New GIGABYTE AERO 15 OLED laptops are now in Malaysia

The GIGABYTE AERO 15 OLED laptops are now finally here in Malaysia. Designed for the most demanding of creators, the GIGABYTE AERO OLED laptops features a stunning display, the latest hardware from Intel and NVIDIA and the best cooling they could cram into the 2cm thin designs.

Yes, the GIGABYTE AERO laptops are all designed to be just 20mm thin and around 2.1 kg in weight, including the battery. They are quite literally as portable as they are powerful.

However the main highlight of these laptops is of course the display, which is a 15.6″ 4K AMOLED panel from Samsung. The display panels cover 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, but that’s not the most impressive thing yet. GIGABYTE performs calibration individually on each laptop’s screen before it leaves the factory, with each GIGABYTE AERO 15 OLED featuring the PANTONE Calibrated certification which means they are ready for color-sensitive work as soon as you take it out of the box.

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You can get the GIGABYTE AERO 15 in the following options offered here in Malaysia:
GIGABYTE AERO 15 SAGIGABYTE AERO 15 OLED NAGIGABYTE AERO 15S OLED NACPUIntel Core i7 9750H, 6C/12T @ up to 4.5 GHz, 45W TDP, 14nm FinFETIntel Core i7 9750H, 6C/12T @ up to 4.5 GHz, 45W TDP, 14nm FinFET Intel Core i7 9750H, 6C/12T @ up to 4.5 GHz, 45W TDP, 14nm FinFET GPUNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB GDDR6NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR6NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR6 RAM16GB Samsung DDR4 2666 MHz (8GB x 2)16GB Samsung DDR4 2666 MHz (8GB x 2) 16GB Samsung DDR4 2666 MHz (8GB x 2) Storage512GB Intel 760p M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD512GB Intel 760p M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD 512GB Intel 760p M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD Display15.6″ FHD Sharp 240 Hz IPS panel15.6″ 4K Samsung AMOLED panel15.6″ 4K Samsung AMOLED panel ColorBlackBlackSilverPriceRM7699RM6999RM7099

If you want more powerful options, there will be GeForce RTX-powered options coming soon, along with the bigger GIGABYTE AERO 17 series.
Pokdepinion: The GIGABYTE AERO 15 OLED is an awesome laptop for on-the-go media creation.
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Goodbye webe; we barely knew you

webe, the telco that came in with the promise of unlimited data, calls and SMS on their 4G LTE network, will cease to exist on 16th September. The webe name will cease to exist, after just two years in the industry. However webe isn’t dead just yet. TM and webe will be converging to form unifi.
The journey towards convergence is still far though, as webe mentioned in the FAQ that you still can’t pay your unifi bill together with your home UniFi bill.Existing subscribers will see the network name on their devices change from webe to unifi soon. There really won’t be any changes in the plans offered by webe as well as prices despite the name change.
The name change also brings along with it changes to the Access Point Name (APN). Users will have to change their APN to unifi from webe. For Android users, go to your mobile network settings and edit the access point names and change it to unifi. iOS users will have to go to the Cellular/Mobile Data Network, tap on Access Point Name field and change it to unifi. Change your APN to unifi by 15th September or you will lose your data connection on 16th September and miss your #HariMalaysia posts on Instagram.

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SOURCE: webe
Pokdepinion: Why though?
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realme 5 Pro Review — improving on what matters most

The realme 5 Pro picks up where the realme 3 Pro and definitely makes a huge leap. In many ways, and luckily, almost all of them are good. You get a faster chipset, more cameras and better cameras, and of course, a USB-C port, something which many of you considered to be of utmost importance when choosing a smartphone.

So let’s start off with the unboxing. While the realme 3 series came with very minimalistic packaging, the new realme 5 series comes in boxes that are much more similar to their OPPO counterparts. A picture of the device on a white background is an image I have related to more affordable offerings, and I really hope realme reconsiders this decision with the upcoming realme 6 lineup.

On the inside, the contents are pretty familiar. Of course, you get the realme 5 Pro, a soft TPU case, a SIM ejector pin, and of course, that sweet VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 charger with the USB cable. Don’t worry about that weird charger pins, Malaysian units will come with the appropriate UK plug.

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 Really flashy
To be entirely honest, I don’t really dig realme’s transition to their crystal-like back finishing. realme is really proud of this, by the way, as it is a much more complicated process. I probably wouldn’t mind it if this wasn’t realme’s current top-of-the-line device in Malaysia, but it is. The realme 2 Pro’s simple shimmery finish was nice, the realme 3 Pro’s racing lines were cool, but this… This doesn’t look premium at all to me.

You can see the quad-camera setup here, and in typical realme fashion, features one of the lens highlighted by a yellow ring. I feel like the position of the camera hump is good, and the highlight is well incorporated into the design.
On the front, you might actually be unable to distinguish between the realme 3 Pro and realme 5 Pro. both feature what appears to be the same display, with the same dot-drop notch. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary here.

On one side, you will find the volume buttons and SIM tray, while the other sits the lonely power button. realme seems to think that this is the optimal positioning for the physical buttons on a smartphone. I beg to differ, but then again, this approach is adopted by a number of top smartphone makers, including the fruity one, so I guess many do actually like this layout?

On the bottom of the realme 5 Pro here you find the headphone jack, the much-anticipated USB-C port, and the loudspeaker. It doesn’t team up with the earpiece for better sound, but this is perfectly fine in the mid-range segment.
Specifications
CPU: Snapdragon 712 (2 x Kryo 360 Gold @ 2.3 GHz + 6 x Kryo 360 Silver @ 1.7 GHz), 10nm FinFET GPU: Adreno 616 @ 550 MHz RAM: 8GB LPDDR4xDisplay: 6.30″ FHD+ (2340 x 1080), IPS LCD, 450-nit max brightness, 90.6% screen-to-body ratioStorage:128GB UFS 2.1 (expandable via microSD)Camera: Main Camera(s)48MP f/1.79 + 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle camera + 2MP f/2.4 macro + 2MP f/2.4 depth sensorNightscape, Expert mode, Chroma Boost, Ultra 48MP, Ultra macro, 4K30 video, 720p960/1080p120 slow mo, AI beauty, AI HDR, AI scene recognitionFront Camera16MP f/2.0 Sony IMX471AI Beauty, AI HDR, 1080p30 videoOS: ColorOS 6 based on Android 9 Pie  Connectivity:  LTE Band 1/3/5/8/38/40/41Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)Bluetooth 5.0SIM:Dual SIMBattery: Li-Po 4035 mAh (non-removable)20W VOOC Flash Charge 3.0Dimensions: 157 x 74.2 x 8.9 mm Weight:184gIngress protection:Splash-resistant design, no IP rating
Performance
The Snapdragon 712 is a little newer than the Snapdragon 710, and is basically an overclocked Snapdragon 710 to give the 700-series an edge against the pretty nippy Snapdragon 675. This is the first time I have tested a Snapdragon 712, so here goes.

Performance is pretty good in Antutu, with it having a pretty clear advantage over its predecessor. The higher clocks do seem to make a difference here.

Qualcomm applied an overclock to the two faster CPU cores, which is probably why we are seeing the higher single-core scores here. The multi-core score regressed a tad though.

GPU performance has also been taken up a notch. Qualcomm claimed 10% better performance from the Snapdragon 712 over the Snapdragon 710, and it seems like they are pretty right on the money here.

realme might have made a mid-range workhorse here, as it obliterates the competition in this benchmark which evaluates performance in work-related tasks.

While we have seen some impressive performance improvements across the board, the realme 5 Pro doesn’t win when it comes to battery life. The higher clocks seem to have taken a pretty heavy toll on the longevity, with it clocking more than an hour less than the realme 3 Pro. Still, it’s going to easily last you a full day without worrying about having to charge it.
Since the realme 5 Pro comes with a VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 charge, recharging it is a really speedy affair. In just 30 minutes, I regained 48% of juice. Pretty impressive, if you ask me.
One thing I would like to highlight is how the realme 5 Pro didn’t even heat up one bit when I was running benchmark after benchmark. The same experience translated to gaming, making the realme 5 Pro great for longer gaming sessions.
User Experience
Almost everything you touch on the realme 5 Pro is plastic, with the exception of the glass sheet covering the screen. Scratches are inevitable, so make sure to use the included TPU case. With that said, it feels quite sturdy in hand, probably due to the fact that it is actually quite a hefty device, coming in at 184 grams.

People with smaller hands might also struggle with the 6.3″ display of the realme 5 Pro, but I do find it nicely sized, and it does look good. However in a time where OLED displays are becoming really mainstream in more affordable devices, it does stand to look a bit duller than the rest. Quite literally too, as its maximum brightness tops out at 450 nits while most OLED panels are pushing 600 nits and beyond. But then again, I would still prefer the LCD panel realme used here on the realme 5 Pro any day over a 720p OLED display.

realme has started using ColorOS 6 since the realme 3 series, and I must say it is really quite good. ColorOS 5 was one of my least favorite skins, and ColorOS 6 is one of my preferred Android overlays, so there’s a huge difference in user experience here. It’s cleaner, it doesn’t look as clunky, and is definitely one of the more modern Android skins out there.
#LeapToQuad paying off?

Given that realme strongly emphasized the #LeapToQuad tagline with the realme 5 Pro, I do expect to see some major improvements in the camera.

The UI here is very familiar, with the addition of a small button to switch to the ultra-wide angle camera. Other features like the Nightscape and Macro modes, are also hidden away in the popup menu which I liked on the realme 3 series, but since there are more features on the realme 5 Pro, the list is also longer than what was on its predecessor, making it slightly less appealing now.

