Titan5178
Top 250 Contributor
Titan5178's Stats
- Review Count183
- Helpfulness Votes661
- First ReviewFebruary 18, 2014
- Last ReviewSeptember 18, 2024
- Featured Reviews0
- Average Rating4.6
Reviews Comments
- Review Comment Count2
- Helpfulness Votes1
- First Review CommentApril 1, 2015
- Last Review CommentOctober 30, 2015
- Featured Review Comments0
Questions
- Question Count0
- Helpfulness Votes0
- First QuestionNone
- Last QuestionNone
- Featured Questions0
- Answer Count7
- Helpfulness Votes3
- First AnswerApril 16, 2014
- Last AnswerDecember 8, 2018
- Featured Answers0
- Best Answers1
Logitech - Slim Folio Pro Keyboard Case for Apple iPad Pro 11"
Protect your 11-inch iPad Pro from dings, dents and scratches with this Logitech slim folio case. The textured surface helps prevent slipping, while the rubberized feet provide solid traction and elevation for improved airflow. This Logitech slim folio case has a slender design, making storing and transporting simple, and the built-in stow holds and charges a 2nd-generation Apple Pencil.
Effectively turns iPad into laptop, but bulky
Customer Rating
4.0
I’ve owned the iPad Pro 11” and Apple’s Smart Cover keyboard since it came out last year. Apple’s cover is extremely thin, but that comes at the price of a decent typing experience. Logitech solves that problem with this keyboard case. The keys have plenty of travel, and are backlit, so it feels much more like typing on an actual laptop. Logitech also includes a row of keys with iOS shortcuts such as home, search, media, and volume, among others. When you put your iPad down on a desk in this case, you can actually get work done, and when iOS 13 comes out later this fall with mouse support this case will become even more useful to those who are determined to use their iPad as a laptop.
What I don’t like about this product is how thick it makes the iPad. All-in, the entire setup is thicker than my gaming laptop, which doesn’t make it as portable as I’d like. However, if you are someone who prefers a lot of protection for your expensive devices this may be exactly what you are looking for. One thing I like about Apple’s keyboard cover is how dead simple it is to remove or attach the keyboard. When I want to read I simply put the keyboard off the side. That’s a bit more difficult with this case, it can be done of course but not something I’d want to do daily.
Pros:
Laptop-like typing experience
Backlit keys
iPad specific row of shortcut keys
Securely holds Apple Pencil
More than adequate Protection
Laptop-like typing experience
Backlit keys
iPad specific row of shortcut keys
Securely holds Apple Pencil
More than adequate Protection
Cons:
Thick and Bulky
Not that easy to attach/remove
Needs to be charged
Thick and Bulky
Not that easy to attach/remove
Needs to be charged
Overall, if you are someone who types on your iPad Pro daily you will appreciate this keyboard, which is why I’d still recommend it. However, if you are someone who uses your iPad more as a tablet and seldom types you may find this keyboard case to be too big and cumbersome for you.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+1point
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Escort - iXc Long-Range Radar and Laser Detector
Observe proper speed limits while driving with this Escort iXc radar detector. The GPS-enabled AutoLearn technology and improved IVT Filter prevent the reoccurrence of false alerts for precise tracking and reduction of unwanted distractions. This Escort iXc radar detector is compatible with Wi-Fi-connected cars for automatic firmware and software updates.
Gets the Job Done
Customer Rating
5.0
I’ve always been a bit skeptical of radar detectors since my last ticket in college when my cheap radar detector went off but I didn’t even hear it because it went off all the time. Fast forward 15 years and I didn’t think things would be better but I was wrong. The iXc does a good job of ignoring false alerts, and most of the times I’ve seen a cop on the road the detector has actually gone off, usually with the Ka band. I have yet to see a laser warning go off but honestly I have no idea if the cops here in Central Texas use laser equipment.
I love that it shows me both the speed limit of the current stretch of pavement AND my actual speed. I have a truck with oversized tires so my speedometer has always been inaccurate. When my speedo says 70, the detector tells me I’m doing 75. My truck also provides a wifi hotspot which the detector can connect to and provide me with that speed limit information or other hazards such as the red light cameras in Elgin, TX.
The range is excellent. Once it was going off for about 10 minutes and I could not figure out why but then I saw about a third of a mile ahead of me a state trooper in a black Tahoe flip a U-turn and start chasing a vehicle the other direction with his lights on. I would have had no idea he was in front of of me that entire time.
I haven’t really used the Escort Live app except for configuring the detector’s settings such as my wifi hotspot. I would probably use it much more if it had the ability to display information on my truck’s infotainment system using Android Auto or Apple Carplay. Hopefully, this is something Escort’s app development team will add in the future.
