ITJim
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    November 23, 2013
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    November 23, 2013
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ITJim's Reviews
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The SANUS Elite Advanced Full-Motion 4D + SHIFT TV Wall Mount for TVs 42"-90" presents the newest technology from Sanus to bring your TV viewing experience to new heights. With the 4D + SHIFT height adjustment feature, you can enjoy 4" up or 4" down of movement for precision TV positioning on the wall, making this mount an ideal solution for when mounting a TV above a fireplace mantle, above a TV console, or even when you have to position around a pre-existing outlet on the wall. This SHIFT feature also allows you to raise your TV at a later time to provide enough space to add in a soundbar or, accommodate seasonal decorations that may interfere with the screen of the TV. If your TV doesn’t happen to end up in the position you hoped it would be, or you accidentally mismeasure during installation, our SHIFT height adjustment feature allows for easy TV height readjustment, either up or down, ensuring that your TV is perfectly positioned where you want it. This height adjusting feature is easily performed with the simple twist of the handle that can be lowered down from behind the TV for easy access, and then placed back behind the TV to remain hidden until next desired use. The SHIFT handle can also assist with moving large TVs with ease. As large TVs may be too big to reach both sides, you can simply grip the SHIFT handle and use to assist with effortlessly moving the TV into the desired position. Designed to blend seamlessly with TVs and décor, the Advanced Full-Motion 4D + SHIFT TV Mount was inspired by the sleek look of modern TVs and ultra-high-end kitchen appliances. Beneath the mount’s stylish exterior is an ultra-strong, solid steel frame that provides maximum support ensuring your TV will stay securely in place. With a lower profile depth than traditional full-motion mounts, this mount positions TVs closer to the wall creating a more streamlined look. Equipped with FollowThru, our signature through-arm cable management feature, simply route your cables through the arms of the TV mount and ensure a clean and organized look for your home entertainment system. Expertly engineered with FluidMotion design, the Advanced Full-Motion Mount provides unparalleled smoothness. Effortlessly extend, tilt and swivel your TV regardless of its weight or thickness. With Virtual Axis, easily reduce glare and reflections caused by lights or windows by tilting your TV up or down with the touch of a finger. If your TV requires any additional leveling once installed, ProSet lets you make micro-adjustments to level after mounting to ensure perfect positioning. This mount’s Steady Set functionality ensures your TV will stay exactly where you want it – no drifting, shifting or unwanted movement. With its simple and intuitive design, the Advanced Full-Motion Mount ensures a clear and hassle-free installation in just 3 easy steps.
 
Well-Constructed, Heavy, Durable, and Flexible
Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: ITJim
on June 12, 2024
The SANUS Elite Full-Motion 4D + SHIFT TV Mount for TVs 42"-90" is a beast of a wall mount. I have worked with smaller wall mounting kits (single arm, double arm, and flush mount, that were 42” to 65”. The double arm armatures for the SANUS Elite are easily double the thickness, weight, and mobility of the smaller kits I have assembled. For example, I have a SANUS single arm from about five years ago that my 65” LG TV is hanging on. Pushing the TV towards or away from the wall cause the panel to flex slightly because the joints are so tight. The joints on the double armed SANUS Elite, on the other hand, are very easy to move. There is also a tension screw at the elbow of each arm allowing me to tighten or loosen the arms for my specific application. In my instance, I often move the position of the TV if I need to work behind my entertainment center to change out or adjust wires, power cables, or if I am changing out equipment. Being able to push the TV out of the way creates both an easier work experience and increases my personal safety. Personal Safety? Meaning, I can reduce the risk of bouncing my head off the TV when working behind the entertainment center.
Quality:
The overall build and materials of the SANUS Elite are fantastic. The system is made of steal. There are a few plastic parts which consist of rail covers for the mounting frame, cable covers for the armatures, and some cosmetic pieces. The armature assembly alone weights approximately 28.5 lbs. The wall plate looks thin along the edges but is very stiff and feels rugged in the hand. The wall plate is designed to allow the armature to slide as far as it needs to along the mounting track in either direction. However, follow all of the TV mounting instructions, recommendations, and heed all the warnings outlined in the manual. Just because you can mount your TV with the armature as far to the right as the mounting bracket will allow does not mean that it is a good idea.
Assembly:
I cannot stress these points enough: 1) read the instructions and learn them forward and backwards, 2) work with a buddy, 3) dry assemble this on the floor before attempting to mount this on your wall, and 4) measure everything before you begin.
The instructions for the SANUS Elite are good but could use more written explanation and, in some instances, clearer images. The manual is designed with picture first instructions with minimal written explanation. This is why point 3 above is so important. Some pictorials lack sufficient context which forced me to inspect the whole mounting system before I could I follow the instruction. Good examples of these are the elbow tension screws, the tilt screw, the TV mount locking screw, and the screws required to engage and lock the height adjustment handles.
Next, measure everything twice. A properly mounted TV should align the center line of the TV with the your eyes at your viewing position. At least as much as possible and practical with the realities of your viewing space.
The SANOS Elite does allow 4” adjustment up and down off the center of the top armature where the TV mounting plate is located. The TV mounting plate is higher than the center line of the wall bracket by about 2.25 inches. This may seem insignificant but, if ignored, could really throw off your installation and your overall cinema experience. My recommendations is to get a piece of paper and draw out the project using measurements from the floor to each piece, including entertainment cabinets, center channels, sound bars, other mounted equipment, etc… to ensure you get the alignment you paid for. The vertical adjustment mechanism will allow for any flaws in measurement and with mounting different TVs with different mounting hole configurations. The TV mounting frame will also offer adjustment options. My recommendation here is measure for today’s TV and, if known, tomorrow’s TV. For example, if you have a 65” TV today from manufacturer X and you want their 77” TV tomorrow from the same manufacture then you can reasonably assume the mounting holes placement on today’s model will be the same or similar on next year’s model.
TV Mounting Bracket:
The TV mounting bracket will align and work with any TV I can thinking of at any size between 42” and 90”. The bracket has a series of static, well placed holes along the top half of the vertical mounting bars with a long groove cut out of bottom half. The idea is that the top VESA mounting screws will secure using the statically placed holes and then the bottom of the bracket will automatically accommodate the lower screws regardless of their position as long as they are perfectly vertically aligned with the top holes. The vertical mounting bars will also adjust outward, horizontally, on the frame to accommodate narrow and wide VESA mounting hole positions. The mounting arms are then locked into place using screws.
The bracket will then pop into the armature mounting plate with little fuss. Be sure to tilt the TV slightly when mounting the TV to the armature mounting plate. This is so that the TV bracket can latch into place properly. Be sure to screw in the locking screw once the TV is in place. Do not try to tilt the TV forward or back until you lock the screw into place. Otherwise, the TV may fall of the mounting arm.
Finally, there is a vertically aligned screw next to the TV bracket locking screw that can be used to level the TV.
Final thoughts:
The SANUS Elite Full-Motion 4D + SHIFT TV Mount for TVs 42"-90" is well-constructed, heavy, durable, easy to manipulate, and will accommodate every large flat panel TV that I have seen. The height adjustment is a real saving’s grace to help with vertical alignment issues as well as moving from different size TVs. It is not magic, but it is a welcome feature that solves more problems than it creates. If you are in the market for a new TV, and are tired of engaging in a small construction project that accompanies a new TV, then give the SANUS Elite a try. It may be exactly what you have been looking for.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
 
Crucial® DDR5 Memory has the blazing speed and massive bandwidth needed for the next generation of multi-core CPUs. This innovative technology empowers your system to multitask better, load, analyze, edit, and render faster, game with higher frame rates, uncover data insights faster, enhance productivity to save time and money, significantly reduce lag for heavy workloads and optimize power efficiency over the previous generation. Crucial DDR5 Memory can enable your computer to harness performance that was once only possible with extreme performance memory.
 
Compatibility and productivity boost!
Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: ITJim
on June 7, 2024
I chose to upgrade my Alienware M18 R1 AMD gaming laptop with Crucial’s 32GB kit of DDR5-5600 memory. The stock memory that shipped with my laptop is SK Hynix DDR5-4800 running at 2400 MHz. The maximum performance for the M18 R1 is DDR5-5200. This support has not changed with the latest Bios update from Alienware. The good news is that the Crucial DDR5-5600 kit does support this slower speed.
Regardless, be sure to check Crucial’s website for compatibility. Always check your laptop’s user’s manual for highest supported memory speeds and capacity before making any purchase. In my case, Crucial’s website confirmed compatibility with the M18 R1.
The difficulty of the installation was really dependent on the difficulty of getting the bottom cover off of the laptop. In my case, the bottom cover removal was relatively easy. Snapping out the old modules and snapping in the new modules was very easy. The modules will fit into the socket in a single orientation. So, there is now worry about installing them incorrectly.
I ran before and after benchmarks. The benchmarks include 3D Mark’s Time Spy, Port Royal, Steel Nomad, and PCMark 10. I also ran before and after benchmarks using GeekBench 6 CPU and GPU benchmarks. Only PCMark 10 provided me with any appreciable difference in performance. This may be because the other benchmarks are more focused on CPU and GPU performance than overall system performance. 1% to 2% performance improvements in gaming is nothing worth writing about. PCMark 10, on the other hand, showed a 24% improvement. PCMark 10 is a productivity benchmark that measures non-gaming activity.
PCMark 10 (Stock DDR5-4800): 8348
PCMark 10 (Crucial DDR5-5600): 10609 - 24% difference
90% of my daily computer usage is productivity. I tend to load the system with web pages, office applications, photo editing, and other useful tools. A few games like Forza Horizon 5 were thrown in for good measure.
Stability is flawless. At no time did I experience any system slowdowns, blue screens, application crashes, artifacts, or unexplained behavior using Curcial’s upgrade kit. My only issue was fully expected. First boot post DDR5 swap saw the system pause for a few minutes before posting to Bios. This was the system identifying the new memory, running whatever checks it needs to run, and then prompting me to reset the Bios to system defaults. After this, the system boots quickly and unconcerned into Windows.
Overall, I am disappointed with the down clock. But that is a limitation of my laptop and not any issue with Crucial. The fact that Crucial supports slower speeds and timings shows that compatibility and stability are as important to Crucial as performance. This upgrade will not impact my gaming experience. But it should save me time with memory intensive productivity applications such as photo editing, silly large OneNote notebooks, large spreadsheets, multi-tasking, and other applications that I have running in the background all day collecting and sorting information.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
 