In general, the images from the realme 5 Pro are very good. However the noise reduction algorithm might need a bit of tweaking as it doesn’t seem to be able to properly smooth out noise in the black areas of an otherwise well lit scene. Aside from that, it definitely delivers the goods. The ultra-wide angle camera is a nice addition to the arsenal, although it isn’t the best wide-angle shooter we have seen thus far. realme did try their best to let the camera shine by also applying their superb Nightscape processing to the ultra-wide angle, so you can take ultra-wide shots in low light. Results are impressive. Worth noting that a lot of more premium devices in the market do not offer that capability, so kudos to realme for this.

The macro camera… Well, I have tested smartphones with it, and I still struggle to find a reason to use it more often. The results vary, it can deliver some nice shots in very good lighting, but in poorer lighting, you would do better by using the main camera and just cropping in. The main 48MP camera can actually get in pretty close, as compared to some offerings from the competition, so there’s that too. You can check out the full-sized images here.
Conclusion
realme has once again topped themselves with the realme 5 Pro, offering a huge upgrade over the realme 3 Pro. Raw performance wise, not so much, but the cameras are immensely better. I personally think that is one of the most important aspects of a smartphone, so kudos to realme for throwing in new hardware in that area.
The small upgrade to a USB-C port is also a notable one, considering that some do find it an important feature to look at before deciding on their next smartphone. Also we are now looking at UFS 2.1 storage (again), so all is well.
Priced at exactly the same price (RM1099) as the realme 2 Pro and realme 3 Pro, realme once again offers a lot of bang for your buck with the realme 5 Pro. Sure, the segment is increasingly competitive, but still realme has managed to offer an upgrade without having to jack up the price, which is definitely a commendable move.

Our thanks to realme Malaysia for sending us the realme 5 Pro for review!
BONUS:

Ever wondered how does the realme 5 Pro stand against the vivo S1? Both are priced at RM1099, so which one is the better mid-range device? Find out by watching the video above!
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PUBG Is A Dying Game and The Shrinking Player Base Proves It

Battle royale is one of the most popular game genres out there today. Some of the games that made it popular include H1ZI, Fortnite, and PUBG. In the case of the latter, it appears that it is truly a dying game as there has been a serious drop in player base as of late.
According to TalkEsport, the player base for PUBG has dropped by 82% since January 2018, which is the month it had the most active players. To be precise, it had 1,584,886 concurrent players. This pales in comparison to the 288,848 average player count over the past few weeks.
While the battle royale genre has further grown in popularity since 2018, it became oversaturated. You have Apex Legends, Fortnite, Call of Duty’s Blackout mode, and a bunch of mobile games. Furthermore, you have notorious figures such as Shroud and Ninja expressing their distaste for the genre along with video game addiction cases and you get a big problem.

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There is still work being put into PUBG but it’s still plagued with bugs and general play issues. The game has mixed reviews on Steam. While it has an 6-star rating overall, only 51% of the reviews for the game are positive. It’s going to be incredibly tough to bring the game back to its old glory days and with plenty of alternatives out there, it might just be impossible.
Source: Gamebyte
Pokdepinion: Not particularly surprised about PUBG dying given the number of new games out there now, including alternative battle royale options. Moreover, I’m sure a lot of people have grown weary of the genre.
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OnePlus 11 Review – Powerhouse At A Good Price

Unboxing the OnePlus 11
OnePlus 11 Review – Box

Starting off the OnePlus 11 review with the unboxing, the packaging is clad in red with a minimalist design, which feels very apt since it’s launching around the time of the Lunar New Year. Inside the box, you can find the following items:
OnePlus 11 Review – Box content

100W SUPERVOOC power adapter
Quick Start Guide
Welcome Letter
Safety Information and Warranty Card
SIM Tray Ejector
USB Cable (Type-A to Type-C)
OnePlus stickers
The OnePlus 11 smartphone itself

Specifications

CPU
Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Octa-core
1 x 3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2 x 2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2 x 2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3 x 2GHz Cortex-A510
4 nm

GPU
Adreno 740

Memory
16GB LPDDR5X

Storage
256GB UFS4.0

Display
6.7″ Super Fluid AMOLED LTPO (3216 x 1440), 1B colors, 20:1:9, Gorilla Glass Victus, 525ppi
Dynamic 120Hz Refresh Rate, up to 1000Hz touch response rate,
1300 nits peak brightness, Dolby Vision, HDR10+

Camera
50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide) Sony IMX890, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 6P lens
48 MP, f/2.2, 115˚ (ultrawide) Sony IMX581, 1/2″, AF, 6P lens
32 MP, f/2.0, (telephoto) Sony IMX709, 1/2.74″, PDAF, 2x optical zoom, 6Pn lens
Hasselblad Camera for Mobile, Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama
[email protected], [email protected]/60FPS, Full [email protected]/60/240FPS, Auto HDR, gyro-EIS

Selfie camera
16 MP, f/2.45, 25mm (wide) Sony IMX471, 1.0µm, fixed focus, 5P lens
Full [email protected], gyro-EIS, Auto HDR, panorama

Connectivity
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth 5.3
USB Type-C 2.0
GPS with A-GPS, Up to tri-band: GLONASS (1), BDS (3), GALILEO (2), QZSS (2)
NFC, eSE, HCE
5G

Battery
5,000 mAh
Fast Charging 100W

Dimensions
163.1 x 74.1 x 8.53 mm

Weight
205g

Colour
Titan Black, Eternal Green

Performance
OnePlus 11 Review – Antutu v9
Starting off the benchmark suite with Antutu v9, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powering the OnePlus 11 zoomed past every device in the list, both in normal and high performance mode. This is how a flagship chip should be. For most users, it’s best to consider the standard mode as the expectation on its performance as you would likely not even use high performance mode, but we’ll explain why in a later part of this section.
OnePlus 11 Review – Geekbench 5
Moving on to Geekbench 5, the OnePlus 11 managed an admirable score but it’s interesting how the single core portion loses out to its preceding chip until it goes to high performance. Even then, it doesn’t come close to beating the Apple A16 Bionic chip powering the iPhone 14 Pro series. This doesn’t necessarily mean the chip isn’t capable of beating it however as the OnePlus 11 might not be fully optimized for the chip so we will have to wait for other devices that uses the same one.

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OnePlus 11 Review – 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited
Moving on to 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited, the OnePlus 11 has a very strong showing but it does seem odd as to why the standard and high performance scores are about the same. Further analysis reveals that this is due to thermals as it runs consistently in standard but in high performance, it throttles pretty quickly. To give you an objective view, the thermal stability on both modes are 99.8% and 39.5% respectively, meaning that the device saw a drop in performance for the most part of the test in high performance.
OnePlus 11 Review – PCMark Work 3.0
It gets a bit strange in PCMark Work 3.0 as the score seems to be noticeably lower than expected, both in high performance and standard modes. This makes me wonder about the device’s optimization as not only should it score higher given the chip, it’s not far off from the much weaker Snapdragon 695. Regardless, it’s still a very capable device and should not have any issues with everyday tasks.
OnePlus 11 Review – Battery endurance test
Lastly for the battery life, this is an area of concern as many have claimed the battery life to be bad but based on our findings, that depends. With adaptive 120Hz refresh rate enabled, the OnePlus 11 lasted 11 hours and 34 minutes (694 minutes) in 2K resolution in PCMark’s Work 3.0 endurance test but lasts significantly longer in Full HD, at 14 hours and 8 minutes (848 minutes). In other words, the battery life can be good as long as you use a resolution lower than 2K, and most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Full HD and 2K in that screen size anyway.
In case you’re wondering about how fast the included 100W charger is, in short, it’s really fast. For a more objective look from 2% battery, I’ve included the numbers below here:

15 minutes = 61%
27 minutes = 100%

In case you might be considering older but still reliable smartphones to save money, check out our OnePlus 10T review by clicking right here.
Camera