Pros:
Radar (K, Ka, X) and Laser detection
Excellent Range
Connects to your vehicle hotspot (automatic updates, speed limit information, red light cameras, etc)
Bluetooth/Wifi to Escort Live app on Phone
Magnetic Mounting with Strong Suction Cup
Can pair with the M1 dash cam accessory
Escort Live app for configuration
Radar (K, Ka, X) and Laser detection
Excellent Range
Connects to your vehicle hotspot (automatic updates, speed limit information, red light cameras, etc)
Bluetooth/Wifi to Escort Live app on Phone
Magnetic Mounting with Strong Suction Cup
Can pair with the M1 dash cam accessory
Escort Live app for configuration
Cons:
Had to disable voice alerts (they got annoying)
Apple CarPlay?
Had to disable voice alerts (they got annoying)
Apple CarPlay?
Overall, you can’t ask for much more out of a radar detector.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
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Escort - M1 Dash Cam
Protect yourself in the event of an accident with this ESCORT dash cam. The built-in collision detection system stores important footage in the event of a crash, and Wi-Fi connectivity lets you instantly share data with your insurance company. This ESCORT dash cam uses super-capacitor technology to keep recording, even in extreme temperatures.
Great if you already have the detector
Customer Rating
4.0
This dashcam is made as an accessory for Escort radar detectors and attaches directly to the detector's mount which makes it easy to remove both when you leave the car and need to hide it in the console. I already had a dash cam professionally installed in my truck but I’m going to remove it and use this one from now on as I compared the video between the two and the M1’s looks sharper, with less compression.
You can control the camera with the M1 Dash Camera app for iOS or Android, however the app could use some work. The UI is unappealing and sometimes videos simply do not load or take 10s of seconds to play. I am still using the 16gb card that comes with the camera.
One thing I find amiss is that there is no way to get GPS or speed information added to the video, even though the radar detector may have this information. If you need the video to defend yourself data proving your exact location or speed could be invaluable.
Pros:
1080p/30 – clear footage even at night
Plug and Play – just attach to a compatible Escort radar detector
Turns on/off automatically (depending on your power source)
Can watch videos – using the M1 Dash Cam app
Impact Detection – will automatically save clips (and prevent you from deleting)
Includes 16gb microSD card.
1080p/30 – clear footage even at night
Plug and Play – just attach to a compatible Escort radar detector
Turns on/off automatically (depending on your power source)
Can watch videos – using the M1 Dash Cam app
Impact Detection – will automatically save clips (and prevent you from deleting)
Includes 16gb microSD card.
Cons:
Only Direct Wifi – Cannot connect to in vehicle wifi
App sometimes struggles to play videos (on iOS)
No GPS or Speed Information?
Expensive
Only Direct Wifi – Cannot connect to in vehicle wifi
App sometimes struggles to play videos (on iOS)
No GPS or Speed Information?
Expensive
Overall, I recommend if you have one of the compatible detectors as the convenience of having just one suction cup and one power cable plus the excellent video quality makes up for the poor app or lack of integration with the radar detector's GPS. However, if those features are important to you than you can probably get them in a standalone dashcam in the same price range.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+2points
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Polished, professional Full HD video calls. The C920S HD Webcam delivers remarkably crisp, clear and detailed images in vibrant colors. HD autofocus and light correction adjust to provide consistently high definition, and the dual mics on either side of the lens capture natural sound. The privacy shutter puts you in control of what you show.
Excellent Webcam for Conferencing
Customer Rating
5.0
I'm using this webcam on my Alienware desktop for business calls with the Zoom conferencing platform. So far it is working great! While most people in the conference are using their built-in laptop's webcam you can easily see that I'm using a higher quality camera. I've also used it with Google Hangouts Meet and Skype.
I like that unlike a built-in webcam I can position this anyway I want. The mount works on a flat surface like a desk or a vertical service like a monitor. It sits very gently on my monitor and I do not worry about it damaging it. My monitors also have very thin bezels and only a small sliver covers the screen, not a big deal at all. It even has a tripod mount which is pretty cool. It does include a privacy shield but I haven't used it. At the end of the day I just unplug it from my desktop. I do wish the USB cord was a little longer so I can give my colleagues even more exciting angles of myself but can always buy a USB extension cable online.
I've also been using the mic on the camera and although I haven't tried listening to myself no one has complained that they can't hear me.
Pros:
1080p 30fps
Versatile Mounting Options
Tripod Mount
Good Stereo Mic
Bright Blue In Use Indicator
Includes Privacy Shield
1080p 30fps
Versatile Mounting Options
Tripod Mount
Good Stereo Mic
Bright Blue In Use Indicator
Includes Privacy Shield
Cons:
Harsh light can sometimes overexpose the image
Too big for a travel cam
Harsh light can sometimes overexpose the image
Too big for a travel cam
Overall, if you need a webcam for your desktop or if you are just not satisfied with the built-in webcam on your laptop I don't think you'll be disappointed with this product.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+1point
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Alienware - 17.3" Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 - 512GB SSD + 1TB+8GB Hybrid Hard Drive - Epic Silver
Get the tools to achieve victory with this 17.3-inch Dell Alienware gaming laptop. Featuring an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card with Max-Q design, this laptop smoothly handles visually intensive titles at high settings. This Dell Alienware gaming laptop delivers vivid colors and makes games look sharp and detailed with its 17.3-inch Full HD display.
