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Weekend Gamer Update: Memorial Day Weekend

Windows 11 Pro Product Description Instantly productive. Simpler, more intuitive UI and effortless navigation. New features like snap layouts help you manage multiple tasks with ease Smarter collaboration. Have effective online meetings. Share content and mute/unmute right from the taskbar (1). Stay focused with intelligent noise cancelling and background blur. (2) Reassuringly consistent. Have confidence that your applications will work. Familiar deployment and update tools. Accelerate adoption with expanded deployment policies. Powerful security. Safeguard data and access anywhere with hardware-based isolation, encryption, and malware protection built in. Read More MicroSoft That’s because I just bought the Microsoft Office Professional 2021 lifetime license for $30, after reading about it on C-Net. The article referenced Stack Social, which I’ve never heard of until today. …

It’s Memorial Day Weekend, which means I have this Monday off and it’s a long weekend for me. As usual with these holidays, there are a lot of sales and deals all across retailers. I’m planning on going to a few Half-Priced Books to take advantage of their 20% instore purchases. The problem with HPB is that their stocks are limited and are vastly different from store to store. You never know what you are going to see, day to day, store to store.

Best Buy is selling a lot of Bluray for under $10… but the cool thing is that the new Pixel 7a is being sold for $450, the first sale price since it was launched on May 10. That was fast! Even though it’s a $50 savings, it’s still not enough for me to want it. I’ve already committed to buying the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max, so I need to set aside roughly $1,200. I was never an iPhone guy, until I started using the $25 unlimited data/phone service from Visible. Now, it’s impossible for me to break away from the Apple ecosystem.

Anyway, over at Stack Social, I just purchased Windows 11 Pro for $40. This is the full product key, not an “upgrade” key, meaning you could use it on a freshly built computer. I just basically upgraded my Windows 11 Home on my current computer.

For most people, Home is just fine for everyone. There are some differences, such as local accounts and Hyper-V and some extra security options (as well as more faster updates), but for the most part, I personally didn’t need to upgrade to Pro… But the sale price was so good (it’s normally $199), that I couldn’t pass it up. As of this writing, I don’t have buyer’s remorse.

When Windows 11 first launched in late 2021, video gaming was a problem with stutter and lag… but it was related to driver issues for video cards. Now that it’s been out for a few years, there are no issues with gaming. Since I started using Windows 11 Home in Nov 2022, I have been impressed with its performance over Windows 10.

Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition

Speaking of games, Epic Games is offering Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition for free. You guys know I love Fallout, so naturally, I’m going to encourage you guys to get it for free. Of course, I already own this on various platform (GOG, Steam, Xbox, etc.), and you can usually find it on sale.

This is the Ultimate Edition, which means all the DLC are incorporated in this game, so there’s a ton of great content to go through.

Of all the Fallout games, New Vegas is one of my top three. A lot of fans did not like the game when it first came out, but over time, I believe they’ve turn around and would agree with me that it’s a great game. The game is 13 years old, and it could benefit from a remaster or remake of the game, in my opinion.

Also, ROG Ally Update: On the day that it was available to pre-order on May 11, 2023, I overreacted and immediately ordered it from Best Buy. It was at a location and a time (noon-ish) and at Best Buy, that I normally don’t buy from online, and at such a high amount, that the unusual activity alerted my bank to issue a stop on my bank card. I had to basically go to the bank and told them that I did purchase the ROG Ally. Unfortunately, the bank already put a stop on the payment. That’s fine, I suppose I’ll just have to go to the physical store on June 13th to see if I can just buy one at their store. It kind of sucks because my local Best Buy closed this year, so I need to travel to another city to visit a Best Buy now. You know, all this could have been prevented, if ROG Ally would just make it available at all retailers… meaning if I had purchased it from Amazon, my bank would’ve just allowed it.