The cameras on the OnePlus 11 is certainly above average across the board. However, the result can vary from time to time. The main camera generally does well overall with excellent detailing and colours but has issues with motion at times, while the ultrawide does great in broad daylight and still produce decent results in low light, albeit with some distortion and slower autofocus performance. Telephoto is great up until 5x zoom where details start to fall off and it suffers quite a bit in low light shots.
Looking at the cat picture, all three cameras do not capture the fur with a very fine detail on each strand but the main camera still managed an admirable result. A good number of the aforementioned issues can still be prevented if you’re willing to use manual settings so honestly, I’m quite pleased with the cameras. There are smartphones with better cameras out there, but you will be pleasantly surprised how well the OnePlus 11 fares.
The Good
OnePlus 11 Review – Display
For those of you who have yet to use a OnePlus device, it uses a customized version of Android known as OxygenOS. In the case of the OnePlus 11, OxygenOS 13 (based on Android 13) has a Pixel-esque look with minor UI differences. Personally, it has a minimalist look with better separation of signal bars and a more practical approach with toggles. Liking this or not is subjective what I can say for sure is that it’s smooth, easy to use and has minimal bloatware.
Furthermore, the company has addressed a major issue with its predecessor, with the OnePlus 11 now coming with 4 years of Android upgrades and 5 years of security updates guaranteed. This puts it on par with Samsung flagships, which were leading the market in this area and allowing people use it for longer period of time without needing to upgrade to a new device (provided nothing breaks down along the way).
OnePlus 11 Review – New camera housing
The OnePlus 11 has a new look, though it’s not a big departure from its predecessor. From the front, it looks just like the OnePlus 10 Pro, though the top and bottom bezels seem to be a tiny bit thicker. When you move to the back, you can see that this one has a rounded camera housing with the Hasselblad logo taking centerstage. I prefer this over the square-ish cutout as I feel that it looks more proper for a camera, exuding confidence in its capabilities and giving an overall more premium look.
OnePlus 11 Review – Alert Slider
In terms of practicality, it’s not a fingerprint magnet despite the glossy finish surprisingly. Lastly, having the Alert Slider on the side makes it very convenient to change it from Ring, Vibrate Only, and Silent without going into the smartphone itself.
Arguably the best part about the OnePlus 11 is its display. It’s a whopping 6.7-inch Super Fluid AMOLED LTPO display with Gorilla Glass Victus, which brings better screen protection right out of the box with an adaptive refresh rate from 1Hz all the way to 120Hz. Colour reproduction is excellent and 120Hz is really smooth, with the adaptive nature ensuring that it doesn’t eat up on battery life. It also has an under-display fingerprint scanner, which works accurately at an insanely fast speed, which is great. It’s not the brightest display compared to other flagships, but it’s certainly more than enough for most people.
The Bad
OnePlus 11 Review – USB-C port and bottom-firing speaker
While it not being a fingerprint magnet would make it viable to use without a protective case, the thickness of the camera housing makes it a necessity unfortunately. The gap between the rear and the peak of the housing can make it wobble a bit when placed on a flat surface, and you definitely need the added protection for the camera more than anything else. In other words, if you do get a case for it, make sure it’s one that provides adequate protection for the camera housing and you’ll be fine.
On paper, the use of the “Dual Reality Speakers” on the OnePlus 11 sounds promising but in reality, its implementation here is subpar. Not only is it noticeably softer compared to most other smartphones even within the midrange segment, the sound isn’t balanced as the bottom speaker ends up being a little bit louder than the top. It’s not a dealbreaker as it wouldn’t lead you to missing out on calls / notifications, nor is it imbalanced enough to give a bizarre experience. However, I do expect this to be improve in its successor model.
OnePlus 11 Review – Rear
Just like its predecessor, the OnePlus 11 doesn’t have an official IP rating. This doesn’t mean that it can’t withstand some degree of dust and water however as it’s likely done to keep costs low again as obtaining a rating does have a price. With that being said however, do be extra careful with it as having any form of water damage would not be covered under warranty, so you will have to pay out of your own pocket should it ever occur.
Lastly, the OnePlus 11 doesn’t come with wireless charging support, likely as a cost-cutting measure. Personally, this is a minor one as the included charger, as well as the smartphone’s charging capabilities, allow for superbly fast charging speeds so you don’t have to be connected to a wire for long. However, if you’re the kind of person who would prefer the convenience of charging without fiddling around with cables, then this isn’t the one for you.
OnePlus 11 Review
OnePlus 11 Review – Punchhole cutout
The OnePlus 11 has flagship-level performance and capabilities without the usual flagship-level price at USD $799. However, there is a reason why they managed to keep prices relatively low as you will be missing out some features here and there. That shouldn’t scare you away from this however as it’s still a reliable daily driver with a premium build and all-day battery life.
At the end of our OnePlus 11 review, I award this smartphone with our Silver Pokdeward.

Big thanks to OnePlus for sending us this smartphone for the purpose of this review.
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11street Malaysia Kicks Off ‘Shocking? Yes!’ Campaign – Starting This 1st November!

11street today has announce that they will be launching the year-end campaign ‘Shocking? Yes!’ this 1st November 2017 until the 31st December 2017.
Shocking? Yes! Campaign
11street did a survey, where it revealed that price plays a key factor when it comes to online shopping (well of course it does) and the other factor is in terms of product abundance for all categories across international brand standards. Thus, with the results of the survey, 11street will be holding the Shocking? YES! campaign with 100,000 Lowest Price Guaranteed products and free shipping for purchase above RM29 under the Shocking Deals section, with over thousands of sellers and international brands to shop from.
With the rapid digitalisation of economies, we are looking at a world of connected businesses. China, Japan, Korea, and USA top the chart for active e-commerce penetration, so no doubt Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia are a melting pot of opportunities for the e-commerce boom to take place. As an online marketplace, 11street serves the role in providing consumers with the convenience of online shopping and a greater product variety at competitive price, locally and internationally, while growing the local e-commerce market. Chuljin Yoon, Chief Operating Officer of 11street
Additionally, the survey found that Malaysians are getting more and more into the online shopping scene and are expected to grow by 50%, with more consumer products coming in from more than 20 countries that includes USA, Japan, and Europe.

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For more information on 11street’s ‘Shocking? YES!’ campaign and its series of Shocking Deals, you can do so by clicking the link right here.
Pokdepinion: I was surprised at how much brands were present at the launching event today. That’s a good thing though, consumers would want a good variety to purchase.

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Splinter Cell Chaos Theory Is Free Now — Here’s How You Can Get It

The folks at Ubisoft is offering gamers a free game, specifically Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. If you want to get it for free, you would want to act quickly.
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory now free

The game was originally released back in 2005, the third instalment from the franchise where you play as the iconic Sam Fisher. Gamers have rated it as one of the best from the game’s series and Ubisoft is offering it totally for free through Ubisoft Connect.

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That being said, if you are playing on a console, well there’s bad news. It appears that the game is being offered for free for only PC gamers. So if you are eligible, you may claim the game from now till the 25th of November 2021.
Once claimed, the game will be in your library forever. You may claim the game by heading to the link right here. Previously, Sam Fisher’s voice actor was confident that there will be a new Splinter Cell to come.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net
Source
.Pokdepinion: Is this a hint that a new game is coming? Okay maybe that’s too farfetched.. Regardless, I wouldn’t say no to a free game!
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Genshin Impact: Gorou, Itto, Shenhe, Yae Release Date Leaked Out

Looks like the Genshin Impact leak train isn’t coming to a stop anytime soon. The latest leak allegedly reveals the release date for Gorou, Itto, Shenhe, and Yae.
Genshin Impact: Gorou, Itto, Shenhe, Yae Release Date Leak
According to details posted by Reddit user Educational-Shine292, Itto and Shenhe will be launching in Genshin Impact 2.4 while Yae will be coming in update 2.5. The Reddit user claims the information stems from a renowned leaker who previously leaked the Raiden Shogun character model.

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Initially, Yae was said to be coming as part of update 2.2 but now, it’s likely that Thoma will be the only new character in the update. This led to numerous leakers claiming that there is a sudden delay for her release for unknown reasons.
Lastly, infamous leaker Ubatcha who took a break from the usual activities revealed, after being asked on the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Discord server, that Gorou will be launching in update 2.3. The details he has on hand simply points towards that likelihood, but as such, we should be prepared in case there may be sudden changes.
In case you’re uncertain, Genshin Impact 2.3 is expected to launch sometime in late November 2021, with update 2.4 expected sometime in January 2022. This is based on miHoYo’s release schedule, which is still subjected to change.
Genshin Impact is currently available for free on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, and PC. A Nintendo Switch port of the game coming in the near future.
Source
Pokdepinion: If there was a delay, then it’s better for that to happen instead of releasing a buggy character. Who knows what kind of disaster they could put the game in.
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Luno waives admin fee for deposits above RM100 starting 5th May

Luno Malaysia has just notified users that they will be waiving the RM0.70 admin free for any transfer above RM100 using FPX or bank transfer. This will be starting from 5th May 2021, but I guess as with any investment tool, you most probably won’t be waiting till next week to buy your crypto.

Deposits of less than RM100 will still incur the same RM0.70 fee to cover their internal costs. All their other fees will also remain the same, so you will still have to pay the respective fees for withdrawal or trading your cryptocurrency.

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You can currently buy BTC, ETH, LTC and Ripple on Luno, with it being the first cryptocurrency exchange in Malaysia to be approved to operate as a Recognized Market Operator (Digital Asset Exchange) by the Securities Commission of Malaysia.
Pokdepinion: I just put RM250 in earlier this week…
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Intel ARC Graphics Cards Launch Date Potentially Leaked

Some new rumours have surfaced on the Intel ARC desktop graphics cards. It appears that plans have allegedly shifted to a gradual launch instead of having a big event with everything releasing at once.
These details came from Igor’sLAB, where it’s being said that Intel is moving up the launch to anywhere between 5th August to 29th September 2022, and it’s said to be the best opportunity to do so. While we know of the Intel ARC A770 and A750, we’re still uncertain as to what the third card will be.

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Given the rather tight timeline for launch, it’s likely that the remaining Intel ARC A-Series GPUs will not be seeing an extravagant launch event, something you’d typically see with high end NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards. There are allegedly already a number of cards ready to be sent out to the media for testing purposes, and it’s expected to happen within short notice.
While it’s confirmed that China will be getting the graphics cards, we’re uncertain about the media for other countries. Likely, it will be the finalized product if it does ever reach other regions. For now, do take this information with a grain of salt as we will be reporting more on this as soon as information becomes available.
Source
Pokdepinion: I’m interested to see how much they would affect the existing GPU market. I don’t expect them to compete with the best cards but if they can offer something enticing in the low to midrange, it’s still something worth looking forward to.
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[CES 2023] MSI’s CES 2023 Recap: Award-Winning Laptops, PC Components & Peripherals, and More

MSI’s CES 2023 Recap: Award-Winning Laptops, PC Components & Peripherals, and More

It’s a lot of stuff to go through with the products it has revealed and won CES Innovation Awards in CES 2023.

First comes laptops: MSI has four laptops winning CES Innovation Awards, three under “Gaming” and one for “Computer Hardware & Components”. The former three includes Stealth 16 Studio, Stealth 14 Studio and Raider GE78 HX. The Stealth models are powered by 13th Gen Intel CPUs and RTX 4070, with QHD+ 240Hz plus robust cooling systems. The gaming-focused Raider GE78 HX meanwhile is powered by top-of-the-line hardware with Core i9-13980HX and RTX 4090 on disposal.

