gram a few years ago. They were introduced to the world as the world’s lightest and probably thinnest laptops you can find. The LG gram laptops are no slouches though, they were premium powerhouses that are made to be worked on from anywhere at any time.

LG announced and introduced a bunch of things in CES 2023. They announced new TVs and sound bars for 2023 with updated WebOS and hardware for better pictures and sounds. They also introduced a few new home appliances with smart home capabilities. But these are not the only things they launched in CES 2023.

Welcome to the new LG gram line-up. LG gram is currently the only laptop line-up from LG other than their UltraGear laptops launched last year. Again, LG’s gram is built for a different specific purpose.

LG gram Ultraslim

The new LG gram Ultraslim is the new thinnest laptop from LG’s stables. At 10.99mm, the LG gram is not going to break records as the thinnest laptop in the world. It is still thinner than most laptops too. It also only weighs just below 1kg at just 998g. It is built tough too with MIL-810H standards.

That does not mean that LG skimmed on performance though. The LG gram will still be packing Intel’s latest 13^th generation Core processor. Of course, there is not much in terms of space so there is no discreet GPU here. You get Intel’s Xe graphics though, a proven platform even when you need to it for content creation purposes.

The Ultraslim 15Z90RT also packs a stunning 15.6-inch OLED display with a coating that minimizes glare and reflections. You get Full HD in resolution and up to 400nits in brightness that might come in handy when you are working in a well-lit environment. You can choose to fit your LG gram Ultraslim with up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB in SSD storage. LG did not quote any battery life numbers but they did reveal that there is a 60Wh battery packed within the svelte body.

LG gram Style

They did not just launch the thinnest LG gram just yet. They also launched a line-up of laptops that are geared for those who wants something with a unique twist. It comes in two sizes too (16-inch and 14-inch), so there is an ideal size for everyone.

The LG gram Style in both sizes will come packing 16:10 OLED displays with up to WQXGA+ resolution (3,200 x 2,000) for the best working experience you can get in a thin-and-light laptop. You also get up to 120Hz in refresh rate for the best viewing experience you can get in a modern laptop of its class.

Of course, the Windows 11 you see on the brilliant display is powered by Intel’s 13^th generation Core processor with Intel Iris Xe graphics. Alongside the processor is up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM for maximum speed and optimized productivity no matter what you need the laptop to do. The 16-inch variant comes with 80Wh battery pack while the 14-inch comes with 72Wh battery that offers long-lasting battery life for remote working situations. All of these is packed into a body built at MIL-810H standards and weighs only 1,230g (999g for 14-inch).

The All-New LG gram

They also introduced 17-inch, 16-inch, 15-inch, and 14-inch laptops embracing the regular gram branding. These ones comes with discrete GPUS (17-inch and 16-inch). You can opt for an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 entry level laptop GPU which should allow you to enjoy most esports titles today. Of course, you also get Intel’s 13^th generation Core processors.

The displays are not OLED panels, but they will still offer top-notch colour and image experience with IPS panels projecting up to WQXGA resolutions at 16:10 aspect ratio. The IPS panel also offers variable refresh rate at up to 144Hz to extend battery life and to optimize viewing experience for users. For entertainment purposes, the speakers are Dolby Atmos certified for some immersive experience for your movies and music. You also get to enjoy your movies and music for up to 20 hours at a time with up to 90Wh on tap on your laptop.

Availability

LG did not mention when the LG gram line-ups will be available just yet. There are no mentions on its price as well currently. We are guessing that the new LG gram laptops will be available sometime between next month and July 2023. All LG’s latest gram line-up comes with Full HD webcam with IR blaster for Window Hello facial recognition function. The LG gram 2-in-1 line-up will also come with updated internals for 2023.

Computers, Gaming, Lifestyle, News

[CES 2023] Lenovo Announces the Legion Pro 7 and Legion Pro 5 with AI Tuning for Gaming Purposes

January 9, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Lenovo had a very interesting CES 2023. Instead of launching a bunch of new hardware and peripherals, they really leaned into what they are really strong at; the introduced a whole slew of new laptops. Then there is Lenovo’s skunkworks, the Legion. They introduces four new products, or eight depending on how you look at it.

Lenovo Legion 7/7i – Lenovo’s Definitive Gaming Laptop Made Even Better with AI

Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo

Welcome to the 2023 Legion Legion Pro 7 and Legion Pro 7i. They are practically the same gaming PCs you can take around and slay in the most popular esports titles wherever you are. They feature the same body designs, mostly same internals, and even the same displays. The only differentiator for both the Legion Pro 7 and Legion Pro 7i is the processors in both laptops. If you have not known yet, the Legion Pro 7i will pack Intel’s latest 13^th Generation Core processors while the Lenovo Legion Pro 7 packs AMD’s very newly launched Ryzen 7000 series mobile CPUs. Both will get a healthy dose of NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs too.

To get the most out of the most powerful chips from Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA, Lenovo updated the cooling internals. The result is a wider vapor chamber for both the CPU and GPU. To take full advantage of the updated cooling hardware, the CPU re lined with a liquid metal infusion sending even more heat from the CPU to the heat spreader allowing either the AMD or Intel chip to go full blast even at 235W power draw. They call it the ColdFront 5.0 with Hybrid Thermals.