Beast of a Gaming Rig!
Customer Rating
5.0
I haven’t had a 17” laptop in a very long time due to the weight and impracticality of them as portable machines. I was not even interested in the previous gen Alienware for this reason. However, their new rig is only 5.8 pounds and has been slimmed up significantly. I feel this laptop is just on the edge of being portable enough to be used as an everyday laptop. Any heavier, thicker, or wider and I wouldn’t want to take it with me places. But so far I’ve had no issues stuffing it into my bag and using it as my work laptop a few days out of the week. It also gave me the chance to enjoy the jealous looks on my coworkers faces.
Somehow Alienware has made their thinnest and lightest 17” ever and still maintained that gaudy and signature look. I absolutely love it. Some may miss the extra LEDs on the sides and touchpad seen on last year’s model but there is no mistaking this for anything other than an Alienware. While the display’s bezels on the side are pretty narrow the top and bottom are exaggeratingly large. If you are seeking the smallest footprint possible for a 17” look elsewhere. Other reviewers have criticized the use of glossy plastic around the display but I don’t mind it at all. The soft touch material used on the keyboard deck feels very premium. While not mechanical, the quad zone RGB lit keyboard is comfortable to type on and works just fine for gaming as well. If there was one thing to knock about the hardware it would be the trackpad. Despite being Windows precision drivers it is quite small when compared to the rest of the laptop.
The display itself is a beautiful 1080p panel that has this uncanny ability to allow me to get sucked right into a game. Seriously, I thought playing on a 15” screen was good enough but now I’m spoiled with these two more inches. The colors are great and I don’t see as much uneven backlighting that I do on other manufacturer’s panel (although that may just be good luck on this particular unit).
The speakers are bottom firing but are positioned towards the very front of the laptop and angled towards you ever so slightly. They are surprisingly loud for laptop speakers. That said, during gaming or other heavy duty work the fans do get pretty loud as well and you will hear them even over the speakers. The tall bezels leave plenty of space for the webcam in the traditional location above the screen. It includes an LED active indicator as well as two microphones on either side.
Battery life has been about what I expected. With such a large screen, beefy components, and only a 60 wh battery I’m seeing around 4-5 hours with general use. Of course, like any gaming machine all bets on battery are off when you are actually gaming. The large power brick is a bit disappointing especially when I have other machines with similar wattage power supplies that are significantly smaller. Not a deal breaker but I believe Alienware could do a much better job in slimming it up. On the bright side the power that it provides is enough to keep the system fully charged even during intense gaming sessions.
Performance wise this thing is a beast. The i7 8750H is plenty of CPU for a gaming machine and the RTX 2070 MQ is one of the top end cards from Nvidia in 2019. I played almost 8 hours of Cities: Skylines in my lap one day and while the fans were loud and I could feel the hot air it never was too hot that I felt I needed to place it on a table.
Pros:
17” beast yet under 6lbs
Rugged and tough build quality
Core i7 8750H 6 core
RTX 2070 MQ 8GB GDDR6
Excellent Keyboard
16GB of DDR4 2666 RAM
Killer 1550 wifi and gigabit ethernet
Intel Bluetooth 5.0
Excellent expandability options
17” beast yet under 6lbs
Rugged and tough build quality
Core i7 8750H 6 core
RTX 2070 MQ 8GB GDDR6
Excellent Keyboard
16GB of DDR4 2666 RAM
Killer 1550 wifi and gigabit ethernet
Intel Bluetooth 5.0
Excellent expandability options
Cons:
Oversized Charging Brick
Only a 60hz Display
Small trackpad
No Windows Hello
No SD slot
Oversized Charging Brick
Only a 60hz Display
Small trackpad
No Windows Hello
No SD slot
Overall, if you're primary goal when shopping for a new laptop is gaming I do not think you can go wrong with this one. I have several gaming laptops and this is now my favorite for gaming on the go.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+1point
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Enhance your home audio with this Class D Sonos amplifier. Its 125W of power per channel lets you enjoy high-resolution sound from your bookshelf speakers, TV and other passive components, and Wi-Fi connectivity supports multiroom setups and wireless streaming via AirPlay and the Sonos app.
Clean and Powerful!
Customer Rating
5.0
This product is great for those who want the Sonos experience and sound quality but maybe have a pair of old passive speakers they’d like to use instead. The amp itself is a small, sleek, and compact black box with just three touch buttons on the front. The rear includes two pairs of banana jacks for your speaker wires (included are adapters to secure bare wires), a subwoofer pre-out, analog RCA inputs, HDMI ARC, and two ethernet ports.