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Meanwhile, MSI’s flagship TITAN laptop returns – the TITAN GT77 HX uses the Core i9-13980HX and RTX 4090, cooled by 4 fans, 8 heatpipes, paired with 4K144 Mini-LED display and Cherry MX Ultra Low Profile keyboard switches to top it off its insane specs.
Other products that won awards include MSI Pen 2 – a tablet pen with haptic feedback; RTX 40 GPUs, and SPATIUM M570 HS – MSI’s PCIe 5.0 SSD. On top of that, MSI’s VIGOR GK71 keyboard and CLUTCH GM51 mouse also won awards in CES 2023.

Next up is networking products – on top of the existing RadiX AXE6600 and AX6600 routers, MSI introduced it’s first Wi-Fi 7 certified router: the RadiX BE22000 Turbo. This spaceship-looking router is able to physically move its four fin-shaped antennas to track and point towards your device for better signal quality.

MSI’s CES award-winning monitors include the MEG 342C QD-OLED and 491C QD-OLED gaming monitors, joining the QD-OLED train; as well as MAG 275CQRX, a VA-powered 1000R curved QHD 250Hz monitor. Among the products that won awards in November also included the MEG Trident X2 desktop systems – powered by 13th-Gen Core i9 and RTX 4090; plus the MEG Z790 GODLIKE motherboard; and the MEG Ai1300P PCIE5 power supply.

On the non-gaming products, the company has took awards for its Modern MD271UL 4K monitor; MS-XP01 EV Premium EV charger, and MS-98M3 3.5-inch single-board computer powering the AMP-AI-PJ-UVGI mobile sterilization robot.
Pokdepinion: Pretty promising products to say the least.
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Diablo 4 Cross-Platform Disparity: PC Mounts Move Faster, Raising Concerns

Cross-platform play has become a highly sought-after feature in modern online games, facilitating seamless multiplayer experiences and enhancing convenience for players. However, achieving true cross-platform parity can present challenges. A recent discovery in Diablo 4 has revealed that mounts in the game’s PC version can move faster than their console counterparts, leading to discussions and concerns within the community.
Diablo 4 Cross-Platform: Mount Works Faster on PC

Initially, console players noticed that mounts in Diablo 4’s PC version appeared to be moving at a higher speed. Some players suspected it was a glitch or an issue on their end. While it is true that optimizing speed through well-timed boosts is possible, PC players have an additional advantage that console players lack.

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On PC, utilizing mouse and keyboard controls, the distance between the mouse and the character affects the movement speed. By pushing the mouse to the edge of the screen, PC players can achieve speeds beyond what console players can attain. Console players, on the other hand, rely on their controller’s joystick for movement, which provides a set speed that can only be increased through boosting.
Since i got downvoted so much, heres proof that pc players are faster
by u/Competitive-Trade-16 in diablo4

A Reddit video shared by user u/Competitive-Trade-16 demonstrated a PC player easily overtaking a console player while both were mounted. Numerous comments echoed similar experiences, with PC players explaining how mount speed works on their platform. Some players also highlighted the broader impact of input devices on gameplay.
For instance, the Sorcerer class’s Teleport ability operates differently on console and PC versions of Diablo 4. On consoles, the teleport distance is automatically determined based on enemy proximity. Even in the absence of enemies, the teleport will only move the player a limited distance forward. In contrast, PC players can move their cursor to the screen’s edge and teleport much farther.
Achieving complete cross-platform parity between PC and console is a complex task due to the stark differences in input devices. While some disparities are expected, the issue of PC players moving faster on mounts seems to be an avoidable discrepancy. Console players are voicing their desire for a patch to address this concern. However, as suggested by a few disgruntled PC players, remedying the situation may involve slowing down mount speeds.
Source
Pokdepinion: While cross-platform parity can be challenging, ensuring fair gameplay experiences across different input devices is crucial. Console players are advocating for a resolution to address the faster mount speeds on PC. As the development team evaluates potential solutions, it is hoped that a balance can be struck, allowing all players to enjoy Diablo 4’s immersive world and thrilling adventures, regardless of their chosen platform.
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ASUS x LAZADA 11.11 Sales are insane! Get more than RM900 off on the ROG Phone!

ASUS has partnered up with Lazada for some insane promotions for the massive 11.11 Sales! They are literally making price cuts across their range of products, including the latest ROG Phone for the ASUS x LAZADA 11.11 Sales!

For starters, they are slashing off RM943 off the ROG Phone 512GB with its full set of accessories. The full set which is priced at a pretty eye-watering RM7942, is brought down to just RM6999, which is sure a lot more palatable. The ROG Phone in this set is the ROG Phone 512GB worth RM3999, so this is an incredible deal. The full set includes ASUS WiGig Display Dock and TwinView Dock, which cost RM899 and RM999 each, respectively. If this isn’t a good deal, I don’t know what is.

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For those of you aren’t nearly as ambitious when it comes to mobile gaming, there is also the ASUS ZenFone 5z. Both variants will see a good RM300 slashed off its normal retail price, with the 6GB + 128GB variant offered at an all-time low of RM1599. The 8GB + 256GB variant will also be offered at RM1999.

Further down the ladder, we have the #GamingKawKaw ASUS ZenFone Max Pro (M1) priced from RM499 for the 3GB + 32GB variant. Stepping up to the 4GB + 64GB variant will just cost you RM699. That’s a pretty major discount on the devices, considering the 3GB variant normally goes for RM699!

And to top it off, you can get the ASUS Powerbank Pro 10500 mAh for just RM59. The usual retail price is RM119, so it is definitely a steal. Which of these smartphones will you pick? Or will you just go for the powerbank? Whichever it is, make sure not to miss the ASUS x LAZADA 11.11 Sales! You can check out all the cool promotions via the following link:

Pokdepinion: The ROG Phone’s AirTriggers had me smitten at first touch… Should I…?
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HP expands Ink Tank printers range — introduces the Ink Tank 315 and Ink Tank Wireless 415 printers

HP’s latest Ink Tank 315 and Ink Tank Wireless 415 printers cater to small-medium businesses (SMB) and also small and home business users. These printers are designed to minimize costs and improve productivity.
Both printers can print up to 8000 pages of color prints with a set of three HP color bottles and 6000 pages of black and white print wit the HP black pigment ink bottle. These original HP inks are formulated for dark, crisp text and vibrant graphics. Photos printed with the HP Ink Tank Wireless 415 are water and fade-resistant too.

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The benefit of the Ink Tank system is the spill-free refill system. Bottles can be plugged into the tank without any squeezing or mess. Inks levels are easily visible with the transparent ink tanks. When you see the levels drop to critical levels, just refill the tanks to keep printing.
The Ink Tank Wireless 415 enables WiFi Direct printing and can work with any smart device running iOS, Android or Windows. You can even print remotely with the HP Smart app to print from your cloud storage.
The HP Ink Tank Wireless 415 is priced at RM659, while the Ink Tank 315 is priced at RM599.
Pokdepinion: This printer will be great for university students too, with its affordable and high quality prints. The cost of entry is a bit high though.
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KLEVV R1 Portable SSD 1TB Review — great sustained performance!

KLEVV recently sent us the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD, a rather unique-looking external SSD that seems to feature a PCIe NVMe SSD within its funky-looking enclosure. Promising transfer rates of up to 1000MB/s, KLEVV is not gunning for the throne in terms of performance — that goal would the KLEVV S1‘s instead — and is probably meant to entice the market with its value for money. But wait, is it really good value for money? Well, let’s give it a spin.
Video
If you prefer watching the video review of this product, we made one for you.

Unboxing

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We can see that KLEVV went with their signature blue and gray aesthetics. I like that most of the key features of the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD are listed here, although I think a mention of the speeds that the USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface is capable of might entice end users more than just the interface itself, since I believe many of us can’t be bothered to remember the speeds of each USB generation.

Over on the back we find a list of features, specifications as well as the speeds that the drive is capable of. There will apparently only be two capacities to choose from, 512GB and 1TB, with similar speeds for both drives.

In the box, the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD comes with a interesting two-ended flat cable that’s about 50cm in length, which is actually a bit longer than what I expect to come with my external drives. There’s also a leaflet with the QR codes to let you download the quick start guide and also the Do Your Data data recovery utility to restore accidentally deleted files. It’s nice to see that KLEVV saved some paper by not printing out the quick start guide.
Appearance

The top surface of the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD features this interesting diagonal pattern running all across it. While it probably would be a great surface to dissipate some heat given all that surface area that the raised lines provide, this is unfortunately made of plastic.

Over on the under side we have a translucent plastic shell that showcases the copper heatsink within. You can also see the perforations along the sides that allow for some semblance of heat dissipation, although whatever airflow they provide over the copper heatsink is probably negligible. The fabric KLEVV tab is also here to add a touch of style, while more creative users might attach a keychain to it for some added convenience.

