ASUS kicking off a region wide eSports Tournament called the ROG Masters Asia Pacific eSports Tournament which will see eSports athletes from the region compete for a grand prize of USD$10,000. The tournament kicks off in March 2021 with matches happening throughout until the finals in April 2021. Given the current global situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament will be held entirely online.
This year, the game of choice is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). The competition will involve 15 countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. It’s open to enthusiasts, amateurs and professionals across the region. All you have to do is register at rogmasters.gg. Registration opens on February 8 2021.
The competition will be held in three stages over the two months. Kicking off the competition is the Country Qualifiers which will see all the registered teams face-off for a shot in the Country Finals starting on the first week of April 2021. The Country Finals will see professional teams from each country seeded into the battlefield allowing enthusiasts and amateurs to climb further up the ladder. Teams in the Country finals will then stand a chance to head to the Regional finals where they will battle it out for the grand prize.
Matches for the Country finals will be streamed on ASUS ROG’s official YouTube and Facebook pages. The Malaysian Finals will be live-streamed on 4 April 2021. The APAC Finals will be live-streamed at the end of April 2021.
Teams that rise above the rest in the Malaysian Finals will stand to win USD$800 for first place and USD$400 for second place. These prizes also include ASUS ROG Swag. Teams in the APAC finals will then be vying for the USD$10,000 grand prize. The top 3 teams will be awarded USD$10,000 for the grand prize, USD3,500 for the runner up and USD$1,500 for third place.
Get to registering fast for your chance as registrations close on 28th February 2021.
The Legion Slim 7i is now in Malaysia. The new laptop has a slimmer and lighter design. Who doesn’t want a portable gaming laptop that doesn’t skimp on performance? The Legion Slim 7i comes with a large, 15.6 inches display compacted in a slim body in Slate Grey. It is made from aircraft-grade aluminum for better durability without having the added heft.
The new lightweight gaming laptop comes with the latest 10th Gen Intel Core i7 mobile processor which is touted to be able to support Triple-A Games with 5.3GHz clock speeds and provide impressive refresh rates on Window 10. This is paired with the in NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics processor with Max-Q Design to facilitate its slim form factor. Equipped with raytracing technology and DLSS, the RTX2060 enables more realistic and immersive graphics. Paired with the integrated Intel UHD Graphics, the laptop can dynamically optimise for better performance or power based on the task at hand.
The Legion Slim 7i is 17.9mm slim and weighs only 1.86kg. It comes equipped with a 71Whr battery which Lenovo claims will last for up to 7.75 hours. It is also capable of Rapid Charge Pro function which allows it to get up to 50% of charge in just 30 minutes. At the same time, Lenovo’s redesigned Legion Coldfront 2.0 air intake system is 31% larger which ensures up to 115% more airflow going to the CPU and GPU. Also, the new machine-drilled holes applied above the keyboard combined with an increased number of exhaust fan blades provide better heat management during heavy gameplay.
Together with cooling and its sleek form factor, the Legion Slim 7i comes with a Full HD display with rich color contrast and saturation. This is paired with built-in dual speakers boosted by smart amplifiers and the Dolby® Atmos Speaker System for more immersive gameplay.
Pricing & Availability
The Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is now available for preorder at Lenovo Malaysia’s Official Website with prices starting at MYR7599 (1896.78USD$). You can even customize your Lenovo Legion Slim 7i starting January 2021.
Yep. We’re doing this – it’s our first review of a gaming chair – but this one has all the bells and whistles you won’t find in any other gaming chair.
A gaming chair is not just any chair for your computer setup. It’s one that will cradle your behind and support your back while you game endlessly into the night. Back in June, Acer made an announcement that took the gaming world off guard – the launch of a collaboration with OSIM to bring a new type of gaming chair; one that will massage the pain of gaming away. Thus, the Predator X OSIM Gaming chair was born.
Cushy Comfort in Elegant Black with Some Design Kinks
The Predator X OSIM gaming chair is one of the more comfortable gaming chairs we have had the chance to try. It’s well cushioned on the bottom and has pretty decent lumbar support. We say pretty decent but the lumbar support comes in the form of a lumbar pillow which doesn’t have any attachment to the chair. That said, it can’t be attached to the chair cause it’s get in the way of the massaging mechanism. The headrest of the Predator X OSIM gaming chair is also attached pretty loosely to the chair it literally slides into a slit in the back of the top of the chair.
The gaming chair comes in black accented by the Predator cyan. It’s made of a pseudo-leather material which is most likely polyurethane (PU). While the finish looks good, the material isn’t very breathable. This was most apparent with the lumbar pillow and the headrest which tend to get a little bit warm after about an hour or two. However, if you’re in an air-conditioned room, you’re likely not to feel it.
