Tag Archives: Laptop

Computers, Reviews, Writer's Choice

HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U Review

Leave a comment
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U logo lid
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U open
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U open diagonal
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U right ports

8.5/10

HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U (EY0027AU_01)

Pros

• Wonderful OLED Screen

• All metal chassis

• Light and Thin

• 1440p IR webcam with built in privacy shutter

• Affordable and great value buy when on sale

• Great general performance

Cons

• Speaker Design

• No Thunderbolt 4 support

• No SD or microSD card slot

• RAM is not upgradeable

The HP Pavilion Plus 14 (2023) AMD 7840U is a noteworthy mid-range laptop with integrated 780M graphics. The laptop includes a gorgeous 14” OLED 2.8k 120hz HDR display. This means watching the latest shows, movies, and anime is a blast.

A light and thin laptop, portability is quite good and should last you most of the day. With a 68Wh battery pack paired with an efficient Ryzen 7 U-series chip, expect 6-8 hours of mixed usage.

Great for general work (typing and browsing), photo editing, casual video editing, light to moderate gaming, traveling, and watching videos, the HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U doesn’t breaking the bank. Perfect for those who move about a lot for work and students, especially when on sale.

HP Pavilion Plus 14 Laptop PC Trio Hero 1

Comes in multiples colours: EY0027AU moonlight blue, EY0028AU tranquil pink, and EY0029AU natural silver

Specifications of Reviewed Unit

Price at time of reviewRM3,699 (Lazada Techmall)
CPU3.3GHz AMD Ryzen 7 7840U (8 cores)
GraphicsAMD Radeon 780M
Screen14 inch 16:10 2880 x 1800 pixel OLED HDR 120Hz
Memory16GB LPDDR5 6400 Mhz (onboard)
Storage512GB SSD
NetworkWi-Fi 6E / Bluetooth 5.3
Inputs/Connectivity2 USB Type-C 10Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge); 1 USB Type-A 10Gbps signaling rate; 1 USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate; 1 headphone/microphone combo; 1 HDMI 2.1
Operating SystemWindows 11
Battery68Wh cell with 65W Type-C power adapter
Dimensions31.39 x 22.71 x 1.75 cm (front) – 1.88 cm (hinge back) / 12.36 x 8.94 x 0.69 in (front) – 0.74 in (hinge back)
Weight1.4 kg (3.09lbs)

General Usage

HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U 65w power adaptor type-C
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U 65w power adaptor type-C

Coming in at 1.4kg and under 2cm thickness, the HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7 7840U, is a good thin and light laptop that fits the ultraportable category of laptops. The included 65W power adapter is relatively small and lightweight and is easy to carry. Though it should be noted that you could get away from leaving the power adaptor at home. Easily you should be getting a good 6-8 hours of general continuous usage with simple power management.

One thing to note about battery life, the OLED display is able to handle HDR content and has a refresh rate of 120Hz which can drain the battery when on full brightness of 400 nits. By default HDR doesn’t turn on if on the laptop battery and only turns on when plugged in. With HDR turned on, all screen settings on max, and while streaming hi-res video, battery life was about 5 hours. As for when trying to conserve power, we achieve 10+ hours. We are sure we can push more, but few want an overglorified type writer.

Design & Connectivity

HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U right side ports
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U right side ports
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U left side ports
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U left side ports

Coming to charging the laptop, the laptop has two USB Type-C ports for charging on the right side. Now we believe it would have been nice if HP had design the laptop with a Type-C port on each side. This would have been easier and convenient charging, but it is a relatively small nitpick. Luckily there is support for battery fast charge. This means the laptop can charge 50% in 30 minutes when the laptop is completely shut down. So no tether unless you are doing long gaming or binge watching sessions. Generally it took 2 to 2 and a half hours to charge the laptop fully when in light use.

HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U right side ports
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U left side ports
20240213 101734
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U 65w power adaptor type-C
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U

Coming to the all metal chassis design, it is pleasant and sleek. We do wish there was a slight recess for easier one handed lid opening. The overall build quality is pretty solid, with good hinges. There was noted ability to flex for the screen lid, but nothing drastic or out of the ordinary. Some minor flex on the base of the laptop while using the keyboard. Nothing most would generally notice in daily usage.