I suppose it’s probably better this way. Now that I’ve seen early reviews, it’s not exactly “twice as fast” as they’ve been claiming. The truth is, it sounds like the ROG Ally is about the same as the Steam Deck… the only difference is that the ROG Ally runs Windows 11 out of the box. Basically, once I get the ROG, I’m calling it my ROG GOG because it’ll be my GOG and Battle Net machine. I just cannot wait to play Diablo IV on handheld.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

StackSocial

Read More VPN I've been testing out some free VPN (Virtual Private Network) services. You may have a need for a VPN for various reasons: privacy, ad-blocking/ad-tracking, removing restrictions, etc. …

Ever since I bought my first purchase on StackSocial in Jan 2023, I’ve been addicted to the discounted website.

Looking into StackSocial, it’s own by American company StackCommerce, founded by Josh Payne.

The website specializes in flash sale… So these great prices are only good for a set amount of time. They’ve been around since 2011, even though I’ve never heard of them until earlier this year.

I like deals, and wanted to pass along some things that caught my eye:

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 Lifetime License for $39.99. I bought it for $29.99, but even at $10 more, it’s still a great price. Note that MicroSoft will not support Office 2021, instead focusing on their subscription product Office 365 in 2023.

AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription for $30. I was looking for an ad blocker on my iPad or iPhone, so I saw this one-time fee for AdGuard. Unfortunately, reading its fine print, this only applies to new users. So, instead, I signed up for AdLock’s Lifetime for $20… which, apparently “Lifetime” means 10 years to this company.

RealVPN: Lifetime Subscription for $30. There are actually a bunch of VPN Lifetime Sub, so just do a search for your favorite. I did not buy any Lifetime sub, because I was already paying for Atlas VPN… but after my subscription expires, I will likely look for a Lifetime deal. A few years ago, I did some research on free VPNs (which is why I went with Atlas) … and while the “price is right” (free), there are so many drawbacks for free VPN. If you don’t mind paying a one-time price for a “lifetime” subscription, why not? Again, “lifetime” has different meaning to companies, so be aware that when they say lifetime, they mean the life of the company.

Costco 1-Year Gold Star Membership for $60. This includes a $30 digital CostCo gift card, which needs to be used all at once. I believe this only applies to new members. I didn’t look that closely, because I had a Sam’s Club membership for two years, and I found that I don’t shop often enough to warrant paying a yearly membership.

Apple iPad Pro 12.9" 32GB WiFi Space Gray for $499. I already have an iPad Pro 12.9”, and I paid around $900, so for $500, it’s a good price. Note that this item is refurbished (not new), and, looking at the images, it is the first generation iPad Pro from 2018 (which I own at one time).

BirdBike eBike for $899. It’s snowing in Minnesota, and I’m in Winter Hibernation mode, so I’m not buying this eBike anytime soon. But I love the fact that I can pedal, and when I come up to that hill, I can get assistance from the motor. The bike looks good and it does come with free shipping.

PDF Reader Pro Smart PDF Editor & Converter Tool for $39.99. You currently cannot buy any Adobe products without requiring a subscription fee. I don’t have a need to create/edit PDF files, so I’m not buying this… but if you need this software, this $40 price by PDF Technologies is a deal.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Bundle for $4.99. You get two Knights of the Old Republic game for $5, so you’re paying $2.50 for each game. You need Steam to redeem the games.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 Lifetime License for $30

Office Professional 2021 includes: Microsoft Office Word Microsoft Office Excel Microsoft Office PowerPoint Microsoft Office Outlook Microsoft Office Teams Microsoft Office OneNote Microsoft Office Publisher Microsoft Office Access Read More MicroSoft Anyway, when I saw that the new MicroSoft’s Surface Pro 7 (with keyboard cover) on sale for $600, I couldn’t pass it up. Currently their price is $700, but MicroSoft’s website is still showing $600. …

Happy new year!

I’ve previously said that I hated the idea of “renting” software. When MicroSoft decided to go to a subscription-based model for their Office produced (called Office 365) in 2013, I gave up on MicroSoft Office. In the past, I have worked with other alternative software, such as LibreOffice, and, recently WPS Office (which I wrote about in Sep 2022).

So, all of that has changed as of today, January 1, 2023. I’m completely back on MicroSoft Office (in fact, this article is written on Word). That’s because I just bought the Microsoft Office Professional 2021 lifetime license for $30, after reading about it on C-Net. The article referenced Stack Social, which I’ve never heard of until today.