At the ends we can see the translucent plastic meeting the opaque black plastic, with a USB-C port in between. As mentioned earlier, the cable comes with two ends, so one USB-C end goes here, while the host connection can either be a USB-C or USB-A one. There’s also a little status LED here to indicate drive activity and the connection status.
Specifications
KLEVV R1 Portable SSD

Capacity
1TB (953TB usable)

Interface
USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10Gbps)

NAND Type
SK Hynix 3D TLC NAND

DRAM Cache
None

Controller
Realtek RTS5765DL

Rated speed
Sequential:
Read: Up to 1000MB/s Write: Up to 1000MB/s

Endurance
N/A

Dimensions
107 x 48 x 12.1 mm

Weight
66.5g

Included accessories
Do Your Data Recovery Technician

Warranty
3 years

Test System (ASUS ROG Flow Z13)

Processor
Intel Core i9-12900H, 14C (6P + 8E) / 20T @ up to 5.0GHz, 24MB cache, Intel 7

RAM
Up to 16GB LPDDR5-5200, onboard, dual-channel

Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 96EU @ 1.45GHz
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB GDDR6, 35W TGP (40W with Dynamic Boost)

Storage
1TB WD SN PC735 M.2 PCIe 4.0 x 4 NVMe SSD, M.2 2230

Display
13.4″ 16:10 FHD (1920 x 1200) 120Hz Sharp LQ134N1JW54 IPS display
Adaptive Sync, Pantone Validated, 100% sRGB, 500 nits, Dolby Vision support, touch screen, stylus input
1 x USB-C, DisplayPort Alt Mode, G-SYNC (USB 3.2 Gen 2)
1 x USB-C, DisplayPort Alt Mode (Thunderbolt 4)

Connectivity
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211, WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2
1 x XG Mobile Interface (PCIe 3.0 x8 + USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C)
1 x Thunderbolt 4
1 x USB 2.0 Type-A
1 x microSD card reader, UHS-II
1 x 3.5mm combo audio jack

Performance
The KLEVV R1 Portable SSD supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds, which means speeds of up to 10Gbps. The USB-C connection assures compatibility with most Android, macOS and Windows devices, but it is worth mentioning that it also depends on which Android device you are using. For example, my POCO F2 Pro which has a USB 2.0 Type-C interface, fails to deliver enough power to the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD, while the ROG Phone 5, with its insane USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface works flawlessly. The ROG Phone series are probably the best phones to use with the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD anyway, since it is one of the few Android devices with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support.
Synthetic

The KLEVV R1 Portable SSD manages to exceed its rated speeds of 1000MB/s for both read and write, with rather decent random speeds as well. In fact, it outperforms the Kingston XS2000, which had faster read and write speeds, but slower speeds when it came to 4K than the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD.

We see a more modest showing in AS SSD, but the sequential and 4K speeds are still very good. It does however suffer from slightly higher access times, which was actually noticeable as we tried to run our Final Fantasy XIV benchmark off the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD. More on that later.

Similar performance numbers are observed in Anvil’s Storage Utilities, with good speeds for sequential and also 4K.

What surprised me the most was how consistent the performance over the 85 minutes it took to fill up the drive. The average speed of 877.8MB/s is actually higher than what we have seen in our last external SSD review, so I definitely consider this a great drive if you plan on copying massive files to and fro the drive frequently.

Thermals were also well controlled, thanks to the copper heatsink. The highest temperatures we observed on the surface were close to 60°C, which is pretty toasty, but as you can see there was no throttling going on here. In normal use you won’t usually see that kind of temperatures anyway, so you can rest assured that you won’t burn a hole through your desk anytime soon with the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD.
Real World

The KLEVV R1 Portable SSD is able to deliver relatively good loading times, but we observed slight delays when firing up the settings menu of the Final Fantasy XIV benchmark tool. I guess you can run games off the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD just fine, but just be a bit more patient if that’s your desired usage scenario.

I am definitely willing to be more patient with the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD though, considering that it is currently the most affordable external SSD we have tested yet. Coming in at around RM0.63 per GB, that’s a fair bit lower, and definitely bodes well for more widespread adoption of external SSDs in place of external HDDs for bulk storage on the go.
User Experience

The KLEVV R1 Portable SSD’s fettuccine-like cable has a little clip to help you adjust the asymmetrical lengths of the USB-C and USB-A cables, but I feel like it doesn’t do much. The cables still end up being quite a mess, and I wish KLEVV actually offered a shorter USB-C cable for portability’s sake, since I do believe that anyone who buys the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD is probably going to carry it around with them to be able to enjoy the fast transfer speeds when on the go.

The status LED is also quite bright and helps to assist you in determining when you can freely pull it out. While I do recommend safely removing the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD from your system, simply due to the fact that the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD contains so much more data than your average thumb drive, the LED does remain static when there isn’t any drive activity… You can just pull it out, but don’t blame me when crap hits the fan.

Speaking of crap hitting the fan, you don’t exactly have to worry about the thermals of the drive. The copper heatsink under the translucent plastic cover really does a pretty good job. As noted during the AIDA64 Linear Write test, no throttling was observed. And say if you want to swap out the SSD, you can too, since the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD features a standard M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe SSD under the sleek copper heatsink, which lets you reuse the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD’s enclosure with a larger SSD. Unfortunately, changing to a faster SSD won’t give you faster speeds, since you are literally at the limit of the USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface with the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD already.

Moving on to the software aspect of things, KLEVV bundled the Do Your Data Recovery Technician with the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD, letting you recover deleted, formatted or even corrupted data. This is probably a nice thing to have, since removable media don’t get a Recycle Bin, and everything that’s deleted just gets permanently erased with no way to restore it. If you were to buy it, it will cost you a cool $89 for a lifetime license. That’s quite a value addition to the package.
Conclusion

The KLEVV R1 Portable SSD is available right now for just RM649, which I would say is a very reasonable price for the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD. It performs better than I expected, delivering consistently high speeds as the drive filled up from 0% to 100%. While I have tested faster external drives, they usually aren’t able to deliver this sort of consistent sustained performance. It seems KLEVV optimized the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD to deliver stellar sustained performance, which I do appreciate.
My only gripe would be the fact that the copper heatsink is hidden under plastic, instead of allowing it to dissipate the heat more freely, but as our tests have shown, it worked perfectly fine with the little perforations along the sides. If you are particularly paranoid about losing your sensitive data, the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD is also not the drive for you as it doesn’t have any hardware encryption support. But I think for the price, the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD is not meant for those who want to carry around confidential information on the drive anyway. As an affordable, good looking portable SSD with great performance, the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD definitely deserves our Golden Pokdeward.

Our thanks to ESSENCORE for sending us the KLEVV R1 Portable SSD for review.
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[CES 2023] Acer Updates Rebranded NITRO Gaming Laptops

Acer Updates Rebranded NITRO Gaming Laptops

Acer’s entry-level gaming laptops has been long held by a single model – Nitro 5. The rebrand will now extends to two models: Nitro 16 and Nitro 17.
Acer Nitro 16
Nitro 16 inherits the previous 15-inch Nitro 5, now with 16:10 displays (FHD+ or QHD+ 165Hz, 100% sRGB) and upgraded internals featuring dual-fan, quad-exhaust setup with liquid metal cooling. The new display extends its screen-to-body ratio to 84%.
Acer Nitro 17
Nitro 17 uses the traditional 16:9 design, comes in three display options: FHD 144Hz, FHD 165Hz or QHD 165Hz. This sub-3kg chassis is powered by Intel’s HX-series CPUs, NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics, up to 32GB DDR5-4800 SODIMM and 2TB of M.2 storage at disposal.

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4-zone RGB comes standard, plus Killer DoubleShot Pro and Wi-Fi 6 1650i; HDMI 2.1, microSD card reader, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports with one that allows “offline charging”, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports are included with Power Delivery support. Both models are expected to feature similar specs with AMD internals as well.
Acer has so far only released pricing for US, EU and Chinese markets. For reference, both Nitro 16 and Nitro 17 will start at $1,199 and be available on May this year.
Pokdepinion: Not a whole lot of changes but it’s an upgrade nonetheless.
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PlayStation 5 Supply Expected to Increase Dramatically

New reports on shipments by Sony Interactive Entertainment shows a potential of the PlayStation 5 supply increasing dramatically.
The Much Needed PlayStation 5 Supply Fix

Lots of reports of improved PS5 supply in the past few months, but no data until now. Import data into the US confirms that Sony Interactive (PlayStation) shipments in Sept were +400% YoY. Yes you read that right. Some of that will go into inventory for GoW launch for sure. #PS5 pic.twitter.com/SvC6xTPQxs
— David Gibson (@gibbogame) October 11, 2022

According to financial analyst David Gibson, PlayStation shipment imported to the US has increased by 400% year-over-year in September 2022. Last year of the same month, they shipped 1.5 million kg whereas this year, they shipped 7.5 million kg over.

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Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a huge increase in PlayStation 5 supply as it would include accessories such as the DualSense controller and other products. However, it would at least show that there’s a significant increase in supply for the next gen console, and they’re ramping it up in time for the holiday season. Interestingly, the PlayStation 5 supply has been steadily increasing since May 2022.
While it’s worth noting that this data involves the US specifically, it would at least serve as an indication that the supply should improve in other countries as well. After all, it wouldn’t make sense from a business perspective to solely focus on just one country for a product that is popular globally.
For those of you who are planning to get a PlayStation 5 console for yourself, this will likely be the new batch with a newer, more efficient chip. There should be no discernible difference in performance, but it is more efficient with less heat output. For now, we will report more on this as soon as information becomes available.
Source
Pokdepinion: I can already foresee a number of new pre-orders coming up, or a massive one, before the year ends.
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Dive Into Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Private Beta This February 7

Ubisoft has today announced the contest of the new Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Private Beta, which includes early game and endgame mission. The private Beta will start from the 7th of January at 10am CET and runs until February 11 at 10am CET.
As for preloading the beta, it starts on February 6 at 10am CET, where all Xbox One, PS4, and PC players who pre-ordered the game can access it. The game’s Private Beta is the fastest registering beta in Ubisoft history and if you want to be a part of it, you can register right here.