The biggest design flaw in the Predator X OSIM Gaming Chair is the length of the adapter cable. The cable is short and tends to get tangled around the wheels of the chair. It wouldn’t surprise us if you would need to replace the adapter over time. Of course, you can easily remedy this by not plugging it in unless you want a massage; but that pretty much defeats the purpose of having a gaming chair that massages you. OSIM will also need to figure out better cable management when it comes to this chair. As rolling up and down will cause problems with the adapter in the long run.
Hitting all the Right Spots with OSIM
Now we move on to the highlight of the chair – the massage. The massage portion of the chair is powered by OSIM’s massage technology. You access the control by pulling back the right arm rest. This will reveal the controls. You can choose from three preset massage programs by pressing the middle button and whether you need a upper or lower back massage with the button beside that. If you want to take full control of the massage yourself, you have the option to do that as well.
The massage from the Predator x OSIM gaming chair can be pretty intense. For most people, it will hit some of the problem points along your spine. The OSIM mechanism starts off really strong poking into the spine and adjusting after that. That said, when you’ve adjusted to the pressure, the mechanism hits all the right spots. It managed to release a few of the large knots I had in my shoulders and even relieved a few aches in my lower back. It massages in two modes: pounding or in circular motions. When you use the automatic setting, it will alternate between the two to get the knots out.
While the massage is good, the risk of having a massage chair you use as your daily work or gaming chair is that over work your back muscles which can make you pretty sore. So, just don’t over do it.
A Novel Idea with A Pricey Proposition
The Predator X OSIM Gaming chair will set you back about MYR4,899 but it’s available at a discounted price of MYR2,799 at the time of writing. It’s not too bad when it comes to massage chairs, but it is a little bit on the pricey when you look at other gaming chairs. That said, you are getting a massage chair foremost.
All in all, the Predator X OSIM Gaming chair is a novelty. While it would be nice to have a chair like this, it seems a little bit of an overkill. That and the cable management issues make us say wait it out. If the partnership continues into a second iteration, it’s likely that OSIM would have worked out some of the kinks in the design. However, if you are in the market for a gaming chair and a massage chair, this may just be the chair for you.
2020 is a year full of surprises and new beginnings. For us, it is the mark of our entry into the world of Podcasts with Tech & tonic. We want to first thank all of you listeners who have stayed with us and listened to our sometimes meaningless rambles about tech.
We want to thank our supporters, new and old, that has been the kindle in our fires and the motivations we needed when we were wondering if podcasting was the right area to pursue. We have learnt plenty too from our first year and season in podcasting. Of course, we have enjoyed it alongside all our guest too. For that, we also want to thank all of our guests that has appeared on our show and has shown continuous support to our show. We are looking forward to 2021 and a bigger year ahead of us with new contents and expansion to new platforms.
Back to today’s very special and final episode of the year 2020 though. We explored some shopping ideas for Christmas to prepare us for 2021 and even beyond. We pick some things that we could easily buy online right now to gift, and even keep for yourselves this Christmas and New Year. Here are our top 5 list of things that you can buy for yourself or to gift your loved ones for the year ending celebrations of 2021!
Of course, we are not just going to leave the podcast here alone. We are going to help you decide on your Christmas 2020 shopping options. In no particular order, here are the top 10 things we think you can buy for yourself or gift your loved ones in 2020.
Nintendo Switch (~MYR 1,339 onward)
Source: Nintendo
No, it is not new. But it is fun. The Nintendo Switch revolutionised the portable gaming industry with a highly compact, yet powerful hardware that you can bring around without while keeping games like Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild running as smooth as butter. It is also the perfect size for you to carry around in your travel pack should you need to bring gaming with you on your year-end holidays. Either that, or something to keep you busy at home.
Source: Lazada
Source: Shopee
The Nintendo Switch go from as low as MYR 1,339 on Shopee. Of course you can get your hands on one from Lazada too. We are looking at local options with proper local support too, so we do not recommend getting one that ships from out of the country. You might be able to get your hands on the Animal Crossing special edition or the Fortnite edition too for a little bit more money. Again, go for reputable dealers.
Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite (MYR 249)
Source: Xiaomi
What better way to keep yourself sane than constant exercises? To be fair, I have more than one answer for that; I do not know what I asked that question in the first place. Keeping yourself busy at home is very important at this time though, exercising is one way to keep yourself busy and healthy.
So there is no better gift than a fitness tracker in that case. No, not a Fitbit. Not even a Samsung Galaxy Watch. It is a Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite that will only set you back MYR 249.
The Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite can last up to 9 days on a single charge, more than most fitness trackers can manage. Its 1.4-inch square display gives you all kinds of fitness information and even allows you to keep track of your smartphone notifications. All of that in a package that is priced less than MYR 250.
Source: Lazada
You can get the Xiaomi Mi Watch Lite at this time for MYR 199 exclusively on Lazada. This is the current pre-order price and would be a perfect gift for not just fitness lovers. We do not know when the promotional price would end.