There are some restrictions: the license only grants one computer at a time and you have to pay the one-time payment using PayPal or Venmo. That’s actually not a choice, since PayPal owns Venmo. My PayPal account was burned a while back when hackers got access to it, so it’s permanently disabled for the time being. My only option was creating a Venmo account, and that went pleasantly easy. You need a phone and an app, and it seemed pretty secure. Just set your privacy to private, as by default, it’s set to public.

After payment went through, you’re given a code, which is tied to your MicroSoft Windows account. After installing Office, everything just worked. I now own Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and so many other Office productivity software. What a deal for $30.

I still stand behind WPS Office and will likely to use it on my laptop or my iPad, considering that my MicroSoft Office can only be used on my main computer. I can live with that, since most of my productivity will be done on my primary PC.

So far, I love being back in Office. It’s been a long time. I do miss it. No matter how amazing the copycat software are, nothing compares to the real thing.

If you have a business or a student, the life time ownership of Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for $30 is an amazing deal, I highly recommend you getting it right now. The sale ends on 1/8/2023. Even if you only want to use one of the products, it’s definitely worth it. If you decide to pass this up, you are going to kick yourself when you need Office in the future.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Hakos Baelz Gaming PC

Read More iBuyPower Since owning the new iBuyPower’s Fallout computer, I’ve been spending a lot of time on the computer. I’ve been really into RGB lighting for my computer and recently purchased …

The Hakos Baelz Gaming PC announcement couldn’t come at a better time.

I am actually in the market for a new computer. My current iBuyPower desktop computer needs an update. The exhaust fan is starting to make a lot of noise, so it’s preventing me from doing audio recording. I know I can fix it with a replacement fan, but I don’t really know the make and size. Plus, the video card (GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) is old and upgrading the card will require replacing my power supply. Also, currently, for whatever reason, I can’t get Windows 11 to install on the current computer.

Anyway, so I have been looking at some HYTE Y60 PCs, as it looks very cool with it’s clear glass front and side view of the computer’s interior. Plus, I like the fact that the case was designed for the new generation of GPU. In older computer case design, which didn’t take into account of the weight and size of GPUs, you had something called “GPU sag”. The Y60 case solved this by routing the PCIe to the bottom, so your card can stand vertically. So, yes, I have been looking closely at these Y60 computers.

If I were to buy a Y60 pre-built computer, I would want a unique one like the Hakos Baelz RDY Gaming PC, which has custom artwork on the glass, complete with a free custom Hakos Baelz desk pad. Why would you want a generic case when you can get one with artwork… especially, if the prices are basically the same.

There are two version of the Hakos Baelz computer, costing $2,100 and $2,700. There is a $600 difference gets you an i9, GTX 3080 card, and a 2TB NVME.

Hakos Baelz	Hakos Baelz Pro
Windows 11 Home	Windows 11 Home
Intel® Core™ i7-12700KF CPU	Intel® Core™ i9-12900KF CPU
MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4	ASUS PRIME Z690-P
32GB DDR4 3600 G.SKILL RGB RAM	32GB DDR5-5200MHz G.SKILL RGB RAM
GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3070 - 8GB	MSI GeForce RTX 3080 - 10GB
1TB WD Black M.2 GEN4 NVMe SSD	2TB Samsung M.2 NVMe SSD

While I want the Hakos Baelz Computer, I’m probably not going to buy it. I need to wait and see what other options I have. Wouldn’t it make sense to license other popular brands? Sticking with anime, how about Robotech, Lone Wolf and Cub, Fist of the North Star? Or a Batman computer? How about a He-Man computer? You can even jokingly dub it “Most Powerful Computer in the Universe.” Or a Transformers computer? You can call it Teletran One and have a custom gimmick transformable computer part. The possibilities are endless.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

WPS Office

WPS Office wps.com Free Includes Writer, Spreadsheet, Presentation, and PDF Editor Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS Install on any device you own Compatible with MicroSoft Office Does not need to be online Read More MicroSoft Anyway, when I saw that the new MicroSoft’s Surface Pro 7 (with keyboard cover) on sale for $600, I couldn’t pass it up. Currently their price is $700, but MicroSoft’s website is still showing $600. …

I used to love MicroSoft Office. Well mainly for Word and Excel, but when MicroSoft decided to go to a subscription model… I decided it was time to move away from Office. Previously, I had Office 2003, which is a little dated and won’t work on Windows 10. I tried the new Office 365 and I liked the new updates, but I still wasn’t willing to pay for a subscription.