The most notable thing about the connectivity is that the HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U lacks thunderbolt 4 (40Gbps signaling rate) certification. This is something generally inherent of AMD laptops. The laptop comes with 2 USB Type-C 10Gbp (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge), 1 USB Type-A 10Gbps, 1 USB Type-A 5Gbps, 1 headphone/microphone combo, and 1 HDMI 2.1 port. If thunderbolt 4 is a must, do look at the Intel variants with i7-1355U or i5-1335U from HP.

Work Usage

With the Radeon 780M, the HP Pavilion Plus 14 can handle most general media creation and light editing tasks. It will also edges out the comparable Intel variants of the HP Pavilion Plus 14 models.

20240213 102214

As for using the laptop included generously large touchpad and keyboard, we found it pleasant. Sadly there is special features and is pretty basic overall. There is no numpad for number entry but does come with dedicated page up and down buttons. The overall typing experience is nice but a bit basic, it gets the job done without any fuss.

HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U Webcam closed
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U webcam mid way
HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U webcam open

Another huge plus point that makes the HP Pavilion Plus 14 a great laptop for work is its 5-megapixel 1440p video resolution webcam. It comes an with IR sensor (facial recognition login) and built-in physical privacy shutter. So not only will your web video calls/conferences be a better experience, but you can also ensure no one can see you when you don’t want them to. Additionally there are function keys on the keyboard to mute your microphone and sound. Both have a small led indicator light to easily see if they are on/off.

Multimedia Usage

For consuming media, this laptop does fantastically well with their gorgeous 2.8K 120HZ OLED display with HDR and 400 nits peak brightness. This basically translates to great vibrant colours, deep blacks and a pretty bright screen for your viewing pleasure. Clearly the star feature of this laptop, watching movies and tv shows is a super enjoyable experience. This does of course come at the expense of battery life. At full tilt streaming movies on max settings you should get about 5 hours out of the HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7 7840U. 

20240213 103215

The only two real things that might mar your viewing experience are the reflective glossy screen and downward facing speakers. This is one laptop you can’t put on your lap or in bright lights. You will get muffled sounds and reflective glare easily. This is a laptop best used on a hard surface/table indoors. 

Sound overall is good for a mid range laptop and has good volume but lacks bass. Another issue is that while using the laptops keyboard we were able to feel the speakers vibrate and dampen if we put any weight onto the laptop bottom chassis.

Gaming

20240213 141807.mp4 snapshot 00.34.882 1

As for gaming, the laptop will allow you to play most casual games and older titles without issues. I mean we don’t expect hardcore gamers to buy this laptop, but for integrated graphics, the Radeon 780M is probably the best at the moment. If you must, you can still play the newer graphically intensive games on the lowest settings at 1080P and get a respectful 20-30 fps.

Overall games like Hades will be a blast to play on the HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7 7840U with a controller. With the OLED screen the colours really pop and the laptop has no problem playing the game smoothly. While playing Borderlands 3 we also noted that you definitely can’t use your native screen resolution.

20240213 182627.mp4 snapshot 00.07.000

As a side note on heat, we notice significant uncomfortable heating on the right side of the laptop keyboard when under high loads. Luckily for most gamers who need to use the laptop, the left side of the keyboard is unaffected. Using the WASD keys shouldn’t be a problem, just that it is still a laptop keyboard.

Benchmarks

*We are currently standardizing our benchmarking process into two parts. We test both in a controlled setting and via our hands-on experience through daily normal usage. For laptops, we use benchmarking software while plugged in and at max performance settings. We are currently using PCMark 10, PCMark 10 Extended, Time Spy, Wild Life Extreme, Cinebench 2024, and Borderlands 3.

Screenshot 1 1Screenshot 49 1CinebenchCinebench

In all the controlled testing, the HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7 7840U shows great performance as a laptop for general productivity, photo editing, video conference calls, and light video editing. With an average score of 6457 in PCMark10 and 5615 in PCMark10 Extended.

Screenshot 25Screenshot 17Borderlands HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7840U

Now in the gaming department, it is totally understandable that the 780M performance is lacking for a laptop. Though as an integrated graphics processor, its performance is top tier. The 780M is essentially the Ryzen Z1 Extreme found in ROG Ally and Legion Go, gaming handhelds running Windows OS.