Logitech C920 HD Pro Webcam (MYR 539)
Source: Logitech
Video conference calls are more important now than ever. The thing is, a video call is still not as natural as meeting someone face-to-face. But better video quality will always help. So you need a better webcam than the one that your notebook PC comes with.
You need a Logitech C920 HD Pro Webcam for all your video calls. That, or start your own streaming channel, because even streamers love this as their main stream camera. it feeds up to 1080p footage up into the streaming platform and even your video calls, why would they not love it.
Of course, any videographer would tell you to get your lighting set up correctly to make stream and video calls look much better. But starting with a good camera does not hurt at all. The Logitech C920 HD Pro is definitely a good option to start with.
Source: Lazada
Source: Shopee
The Logitech C920 HD Pro is available on both Shopee and Lazada from Logitech themselves, which is definitely a good news. It is originally priced at MYR 539, which may sound like a lot of money for a small webcam. It is now only going for MYR 398.99 though, at least for the time being. It is still not exactly cheap, but this is a perfect upgrade for you, and even your loved ones.
Razer Seiren Mini (MYR 249)
Source: Razer
Speaking of video calls and conferences, you need a good mic. Sure, the Logitech C920 HD Pro already has a built-in mic. But you can make your set-up even better with a separate dedicated mic. You can go for the Razer Seiren Mini for something that is relatively inexpensive.
Out-of-the-box, this nifty little mic comes with its own plastic base that you can quickly work with and get things going. It is a USB mic too, so its basically plug and play. There are nearly zero set-up required after that, so you can really get going in 10 seconds when you get your stuff.
Source: Lazada
Source: Shopee
Besides the added benefit of better audio quality in your conference calls, you can use the mic for streaming purposes, or even for podcasts. I know I use it for podcasting. All this, in a package you can just chuck in your bag and worth MYR 249 on Shopee and Lazada. At this price, it is really hard to find a good mic for all those purposes.
DJI Pocket 2 (MYR 1,549 ~ MYR 2,169)
Source: DJI
They say the best camera is the one that is accessible to you at the time. Most of the time, that is your smartphone. But what if we tell you that there is an alternative that could really change your video creation experience?
That is the DJI Pocket 2, DJI’s latest small form factor OSMO product. It is super cute, and uber cool in our books. Like its name suggests, it is small enough to fit in your pockets when you need a compact and quick set up for videos and even photos. If you get the Creator Pack, it comes with a whole slew of stuff as well that enhances your experience with it and even help with vlogging and other content creation process.
Who says you need a large gimbal set up to take impressive videos for social media and even YouTube? Nobody said that you need to spend MYR 10,000 and above too, for all these purposes. A package that is smaller than your smartphone and a budget of MYR 2,200 is more than enough.
Source: Lazada
Source: Shopee
We admit, MYR 1,549 is not exactly cheap. It is not something that you can easily buy and giveaway as well. We think that this is perfect for those expecting too though, so shower them with some love. It is also still cheaper than buying a regular camera, and even most mid-range smartphones. You can get the DJI Pocket 2 from DJI’s Official Store on both Shopee and Lazada.
1MORE Dual Driver ANC Pro Wireless Headphone (MYR 599)
Source: 1More
We recently had a chance to review this piece of kit and was very impressed with the audio quality, build quality, and its overall performance. We do not blame you if you have not heard of the brad before. No, it is not some china product that tries to copy JBL and Jabra products.
The 1MORE brand actually comes from the United States of America (U.S.A.). The 1MORE Dual Drive ANC Pro Wireless Headphones may be built in China, but it exudes the quality expected from an American, or even a European company. Of course those mean nothing if the audio is not great.
To that, we are happy to report that the audio produced from this piece of kit will not disappoint. What might stop you from buying it is probably its price at MYR 599. We promise though though, if you live an active livestyle and do not trust those Truly Wireless type earphones, this is the one for you. You can get yours now exclusively on Lazada.
Source: Lazada
Sony WF-1000XM3 (MYR 999)
Source: Sony
This is our personal favourite when it comes to audio gear. If you ask us to leave every other earphones and headphones at home and only carry one pair of earphones for our travels, we will pick this every single time. No joke, we were so impressed by this device that we actually went out of our way to pre-order these kits.
The Sony WF-1000XM3 is probably the best sounding Truly Wireless Earphones at its price. It is not cheap, to be fair, at MYR 999 retail. It sounds fantastic though. It does a lot of other wireless earphones no justice because the price suddenly looks reasonable when you put on the WF-1000XM3.
Sony also arguable has the best active noise cancelling technology to date. The latest WH-1000XM4 over ear headphones still use the same processing as the WF-1000XM3 as well. That is just a testimony to how good the noise cancelling technology is on the Sony earphones.
We have to say though that this kit is a little on the bulkier side compared to other solutions. Still, we love it, and it is an essential part of our travel kit and gear bag. It can go on and on for 8 hours and the case holds two charges for 24 hours of music playback. Nearly nothing comes close to this pair of earphones.
