ITJim
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ITJim's Stats
- Review Count122
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- First ReviewNovember 23, 2013
- Last ReviewJune 12, 2024
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- Average Rating4.3
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- Answer Count18
- Helpfulness Votes30
- First AnswerNovember 23, 2013
- Last AnswerMay 22, 2021
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JBL - FREE True Wireless In-Ear Headphones Gen 2 - Black
Perceive every detail of your music with this pair of JBL wireless headphones. The 10Hz to 22kHz frequency response lets you enjoy the full range of sound, while the in-line microphone provides an effortless switch to hands-free calls. Featuring 5.6mm dynamic drivers, these JBL wireless headphones supply rich, resonant bass for your enjoyment.
Solid sound, great presention, weak microphone
Customer Rating
4.0
- Presentation -
JBL did an amazing job with the presentation of these earbuds. The hockey puck size case serves both as a protective case and a recharge station. The earbuds plug into the case and draw power from the built-in battery. The left and right earbuds are stored in the case corresponding with which ear the earbud is designed for. Between the earbuds are symbols indicating which earbud controls which common function. Under the earbuds are four LEDs that indicate the amount of power left in the case’s battery. The LED indicators on the earbuds and the battery glow when you return the earbuds to the case. Close the case and you will see a happy face through the top of the clamshell housing. I love this! JBL really took a lot of time and energy to craft a unique customer experience.
The earbuds seem big in the hand but hide well in the ear. I do not feel silly wearing these.
The earbuds will last 4 hours on a single charge. The base holds an additional 20 hours of juice. The four LED indicators will tell you how much power is left in the battery to make it easy to tell when you need to recharge the case. The case does come with an orange USB charging cable for connection to your computer or other USB power source.
- Feel -
The earbuds come with three sets of silicon plugs for your ear canal. You should be able to find one size that fits your ear comfortably. It also ships with two pairs of silicon sleeves of different thicknesses. These are used to enhance comfort and fit for different size ears. I have small ears and found the sleeves uncomfortable. I also went with the medium plugs for my ear canal. I found that I needed the extra girth in my ear canal to hold the earbuds in place. The charging port of each earbud rests against my ear. The charging port has a small lip surrounding the indent that houses the electrical connections. The lip chafes my ear if I have the earbuds too tight against my ear. This is the main reason I need the tighter fit in my ear canal. I would have enjoyed these earbuds better if JBL had removed the lip.
- Setup -
Setup was easy. I connected these with my iPhone in a matter of minutes. Just be sure to fully charge the case and the earbuds before trying to sync. Also, read the included instructions. You must sync the right earbud with your device first and then sync the right earbud to the left earbud. There are also several functions controlled by the buttons located in the center of each earbud. You will need to read the manual if you hope to get the most out of these earbuds.
The earbuds did fall out of sync with my iPhone a few times during testing. I use many Bluetooth devices and find that this a common issue with both iOS and Windows. However, the left and right earbuds do fall out of sync with each other from time to time. Sometimes, the fix was easy; turn off the earbuds and resync. Sometimes, I had to work through some combination of redocking the earbuds in the clamshell housing, pressing buttons for different time periods, removing the sync status from my iPhone, and then repeating until I found the proper combination of button presses.
- Sound -
Usually, everyone talks about how much bass headphones can produce. Sony would have you think that bass is the only important sound there is. The JBL Frees do produce solid bass. I was surprised how well they sounded for something this small at its current price point. I listened to some workout mixes that had solid base tracks and was satisfied with what I heard. My head will not explode from over pressurized bass waves but good enough. Mids seemed ok. Highs did feel a bit constrained. In all honestly, I’m listening to compressed music that is being further compressed over Bluetooth so there is going to be a lot of coloration and loose from the original audio signal. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto sounded compressed in the mids. I played Lady ’95, from Styx, to see how Dennis DeYoung’s vocals stood up with these earbuds. The very high end of his range felt constrained. I then played Lindsey Stirling’s Electric Daisy Violin. The base was strong, vocals clear, and the violin sounds good.
Overall, I feel that I am getting the performance I would expect from earbuds of this size and price point.
- Use -
I use these earbuds mostly for working at my desk and working out at the gym. I can hear what is happening around me at the office. I must turn up the sound if I want to block out the office noise. Unfortunately, the tradeoff is hearing damage. They can get painfully loud. I have them turned down to the lowest level of my iPhone’s audio and found them loud enough. I will turn to noise canceling headphones if I want to block the world out.
I have not had any issues using these at the gym. They stay in place as I use the workout machines. They also offer enough music to keep me in the workout zone. Sweat does not seem to bother them. I do take these out when I’m stretching or swinging my head around during aerobic exercise. I do not know if they will fly out of my ears. I do not want to worry about it. What I do not know is if I can rinse these off. They are rated as sweat proof. That does not mean I can simply drop them in a bowl of soapy water or under a running facet to clean. Be sure to check with JBL before cleaning.
- Phone -
These earbuds stink for voice transmission. Listening to a phone call is mono; right earbud only. Sound is of the same quality as the music. The mic sensitivity on these earbuds are weak. I was forced to abandon the earbuds due to mic’s weak gain. The person on the other end reported that I sounded far away and was difficult to hear. I used my normal speaking voice for testing. The experience did improve when I spoke louder than normal. This would not be an issue if I were one of those people who liked making my conversations public. I do not. These earbuds are useless to me for hands free communications.
- Final thoughts -
I like the sound of these the best when compared to other earbuds I have owned. Unfortunately, I will continue to use my wired apple earbuds for hands-free communications. I wish JBL chose to smooth out the charging ports so that the earbuds would be more comfortable with smaller ears. I have found a way to manage the issue so that the earbuds do fit comfortably in my ears. Hopefully, JBL will improve upon this with future releases. I love the clamshell storage and charging case. It is just cool! The designers really did their homework and made something unique, fun, and portable. I can throw this in my work bag and not worry about damaging the earbuds.
Overall, I like these earbuds and will get a lot of musical enjoyment from these in the office and at the gym. I hope you found this review useful.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+11points
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BlackWidow Elite Wired Gaming Mechanical Razer Green Switch Keyboard with RGB Chroma Backlighting - Black
Collaborate with teammates using this Razer BlackWidow Elite mechanical gaming keyboard. An ergonomic leatherette wrist rest provides support for marathon play sessions, while the fully customizable keys let you create your own unique system for gaming. With dedicated media keys and a multifunction digital dial, this Razer BlackWidow Elite mechanical gaming keyboard offers responsive operation.
Awesome Hardware, Software is rough!
Customer Rating
3.0
Presentation:
The presentation for this keyboard is first rate. Razer went out of its way to ensure that your eyes were captured by the glowing keycaps and media controls over anything else. The lines of the keyboard are precise and clean. The keyboard cable is wrapped with a tight nylon weave that is stiff enough not to lazily loop around your desktop. Razer made sure to add a notch into the back and both sides of the keyboard. There are cable guides that channel the cable to either side so that you can dictate where you want the cable to escape back to your system. Routing my cable to the left side of the keyboard allowed me to keep my desktop looking clean and available for what I felt was important for my gaming experience. Numbers, letters, and text on all keys are thin and elegant. My previous keyboards were an old Microsoft Sidewinder keyboard and a more recent Corsair gaming keyboard. Both had larger translucent lettering on the keys. I was afraid that the thinner translucent lettering would be an issue for me. I found that certain visual effects work well with the thinner lettering. For example, the Fire Chroma profile looks sharp with the thinner letters. The keycaps limit the amount of light splashing on the keyboards surface. There is just enough light bleed to give the appearance of glowing embers beneath each keycap character.
The keyboard does ship with a wrist wrest. It is sharp looking with very clean, straight lines. Razer’s logo adorns the center of the wrist rest. The cover of the wrist rest is a material that simulates leather. It feels nice and looks sharp!
The bottom of the keyboard has five non-slip pads to keep it in place while typing and gaming. It will slip with enough force. But, did not slip during typing or gaming. There are two feet at the back of the keyboard to control the tilt. To my surprise, there are three heights to choose from. The keyboard can lay flat on the table, raise the back by ¼ inch, and then to ½ inch. These are approximate measurements. ¼ inch works best for me.
There are five white LEDs under the Del, End, and Page Down buttons that I wish Razer enhanced some. The lights are bright! The symbols under the LEDs are hard to read when the lights are off. They are impossible to read when lit. I wish Razer took the effort to dim the LED and highlight the function’s logo. The lights are Caps Lock, Num Lock, Scroll Lock, Macro, and Game.
Feel:
The keyboard is heavy, inflexible, and difficult to move once placed on a proper gaming surface. The wrist pad feels great! One of the most comfortable I have used! You should, however, always type with your wrist up to avoid injuries linked to repetitive motions. The wrist wrest does have six non-slip pads; the same as on the keyboard. The wrist rest magnetically attaches to the front of the keyboard. I can use the wrist rest away from the keyboard, if I want, without any issues. But, when I want things nice and tight, the magnets offer additional stability.
The key caps, as mentioned earlier, are elegantly printed. Razer states their green switches require 50 grams of forces to depress. This is more force than the Cherry Red switches from my last keyboard. I can type close to 100 words a minute. I found that I missed keystrokes when I first typed with this keyboard. My fingers also tired out quicker. I did eventually get used it. Just be sure to take plenty of breaks until your fingers are up to full strength.
Each key generates a high pitched “click” when depressed. Cherry Red switches are lower pitched and may seem quieter than this keyboard. If you are gaming in your dorm room, next to your sleeping roommate, then you may want to check out a keyboard that uses Razer’s Orange switches. Orange is rated as silent; no audible click. I heard that Razer does sell this keyboard with Orange switches.
I can rest my fingers on the keys without accidently depressing a key. There is also a slight travel between rest and the click. Sometimes you want to bounce your finger on a key before committing to the click. This keyboard will support that behavior. It will take a little practice to master the movement though. The keys do have nice travel from rest to depressed. They also bounce nicely back into position. The media nobs are a nice touch. I love the that the volume wheel has a mute button built in. Personally, a volume control on the keyboard can, and does, make or break the sale with me. I think it is smartly placed, moves well, and the integrated mute button is right where it needs to be.