Note that the Borderlands 3 benchmarking was run at the laptops native screen resolution of 2.8K

Final Thoughts

Overall the HP Pavilion Plus 14 AMD 7 7840U is a great light and thin laptop that has great overall productivity performance. Not a feature rich or gimmicky laptops, but a solid one that gets the job done well. The great OLED screen add much to the experience of this laptop. A highly recommend laptop to keep an eye on, especially when it goes on sale.

Computers, Gaming, Lifestyle

December Holiday Gift Guide – Lenovo

Leave a comment

The season of holiday gifting and sales are upon us! If you have been thinking about spending your hard-earned money on your loved ones (including yourself), here’s the first of many gift guides to look forward to this month.

Whether it is a gift for a gamer-on-the-go or a serial multitasker, Lenovo is highlighting a collection of their tech this holiday season:

Lenovo Legion Go (Price TBA – available soon on Lenovo Malaysia’s official stores)

legion go

Legion Go is Lenovo’s answer to a handheld gaming device with the guts of a PC. It’s got detachable controllers for ultimate flexibility. It also comes with a 10-point touchscreen for intuitive controls, and enough juice to last thanks to Super Rapid Charge.

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (RM9,499)

yoga book 9i

The Yoga Book 9i is a dual-screen laptop that folds, flips, and flexes. Its Multimode+ feature turns it into everything you need – whether it be a laptop, a tablet, or an e-reader. It’s portable and comes with a whole ecosystem of accessories, allowing you to work creatively wherever you are.

Lenovo Legion 9i (RM16,039.01)

02 Legion 9i Hero RTX Gaming

For serious gamers and content creators, this powerhouse of a laptop comes with a self-contained liquid cooling system. It boasts buttery smooth performance and packed with high-end specs. Of course, this also means that this beast comes with a similarly high-end price tag.

Lenovo Tab P11 (2nd Gen) (RM1,699)

TabP112nd Lifestyle Image 7

The Tab P11 is a versatile tablet for streaming, designing, and even some light gaming. For multitaskers, split-screen mode allows you to easily tackle two tasks at once. The Lenovo Precision Pen 2 is also a perfect accessory for jotting down notes or doodling. Looking to do some emails or want a boost in productivity? Just snap on a keyboard and you have a tablet for both work and play.

Lenovo R27fc-30 27″ Monitor (RM849)

Lenovo R27fc 30

Immersion and low-latency is important to enjoying gaming and viewing content. If you’re looking to do either, consider this 27-inch curved monitor monitor. It comes with 280Hz refresh rate and 0.5ms response time for smooth video performance. Want to set up multiple screens? No problem. The LTPS stand lets you adjust it to your preferred viewing angle, so you can game, create, and enjoy in comfort.

Like anything you see in the list? You can find out more on Lenovo Malaysia’s official online store, and stay tuned here for more gift guides this month!

News

SNS Network Technology Offers Students Affordable Devices

Leave a comment

SNS Network Technology Berhad, an ICT system and solutions provider, has announced a slew of deals exclusively for students. The goal is to facilitate students to embrace online learning in schools through affordable devices.

SNS Ko 3 1
SNS Managing Director, Ko Yun Hung, hopes to level the playing field for all students to access virtual learning

Managing Director, Ko Yun Hung, believes the deals are timely as they align with the recent launch of Hybrid Classrooms Pioneer Project by the government. He said, “We believe that this special deal makes the devices very accessible to students and levels the playing field for virtual learning situations”.

Wide range of devices and discounts with SNS Network

The special deals by SNS Network Technology covers a range of HP laptops with discounts of RM400. A standout deal is the 11-inch HP Chromebook X360 going for RM599, down from RM1199. Lenovo laptops are also on offer, with prices ranging from RM1249 and discounts up to RM200.

SNS Network offers their own range of smart classroom solutions, JOI, on generous discounts too. The range includes the JOI Classmate laptop series, JOI Chromebook and the desktop JOI PC, with prices starting at RM599. Other brands include the Avita series of laptops priced at RM949 and Huawei, which includes the MatePad T10 tablet for RM349.

SNS iTworld
SNS Network has student deals from tablets to laptops to desktop PCs, all at great discounts.

Additionally, SNS Network offers premium devices exclusively for students with options of iPad, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Microsoft Surface. The HP Probook 440 is available for RM3159 for those that want more productivity. On the top end, the Dell Alienware X14 gaming laptop is also available on a discount at RM8499.

All product offerings are available on the GLOO Education Store for online purchases. Also, in store purchases are available at the following retail stores; on https://www.itworld.com.my/about-us and www.gloo.com.my/about-us.