It is not a new piece of gear though. It is out in the market for over a year already. It is still a highly popular piece of kit for audiophiles even. So if you have any friends claiming to be audiophiles, this is a really good gift for them. At this time too you can get your hands on one from Shopee and Lazada for as low as MYR 749.
Source: Shopee
Source: Lazada
LG XBOOM Go PL5 (MYR 649)
Source: LG
Sticking to the theme of audio, we understand that not everyone likes to have something stuffed into their ear. Thanks to the unique equatorial climate and weather behaviour in this region of the world as well, wearing a pair of over-ear headphones might get uncomfortable thanks to sweat. In that case, you want some good speakers.
In that case, we pick the LG XBOOM Go PL5 Bluetooth speaker with Meridian Audio. “What is Meridian?”, I hear you ask. Meridian is a British firm that dedicates their lives in high-end audio and video solutions. They are more established in the audio world as one of the world’s renown High-Fidelty audio system makers. They do not just let anyone use their name on products. That also means that the LG XBOOM Go PL5 is the real deal.
We have it too, thanks to LG, and we were so impressed by it when we first fire it up, it became our speaker of choice when we go for parties and when we need a wireless speaker to work with in parties and social gatherings. This is truly one small package that packs a lot of punch.
It goes on and on for up to 18 hours as well with the light show. You can either plug audio in via the 3.5mm jack, or even connect it via Bluetooth for convenience. It charges via USB Type-C and is even water resistant. That also means you can safely bring your speaker to the pool to enjoy.
The only issue is that all that goodness does not come cheap. This little pill looking speaker will set you back MYR 649 on retail. Thankfully for the holiday seasons, LG has some promotions going on these punchy little things. You can now get them from LG’s offcial store on Shopee and Lazada for as low as MYR 449.
Source: Lazada
Source: Shopee
Logitech G304 Lightspeed Wireless Mouse (MYR 245)
Source: Logitech
What is tech without gaming? These days also, every other person can appreciate gaming and the way that small part of the tech world affects the tech world as a whole. Yes, the gaming industry is also a billion dollar industry with growth still predicted to continue. You cannot ignore gaming then.
One of the biggest benefits from the gaming industry is that we can now enjoy products made for gaming and e-sports, but not pay an arm and a leg for it. The improvements made for the gaming industry culminates to the really simple things we take for granted every day on our desks, our mouse.
There are plenty of reasons why you should choose a gaming mouse, especially wireless ones, over regular mouse. For one, latency and stability. Gaming mice like the Logitech G304 Lightspeed gaming mouse you see here are built for not just speed, but accuracy. In eSports and gaming, every second counts, so you want your mouse to respond to your every input as soon as you hit the buttons. Hence, Lightspeed technology from Logitech.
The Logitech G304 Lightspeed wireless gaming mouse made it to our list not just because of its Lightspeed moniker though. It is a rather portable nifty mouse you can even carry around in your work bag. You can take it anywhere and it will not stand out as a gaming mouse too, if you want to be a bit more conspicuous. But it still has the performance to slay your opponents when you need it to.
All these are packed into a package that will set you back MYR 245 on retail. No, that does not sound cheap, because it technically is not. But then again, wireless mice do go for around those prices and even more. Still, you can get it for a steal at MYR 168.99 from Logitech’s official store on Shopee and Lazada this Christmas.
Source: Lazada
Source: Shopee
External HDD/SSD (~myr 150 onward)
If you really do not know what to pick still for your loved ones, the best thing, and the most general thing you can buy for them is an external storage drive. Why? This could be the most versatile thing in our arsenal of gears, and it could be the most crucial at times.
When you work outside a lot, you tend to rely on things that are portable and easily accessible from any device. You also want something reliable, something that will not fail when your own device fails. You want a backup external storage unit.
You can choose between the traditional hard disk drive (HDD) format, or the new age solid state drive (SSD) format. Of course, there are speed differences. But there are some reliability benefits to the older, slower HDDs too. Of course, they are also cheaper.
No matter which type you get from them though, they can appreciate the extra storage and backup space you have given them. They can store more movies now, or rather, you can store more movies to enjoy on various mediums now. You can even back up your smartphone data to your external storage if you want.
The benefit of getting an external storage drive for yourself or your loved ones though is the relatively inexpensive options you can find today. You can find a 1TB sized HDD for less than MYR 150 these days. Of course, if you want to go for something like a Western Digital Passport pre-built external HDD, that is going to cost you a little bit.
Gaming is in Acer’s blood. The Predator brand that stems out from the Taiwanese based firm is now one of the most recognisable names in the PC gaming community. Of course, building on a solid branding block and competitively valued gaming PC builds help cement their legacy in the gaming and eSports community.