Gaming:
Commands were executed without any delay. I could hit multiple keys during gameplay without any commands being lost. I could rest my fingers on a key and then choose when to depress when I wanted too and not let the natural weight of my fingers make the decision for me. The keyboard feels and games great!
I created a few custom lighting profiles for my games. I tried some “game specific” profiles. I did not create any macros due the issues I faced creating lighting profiles. All these features and functions come down to the Synapse 3 Beta software and documentation. Razer has some work head of them in this department.
I created a few custom lighting profiles for my games. I tried some “game specific” profiles. I did not create any macros due the issues I faced creating lighting profiles. All these features and functions come down to the Synapse 3 Beta software and documentation. Razer has some work head of them in this department.
Software:
The keyboard is first rate. Synapse 3 Beta is aweful! My experience ranged from nightmare to horrible. Razer needs a few more customer experience passes before they take “Beta” off the name.
My experience. The Synapse software offered to install on my computer when I plugged the keyboard into my gaming computer. The software installed without any difficulty. I did have to sign in with my Razer account. This is to allow me to sync my profiles across devices and computers from anywhere in the world. I found out later you cannot use a Chroma profile unless you are actively signed into the Synapse 3 app. I should access to everything offline if I choose!
First thing I noticed was the lack of documentation. For some reason, Razer feels that their software package is intuitive. It is anything but. This is where a walkthrough video would have been helpful. A follow-up tutorial video would have been fantastic. The included printed document is wholly inadequate. There is a manual hidden in the settings page. Good luck stumbling across it. It took me a week before I found it. It was marginally better than the included printed documentation. Searching Razer’s support site a waste of time. And YouTube did not offer anything useful. I “do” expect more from Razer!
As part of the package, I installed the optional Razer Cortex. This is where my first round of issues began. Cortex will allow you to capture metrics and speed up your computer for optimal gaming. Unfortunately, optimizing your system includes shutting down non-gaming specific functions and deleting “non-critical” files. Using this feature destroyed my Windows 10 image. Long story, short, be very careful with this application. I had to re-install windows to get my system back online. I will take some responsibility for this one though. I should have known better than to play with system voodoo that promises improved system performance and framerates.
I tried to create a few profiles after I got my system back online. This is where Razer really needs to improve its user experience. The software package is very powerful. You can do a lot with it. But it is confusing as all heck how to create a profile, save it to the keyboard, and recall it at will. The process is frustrating.
For example, I set out to create a gaming profile for one of my favorite games. I go into the Keyboard section. There is a customize heading and lighting heading. The Customize section does not allow you to customize anything except to load Profiles into the keyboard’s memory. As far as I can tell, you also cannot use this screen to jump between profiles. The lighting heading is a little more interesting. I can set the keyboards brightness and choose between quick effects and chroma effects. From here, I can jump between my different keyboard affects, both Razer created and my own Chroma profiles, but it does not seem to have any affect on the profiles listed at the top of the screen.
I can create a custom profile from the Chroma screen. It is easy once you “discover” how to do it. Attaching the profile to a profile or game is also a “discoverable” process. It should not be. In my opinion, Razer needs a serious customer experience pass with Synapse. Creating Chroma Layouts, creating profiles, attaching each to my games should be easy, intuitive, and well documented.
Final thoughts:
Many products today live and die by their user experience. The hardware is excellent! Outstanding for my needs. I will get years of use out of this keyboard. If I had to make a recommendation on the software experience alone, then I would advise that you look at another gaming company that puts more effort into documentation and training videos. Razer does have links to videos in their studio software but its all marketing BS. Bottom line, the software needs some polish. It is powerful. It is also silly difficult to setup profiles and assign games to use those profiles. There are too many screens that lack direction, purpose, and documentation. It is my hope that Razer unifies their interface and user experience before they take “Beta” off the name. Until then, I cannot rate this keyboard higher than three stars.
I will only recommend this keyboard after Razor smooths out the Synapse experience.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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+4points
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HP - OMEN Mindframe Wired 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound Gaming Headset for Windows 10 w/ active ear cup cooling technology - Black/Red
Immerse yourself in an engaging gaming experience with this HP OMEN Mindframe headset. FrostCap technology provides thermoelectric cooling for comfortable use during long hours of cyber battles, and the 7.1 virtual surround sound keeps you alert when any virtual enemy attacks. Real-time voice feedback and an on-ear cup volume control add essential functionality to this HP OMEN Mindframe headset.
I love this headset!
Customer Rating
5.0
Look and Feel:
I have owned multiple gaming headsets from Turtle Beach, Razer, Microsoft, and Kinston over the years. This has got to be one of the coolest gaming focused headsets I have owned. The headset is mostly black. The cable that connects both ear cups acts as an accented racing stripe that runs along the middle of the head band. HP even made the channel this wire runs look aggressive. Nice touch. Each ear cup has an LED lighted square that can be changed from a static color, rotating color, or a randomly assigned color synced to whatever sound you are playing through the ear cups. The primary head band of this head does not touch your head. Instead, HP is using a secondary head strap that self-adjusts the headset to the size of your head. I was not sure if I would like this feature or not. I think HP did it right. The secondary band covers a flexible plastic strip that is attached about one inch above each ear cup. The secondary band can travel all the way to the top of the primary head band without any issues. My only concern is the durability of the plastic strips. The headset feels sturdy. I guess time will tell if the self-adjusting strap can go the distance or not.
Comfort:
This headset is very comfortable. The earcup padding is about 1 inch thick. Super soft. Breathable. But, is not sound proof. You will be able to hear any ambient sound in your gaming area. This does not bother me because I want to hear what is around me during my gaming sessions. You can always turn up the volume if you are the kind of person who does not like ambient sound invading your gaming sessions.
The USB cable is 6.5 feet long. I do not feel trapped at my gaming workstation with this length. I can at least stand up, reach for a drink, a book, my cell phone, or can stretch without worrying about pulling the cable out of my computer or causing some other calamity to my gaming station. The cable is covered in a fabric mesh to give it some additional longevity from rubbing up against surfaces while gaming. The rubber finish on the USB connector gives the cable that final premium touch.
Finally, the boom mic is short, easily folds up into the headset, and does not interfere with talking, rubbing my chin when I am thinking, or get in the way when I put food or drink to my lips.
Gaming:
I did try this headset with a few games. I found out quickly that 7.1 surround sound only works with games that support surround sound. I did spend a few hours using this headset with Fortnight. There were several times where loosing my life, or taking my opponent’s life, came down to the positional audio. I could hear the footsteps to my left of an enemy playing trying to sneak up on me. I could also hear the sounds of gunshots in the distance from multiple directions. I have had other 5.1 and 7.1 headsets from multiple manufactures but never did they live up to their reputations. To my surprise, this headset delivered the goods.
There must be a DAC built into this headset because the cable simple plugs into a standard USB port. I don’t need a fancy sound card or external DAC box to run the signal through. Highs are good. Bass is good for a headset at this price point. Machine gun bullets sound like machine gun bullets. Explosions sound like explosions. Voices, engines, and environmental effects sounded lively and meaningful. Over all, I think I found my new gaming headset!
How do I sound to other players? They can hear me. Unfortunate, the HP Omen Command Center does not have a built in playback and adjustments page to monitor and tweak the microphone. People can hear me during my games. I guess that is what is really important.
The volume control is a rotary control nob located on the right ear cup facing the back of my head. I can, and have made, quick volume changes throughout my review period. HP made sure any changes to the nob controls the Windows volume level. Just be careful with the volume control. These headphones are loud. I cannot understate this. You will damage your hearing if you play these headphones at full volume for any length of time. Hearing damage is cumulative. I am surprised that HP did not add a decibel limiter. I have the headset set to six on the 100 point Microsoft Windows volume control screen. Anything higher simply hurts my ears. Do yourself a favor and buy yourself speakers if you want your games playing at elevated decibel levels.
Frost Cap Technology:
HP incorporated a Peltier in each ear cup. It is a black piece of metal covering the speaker. The plate has holes in it to allow the sound to travel from the speaker to your ear. One side of the metal plate is cold and the other is hot. The side in the ear cup is kept at a lower temperature than the plate on the outside of the ear cup. I turned this feature to high and grabbed a heat gun to measure the inside and outside temperatures of the ear cup. The metal plate inside the ear cup was 64 Degrees Fahrenheit and the temperature on the outside of the earcup was 90. That is some difference! The tips of ears were really cold. Now, I am testing these in December when it is 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I’ll know if this feature really keeps my ears cool when we get into the summer months.
Omen Command Center:
Windows 10 automatically downloaded the Omen Command Center from the Windows Store as soon as I plugged it into the computer. I tried this on three different Windows 10 computers. Quick, easy, and required zero skill. The software itself is simple and straight forward. The Mindframe section has pages for lighting and cooling. The lighting menu allows you to control what color you want the LEDs on the ear cups to display as. There are also three special affects you can apply: Static, Color Shift, and Audio. Static and Color Shift are self-explanatory. The audio setting allows the LEDs to react to the sound passing through the ear cups. The Cooling section allows me to set the cooling ability to Off, Low, Medium, or High. You can tell the difference between each setting.
I would like to have seen some additional features here. For example, I would like to see a microphone adjustment screen that allows me to adjust the sound quality, mic boost settings, and a playback mode for mic checks. I know that these tools do exist in Windows 10 Sound Control panel. It would have been nice to see a unified settings page in the Omen Command Center.
Finally, the Omen Command Center settings you make on one computer do not persists between Windows 10 computers. One would think HP would have employed some of the sync features in Windows 10 to make the transition between Windows 10 machines seamless.