Computers, News

Microsoft surfaces pre-orders for Surface Pro 9 and Laptop 5

Leave a comment

Microsoft is ushering in the “new era of computing” for Windows PC by unveiling the latest iterations of Surface devices.

image 13
image 14
The Surface Pro 9, available for pre-order Nov 8th in, new Sapphire (top) and Forest (bottom) colors.

Surface Pro 9 with Intel and SQ®3 platform choice, two new colors and pre-order goodies

From 8th November to 28th November 2022, the Surface Pro 9 will be available for pre-order in Malaysia. Microsoft has also announced two new color variants, Sapphire and Forest, for more variety. To sweeten the deal, a Surface Pro Signature keyboard and other free gifts (worth up to RM1288) will be given along with every pre-order. Every purchase of the Surface Pro 9, pre-order or otherwise, will receive a one-month subscription to Microsoft 365.

The Surface Pro 9 now comes with two platform choices. There is the Intel Evo platform powered by the 12th Gen Intel® Core processor with Thunderbolt™ 4. The other is the Microsoft SQ®3 platform powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon with 5G connectivity, exclusive for Surface for Business users.

Both Intel and Qualcomm variants of the Surface Pro 9 will share the same build quality and core features. This includes the 13.3-inch PixelSense Display with up to 120Hz refresh rate and Microsoft’s custom G6 chip that enhances the inking experience with tactile feedback. The Surface Pro 9 comes with options of Intel i5, i7 or SQ®3 processors, 8GB or 16GB of RAM and 128GB, 256GB and 512GB of storage, with prices starting at RM5299.

New line of Surface Laptop 5 now with Thunderbolt 4 and more pre-order goodies

image 15
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 now with Thunderbolt™ 4

Microsoft also unveiled the new range of Surface Laptop 5, available for pre-order from 8th November 2022 in Malaysia. All pre-orders will receive a free Microsoft Arc Mouse and other free gifts (worth up to RM998). All purchases of the Surface Laptop 5 will receive a a one-month subscription to Microsoft 365 as well.

With prices starting from RM5299, the Surface Laptop 5 comes in 13.5-inch and 15-inch variants. Variants have options of 12th Gen Intel i5 and i7 processors, 8GB or 16GB of RAM and 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of SSD storage. All Surface Laptop 5 comes with the signature 3:2 PixelSense display and now with Thunderbolt™ 4 to further boost productivity.

How to pre-order?

Pre-orders for the Surface Pro 9 and Laptop 5 are available in Malaysia starting 8th November 2022. Visit commercial authorized reseller Maxis and authorized retailers including All IT, Gloo by SNS Network, Harvey Norman, Lazada Flagship Store, PC Image, Senheng, Shopee Authorised Store and TMT by Thundermatch.

Business, Computers, News

Intel Launches Their Most Powerful Mobile Processors in the 12th Generation Core HX Processors

Leave a comment

Intel Vision 2022 is here! Their keynote was two hours long, but it was not for nothing. They touched on plenty of things that they are working on in the background. Most of it has to do with their corporate businesses and corporate initiatives. One of it though has to do with mobile workstations and that is one we were interested in. They announced the new 12th Generation Core HX processors for workstations. In other words, they have released their most powerful mobile CPUs yet.

Intel already has their 12th generation Intel Core processors on the mobile platform before this. While they are largely of similar build and architecture, they are different products, this Core HX one and the ones before. As Intel puts it, the Core HX is made for professionals and creators.

At the top, the 12th generation Intel Core i9 with Core HX still packs up to 16 cores. Eight of the cores are efficiency cores while the rest are performance cores. In their forms, they are still the same 10nm processors with the new big-small architecture. The new Core HX processors also still support the same DDR5 at 4800MHz speeds where available.

12th Gen Intel Core HX Mobile Workstation Processors | Talking Tech | Intel Technology

Where the new Core HX differs to the outgoing 12th generation Intel Core processors is in its multi-threaded performance. Intel claims that the Core HX delivers 65% more multi-threaded performance compared to the regular Core processors. 65% is a significant amount and important when it comes to creative use. It means less rendering and processing time in video production, 3D rendering, and even animation purposes. The 12th generation Core HX processors, in this case, will see the most benefit in CAD, animation, and visual effect applications. How it will compare to team red is yet to be seen though.