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Players will get a taste of the game in the Private Beta (duh). After establishing your Base of Operations in the White House, Agents will be able to venture into a transformed Washington D.C, unlocking new skills and abilities while you upgrade to a level cap of seven and discover the eastern part of the open world featuring:

Two main missions, available in Story, Normal and Hard Mode
Five side missions and additional activities in the open world
Unique PvPvE gameplay in one of the three new Dark Zones
Organized PvP gameplay in one Conflict mode, Skirmish

Additionally, starting from the 8th of February 2019, players will have the opportunity to have a first hands-on with endgame content with one Invaded mission. You will get to experience gameplay at the level cap of 30 and unlock brand new Survivalist, Sharpshooter, or Demolitionist specializations.
For more details on the Private Beta, you can visit the link right here. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 comes out on March 15, 2019 and is available on PS4, Xbox One, as well as PC.
Pokdepinion: I’m still contemplating on getting the game. I think I’ll just wait for my colleague to review and judge it based on his experience.
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ROG Phone 7 Series Pricing & Availability Officially Announced In Malaysia

ASUS today officially announced the pricing and availability of the new ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate gaming smartphone, with the former now available nationwide.

The ROG Phone 7 is as far as smartphone currently can get when it comes to hardware: 3.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 16GB LPDDR5X-8533 RAM and 512GB UFS 4.0 ROM which is twice as fast as its predecessor. The built-in Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 chipset also provides Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 be) with ultra-wide 320MHz band support. The Adreno 740 GPU now also supports ray-tracing for supported titles – though that’ll take some time before mobile games gets RT support.

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Display-wise, it’s powered by a 6.78-inch, 20.4:9 FHD+ 165Hz 1ms (720Hz touch sampling rate) Samsung AMOLED display with 1000 nits max sustained brightness and 1500 nits peak brightness, and covers 111.23% DCI-P3 or 150.89% sRGB color space. This display features Delta E of less than 1 courtesy of tuning from visual-processing company Pixelworks. The Ultimate model will get an extra ‘ROG Vision’ matrix display on the back with various customizations available.
The new Aeroactive Cooler 7 also improves on fan design to provide higher static pressure with the existing thermoelectric cooler, and now it’s doubled up as a subwoofer to complement the newly upgraded onboard speakers that provides 50% more volume and 77% more bass than the ROG Phone 6. The ‘X Sense’ uses AI to detect key onscreen events, which adds a bit of flair when players performed a multi-kill for example.

The ROG Phone 7 is now available nationwide with 12+256GB priced at RM3,599 and 16+512GB costing RM4,299. With the roadshow ongoing located on Centre Court @ Pavilion Bukit Jalil starting from today until 14th May 2023, those who purchased the device on Pavilion or ROG ESTORE will be eligible for the early bird gifts including extended warranty, AeroActive Cooler 6, ROG Phone 7 Devilcase and Antibacterial glass screen protector, totaling RM946. Meanwhiile, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (16+512GB) will be released on 15th May 2023 priced at RM4,999 – which also comes with an in-box AeroActive Cooler 7.
Pokdepinion: Same prices as last year – and considering the hardware, not bad at all.
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MSI Laptop Owners Will Get 60 Days Warranty Extension

MSI Malaysia is aware of how Covid-19 is affecting everyone in this difficult time, so in order to help out, they have announced that MSI laptop owners will be getting a warranty extension.
MSI Malaysia warranty extension
With MSI stores and service centers closed during the Movement Control Order (MCO), it might be troublesome for their users to service or get their laptops repaired.
That in mind, MSI Malaysia has decided to extend those with laptop’s warranty expiring during the MCO period by 60 days.

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The brand has said that the 60 days warranty extension will be effective immediately once after the MCO is lifted. For more details, you can contact the MSI Customer Service for inquiries.
To learn more on the Terms & Conditions, do check that out here.
Pokdepinion: That’s definitely kind of them to extended the warranty period. You never know when you might face problems.
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The Xbox Game Bar was introduced in Windows 10 and made its way to Windows 11 as well. While it can be pretty handy, not everyone uses it. If you’re looking to disable it, here’s an easy guide to do so.
How to Disable Xbox Game Bar on Windows 11

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There are two ways to go about it; one is a temporary while the other is permanent. In the case of the former, you can simply head to Settings to temporarily disable it. As for the latter, it can seem a little tricky but follow the step-by-step guide below and you’ll be done in a jiffy.

Go to Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar and then select the toggle next to Open Xbox Game Bar using this button on a controller, which will turn it off.
Afterwards, head back to Settings > Apps > Apps & Features and search for Xbox Game Bar.
Click on the Menu button, then click on Advanced. Change the setting under Background apps permissions to Never and you’re done.

And with that, you have successfully disabled it permanently. There is no need to uninstall or delete anything, especially in case it might cause more problems down the road. Hope this guide helps you out.
Having issues with certain features in Windows 11? A lot of there are broken, find out why by clicking right here.
Source
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Developer Reveals Undiscovered Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 Easter Egg

This feels like the right time to mention an Easter egg that everyone’s passed over so far: these guys don’t work on Saturdays! pic.twitter.com/kJydFBG4DG
— Elan Ruskin (@despair) April 19, 2019

One of the best PS4 exclusive games around is Marvel’s Spider-Man. We’ve reviewed it ourselves and felt like it was the best game with the web-slinger to have ever been created thus far. One would think that at this point, people would have discovered every single thing in the game but turns out, there’s one secret easter egg that us gamers may have missed.
Senior engine programmer Elan Ruskin took to Twitter to disclose a secret to players who may not have known about it beforehand. This particular Easter egg forces on the pedestrians who walk around the streets but more specifically, the Orthodox Jews that you will find as you make your way around the city.

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As many people know, Orthodox Jews don’t work or go outside on a Saturday due to the Sabbath and this is exactly the same in the game. If you adventure out with Peter Parker and try to find these characters on a Saturday in Spider-Man, you won’t have any luck since these NPCs don’t go out at all on that specific weekend day. This really detailed and cool Easter egg has always been in Spider-Man, but due to it not being overly noticeable, many gamers may have missed out on this.
If this sounds hard to believe, give it a try. I’m sure there will be many of you who are curious enough to see whether it’s true or not.
Marvel’s Spider-Man is available exclusively for the PlayStation 4.
If you want to check out our in-depth review of the game, click right here.
Pokdepinion: It may be a rather obscure easter egg but it’s still pretty cool to have the developers pay attention to some minute details regardless.
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NVIDIA cuts price of GTX 980 and 980 Ti

Following the launch of the R9 Fury from the Red camp, NVIDIA’s AIB partners are silently reducing the prices of the GTX 980 and GTX 980 Ti cards by $20 (RM 75.85). The GTX 980 sees a price drop from $499 to $479 while the 980 Ti falls from $649 to $629. This is clearly a move to apply more pressure on AMD with the GTX 980 Ti now being just that bit more affordable than the AMD R9 Fury X.
The GTX 980 price drop may not make a big difference to AMD’s sales but the GTX 980 Ti’s new pricing will since the GTX 980 Ti and R9 Fury X are neck to neck in most benchmarks. We will see how AMD responds as AMD might not be able to respond with a price reduction of their own given the new HBM technology used in their cards.
Do note however that while the MSRP has dropped, it doesn’t mean that all GTX 980 and 980 Ti will drop the same amount.

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SOURCE: ETeknix

Pokdepinion: We think price drops for competition’s sake is always good, but innovation is definitely better. We can see that NVIDIA is a little afraid of AMD stealing their sales and has resorted to reducing the prices of their cards to look better from a price-performance standpoint.  However, our Malaysian market rarely follows these price drops closely and the prices for the cards may still be unchanged for some time.
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Blizzard is Looking to Give Overwatch 2 A More Rewarding Experience

An Executive Producer for Overwatch 2 is reportedly looking for ways to make players feel more rewarded when playing the game.
Overwatch 2 Fixing Rewards System and More

The reward system in Overwatch 2 has been heavily criticized since its launch, and Blizzard is fully aware of it. In a recent blog post, Executive Producer Jared Neuss mentioned that they want to make players feel “more rewarded for just sitting down and playing.”

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We want you to have new accomplishments to chase outside of your Competitive Rank and Battle Pass level. When you finish a session, we want you to feel good about the time you just spent in the game, even if you ended on an epic losing streak at 2 a.m. after saying that you wouldn’t end on a loss. There’s a lot we like about it, knocking out a bunch of daily/weekly challenges or getting something new for a hero you love can feel great.
Jared Neuss, Executive Producer of Overwatch 2
He also mentions that they are aware of concerns regarding the daily and weekly challenges in the game. They will also be looking into changing the queue times, competitive mode issues, and hero balance, all with the goal of improving the player experience. For the short term, players can earn cosmetics by playing through event in Season 2 and participating in the Twitch Drops program.

As for the Battle Pass, there are plans to make it “more rewarding”, with new challenges and play-focused progression systems coming to Season 3. The support role will also be seeing changes in order to make them more fun to play. The rank system will be changed in order to reflect a player’s skill more accurately.
While not much specifics have been mentioned with these changes, it’s at least a good thing to know that they are listening to the people playing their games. Hopefully when the changes arrive, it will be one that is worth waiting for.
Overwatch 2 is currently available for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC for free.
Source
Pokdepinion: They should do something similar to Apex where they have both loot boxes and a battle pass. They don’t have to give a loot box every level, but having it around still would be nice since their cosmetics are insanely expensive.
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Maxis Offers Discounts Up To 70% Plus Chance To Win Smartphones With Hotlink Rewards

Maxis has recently revealed that they are rewarding customers with attractive deals and value to match their needs, with Hotlink Rewards now featuring more exclusive deals from over 300 partners.
Hotlink Rewards

In this month of June, Hotlink users stand a chance in winning smartphones through the Win with Hotlink Rewards campaign and Pesta Jualan Hotlink Rewards. Users can buy vouchers with discounts of up to 70%, or from as low as RM1.50 featuring brands such as Dominos, MyNews, Tealive and more.