 Panasonic - Stereo System with CD, Bluetooth and Radio, 80W - Black
Panasonic - Stereo System with CD, Bluetooth and Radio, 80W - Black
Experience your music in full clarity and richness, even when space is tight, with this compact, all-in-one stereo system that will fit anywhere. Whether you're playing a CD, the radio, or Bluetooth® streaming from your smartphone, the PM700 delivers high-quality sound through powerful stereo speakers with a 10cm Woofer & 6cm Tweeter. Customize your sound through the Bass/Treble knob. as well simple presets. Sleek, matte black design; remote control.
 
A fun little system that will fit most rooms!
Customer Rating
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Posted by: ITJim
on May 8, 2024
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The Panasonic SC-PM700PP-K has a simple, no-frills design is neutral enough to fit into any room’s décor. It is what I like to call a High Value, Low Budget system. The system can stream content from any Bluetooth source that supports Bluetooth 4.2. Which should be anything these days that supports Bluetooth. FM Radio. USB port for MP3 playback from USB memory sticks up to 32GB. Note, the USB port will support any source with a cable including an iPhone with the thunderbolt to USB cable. The system also includes a very handy CD Player. With some experimentation with room choice, speaker positioning, and built-in audio controls such as EQ and Tone controls you can achieve a solid musical experience. Does it sound good? Yes, but the system is fussy with room location, speaker distance, and built in sound control settings. But don’t worry, it is not that difficult to get the best from this little system.
*** How does it sound ***
Out of the box, the Panasonic SC-PM700PP-K’s sound signature is small, boxy, constrained. The highs are ok, the midrange feels a bit missing, and the low-end sounds muddy. Male voices on NPR demonstrated the low-end muddiness perfectly for me. Thankfully, Panasonic armed the system with Tone Controls, five EQ presets, D-Base, and Surround Sound. FM radio includes an additional control, Mono Mode, to improve the sound of programming such as talk radio. To get best out of talk radio, settings of Bass -3, Treble +1, and EQ set to Flat dialed the station perfectly. Ironically, this turned out to be perfect for listening to my Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” CD. With every album, I adjusted the system a little bit more until I found a general setup I find enjoyable. And when I don’t, I make additional adjustments. The SC-PM700PP-K also provides three Presets where you can save your adjustments for future recall.
I spent a lot of time listening to the Panasonic SC-PM700PP-K. My musical selection included Indego Girls, Boston, Megan Trainer, B-52’s, Loreena McKennitt, classical, movie soundtracks, Bon Jovi, Meatloaf, Michael Jackson, and more. In most cases I was able to adjust either the built in EQ, Tone Controls, or speaker position to improve sound quality. All except Meatloaf’s “Bat out of Hell”. There was literally nothing I could to do make that album sound good on this system.
CDs sound best. However, the CD player you will hear the CD Player hum along if you sit too close.
*** Speaker Positioning and Impact on Sound Quality ***
To get the most out of the system you will need to adjust both the built-in sound quality controls as well as manage speaker positioning. The first place I put the system was on my kitchen’s granite countertop. The speakers were pushed in under my overhanging cabinet. It sounded awful due to the speaker's proximity to the wall, the hard reflective surface of the granite, and the reflections from the overhead cabinets. There was no amount of tone control or EQ that was going to save me here.
Next, I moved the system to a multi-purpose space where I placed the system on top of a wooden display cabinet. The Panasonic immediately sounded better. The speakers were still close to the wall, which provided bass enforcement from each speaker’s rear port, as well as less surface area under the speakers for the speakers to interact with. To improve upon this, I moved the speakers until the front speaker feet were aligned with the edge of the cabinet. This all but eliminated reflections from the top of the cabinet which translated into better sound. I also tried different spacing between the speakers. Moving the speakers to the edges of the cabinet, four feet apart total, sounded best. The SC-PM700PP-K is designed for a bookshelf or cabinet. So it makes sense that it sounds the best in this configuration.
Finally, because I’m an audiophile junkie, I placed a pair of sand filled speaker stands four feet into my room and six feet apart. I then placed the speakers on the stand. My listening position was five to six feet away, equal distance between the speakers, and ear level with the woofers. Dare I say I was able to create a meaningful phantom center with some audio staging effects? I did. I was honestly shocked this worked with a low cost, high value system. Would I recommend doing this? No. There is not enough value generated by the system to justify the added expense in both stands or room real estate to justify this listening configuration with these speakers. I did, however, include a photo of these speakers on stands. You are welcome.
*** Speaker quality ***
The Panasonic SC-PM700PP-K speakers are made of 10mm particle board. The speaker is a two-way ported design with a 6cm tweeter, 10cm woofer, and 20mm rear facing port. The speaker cables are 22-guage, copper, with tinned leads on the receiver end. The wires run into the speaker box and, most likely, soldered to the electronics inside. The speaker rings hollow during the knock test. The grills are covered in soft, black cloth and are glued, or nailed, to each the speaker's baffle. Finally, each speaker is covered in what feels like a black wood veneer.
The speakers sound pretty good for near field listening, low volume listening. Anything over 20 on the volume dial simply did not sound good. 20 seemed to have the right balance between loudness and sound quality. 20 is also loud enough to fill a room with my favorite tunes and news.
*** Final thoughts ***
For the money, this is a very handy, versatile system that will fit any décor and produce quality sound when setup properly. The SC-PM700PP-K will perform well in a small office, bedrooms, basement, workshops, the lobby of a business, college dorm room, or any place you need an inexpensive, high value system. The inclusion of FM Stereo and a CD player further boost the value proposition beyond a similarly priced portable Bluetooth system. Just be mindful to keep your expectations realistic and in line with the value proposition the SC-PM700PP-K brings to the shelf. Quality sound can be had with proper room positioning and a few setting adjustments.
I hope you found this review useful.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
 
The world’s first 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor has arrived. The AW3225QF delivers ultimate visual fidelity with 4K resolution, Dolby Vision, a 240Hz refresh rate, and 0.03 ms minimum response time, plus superb color performance.
 