Predator Orion 3000
Source: Acer
Before there was eSports though, there was something called a LAN Party. A LAN Party is basically a place for gamers to come together to game together in the same space; hence, LAN (Local Area Network). People used to come together to play multiplayer games like Counter Strike and such. In these LAN parties, you are expected to bring your own peripherals and even your own PC.
In such conditions, you need a gaming PC that is compact enough to take with you anywhere in the world. You still need powerful hardware as well though, for all the serious gaming you are going to get yourself into. You might want to go wireless as well, in this case.
That is why Predator built the Orion 3000, the baby Orion. The latest Orion series hardware features a compact mid-tower case that is ready to take on the latest AAA titles without breaking a sweat. You might break a sweat carrying the powerful package.
The Predator Orion 3000’s chassis is a custom-built chassis by Predator to look the part. The chassis even features a built-in headphone hook. But it is not form without function here. The chassis is designed with upgradability in mind. In that case, you can open the case and even upgrade the GPU or any other components yourself with little in your way.
You get to work with a 10th Generation Intel Core i7 (up to) paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (up to) SUPER for good measure. The combination of the CPU and GPU, on top of a healthy 8GB of RAM should be a recipe that works with most AAA titles today. If 8GB is not enough, you can fit up to 64GB of RAM into the baby Orion. All the peripherals get a healthy dose of air thanks to two in-house developed Acer FrostBlade fans with RGB ability. Of course, ther is WiFi 6 so that you can set up from anywhere and still get a decent network connection even without wires.
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Predator XB273U GX Gaming Monitor
Source: Acer
Of course, powerful hardware must be paired to a display worthy of all its power. You want a fast display, you want pretty colours, and you want 27-inch. We feel that 27-inch is the magic number for gaming monitors. It is big enough to fit a table and for you to see everything on your desk with enough details. It is not too big too for your desk so you can just sit at a comfortable distance and take advantage of the large display area.
The Predator XB273U GX gaming monitor fits that bill perfectly. 27-inch, check. Fast, it boasts 270Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time, overclocked; so, check. It boasts HDR 400 certification and Delta E<2; pretty colours, check. You can even power it with a USB Type-C 65W power delivery output.
On top of all of that you can swivel the monitor around, tilt it, and adjust its height for maximum comfort and most efficient layout on your desk. Thanks to 99% AdobeRGB colour gamut and Delta E<2 as well, the monitor can be used in creative cases such as photo and video editing when you need to. Did we forget to mention its WQHD (2560 x 1440) resolution?
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Acer CB342CK C Monitor
Source: Acer
At home though, you might want something a little more immersive. You might want an ultra-wide display to view everything on one display. You might want an Acer CB342CK C UltraWide monitor.
The Acer CB342CK C monitor features a 34-inch display that is stretched out wide. It boasts 3,440 by 1,440 (UWQHD) in resolution. It is still an acceptably speedy monitor too with 75Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. Like the XB2783U GX, you can power the Ultra-Wide monitor with 65W power delivery too.
The ultra-wide IPS display is still a good-looking display with 99% sRGB colour gamut still. You get up to 400nits in brightness too if you need it. With AMD Radeon FreeSync, the monitor should still be reasonably good with games. The extra display real estate should allow for a more immersive gaming experience, especially with racing games.
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Price and Availability
The Predator Orion 3000 comes in either a 10th Generation Intel Core i7 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing (MYR 6,799) or a 10th Generation Intel Core i5 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER pairing (MYR 4,099). Both comes in the same great looking chassis. The baby Predator is now available from Acer’s authorised resellers across the nation and from Acer’s official online stores (including Lazada and Shopee).
Source: Acer
The Predator XB273U GX monitor is now available from Acer authorised stores nationwide and Acer’s official online stores (including Lazada and Shopee). There are no colour options for the 27-incher. The Predator XB273U GX will set you back MYR 3,299.
Source: Acer
The Acer CB432CK C Ultra-Wide monitor will be available at the end of December 2020. It will be available at all Acer’s authorised resellers across the nation and Acer’s official online stores (including Lazada and Shopee). You can get your hands on one when its available for MYR 1,799.
Customers who purchase any of these devices before 31 December 2020 will be entitled to redeem free gifts, including up to RM100 worth of Touch ‘n Go eWallet credit on their redemption website. In addition, every submission before 24 December 2020 will also entitle the customer to one entry to the Christmas rEunion Advent Calendar to stand a chance to bring back prizes from the total prize pool worth up to RM30,000. Starting from 1 December 2020 until 25 December 2020, Acer Malaysia will pick a lucky winner every day for the special prize. Winners will be announced on Acer Malaysia Facebook or their redemption website. For more information on Acer’s products, you can visit their website too.