Still, just because the Core HX processors are optimised to be workhorses in creative and professional applications, does not mean that Intel has forgotten their core strength. The Core HX processors are still powerful gaming processors at their hearts. Of course, if you are building a gaming rig, there are other Intel products that might suit you better, this one should be more of an all-rounder for those who needs the versatility.

With Core HX, Intel has introduced seven new processors in their 12th generation Core line-up. The seven new processors are spread out between the Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9 offerings. Because they are mobile processors, we will have to wait and see what Intel’s manufacturing partners can come up with later in the year with the Core HX solutions. For more information on Intel’s Core HX processors, you can visit their website.

Computers, Gaming, News

MSI Unleashes A New Stable of Laptops Powered by Intel’s 12th Generation Processors

Leave a comment

Intel only recently announced their latest 12th Generation processors. These processors bring improved performance and better battery life. MSI is banking on the “Metaverse” as it moves forward with a new redesigned logo, slimmer, more powerful laptops and feature-packed offerings. The new lineup takes advantage of the latest and greatest from Intel and also NVIDIA.

In addition to bringing the latest from Intel and NVIDIA, MSI is also bringing a few new upgrades of its own. The company is introducing a new cooling technology they call “Phase Change Liquid Metal Pad” which has better thermal conductivity thanks to its change in state. According to MSI, as temperatures hit 58°C (136° F), the Liquid Metal Pad liquefies which allows it to fill the gaps between the CPU and thermal block providing better cooling. In fact, MSI is attributing a 10% increase in overall performance to its new cooling technology. This feature is making its way to most, if not all of MSI’s “Meta Ready” Laptops.

A Gamer in Plain Sight: MSI Stealth GS77/66

It seems that more and more people are looking for a laptop that can seamlessly blend into their work and play. The MSI Stealth GS series is built to do just that. MSI has bolstered the durability of the Stealth with better more robust materials. They’ve also shifted the hinges towards the centre of the laptop for better stability and sturdiness. It also comes with a 50% larger trackpad and larger keycaps for better productivity. The Stealth will also feature a physical camera lock allowing you to deactivate the webcam when not in use.

MSI CES2022 006

The Stealth will come with configurations supporting up to the Intel Core i9 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU. It also comes with support for DDR5 RAM and Thunderbolt 4. It comes with options supporting 4K and UHD displays with up to 360 Hz refresh rates. It also comes with 6 speakers for a more immersive sound experience. Connectivity-wise, the MSI Stealth GS77/66 comes with support for WiFi 6E and also comes built-in with Intel’s Killer AX1675 and E3100 controllers.

Maxing out performance with the MSI Raider GE

MSI’s Raider GE is made to be a powerhouse gaming experience. Like the Raiders of the past, the new one comes with configurations to empower gaming without limits. This year, it comes with configurations supporting up to the Intel Core i9 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080Ti Laptop GPU. This is complemented by MSI’s own OverBoost technology which allows users to get every drop of performance from their laptop. It delivers up to 220 watts of power to unlocked unrivalled performance.

MSI CES2022 005

Similar to the Stealth GS, the Raider GE will come with support for DDR5 RAM and PCIe Gen4 SSDs. It comes with MSI’s new cooling technology and also supports multidisplay setups. The Raider is also one of the only laptops on the market to sport a 1080p webcam. Like it’s sibling it comes equipped with high refresh rate displays sporting up to QHD resolutions. It also has the Intel Killer E3100 ethernet and Intel Killer AX1675 WiFi controllers.

Putting Power In the Hands of Creators

Content Creation KV

MSI is also imbuing the Creator Z16 and Z16P with a boost in power. The latter is getting an extra 20% boost in performance thanks to the new Vapour Chamber Cooler which cools better and decreases the temperature further. In addition to this, the Creator Z laptops will be also be getting pen touch support.

Empowering Every Gamer

MSI CES2022 001

In addition to the two hero gaming laptops, MSI is also updating its other lineups including the MSI Crosshair 15, the MSI Pulse GL76/77, the MSI Katana and the MSI Sword. These laptops will be coming with Intel’s 12th Generation processors and also configurations supporting up to NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3070Ti Laptop GPU. They will also support DDR5 RAM and PCIe Gen4 storage.

Computers, News

The New ASUS ROG STRIX gaming Notebooks with Liquid Metal Cooling Comes to Malaysia!