After hearing from so many people asking to just purchase the software, instead of “renting” their software… MicroSoft caved in and gave us the Home & Student Edition, which has a one-time payment. Unfortunately, their asking price is expensive. We’re talking over $150 for one computer (although Amazon has it on sale for $100), it’s still not worth it to me.

Like I said, I have looked for alternative to Office. I’ve tried out the free Office Libre, which I do not like at all. I tried out Google Suite, which is very basic, and you constantly have to be online.

Nothing worked for me…. that is until I discovered WPS Office. The Office includes WPS Writer (a knockoff of Word), Presentation (a knockoff of Powerpoint) and Spreadsheet (a knock off of Excel), as well as a PDF Creator (which works like Adobe Acrobat).

What I mostly needed was WPS Writer. Wow, this software is identical to MicroSoft Word. It reads and open and edit Word Documents, including the latest docx files, without any issues, it’s practically Word.

All the shortcuts and all the amenities of Word can be found in WPS. I just can’t believe it’s completely free. There are ads, but they aren’t intrusive. The ads are mostly trying to get you to upgrade to their Premium subscription, which costs $30 a year.

I’ve been using it for nearly a month now, and I can say that I am officially abandoning Word, in favor of WPS. If you want to give it a chance, or looking for a free Word alternative, check out WPS.

The $30 annual subscription for WPS Premium gets you the following.

PDF editing

File format conversion

Same account can be used up to 3 PCs and 6 mobile devices

No advertising

20 GB of Cloud storage

Cloud collaboration

I think if you want the online access (between your computer and mobile device, such as an iPad), the 20GB storage might be worth the $30/year fee… but for me, the free version works for me. I think if they offer some sort of one-time payment, I would be more eager to go that route.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Read More Xbox Since owning the Xbox Series X, I had to do a lot of research to see if I made the right decision. It’s still hard to get your hands on the latest gaming consoles, but it seems like I am seeing the Xbox Series S …

So, I joined Game Pass.

There are two price points, the $10 per month pricing is strictly for Xbox games, and the $15, called Game Pass Ultimate includes PC, EA and Xbox Gold (you need this to play online Xbox games). Between the two prices, I thought the $15 was the better, considering you get much more for only an additional $5 extra.

Right now, the price is very good, but I’m seeing the writing on the wall that the price may go up late this year or next year. If you look online, Netflix and Amazon both raised their subscription prices, it just makes sense that MicroSoft will soon follow, especially since they just announced that massive buyout.

Anyway, shortly after subscribing to Game Pass, my measly 50 games went up to 480 games… which is so amazing. I can see how this is a must subscription for gaming fans on a budget or it’s something you want to give to your children.

Like Netflix, you don’t really own the game. So when you cancel your service, your Game Pass games will no longer run.

Sony’s version of Game Pass is called PlayStation Now, which ended in 2020… and they are planning on relaunching it this year under the code name Sparticus. Competition is good, but between the “stream only” PS Now and Game Pass, I would go with Game Pass any day, based on more titles and the ability to download your games.

Speaking of more titles… The 480 games sounds really impressive, however, I would say that I’m only interested in about 5% of those games. That’s because the majority of games are much older games or game genres that I don’t care for (for example sport games). Plus, some games will only run on the PC (such as the new Torchlight 3).

Regarding the older games, if you have never played them, then you’re not going to have a problem with Game Pass. In fact, I downloaded some old games, just to see what it is like on the new Series X console, and I have to say that seeing these games in upscaled 4k resolution, it’s like experiencing the game for the first.

At the end of the day, if you only play one game in Game Pass, then it’s worth it.