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For every discount voucher purchased, you are eligible to win one of the twenty purple iPhone 12 (128GB) and 16 violet Samsung Galaxy S21 (256GB). For vouchers that’s priced RM10 and above, you have two chances to win.
There will be nine winners who will be announced weekly throughout the month. With their Pesta Jualan Hotlink campaign, they are collaborating with Floor88, Baby Shima, Iman Troye, Harvinth Skin, and more to entertain you through Facebook Live. You can expect performances, exclusive discount vouchers as well as a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy S21 daily.
For more details, you can head to Hotlink’s Facebook page. Stay tuned to Pokde.net for the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews.
Pokdepinion: Doesn’t sound like a bad deal at all. Getting vouchers with the chance of winning brand new smartphones!
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Coming Soon Thanks To Leak

We will probably see Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 855 chipset soon as it was leaked recently by TechCruch, who accidentally published an article on it but swiftly took it down afterwards.
Previously thought to be called Snapdragon 8155, it seems that it was just a code for the Snapdragon 855. It is said that the new SoC is the world’s first commercial mobile platform with support for multi-gigabit 5G.
The chipset is produced by utilizing the 7nm process and comes with a Neural Processing Unit, which is reported to provide three times better performance than the previous solutions.

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Snapdragon 855 will come in three clusters, which consists of four power-saving cores that’s clocked at 1.78GHz, three high-end cores at 2.42Ghz, and lastly one performance core that’s clocked at 2.84GHz.
It will be paired with Adreno 640 graphics and features Snapdragon X50 5G modem that allows 5G connectivity.
Mobile gamers will be happy to hear that the chip comes with a new feature called Snapdragon Elite Gaming, though precise details on what it offers is yet to be unknown.
Other than that, it comes optimized for AR, or augmented reality, and it also packs a 3D sonic sensor, that enhances ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, similar to which we’ve reported on iPhone’s upcoming device.
Pokdepinion: I’m pumped up for this. I wonder when it will be officially launch. Another question would be, which smartphone will be the first device to pack this bad boy right here?
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High Spec PCs Can’t Compete With PS5’s SSD Performance

Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games has recently talked about the capabilities of the next-gen consoles and he claims that current PCs today can’t compete with their storage solutions.
PC falls behind consoles in SSD performance
He has said that the PS5 and its custom SSD solution will revolutionize the future of PC and claims that no product (SSD) today can be on par with the speed that Sony has achieved with the PS5.
Here’s what he has said on the matter:

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The storage architecture on the PS5 is far ahead of anything you can buy on anything on PC for any amount of money right now. It’s going to help drive future PCs. (The PC market is) going to see this thing ship and say ‘Oh wow, SSDs are going to need to catch up with this.’Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games
Talking ahead of Unreal Engine 5’s reveal, he has said that Epic Games is ‘working closer’ with Sony more than to Microsoft. Regardless, he has said that the game engine will deliver great performance on a range of hardware.
While the PS5 hasn’t officially been unveiled, it’s specifications certainly has been revealed, as well as its controller, the DualSense.
Source
Pokdepinion: I’m pretty sure there’s some out there that will be triggered by the statement.. For me, I’m just happy if there’s progression to the tech that we have.
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GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master Review — the board that puts its pricier peers to shame

Introduction

GIGABYTE’s designs for the AMD X570 platform are some of the best in terms of power delivery, with them pioneering the first 16-phase board without the use of any doublers. It’s an impressive feat for their flagship motherboard, but today we will be looking at the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master, featuring 14-phase power, without any doublers. That’s just one of the main features, with plenty more to look at on this board.
Unboxing

The GIGABYTE AORUS’ signature orange is featured prominently across the packaging. It’s a bit less substantial than what we have seen previously, but the less budget spent on packaging, the better, right?

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On the back side are a list of highlighted features and specifications. GIGABYTE has really crammed this board full of stuff, so the back is equally busy.

While the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master’s packaging may not have been the most elaborate we have seen, the contents are really quite impressive. You quite literally get everything but the kitchen sink in here, with GIGABYTE even throwing in thermal probes and a noise sensor for more in-depth monitoring of your system’s condition. There’s even a G-Connector which makes it easier to connect all the tiny switch and status LED connectors to the motherboard.
Appearance

There is a distinctly less focus on RGB effects with GIGABYTE AMD X570 motherboards. The most common area where RGB lighting is usually applied, the PCH heatsink, now has a fan, so that’s somewhat understandable.

What I appreciate the most on the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master is the heatsink on the VRMs. Instead of being little more than fancy aluminium blocks like on most motherboards, the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master’s VRM heatsinks offer a ton of surface area to allow for some serious heat dissipation. That’s really commendable and it doesn’t look half bad at all with the dark finishing.

For those of you who have accidentally ripped off your PCIe or RAM slots, the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master has reinforced them. I wish that GIGABYTE had made the RAM slots to have tabs only on one side of the RAM slots, just to make RAM installation a tad easier.

The I/O shield here is built onto the board, like most recent high-end motherboards. There’s plenty of connectivity options, and GIGABYTE has equipped the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master with Intel AX200 wireless card which is why you see the two antenna connectors here too. I am quite curious why GIGABYTE decided that you need four USB 2.0 ports though, resulting in the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master offering fewer USB 3.0 ports than the competition.

The GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master is one really high-end board, complete with a backplate behind the motherboard to improve the rigidity of the whole motherboard. It’s quite pretty to look at, but the sad thing is that you won’t get to see it much once its installed in a case or even on a bench case. It might get in the way of some CPU cooler backplates, but it is easily removable too if that’s the case.

Now we did mention that GIGABYTE is focusing less on RGB this time, but it doesn’t mean that they totally removed all RGB from the board. The I/O shroud and also the VRM heatsink feature some pretty fancy lighting, as does the area over the audio circuitry. Unfortunately since the latter will usually end up under a GPU, it’s not exactly all that visible.
Specifications
GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master

CPU support
AMD AM4
2nd, 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen processors (AMD Ryzen 2000 and Ryzen 3000 series)
1st, 2nd Generation AMD Ryzen Processors with Radeon Vega Graphics (AMD Ryzen 2000G and Ryzen 3000G series)

Power
1 x 24-pin ATX
2 x 8-pin EATX 12V
Infineon XDPE132G5C PWM controller (12 + 2 phase config)
12 x IR3556 50A power stage for VCore
2 x IR3556 50A power stage for VSoC

Chipset
AMD X570

Memory
4 x DDR4 DIMM, max. 128GB un-buffered memory

Multi-GPU Support
2-way NVIDIA SLI
2-way AMD CrossFireX

Expansion slots
PCIe 4.0 x16 (x16 electrically)
PCIe 4.0 x16 (x8 electrically)
PCIe 4.0 x1
PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4 electrically)

Storage
6 x SATA 6 Gb/s, supports RAID 0,1,10
3 x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4/SATA (use of 3rd M.2 slot in PCIe mode will disable two SATA ports)

Network
Intel WiFi 6 AX200 (2×2 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0)
Realtek RTL8125-CG 2.5G LAN
Intel I211-AT Gigabit LAN

USB
Rear I/O:
3 x USB 3.1 (10 Gbps)
1 x USB 3.1 Type-C (10 Gbps)
3 x USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
4 x USB 2.0
On-board headers:
1 x USB 3.1 (10 Gbps)
2 x USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) (2 ports each)
2 x USB 2.0 (2 ports each)

Audio
Realtek ALC1220-VB codec
ESS ES9118 SABRE
5 x gold-plated audio jacks (rear)
1 x front panel audio connector

Other onboard connectors
1 x CPU fan header
1 x water cooling CPU fan header
3 x system fan headers
2 x system fan/water pump headers
2 x Temperature sensor connector
1 x noise sensor header
2 x ARGB headers
2 x RGB LED headers

Overclocking features
Onboard power and reset buttons
Dual BIOS
Clear CMOS button on rear I/O
Voltage monitoring points

Included accessories
User’s manual
4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable
3 x M.2 Screw Packages
1 x Driver disk
1 x AORUS stickers
1 x G-Connector
1 x Wi-Fi Antenna
1 x Extension Cable for ARGB strips
1 x ARGB LED adapter cable
1 x Noise sensor
2 x Thermistor

Form factor
ATX (12″ x 9.6″)

System

CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, 8C/16T @ up to 4.4 GHz, 7nm FinFET

RAM
2 x 8GB T-FORCE VULCAN TUF Gaming Alliance DDR4 3600 CL19

Motherboard
GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master

GPU
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 OC Edition 8GB GDDR6

Storage
1 x 120GB Phidisk WrathKeeper SATA SSD
1 x 1TB Phison M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD

CPU Cooling
Cooler Master ML240R

Case
Vector Benchcase

PSU
Cooler Master V850 Gold

Monitor
BenQ EL2870U

Taking a Closer Look
The VRMs

As we mentioned, one of the highlights of the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master are the VRMs. Interestingly the backplate serves more than just add rigidity to the board, but they also have thermal pads around the VRM area to help dissipate more heat, just in case that beautiful heatsink isn’t enough (it is more than enough, BTW).

Here’s a closer look at the beautiful fin arrays. There’s also a heatpipe running between the two to balance out the heat output between the two fin stacks.