With the analog inputs you can connect a turntable, a CD player, or anything really. It does not have an optical input but Sonos sells an optical to HDMI converter for $25 on their website. For myself, I’m not using any of the available inputs but simply streaming music from the Sonos app. The app works like it would with any other Sonos device, allowing you to sync with multiple audio services such as Apple Muisc or Sirius XM. The amp also support’s Apple’s Airplay 2 protocol so it’s easy to send almost any audio from the phone to the, such as the audio from videos on Youtube.
I have it connected to a pair of older entry-level Polk Audio bookshelf speakers and at 125W per channel it’s producing some incredibly rich and clean sound. I had a big smile on my face as soon as I played my first song on it. The volume is loud enough to fill the entire house! Unfortunately, I don’t have an extra powered sub lying around or else I would have tested that as well.
Overall, there’s a lot to like about this amp. There's really not any negatives other than it is expensive and not going to be for everybody. For example, if you don’t have existing speakers and want a home theater setup you’re probably going to be better off with one of the Sonos soundbars. But if you are building a music room with custom in-wall speakers, or for the outdoor patio and want the simplicity of a Sonos system then this amp may be calling your name.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+2points
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Lenovo - Yoga C630 WOS 2-in-1 13.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Snapdragon 850 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive (Verizon) - Iron Gray
Lenovo Yoga C630 WOS Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: Stay productive all day with this Lenovo Yoga laptop. The QualComm Snapdragon 850 processor and 8GB of RAM provide smooth operation of programs and apps, and the battery lasts up to 22 hours between charges. This Lenovo Yoga laptop has a 13.3-inch FHD display for clearly viewing photos and videos.
Excellent Battery Life and LTE Connectivity
Customer Rating
4.0
I travel frequently and require a network connection for work, so this laptop seems ideal for people like me. It features a fanless design, so it’s quiet and generates little heat. Most importantly, it has support for always-on LTE connectivity. Up until receiving this laptop I have been using an 11” iPad Pro (2018) w/ cellular as my “on the go” PC. It’s not ideal, as iOS can be limiting, but it allowed me to quickly access my work servers over VNC or Remote Desktop from
anywhere without fumbling with hotspots or public wifi.
anywhere without fumbling with hotspots or public wifi.
With this, I have a true desktop OS and a trackpad which makes using remote computers much simpler than on an iPad. The hardware itself is very nice. It is incredibly thin and light at only about 2.7 lbs with thin bezels around the FHD display. However, display’s colors are a little warm out of the box. It features a full-size backlit chiclet-style keyboard with a thin vertical speaker grill on either side. The trackpad is fairly large and works reasonably well. There is a fingerprint sensor that works with Windows Hello, but I really wish Lenovo had included face detection instead. In just a few years (or sooner) fingerprint sensors are going to feel very out of date. On the other hand you can wake the computer when in tablet mode with just your finger.
There are two USB-C ports on either side and both support power delivery. This is perfect as I can use my Mac or even iPad charger with this device. There are NO USB-A ports which is a good thing. I’m tired of seeing reviewers dock a device for this. It’s 2018…who needs USB-A anymore? It is outdated, doesn’t support power delivery, can only be inserted one way, and an eyesore on thin devices like this. Kudos to Lenovo for skipping it and embracing USB-C.
Windows comes in “S Mode”, which means you can only download apps from the Microsoft Store, like how iOS’ App Store works. Microsoft touts safety and security as the reason. The problem though is the Microsoft Store is not near as robust as Google or Apple when it comes to apps. Therefore, you will inevitably run into something that you need to install that cannot be found in the Store. Luckily, Microsoft does allow you to exit S Mode but it is a permanent action. S Mode is there for good reasoning, and my suggestion is to see how it works for you before you decide to turn it off.
The processor, a Snapdragon 850 by Qualcomm, is not what you’d typically find in a laptop. It is an ARM based system-on-a-chip that is more kin to the Snapdragon 845 in the latest flagship Android devices such as the Samsung S9 and Note 9. While Apple and Android devices have run on ARM for years Windows has typically ran on Intel or AMD CPUs that execute x86 instructions. Microsoft had to recompile Windows entirely for it to run efficiently on an ARM architecture. Apps that do not have an ARM version will run in x86-32 emulation mode. The Microsoft Store will tell you whether an application supports ARM natively on that app’s System Requirements page. In general, apps that are running natively on ARM such as Edge or Office will perform very well. However, you might see some performance issues in apps that need to be emulated. And do not assume that your favorite apps are going to be available for ARM just because they are immensely popular. You won’t find apps like Slack, Photoshop, or even Google Chrome and Firefox with ARM support…at least at this moment. The truth is Windows on Snapdragon (or WOS) is still very early in its product lifecycle, so developer support isn’t quite there yet.