It looks like being featured in games is now becoming a norm for celebrities. The latest one to join the bandwagon is renown footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Juventus forward will be making his action game debut in Garena’s first-ever in-house developed game, Free Fire. The Free Fire appearance marks the start of a partnership between Cristiano Ronaldo and Garena. Moving forward, the footballer will be the official international ambassador for the mobile Battle Royale game.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be making his debut as a mysterious, new character called “Chrono”. The new character marks a whole change in paradigm which will be coming to the mobile game soon. Chrono will be making his debut on December 19, 2020, along with changes coming to the game. Not much is known on how Chrono’s introduction to Free Fire will change things but Garena is teasing a whole new experience.
AMD has recently announced their new Ryzen 5000 series processors and their new Radeon RX 6000 series graphics processors. However, with the components being slightly more expensive and possibly limited during the launch window, we looked to the previous generation to see if it was still viable to build a gaming setup which was a little bit “outdated”.
AMD’s Zen architecture has proven over and over again that they are capable of outdoing their competition in benchmarks. Benchmarks aside, we wanted to do some tests, regular people, like us, would look at to determine whether the setup is worth the investment. We looked at simple things like how the build performed in some of the more popular games and also some of the more recent ones. We also looked at everyday workflow items like video editing and even processing complex excel spreadsheets.
The only thing that remains is to answer the question: Is it still worth investing in a Ryzen 3000 and Radeon 5000 series build. Our frank answer: You could do worse; But we’re not going to leave with such a vague answer. We’ve broken down our experience with the rig with all the details we thought you’d need to make the decision.
When it came to this build, we tried to build a full MSI build while keeping the price as competitive as possible with one caveat – we had to keep to the latest parts available in the Malaysian market. That said, we had another thing on our minds when it came to the build: it needed to be able to do some video processing and play some of the latest games at the highest settings. Of course, we wanted to build a gaming PC, so the our main concern, aside from price, was its gaming performance.
We decided to go with the newer Ryzen 5 3600X for the processor cause the newer 3000 series processor is clocked slightly higher at 3.8 GHz which meant it has marginally better performance. That said, the sub MYR300 (USD$73.32) price difference between the Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 5 3600X is what decided it for us. With that little bit more performance from the hexacore (6-core) processor, we could, in theory, get better performance from intensive programs which meant more gaming prowess. We also decided to invest in an AiO liquid cooling solution to squeeze even more performance from the CPU.
For the GPU, it was a hard decision between an NVIDIA RTX GPU and the RADEON. However, in the interest of being thrifty and also building a full-on AMD rig, we decided to go with the RADEON RX 5600XT which was a little more recent and didn’t have a gigantic price difference. That said, we were also taking into consideration the performance gains over the RX 5500XT and the significant price difference between the RX 5700 and the RX 5600XT.
The motherboard was a tough dilemma. We were tossed between a better full ATX motherboard and a mini-ITX. However, after much deliberation, MSI and AMD challenged us to use their mini-ITX board with built-in WiFi. Little did we know that the board would be on the higher end of the spectrum when it came to price. That said, if it was solely up to us, we would have gone with a more full-featured full ATX motherboard with more expandability.
With our key components decided on, we let pricing decide the rest of the build. Accessories and the monitor were provided courtesy of MSI and we had our Razer Basilisk lying around to complete the build.
Performance
With all the parts put together, we’re finally at the most important part – how did the build perform? To be very honest – it actually did really well. The build was powerful enough to handle pretty much everything we threw at it and running it overnight didn’t seem to affect our electricity bill by much. However, the biggest downside to the Radeon GPUs was the lack of proper ray tracing support which led to slightly less detailed graphics in games such as Horizon Zero Dawn and Monster Hunter.
While the overview is pretty broad, we’re here for the itty-bitty details. We’re breaking down the build’s performance over three main categories – video and graphic work, gaming and high load processing. That said, we won’t be going into detail on 3D rendering work as it’s a niche area which we think doesn’t really reflect what a majority of us will be using the setup for gaming and day to day work.
AMD’s big play when it comes to their processors and graphics is a being made for gaming. We decided that since gaming and work are the mainstays of any computer system, we’d jump into the nitty-gritty when it came to gaming and some of the finer points of our work as well. During our review of the rig, we tested games such as Overwatch, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, Monster Hunter Worlds and Horizon Zero Dawn. We also tested it with Adobe Premiere Pro and some large excel files.
Gaming
Gaming is essential when it comes to us gamers. So we took a gander at how the build performed on some of the more recent titles as a test. Overall, it didn’t do too bad when it came to graphics and it was pretty consistent across the board in hitting around 60fps during gaming – which is sufficient for most games.
The first game we tested on the rig was Blizzard’s Overwatch – not the most graphically challenging game out there. But, when it comes to games like this, chaos can ensue when there’s a throwdown which can affect the game’s frame rate. That said, testing the game on a 55-inch 4K display was pretty amazing. There was little to no tearing or frame rate drops. However, the TV we tested it on didn’t have support for high refresh or frame rate so it maxed out at about 50 to 60 fps. On a monitor with support for 240Hz, the experience was similar with aiming and quick response becoming even easier.