Final impressions/Comments
I like this headset. These are my new go to headphones for gaming. They are comfortable, flexible, have a long cable, and has a easy access volume nob. It is a commanding piece of gaming hardware. I recommend that you check these out if you are looking to upgrade your gaming audio experience. If you are going full Omen gaming then definitely pick these up. You gaming space will look sharp with all your gaming hardware conforming to the same aesthetic.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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HP - Pavilion Gaming Desktop - AMD Ryzen 5 2400G - 8GB Memory - AMD Radeon RX 580 4GB - 1TB HDD 128GB SSD - Black
Enjoy totally immersive gameplay with this bold and powerful HP Pavilion gaming desktop. Lag is nonexistent thanks to AMD Radeon RX 580 graphics, while high-speed performance is provided by an AMD Ryzen processor and 8GB of DDR4 RAM. Interior expansion slots allow for upgrades that ensure your HP Pavilion gaming desktop remains up to date.
Great Entry Level Gaming Desktop
Customer Rating
4.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
Gaming:
This is an entry level gaming desktop. For the price, it is a solid performer. I started by running the SuperPosition benchmarking software. It scored low when compared to Unigine’s public benchmarking score board. However, when I put in my favorite game, Mechwarrior Online, I was scoring between 40 to 110 fps at highest detail settings. I averaged 60 fps. For comparison, my two-year-old Nvidia 970 scored a little higher on the SuperPosition benchmark but can only average 40 fps in this same game at medium graphical detail settings. Goes to show that benchmarks only tell part of the story. Playing this game on the AMD RX 580 was like playing a whole new game.
For the first time in years, I can see the dust and particles thrown into the air by every mechs footfall. I saw fireballs falling through the air and impacting the sides of volcanic rock. Things that are meaningless to the actual game but increase the impressiveness of the game and my overall enjoyment of the game.
Next, I tried Batman: Arkham Asylum at full resolution and the graphical settings maxed out. Smooth as butter. I am also impressed that the Radeon software recognized my HP 25X gaming monitor that is FreeSync enabled. I do believe this had a lot to do with the frame rates hitting higher than 60 fps. My impression? This is a great choice for a budget gaming machine. I cannot wait to throw more games at it.
Setup:
Unpacking the system was easy. The computer comes with a mouse, keyboard, power cable, the computer, and a quick setup guide. The first two pages of the setup guide shows how to setup the computer using easy to follow pictures. The rest of the guide does have some troubleshooting information, basic system care instructions, and a section on where to get additional help from various HP support options. Setup for me took minutes mostly because I replaced this system with a pre-existing system. It may take 15 minutes or more if you are putting together a new space with all new equipment. Just keep your expectations reasonable.
Look and Feel:
The system is black with a dark grey, brushed metal finish. There is a small slit running along the center face of the case. A green racing stripe appears when the computer is powered on. When the power is off then the stripe is imperceptible. There are six USB ports on the back of the system, two on the front, and a USB type C connector on the front. The computer also has a memory card reader and a laptop style DVD Writer drive. The AMD RX 580 has a single HDMI connector and three DisplayPort connections. The computer is currently driving two monitors with a third on its way. I typically pick a single monitor for gaming while using the extras to post information, web surf, or perform some other task while I wait for levels to load.
For some reason, HP chose to go with the Ryzen 5 2400G. This is an APU, meaning it has an integrated graphics processor. The integrated Vega 11 graphics processor in this APU is not being used. To further drive the point home, HP bolted a cover over the motherboard’s HDMI port. During testing, the Vega 11 graphics were never used regardless of the system idle or content. I own a laptop with the same processor and the AMD 560 mobile processor. The driver’s on that system will swap between graphics processors depending on workload. So, what is the point of adding an APU to this system if there is no intent of leveraging it? No idea. I did not remove the HDMI cover to test the port. I do not have the special screw driver bit to remove the cover, yet. I plan on testing this sometime in the future.
The computer does come with a mouse and keyboard. Both are cheap, period. The keyboard narrow from number keys to space bar, nothing to differentiate it as a gaming computer’s keyboard, and adequate enough for typing. I would game on it if I did not already have a dedicated gaming keyboard and mouse. The mouse is not even worth talking about. It is my opinion that HP cheaped out on the mouse and keyboard to give us a nice mid-tier graphics card. I will take the trade-off. Plus, you can always save up for a better mouse and keyboard.
Finally, HP chose to place a white sticker on the side of the computer case. This is basic system information. No idea why HP chose to do this other than for their own needs at the factory. It does ruin that initial “wow, I’ve got a new gaming computer at Christmas!” feeling. HP could have chosen a different route on this one. Half the meal is eaten with the eyes, HP!
Inside the Case:
All gamers I know love to tinker with their rides. So, I tore the system apart. I also included two photos. The computer case is not a screwless design; meaning, everything is screwed in and secured in some fashion. Thankfully, the system will come apart with a simple flathead screwdriver. The system is compact with some cleaver design choices. The drive cage holds the 1TB drive vertically. The DVD write is directly beside it. Cabling is minimal and well managed. The drive cage does block access to 1/3 of the case’s interior. You must remove this cage in order to replace or upgrade the memory, the HDD, or add a small PCIe card. You could replace the M.2 SSD but I don’t see the point for this system. You would be better of picking up a cheap SSD and leaving the M.2 drive alone. This, of course, is my opinion.
There is a single 8GB stick of memory. I did not pull the memory card to get the numbers off of it. The power supply is 400 Watts and is rated at 80 Plus Platinum. This should make it an efficient power supply. There is a single expansion slot. You could get away with a PCIe audio card, video capture card, or some other compact PCIe expansion card. You will not be able to add a second video card to this system. If, for some reason, this is your intent, then you would be better investing in a more expensive system with a stronger graphics performer.
The video card, even though a separate card, cannot be upgraded in this system unless you go straight to HP. The computer case is designed around this card. I did include a photo of the video card. It is a single fan design with a decent head sink. It is not super heavy like you will find from a third-party manufacturer like EVGA or Gigabyte. The drive cage is design to fit and support the video card and heatsink. This way, the PCIe socket does not need to bear the full burden of the card’s weight. Again, if you want a higher end card then spend the extra money for a higher end system. For the money, this is a solid performer.
Finally, there is an extra drive bay of sorts on the 1/3 cover. This, again, HP made a strange design choice. The drive must be suspended from the opening with screws. HP did not include any screws. There is a second SATA connection but no companion power connection. There are three SATA connections on the motherboard. Without a way to power a third drive I fear that the only upgrade to storage available is either by adding an external USB device or replacing the included 1TB HDD.
Final thoughts:
Overall, I found this system to be a nice upgrade from what I had before. My old system is more than five years old. I was going to build a new system that, with current memory and storage prices, would have costs me significantly more money. What I need is a system that is capable of light gaming, office work, web surfing, and entertainment. I need the ability to drive multiple monitors which this system can do. And I need ample storage. I like the compact design, the Ryzen 5 delivers great performance and strong multi-tasking capabilities over my aging Intel processor, and the AMD RX 580 blows the doors off my older Nvidia card. The proof is in my real-world experience with my games and not the silly, generic benchmarks. I consider this an entry level gaming computer and will be treated as such. There are other systems around this price point that have their own unique offering. I think HP made the right compromises with this model. The 128 GB M.2 SSD is fast enough to run the system and the 1TB drive is large enough and fast enough to store and load my programs in a timely manner. The super cheap keyboard and mouse are functional and allowed HP to include a strong mid-tier graphics card at a solid price point. The system even looks cool next to the matching 25X gaming monitor once you remove that stupid sticker.
I think this would make a good entry level computer for a teenager, collage kid, or for someone who needs a computer first and performance gaming second.
Please like this review if you found it helpful. Thank you.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+199points
212out of 225found this review helpful.
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HP - 25x 24.5" LED FHD Monitor (HDMI) - Gray/Green
Experience the ultimate in FHD gaming graphics with this 24.5-inch HP 25X display. A smoother gaming experience with sharper, cleaner details is provided by a display that refreshes 144 times per second, while the micro-edge design provides ultra-wide, seamless viewing. The stand on this HP 25X display has a 100mm range of motion, making it easy to position for your comfort level.
Great budget friendly gaming monitor!
Customer Rating
4.0
HP 25X Monitor Review
Setup:
I was up and running with the 25X within minutes. HP includes a quick setup guide taped to the face of the monitor. No subtly here! There is also a six-foot HDMI cable included in the box. The monitor also has a DisplayPort. This will allow for the connectivity of two devices. For example, you can connection your HP Pavilion gaming desktop to the DisplayPort connection and your work laptop to the HDMI. This way you can take advantage of multiple monitor support when you are working from home on snow day and not have to worry about reworking the wiring with your gaming computer. This is a must have capability for me.
Screen Controls:
There are five downward facing buttons on the bottom right of the bezel. The only one marked is the power button. The other four do not have any labels. I originally found this annoying. Pressing any button will produce an onscreen display in the bottom right corner. The graphics align with each button. It took me a few minutes to figure out the function that each graphic represents. The base functions are Switch Input, Viewing Modes, Information, and Main Menu. The viewing modes and main menu are where you can control the behavior of the monitor. The viewing modes allows you to choose from Low Blue Light, Night, Reading, HP Enhance +…, Gaming – FreeSync, Movie, Photo, and Custom. As far as I can tell, any changes you make to one of these profiles from the main menu automatically changes the custom profile. This is where HP should have included some useful information. For example, what the heck is HP Enhance + on the viewing modes menu and what is DisplayPort Mode… in the main menu? No clue and not sure how it enhances my experience with this monitor. HP should have taken more care here. The modes do change the viewing experience, so it is in your best interest spending some time cycling through them. It does not appear that you can bomb out any of the preset view modes so don’t worry too much about making a mistake as you surf the menus.
Look and feel
The monitor does look good. It is flat black, thin bezel around the sides the top of the screen, and just enough bezel along the bottom edge of the screen to accommodate the buttons, a product feature sticker, and some sharp looking green racing stripes. There are three stripes. The center stripe has an LED that lights up when the monitor is powered. The light has a subtle breathing pattern. Unfortunately, the green racing stripes on the left and right do not light up. I find this disappointing. The center racing stipe looks sharp lit up. I feel that HP missed a chance at greatness by ignoring the same effect for the left and right stripes.