So why would you even want a Windows machine with a Snapdragon processor then? The same reason you find these in smartphones and tablets: battery life and connectivity. Lenovo claims up to 25 hours of battery life but in my own usage (which has been pretty heavy) I’m seeing closer to around 15. Still pretty phenomenal as that’s more than most laptops. As far as connectivity goes, despite several reviewers saying it only works with Verizon I haven’t had any issues with my AT&T data sim. LTE is displayed in the wireless menu and speed tests confirm I am getting LTE speeds. Wifi performance is excellent as well as I can get my full 225Mbps of speed at home. From what I can tell the switch between wifi and cellular is as instant as advertised.
Pros:
Works well as tablet or laptop.
Premium lightweight build
Backlit full-size keyboard
Fanless
2 USB-C Ports with USB PD charging
No USB-A Ports (Yes this is a Pro!)
Excellent Battery Life
Mobile Phone Quality LTE
Works well as tablet or laptop.
Premium lightweight build
Backlit full-size keyboard
Fanless
2 USB-C Ports with USB PD charging
No USB-A Ports (Yes this is a Pro!)
Excellent Battery Life
Mobile Phone Quality LTE
Cons
Snapdragon CPU is not as powerful as Intel equivalents
Performance of emulated applications
No included pen/stylus (additional purchase)
Windows S Mode
Most apps don’t run in native arm yet
Fingerprint Security is already dated.
Snapdragon CPU is not as powerful as Intel equivalents
Performance of emulated applications
No included pen/stylus (additional purchase)
Windows S Mode
Most apps don’t run in native arm yet
Fingerprint Security is already dated.
This 2-in-1 is a serious contender for any road warrior’s travel bag. It has everything you want: thin, light, excellent battery life, and instant always on connectivity. However, you will need to think about the applications you use. While most lightweight apps work just fine when emulated in x86, if you need to use something heavy like Adobe Photoshop or Chrome daily this is not going to be the laptop for you. If you don’t mind Edge for browsing and use a lot of Microsoft apps anyway this will be perfect.
While unfair to Lenovo, most of the downsides of this device are really limited to Windows 10 on ARM in its current state. It needs to gain more traction. More application developers need to support the ARM architecture. I can only hope that it improves as its potential is exciting!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
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OMEN Obelisk Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-8700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA RTX 2080 - 2TB HDD + 256GB SSD - HP Finish In Shadow Black
Play to your full potential with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop. Fluid gaming is ensured with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 series graphics and an Intel Core i7 processor, running on Windows 10 Home. Make a statement with customizable RGB lighting and a transparent side panel, and perform easy toolless upgrades in adherence to micro-ATX standards with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop.
RTX 2080 Future Proofs This Rig
Customer Rating
4.0
The specs includes an i7 8700 6-core system and 16GB of 2666Mhz RAM, more than enough for a gaming desktop. It includes a 256GB M.2 NVMe drive which has Windows installed as well as a 2TB spinning disk to store your games. Remember to select that secondary drive when installing games or else you’ll fill up your primary drive pretty quick. The power supply included with the system is only 500 watts which seems a bit odd as Nvidia recommends a 650w power supply for the RTX 2080. This means it could be a problem if you are wanting to expand or even run a lot of powered USB devices at once.
The star of this system is the included RTX 2080, a product of the new Turing GPU architecture that Nvidia announced in August of this year. It supports a lot of new features over the previous generation of cards including real-time ray tracing, and neural network Tensor cores. This card contains the future of graphics processing but at the time of this review there’s not many games that support ray tracing or some of the other new features such as DLSS.
That said, even on existing games, this card performs much better than my 1 year old gaming desktop, which has an identical CPU and a GTX 1080.
Setup was just as easy as any other Windows PC. First, I installed the latest Windows and Geforce updates. I wanted to see what it could do right out of the gate so I first ran Geekbench and 3DMark benchmark software.
My results:
Geekbench4 Single Core CPU: 5,361
Geekbench4 MultiCore CPU: 22,324
Geekbench4 Compute: 283,142
3DMark Fire Strike: 20,654
3DMark Time Spy: 8,997
Geekbench4 Single Core CPU: 5,361
Geekbench4 MultiCore CPU: 22,324
Geekbench4 Compute: 283,142
3DMark Fire Strike: 20,654
3DMark Time Spy: 8,997
Time Spy reports that the score is better than 85% of results submitted online while Fire Strike reports better than 95%. For comparison, my 1080 system is better than 65% and 88% of results in the same tests taken at the same time. The Geekbench 4 Compute score is over a hundred thousand points higher than my 1080! Although an impressive improvement, keep in mind that GPU computational performance doesn’t always translate into gaming performance.
Now for real world gaming, the first game I tried was Shadow of the Tomb Raider, a game that was showcased in Nvidia’s press event for the RTX series earlier this year. Unfortunately, the patch for ray tracing and DLSS is not available yet. But it did not bother me much, I was able to get around 55fps in 4K with all the settings maxed out. This game is absolutely beautiful and one of a handful of PC games that also support Dolby Atmos. I can only imagine how much better this game will be one the ray tracing patch is released. If you have an RTX card and love single player games this is the one to get.