Excellent 4K Gaming and a Desktop Right Size
Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: ITJim
on April 30, 2024
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The Alienware AW3225QF QD-OLED 4K gaming monitor is impressive. 16:9 aspect ratio, almost instantaneous pixel response, perfect blacks, and 240hz over HDMI 2.1 makes for an amazing and versatile gaming experience. Gaming visuals are excellent in both SDR and HRD. Console gaming with my Xbox Series X is full 4K at 120hz with Dolby Vision and VRR active. Text quality is clean and crisp without any color fringing. There are two HDMI Inputs, a single Display Port, a high-speed USB B input, 2 USB A ports on the back, one USB B and USB C port on the bottom bezel. The AW3225QF mounts easily to my monitor arm which frees up space and optimizes my ergonomics. The onscreen controls are easy to access and navigate using the built-in joystick. Overall, this monitor is big, bright, beautiful, and provides a premium gaming experience.
Screen protection packing:
First, I want to address screen protection packing. I have read that the bubble wrap used to protect the screen during shipping leaves scratches on the screen. I think Dell updated the packing material. My monitor arrived with zero screen damage. The screen protection system on my monitor is a multi-layer assembly consisting of a sheet of bubble wrap on the outer layer, two-sided tape in the middle, and smooth plastic on the inside layer. The smooth plastic layer is affixed to the screen with a low tack adhesive to prevent it from shifting or rubbing against the screen. Added stability is provided by tape securing the screen protector to the monitor bezel. I uploaded a photo for your review. Maybe early shipments had issues. My monitor came with the most substantial screen protection I have ever seen with a monitor. Kudos to the Dell and Alienware team.
PC Gaming:
Gaming is awesome on this monitor. I played MW Online, Diablo 4, and Forza Horizon 5. Diablo 4 and Forza are visual feasts that look amazing on the AW3225QF. Older games like MW Online was butter smooth at 240hz screen refresh. I tried all games with both SDR and HDR. Honestly, I did not notice much of a difference. This may be because switching from SDR to HDR is not a simple A/B switch which comparing the two impossible for me. I am happy either way.
On thing I did not like was fighting with the monitor over HDR on and using the monitor presets built into the OSD. If HDR is on then the presets are unavailable. This means that I have multiple use cases for the monitor I am forced to either chose HDR for all content or use SDR presets for gaming, General Desktop usage, or Creative Mode for example. HDR does have multiple presets but they are not as easy to access from the OSD as the SDR modes. My preferred functionality would be each preset was HDR capable thus allowing me to essentially program all my use cases into a single list of presets.
Xbox Gaming:
I connected my Xbox Series X and configured the system, through Xbox Settings to use 4K, 120hz refresh, HDR Gaming, and Dolby Vision. I did not go through the trouble of switching between SDR and HDR on my Xbox simply because the process was clumsy and cumbersome. Again, without a simple A/B function it is impossible for me to tell which is superior.
The Xbox Series X was built specifically for 4K gaming so all but one of my gaming experiences was flawless. Star Wars Battlefront II had some strange white out ghost phenomenon. For example, while looking down a hallway, what looks like a white fog would develop at the end of the hall, travel towards me, pass through me, and then travel behind me, vanish, and then start again in a perfectly timed cycle. The only difference I can think of between the AW3225QF and my LG 4K OLED was that the AW3225QF had VRR turned on. Otherwise, this issue does not exist for me. I cannot confirm this was the issue. But it was an issue, and a difference between my PC and Xbox configuration, so I am sharing it with you here. Otherwise, my gaming experience was flawless.
Size and Quick compare:
The pictures do not provide a reference to how big this monitor is. In the photos, I show my Alienware M18 gaming laptop driving the AW3225QF over HDMI. The M18 is a monster with its 18-inch screen. The AW3225QF dwarfs the M18. The screen is squarish with a 16:9 aspect ratio. There is a slight curve to the screen. It took minutes for my eyes to adjust. Now I don’t even notice.
I purchased the 34” Alienware Ultrawide 1440p AW3423DWF back in March 2023. For those of you who may also own this monitor and are considering moving to the AW3225QF for 4K then I have posted some side by side and in-use photos. Both are excellent monitors.
Upgrading from 1440p to 4K did have me worried. Like my AW3423DWF, AW3225QF will be used for both gaming and work. My under powered work laptop drives the AW3225QF at full resolution at 60hz. My Alienware M18 and Gaming Desktop’s 4070 had no issues keeping my games above 60FPS. In most cases, FPS remained above 90 FPS at a full 240hz refresh.
Mounting:
The AW3225QF includes mounting holes with screws. They are located where the included stand attaches to the monitor. This is a 100 x 100mm VESA Mount interface. I included photos of the mounting interface as well as the monitor on my desktop’s monitor arm. Super easy to mount.
Everyday Usage:
I also use this monitor for Work from Home and general computer usage. For either SDR or HDR usages I set brightness and contrast to 30%. I also reduce blue light where I can be either use Windows Night mode or the Warm monitor preset. Windows and MS Office apps are set to Dark Mode to reduce overall monitor brightness and light intensity. Finally, I set the taskbar to auto hide to help avoid monitor burn in. After an eight-hour day, when I turn off my computer and the monitor input turns off, the AW3225QF will go into a short pixel refresh cycle.
My office gets direct sunlight in the mornings. The AW3225QF does a good job of combatting reflections. Typically, I close the curtains and that solves all my reflection issues. Late afternoon light or overhead lights can cause some reflections, but it is very muted. And if they are not then I just tilt the monitor slight along its Y-axis and the reflections vanish. The anti-reflective coating is excellent. The viewing angles of this monitor are also excellent. So, tilting the monitor left or right slightly is not a big deal by any measure.
Additional Comments:
First, connect the supplied high speed USB A to USB B cable that Dell supplies to your computer. This will allow windows to detect the monitor and load the most up to date drivers and monitor firmware. Second, if you experience any poor monitor performance, low refresh, or other monitor issue then make sure you are using the cables provided by Alienware before decaling this is an issue with the monitor. I had an issue out of the box where monitor refresh would not go above 60hz. It turned out to be an issue with a cable Adapter I was using to convert my Display Port cable to mini-Display Port for use with my M18 Laptop. Switching to the supplied HDMI cable resolved the issue and performed as well as the Display Port that I wanted to use. It is not a total 1 to 1 replacement but close enough when HDMI is 2.1 at 240hz.
Final thoughts:
Overall, I think this is both a wonderful gaming monitor and work monitor. Honestly, who swaps monitors between the two activities? These things have just gotten too big to play that game. I love the flexibility the AW3225QF affords me, the image quality, the near instantaneous pixel response, and the high refresh. Colors are vibrant, text is crisp, blacks are excellent, and, to my untrained eye, brightness is uniform across the screen. VESA mounting is a huge must for my setup and the AW3225QF looks beautiful mounted over my desk. See the included photos. I would like to see SDR and HDR features programmable to each monitor preset. Configuring SDR, HDR, and balancing the monitor presets is a real pain and forces me into SDR modes unless there is a real special reason to turn HDR on. Besides, I do not feel that my gaming experience, with the games I play the most, is impacted one way or the other. If you are in the market for a 32” class 4K QD-OLED then I think you will find a lot to like in the AW3225QF.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
 
Draw more frames and win more games with the brand new Strix G18 and Windows 11 Home. Powered by a 14th Gen Intel Core i9-13980HX Processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU boasting a max TGP of 175W with Dynamic Boost, be ready to dominate the competition in all of the latest games.
 
Outstanding performance and flexibility
Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: ITJim
on March 13, 2024
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Initial Impressions:
The Asus ROG Strix G18 (2024) G814 gaming laptop with Intel 14th Gen i9-14900HX and Nvidia 4080 graphics is a beast of a gaming laptop. It handled every game I threw at it. Scored higher in 3Dmark Port Royal than any other computer, laptop or desktop, I have ever tested. It integrated seamlessly into my Home Theater. And it can handle external monitors and gaming equipment like a champ. The screen is bright and beautiful. The keyboard is comfortable and quiet. It can get hot but has the cooling capacity to keep it around 71c under all conditions. Overall, this laptop can be a true desktop replacement.
Benchmarks:
I run 3DMark Port Royal benchmark on every gaming desktop and laptop I have owned. My custom-built Ryzen 9 5900X, RTX 4070 graphics, 32GB DDR4 Ram, and an ASUS ROG motherboard scored 16,705. This laptop scored 18,688! Individual GPU scores were 17,618 and 19,097 respectively. I was expecting a laptop 4080 GPU to meet or be slightly less than a desktop 4070 due to the additional power and cooling ability of the desktop part. Color me impressed!
I next benchmarks I conducted were Forza 5’s built in benchmark using the G18’s Nebula screen, my 1440p Alienware AW3423DWF 34-inch gaming monitor, and my 4K OLED. In all instances, Forza set the graphics settings to settings to Ultimate, High, DLSS On, Frame Generation On, and Ray Tracing on. I managed 151 FPS on the G814’s screen, 145 FPS on the AW3423DWF, and 60 FPS on my 4K OLED over HDMI. It must be noted that my 4K TV can only handle 60 FPS at 4K. In all cases, the game looked and ran beautifully. I did not notice any latency with DLSS or Frame Generation. I also did not notice any strange artifacts with DLSS.
Regular play, non-benchmarking runs, I got an average of 147 FPS on the G814’s screen in Middle-Earth: Shadows of War with a high of 284 and a low of 59. I managed to hit 300+ FPS at full graphics settings running Star Wars Squadrons. Some of my other favorite games are CPU bound so the FPS was capped between 80 to 130 FPS. Very playable but not much of an improvement over my 4070 desktop. On the bright side, this laptop exceeds the performance and specs of my gaming desktop. Meaning, I could comfortably replace my desktop with the ASUS ROG G18.
Gaming:
Game play was fantastic with all games. The G18 is more than capable of driving any game I own. The only times I noticed any screen tearing or aliasing was when the game was poorly tuned for the system. Armoury Crate has some features that allow for some system tuning. nVidia Experience also provided some game tuning recommendations matching the G18’s specs which provided a great gaming experience. Other games have their own internal benchmarking system that also helps set the optimum settings for the best gaming experience. The point is that there are multiple tools available on this system, and built into some games, that will resolve the majority of performance issues.
It is also capable of connecting to external monitors, mice, keyboards, headphones, and other gaming peripherals. For the G18, due to the placement of the USB A ports, wireless adapters for mice and keyboards will work best. The reason being is that the USB A ports are on the right side of the laptop and next to my mouse. For testing, I used a wired Corsair gaming mouse. The left mouse button kept getting caught under the mouse cable at the port. This became a real issue for me during hot gaming action where the mouse would get stuck under the USB plug sticking out of the laptop or I would hit the plug with enough force to trigger my left mouse button. More than a few of my fellow online fallen heroes got shot in the back, by accident, with this setup. This issue was solved by switching to a Razor Wireless mouse. The compact size of the wireless adapter did not interfere with my mouse or hand. However, using my Corsair Wireless headset with the included wireless adapter put me right back where I started when using the wired mouse. This is because the Wireless adapter sticks out about an inch. Bottom line, in my opinion, the USB A ports are poorly placed.
Wired external keyboards suffered the same issue. Wireless USB keyboards did not due to the compact size of their dedicated USB wireless adapters.
For external monitors, I used the USB C/Display Port and USB Thunderbolt 4 ports. Both worked with my Alienware AW3423DWF monitor using a compatible cable. The Thunderbolt 4 port worked much better with my 1440 monitor. This may have been due to the higher available bandwidth. Windows does allow, and I recommend, that when gaming with an external monitor that you disable the G18’s 18-inch Nebula display. This will take the stress off the GPU while you game on the external monitor.
Overall, using external gaming peripherals were speedy, compatible, compatible with the peripheral control software, and simply worked. My only criticism is the number of ports. My desktop gaming computer has 8 USB A ports,1 USB C port, 1 HDMI port, and several Display Ports. The G18 only has 2 USB C, 2 USB A, and a single HDMI port. An external solution will be required if additional ports are needed.
Sound:
Asus claims this laptop has 5.1.2 Channel Virtual Surround Sound with Dolby Atmos. The G18 only has two laptop speakers so keep your expectations reasonable. There were times where my games sounded larger than the laptop. But full virtual surround sound seems a bit of a stretch. Just getting 5.1 with Netflix movies was a stretch. It was good. But not what I would expect from 5.1. However, I was able to achieve full surround sound, with the help of Dolby Experience application, when running Forza 5 through my Home Theater over HDMI. This configuration worked amazingly well.
Battery Life:
Battery life is about what one would expect from a high-power gaming laptop. It stinks unless you purposely configure the laptop for maximum battery life. For example, through Armoury Crate, I was able to set the laptop to Eco Mode, turned off LCD overdrive, set the Intel processor to use 4P Cores and 4E Cores, set the fans to Silent mode, dimmed the LCD screen, and set the LCD to 60hz. Turning off the keyboard backlight will also extend battery life. Gaming is obviously not the goal in this configuration. But, if you are like me, and use your laptop for general low power tasks such as MS Office, Web Browsing, streaming, or other common daily computer tasks then turning off unnecessary bells and whistles is a must. I was able to get about 1.5 to 2 hours battery life.
Screen Quality:
The Nebula LCD screen is excellent, bright, and vibrant! Armoury Crate has several pre-set screen configurations such as Eye Care, Vivid, FPS, Racing, etc that auto-set different color and brightness settings. The Nebula LCD is fantastic in any mode.
The backlighting on my unit has the best uniformity I have ever seen. To test, I made a black image in MS Paint and displayed it full screen on the LCD screen. I then viewed the screen in a dark room. The screen was not 100% uniform but pretty close. Normally, I see dark and bright spots on the screen. The G18 provides a more consistent brightness and contrast than most other LCD screens I have used.
The G18’s screen also has an anti-glare coating. Here again, Asus did a great job with the anti-glare implementation. I have used this laptop in bright rooms. Any reflections are soft, dull, or absent unless I am purposely trying to create a reflection. Head-on viewing looks perfect with a bare minimum of reflections. Direct sunlight, as any monitor, will overwhelm the monitor. Moving the laptop away from direct sunlight and/or boosting the brightness is enough to overcome most issues.
Heat:
This laptop will get hot, but I have yet to see a temp over 71C. The cooling power of the G18 is seriously over engineered. At no point did I feel like my hands or palms were uncomfortably warm. The laptop will get uncomfortably warm if using it on my lap without any power savings features turned on. The laptop will also heat my room after long gaming sessions.
Noise:
The default fan curves are thought out and implemented. The system will get noisy during gaming but not hair drier noisy. Silent mode is silent. The fans will kick on if the laptops start building heat.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, this is a fantastic gaming laptop and desktop replacement solution. The Asus G18 will do anything you ask it to do.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
 