I do like the long, vertical travel of the monitor along the stand. The monitor can be lowered almost to the table top and all the way up to my eye level. The panel rides smoothly from position to position. The monitor can also be easily rotated from landscape to portrait with little effort. The panel does tilt along the Y axis. This allows you to setup monitor at different viewing angles.
One final thought. I would like to have seen cable management on the back of this monitor. Instead, the cables simply hang from the back of the monitor and make my setup look unkept. If you are someone who values a clean look for their gaming space, then you will either want to look for a monitor with better cable management options or come up with a system to manage your cables with this monitor. I picked up some computer cable management products from Home Depot and stuck them to the back of the monitor. It is an inconvenience, but the issue is manageable.
Usage
I use this monitor for gaming with my HP Pavilion gaming desktop with an AMD X580, a DIY gaming computer with an older Nvidia 970, multiple laptops including an Acer Nitro 5 with an AMD 560X mobile GPU, and various work laptops. I typically have the monitor connected to my gaming system using a DisplayPort cable. All the other computers take turns using the HDMI connection. Connecting to the monitor is super easy. All I do is plug in the HDMI cable and tell Windows 10 to extend my desktop. All AMD video cards instantly recognize this monitor as FreeSync capable. The other computers simply recognize the monitor and the 1080p resolution. So far, I have had no issues swapping between systems.
Performance
The performance of the monitor seems a bit mixed. HP claims that this monitor has a 1ms response. However, I have seen multiple instances of ghosting. It is most evident when I drag the mouse cursor across the screen. The pointer turns into multiple pointers as it trails across the screen. I’ve also noticed this with Mechwarrior Online. At first, I thought it was the game. However, at 100+ frames per second, my images should be butter smooth. Instead, the images on the screen seem jerky as I pan the camera from left to right across the scene. The images do not break, though. So, I know that frames are not being dropped. When the action slows down, the images are crisp, clean, detailed, and colorful. I also played Batman: Arkham City. I noticed none of the issues I mentioned above. Butter smooth throughout the game. So, maybe the content is partly to fault for my experience.
AMD FreeSync
This is a FreeSync monitor. I have no idea why HP is not listing this feature. This will help any AMD Radeon owner’s purchasing decision easier. Maybe FHD stands for FreeSync High Def? It should be properly labeled. I can tell you that the Radeon drivers automatically recognized the FreeSync capabilities of this monitor and used it in every game I played. I saw frame rates up to 120fps. I never got to the magical 144fps that the monitor supports. I attribute that to the performance of my specific graphics card and not as a limitation of the panel. Maybe someone with a more powerful card can confirm the panel’s full potential. I also matched this up with an older Nvidia 970. My older G-Sync monitor, using the 970, could only achieve 60pfs regardless of the settings. I was able to achieve 100fps in the same game on this monitor! Go FreeSync!
Overall impressions
Overall, I do like this monitor. Most of my gripes are cosmetic and easily overcome with little effort on my part. The monitor does integrate well into my system. I do have a solid gaming experience. There is some image ghosting. However, I feel that I have some additional tweaking to do before I get the experience I am looking for. The monitor is also proving useful in a multi-computer system setup. I can use this monitor for office type work all day long and then re-purpose it for gaming without any effort.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+5points
8out of 11found this review helpful.
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Shark APEX DuoClean with Self-Cleaning Brushroll Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum - Espresso
Shark APEX combines DuoClean, self-cleaning brushroll and Powered Lift-Away technologies to deliver our ultimate full-sized cleaning experience.
Home Run!
Customer Rating
5.0
Setup:
Unboxing was quick and easy. I did not have any issues removing the components from the packing material. The packing material was mostly cardboard recycled paper. There were a few styrofoam strips. I would have preferred 100% paper based recyclable material because my local recycling centers will not take Styrofoam. They say that it is cheaper to make new Styrofoam than it is to recycle it. I do appreciate Shark’s effort making the packaging environmentally friendly. I wish more companies would do follow suite.
Assembly was very easy. I only needed to consult the instructions for the pet hair removal tool. I was having a difficult time attaching it to the storage attachment on the back of the vacuum. The motor housing and the pet hair removal tool are both odd shapes which made attaching difficult at first. It was super easy once I figured out the trick. Otherwise, assembly went smooth. All parts attached with very little effort and little to no force. This is what I have always liked about Shark vacuums. The AZ1002 is no exception
Mobility:
The AZ1002 is very heavy. It is the heaviest household vacuum I have owned. The bulk of the weight is in the motor housing. This is the lift away portion of the vacuum. My wife did complain that she could only use the vacuum in the lift away configuration for a short period of time before fatiguing. The weight is irrelevant when in the upright configuration. There are two wheels on the back of the vacuum that allow super easy mobility when moving from room to room. My wife and I were surprised how easy it was pulling the vacuum around. Most vacuums we owned gave more resistance when pulling them. This gave no resistance at all.
Mobility is excellent when vacuuming the floors. Pushing the vacuum forward and back requires little effort. The active rollers do pull the vacuum forward and offer some resistance when pulling back against them. But, nothing that hinders my ability to move around the room. It took about a minute to get used to and compensate for. Going around corners and furniture surprised me. I turned the handle to go around my couch and the vacuums head pivoted with almost no force. It moves better than my Shark Rocket! I do consider the Rocket to be ultra-mobile. I love having this level of mobility in a full sized vacuum
Look and Feel:
The vacuum is very attractive. My old Shark was this putrid red and white throwback to the 1980s. This time around, Shark chose to go with blacks, greys, silver branding, and a bright red roller on the vacuums head.
Every part of the vacuum looks well thought out and functional. I think Shark really went the extra mile to ensure a superior user experience. The handle at the top of the vacuum is large, rounded, and covered in a hex pattern that increase grip and control. The lift away handle is also very large, covered in the same hex pattern grip, founded, and makes it easy to move the lift away around the house. There is an oversized button on the lift away handle to easily detach the lift away from the rest of the vacuum.
There are buttons everywhere! Want to remove the wand. Button for that! The lift away has a button. The dirt bin has an easy release button. Access to the rollers has two buttons! Every button is smartly placed and well labeled. Button presses have little resistance. Removing the wand, separating the handle from the wand, the lift away, the dust bun release, and the roller access separate without any effort. It took me about five seconds to empty the dust bin! Shark has really perfected their engineering in this respect.
Finally, the dust bins are slighted tinted but clear. This gives me a quick way to evaluate if I need to empty the dust bin before using the vacuum.
Performance:
This vacuum is nosier than previous Sharks I have owned. It is not terrible. Just louder. It is also more powerful than previous sharks I have owned. The cleaning power is excellent. My Shark Rocket has the special soft roller on the front to push dirt into the vacuum. This same roller, combined with the power motor of the AZ1002, creates a supercharged cleaning beast. I was surprised at how much dirt and hair the dust cut captured on my small 7 x 5 living room rug. I was using the Shark Rocket to clean this rug and never came close to this much material in a single cleaning session. I got the same performance on my hardwood, carpeted, and tile floors.
The pet brush also gets an A rating. My wife recommends this. She used the brush on our fabric and leather furniture. I was a bit worried when she said she used on my leather couch. But, the rollers did not scratch the leather. I do have a house bunny and a cat. If you think cats shed then you have never experience a pet rabbit! The pet brush did an excellent job picking up the fur from the furniture. This is important to me. No one wants to walk away from a couch or chair wearing a bonus sweater!
The easy release wand is good for reaching those hard to reach places. I have baseboard heating that, guess what, fills up with dust and animal fur. The wand is excellent for getting into the radiator covers and removing the dust and fur. I could also get under the radiators to clean the floor underneath.
Finally, the cord length is a few feet longer than previous shark vacuums. This may seem like a minor improvement. It means that you can go further, longer, without worry of disrupting your cleaning Zen! My wife loves this.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, this is a very good vacuum cleaner. This is my third Shark. My wife, for whatever reason, loves vacuum cleaners. She gets Christmas morning excited. This vacuum is no different. She plugged it in and started cleaning the living room before I could get out of the way. Then she buzzed around the whole house. I enjoy a good cleaning experience. She glows. Other than the weight and the noise, which are really minor annoyances considering the power of this vacuum, I call this a winner.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+15points
15out of 15found this review helpful.
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WD - Blue 500GB Internal SSD SATA
Handle storage demands with this Western Digital SATA solid-state drive. Its 560MB/s read speed and 530MB/s write speed are suitable for intensive applications, and its 2.5-inch form factor fits most desktops and laptops. The solid-state drive has no moving parts, making the drive resistant to shock to protect your data. Includes the WD SSD Dashboard to keep track of the drive's status.
Solid SSD but WD could have done better!
Customer Rating
3.0
I originally got this SSD to replace the drive in my HP Envy laptop. As it turns out, my HP Envy laptop does not have a hard drive cradle for a hard drive. Instead, it has an NVMe SSD that is protected by a metal shield. I can only guess that it is there to protect it from people like me who do their own computer upgrades and repair work. I did have two other options available to me: external USB drive or internal drive for my desktop computer. I replaced my aging WD 750GB Black hard drive. I cloned the drive using the Arconis WD special edition software and then removed the mechanical hard drive from the system.
Ease of Install:
This is a standard 2.5-inch drive. Weights almost nothing at all. The connections are standard power and SATA connections. Originally, I popped this into an external SATA drive enclosure that is USB 3.0 compatible. You can purchase these types of enclosures at Best Buy and from other major technology companies. Pick what works for you. Installation was as easy as pushing the drive into the connection. As I stated earlier, I ultimately opted to plug this into my desktop. Installation was just as easy. I mounted the drive and then plugged in the SATA and power cables. Done!
Documentation:
The only documentation in the box is the warranty information booklet. What is a statement about what software is available to you as a Western Digital customer. A simple card listing out the software packages, basic purpose, and location would have been enough. It is not much of an ask for software freely available on WD’s web page.