There is one game out now that support ray tracing called Battlefield 5, but it’s multiplayer and not really something I’m into, but definitely check it out if you’re a multiplayer fan. Other games I tried included the Witcher 3, Forza Horizon 4, and Wolfenstein 2. All of which had higher frame rates than what I typically got with my 1080. I got about 60 FPS on Wolfenstein at 4K and the other two I tested on my 1440p G-Sync monitor and both were averaging around 100fps! My 4K projector maxes out at 60hz.
The biggest issue I have with this system is the fans that it comes with. My 1080 system is liquid cooled and very quiet under load whereas this system even with a little load the fans will start to buzz which I find incredibly annoying. There’s one CPU fan which appears to be a basic stock fan, and a small 80mm case fan in the rear. There are no fans included on the top (although you can add some) and there is no room for fans on the front of the case.
The inadequate cooling showed in my tests a few times when comparing it to my other system, which again has the exact same Intel i7 CPU. Benchmarks show that the HP was running at a lesser speed than my other system, likely due to some thermal throttling.
I found it a little odd that you cannot turn on the system without the monitor being on, haven’t had a desktop in the past with this limitation. If you attempt to power it on and hear a series of beeps, this is likely the problem.
I’m also not a fan of the Omen logo on the front either, little too big and obnoxious for me but luckily the included software allows you to completely change the RGB lighting and brightness-or turn it all off completely.
Pros:
MicroATX Case – small and compact
RTX Graphics!
8th Gen i7 6-core
Customizable RGB Lighting
Tempered Glass on the side
256GB SSD for Boot and 2TB for Data
MicroATX Case – small and compact
RTX Graphics!
8th Gen i7 6-core
Customizable RGB Lighting
Tempered Glass on the side
256GB SSD for Boot and 2TB for Data
Cons:
Will not turn on if monitor is not on
Cheap, noisy fans
500W power supply
No space for PCI expansion
Will not turn on if monitor is not on
Cheap, noisy fans
500W power supply
No space for PCI expansion
Overall, the RTX 2080 makes this thing a beast for gaming and somewhat future proof. However, without it your looking at an average system that cut a few corners with the power supply and cooling. That aside, you will likely be very happy with the performance of this machine. It outpaces any console and as my 3DMark testing shows most people’s gaming rigs as well.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
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Shark - ION™ S87 Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum with Handheld Vacuum - Ash Gray
Lighten household chores with this SHARK® ION™ vacuum system. The lithium-ion battery supplies a long-lasting charge, and the 0.66-quart dust cup and HEPA filter collect dirt, hair, and dander to prevent allergen buildup. This SHARK® ION™ vacuum system comes with a built-in power vacuum to help with those extra cleaning jobs.
Much better than my old robot vac
Customer Rating
5.0
This robot vac is the best one I have personally used. My last one I eventually just gave away because while it cleaned well the floor coverage was inadeuate, it was loud, had poor battery life, and it could never find its dock. I did buy it over 4 years ago though.
So far after a few cleanings I’m actually pretty impressed with the Shark Ion. For one, it has two side brushes that move slowly to direct dust and dirt into the vacuum’s rollers. My old one only had one brush and it spun so fast that it typically would just fling the dirt elsewhere. It’s much, much quieter than my old one too, and has a battery indicator on the unit.
I set it up to do our common area downstairs which is tiled and approximately 1000 sq ft. This consists of the kitchen, entry way, large foyer, two small hallways, a half bath, and dining room. With the exception of the bathroom it is a pretty open space. The first time I used it the floors haven’t been swept in about two weeks so there was all kinds of yuck everywhere: a piece of a strawberry, a tuft of dog hair, pieces of shattered crayons, and small pieces of hardened play-dough. After about an hour I did not see any of these things anymore. I can’t guarantee it fully covered the entire floor because I didn’t watch it but I can tell you the floor was much much cleaner and I didn’t lift a finger to do it-and that makes me very happy. Things stayed cleaned after the second and third nights.
I used the bot boundaries to mark off the living room (which has kids toys) and the pet room since our old vac would hit and push the dog’s bowls and there’d be a mess of water and kibble everywhere. I’m not exactly sure how they work but when the bot would come up to one it would stop, and simply turn around. Works much better than the “virtual walls” or whatever they were called.
Most impressive of all was how this thing found its way back to its dock. Once it’s done cleaning it goes into dock mode and starts to search for it. I put the dock in the corner of a room and behind a buffet because we didn’t want to see it. The robot caught its signal from another room and lined up for it but unfortunately there were two pieces of furniture in the way. It successfully (after about 10 minutes) figured out how to navigate around that furniture to get to the dock. The most difficult part was the signal of the dock was directly inline with a table leg so the robot would keep hitting the leg but eventually found it’s way around it. During the whole process it managed to get closer and closer to the dock. Our old one would get close only hit a wall, then go into another room…and bounce off walls until the battery died.