Stand out from the crowd with superior skill and distinctive design. The CORSAIR K65 PLUS WIRELESS is a 75% gaming keyboard that maxes out on performance and personality. Step up your switch game with pre-lubricated CORSAIR MLX Red linear switches that make each keystroke silky smooth and responsive. Integrated sound dampening tempers annoying clacks and pings, so you can enjoy subtle, pleasant acoustics as you play and type. Easily connect to PC, Mac, and other devices via ultra-fast 2.4GHz wireless or Bluetooth, and power through your playing sessions for longer than ever – up to 266 hours on a single charge. On the K65 PLUS WIRELESS, skill meets style.
 
Silent and silky-smooth portable gaming!
Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: ITJim
on February 20, 2024
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First impressions:
The K65 Plus Wireless 75% Corsair is smooth, responsive, and well damped. The keys MX Red Smooth and Silent keys are probably the single most exciting thing about this keyboard for me. Corsair has always made great keyboards. Unfortunately, the race to make the clickiest and highest performing keyboard also lead us down the road of annoying key ringing. This is an unintended consequence impacting any manufacturer using Cherry keys. Put your head next to your mechanical keyboard. Press and release any key as normal. You will be left with a high-pitched resonance that sounds like a tuning fork. It is big enough deal that I spent months auditioning keyboards until I found one that had the least annoying ring. The Corsair K65 Plus solves this issue by adding two layers of sound damping material: high density foam and a silicon pad. The results are a quiet typing and gaming experience that rivals that of a membrane laptop keyboard. Ringing be Gone! The linear key does not have the click bump further reducing the noise. Clicking be Gone! And the damping material also muffles the clack of the key bottoming out. Overall, nice job Corsair!
Typing:
I am not exaggerating when I say that the K65 Plus with the pre-lubricated MLX Red linear mechanical switches are like typing on a cloud. Both the down stroke and the up stroke are smooth with constant resistance. Sorry for the hyperbole but I just do not know how else to describe the experience. I have owned many keyboards with linear switches and none come anywhere close to the K65 Plus. Imagine pressing your fingers into a Pusheen stuff animal.
And, if for whatever reason, you need a different typing or gaming experience, then you can replace every single switch on this keyboard with any other MXL switch you desire. They are not only removable but Corsair includes a key cap and switch extractor. Go nuts!
Gaming:
The polling rate on the K65 is limited/locked at 1000Hz/1ms on both Windows and Mac. It is limited to 125Hz when used with an iOS or Android device. So, it does not have the hyper polling and response rate of the more expensive K70 or K100 Axiom keyboards. Overall, I found the 1000Hz/1ms polling more than adequate for simulator style games that I play. Games such as Mechwarrior Online, Mechwarrior 5, and Battletech were smooth and responsive. Yes, there is a theme here. The sound damping qualities and the lubricated actuation mechanism of the pre-lubricated MLX Red linear mechanical switches allowed me to enjoy more of the sounds of war and my teammates than my keystrokes. Honestly, there is nothing more annoying than listening to someone clacking away at a super noisy keyboard on comms. Those who have been there know exactly what I am talking about.
Doom eternal was fast and responsive. Multi-key combinations such as run forward and strafe left were fluid and did not cause any pause in my movements. The keyboard simply accepted the simultaneous commands and allowed me to move diagonally while reloading the jumping. Essentially, ghosting is not an issue here. Forza Horizon was smooth and responsive. Left, right, acceleration, breaking, and looking functions were fast and smooth. I also did not experience any ghosting when pressing multiple keys together or in quick succession.
The K65 Plus was a delight to game on with games that I regularly game with mouse and keyboard.
Lighting:
In my opinion, lighting is the real weakness of the K65 Plus is. RGB switch lighting is excellent. It is the same awesome that we have all come to expect from MX RGB keys. The K65 ships with Dye-sub PBT single shot key caps and not the shine through PBT double shot keycaps. The keys themselves are solid, comfortable, concave to support the finger and reduce slippage, and overall of good quality. The RGB under key lighting affect is pleasantly soft. Which is fine if you type and play in a well-lit room. If you are like me, who works and plays in a dim or dark room, then this becomes an issue super-fast. The first issue is that it is difficult to identify less often used keys such as the F Keys or any Macro keys that may have a specific RGB color assignment. And forget about reading any of the keycaps in a dimly lit room. The glow from the backlight, and the concave shape of the individual keys, guarantees a permanent shadow cast on the printed characters. I found this especially challenging playing simulator games where I am activating specific keys that I do not use as often as ASDW or the keys immediately around ASDW assigned to reload, use, push to talk, etc. In those instances, I am reliant on quickly identifying, say, the “M” key by sight to activate counter ECM rather than muscle memory. In the case of the K65 Plus, my “M” key is color coded and blinks for quick attention and identification. However, a blinking backlight glow is almost lost in the constant glow of the other keys. Worse, the colors mix into a soft glow that lack the sharpness I need for quick identification. I included two photos as examples. One if my daily typing color and the other is my keyboard setup for Mechwarrior Online.
iCUE:
This is not going to be a review of iCUE. It is not perfect, but I still think iCUE is the best software in the business and I have not seen anything from any other manufacturer that has changed my mind yet. One feature I love about iCUE is that any keyboard profile I have created for any keyboard will be compatible with any other Corsair keyboard. The K65 Plus is no exception. My primary gaming and typing profiles automatically took to the K65 Plus. There are two caveats though. iCUE profile interaction is limited to 2.4Ghz and USB connectivity only. iCUE will not see the keyboard over Bluetooth. Any macros or key assignments that do not align with the physical keys on the K65 Plus, such as the G1 key on a K100 keyboard, will not activate.
Why is this a good thing? This means I can go to Corsair and download a pile of pre-made iCUE profiles that are mostly equipment agnostic. This means the very excellent Christmas RGB profile found on Corsair’s site will work equally well with the K65 Plus as it does with my K100. And it does. The benefit? I do not need to rebuild all of my profiles from scratch just because I changed to a new Corsair keyboard.
Profiles:
iCUE is not currently capable of uploading profiles from iCUE to the keyboard. It is possible to program the keyboard, using the keyboard exclusively, to build an onboard profile. Macros can also be programed from the keyboard. But there is no way to transfer what is on the keyboard to iCUE or vice versa.
Wireless Options:
The K65 Plus can hold 3 Bluetooth partners, ships with a 2.4Ghz USB Dongle, and has a USB-C to USB-A cable. The connection type is user selectable on the back of the keyboard. There is a second switch that indicates Windows or Mac connectivity.
The K65 Plus ships with a USB wireless adapter. The adapter plugs into any USB A slot. Windows will identify the adapter and connect the K65. Please note, the Windows switch and the correct wireless switch must be set for this to work. Bluetooth is also easy to setup in Windows. Open Bluetooth in settings, setup a new wireless device, and then use FN+ <Home, PgUp, or PgDn> to select the wireless slot. Synce and done. Essentially, this keyboard can sync with just about anything.
Portability:
Corsairs claims the k65 Plus is 2.02 lbs. It is a dense 2.02 lbs. Get some curls in between matches kind of dense. And please do not hit anything with this keyboard. You will break something and it won’t be the keyboard. The keyboard is about the size of a 15-inch class laptop keyboard. This means your mouse and keyboard can be closer together thus creating a more natural position for your hands and shoulders relative to the center of the monitor. There are rubber pads on the bottom that will prevent any slippage. The K65 Plus has a two-level fold out legs to adjust the keyboard angle. Finally, the K65 Plus does not ship with a matching wrist rest. I found a memory foam wrist rest on Amazon that fits both the size and height of the K65 Plus for cheap.
Conclusion:
Construction, type experience, and connectivity capabilities are excellent. The typing experience is unlike anything I have ever had the pleasure of typing on. And I am a first gen keyboard warrior dating all the way back to the days of the original Zork adventures. The size of the keyboard is excellent for anyone who needs a fully capable keyboard but has limited space. The RGB is top notch. Overall, I feel that the K65 Plus, as a mid-tier gaming keyboard, is well constructed and well executed. And the typing experience is like nothing else out there today. Did I mention that I really like typing on this keyboard?
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
 