They say that the Lenovo Legion Pro 7 and Legion Pro 7i are the most powerful 16-inch gaming laptops that is tuned by artificial intelligence (AI). They are not joking though. Running Intel’s, AMD’s, and NVIDIA’s latest and most powerful chips is not enough for Lenovo, it seems. They added another chip within the rather industrial and familiar body. They added an in-house developed AI chip that powers something called Lenovo AI Engine+. The technology is supposed to push the hardware a little further and increase performances in games making the run faster and smoother.

All of these will be seen on the 16-inch 16:10 Puresight Gaming Display. The panel is a WQXGA (2560 x 1600) resolution display, just a little over 1440p QHD which should make for a rather immersive experience. You get 240Hz refresh rate out of the display as well. Paired with the AI accelerator, games should look and feel great on the Legion Pro 7 and Legion Pro 7i.

As with any Lenovo products, the Legion Pro 7 and Legion Pro 7i comes packing the most premium hardware and build quality. There is the familiar all-aluminium body construction containing everything including the Lenovo Legion Spectrum per-key RGB underneath a proven TrueStrike keyboard. Within the body is also a 99.99Whr battery that is also quick-charge capable.

Lenovo Legion Pro 5/5i – The Perfect Balance

Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo

Similar to the Lenovo Legion Pro 7 and Legion Pro 7i line-up, you are getting similar hardware choices on both the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and Legion Pro 5i variants. You only have to choose between team red and team blue by going either AMD Ryzen 7000 series, or 13^th generation Intel Core processors. Completing the gaming laptop an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU (up to).

Like the Legion Pro 7 and Legion Pro 7i, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and Legion Pro 5i comes packing the Lenvo Legion ColdFront. 5.0 technology that is sure to keep thermals in check, even in a small laptop body. The laptop variants also pack Lenovo’s latest in-house developed Lenovo LA AI chip that is supposed to cleverly push your Legion laptop further by optimizing heat management between the CPU and GPU at up to 200W TGP.

The 16-inch Lenovo Puresight Gaming Display is also a similar one you would find on the Legion Pro 7 and Legion Pro 7i. It is still a 16:10 aspect ratio display that offers WQXGA resolutions at 240Hz. You do not get per-key RGB on the TrueStrike keyboard though. You can choose between a completely white backlighting to keep your laptop looking as clean as soap, or a Spectrum 4-zone RGB to spice your laptop up a little.

Underneath all of that is a smaller 80Whar battery that is also capable of Lenovo’s quick-charge technology. They say that this is the perfect balance between gaming and productivity though with a long-lasting battery life. You get one more colour option too with the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and Legion Pro 5i, the Abyss Blue, over the regular Onyx Grey you can also find on the Legion Pro 7 and Legion Pro 7i.

Lenovo Legion Tower 7i – Going Beast Mode

Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo

Gaming laptops do not cut it for you. Your laptop should be more about work than gaming, and you have this bizarre opinion that your laptop should not cost more than MYR 4,000. You have a good reason though, you want more power, you want a desktop gaming rig. You want the Legion Tower 7i. It should be obvious enough to you now that the ultimate Legion gaming tower comes packing Intel’s latest 13^th generation Core processor. At the same time, you get to work with NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 40 series GPU for good measure. Paired with up to 64GB of 5600Mhz DDR5 RAM, you are getting the best-in-class gaming performance out of the tower.

Inside the industrial looking case is a larger VRM heatsinks to ensure that your board is always protected from over-heat. There are up to six ARGB fans to keep as much air moving as possible to keep everything inside the tower form getting toasted or throttled. To ensure that the fans are not restricted too, the front panel is designed with airflow in-mind. If you really want to push things to the extreme, Lenovo gives you the option to go with liquid-cooling for up to 260W TDP performances.

You can configure the tower with up to 6TB of SSD storage to store up to 1000 games within the system. To feed all the components with pure power is a challenge that a 1200W PSU can handle with little issues. The large PSU also opens up avenues for future component upgrades without swapping it out.

Lenovo Legion Tower 5/5i – Smaller Package, Big Power

Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo
Source: Lenovo

If the Legion Tower 7i is a little oversized for your set-up, you want the Legion Tower 5 or Legion Tower 5i. By now you should be familiar with Lenovo’s naming schemes. You get AMD on the Legion Tower 5 while the Legion Tower 5i offers you the Intel path. Of course, on both ends, you get AMD’s latest Ryzen 7000 series CPU and Intel’s 13^th generation Core CPU options respectively. You get to choose between team green and team red too with the GPU. You can spec your PC with NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs or AMD’s latest Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs to go with an all-red outfit on the Legion Tower 5.

For memory, you can fit your PC with fast 32GB 5600Mhz DDR5 RAM paired with up to 2TB (2x 1TB) of SSD storage to store as many games as you can play in a single seating. Keeping everything cool within the all-metal case with airflow optimized front panel are up to five ARGB fans. These are quiet fans too, to keep noise distractions to a minimum. You will want to upgrade this thing eventually. 850W from the PSU should be enough in terms of future-proofing while the toolless side panel ensures that you can easily remove or open it to upgrade your parts effortlessly.