Leave a comment

Standing out in the world today is difficult. This statement cannot be truer in the gaming notebook PC segment. Everywhere you look, gaming notebooks look very similar to each other. At this point too, every gaming notebook have nearly the same design language – understated, simple, clean. Do not get us wrong though. We are not saying that they look bad, quite the opposite. There is nothing wrong too with the ‘blended in’ look and goal.

Still, we also understand that there are some who still wants something outrageous. There is still a market for a ‘different’ looking hardware. Something that stands out, but still looks decently fitting in a meeting room anyway. Something like an ASUS ROG STRIX.

The SCAR Edition

The ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR Edition has always been one of our favourite series of gaming notebooks. The new ROG STRIX SCAR 15 for 2020 comes with an Intel Core i7-10875H CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (up to) combination for raw horsepower in AAA titles. You get up to 16GB (8GB x 2) RAM configuration within the beastly body of the STRIX SCAR 15 as well for a crazy amount of Google Chrome tabs open at the same time.

Of course, as with the SCAR 15 naming scheme, you get a 15.6-inch Full HD display. It is an amazing display to work with though. 240Hz refresh means you can see everything clearly. 3ms response time means there is no noticeable delay from input to action. 100% sRGB means you get colours and depth like no other.

  • Source: ASUS
  • Source: ASUS

Of course, all these things combined will produce a vast amount of heat. In addition to ASUS’s cooling technology, ASUS have replaced the thermal paste for the CPU and GPU with liquid metal for better cooling efficiency and effectiveness.

STRIX G – for Gaming

The liquid cooling technology does not stop at the SCAR edition ASUS ROG STRIX notebooks though. The ASUS ROG STRIX G15 and G17 also gets the liquid metal treatment for better cooling in heavy usage. We start with the STRIX G15.

The ASUS ROG STRIX G series comes packing with plenty of power still. It is no SCAR, but it still has the power of an Intel Core i7-10750H hexa-core processor. The combination of the powerful CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is still plenty enough to run AAA games at higher settings. You still get 16GB (8GB x 2) of RAM memory too, to take advantage of the powerful CPU and GPU.

Storage comes in a 1TB SSD flavour. In case that is not enough, there is two more M.2 slots for upgrades. HDD tray? That is so last year.

  • Source: ASUS
  • Source: ASUS
  • Source: ASUS
  • Source: ASUS

The ASUS ROG STRIX G15 comes with a reasonably fast 15.6-inch Full HD display too. You get 144Hz out of it still. It is no pantone validated display though. Still, the IPS technology is known for its highly accurate and vibrant colours.

The ASUS ROG STRIX G17 on the other hand comes with a larger 17.3-inch Full HD display. It refreshes at 144Hz as well. It is a much faster responding display at 3ms response time though. This would be the one that you want to work with if you are into accurate colours too at 100% sRGB colour gamut rating.

Pricing & Availability

The ROG STRIX SCAR 15 starts at MYR 7,499 (G532L-VAZ069T) and tops out at MYR 7,999 (G532L-WAZ085T). The ASUS ROG STRIX G15 and G17 starts at MYR 6,699 (G512L-VHN146T) and MYR6,199 (G712L-UH7082T), respectively. The ASUS ROG STRIX G17 tops out at MYR 6,699 (G712L-VEV067T) though. The ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR Edition and STRIX G series is now available in Malaysia.

Computers, News

Update Your Life with HUAWEI’s New MateBook Line-Up

Leave a comment

The Intel 10th Generation Core platforms have been out for a while now. Plenty of manufacturers have already taken advantage toward updating their line-up with the newer processors. Of course, newer is better and faster. One of the notebook PCs that we wanted to see updated though, was HUAWEI’s MateBook line-up. Until now, that is.

HUAWEI MateBook X Pro

The HUAWEI MateBook X Pro was one of the best value-for-money notebook PCs you can find in the market at its launch. The MateBook X Pro is exactly what it sounds like. It is a modern top class thin and light PC to haul all your work in one place. While thin, it was no slouch too.

Source: HUAWEI

The new 2020 version is a continuation of all those qualities from 2018. It gets the new Intel 10th Generation Core platform in the from of a Core i7-10510U processor (up to). Not top-of-the-line, but still a vastly powerful CPU for a body no thicker than 2 cm. That is thinner than most keyboard you can find the market even. You have up to an NVIDIA GeForce MX250 GPU if you have the urge to take it gaming. No, you may not run today’s AAA titles that well, but it is designed to be a workhorse, not a gaming PC this HUAWEI MateBook X Pro.