Software:
There is no software in the box. Where is it? Here: https://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?lang=en&i
If you want to replace your current drive, then you will need to clone it. Download Acronis True Image WD Edition. It is the first package in the list. You will need to connect your new hard drive to the computer. You can either do this by connecting it to the computer by the SATA hard drive case that connects over USB or, if it is a desktop computer, then connect it by a SATA cable to an empty SATA port on the computer’s motherboard. Run the software and follow the directions.
I also downloaded the WD Discovery software for Windows. Don’t waste your time. This package cannot detect this SSD regardless of how it is connected to your computer. This also means that any utilities that WD has bundled into their suite of products are not available for this drive. Again, this is disappointing and needs to be addressed by WD.
Speed:
This is not the fastest drive on the market. However, if you are replacing a mechanical hard drive with this then you will see an instant boost in system performance. If you want a good combination of speed and capacity, then you will want to do your research and pick what works best for you. Or, if your system will support it, pick up an NVMe drive. If you simply want to breath new life into an old laptop or desktop computer, then this drive will definitely do this for you.
Uses:
External drive enclosure with a USB 3/3.1 port will give you close to SATA speeds.
Internal for an older laptop that allows hard drive replacement and supports a SATA interface. Laptops can present a special challenge for upgrades so gauge your own comfort level with working on your laptop before engaging in this activity.
Desktop computer with available SATA port with cable.
Internal for an older laptop that allows hard drive replacement and supports a SATA interface. Laptops can present a special challenge for upgrades so gauge your own comfort level with working on your laptop before engaging in this activity.
Desktop computer with available SATA port with cable.
The drive does do exactly what it is supposed to do. I am disappointed with the lack of documentation. It is not a big effort to simply document where to get Arconis so that you can clone your drive. WD could have printed it on the box! WD’s own home-grown utilities won’t recognize this drive. That is a downright oversite! Performance is okay but nothing to brag about. I have older SSD that post better performance numbers than this drive. So, no, I cannot give this drive five stars.
Sorry WD, I cannot recommend this product until you improve your documenation for your retail customers!
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Mobile Submission: False
+2points
5out of 8found this review helpful.
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Brother - INKvestment Tank MFC-J995DW XL Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer - White
The Brother MFC-J995DW XL INKvestment Tank all-in-one inkjet printer with tank technology is the optimal choice for your home or small office needs. The MFC-J995DW XL features reengineered INKvestment Tank cartridges along with an internal ink storage tank to deliver uninterrupted printing for up to 2 years without the need to purchase ink. Business-capable features include mobile device printing, Near Field Communication (NFC) print and scan capabilities, flexible paper handling options, automatic two-sided printing and easy on-screen navigation using a 2.7" color touch screen. With the ink included in-box, the Brother INKvestment Tank all-inclusive solution delivers truly uninterrupted printing, exceptional features, super convenience, large page yields and low-cost printing. Includes a two-year limited warranty with free online, call, or live chat support for the life of your printer. Prints up to 12 ISO ppm*, up to 10 ppm* in color.
Solid performance with some image quality issues
Customer Rating
4.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
Ease of Use:
Setup out of the box was easy. It took me about 15 minutes to physically remove the printer from the box, remove the packing tape, and load the ink cartridges. Full setup, however, took me about an hour. This included the physical setup, the quick setup instructions to prepare the printer for use, loading the ink cartridges, priming the internal ink wells, printing tests, configuring the Brother Management software and drivers on my computer, and deploying all the printer firmware and software updates. The printer does have wireless and hard-wired options to connect to your network. I chose to setup the printer on my wireless network. Windows 10 will find the printer on the network and load the appropriate drivers for you. That’s good news if you do not want to deploy Brother’s software. The downside is that you won’t get the nifty ink report that shows a graphic representation of how much ink is left or how many pages are left to print. Brother’s software also allows remote scanning of documents and images as well as control over where the printer can pull images from.
Ink Capacity:
The ink cartridges that ship with this printer are massive! The color cartridges are about three times the size of a standard Brother ink cartridge. The blank in cartridge is twice the size of the color cartridges. The cartridges walls are clear so that you can see the amount of ink left in each cartridge. When I installed the cartridge, the printer went into a three to five-minute transfer of ink from the cartridge to an internal reservoir. The process was quiet. I included a photo one of my old Brother color cartridges next to the new one. Huge difference.
Print Quality Black:
Black print quality is outstanding! I printed several documents. One sided print is fast, clean, and the results are super easy to read. Duplex printing is not as fast. For some reason it takes a moment for the printer to orient the page so that it can pull the page back through the printer to print on the back of the page. The results were still clean. The images, on the other, were a mixed bag. See below.
Print Quality Color:
Color printing seems to be dependent on the quality settings for your print job. As a test, I scanned a high gloss image of an F-22 Raptor promotional poster. I first reprinted the image using “normal” as the print quality. I ended up with what looked the image I scanned printed on graph paper with one inch squares. The lines of each square are bold printed in the color of whatever part of the image it covers. At first, I thought that the printer had an alignment problem. I ran the onboard print and alignment tool. The pattern printed cleanly. Next, I printed the same image at high quality. The image did look better and the strange 1-inch squares were gone. I printed several other images; switching between normal quality and high quality. I did not get the grid pattern with any of my other “normal” quality images. But, I did get some degree of lines in every image.
The colors were good. I never felt that the ink on the page matched the colors of the image I was viewing. Most likely this is a calibration issue between the computer’s screen and the printer. Since I do not need this level of accuracy I chose not to pursue fixing this. I did notice that images were not a crisp and often missed subtle detail. For example, I printed an artist’s rendition of sun rays passing over a belt of colorful gasses somewhere in space. The printed image was missing all the light rays. Additionally, a lot of the detail was not as crisp as the original image. I noticed this on the image of the F-22 Raptors. I also noticed this on a few professional photos I had taken of some plastic models I built. The tight details were lost. I also noticed that areas of high contrast were minimized regardless of the print quality I chose. Finally, I did print a multi-page PDF that contained black text, colored text, and colored images. The black and colored text was sharp and easy to read. The colored images suffered from that line issue I described earlier. Normally, if I’m printing out one of these documents, I am not looking for the highest image details. But, I would like the images to not have strange artifacts in them.
The colors were good. I never felt that the ink on the page matched the colors of the image I was viewing. Most likely this is a calibration issue between the computer’s screen and the printer. Since I do not need this level of accuracy I chose not to pursue fixing this. I did notice that images were not a crisp and often missed subtle detail. For example, I printed an artist’s rendition of sun rays passing over a belt of colorful gasses somewhere in space. The printed image was missing all the light rays. Additionally, a lot of the detail was not as crisp as the original image. I noticed this on the image of the F-22 Raptors. I also noticed this on a few professional photos I had taken of some plastic models I built. The tight details were lost. I also noticed that areas of high contrast were minimized regardless of the print quality I chose. Finally, I did print a multi-page PDF that contained black text, colored text, and colored images. The black and colored text was sharp and easy to read. The colored images suffered from that line issue I described earlier. Normally, if I’m printing out one of these documents, I am not looking for the highest image details. But, I would like the images to not have strange artifacts in them.
Print Speed:
Print speed for text and images is fast. I had a fix page, single sided document out of the printer in no time. It is also much quieter than my previous Brother Multi-function printer. That is a plus. Color images take a little bit longer but not much longer. Of course, the print speed is tied to the image quality. Normal quality printed faster than high quality images. Duplex printing did take significantly longer. Where a text document took a few seconds, it took a duplex black and white document about 10 to 15 seconds a page. That is because the duplex unit had to take a few seconds to setup the page to return through the printer for the second printing pass. I did not attempt to print color images in duplex mode. I figured that ink saturation would destroy the page like it has on every other ink jet printer I’ve ever used.
Software:
As I mentioned earlier, you do not need the install the brother software on your computer. I have about seven Windows 10 computers on my network and not all of them need the full Brother suite of software installed. Windows 10 does have a driver. Brother does include the address to the software in their quick start guide. I typed the URL into my browser and downloaded the software to my test machine. Installation was easy. The software immediately detected an update for the printer. I allowed the software to download those updates and update the printer. The console does give me an estimate of how many pages of printing I have left for each ink cartridge. It also allows for remote scanning of content as well as remote connectivity to external storage devices. I did remote scan documents and images to my computer. The process was easy. I would like to have seen a preview of my subject before I did a full scan. For example, some scanners will allow you to select the part of the image that is important to you so that the least amount of time is taken to scan the image. Other software packages allowed for rotation of the image. Maybe it is part of this printer’s software package. I was not able to uncover it during my testing.
The software also checks for updates on a regular basis. You can adjust the frequency of the checks. You can also influence how and when the updates are installed. As well as how often the software nags you about the updates. Part of the reason I did not deploy this software to all of my machines was to control which machines could control the updates.
The software also checks for updates on a regular basis. You can adjust the frequency of the checks. You can also influence how and when the updates are installed. As well as how often the software nags you about the updates. Part of the reason I did not deploy this software to all of my machines was to control which machines could control the updates.
Scan quality:
The scan quality of whatever I scanned looked good. I didn’t notice any artifacts in my images. Colors look good as well. Color and plain text came out clean and ready for me to use however I wanted it.
Scan Speed:
Scan speed at the default of 300 x 300 dpi is fast and mostly quiet. My older Brother multifunction printer could be heard across my house when it scanned anything. This new model is about half as loud. I did perform a 1200 x 1200 dpi test and had to lift the scanner’s lid to see if anything was happening. I ruined the exposure to prove the scanner had not stalled. The scanner was so quiet that I didn’t realize that my image was being scanned. In all fairness, the Brother Software should have told me that the image was scanning and at what percentage of the image was complete. The 1200 x 1200 dpi scan took a full minute. The 300 x 300 took about 8 seconds. The scanner will take additional time as the scan dpi increased between 300 to 1200.
WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor):
The WAF is pretty good. My wife stated that she really liked the color and preferred it over the black Brother multi-function printer that this replaced.