Availability

Like all things in CES 2023, Lenovo has not mentioned the specific availability date for all the Legion PCs they announced. We are expecting them to launch all these Legion hardware sometime between now and the end of the first half of the year 2023. There are also no pricing information for their announced products so far. More information on the latest Legion laptops and PCs can be found on their website.

Computers, Gaming, News

[CES 2023] ASUS Republic of Gamers Brings Top of the Line Performance to Zephyrus & Flow Line ups

January 9, 2023 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Together with their refresh of the ROG Strix series, ASUS Republic of Gamers is also bringing even more power to their Zephyrus and Flow lineups. The new additions also come with ROG’s Nebula Displays with Mini LED technology. More importantly, the new additions come with the latest 13th Generation Intel Processors, AMD’s Ryzen Zen 4 processors and NVIDIA’s RTX 40 Laptop GPUs.

ROG Zephyrus Blowing the Wind Out of the Competition

The ROG Zephyrus lineup is getting new additions to the Zephyrus M, Zephrus Duo and Zephyrus G series. All of the lineups have configurations supporting up to Intel’s Core i9-13900H processors, AMD’s Ryzen 9 and NVIDIA’s RTX 4090 GPU. The powerhouses come equipped with a MUX switch for better GPU response times and NVIDIA’s Advanced Optimus tech. Together with this is ROG’s colour-accurate Nebula display with 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut.

Zephyrus M16 – A Flagship Nebula HDR Experience with AniME Matrix

The M16 comes with the latest iteration of ROG’s Signature AniMe matrix LED lighting array. The AniMe matrix continues to offer customisations via ROG’s Armoury Crate application allowing users to have their own brand and favourite characters emblazoned on their laptop. In addition, the M16 also boasts options for the Nebula Display with Mini LED technology and QHD resolution. The new panel gives it 1,024 dimming zones – double last year’s. The 16-inch display also provides a more immersive, yet portable experience with up to 240Hz refresh rate.

Zephyrus G Series – Personalisation and Power

Also making its debut is the ROG Zephyrus G16 which sports Intel’s Core i9-13900H processors and up to NVIDIA’s RTX4070 GPU. The G16 joins its sibling the G14 which boasts AMD’s Ryzen Zen 4 processors and up to NVIDIA’s RTX4090 GPU. Of course, both also come with ROG’s Nebula Displays with up to 240Hz refresh rate. In fact, the G14 introduces the first-ever 14-inch Nebula HDR Display with 600 nits of peak brightness and 504 dimming zones. Of course, the AniMe Matrix also comes with this lineup on specified models.

Zephyrus Duo 16 – Built to Multitask

Rounding up the Zephyrus family is the Zephyrus Duo 16 which brings productivity to a gaming lineup. The laptop comes with a dual display setup with a 16-inch Mini LED panel and a 4K touchscreen. The touchscreen is elevated at an ergonomic angle allowing users to have a dual-screen experience like no other with quick toggles and controls on compatible apps. Sporting an AMD Ryzen 9 Zen 4 processor with 16 cores and the NVIDIA RTX4090 Laptop GPU, the laptop is built to handle multitasking like a beast and maximise both FPS and productivity.

ROG FLOW Series Brings Multimode Compact Performance to Mainstream Gamers

The ROG FLOW devices continue to turn heads as they are supped up for another year in the spotlight. The new ROG FLOW devices not only come with more power, but they also come with meaningful optimisations that take the user experience to the next level.

ROG FLOW X13 & X16 – Small but Mighty Multimode Powerhouses

The ROG FLOW X13 is getting a huge boost in performance with the new AMD Ryzen 9 Zen 4 processor. The ROG FLOW X16, on the other hand, will be sporting configurations with up to Intel Core i9-13900H CPU. Both will support up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU. Similar to the Zephyrus lineup, it’s also getting a MUX switch and NVIDIA Advanced Optimus. Sporting up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. The laptop is built to perform even with its small size.

The laptop is also preserving the 15-inch keyboard layout and increases the battery to a 75Wh unit for all-day battery life. It also sports a reimagined hinge which allows for better cooling. It will also sport an FHD IR camera with Windows Hello support and a larger touchpad for easier navigation.

Together with the updated internals, ROG’s XG mobile is also getting an upgrade. The new ROG XG mobile will be sporting an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU with 16GB GDDR6 RAM and a TGP of 150W. It connects via a ROG XG Mobile Interface and USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C combo port. The Unit will also support 2.5 Gbps LAN, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, one HDMI 2.1 port, one Display Port 1.4, an SD card reader, an RJ-45 Jack and a DC input jack for the integrated 33W power adapter.