The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra high-performance wireless smart game controller with charge dock is built for gamers who demand the best. Lag-free wireless quickly connects to Xbox consoles, and Windows PCs, plus Bluetooth for Android devices & supported Smart TVs. Tactile microswitches throughout provide fast, reliable response and last up to 5X longer than standard buttons, while AntiDrift thumbsticks eliminate drift for precise, customizable control and adjustable triggers suit your game on the fly. The Connected Command Display lets you customize the RGB lighting, audio, thumbsticks, mappable buttons and more, plus patented technology receives social notifications from your phone. Best of all, adjustable power modes provide up to 30 hours of battery life on a single charge.
 
Flexible Premium Xbox Series X Controller.
Customer Rating
4.0 out of 5
4.0
Posted by: ITJim
on December 21, 2023
I was going to write a typical, “let’s point out all the features” type review but I really want to point out a few items that differentiate the Turtle Beach Stealth controller from your typical Xbox or Xbox Elite controller.
First, and most important to me, is the Anti-Drift technology. My favorite Xbox game of all time is Titan Fall 2. Yes, it is an old game, but it is, in my opinion, one of the best FPS games ever made. And I still play it on Xbox when the servers are up. The biggest issue I have with regular Xbox controllers is drift. For example, when my character response he will immediately begin drifting to the right. I can put my regular Xbox or Xbox Elite controller on the ground, walk to the other room to get a drink, and when I get back, I will have found him still walking to the right. Adjust stick dead zones, stick sensitivity, and switching controllers and quality of controllers provide some relief but never fully solved the issue. The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra fixed the issue right out of the box! I spent the night parkouring every wall and ledge I could find; feasting on the fast frag fest which is Titan Fall 2. Never once did I experience any stick drift. Honestly, if the Stealth Ultra failed my Titan Fall 2 antidraft test then I would have packed it up and sent it back to Turtle Beach.
Antidrift is just one of the useful features I found with the Stealth Ultra. The onboard configuration allowed me to set up customer dead zones for each stick. I disabled the dead zone options in my game and used the Stealth Ultra’s onboard controls to custom the dead zone for each stick. The modifications paid off with better precisions with movement and aiming. It was not magic. I did not suddenly become the untouchable pro player with a bullet proof slide hop magical movement pattern. But I did feel more in control of my avatar. I will note that my Titan piloting did not improve any. Then again, the movement system is tweaked to feel like a giant robot as opposed to a super nimble, jet pack totting super soldier.
The controller itself is slightly larger than a typical Xbox controller. As such, the bumper buttons took a little getting used to. The buttons themselves are comfortable, easy to depress, and super sensitive. The issue I have is that my grip style favors my forefinger to control both the trigger and bumper buttons. Gripping the controller with just my thumb and forefinger forces me to reach with my forefinger. Which is a little awkward for me. The controller really favors a grip with a finger on the trigger, a finger on the bumper, and thumb on the thumb stick. In this configuration, all the buttons except the P2 and P3 buttons on the bottom are easily accessible. If you plan on programming the P1 – P4 buttons, then this may be an issue for you. If you plan on just using two buttons, then the P1 and P4 buttons will be easy to access on demand.
The sides of the Stealth Ultra have a shallow texture that act like a grip but really are not. The controller did slip around in my hand when holding it with thumbs on the sticks, forefingers on the bumper and triggers, and the other three fingers gripping the controller handles. I also kept pressing the P1 – P4 buttons whenever I tightened up my grip on the controller.
Finally, setup with Xbox is a little awkward. The Stealth Ultra will not connect directly to the Xbox wirelessly without the included cable, charging cradle, and the USB wireless adapter plugged into the charging cradle. I found this disappointing since, at the very least, I was hoping the Xbox could operate directly inserted into a free USB port on my Xbox Series X. Why? Because latency goes up if the signal needs to travel down a 15-foot cable before reaching my Xbox. It does not add much latency but there were times where I felt like my avatar was reacting just a fraction of second after I pressed a button or moved the control stick. Of course, this can be completely resolved by connecting the controller directly to the Xbox using the included cable.
The other odd thing I found with the Stealth Ultra is that pressing the Xbox button on the controller does not auto-start my Xbox. I need to also press the Wireless sync button on the USB wireless adapter. This can be a pain because sometimes the Stealth Ultra and the USB adapter fall out of sync and can be a real pain to resync. I also found syncing to a be a real pain when trying to connect with the Control Center 2 app on my phone. Sometimes the Stealth Ultra was available and sometimes it was not. Hence, the reason why this review does not include any information about Control Center 2.
Overall, I think the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is a fine controller. It has infinitely more flexibility than a stand Xbox or an Xbox Elite controller. The built in control panel allows for custom audio, stick dead zones, social, button, calibration, lighting controls, and more. It will probably take an afternoon or two to get used to the controller’s lite weight and larger size. But nothing is insurmountable for your average gamer.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
3out of 4found this review helpful.
 
Denon Perl Pro True Wireless Earbuds let you create a personalized sound profile via Masimo AAT for audio that is perfectly tuned to you. Add in CD-quality sound from Qualcomm aptX lossless technology and spatial audio from Dirac Virtuo for an unrivaled wireless audio experience. Confidently take calls with best-in-class voice audio. Use the Denon Perl Pro app to create your profile and fully customize your listening experience. And with eight hours of earbud battery life-plus 32 additional hours from the case and wireless case charging-you can keep the music going all day.
 