My plan is to keep Game Pass Ultimate until I’ve exhausted all the games I wanted to play, and then unsubscribe. We’ll see if I do unsubscribe when the day come, because I get the feeling that I might just stick to the service, because of all the perks.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

My Game Library with Game Pass

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Top 10 Reasons Xbox Series X is better than PS5

Read More Xbox After more than a year, most gaming fans still couldn’t get their hands on either the Xbox Series X or PS5. Everytime I see a news article like “PS5 in stock now at Walmart”, it’s almost sold out immediately. . ...

Since owning the Xbox Series X, I had to do a lot of research to see if I made the right decision. It’s still hard to get your hands on the latest gaming consoles, but it seems like I am seeing the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X in retail stores, like Target… I can’t say the same for any PlayStation.

I may sound like an Xbox fanboy, but you should know that I like them both, having own PS Vita, PS3, PS4, Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One S. This is the first time that I will be skipping the PlayStation 5, and I feel like I made the right choice.

Top 10 Reasons Xbox X is better than PS5

1. Game Pass
   The best value in gaming. Access to hundreds of games for $10 a month. You do have the option to purchase Game Pass games at a discount, if you prefer to own a particular title (especially since some games are removed from Game Pass from time to time).
2. Quick Resume
   This is an amazing feature. You don’t realize how cool it is to have three or four games launching right where you left off. This is especially a nice feature if you like to dabble in various games… or have other users in the house.
3. Smart Delivery
   Xbox is smart enough to know what system you are on and will deliver the game optimized for your system. This is something PS5 is still struggling with.
4. Easy Storage Expansion
   Yeah, it’s expensive, but upgrading the storage is just plug and play. On the PS5 side, you have to shop around and then you are required to open up the device.
5. Variable Refresh Rate
   There’s no screen tearing, thanks to Xbox’s variable refresh rate option. PS5 doesn’t support this.
6. Design and Hardware
   It’s a matter of preference, but I think the Xbox X looks better. It’s smaller, it’s faster, and it looks good laying flat or standing up. The PS5 is almost 1.5 times bigger than the X.
7. Health
   It’s in your settings, but you can have Xbox reminds you to take a break if you played too long. I know this isn’t a major feature, but it’s nice to know Xbox cares.
8. Cross Play
   Xbox and PC (and some Switch) can cross play with each other. PlayStation refuses to open up Cross Play, unless the developer pays Sony their blood money.
9. Backward Compatibility
   Games going back to the original Xbox will work on the X|S. On PS5, only games on PS4 will work.
10. Future
    MicroSoft purchased Bethesda, Blizzard, and Activision, meaning that some of my favorite games like Fallout, Doom, Diablo, Starcraft will likely get the Game Pass treatment… or at the very least available on Xbox first.
    
    

Top 5 Reasons PS5 is better

1. Exclusive Games
   Games like God of War will only run on the PS5… however, Sony is releasing some of their titles on the PC a few years after it was released on the PlayStation. Also Sony said that all their exclusive games will cost you $69, a $10 markup from a standard PS5 game or Xbox new games.
2. Dual Sense Controller
   Everyone raves about the new controller, with its haptic feedback, microphone, and adaptive triggers… but the downside is that older controllers won’t work on the PS5.
3. Virtual Reality
   If VR is your thing, only Sony offers this experience. Of course, it is wired and it’s expensive… plus, it sounds like you need to plug in the old PS4 camera and PS4 controllers (for the useless lightbar) for it to function.
4. Standard NVME expansion
   Most NVME cards (with heatsink) will work on the PS5, however adding it in will requires you to open up your console and you may void your warranty if you really mess up. With Xbox you only have one option - the Seagate expansion card, and it’s not cheap.
5. Longer recording limit
   I’m not interested in recording my game play, so I don’t really care for this feature, but for those who are streamers, the PS5 is the better option.
   
   

To be honest, I had a tough time coming up with 5 PS5 features that beats Xbox… but I had to include them to be absolutely fair.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Xbox Series X|S Accessories

Read More Xbox After more than a year, most gaming fans still couldn’t get their hands on either the Xbox Series X or PS5. Every time I see a news article like “PS5 in stock now at Walmart”, it’s almost sold out immediately. . ...