ROG FLOW Z13 – The Ultimate Gaming Tablet

ROG’s FLOW Z13 is also getting an upgrade. The new Z13 sports configurations supporting up to an NVIDIA RTX4060 Laptop GPU and up to an Intel Core i9-13900H. It continues to sport a similar design to last year’s Z13 with slight updates to accommodate updated cooling and also the QHD+ Nebula Display which comes with a 165Hz refresh rate. Other than that it’s got up to 16GB of DDR5 RAM, up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD storage and a 56Wh battery.

Pricing & Availability

No pricing and availability details have been announced just yet.

Computers, Gaming, News

[CES 2023] Razer Announces New Blades – Back to Intel and Better than Ever

January 9, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Razer has always been known to go a little over the top in conventions like CES. They like to show off their latest innovations, tease new concepts specifically for gaming, and they have always launched some very interesting products. This year is not so different from before, maybe just a tad subdued.

The launched the new Razer Blades for 2023 in CES, rightly so. The announcement of the new Razer Blades could also be a domino effect from the announcement of NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 40 series for mobile platforms and AMD’s latest Ryzen 7000 series for laptops. Oddly enough, you are not going to be seeing AMD’s best on the announced 2023 line-up of Razer Blades.

They launched a 16-incher Razer Blade 16 and a desktop replacing Razer Blade 18 with a behemoth sized 18-inch display. Both come with Intel’s latest 13^th generation Core CPUs (up to Core i9 HX). You also get NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 40 series mobile GPUs (up to GeForce RTX 4090) in these laptops with up to 175W TGP. Of course, you get DDR5 5600MHz memory to make these laptops the fastest ever you might see for a while. To ensure you get the best performance to begin with, the new Razer Blades also come with a redesigned vapor chamber cooling technology for even more effecting heat management. In a smaller, tighter space.

Razer Blade 16

Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer

Just as its name suggests, the Razer Blade 16 packs a 16-inch 16:10 display. The panel is Mini-LED technology which means you get colours like you’ve never seen before on a laptop display. Well, you can technically get almost the same experience with OLED, but Mini-LED has its own advantages you might not get on a regular OLED panel. The display is also HDR capable with up to 1000 nits in brightness. The NVIDIA G-Sync capable display also offers up to 100% in DCI-P3 colour gamut to offer one of the richest display experience you can get on a laptop.

You can also opt for up to UHD+ in resolution on the Mini-LED panel. It is not a slow UHD display too, like you might expect on most UHD displays on a laptop. It responds in 3ms, which is mighty fast even in QHD resolution, we are talking double the number of pixels here. You also get up to 120Hz in refresh rate with the 4K display. You can get more speed too at 240Hz if you go FHD+ in resolution. You can choose between the two in one laptop device. They call the UHD+ 120Hz mode the ‘creator mode’ and the FHD+ 240Hz configuration the ‘Gamer Mode’.

They also say that the Razer Blade 16 will be the most powerful 16-inch laptop of its size in terms of graphics power. The use Graphics Power Density (GPD) as a measuring metrics, and this has 1.50 of them. It supposedly offer 35% processing power than any other 16-inch gaming laptop currently.

They did not mention the exact number for the DDR5 RAM they will be fitting the Razer Blade 16 with. We are guessing that they might go with 32GB or possibly 64GB at the top scale of things. They mentioned a speedy 5600MHz transfer speeds though, which is plenty fast in a laptop. They also mentioned that it is upgradeable, so even if you only get 16GB, you can spend a bit more money to bring it up to 32GB or even 64GB, if you have the budget.

Otherwise, you get what you can expect on most laptops from Razer. There is a Full HD webcam for video calls and even streaming purposes if you really need to. They quote up to 9.5 hours in battery life from a single charge. You get an infrared blaster near your webcam too for facial recognition security via Windows Hello, something you rarely find on gaming laptops. Of course, Razer’s Chroma RGB platform is available on the laptop. You can also expect great audio with THX Spatial Audio available on the Razer Blade 16.

Razer Blade 18

Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer

Then there is the gargantuan 18-incher that is the Razer Blade 18. Again, as its name suggests, it is am 18-inch display that you get from the desktop replacement. It is not meant to be used for remote working conditions unless you are talking about setting up a workstation for a week in a hotel room. But it is meant to be a gaming and content creation rig that is meant to keep your desk clean and minimal.

Its large 18-inch 16:10 display boasts QHD+ resolution. While a UHD+ display might serve the entertainment buffs better, the QHD+ resolution is a great compromise between gaming and content creation without too much fuss. You also get 240Hz in refresh rate at 3ms response time, perfect for gamers. At the same time, you get clarity like no other with 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage.

Internally, other than Intel’s and NVIDIA’s latest processors, you can opt for up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM at 5200MHz transfer speeds. Alongside the ample memory is up to 2TB of M.2 NVMe drive for all your games. They say that the two M.2 slots can support up to 8TB in storage.

On top of those you get a 5MP webcam capable of Full HD resolutions on your video calls and even streaming headshots. You can get an infra-red sensor too with the Razer Blade 18 for facial recognition via Windows Hello. Unlike the Blade 16, it comes with six speakers with THX spatial audio so that you can save on buying a sound bar.