Adaptive Acoustic Technology is Legit! Love it!
Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: ITJim
on November 27, 2023
Initial Impressions:
The Denon PerL Pro, combined with Masimo Acoustic Technology (AAT) and Dirac Virtuo spatial audio, makes the PerL Pro a next level earbud experience. Out of the box, the PerL Pro’s are clear, precise, and pleasant to listen to. Nothing all that special that I cannot already get from my Jabra, JBL, or B&W earbuds. However, the PerL Pro’s offers per ear auto calibration through Masimo’s AAT technology. Essentially, the PerL Pro’s will run a series of test tones, listen to the reflections off your inner ear, and then build a sound profile based on how respond to each frequency. At first, I thought this was more “better sound through marketing” wizardry. Man was I wrong. I think the marketing is rather muted compared to what AAT brings to the table. This is a game changer.
Post calibration, music is clearer, fuller, and offers a more natural sound experience. How do I know? The Denon app has a switch that allows me to switch between AAT calibration, called Personalized in the app, and Default. Default is zero calibration or EQ applied. I played Lindsey Stirling’s Snow Waltz album for testing. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is a combination of violine and heavy bass. On Default, the sound is good but sounds a bit boxed and bass lite. Personalized opened up the music, restored the bass, and brought the piece to life. Think black and white photo vs the same photo with color. The difference is that stark.
If AAT is taking my bowl of Mac-n-Cheese and adding heavy cream, bacon, garlic, and breadcrumbs then Dirac Virtuo spatial sound was like paring my delicious, gourmet bowl of Bacon Mac-n-Cheese with a perfectly paired glass of wine. Dirac did not add anything to the main dish. But it completed the meal. And what a great meal these PerL Pros are.
Bass output:
The PerL Pro’s have some serious bass output. However, there is a catch. Default sound profile kind of has bass and kind of doesn’t. It is hit or miss. In my experience, AAT calibration is required to get proper bass response from the PerL Pro’s. And the bass is really good post calibration. A great example for bass is Riff Kitten’s, “Nothing to You”. This song opens with a deep bass riff that will shake your ear drums. PSY’s, “DADDY” has a bass heavy beat that will also shake your ears. Bottom line, the PerL Pro’s is fantastic with bass. There is a Bass EQ in the app which Denon calls “Immersion Mode.” I got ok results from this. It really depends on the music and how well the earbuds are seated in your ears.
EQ:
The Denon app offers a five band EQ along with bass boost. Bass boost is labeled, “Immersion Mode” for some reason. Personally, AAT did such a fantastic job of per ear auto EQ that I did not feel the need to mess with the manual EQ settings. I am glad that the option is available. Most ear buds I have used have a two band EQ. So, props to Denon for the extra effort.
Fit and comfort:
The PerL Pro’s come with five different tips: four silicon and one foam. It also comes with two different sized ear anchors. This makes the PerL Pro’s flexible for many different ear types. I eventually settled on the medium sized tips. The foam tips were simply too big and did not make a good seal for my ears. I calibrated the earbuds once I found the correct tip.
Now, proper fitting makes a huge difference in sound and ANC response. Any gaps between your ear opening and the ear tip will weaken the sound. For example, the ear buds will loosen as I move my jaw with activities such as eating or speaking. The ear buds will not fall out of my ears, but they will break the seal with my ears. The results are weaker bass, lesser spatial audio, and an overall degradation in sound quality. Sound quality is still good. And I normally do not realize that I have lost quality until I adjust the PerL Pro’s to sit tighter in my ears.
Which brings me to my first Con. The PerL Pro’s do a really good job of staying in my ears, but tips do a terrible job or maintaining a seal with my ear canal. I would have preferred tips that were longer than their current rounded shape. In my opinion, the shallow rounded shape requires me to regularly adjust the ear buds to get the best sound possible. I have the same issue with the foam tips. Their round shape does not allow enough material in my ear canal to maintain a good seal. And they are also more prone to break the seal than the silicon tips.
Are they comfortable? Yes, but only for about two hours for my ears. Most ear buds I have owned put pressure on the cartilage on the front of my ear. I must take a break after an hour of use. The PerL Pro’s weight rests on the cartilage on the rear bottom of my ear. That part of my ear becomes tender after about an hour. It becomes uncomfortable after about two hours. Then I must take a break for about 30- to 60-minutes before putting them back in. Now, my wife and daughter can wear earbuds all day without fatigue. So, take from this what you will.
ANC:
ANC is good but not great. It really depends on the environment and the noise. To test, I wore these on the highway and during a shopping trip through my local supermarket. In my car, the road noise from the tires and wind were always present. The ANC reduced the noise but never eliminated it. The same with the supermarket. The hum of the refrigeration units in the deli and later in the frozen section were always present. The sound was reduced but never eliminated. Playing music helped drown out the remaining noise. The outside world reasserted itself during quite moments in my music or between songs. But, not all is list. I was forced to either take one ear bud or switch to “social mode” hear anyone speaking to me. So, ANC may not have been as all-inclusive as I would like, but it still did a good job.
Multi-point and controls:
Multi-point is great to have but not perfect. This is especially true if you have more than two devices. My first device is my iPhone. My second device is a combination of laptops. The problem is that I cannot permanently set my iPhone as “connection 1”. The PerL Pro’s may remember the last device it was connected to. But, in my experience, I am telling Windows or my iPhone to connect to my PerL Pro’s every time I turn them off. Which leads me to my second issue.
Touch controls can be set in the app. The app provides 14 predefined actions. Each ear bud can perform a total of four functions for a total of eight independent functions. If I connect to Windows computer, without a secondary device, then app controls such as pause and skip work without any issues. Once I connect my iPhone as a second connection then I lose these controls. A few times I even lost the ability to change my volume level using the touch controls. I have had zero issues if when connected to my iPhone. There are also times where the wireless connection drops without error or explanation. This seems to happen with Windows but not with my iPhone.
Phone calls:
Phone calls are fantastic! No issues reported from anyone I have spoken with. They all think I am speaking directly into my phone’s microphone.
Social Mode:
Social Mode is known as pass through or hear through on other earbuds and headsets. This can be setup in the app to either pause the music and enable social mode or reduce the music’s volume and then engage in social mode. I have used both. Social mode does a pretty good job. Enable/disable pause works best with my iPhone. It will also work in Windows for things like YouTube and iTunes player. But, if I have multi-point connection active to my iPhone then the best I can hope for is Enable/Disable while the content continues to play in the background.
I will engage social mode when talking on the phone. This way I am not trying to shout above the ANC for that all important vocal feedback needed to self-regulate my speaking volume.
Denon App:
The Denon app is very useful. I do not think it is organized well. But, once you learn where everything is, it is very useful.
Conclusion:
I love the sound of the Denon PerL Pro’s with AAT and Dirac Virtuo. Are the PerL Pro’s Audiophile quality? I’m going to say yes because they sound great to me. The app is pretty good. The number of tips and ear anchors make the PerL Pro’s flexible for many ear types. ANC is good enough for most instances where I’ll be using it. Bass response can be visceral with the right content. I can only wear these for about two hours before needing a break. But those two hours are a great listening experience.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
 
The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 Wireless Headphones, featuring a completely redesigned and optimized acoustic system, an angled ultra-high-resolution carbon drive unit, deliver detailed, rich audio performance with incredible clarity. With its proprietary active noise cancellation, the headphones are designed to block out unwanted external noise, ensuring clear, crisp playback of your favorite tracks. With the redesigned microphone arrangement with 2 external adjustable mics, the wireless headphones ensure exceptional call quality. Easy set up offered through the iOS/Android compatible Bowers & Wilkins Music App that allows you to control he sound and noise cancellation, enable voice control right from your phone. Offers 30 hours battery life from a 2-hour charge, plus quick charge support delivering 7 hours playback from a 15-minute charge. Comes with all round improvements to headband that ensure comfort across differing head-shapes, coupled with lightweight aluminum and fine leathers for a superior fit and finish.
 