Still, up to 16GB of RAM does not hurt especially if you need to have multiple windows and browsers open at the same time. The MX250 would help you too if you ever need to quickly edit a video. Where it shines though is when you want to just wind down and watch a movie on HUAWEI’s beautiful 3K resolution display. It is also touch optimised just in case you are wondering. It even has four speakers for you to enjoy more than just music.

Of course, being a HUAWEI notebook PC, you still get the benefit of using HUAWEI Share. just tap and share a photo between your HUAWEI smartphone and your PC. We especially love this function when used with a HUAWEI smartphone.

  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI

The HUAWEI MateBook PC will be available in Malaysia 16th May 2020 onward. It is available in Space Grey and Emerald Green colour options when it is available. The new HUAWEI MateBook X Pro will start from MYR 7,999. If you are looking for something more budget friendly, you might want to look at something else. If you go for this though, you are entitled to a free HUAWEI Sound X Bluetooth speaker, a HUAWEI Bluetooth Mouse, a backpack, and HUAWEI’s Band 4 fitness tracker. For more information on the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro, you can visit their website.

HUAWEI MateBook 13

By far one of our favourite Notebook PCs from HUAWEI, the MateBook 13 was an embodiment of what would be a perfect working laptop for us. It is small, light, powerful, and durable. Sure, it had an odd shape thanks to the odd display ratio. But its 13-inch display was beautiful at 2K resolution.

Source: HUAWEI

They kept that 2K resolution on the 13-incher though. There is a new 10th Generation Core processor now. You still get up to 16GB of RAM to work with too, so it is still no slouch. You still get a discrete GPU in the NVIDIA GeForce MX250 for not just your entertainment. It is good enough to work with for light video editing.

One of our favourite things on the MateBook 13 was its very thoughtful fingerprint sensor embedded with the power button. It is not the first time we see this design anywhere, but we appreciate that subtlety and functional form. The other thing was that it was light. The new one, is a mere 1.3kg. It is not as light as some of the thin and light that we see out in the market, but the GPU is worth some cooling, trust me. Plus, it is an all-aluminium body. Of course, HUAWEI Share is that other thing we liked about it.

  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI

The MateBook 13 will be available at the same time as the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro. It is only available in one colour option though. It is only available in Space Grey, which is actually not a bad colour to go with. You can get your hands on one for MYR 4,999. You get all the same free gift as the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro offer excluding the HUAWEI Sound X Bluetooth speaker. For more information on the HUAWEI MateBook 13, you can check out their website, or webstore.

MateBook D 14 & 15

Meant to be the more budget choice and targeted toward the student segment, the MateBook D 14 and 15 are the ones to go for if you are just looking to get work done on the go without much fuss. They are not the smallest or lightest things you can carry around, but they get the job done.

Source: HUAWEI

They are still no slouch too though. You get up to an AMD Ryzen 7 3700U CPU on the 15-incher and up to an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U for the 14-incher. Both get Full HD displays still. Both also gets Radeon Vega GPUs to work with and game with. The 14-inch MateBook D 14 gets Radeon Vega 8 while the MateBook D 15 gets the Radeon RX Vega 10.

You still get up to 16GB of RAM for both devices though. You also get a 512GB SSD to work with, so these MateBook D notebooks are not what you would call slow as well. You also get a fingerprint sensor embedded to the power button, so it is not less premium than the more expensive MateBook 13 or MateBook X Pro. Of course, the HUAWEI MateBook D 14 and D 15 gets HUAWEI Share out-out-of-the box. If you already own a HUAWEI device, that is a bonus that you will want to have.

  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI
  • Source: HUAWEI

The HUAWEI MateBook D 14 and D 15 will be available at the same time with the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro and HUAWEI MateBook 13. It is only available in Mystic Silver. At least you do not get a headache of choosing what colour suits your lifestyle. It will set you back MYR 2,899. You are entitled, while stocks last, for the same free gifts as the HUAWEI MateBook 13 offer. For more information, you can check out their website, or webstore.