Price and Availability

Blade 16 18 Family Visuals C R0 — Source: Razer

Razer points at a Q1 2023 availability of the new Razer Blade 16 and Razer Blade 18 in Razer.com. There are no mentions on its specific availability in Malaysia. Razer has not been bringing their Blade laptops to Malaysia in an official manner though. In that case, we can expect that the Razer Blade 16 and Blade 18 will not be coming to Malaysia anytime soon or ever, in an official capacity anyway. This does not mean that you cannot hope that Razer changes their stance though. Prices start at US$ 2,699 (MYR 11,810*) for the Razer Blade 16 and US$ 2,899 (MYR 12,686*) for the Razer Blade 18.

*Approximately based on conversion rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.38 as of 09/01/2023 on xe.com

Computers, Gaming, News

[Next@Acer] New Predator Gaming Laptops & Monitors Bring Even More Immersive Experiences

January 5, 2023 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Acer’s Predator Gaming has become one of the industry’s mainstays when it comes to the gaming scene. It comes as no surprise that Acer has opted to expand and streamline their lineup this year at their biannual Next@Acer event. Together with new naming schemes, the lineup is also updating the specifications and power in their gaming arsenal.

A Streamlined Predator Helios Lineup

The all-new Predator Helios lineup is not only coming with updated specifications. Acer has streamlined its naming dropping the 300, 500 and 700 series monikers. Instead, they’ve opted to use the screen sizes to denote each model of the laptop in the Helios lineup.

This year’s Predator Helios lineup consists of the Predator Helios 16 and Predator Helios 18 – for now. The two laptops bring the latest and greatest processors and GPUs from Intel and NVIDIA respectively. Together with configurations supporting up to the Core i9 or i7 HX processors and the RTX4080 Laptop GPU, the laptops are built for gaming. They also support up to up to 32 GB DDR5-4800 MHz RAM and up to 2 TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD storage.

Mini LED Makes its Helios Debut

Both laptops are also the first in the Predator Gaming lineup to sport Mini LED panels. These panels bring deeper blacks and higher contrast than previous Helios laptops. The 1,000,000:1 contrast and the 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut promise better colour reproduction and more immersive gaming. This paired with NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace architecture, DLSS and NVIDIA’s Reflex create one of the best systems to experience cutting-edge AAA games. Both versions come with a 16:10 aspect ratio. However, the Helios 16 comes with options for a WQXGA (2560×1600) display with 165Hz or 240Hz refresh rates or a Mini LED panel with a 250Hz refresh rate. The Helios 18 on the other hand comes with an additional WUXGA (1920×1200) with a 165Hz refresh rate.

The cutting-edge specifications also come with an enhanced cooling system. The new laptops come with dual custom-engineered 5th Generation AeroBlade 3D metal fans and rectangular vector heat pipes for better heat absorption and dissipation. This is paired with liquid metal thermal grease for even better cooling.

The new Helios 16 and Helios 18 also come with a newly redesigned chassis. The redesign brings together clean edges and a slimmer silhouette. The displays are also surrounded by thinner bezels for a more immersive experience. Of course, it’s completed with a mini LED backlit keyboard with 1.8mm key travel and anti-ghosting N-key rollover. The laptops also come with a complete set of ports on the back and the latest wireless connectivity including WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. They also have support for Thunderbolt and Intel Killer Ethernet.

New Predator Gaming Monitors

Together with the new laptops, Acer also announced two new Predator Gaming Monitors. The new Predator X45 and Predator X27U feature OLED displays with 98.5% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut and support for HDR10. Both also have support for AMD FreeSync Premium technology and sport 240Hz refresh rates and 0.01ms pixel response times.

The Predator X45 comes with a 45-inch UWQHD display with a resolution of 3440×1440 pixels. The curved monitor sports an 800R curvature giving a more immersive gaming experience. It also has a metal stand with a sleek, sturdy metal base. The Predator X27U on the other hand is a 27-inch flat panel with a WQHD resolution of 2560×1440 pixels.

Both of the monitors come with come outfitted with DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0 ports. They also sport KVM switches which allow you to switch between desktop and laptop while maintaining the same keyboard and mouse setup. They also sport a USB Hub with USB Type-C for all the gadgets.

Pricing & Availability

Item	North America	EMEA	China
Predator Helios 16	USD$1,649.99 (MYR7,236.42) starting in March 2023	EUR2,399 (MYR11,082.19) starting in February 2023	RMB17,999 (MYR11,475.34) starting in February 2023
Predator Helios 18	USD$1,699 (MYR7,455.84) starting in April 2023	EUR2,499 (MYR11,544.15) starting in March 2023	RMB20,999 (MYR13,388.00) starting in February 2023
Predator Helios X45	USD$1,699 (MYR7,455.84) starting in Q2 2023	EUR1,799 (MYR8,311.27) starting in Q2 2023	RMB12,999 (MYR8,287.57) starting in Q1 2023
Predator Helios X27U	USD$1,099 (MYR4,822.67) starting in Q2 2023	EUR1,099 (MYR5,077.31) starting in Q2 2023	RMB7,999 (MYR5,101.30) starting in Q1 2023

Computers, Mobile, News

[CES 2023] AMD Brings the Ryzen 7000 Series Mobile!