For $500, the Xbox Series X is a good value. Sure, you can spend more for a gaming PC, which admittedly can be use for various other things, such as productivity software, but it’s going to cost you much more than $500.

If you break down the components:

1 TB SSD ($120)

AMD Zen 2 CPU ($300)

16 GB GDDR6 SDRAM ($100)

Ultra HD Blu-ray ($100)

Xbox Game Controller ($60)

This isn’t even taken into account the custom motherboard and super quiet fans and design. I believe Xbox is losing money on every console they sell… but as you know, they will make back the money as they’ve now locked you into their ecosystem.

Once you’re locked in, you’re going to have to consider some of Xbox’s accessories, to take your gaming to the next level. This is where they are going to make money off of you.

Xbox Game Pass ($10 per month)

Seagate Expansion Card (1TB for $220, 2TB for $399)

Xbox Elite Controller 2 ($180)

Headset ($50 for wired, $149 for wireless)

Rechargeable Batteries ($10)

Halo Keyboard ($179)

Halo Mouse ($79)

The good news is that you don’t really need these accessories, and better news, if you have an older Xbox One or Xbox 360 accessory, you can use them for the new Xbox Series X. The only exception is the Seagate Expansion Card, which only exists on the X|S.

Like the PC, MicroSoft’s approach to backward compatibility is pretty amazing. All, or most, previous Xbox games and accessories will work on the X|S… something you don’t see that on the PlayStation (PS3 or earlier games won’t run on PS5) or Nintendo Switch (you have to pay full price for previous Nintendo games). No one wants to pay full price again for a game they previously purchased. That’s why I was blown away when I saw that all the games I bought from Xbox (going back from the original Xbox), just appeared on my account and that I can play them with no issues on the X.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

How to upgrade your Asus ROG Strix G15

ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk Read More Asus So when I saw this ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk laptop for $899, I couldn’t pass it up. Both New Egg and Walmart are selling this same laptop for over $1,100… so getting the laptop sub-$1k is still a good price. ...

You can configure the Asus ROG Strix G15 to have 64GB RAM, 17-inch screen, and GeForce RTX 2070 Super… but the asking $2999 price was too much. Going in for sub-$1000 for the Electro Punk edition meant that some sacrifices had to be made… meaning a smaller screen, a less-powerful GPU, less storage, and RAM.

With the ROG Strix laptops, Asus made it really easy to open and access the storage and Ram, so upgrading your Ram and adding storage is a snap.

I decided to replace the Micro 8GB Ram that came with the laptop with two 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 2666Mhz Unbuffered SODIMM (for a total of 32GB). While it’s true that the installed Ram is clocked at a higher 3200mhz, in my tests, it shows a slower speed of 2900mhz (I believe you may have to manually overclock it in BIOS to get the maximum clock). The new Corsair DDR4 Ram showed a much faster read/write speed (23GB a second) than the Micron DDR4 Ram (11GB a second).

As for storage, I have added two 2TB NVME PCIe. The two SSD drives I used were Inland 1TB NVME PCIe and Western Digital 1TB Blue NVME PCIe. The WD drive is rated, and tested, faster (at 1.3MB a second) than the “genetic” Inland brand (at 1.1MB a second). It’s only by a hair, so I recommend saving some money and using the generic brand.

The new parts I added were:

Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR4 2666MHz CL18 Unbuffered SODIMM ($111)

Western Digital 1TB WD Blue NVME PCIe ($119)

Inland Professional 1TB NVME PCIe ($95)

For about $350, I was able to turn my Asus ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk into a respectable gaming laptop with enough storage (2.5TB) to store and carry around a lot of large triple A games.

Note: While some gamers might think 15 inches is too small, I think it is fine, especially because I want the lightness and portability of a laptop. In fact, I would’ve preferred a smaller screen. Since the screen can only handle 1080p, the 1650Ti GPU is perfectly fine for that screen. I was able to push 120 frames a second running Doom, and every game runs smoothly at 1080p (providing I use the power adapter).