Final thoughts:
This printer is a bit of a mixed bag for me. I cannot give it five stars simply because of the awful image reproduction under normal quality. I am not expecting the amazing image reproduction here. But, the strange lines that are introduced in the image are not acceptable regardless of the image quality settings. The duplex printing and scanning functions are great. The software package seems a bit bloated for what it does but not overly so. And I do like the estimated page counts for each ink tank. I would hope the that software is watching the printing habits and calculating the page counts based on habits and not on some arbitrary ISO or made up marketing standard. Time will tell. They say there are two years of ink in the box. We will see.
Finally, the full color control panel is well setup and the menus are very easy to navigate. The display panel is also on a hinge, so you can see it at multiple angles. I did find this feature useful during setup.
If you are looking for a solid performer for home, school, or a small office then go with this printer. If you need something that will give you rock solid color image printing, then keep shopping around.
I hope you found this review useful.
Finally, the full color control panel is well setup and the menus are very easy to navigate. The display panel is also on a hinge, so you can see it at multiple angles. I did find this feature useful during setup.
If you are looking for a solid performer for home, school, or a small office then go with this printer. If you need something that will give you rock solid color image printing, then keep shopping around.
I hope you found this review useful.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Mobile Submission: False
+58points
58out of 58found this review helpful.
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ENVY 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5 - 8GB Memory - AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 - 128GB Solid State Drive - HP Finish In Dark Ash
Study or work hard on this HP Envy convertible laptop, which features a large 15-inch screen. The laptop opens up easily to create a tablet for note-taking, while an AMD Ryzen processor supports Windows 10 Home and other applications effortlessly. The reliable128GB solid-state hard drive on this HP Envy convertible laptop stores lots of files and programs.Learn more.
HP has Ryzen!
Customer Rating
5.0
Setup:
The HP Envy 2 in 1 was super easy to setup. Unpacking and setup took about 10 minutes. Windows 10 with Cortana narration makes going through the steps of setup and sign-in simple. I was greeted with HP’s Jump Start program during my first sign on. Jump Start will guide you through product registration, McAfee Anti-Virus sign up, and other paperwork like items. There is also an HP Support Assistant that will handle items such as driver updates, firmware updates, and allows access to a lot of technical information about the laptop. This tool is also a very easy way to access the laptop’s serial number and model number. Both numbers are printed on the bottom of the laptop, but you won’t be able to read it without a magnifying glass. Having this information available through HP Support Assistant will come in very handy when you interact with HP for support services.
Microsoft Word signed me into my Office 365 account and verified and instantly registered Office on my new laptop. Within minutes, all of my office applications were available to me. Windows took care of syncing my shortcuts between my different Windows 10 system. Synced my desktop settings such as my desktop background. One Drive and Windows 10 email took a few minutes to setup. Windows Update also went very smooth.
Look and Feel:
This laptop has an excellent feel to it. It feels solid to the touch. The laptop is thin. It is heavy at 4.7 pounds. It is not so heavy that it prevents me from throwing this in a backpack or computer bag to work on the go. The unique hinge design allows the laptop to fold in half so that I can use it as a tablet. The hinges are made of metal. I do not have any worries about the laptop joints being week and breaking with use.
Microsoft has done a great job on the tablet experience. The screen supports both touch and Windows Ink. Meaning, I can use a Windows Ink enabled pen to draw, write, and paint on the screen. I can also use the pen as a mouse in many applications. My Microsoft Surface Pen synced with this laptop with no issues. Writing was smooth. Input lag was minimal if any at all.
Probably my favorite part of the look and feel are the two AMD badges on the wrist wrest. It is so refreshing to finally have something other than an Intel logo on a laptop. It is a small thing but it did make me happy to see them.
Screen:
The screen is pretty good. The screen resolution is 1080p. Not as high resolution as a Microsoft Surface and certainly not in the same league as a Mac Book. But, the screen is adequately bright and vibrant enough for most uses. I played a few videos on Netflix. The motion was clean with some occasional stutter and pixilation. But nothing unlike what I see on an expensive LED TV. The AMD Settings application does give me the ability to adjust the video experience by giving you access to multiple video presets such as Cinema, Vivid, and Home Video. It also gives you the ability to custom tailor your experience by giving you access to all the settings controls.
Working through office applications was easy. The screen responded to pinching, zooming, and navigation commands without hesitation. Scaling is also spot on. Images and text were clear regardless of the zoom level. Images were sharp and colorful. The screen provides an acceptable and pleasant computing experience.
The laptop screen is FreeSync enabled. This means that the integrated Vega 8 graphics processor can squeeze better frame rates and performance out of the screen than it could without the technology. By default, FreeSync is not enabled. I have no idea why. You will need to go into the AMD Settings application to turn it on. The laptop is not a gaming platform. It will play games from the Windows Store with ease. I tested using Halo Spartan Assault. The graphics were butter smooth. Response between my Xbox controller and the laptop were also very quick. I was limited to what I could test due to the limited size hard drive on this system. Then again, I didn’t pick up this laptop to game on.
Performance:
Performance out of box has been very good. I have not seen any slow-downs working with Windows or Windows applications. Multi-tasking has been excellent. My only gripe is the performance of Microsoft’s Edge browser; which stinks on every computer I have used. This is not an issue unique to HP or AMD.
My primary use for this computer is Microsoft Office, web browsing, and lite entertainment. Microsoft Office applications start quickly and without any issues. The computer does keep up with my typing without any pausing or keystroke buffering. Spreadsheets load quickly. I have had no issues manipulating data or working with pivot tables. Microsoft OneNote, which I do use extensively, does not hesitate when jumping between notebooks, typing pages of data, drawing, manipulating images, or importing content from the web. Overall, I would say this notebook rocks when it comes to productivity!
For lite entertainment, I do watch the occasional Netflix movie. I was able to work through multiple OneNote notebooks while streaming a Netflix movie. The movie video played without any interruptions. There was no stuttering or artifacts that I could detect. OneNote did not give me any issues either. Having other applications open and minimized did not seem to have an impact on performance either. I did spend some time watching CPU and memory performance in Task Manager. Ryzen ate through whatever I threw at it. It was a real treat to see a laptop with eight threads all churning through work. The 8 GB of memory also seemed to be more than adequate for my needs.
Touchpad and keyboard:
The keyboard feels comfortable. The keyboard does include a full number pad. The over-sized touchpad is off center, favoring the left side of the keyboard, and is comfortably located under the space bar. Everything is offset due to the inclusion of the number pad. The keys are a comfortable size, have a good travel, and are relatively quiet. You will not be keeping anyone awake typing on this keyboard unless you are one of those people who really pound your way through a document.
The keyboard keys are backlit. I work at my computer under multiple lighting conditions. Backlighting solves all the issues I have associated with workspace lighting. The keys and keyboard are evenly lit. Each key’s value is easy to read. No one key looks brighter than any other key. Finally, there are no bright spots bleeding between the keys. This makes the keyboard’s lighting easy on the eyes.
The touchpad can make a break a notebook. I have had issues with laptops, name your manufacturer, where the typing experience is ruined by the cursor jumping around the screen while typing. This does lead to content being auto deleted while typing, text being injected into parts of the document where I did not intend it to go, and sometimes the mouse choosing items off the ribbon in MS Word and causing some random feature being activated. Most people will tell you to lift your wrists when typing. It is not a wrist issue. It is an issue with the touch pad. HP and Synaptics seem to have nailed the drives on this model. I’ve written this entire review without a single typing incident. Thank you both for fixing this!
There are some issues still with the touchpad. For example, if I am on a media rich web page, the finger gestures may stutter or not work at all. The good news if that these issues do not extend to the touch screen. If I am having an issue scrolling down a web page with the touchpad then I can perform the same activity directly on the touch screen with little to no issues. If I had to choose between the typing experience and web surfing performance, I will choose the typing experience.
Sound:
Bang & Olufsen have done a remarkable job in the world of laptops. The sound is not deep and rich by any measure. All speaker laptops are similarly constrained. However B&O have done a great job of making their laptop solution clear at all volume levels. The sound is not tinny. The laptop and speakers do not resonate when the speakers are at volume. For laptops speakers, these are excellent!
Misc:
I was able to connect to multiple Bluetooth enabled devices including my office’s stereo receiver to stream Pandora while I worked. I also connected to a portable Sony speaker, another HP Laptop, wireless headphones, and a smart TV. I tried to connect to a Microsoft Xbox Controller but was not able to do it with the one controller I have. I am unsure if it was an issue with the controller or the laptop. The controller connected via USB cable without any issues. I enjoyed an hour of Halo Spartan Assault with the controller without any further issues.
Overall Impressions:
I think HP has a home run with this laptop. The build quality, the system specs, and the laptop’s performance are outstanding at this price point. Multi-tasking is superb. I really love that HP took a chance on the new Ryzen APU. AMD has come a long way over the last few years and this mobile processor shows that AMD can stand toe to toe with Intel.
I did add a second monitor to this laptop via HDMI cable. Video is clear, bright, colorful, and smooth. The sound is great for a laptop. I can easily connect, via Bluetooth, to external devices to stream content. I am very thankful that my workflow is no longer interrupted by garbage touch pad issues thanks to improved driver support from Synaptic. The HP Support Assistant software is very useful. System specs, help documents, interactive help, and warranty information are a few clicks away where they used to be a painful phone call to support.
This is a great laptop and I hope to get years of excellent use from it.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+90points
98out of 106found this review helpful.
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Add dramatic bass elements to your music system or home theater experience with this 600X MartinLogan Dynamo subwoofer. The high-performance amplifiers and pro-style woofers fill your entertainment space with a wide spectrum of bass frequencies. This MartinLogan Dynamo subwoofer also has remote control capability through your smartphone app, allowing precise configuration of settings.
Great 10" sub with innovative software!
Customer Rating
5.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
Setup:
Setup of the subwoofer was very easy. The box does show simple to follow directions to unpack the subwoofer from the box. It is very important that you follow their directions so as not to damage your new subwoofer. The subwoofer is packed very well. The top and bottom of the sub is packed in Styrofoam. The sub is wrapped in a thin cloth bag that keeps Styrofoam bits from sticking to and helps prevents scratches during unpacking. Personally, I thought the added touch gave a bit of class to the whole process. All the controls and connections on the back of the sub are clearly marked. For my setup, all I needed was power and the LFE cable from my receiver’s sub pre-out to the LFE connection the sub. I set the gain to the middle of the dial, the power control to auto, and toggled the app control switch to app. The sub is light and small making it easy to move into whatever room position I wanted. I chose to place the sub at the front of my room a few feet away from the corner. The user’s guide does cover, in detail, how to find the best room placement for your sub. Unpacking, connections, and placement took about ten minutes.