January 5, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

AMD’s CES keynote was quite a big one. No, they did not make p15 product announcements. More like they launched just one line-up of small chips to go into small and portable products, and one huge chip meant to go into huge servers you never want to see the inside of the next 10 years. They launched the AMD Ryzen 7000 series for mobile computing devices. Yes, they did launch new Epyc server class processors, but we think that it is worth a story of its own.

Welcome to the latest AMD mobile processor experience. This time AMD launched a few series of Ryzen 7000 processors. You have the AMD Ryzen 7045HX, Ryzen 7040HS, Ryzen 7035, and Ryzen 7030 series processors. There are also AMD Ryzen PRO 7030 series processors designed for the corporate world too.

The AMD Ryzen 7030 Series

Meant to find their way to the budget options, the AMD Ryzen 7030 series processors are really meant to be entry-level powerhouses. You get to opt for up to the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U with up to eight cores and 16 threads. All eight cores are finished with AMD’s 7nm Zen 3 architecture. The Zen 3 architecture may be a previous generation technology, but it is still a highly popular architecture that has proven itself over time.

With constrained budget, most entry-level laptops will not feature their own discrete GPU. That is why the AMD Ryzen 7030 packs its own Radeon graphics that will prove to be useful in both gaming and productivity situations. Then there are the AMD Ryzen PRO 7030 series.

The PRO processors have always been made for corporate laptops. They are more like the older Ryzen PRO 5000 series processor than the newer generation Zen 4 processors. Like the regular AMD Ryzen 7030, they pack 7nm Zen 3 architecture instead of the new Zen 4. While they will perform the same as the regular Ryzen 7030, their added security layer buikt into the chip itself should set itself apart from other AMD Ryzen 7000 series mobile processors.

The AMD Ryzen 7035 Series

Coming up the ladder is AMD’s 6nm processors with up to eight cores and 16 threads on the Ryzen 7035HS. It is the Zen 3+ technology that took the Zen 3 architecture and improved its power efficiency and general processing speed despite similar general architectures. It is designed for productivity machines that are meant to go everywhere. The first of many will be HP’s Dragonfly PRO coming soon. While not at the lowest end of AMD’s latest processors for the mobile computer, the AMD Ryzen 7035 series still aims to impress at a great value.

The AMD Ryzen 7040HS Series

Coming to the more performance focused space is the AMD Ryzen 7040HS processors starting from the Ryzen 5 7640HS processor with six cores and 12 threads. You can opt for a higher end Ryzen 9 7940HS processor with eight cores and 16 threads too.

The Ryzen 7040HS series comes with AMD’s latest Zen 4 architecture for best-in-class performance in modern thin-and-light laptops. The Zen 4 processor also comes built-in with RDNA 3 Radeon graphics too so that you can game even without a discrete GPU.

The AMD Ryzen 7045HX Series

If you want the best of the best, you want AMD’s latest Ryzen 7045HX series processors. Of course, it comes with AMD’s latest 5nm Zen 4 technology. The range-topping AMD Ryzen 9 7945Hz also comes with up 16 cores alongside 32 threads. They clock up to to 5.4GHz on boost and this class of mobile processors will be the closest thing to desktop computing experience you can get on laptops. That said, this could also be the most powerful laptop processors you can find when you get your hands on one.

Because you are going to want to carry your powerhouse of a laptop, the processor must be power efficient too. The most powerful processors in the range consumes up to 75W. In that case, you might see some laptops with AMD’s Ryzen 7045HX processors that can be charged with 100W USB type-C chargers. Of course, you will not be able to use the laptop with its discrete GPU, if it comes with one.

Availability

AMD’s latest Ryzen 7000 series processors for mobile devices will be coming through 2023 from AMD’s manufacturing partners like Lenovo, HP, ASUS, and maybe even Razer. Alongside the new mobile processors, AMD also launched the new AMD Ryzen 9 7800X3D, Ryzen 9 7900X3D, and AMD Ryzen 7950X3D processors as a sort of 3D V-Cache technology upgrade to AMD’s existing line up of desktop processors. You can find more information on AMD’s latest Ryzen processors on their website.

Computers, Gaming, News

[CES 2023] Dell’s Concept Nyx Gains the “One Controller to Rule Them All”

January 5, 2023 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Dell took the stage last year with their eye-catching Concept Nyx. The concept device took a jab at gaming on the edge. With Concept Nyx, Dell was looking at creating a new gaming and living room experience with edge connectivity. Edge connectivity or connectivity at the edge of the network is something we’ll be hearing more and more about with 5G becoming more mainstream.

Dell Concept Nyx 028 — Source: Dell Technologies

With Concept Nyx, Dell Technologies is looking to enable remote gaming with WiFi and 5G connectivity. They’re looking to accomplish this with a device or box that provides remote access to gaming libraries like Steam and more. This device can be placed in spaces like the living room and can support more than one instance. So, you’ll be able to play HALO while your sister plays Valorant at the same time on the same screen. It can even support multiple instances of the same game allowing you to play together.