At first the hand vacuum seemed like it might be just a way to get this robot to stand out from the sea of vacuum robots available on the market but I’ve actually found it quite handy. First off, it’s very powerful for as small as it is, unfortunately it is also loud. The narrow design makes it perfect for getting into tight spots like under the seat of your car.
Pros:
Two brushes
Quiet (compared to my old one)
Charge Indicator on Unit
Hand-vac is extremely powerful
Hand-vac design makes it super portable
BotBoundary Strips work well
Alexa/Google Assistant compatible
App – Start/Stop when not at home, Schedule Cleanings
3 Levels of Suction (Quiet, Normal, Max)
Two brushes
Quiet (compared to my old one)
Charge Indicator on Unit
Hand-vac is extremely powerful
Hand-vac design makes it super portable
BotBoundary Strips work well
Alexa/Google Assistant compatible
App – Start/Stop when not at home, Schedule Cleanings
3 Levels of Suction (Quiet, Normal, Max)
Cons:
Hand-vac is loud!
Hand-vac is loud!
Overall, I recommend this robot vacuum to anyone whose looking to clean open floor space. I don’t know how well it would work on more of a closed floor plan, or carpet for that matter. I may try to get another to try on my carpeted areas upstairs.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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HP - Spectre Folio Leather 2-in-1 13.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive
Make media more fun with this HP Spectre Folio convertible laptop. Three possible screen positions let you watch videos or edit photos in comfort, and its powerful Intel Core i7 processor is ideal for gaming. This HP Spectre Folio convertible laptop has a 256GB M.2 solid-state drive, ensuring speed and ample storage.
My New Daily Driver
Customer Rating
5.0
Images for this Review
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I wanted this laptop cause I love tech and especially unique tech. A laptop that is made out of genuine leather? Sign me up!
This is certainly a unique and welcome take on the popular 2-in-1 laptop that we see so much of today. When I took it out of the box I was shocked at how thin and light it really is. Using the leather as the body of the laptop results in one of the thinnest laptops I’ve ever seen, and there’s obviously never a need to outfit it with a case. Sit it on a desk and unless someone sees the HP logo on it they will just think it is an executive portfolio notebook. The leather is premium but I do wish it came in black though instead of brown (also comes in burgundy). It is built surprisingly well, look and feels like a laptop in a leather case so I do not doubt it’ll do well against daily bumps.
What makes the Spectre Folio so unique is its three screen positions: laptop, media, and tablet. Laptop is exactly like it sounds, there is a hinge that allows you to open and close the screen just like any ordinary laptop. The second position is called media and you pop the lower half of the screen out and set it between the keyboard and trackpad. This is similar to the “tent position” on other 2-in-1s, where you can prop it up to watch movies or TV but this new way is much more elegant and practical. Finally, the tablet position is where the screen sits on top of the keyboard. The hinge used for laptop mode keeps the screen at a slight angle so it’s not completely flat-perfect for using the pen on the screen. When in tablet mode your hands will be against the leather bottom of the laptop. It feels much more natural than the awkwardness of a plastic keyboard like you would find on other 2-in-1 convertibles. There is one major downside to the tablet mode though which is you cannot wake up the device without positioning it out of tablet mode. All of the buttons including the power and touchpad are sitting under the screen and the screen does not support tap-to-wake. This is a big bummer to what otherwise would be a near flawless device.
The backlit keyboard itself is very good, plenty of travel considering the thinness of the device and there is a lot of space between the island-style keys. The trackpad is small but works fine. The touchscreen could be a bit more responsive. As expected on a device this thin, the B&O speakers are not going to blow you away but surprisingly they get very loud. I’m not much of an artist and my handwriting is horrible so I never take notes, but I do appreciate that it comes with the pen and an adhesive backed holder that can be attached to the leather body if needed.
Spec wise you have a Core i7 dual core (4 threads) with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB M.2 storage. It’s certainly not the most powerful laptop you can buy but with a fanless design it also will never make noise. It won’t be the best choice for gaming or CPU intensive tasks like photo and video editing. However, it’s no slouch either. I have been using it as my daily Windows PC for over a week now and I have not had any issues with performance.
HP’s battery life claim is an insane 21 hours of video playback. Obviously that is best case scenario and likely with the i5 CPU. I haven’t timed it but it is definitely more than I’m used to based on the fact that I’ve only put it on the charger twice and have used it at least 3-4 hours a day. And if that’s not enough it supports fast charging that’ll get you to 50% in about 30 minutes with the 65W charger that it comes with. I also love the fact that I just need to pack one USB-C charger with me to charge both my 2018 iPad Pro and Spectre Folio.
Pros:
Three usable positions: laptop, media, and best of all, tablet.
13” Full HD IPS 16:9 Touchscreen
Leather folio design is ingenious and premium
Quiet – Fanless Design
Efficient Core i7 Dual Core
Incredible Battery Life
Fast Charging
USB-C Charging
2 Thunderbolt 3
Still includes Headphone Jack
Includes pen
Well designed keyboard
Three usable positions: laptop, media, and best of all, tablet.