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Asus ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk Gaming Laptop

ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk ASUS - ROG Strix G15 15.6" Gaming Laptop The ROG Strix G15 Electro Punk embodies streamlined design, offering a formidable core experience for serious gaming and multitasking on Windows 10. Featuring up to the latest 10th Gen Intel Core CPU and a NVIDIA GeForce GPU, it offers high-FPS power that takes full advantage of up to a blazing fast display Game at Professional Speed: An ultrafast 144Hz refresh rate makes the flow of fast-paced action look impeccably smooth and reduces motion blur for precision target tracking. ROG Intelligent Cooling: ROG's Intelligent Cooling philosophy mixes the right features and system settings to ensure the best experience. Performance is boosted with cutting-edge enhancements like liquid metal compound on the CPU and a well-ventilated exterior that keeps noise levels lower than the last generation. Comprehensive Connectivity: Get blazing fast transfers at Gen 2 speeds via the USB 3.2 Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4, or connect an ROG G-SYNC monitor for silky smooth gaming. Three Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports are ready for your favorite gaming gear, while HDMI 2.0b allows you to enjoy content on a 4K monitor or TV at up to 60Hz. Reliable Wi-Fi: Ultrafast Intel Wi-Fi 6 with Gig+ (802.11ax) lets you game reliably at LAN speeds wherever compatible connections are available. Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) enables a peak interface bandwidth up to 2.4Gbps.* Windows 10 Home Edition 15.6" Full HD display 144Hz (1920 x 1080) 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10750H mobile processor (6-core) 8GB system memory 512GB Solid State Drive (PCI-e) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 TI (4GB GDDR6) Virtual Reality Ready Weighs 5.29 lbs. and measures 1" thin HDMI output Wireless/Wired connectivity (WiFi 6 - 802.11 ax) RGB backlit keyboard Headphone/microphone combo jack. Read More MicroSoft Anyway, when I saw that the new MicroSoft’s Surface Pro 7 (with keyboard cover) on sale for $600, I couldn’t pass it up. Currently their price is $700, but MicroSoft’s website is still showing $600. ...

I’ve been quietly looking for a gaming laptop for a while now. Let’s face it, as much as I like the Surface Pro 7, that machine is not capable of playing any modern games. I wasn’t looking to spend too much money, trying to keep it under $1,000, so when I saw this ROG Strix G15: Electro Punk laptop for $899, I couldn’t pass it up. Both New Egg and Walmart are selling this same laptop for over $1,100… so getting the laptop sub-$1k is still a good price.

For those that don’t know, this the Republic of Gamers Strix (ROG Strix) is a gaming laptop brand from ASUS. The G15 or G17 refers to the screen size, at 15 inch and 17 inch, respectively. Personally speaking, for portability, I prefer smaller screens, so I don’t mind the 15 inch, as it keeps the laptop lighter.

You can get the ROG Strix in a variety of colors, for example “Glacier Blue” or Black. This “Electro Punk” version (Black with Neon Pink trims) may actually be part of a bigger rollout of Electro Punk-related products… such as a Cherry Mechanical Keyboard, mouse, and headphones (and headphone stand?). Personally speaking, I probably won’t be buying any of those accessories, simply because I’m not a fan of the color scheme and I already own great products from Razer or Corsair, and they serve their purpose.

In order to keep costs down for the Electro Punk, there are some subpar or missing features. I’ll address some of these things, so you know what or what not to expect.

The laptop is all (or mostly) made out of plastic. It still looks good, but doesn’t have a “premium” look that some aluminum or metal laptops. The plastic looks durable to me, and I like the weird vents and cyberpunk look, so it looks fine to me.

The Electro Punk edition also has only 8GB Ram. The Strix G15 normally has 16GB, so I feel this is a stepdown. The good news is that you can always upgrade the RAM with one of their open Ram slot. I may eventually upgrade the RAM down the road, but for now, it’s not that important to me.

It also a lack of built-in webcam. This is a problem for game streamers, so if you’re one of those, you probably need to avoid this laptop. You can always buy an external USB webcam if you really need one. Most built-in webcam aren’t great anyway, it’s just a matter of convenience.

It doesn’t have a SD card reader, which really sucks… but again, you can always use an external USB dongle. Same goes for DVD/CD-Rom drive… if you need it, you’ll have to buy an external USB drive. That is not a problem for me, simply because I don’t want moving parts in a mobile device.