The One Controller To Rule Them All

This year, Dell Technologies is taking Concept Nyx a little further. They’ve introduced the Concept Nyx Game Controller – the “One Controller to Rule Them All”. So, what makes this controller so different? The first thing that sets it apart is an integrated fingerprint sensor which will allow a myriad of personalization. The integrated fingerprint sensor could unlock personal settings or launch the last game that you played with a single touch.

Dell is also experimenting with haptics in the controller. The controller is looking to incorporate variable resistance into their thumb sticks. The variable resistance can be set to either player preference or adapt to game specific settings. Imagine playing God of War and feeling the tug when you pull down barriers or slam enemies into the ground. The X-triggers could also incorporate the same.

In addition, the Concept Nyx Controller comes with shift buttons for additional options on front buttons and innovative scroll wheels which could be used to quickly scroll through your game weapons. There’s also an intelligent touchpad for instant access to customisable controls. It also comes with a fully customisable intelligent on-screen controls and overlays which will make sure you don’t get them buttons mixed up.

Taking Concept Nyx to the Next Level

While the big advancement this year is the Concept Nyx Controller, Dell isn’t just pushing hardware. Devs working on Concept Nyx have expanded what was shown last year with a better, more simplified dashboard. In addition to this, Concept Nyx is also being expanded to multitask more efficiently like connecting to multiple headsets; each with a unique audio stream. This also includes better splitscreen experiences. AI is also looking to make its mark on Concept Nyx with Dell experimenting with AI for things like dynamic listening to allow players to know when they’re being called.

Dell Concept Nyx 011 — Source: Dell Technologies

While there’s no commercially available product just yet, Concept Nyx is quickly being moulded by gaming. That said, you may see some of Nyx’s features make its way to products in Dell’s portfolio.

Computers, Gaming, News

[CES 2023] ASUS ROG Brings Even More Power to its Desktop Lineup

January 5, 2023 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

ASUS has made a name for itself when it comes to desktop components. It should come as no surprise that the company also has a lineup of pre-built desktops. This year, the desktop lineup is more focused and streamlined. There are three new entries into their offerings this year with each one taking laser focus on a feature to champion.

ROG G22CH – Redefining “Small but Mighty”

When it comes to desktops, it’s generally been a battle between space and performance. However, with the ROG G22CH, ASUS is proving that both aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. The small 10L chassis small form factor PC packs a punch with the latest generation 13th Generation Intel Core processors with configuration supporting the Core i9-13900K. Together with this, the G22CH comes with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUS with up to 32GB of DDR5 4800MHz RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe 4.0 SSD storage.

Together with the power-packed internals, the G22CH is designed with a focus on airflow. The new pre-built desktop system supports both AIO liquid coolers and traditional air cooling for the CPU. It even features an internal power supply in its minute chassis. It’s also easy to upgrade and access with its toolless design.

ROG Strix G16CH – Made to Game

The ROG Strix G16CH is a mid-tower gaming desktop built for multitaskers. The system supports configurations that cap out with the Intel Core i7-13700KF and the NVIDIA RTX 4080 GPU. On the memory side of things, the setup supports up to 3TB of storage and a whopping 128GB of DDR4 RAM.

However, it’s not just about the insides, the Strix G16CH comes with some of the best ventilation-focused designs. The front panel and top exhaust allow for plenty of airflow. It’s also built to accommodate a high-performance 240mm liquid cooler for the CPU. It’s also built with all the signature ROG design cues including the ROG Slash aesthetic, an integrated headset holder and a reinforced double D ring strap.

ROG Strix G13CH – Air Flow for Maximum Cooling and Performance

The Strix G13CH follows suit with ASUS’s focus on better cooling and airflow with a redesign which marries both ROG’s signature style and improved airflow. It comes with configurations which support up to the Intel Core i&-13700 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series GPU. Complementing this is up to 64GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage.

Pricing and Availability

No pricing or availability has been announced just yet.

Computers, Gaming, Mobile, News

[CES 2023] NVIDIA Brings RTX 40 Mobile – RTX 40 Series Studio Laptops, Here We Go!

January 4, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

NVIDIA’s RTX 40 series GPUs are finally making their way to the mobile computing space, just as Intel’s 13^th generation CPUs are also making their way to the mobile computing space. Alongside the new hardware, Ada Lovelace on mobile also comes with a slew of updates that was also brought along from the RTX 40 series for the desktop market. Alongside NVIDIA introducing the laptop market to Ada Lovelace, they also launched their new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti.

Unsurprisingly, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series for laptops focus more on the content creation aspect more than anything. To be fair, while gaming performance on a laptop has never been better with the RTX 40 series, content creators are the ones who will get the biggest bump in benefits with Ada Lovelace this time around. That said, there are still some interesting developments from NVIDIA for games with the new Max-Q Ada Lovelace architecture.

Thanks to some clever implementation for the Studio platform, NVIDIA brings RTX Remix made mostly for gamers. The technology allows more creative gamers to quickly create mods for older titles with full ray tracing technology to modernize those games. You even get enhanced details ad materials with DLSS3 and NVIDIA Reflex. All of these and you never needed to learn to code or knowledge to work in the 3D design space in the first place. NVIDIA is also bringing official RTX support to Portal Prelude, a Portal mod.