Amazing sound!
Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: ITJim
on November 22, 2023
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If I were forced into a single word review, then my word would be “luxurious”. Visually, materially, physically, and sonically the Px8 is luxurious. My Royal Burgandy and Nickel Px8 is a rich, decadent wrapper implying the musical finery waiting inside each ear cup. The leather wrapped ear cushions are soft and blush. The Px8’s are constructed of metal and soft, plush leather. The ear cup outer shells are a combination Metal, leather, and brushed nickel. The connecting armatures are brushed aluminum metal and extend well into the headband. The head band is wrapped in a matching royal burgundy leather, plush foam padding, and is very flexible. The ear cups have a 180 Degree rotation that allows them to rest cups facing in or cups facing out when wearing the Px8 around your neck. It is nice that B&W gave me the option that I find most comfortable.
Sonically, these are like having two high fi speakers strapped to my ears. I would describe the sound as clear, precise, rich, detailed, intimate, and full bodied. In some instances, acoustic guitars and classical piano are sonically voluptuous. There is just the little extra something that I find lacking from less expensive headphones. For example, Chopin’s Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat. Op. 9 No 2 and the Plonaise No. 6 in A-Flat, Op. 53 – “Heroic” are like being teleported into the best seat in a professional concert hall. I can hear everything from the most powerful notes reverberating through both ear cups to the gentle decay of the most delicate keystrokes as they forever vanish into silence. The world simply evaporated away and reconstituted as Chopin.
The Px8’s did not shy away from anything I threw at them. As a matter of fact, they played everything I threw at them magnificently. Meghan Trainor, Indego Girls, Air Supply, Metallica, Old 97’s (thank you James Gunn), Anime Anthems, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Albinoni, Litz, John Williams, Boston, Christmas and Holiday Music, and so much more. Christmas/Sarajevo 12/24 by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is simply explosive. The electric guitars are alive and screaming in my ears with such richness that I wish the piece could go on forever. In my home, I can only outperform the Px8’s with a fully dedicated component stereo system. But now we are comparing apples to rocket ships.
Bottom line, the Px8’s sound amazing with all music in every genre I sampled. At low volumes they sound good. Medium volume is where the Px8’s truly come alive. Hands down, this is the best headset, wired or wireless, that I have ever used. And just in case you believe my experience is limited to midrange only. Wrong. The Px8 put out a surprising amount of bass without any adjustments. And bass can be boosted in the B&W App. The same with the treble. They are there, they are clean, and they are wonderful and airy. The 40mm Carbon cones of the Px8’s delivers the goods and then some.
ANC:
Active Noise Cancelation is good but not excellent. Sorry B&W. However, B&W states that their ANC does not impact the quality of their sound. I mostly agree with that assertion. ANC has a slight impact on sound but nothing that you will notice until you turn off ANC in the middle of a listening experience. And even then, the difference is very minor. Much better than other ANC enabled headphones and earbuds I have used. The other thing to keep in mind is that strong ANC can, and does, increase the pressure in the earcup and will eventually lead to ear fatigue. I have not experienced either with the Px8’s. So, the tradeoff is superior sound quality/low fatigue vs inferior sound quality/high fatigue. That’s a no brainer. I am picking the Px8’s all day long unless I absolutely need the very best ANC that money can buy.
Passthrough:
The Px8’s have six external mics. This is for ANC, phone, and Passthrough. What is the purpose of passthrough. I am sure there are times where you wish you could casually listen to music, a podcast, the news, but also want to remain sonically aware of your surroundings. Maybe you are in an office building, keeping one ear open for your mischievous children, or your wife is…uh…just turn on the ANC and up the volume. You’ll be fine.
The six mics pick up the sounds around me and reproduce the environmental sounds in the ear cups. Unfortunately, the passthrough is boosted which gives it a slightly unnatural sound. Conversations, road noise, wind, and other environmental sounds are clear but not 100% natural. For instance, computer fans, ceiling fans, air purifiers, drier sounds, and anything that I would qualify as “white noise” is boosted and will take away from musical enjoyment.
Phone calls:
The Px8’s are not the best for phone calls. The six external mics do not do a good job of picking up my voice. For example, my voice has been described as distant and with the quality if speaking through a hallow tube. My voice was very clear. However, my partners needed to turn the volume to maximum to enjoy a full conversation with me. There is no gain adjustment in the B&W app. So, it is what it is. Moving on.
Bowers and Wilkins Sound App:
My only musical subscription is Apple Music. Thus, I can only comment on the Px8 controls portion of the app and not on the music service integration portion of the app.
The Bower and Wilkin’s headphone control app is spartan at best. It does not have the same flagship feel or experience as the Px8’s. And there is no reason why not. It’s software. You can make it look like and do anything you want. The options are as follows:
- ANC is On, Off, or Passthrough. There is no manual adjustment to customize the ANC to my tastes.
- EQ: limited to Bass and Treble.
- Quick Action button: Environment Control or Voice Assistant.
- Auto Standby 15 Minutes or Off
- Wear Sensor: On or Off. There is an added configuration for movement sensitivity.
- Device Rename
- Factory Reset
I was hoping for a multi-band EQ, Passthrough volume controls, in ear notification volume and sound/voice selection, additional sleep timer settings, and maybe an ANC intensity adjustment.
It is functional and useful for what it does. It could be much better for a premium product such as the Px8’s.
Conclusion:
The Px8 is the best sounding wireless over ear headset I have ever heard. Period. Waitress, may I have the check! Do I think they could be better? Yes. If the Px8’s had Muli-EQ support and more control over the ANC, microphone gain for phone calls, and volume adjustments for native functions then these would be next level wireless headphones. But none of the cons I rattled off above are deal breakers. As is, these will need to be pulled from dead, rotting hands before I’ll give them up. The Px8’s radiate luxury; both physically and sonically. Pure and simple, this is an outward expression of decadence. Sonically luxurious.
I would recommend these all day long for anyone looking to take a dip into the high-end wireless headphone pool.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
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Enjoy exceptionally clear sound with the Logitech Zone 950 Premium Noise Canceling Headset, our best wireless headset. Work from anywhere and ensure you can hear and be heard in busy environments – like open offices and cafes. The Zone 950 noise canceling headphones feature Advanced Call Clarity technology, which uses AI to make it easier to hear the person you’re talking to by suppressing ambient noise. Hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC) blocks distracting background sound. Noise canceling mics elevate your voice while suppressing other sounds. 40 mm speakers deliver premium audio for meetings and music. The free Logi Tune app offers a dynamic and personalized equalizer (EQ) that automatically adjusts the audio to your own hearing range or lets you customize the sound to your preferences. Designed for comfort and a longer life with replaceable earpads and battery.
 
Fantastic Office Headset
Customer Rating
5.0 out of 5
5.0
Posted by: ITJim
on November 5, 2023
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User submitted photo
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I work from home full time. As such, my only interaction with my co-workers is MS Teams, Zoom, or phone. Most of my co-workers have adopted a headset-less approach to remote interactions. I think this is a mistake. Granted, they look much better on video than I do. However, the quality of the conversation can unnecessarily suffer. For example, I have had to contend with barking dogs, random noises from inside and outside the home, the laptop microphone echoing my voice back to me, the voice bottoming out because the speaker turns away from the laptop screen while speaking, and other annoying aspects of going native with their work computers built in microphones and speakers. If the worker is in the office, then I am often competing with the background noises of other meetings, the boisterous laughter of someone who thinks everyone is part of “their” conversation, or that one office baritone whose volume knob broke somewhere around 11 and blames their rude demeanor on poor hearing. You know who those people are. Finally, I expect my private conversations to remain private. A headset can guarantee that at least half the conversation remains private.
My typical go to for headsets has always been Plantronics. However, my last headset was worn down and needed replacing. This was about the time I was offered the opportunity to try out the Logitech Zone 950. I knew that Logitech made very inexpensive conferencing headsets and a full range of gaming headsets. But I had no idea they made high-end office headsets with advanced features like adjustable ANC, noise canceling microphone, multi-device connectivity, touch controls, and audio personalization.
Setup with my work computer was easy. The Zone 950 ships with a USB C wireless fob that plugs directly into any USB C port on my computer or laptop. Logitech includes a USB C to USB A adapter to guarantee compatibility with any computer. If you do not have any USB ports, or no available USB ports, then the Zone 950 will also sync with your computer via Bluetooth. For me, I used the USB C port on my work computer. Windows 10 automagically recognized the adapter, loaded the correct driver, and then synced with my Zone 950. The Zone 950 verbally reported successful connectivity with the computer. Having the adapter liked to the headset makes the Zone 950 plug-and-play from computer to computer. To demonstrate the point, I have used this headset on my work laptop, my personal laptop, and even played a few games with my gaming computer using the wireless dongle. Setup in all three cases was as simple as plugging in the dongle.
Sound quality with sending and receiving is excellent! Calls are crystal clear. Logitech states that the Zone 950 will filter out background sounds on both ends of a call. I have no idea how they manage that and I have no idea how to measure this claim. What I can tell you is that I have not heard lawn mowing, road noise, chirping birds, or barking dogs since owning these. I have heard classical music playing from an Amazon Alexa during one of my meetings. So, maybe the Zone 950 filters out low volume background and allows more complex sounds closer to the foreground to be broadcast over the call. On my end, the mic does an excellent job of filtering out ambient background noise. I typically have an air purifier running all day that generates about a 45db hum. Plus, I have family members doing housework and chattering in the background throughout the day. I can hear them. But at no point does anyone on my calls notice any of these noises. My transmission is so clear that one person told me that I sounded like a pod caster hosting a talk show. Translation. I sound good.
I did take a few minutes to listen to music and play a few YouTube videos. Music sounded good. I was surprised that the Zone 950 has bass. Not as good as a dedicated pair of music listening headphones. They are good enough to help me through my workday. Just for fun, I decided to give these a spin during a night of online gaming. The ANC kept any background noise in my room away from my ears, the mic proved to be a top-notch performer, and the overall experience was enjoyable. The folks I was gaming with had no idea that I was using an office headset for our session. One person commented that I sound really good. Now, the Zone 950 will not be replacing my regular gaming headset anytime soon. I do want to feel like I am away from work when enjoying my leisure time.
ANC is fantastic. I was a bit worried about ANC performance when I discovered that the ear cups are on ear and not over ear. Usually, in ear or over ear allow for the best ANC performance. Logitech found a solid middle ground. The ear pads are large enough and plushy enough that they create a soft seal around the ear. It is not perfect. But it does allow for an ANC experience close to what I have experienced with dedicated musical headsets of about the same price. It is very good at filtering out ambient room noise and background noises such as conversations, fans, and vacuum cleaners. I have no experience yet with foreground noises like obnoxiously loud car exhaust driving by my open window so I cannot report if this type of situation would overwhelm both the ear cup and microphone ANC. You will need to judge that for yourself.
The headset is comfortable. Though, it is a little heavier than what I am used to. The weight can be felt on the ears. Adjusting the headband offered some relief. After all, my last headset was much lighter than the Zone 950. I got used to it after a few days.
In the hand, the headset feels solid. Logitech made sure that every surface of the Zone 950 had a luxurious texture to it. Visually, the headset if sleek and modern looking. There are no hard angles anywhere in the design. It looks like a solid, quality, luxurious headset.
Logitech’s “Tune” app is very useful and well organized. Kudos to Logitech for getting the app right. The app displays charge level, ANC controls, Personalized EQ (hearing test and calibration), preset and custom EQ presets, Sidetone adjustments (how much of my own voice can I hear during a conversation), Advanced Clarity options, sleep timer, touch pad options, and a few other useful settings. Logitech packed a lot of flexibility into the Zone 950.
The Zone 950 comes with a USB C cable for charging. You can use the included USB C to USB A adapter if required. The Zone 950 does not ship with a wall adapter. My work laptop’s power supply uses USB C to charge the laptop. I use that to charge the Zone 950. However, any USB wall adapter or computer will work. I noticed that the Zone 950 has two metal pins on one of the ear cups for a matching charging dock. I do not have this dock so cannot comment. However, I am glad to see that Logitech included this feature since many of us keyboard warriors like someplace to hang our headsets when we are done wearing it. Why not charge it while it hangs?
Touch controls are good. So far, I have only used volume up, volume down, and pause/play gestures. The touch controls are smooth and accurate. The push button controls are also easily accessible. Mute can be controlled via either the button on the mic boom or by flipping the mic up. The mic boom also swings 270 Degrees making the headset ambidextrous. There is an ANC button that will cycle the headset through the active ANC features. ANC functions can be enabled/disabled via the Tune app. The power button also acts as the Bluetooth sync switch. And finally, there is a phone answer/hang up button.
Overall, I am very pleased with the Logitech Zone 950. It is comfortable, flexible, way more stylish than any other office headset I have ever seen, and the ANC is outstanding for an office headset. I see myself using these for a good long time.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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ITJim's Answers
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 Bowers &amp; Wilkins - B&amp;W PI5 True Wireless Headphones with Adaptive Noise Cancellation, Bluetooth 5.0 with Qualcomm aptX, Charcoal - Charcoal
Bowers & Wilkins - B&W PI5 True Wireless Headphones with Adaptive Noise Cancellation, Bluetooth 5.0 with Qualcomm aptX, Charcoal - Charcoal
B&W PI5 true wire-free headphones are attractive, well-built, and they deliver a refined sound quality. Featuring Bluetooth 5.0 with Qualcomm aptX technology these earphones ensure reliable connectivity whether you are streaming from your smartphone, tablet or PC. Allows connection of up to two devices at the same time, however, only one device can be used to play or make a call at a time. Download the Bowers & Wilkins free headphone app, available for Apple and Android for further control of the sound and noise cancellation, right on your phone. The PI5 headphones feature the latest innovations in adaptive noise cancellation along with 4 built-in microphones that pick up ambient noise and cancel it with an equal, but opposite, audio signal and enhance the call quality. There are three levels of Adaptive Noise Cancellation – High, Low and Auto, that can be controlled either by the multi-functional button on the left earbud or via the app. Similarly, the touch-sensitive button on the right earbud allows you to enable voice assistance. The buttons also allows you to control playback and phone call functions with single (play/pause, answer call), double (skip forward, end call), or triple presses (skip backward). Another stand-out feature of these headphones is the intuitive detection sensors that put the earphones on standby or reconnect them depending upon whether they are removed or put back on. The PI5s come with a sturdy and attractive charging case for charging the earbuds when not in use. The case is equipped with two 350mAh rechargeable batteries. Each earbud has a rechargeable battery which provides up to 4 hours of wireless playback. Including the charging case, the PI5 can provide up to 12 hours of continuous playback.
 