Computers, Gaming, News

Lenovo Legion to Add Two More in Their Line-up – Lenovo Legion 7i and Legion 5i

Leave a comment

We have always said that some of the best value for money PCs come from Lenovo. We say that because while they do not offer the best or the most powerful specs in that class of PCs, they always pack it with not only great build quality, but price them very reasonably. It also does not hurt that their keyboards are one of the best we have ever typed on when it comes to notebook PCs.

This value-for-money concept stretches from their business-line ThinkPads all the way to the gaming Lenovo Legion line. We especially like the Lenovo Legion Y700 and Y500 series. They keep things simple and honest. At the same time, they still offer great value and looks.

Source: Lenovo

This year though the Lenovo Legion Y500 and Y700 series is going to be joined by two newcomers, the 5i and 7i. To be fair, not much are known about the notebook PCs yet, but we can tell you that the Lenovo Legion 7i is coming in with 17-inch screen size and the 5i a 15-incher. We can also tell you that both notebook PC line-up will feature the latest 10th Generation Intel Core H-series processors. We are guessing the 7i will come with Intel’s most powerful and extreme Core i9.

The new series of notebook PCs will also come with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX technology. The 5i will stop at the RTX 2060, presumably to fit a tighter budget. The Lenovo Legion 7i though will pack a Max-Q design NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER GPU.

Source: Lenovo

Gaming notebook PCs are known to be a battery drainer though. No matter the size of the battery, you might run out within 4 hours. That is if you do not game. By the looks of it, the Lenovo Legion 7i and 5i might not have that big of a battery though. Their design focuses more on portability and a thinner form factor. Thanks to an industry first NVIDIA Advanced Optimus technology though, you might get all-day battery life from the Lenovo Legion 7i and 5i. The technology is basically a GPU switch. You get the idea.

At this time, there are no word on availability in Malaysia just yet. Of course, we can safely say that the Lenovo Legion 7i and 5i are coming sometime this year. That said, the Lenovo Legion Y540 and Lenovo Legion Y740 are also getting a refresh of their own with 10th Generation Intel Core H-series and NVIDIA GeForce RTX SUPER cards. The Lenovo Legion 5i and Lenovo Legion Y540 will be available for US$ 999 (MYR 4,354*). The Lenovo Legion 7i and Lenovo Legion Y740 with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 GPUs will be priced at US$ 1,199 (MYR 5,226*). More information can be found on their website.

*Based on approximate rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.36 as of 02/04/2020

Computers, News

Acer Updates the Nitro 5 Ahead of Lazada’s Birthday with MYR 300 in Discount!

Leave a comment

The situation for COVID-19 is quite dire. As of today, the Malaysian Prime Minister has announced that it will go on until 14th of April 2020. That also means that working from home has extended thanks to that as well. While to some people, that also means that they get to spend more time at home working. That also means that they need to bring their work home from the office. You cannot expect everyone to bring their big tower PCs home.

So the best way to get work done from home is to have your own PC. If you do get your own PC though, you want it to be powerful. You want it to be powerful enough to play games with it and to ensure that it runs smoothly. Of course, you only want the best for yourself. So the choice is a gaming PC.

Building a tower makes sense, plenty of sense, you get to have a say I how powerful you want your PC to be. Of course, there is the problem of cost too. So that is up to you. There is another issue however, how do you bring it around? What if you want to work off site in the future? You cannot bring your tower set up out.

Source: Acer

So you need a gaming notebook PC instead. Which one? There are plenty, but Acer just updated their Nitro 5 gaming notebook PC. So, in a sense, you are getting more power for your money.

The updated Acer Nitro 5’s upgrade does not include an update on its visuals though. Then again, the Acer Nitro 5 is not half bad looking. The upgrades are mode than skin deep.

Source: Acer

You get a 9th Generation Intel Core i7 on the Nitro 5. That Core i7 has 8GB of RAM behind it and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660Ti GPU to handle what comes out of the 15.6-inch 120Hz Full HD display. All that makes is quite a powerful notebook PC. It even has a 512GB SSD to make it even faster than your average PC. All this is a step up from the previous Acer Nitro 5 with a 9th Generation Intel Core i5, paired to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 and 4GB of RAM.

Source: Lazada

The new Acer Nitro 5 is now available for MYR 4,499 on Lazada. On Lazada’s 8th Birthday Sale, it will go for MYR 4,184 and you would be getting some extra free gifts with the purchase too. The Lazada 8th Birthday Sale happens on the 27th March 2020. Of course they will deliver it to you.