Keep in mind that not including those things above keeps the retail price to $999, so I think they made the right decision. If they offer a built-in SD Card Reader for $50 more, I would personally pay for the upgrade.

Let’s highlight some of the main features of the Electro Punk.

The best part about this laptop is that it has a 144Hz screen, which is unheard of for a sub-$1000 laptop. What that means is smoother gameplay. For example, it doesn’t matter if your game is outputting 120 frames per seconds if your screen can only show 60Hz (60 frames). You can only take advantage of the fast refresh screen natively on the laptop. If you output to a 4k monitor using the HDMI-out, it can only display 60Hz. I think 60 is fine.

We’re also getting an i7 with 6-core chip. Again, almost unheard of for a budget laptop. Most budget laptops or desktop uses an i5 chip (or i3). The last few computers I’ve had, I have used i5 and never thought it was lacking anything. The i5 chip is fast, so I feel i7 is just going to be better.

You also won’t find this in other laptops, but the 2020 edition of the ROG Strix comes with “Liquid Metal”, which was intended to keep the laptop cool. They use this technology on their high-end laptops, so I’m very happy to see it on their cheapest laptop as well.

I think a lot of people might scoff at the built-in 512GB SSD PCI Express, saying there’s not enough storage. You have to remember that you’re getting this in a budget gaming laptop, so it’s not a surprise that they are cutting corners on storage. The good news is that there are TWO NVME slots on the motherboard. This is amazing. Most modern desktop or laptops only offers one slot. I have already put in a 1TB NVME and plan on putting in another 1TB (for a total of 2.5TB of storage) soon.

That’s not all. We also get a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphic card (4GB GDDR6). It’s a mobile version, but it’s still very fast and can handle all my games. In addition, it’s powerful enough to fuel Virtual Reality headsets, like Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. Unfortunately, this is budget Graphic Card, so it’s not going to have the latest “Ray Tracing” technology that all the new GPU cards are touting.

What is funny is that one of the main features that Asus is promoting is that the Electro Punk laptop weighs 5.29 lbs. I feel this is very heavy, but compared to other gaming laptops, 5.29lbs is actually reasonable. The 1" thinness (when closed), is pretty compact for a gaming laptop.

We also get the latest WiFi6 (802.11ax). They could’ve kept it cheap and used an older (and more common) WiFi chip, so I appreciate the latest wireless technology. Unfortunately, my current router does not support the latest 802.11ax, but I like the idea that the laptop can take advantage of a faster WiFi… for future proofing.

You typically don’t see extra RGB light strips in a budget laptop, so what’s nice about the Electro Punk is that there are underlighting in sync with your keyboard RGB lights. It uses the ASUS’ Aura software to control the lights. For example, you can have the light display red when it hits 60 degree Celcius, as a visual indicator that the laptop is hot. There are also games that will take advantage of Aura, maybe flashing lights when you’re low in health or when it spots an enemy.

I do have some minor nitpicks on the laptop. I think the Neon Pink accents might actually discourage this for boys. I mean, why not go for Neon Green or Orange? I think any color would go great with the black. If you ignore the pink, and maybe think of this as a Cyberpunk design, it sort of make sense.

The other annoying thing is that venting fans are loud. They run all the time. I don’t think you can turn these off (even on “Silent Mode”). In a quiet room, you can definitely hear the laptop running.

It’s also expected, but I should reiterate, that you should not run games on this laptop on battery. Not only do games drain the battery incredibly fast (a 30-min session cut the battery by 50%), but games are choppy and doesn’t run very well. If you do light browsing and email, the laptop will probably run for less than three hours… so you’ll always want to bring the power adapter with you.

I definitely recommend the Electro Punk laptop, if you’re in the market for an all-in-one gaming PC solution. You can use it as a laptop, or you can always get an external monitor and workstation dock and treat the laptop as a desktop.

If money is no object to you, Asus advertised an Electro Punk with GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER version, but I’m assuming it will be a lot more expensive than $1,000. Overall, I’ve been very impressed with my Electro Punk and its capabilities.

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