Back to the more content creator aspect of things. NVIDIA is introducing a new Studio driver to update their new and existing GPUs too. With The new Studio platform comes an improved NVIDIA Omniverse, a connected world where 3D artists can collaborate in real-time with the power of NVIDIA’s RTX engines. The have expanded the Omniverse with better support for Blender, a rather popular 3D rendering tool. Users can also experiment with regenerative 3D tools alongside Universal Scene Description assets added into Omniverse to create even more life like 3D scenes than ever before.

If you are more of a videographer, or a streamer, the new NVIDIA Studio suite offers improved NVIDIA Broadcast and Canvas apps. Broadcast new features a new eye-tracking and replacement tool that cleverly and naturally makes it look like you are actually looking into your webcam instead of your screen in both video conferences and game streams. Canvas allows you to work with 360-degree images that can be used as environment maps in 3D apps like Blender. On top of all of these, Ada Lovelace also comes with AV1 support which should allow for a more efficient video workflow in compatible apps.

If you are not into any of that, there are still some benefits to using NVIDIA’s RTX 40 and RTX 30 series GPUs. They are bringing their upscaling technology to the masses with RTX Video Super Resolution. The feature uses AI to improve videos from any sources, including your browser. The algorithm removes compression artifacts and upscales video resolutions to improve its sharpness and even overall detail so that you watch online contents at your display’s native resolution even if the YouTube video only offers up to 480p in resolution. The feature will only be available for Chrome and Edge browsers in February 2023, for now.

The other added benefit of Ada Lovelace is its power efficiency. That also means that gaming and studio class laptops can be made thinner with smaller and more power efficient fans. On top of enhanced battery life as well, the power bricks can be made smaller than ever.

Availability

NVIDIA has teased the first few laptops that will get their RTX 40 series treatment. They named the Razer Blade, MSI’s Stealth series, and ASUS’s Zenbook Pro series laptops for now. For now, NVIDIA has teased the availability of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 and GeForce RTX 4090 series for mobile computing, but we are convinced you will see the likes of the GeForce RTX 4080, and GeForce RTX 4060 series Max-Q GPUs when laptop manufacturers release more details about their next-generation content creator and gaming laptops soon. More about Ada Lovelace architecture can be found on their website.

Computers, Gaming, News

[CES 2023] NVIDIA Launches the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, Unlaunching the RTX 4080 12GB

January 4, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

At NVIDIA’s next-generation GPU launch the last round, Jensen Huang unveiled two new flagship class GPUs; the GeForce RTX 4090 and GeForce RTX 4080. The range-topping GeForce RTX 4090 packs more Ada Lovelace architecture CUDA cores than the GPU it replaces and 24GB of GDDR6X RAM for performance like no other. The slightly lower end GPU, which is still a powerful flagship class GPU, the GeForce RTX 4080 packs just over half the CUDA cores of the flagship and about 16GB GDDR6X RAM.

Alongside these two GPUs, the team in green teased another GPU that is meant to be a more budget friendly version of the GeForce RTX 4080 with less CUDA cores and less RAM. For the longest time, the GPU is known as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 12GB. With a smaller potential asking price for it, the rumoured GPU is a highly anticipated one.

For CES 2023, they launched the GPU for US$ 799. Except, they did not launch the GeForce RTX 4080 12GB. They launched the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ahead of the regular GeForce RTX 4070.

NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the exact same GPU that is the unlaunched GeForce RTX 4080 12GB. It packs 7680 CUDA cores, less than half of the GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. Its 12GB RAM RAM is also exactly half the top-of-the-line RTX 4090 flagship GPU. It is still a fast GDDR6X RAM that you get from the RTX 3090 and RTX 4090. In the grander scheme of things, the new GPU is targeted squarely as a mid-range GPU that should prove to be one of the more popular GPU choices for the more value conscious gamers.

In terms of features, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti packs the latest DLSS 3 algorithm for upscaling that is better than before. They also say that the RTX 4070 Ti is supposed to be a more powerful GeForce RTX 3090 Ti that was replaced by the GeForce RTX 4090. In NVIDIA’s benchmarks though, the newly launched GPU looks like it performs about the same as the RTX 3090 Ti in non DLSS titles. The benchmark has not accounted for the improved ray tracing performance from the Ada Lovelace architecture though. According to NVIDIA as well, the GPU is supposed to be more efficient than before too with 226W TDP.

The new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti will be available in the market worldwide 5^th of January 2023 onward. NVIDIA suggests a starting retail price of US$ 799 (MYR 3520*). The pricing is really just a guideline though since they also mentioned that there will not be a Founders Edition GPU from NVIDIA for this one. In that case you can expect GPUs from board partners like ASUS, Colorful, Gainward, GALAX, GIGABYTE, INNO3D, KFA2, MSI, Palit, PNY, and ZOTAC. More information on their new GPU can be found on their website.

*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1=MYR 4.41 as of 04/01/2023 on xe.com

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