Setup of the subwoofer was very easy. The box does show simple to follow directions to unpack the subwoofer from the box. It is very important that you follow their directions so as not to damage your new subwoofer. The subwoofer is packed very well. The top and bottom of the sub is packed in Styrofoam. The sub is wrapped in a thin cloth bag that keeps Styrofoam bits from sticking to and helps prevents scratches during unpacking. Personally, I thought the added touch gave a bit of class to the whole process. All the controls and connections on the back of the sub are clearly marked. For my setup, all I needed was power and the LFE cable from my receiver’s sub pre-out to the LFE connection the sub. I set the gain to the middle of the dial, the power control to auto, and toggled the app control switch to app. The sub is light and small making it easy to move into whatever room position I wanted. I chose to place the sub at the front of my room a few feet away from the corner. The user’s guide does cover, in detail, how to find the best room placement for your sub. Unpacking, connections, and placement took about ten minutes.
App:
There are two apps that make up the control system for this sub. There is the MarinLogan Sub Control app and then there is the Anthem Room Correction, or ARC, app. The user’s manual does cover these applications in detail. The application allows control over Volume, Low Pass Filter, Phase control, Listening Modes, 20 – 30 Hz boost levels, Room Correction, and the ability to set a pass code so that you can restrict who can modify the sub-woofer settings. I have this subwoofer paired with a Pioneer Elite receiver supports minimal base management. These applications add the base management back into my listening space. First, I’m allowing the receiver to manage the crossover frequency to the subwoofer. I have it set to 80Hz. It is a very common crossover setting. I then loaded the MartinLogan Sub Control app to my iPhone. I spent some time playing with all the settings. I didn’t have to worry about screwing up the sub because there is a reset button that will return everything to factory defaults. So, have fun. Finally, I chose to give the Anthem Room Correction a try. I was prompted to download a separate application from the Apple Store. The directions were simple. The results were magical. I was instructed to hold my iPhone at my primary listening position and then four additional positions around my listening position. What a difference this made to how the sub sounded in my room. It was like night and day. The base was smoother at my listening position and sounded better than with any of the manual settings that I had tried. Bravo MartinLogan! I wish I had this capability for my main home theater system.
There are two apps that make up the control system for this sub. There is the MarinLogan Sub Control app and then there is the Anthem Room Correction, or ARC, app. The user’s manual does cover these applications in detail. The application allows control over Volume, Low Pass Filter, Phase control, Listening Modes, 20 – 30 Hz boost levels, Room Correction, and the ability to set a pass code so that you can restrict who can modify the sub-woofer settings. I have this subwoofer paired with a Pioneer Elite receiver supports minimal base management. These applications add the base management back into my listening space. First, I’m allowing the receiver to manage the crossover frequency to the subwoofer. I have it set to 80Hz. It is a very common crossover setting. I then loaded the MartinLogan Sub Control app to my iPhone. I spent some time playing with all the settings. I didn’t have to worry about screwing up the sub because there is a reset button that will return everything to factory defaults. So, have fun. Finally, I chose to give the Anthem Room Correction a try. I was prompted to download a separate application from the Apple Store. The directions were simple. The results were magical. I was instructed to hold my iPhone at my primary listening position and then four additional positions around my listening position. What a difference this made to how the sub sounded in my room. It was like night and day. The base was smoother at my listening position and sounded better than with any of the manual settings that I had tried. Bravo MartinLogan! I wish I had this capability for my main home theater system.
The manual does state that any sub will sound boomy without proper room calibration. So, keep in mind that great bass does take some effort on your part. ARC does make this process much easier.
Another cool innovative feature that I directly benefited from is the ability to play a range of test tones through the sub. The app will run through a range of tones from 20hz to 120hz. I noticed immediately that my room hit a resonance frequency that sounded like the room was rattling. I was able to pause the frequency sweep and isolate the rattling noise to a frequency of 39hz. With the tone playing, I was able to identify the source of the resonance. It turned out that one of the subwoofer feet was not completely touching my floor. The movement was so slight that to the touch everything felt fine. I move the sub slightly and the resonance stopped. Wow! I would have never found this without the app. Saved me months of trying to track down strange resonances. The MartinLogan apps definitely set the Dynamos apart from all other subwoofers at this price point. What a value!
Finally, the application does have three sound modes to choose from: Movie, Music, and Night. Movie is an aggressive bass management preset that is great for filling in those power bass notes from our favorite movies. Music is less aggressive and does make a difference when listening to my favorite music. Night is a bit more interesting. It seems to be a combination of aggressive bass management but at a lower volume. I noticed the sub was not very loud but did have great detail at those levels. I found this great because I often listen to my stereo at night when others in the home are in bed. It is also a great feature for those of you who live in apartment buildings and don’t want to upset your neighbors but still want good low-end detail.
Documentation:
The included documentation is excellent! I have not seen another speaker manufacture be as clear and descriptive as MartinLogan. I have owned Klipsch, SVS, Bower and Wilkins, and Sony. None of them hold a candle to MartinLogan. The manual is written in multiple languages. The diagrams are clear. The explanations of each feature are also clear and concise. A printed copy is in the box. The PDF copy is available on MartinLogan’s website.
The included documentation is excellent! I have not seen another speaker manufacture be as clear and descriptive as MartinLogan. I have owned Klipsch, SVS, Bower and Wilkins, and Sony. None of them hold a candle to MartinLogan. The manual is written in multiple languages. The diagrams are clear. The explanations of each feature are also clear and concise. A printed copy is in the box. The PDF copy is available on MartinLogan’s website.
Music Sound:
MartinLogan recommends that you break in your sub for about 50 hours before putting any real stress on it. After setup, I left my stereo play the radio for two days before doing any serious listening.
MartinLogan recommends that you break in your sub for about 50 hours before putting any real stress on it. After setup, I left my stereo play the radio for two days before doing any serious listening.
The sub sounded boomy before running the room correction software. After running ARC, the sound did even out to sound more natural in my listening space. The base is tight and not overwhelming. For music, I do not have the sub setup aggressively. I listened to pop, some rap, electronica, electro swing, and classical music selections. They all sounded great. The sub is capable of outputting good sound pressure, but it is not powerful enough to punch me in the chest. In my opinion, a larger sub would be required to give you that punch to the chest feeling while also maintaining good, tight sound.
For my purposes, this is one of the best 10” subs I’ve listened too that does a great filling in the low end for my speakers.
Movie Sound:
One of the first challenges I put the sub through was the original Pacific Rim. As I mentioned before, the bass from this sub will not punch you in the chest. It did play this movie with excellent detail. Every Jaeger foot step, punch, and Kaiju roar was excellent. The sub was also very detailed and speedy between changes in frequency. I normally watch this movie in my home theater that includes an SVS 2000 PB 12” ported sub. The SVS shakes the entire house! The 600X is not big enough or powerful enough to shake my house. It did still give me an excellence experience when taken in context of the smaller listening space and the inclusion the bass management provided by ARC. The experience does make me wonder how the larger subs in MartinLogan’s range could compete with my SVS sub in a home theater solution. When I’m ready to upgrade, I will definitely give MartinLogan a serious evaluation. The 600X is doing an excellent job as an inexpensive second system solution in my smaller, secondary listening space.
One of the first challenges I put the sub through was the original Pacific Rim. As I mentioned before, the bass from this sub will not punch you in the chest. It did play this movie with excellent detail. Every Jaeger foot step, punch, and Kaiju roar was excellent. The sub was also very detailed and speedy between changes in frequency. I normally watch this movie in my home theater that includes an SVS 2000 PB 12” ported sub. The SVS shakes the entire house! The 600X is not big enough or powerful enough to shake my house. It did still give me an excellence experience when taken in context of the smaller listening space and the inclusion the bass management provided by ARC. The experience does make me wonder how the larger subs in MartinLogan’s range could compete with my SVS sub in a home theater solution. When I’m ready to upgrade, I will definitely give MartinLogan a serious evaluation. The 600X is doing an excellent job as an inexpensive second system solution in my smaller, secondary listening space.
I did test the sub’s prowess with additional content from Netflix. Again, the bass was accurate for its size, speedy, detailed, and never overwhelmed my speakers. All I needed to do was swipe a few settings in the base control app and more base was instantly available. I will caution you though. This sub only reaches down to 27 Hz. A movie like Pacific Rim will deep down to 20Hz or lower. Even though the movie sound great, there are still details that the sub cannot reproduce. Most music, however, will never reach this low. If you want to go deeper, then you may want to check out the 800X instead.
Night Sound:
As I mentioned before, I was impressed with the level of detail available with night mode. I listened to music and watched a few movies on Netflix. The sound levels did not rock my world but it did give me a special respect for this subwoofer. Give it a try.
As I mentioned before, I was impressed with the level of detail available with night mode. I listened to music and watched a few movies on Netflix. The sound levels did not rock my world but it did give me a special respect for this subwoofer. Give it a try.
Overall Impression:
I purchased this sub to add a stereo system to a small basement room that is primarily used for office work and music listening. I didn’t want to place a super powerful sub in this space because I don’t have a need for chest punching bass. My goal was sound detail. I feel that I achieved this. The inclusion of the application controls using my iPhone really took this 10” sub to a level that I didn’t think I could achieve with the equipment I have in this space. Boy, was I wrong. MartinLogan is really spoiling it’s customers with this level of control at this price point. They raised the bar for what I will expect for my next home theater subwoofer purchase.