In story-driven games such as Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order and Horizon Zero Dawn, the graphics quality was pretty commendable. In both the textures were crisp and detailed and the colours were deep and realistic. Battles were smooth with minimal frame drops and response time from the input was pretty good when it came to tense situations; there was hardly any lag between input and response. The same rang true when we tested it with Monster Hunter World.
For all the games we tested, the graphics settings were maxed out. The only thing that was missing compared to the competition was support for Ray Tracing which would have allowed for a more realistic experience when it came to the behaviour of light in the games. That said, the lack of ray tracing didn’t take too much away from the overall experience.
Video Editing
For content creators, video processing and editing would be one of the more important aspects of any build. We tested the setup rendering and editing videos on Adobe’s Premiere Pro. In a nutshell, the setup was able to handle pretty complex rendering with 4K footage – which is a good thing. However, it may be a little more challenging dealing with 8K footage.
Anyone that uses Adobe Premiere Pro will readily attest that, while the program is one of the best on the market, it can be a pain on both the processor and GPU. The program is notorious for sending fans into overdrive as it processes the many frames and effects you utilise to get the perfect video.
In our tests, we used 4K UHD video with multiple tracks for both audio and video as well as multiple overlays. Scrubbing the timeline with the preview set to full resolution was pretty smooth with little lag. Rendering complex effects and overlays in the footage for preview and export didn’t take too much time too. The 10-minute clip took about 25 minutes to render in full.
High Load Processing
To test this one out, we use a complex excel sheet – something a person dealing with large amounts of data would be using on a daily basis. The excel sheet was pretty huge – coming in at about 1GB with tables and charts that contained large, complex formulae. We manipulated the values in the sheet to test how long it would take the system to run the computation.
We were pretty impressed. The updates were done near instantaneously in tables while charts took slightly longer to update. This was one of the tests that actually impressed us when we performed it.
Final Verdict
AMD’s future proofing of their motherboard chipsets weighed pretty heavily in the consideration of whether the build is worth the time. The fact that they’ve promised support until 2020 for their current 400 and 500 series motherboards allows end users to bump up the power when they need it.
That said, you’d expect that system running “outdated” or older hardware had a lot lacking in terms of performance. However, as Dr Lisa Su mentions over and over again, it looks like, unless you’re in dire need of a top of the line system, AMD’s Ryzen and Radeon hardware does stand the test of time or in her words, “..ages like fine wine”. Performance in gaming, video editing and even high load processing was consistent and while it may be slower than newer ones, it didn’t have much to make up.
All in all, the build is a very capable one with at least another two to three years left in the higher levels of performance. Best part, you can create a similar one for about the same budget or you could go cheaper too.
Garena has announced a brand-new format and schedule of Free Fire’s international tournament for this year. The new Free Fire Continental Series (FFCS) will be the game’s first series to happen online only. The tournament comprises of three separate series which will be held from 22nd November to 29th November simultaneously around the world.
Source: Garena
The three different series that will run simultaneously are the American series, the EMEA series and the Asia series. The Americas series consists of Brazil and the rest of Latin American whereas the Asia series will include Taipei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam. On the other hand, the EMEA series will involve Europe, Russia, the Middle East and North Africa.
The Free Fire Continental Series will have a combined prize pool of USD$900,000 (MYR3,705,452.72). This will be split equally over the three series; Each series will have US$300,000 up for grabs. To earn their pot, teams will need to pass through two stages: the Play-ins and the Finals. Teams competing in the Play-ins and the Finals will be seeded from the recently concluded Free Fire Tri-nation Cup.
Source: Garena
Each team will have to battle over 6 rounds across 3 maps and points will be awarded based on round ranking and the number of kills. Contenders will be playing on the Bermuda, Purgatory and Kalahari maps in Free Fire. The top-seeded teams from each local-level tournament will earn the rights to enter their respective Grand Finals. However, the rest of the teams can only earn their place to be in the Grand Finals by beating the other teams in the region.
The Grand Finals will be contested by the number one teams from each of the countries in the Asia series which consists of Tapei, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam. On the other hand, the second- and third-seeded of the Asia series will battle against each other to get into the five coveted Grand Final spots.
According to The Verge, Sony has confirmed that the console will not support storage expansion at launch. This news comes despite the presence of a dedicated slot for an M.2 SSD. Sony clarifies that the slot will be enable in a future update and that storage expansion will be be reserved for a future update. This comes as confirmation as surfaced that the PS5 will reserve around 20% of the 825GB internal SSD storage for functional operations and the OS, leaving around 664GB usable storage.