Is there an App to set the equalizer?

App version 3.1.3 does not have EQ functions.
3 years ago
by
Posted by: 
ITJim
 
 Alienware - m15 R4 15.6&quot; FHD Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 - 512GB Solid State Drive - Dark Side of the Moon
Alienware - m15 R4 15.6" FHD Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 - 512GB Solid State Drive - Dark Side of the Moon
With the 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processors enabling up to 8-cores and 16-threads of multi-threaded performance, the latest generation of Alienware m17 goes beyond its predecessor. Featuring the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 with Ultimate performance for gamers and creators. Realistic ray-traced graphics and AI-accelerated DLSS. Our latest thermal technology, Advanced Alienware Cryo-Tech, is an engineering approach where an Alienware system’s gaming performance is never compromised by means of electrical and mechanical methods while maintaining system stability during the highest performance states.
 

Is this a per-key RGB keyboard or a 4 zone?

per-key RGB keyboard
3 years, 2 months ago
by
Posted by: 
ITJim
 
 Alienware - m15 R4 15.6&quot; FHD Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 - 512GB Solid State Drive - Dark Side of the Moon
Alienware - m15 R4 15.6" FHD Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 - 512GB Solid State Drive - Dark Side of the Moon
With the 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processors enabling up to 8-cores and 16-threads of multi-threaded performance, the latest generation of Alienware m17 goes beyond its predecessor. Featuring the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 with Ultimate performance for gamers and creators. Realistic ray-traced graphics and AI-accelerated DLSS. Our latest thermal technology, Advanced Alienware Cryo-Tech, is an engineering approach where an Alienware system’s gaming performance is never compromised by means of electrical and mechanical methods while maintaining system stability during the highest performance states.
 

Is the display having G-Sync?

For the 300Hz screen:

From Alienware's site:
"15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) 300Hz 3ms 300-nits 100% sRGB color gamut"

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/cty/pdp/spd/alienware-m15-r4-laptop?~ck=mn

I do not see any indication of G-Sync on/off in the nVidia driver settings.
3 years, 2 months ago
by
Posted by: 
ITJim
 
 Alienware - m15 R4 15.6&quot; FHD Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 - 512GB Solid State Drive - Dark Side of the Moon
Alienware - m15 R4 15.6" FHD Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 - 512GB Solid State Drive - Dark Side of the Moon
With the 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processors enabling up to 8-cores and 16-threads of multi-threaded performance, the latest generation of Alienware m17 goes beyond its predecessor. Featuring the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 with Ultimate performance for gamers and creators. Realistic ray-traced graphics and AI-accelerated DLSS. Our latest thermal technology, Advanced Alienware Cryo-Tech, is an engineering approach where an Alienware system’s gaming performance is never compromised by means of electrical and mechanical methods while maintaining system stability during the highest performance states.
 

Is the ram upgradable?

From Alienware's user's guide:

Onboard system memory
NOTE: The memory is integrated to the system board and
cannot be upgraded after purchase.

You can find the user's guide on Alienware's support site.
3 years, 2 months ago
by
Posted by: 
ITJim
 
 HP OMEN - 15.6&quot; Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB SSD
HP OMEN - 15.6" Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB SSD
HP OMEN Gaming Laptop: A thin and light premium gaming experience in an elevated design so you can play everyday. With an AMD Ryzen 7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics and cooled by OmenTempest Cooling, it makes you think how it all fits into such a tiny little package."
 

Can this output 144Hz over hdmi?

Yes it can. I am using the HP Omen X 25f over HDMI as an external monitor.
Just be sure to use a HDMI 2.0 or newer cable.
Images for this Answer
(click to see full-size image)
User submitted photo
3 years, 11 months ago
by
Posted by: 
ITJim
 
 HP OMEN - 15.6&quot; Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB SSD
HP OMEN - 15.6" Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB SSD
HP OMEN Gaming Laptop: A thin and light premium gaming experience in an elevated design so you can play everyday. With an AMD Ryzen 7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics and cooled by OmenTempest Cooling, it makes you think how it all fits into such a tiny little package."
 

Does it have Gsync?

This is not a Gsync monitor. At least I cannot find any information online or in the system drivers that tell me otherwise.
You can connect the laptop to a Gsync monitor and take advantage of all the features of Gsync with that monitor.
3 years, 11 months ago
by
Posted by: 
ITJim
 
 HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN Obelisk by HP Desktop: Play graphically intense games with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer. You can easily store large amounts of media and other data on the 1TB hard drive and install games and programs on the 256GB SSD for fast access. This HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer has 16GB of memory for multitasking effectively, and the Intel Core i7-9700 processor handles resource-intense programs efficiently.
 

How many cores are there in this pc

8 physical cores. This processor does not support 16-way multitasking.
4 years, 11 months ago
by
Posted by: 
ITJim
 
 HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN Obelisk by HP Desktop: Play graphically intense games with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer. You can easily store large amounts of media and other data on the 1TB hard drive and install games and programs on the 256GB SSD for fast access. This HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer has 16GB of memory for multitasking effectively, and the Intel Core i7-9700 processor handles resource-intense programs efficiently.
 

Is there a gtx 1660ti installed or not? What size pwr supply?

It says in the name that it is a GTX 1660ti. I can confirm that the video card is exactly as described. It is the 6gb version of the card. The Power Supply is 500Watts.
4 years, 11 months ago
by
Posted by: 
ITJim
 
 HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN Obelisk by HP Desktop: Play graphically intense games with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer. You can easily store large amounts of media and other data on the 1TB hard drive and install games and programs on the 256GB SSD for fast access. This HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer has 16GB of memory for multitasking effectively, and the Intel Core i7-9700 processor handles resource-intense programs efficiently.
 

Does this computer have a memory card reader built in?

No
4 years, 11 months ago
by
Posted by: 
ITJim
 
 HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN - Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i7-9700 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 1TB Hard Drive + 256GB SSD
HP OMEN Obelisk by HP Desktop: Play graphically intense games with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer. You can easily store large amounts of media and other data on the 1TB hard drive and install games and programs on the 256GB SSD for fast access. This HP OMEN Obelisk desktop computer has 16GB of memory for multitasking effectively, and the Intel Core i7-9700 processor handles resource-intense programs efficiently.
 

What is the operating system for the pc, and does it come with a virus protection app

Windows 10 standard. It ships with 30 days of McAfee.
4 years, 11 months ago
by
Posted by: 
ITJim