I purchased this sub to add a stereo system to a small basement room that is primarily used for office work and music listening. I didn’t want to place a super powerful sub in this space because I don’t have a need for chest punching bass. My goal was sound detail. I feel that I achieved this. The inclusion of the application controls using my iPhone really took this 10” sub to a level that I didn’t think I could achieve with the equipment I have in this space. Boy, was I wrong. MartinLogan is really spoiling it’s customers with this level of control at this price point. They raised the bar for what I will expect for my next home theater subwoofer purchase.
I hope you found this review helpful. I would recommend this subwoofer to anyone who is looking to setup an inexpensive home theater or stereo system in a smal
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+21points
22out of 23found this review helpful.
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JBL - FREE True Wireless In-Ear Headphones Gen 2 - Black
Perceive every detail of your music with this pair of JBL wireless headphones. The 10Hz to 22kHz frequency response lets you enjoy the full range of sound, while the in-line microphone provides an effortless switch to hands-free calls. Featuring 5.6mm dynamic drivers, these JBL wireless headphones supply rich, resonant bass for your enjoyment.
Are these noise cancelling for gyms that play really loud music?
No, they are not noise cancelling. They do come with three silicon ear canal adapters: small, medium, and Large. You can block out some sound if you use a connector that fits snuggly in the ear canal. This will muffle and not canceling outside noise.
5 years, 5 months ago
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Posted by:
ITJim
Acer - Nitro 5 15.6" Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5 - 8GB Memory - AMD Radeon RX 560X - 1TB Hard Drive
Enjoy engaging simulations and immersive visuals with this Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop. The Radeon graphics card offers 4GB of dedicated video memory for efficient rendering performance, and the 2.GHz AMD Ryzen processor and 8GB of RAM provide ample computing power. This Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop has a 1TB hard drive for your collection.
Not computer savvy. Love playing games but also surfing the web and photos. Just looking for a "standalone" that I can take anywhere...outside or in my room with no wires and connections. Is this good for that? And can I connect to a printer? Thanks!
If I understand you correctly, you want to know if you can surf the web, view photos, and connect to a wireless printer. Correct?
You can use this computer to surf the web, view photos, and connect to a wireless printer. You will need to a wireless network, of some kind, in order to surf the web without a wired connection. The printer could be connected to your wireless network or you could connect over bluetooth. It depends on your printer. My Acer Nitro 5 is connected wirelessly to my network, the internet, and my printer. If you are unsure of how to setup a wireless network, connect your laptop, or connect wirelessly to your printer, then I you will want to speak with your local Best Buy Geek Squad representative. They should be able to get you going. Hope this helps!
You can use this computer to surf the web, view photos, and connect to a wireless printer. You will need to a wireless network, of some kind, in order to surf the web without a wired connection. The printer could be connected to your wireless network or you could connect over bluetooth. It depends on your printer. My Acer Nitro 5 is connected wirelessly to my network, the internet, and my printer. If you are unsure of how to setup a wireless network, connect your laptop, or connect wirelessly to your printer, then I you will want to speak with your local Best Buy Geek Squad representative. They should be able to get you going. Hope this helps!
5 years, 8 months ago
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ITJim
HP - Envy x360 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive
Optimize your productivity and entertainment experience with this 15.6-inch HP Envy convertible laptop. Its AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 8GB of RAM provide smooth performance, and its AMD Radeon graphics loads stunning gaming visuals. This HP Envy convertible laptop has 1TB of storage, and its Windows Ink feature lets you work with a digital pen. Learn more.
What is the full name of the cpu?
The CPU is a Ryzen 5 2500u. It is a four core, eight thread CPU with integrated Vega Graphics in a 15W TDP. You can find more information from AMD's website here: https://www.amd.com/en/products/apu/amd-ryzen-5-2500u
6 years, 6 months ago
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Posted by:
ITJim
HP - Envy x360 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive
Optimize your productivity and entertainment experience with this 15.6-inch HP Envy convertible laptop. Its AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 8GB of RAM provide smooth performance, and its AMD Radeon graphics loads stunning gaming visuals. This HP Envy convertible laptop has 1TB of storage, and its Windows Ink feature lets you work with a digital pen. Learn more.
Does this laptop have a display port?
No. It has an HDMI output and a USB C connector that can do video with the right connector. Do a search on BB's site for: USB C to display port. There are several options listed.
6 years, 6 months ago
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Posted by:
ITJim
Pioneer - 980W 7.2-Ch. Network-Ready 4K Ultra HD and 3D Pass-Through A/V Home Theater Receiver - Black
Learn moreabout Magnolia PremiumInstallation Connect to a range of Web-based music services via this Pioneer Elite VSX-44 receiver's built-in Ethernet LAN. Includes HDMI 4K Ultra HD and 3D pass-through technologies for compatibility with 3D TVs, Blu-ray players and gaming consoles and 4K Ultra HD TVs.
What sub woofer matches up well with Pioneer Elite VSX-44?
That really depends on your other speakers and your room. I'm using the ESW-C10 with B&W 685 Bookshelf speakers and couldn't be happier with the arrangement. The ESW-C10 is a bit big for my small room so I keep the volume turned down but it does a great job shaking the room during movies and mixes well with any music or TV programs I've thrown at them.
9 years, 4 months ago
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ITJim
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Maine
Microsoft - Surface - 32GB - Black
Microsoft Surface Tablet: Do more on the go with the productivity of a laptop in the compact size of a tablet. Create documents with Microsoft Office RT, sync files between Windows devices and video chat with friends and family. The built-in kickstand props up your tablet at just the right angle for easy viewing.
do i have to get a network package to buy the surface?
ive been told i need to buy a network plan with a monthly charge. Or can i just use wifi?
No Surface product has native support for a Cell carrier such as ATT, Sprint, etc.... All you have is WiFi. If you have internet in your home with a WiFi router or some other device to server your WiFi enabled devices, then you have everything you need. Just make sure your connection is password protected and encrypted. You can also turn off the WiFi on the tablet, Airplane mode, and use it offline. I hope that answers your question.
10 years, 6 months ago
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Posted by:
ITJim
from
Maine
Microsoft - Surface - 32GB - Black
Microsoft Surface Tablet: Do more on the go with the productivity of a laptop in the compact size of a tablet. Create documents with Microsoft Office RT, sync files between Windows devices and video chat with friends and family. The built-in kickstand props up your tablet at just the right angle for easy viewing.
Can I download PFD files from Internet Explorer to the Microsoft Surface RT?
Can I download PFD files from Internet Explorer to the Microsoft Surface RT, then view them without internet connection?
Yes you can. First go to the Microsoft Store and pick up the Free Adobe Acrobat Reader application. Then you can open PDFs from your flash drive, desktop, network locations, or even the web. Do keep in mind that your ability to open some PDFs from the web is also dependent upon the source of your PDFs. Finally, the surface, as I have experienced with most tablets, do have a difficult time with very large PDF files sizes and very complex PDFs. This is typically an issue with the small amount of RAM you have on a tablet as compared to a modern PC. (2GB on Surface RT and up to 64 GB on a PC). The amount of RAM does make a difference.
10 years, 6 months ago
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Posted by:
ITJim
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Maine
Samsung - Galaxy Note 2014 Edition - 10.1" - 16GB - Black
Samsung Galaxy Note 2014 Edition - 10.1" - 16GB: This sleek, stylish tablet comes with a 10.1" Full HD touch screen to display movies, Web sites and more with impressive visual fidelity. The included S Pen is pressure sensitive and allows you to draw, write, edit and more as easily as if you were using a real pen.
Syncing with a Windows 7 Laptop.
Will this version of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition be able to sync with my laptop and thus allow me to control it from the laptop, like the Samsung Tab 2 allows? This also mean I would be able to view content like pics and music from my laptop to my tablet and vice or verser.
I've found that the Galaxy 2014 edition doesn't sync well with anything. Or I haven't found the app or the feature or the best kept secret desktop app that will allow it. I'm thinking of something like iTunes that will sync everything for me and backup my device.
I have found a few work arounds the may interest you.
1) You can upload all of your photos and files to an SD card. You can then move the SD card between the computer and the tablet. Kind of 10 years go I know but there you go.
2) You can plug your tablet directly into the laptop with the USB cable that is connected to your power cord. Then you can easily move items between the tablet and your Laptop using the very useful Windows Explorer App. Thank you Microsoft.
3) If you want to take control of your laptop from your tablet then you can download another nifty Microsoft tool called Microsoft Remote Desktop. You will also have to allow remote connections in Windows on our laptop to make this work. I've already taken over my desktop to edit photos from my tablet. It works very well. However, there is no pinch and zoom. So if you can't read a word when you pull it up on the screen then there isn't anything you are going to do about it. There are other remote desktop apps that may give you additional features. X2 is one I used for my Ipad and is also available on Google Play.
4)Laptop taking control of the Tablet? I haven't heard anything about this. I do know, however, that Samsung saved all the best software for this own devices. Sync easily between your Samsung laptop and your device. However, this is only software and Samsung could be a hero and release it to the rest of their paying customers. I've seen the Samsung Laptops. I won't be buying one anytime soon.
I have found a few work arounds the may interest you.
1) You can upload all of your photos and files to an SD card. You can then move the SD card between the computer and the tablet. Kind of 10 years go I know but there you go.
2) You can plug your tablet directly into the laptop with the USB cable that is connected to your power cord. Then you can easily move items between the tablet and your Laptop using the very useful Windows Explorer App. Thank you Microsoft.
3) If you want to take control of your laptop from your tablet then you can download another nifty Microsoft tool called Microsoft Remote Desktop. You will also have to allow remote connections in Windows on our laptop to make this work. I've already taken over my desktop to edit photos from my tablet. It works very well. However, there is no pinch and zoom. So if you can't read a word when you pull it up on the screen then there isn't anything you are going to do about it. There are other remote desktop apps that may give you additional features. X2 is one I used for my Ipad and is also available on Google Play.
4)Laptop taking control of the Tablet? I haven't heard anything about this. I do know, however, that Samsung saved all the best software for this own devices. Sync easily between your Samsung laptop and your device. However, this is only software and Samsung could be a hero and release it to the rest of their paying customers. I've seen the Samsung Laptops. I won't be buying one anytime soon.
10 years, 7 months ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim
from
Maine