In light of the new, it seems like early adopters should avoid buying additional M.2 SSDs to avoid being sorely disappointed. However, it’s not all gloom and doom as Sony confirms that the update will come once it has a list of supported SSDs. Testing for this list should be underway. The delay comes as the PlayStation 5 sports a lot of customised internals including its I/O system which complicates SSD compatibility. That said, the Sony PlayStation 5 supports up to two types of storage: internal and external storage. With internal M.2 SSD expansion delayed, users will still be able to use external USB drives for extra memory as we wait for the update to roll out.
Source: Sony
From what we know about PS5 titles – they aren’t small in any way with file sizes clocking in at 120GB. PS5 titles such as Demon Souls and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War are already reported to take up about 200GB. With only 825GB of internal storage, users will undoubtedly run out of storage in no time. However, the PS5 still supports storing games on USB-connected external drives however, this will only work for previous generation games.
What about the disc drive version of the PS5? Well, the Blu-Ray disc will only act as an installer for the game, allowing you to forgo an internet connection. Still, the PS5 will download game data from the disc on to the internal storage to facilitate seamless loading during gameplay.
Nevertheless, Sony has claimed that the PS5 will be more flexible when it comes to storage management; allowing users more control.
Sony has announced its newest PlayStation 5 and is ready to take on the market this holiday. The company has revealed some specs to give fans a brief look of just how powerful the machine will be. Looking at some of the things we already know, the new PlayStation 5 is shaping up to be one of the most revolutionary consoles in comparison to it’s predecessor, the PS4; and even next generation Xbox Series X and Xbox Series. The PS5 is set to change the playing field for consoles in the next generation.
Source: TechRadar
Powerful Insides with at least 60 fps Gameplay
The PlayStation 5 will be running on a customised build of AMD’s graphics and processing architecture. The GPU is based on AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture while the CPU is based on AMD’s Zen 2 architecture with 8-cores. The new processing unit will allow the PS5 to support ray tracing making it possible to have more realistic light textures and deeper realism built into the graphics. This is complemented by 16GB of GDDR6 RAM.
It will launch with native 4K resolution support which makes sense given the current landscape of TV ownership. However, there is evidence showing the PS5 will be able to support up to 8K resolution in the future. The console is able to reach 120fps in games but most of the game are guaranteed tor run at 60fps with stable gaming performance. We will probably see a few games reaching 120fps as the console generation progresses.
Speedy Internal Storage for Quick Load Times
The console will sport a customised solution when it comes to internal storage. Sony’s customised SSD solution will be its backbone for the lightning-fast loading times the company is promising for the PlayStation 5. It will support extra storage through an easily accessible slot for an M.2 SSD chip which is disabled at launch. However, Sony PS5 architect, Mark Cerny, has stressed that support will be enabled with a firmware update at a later date. The reason behind this staggered activation is to give the team enough time to test and ensure compatibility as not all M.2 SSDs will be able to interface correctly with the PlayStation 5’s I/O controller which can lead to slowdowns or worse. Out of the box, the PS5 comes with 825GB of internal storage, it will also support USB storage.
The PS5 will come in two flavours: a digital-only version and one sporting an optical drive. The latter will come with a 4K Blu-ray drive. This will be able to play actual physical PS5 games which will be released on Blu-ray discs. It will also play movies and DVDs. As the name suggests, this will be omitted in the PS5 Digital Edition.
The hallmark of the PS5 experience is the unique, immersive experience of the new DualSense Controller. It is being lauded as a leap forward in gaming. The resistive triggers are able to convey a different, more immersive textures which bring a depth to the gaming experience that we have yet to experience.
New PSN Experience & Backward Compatibility
The PSN web and mobile store have been overhauled in October. As part of this change, PS3 games, PS vita games, avatar and themes will no longer be purchase. Sony seems to be more focused on newer things. This has entailed the removal of themes and content for the PS3 and, the short-lived, PS Vita.
Sony has also revealed the PS5 UI in an official walkthrough video hosted by the head of Sony Worldwide Studios, Hermen Hulst. The UI drops the spartan approach that it used for the PS4. In its stead, the PS5 will sport a user experience-centric interface which brings games and the PSN community to the forefront. Even the in-game overlay is feature-rich and comes with easy access to the many in-game features that the PS5 has including the ability to get friends to help you in-game.
In addition to an overhauled UI, the PS5 comes with backwards compatibility with games from previous generations of PlayStations. For now, Sony has confirmed that 99% of PS4 titles are supported by the PS5 with more to come. However, compatibility with games from the PS3 and before is still up in the air.
Pricing & Availability
Both Editions of the PlayStation 5 will be available starting on November 12, 2020, in the U.S, UK, Japan, and a few other countries, with a global release starting on November 19. The disc drive touting PS5 will run you USD $499 while the digital only edition will cost $399.
In Malaysia, the PS5 will be laucnhing on 11 December 2020 with pre-orders already underway with e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada already taking orders. The PS5 Digital Edition will be available for MYR 1,869, and PS5 with an Ultra HD Blu-ray™ disc drive will be available for MYR 2,299.