13” Full HD IPS 16:9 Touchscreen
Leather folio design is ingenious and premium
Quiet – Fanless Design
Efficient Core i7 Dual Core
Incredible Battery Life
Fast Charging
USB-C Charging
2 Thunderbolt 3
Still includes Headphone Jack
Includes pen
Well designed keyboard
Cons:
No convenient way to wake screen in tablet mode
Touchscreen could be more responsive
Brown (wish it were black)
No convenient way to wake screen in tablet mode
Touchscreen could be more responsive
Brown (wish it were black)
Overall, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an ultraportable convertible laptop. Especially if you’ve been disappointed by the 2-in-1 devices you find on the shelves today.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+9points
14out of 19found this review helpful.
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OMEN Obelisk Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-8700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA RTX 2080 - 2TB HDD + 256GB SSD - HP Finish In Shadow Black
Play to your full potential with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop. Fluid gaming is ensured with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 series graphics and an Intel Core i7 processor, running on Windows 10 Home. Make a statement with customizable RGB lighting and a transparent side panel, and perform easy toolless upgrades in adherence to micro-ATX standards with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop.
Is it possible to add a Blue-ray or optical player and if so would it be accessible from the front? Doesn't appear to have an opening in the front
Correct, not on the front. The front has vertical spots for hard disks. You would need to use a USB external Bluray drive.
5 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
Titan5178
OMEN Obelisk Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-8700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA RTX 2080 - 2TB HDD + 256GB SSD - HP Finish In Shadow Black
Play to your full potential with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop. Fluid gaming is ensured with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 series graphics and an Intel Core i7 processor, running on Windows 10 Home. Make a statement with customizable RGB lighting and a transparent side panel, and perform easy toolless upgrades in adherence to micro-ATX standards with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop.
How many fans on the RTX 2080, 1, 2, or 3?
OMEN Obelisk Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-8700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA RTX 2080 - 2TB HDD + 256GB SSD - HP Finish In Shadow Black
Play to your full potential with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop. Fluid gaming is ensured with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 series graphics and an Intel Core i7 processor, running on Windows 10 Home. Make a statement with customizable RGB lighting and a transparent side panel, and perform easy toolless upgrades in adherence to micro-ATX standards with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop.
This might be a dumb question, but will the 2080 be able to use g-sync? I don’t see it on Nvidia’s list of supported cards. (https://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/g-sync/supported-gpus) Would I need to run v-sync as well? Thanks.
Yes, it supports G-Sync.
Reference: I have this computer and my monitor is G-Sync.
Reference: I have this computer and my monitor is G-Sync.
5 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
Titan5178
HP - Spectre 13.3" Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 256 GB Solid State Drive
Only at Best BuyChoose this HP Spectre 13 notebook for its crisp 1080p display and 13.3-inch screen. It comes with a sixth-generation Intel processor and 8GB of onboard RAM for efficient multitasking, and its solid state drive ensure that programs load quickly. The slim design on this HP Spectre 13 notebook provide enhanced versatility.
What users is this directed towards?
Anyone looking for a really thin, light Windows laptop for light to medium usage.
8 years, 3 months ago
by
Posted by:
Titan5178
Logitech - Type S Bluetooth Keyboard Case for Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 - Black
This Logitech Type S 920-006401 case features a built-in Bluetooth keyboard that wirelessly connects to your Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5, so you can enjoy freedom of motion while you type. The E.P.S. (Essential Protection System) safeguards your device.
Will this work with a Tab4
No, it is made specifically for the Tab S 10.5
9 years, 6 months ago
by
Posted by:
Titan5178
from
Cedar Park, TX
Book Cover for Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 - Titanium Bronze
Guard your Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 from scrapes with this Samsung EF-BT800BSEGUJ cover that features polyurethane and polycarbonate materials for durable, encompassing protection. The screen-toggle capability turns the screen on or off automatically.
how to install?
How do you install this book cover? The tablets has 2 button looking holes in back.
Just pop it into those two buttons. It's really simple and works well.
10 years, 1 month ago
by
Posted by:
Titan5178
from
Cedar Park, TX
Samsung - Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 - 16GB - White
Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4: Whether you're at home, in the office or working on the go, this tablet is your portable personal assistant. Multitask efficiently with Multi Window, and create, edit and share documents with ease using Hancom Office Suite.
How do I use the Multi-window feature on my new tablet?
Make sure it it turned on in Settings -> Device -> Multi window.
Go back to your home screen and either swipe your finger from the right edge of the screen or press and hold the Back key to access the multi window tray.
From there just click or drag the applications you want to open. You can open up to 2 on the 8.4 tablet.
Go back to your home screen and either swipe your finger from the right edge of the screen or press and hold the Back key to access the multi window tray.
From there just click or drag the applications you want to open. You can open up to 2 on the 8.4 tablet.
10 years, 5 months ago
by
Posted by:
Titan5178
from
Cedar Park, TX