The VRMs which GIGABYTE used here are the IR3556 PowIRstages, each capable of handling up to 50A. Instead of running them in parallel or with doublers, GIGABYTE used the absolutely overkill Infineon XDPE132G5C controller in a 12 + 2 phase configuration. Each of the 12 phases runs asynchronously to each other for increased voltage stability, and since there are no doublers, you don’t have to worry about slower transient response either.
Most probably unnecessary, but it looks really good though nonetheless.
The only board that’s better than the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master is the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Xtreme. The GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master here can deliver up to 700A of current to your Ryzen 3000 processor, which is way more power than even an overclocked Ryzen 9 3950X will ever need. This VRM design is literally the second best among all the AMD X570 boards, only bested by GIGABYTE’s highest end board.
The Audio

For the audio section, GIGABYTE made of the Realtek ALC1220-VB, which is probably a customized version of the Realtek ALC1220 codec. The little red blocks are WIMA capacitors, which are apparently used in high-end audio equipment.
You can also spot the ESS ES9118 SABRE DAC near the WIMA capacitors. The ESS ES9118 SABRE is a 32-bit DAC with an integrated headphone amplifier, although GIGABYTE never mentioned the latter feature, instead just calling it a DAC.
The Storage

For the media hoarders out there, the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master offers a total of six SATA III (6 Gbps) ports, and three M.2 slots. It is worth noting that if the third M.2 slot is used with a PCIe SSD, the last two SATA slots will be disabled. It will probably be of little concern except for those who really need a ton of storage. However for those people, it would probably be better to set up a NAS system if they haven’t gotten one already.
User Experience
Installation
With the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master being an ATX board, case compatibility is a non-issue. The only issue that might happen is if you have a wide CPU cooler backplate you might run into issues with the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master’s backplate. It’s easily removable though but if you are building with this board, it is best to check for that before putting the board into a case. Well, at least with the integrated I/O shield, you have one less thing to worry about when building with the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master.

The GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master is well designed for any M.2 SSD, with or without heatsinks. The pre-installed M.2 SSD heatspreaders are attached to the board with only a single screw and a tab which slots into the M.2 connector bracket, which I must admit is a much better design than the last AMD X570 board I reviewed.
I also like that this case has two USB 3.0 headers, great for even high-end cases. For those who really hate dealing with the tiny case headers, the G-Connector will be a much added convenience.
BIOS

The BIOS is pretty complete with all the features you might need to get the most out of your AMD Ryzen 3000 processors. The arrangement of the features also left a bit to be desired, especially the Infinity Fabric Clock or FCLK setting which is hidden away in the AMD Overclocking options in the Settings tab instead of the Tweaker tab where all the other overclocking options are located.
The Dual BIOS feature on the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master, and you can even toggle the secondary BIOS on or off. The BIOS Q-Flash Plus feature will also come in handy in the event that you get the board with an unsupported CPU and need to update the BIOS before it will start. That’s more of a future-proofing feature than one you need now though.
Overclocking
Out of the box, the Ryzen 7 3700X will run at up to 4.375 GHz when only a single core is loaded, with the CPU dropping down to 4.167 GHz when all cores are loaded. The voltages applied automatically are also pretty high, with up to 1.45V pumped into the Ryzen 7 3700X, although it is apparently quite safe.
With manual overclocking I managed to bring the CPU to 4.3 GHz with 1.38V. Loadline calibration was set to Medium as well, to keep the voltages stable, as the system proved unstable without it enabled.

The GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master is well equipped for overclocking, with the dual BIOS switch allowing you to quickly switch to a BIOS which works, or even force the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master to select either of the BIOSes, and a Q-Code LED display that helps you identify issues with your system. In addition to the Q-Code LED, there are also four debug LEDs near the PCH to quickly locate the problematic component causing your boot issues.
Speaking of issues, if you have messed up both the BIOSes, the only way to change settings in either of the BIOSes is by clearing the CMOS, either via the button on the back or the jumper on the board. A more elegant way to access the BIOS after messing up should have been made available. Given the importance of RAM settings on the AMD Ryzen platform, the chances that a novice overclocker such as yours truly actually trying RAM timings that won’t boot is too damn high.
Software

Here we see GIGABYTE apply even more of their signature orange. Most of their software suite is focused around optimizing the performance of the hardware and cooling, which is good for the enthusiasts out there.
Performance
When it comes to performance, the VRMs barely break a sweat even when handling the Ryzen 7 3700X overclocked to 4.3 GHz under load in Realbench for an hour. It ran cool at around 37°C, and unlike the designs which sport a hunk of aluminium on their VRMs which saw their thermals slowly creep up, the temperatures stayed constant throughout the test.
The M.2 SSD heatsinks aren’t up to snuff though, as a PCIe 4 SSD quickly crept up to above 62°C when running CrystalDiskMark. Good thing that they are easily removable so you can keep using the pre-installed heatsinks on your PCIe 4 SSDs.
Conclusion
The GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master is one awesome board, but the BIOS arrangement definitely needs some work. There’s also no LN2 mode or slow boot toggles to make it better suited for LN2 overclocking, although I am pretty sure pros won’t have an issue working around these teeny shortcomings. Given the impressive VRMs, there’s no way to push it to its limits aside from extreme overclocking, but the board just doesn’t seem designed for that.
Priced at RM1589, the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master is perhaps the best bang-for-buck AMD X570 board out there. It’s not cheap, but the feature set on the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master really justifies the price. Now if only those USB 2.0 ports were USB 3.0 ports…

Our thanks to GIGABYTE Malaysia for providing the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master for our review purposes.
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Here’s Why PlayStation 5 Has the Better SSD Offering Than the Xbox Series X

We’ve reported on both the in-depth specifications for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, which you can read about by clicking here and here respectively. Both are expected to offer expandable SSD storage but the PS5 is the clear winner compared to the Xbox Series X. But first, let’s understand what both of them have to offer.
Xbox Series X Expandable SSD Storage

The Xbox Series X will offer expandable SSD storage in the form of a proprietary Xbox Series X Storage Expansion Cards which are developed in partnership with Seagate. They look similar to memory cards from the old days of gaming, just with bigger capacity and far better speeds.

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From what we know thus far, there is a 1TB storage option but there is expected to be more storage options available for the Xbox Series X Expansion Cards. This will give gamers a hassle-free way of upgrading storage space, which is a bit tedious in the current generation gaming consoles and often result in gamers buying the high capacity storage variant from the get-go.
For a more cost-effective option, you can always connect an external HDD to the console via USB. Just be mindful that this will not be fast and is also not ideal to install games on it as loading speed will be far slower.
PlayStation 5 Expandable SSD Storage

The PlayStation 5 will also offer expandable SSD storage but in the form of M.2 drives. There will be an accessible M.2 slot on the PS5 that will allow you to install an M.2 SSD, similarly to how you would on a PC.
In this particular case, you have a wide variety of options immediately as M.2 SSDs aren’t new in the market. You can even buy it now and install it on the PlayStation 5 as soon as it has been launched. Just keep in mind that M.2 is form factor, and it doesn’t guarantee that the speed will be similar to the internal SSD. With that being said, there is a good chance that even SATA III SSD speeds should suffice for most consumers for an external solution.
You also have the cost-effective option of connecting an external HDD via USB. Like the Xbox Series X, I wouldn’t recommend installing games on this as you will suffer from slower speeds.
How the PlayStation 5 Has the Better Expandability

We have zero doubts on Seagate’s ability to create a storage device that is both reliable and fast. However, the biggest problem with the Xbox Series X’s solution is the method itself, with the keyword here being “proprietary”.
While no pricing has been announced, this does give Microsoft more control of the pricing as they’re the only ones you can get it from. Furthermore, you will only be able to use it on the console itself. An M.2 SSD on the other hand has become relatively affordable over the years.
Furthermore, you have a wide variety of M.2 SSDs to choose from which allows the consumer to tailor the speed and capacity accordingly with their budget. While we still aren’t aware of the extent of options for the Xbox Series X Expansion Cards, we can easily name a bunch of M.2 SSD storage options you can get right now. Need something reliable, yet affordable for an SSD? Phidisk WrathKeeper M.2 is a good option as we’ve reviewed here.
Sure, the M.2 drives may require more effort to install compared to the expansion cards, but it’s so easy that virtually anyone can do it. Based on what we know thus far, the PlayStation 5 is the clear winner when it comes to expandable SSD storage. It’s not to say that the Xbox Series X is bad in this regard, because the experience may be more consistent this way.
Do you think it’s enough for you to side with Sony or will you go for Microsoft? Join the discussion right below here:

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What’s Wrong with Ma-ma? A Heartwarming Chinese New Year Video

In the age of technology, we often get caught up with what’s on our smartphones or what’s next hottest trend on the internet. Sometimes, we forget about the things that matter like our family. Especially with our parents coming from a different time, they may not experience life the same way as the younger generations.
In the spirit of Chinese New Year, the folks over at Samsung Malaysia has released a heartwarming video titled “What’s Wrong with Ma-ma?” which shows a sweet grandmother adapting to the new age and embracing technology as a means of keeping up and being connected with her tech savvy grandchildren.
The video itself can feel very relatable for many of us today who may feel a bit odd or weirded out by their relatives being on social media (especially the older generation), trying to connect with them but being seen as an invasion of privacy instead of simply a means of staying connected. Sometimes, we tend to forget that in a world that is continuously connected by means of technological evolution, this also includes our family members.

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I’m sure many of you would be able to spot some familiar faces in the video, including Hitz.fm radio announcer turned YouTuber Jinnyboy. If you want to check out the video by Samsung Malaysia, we’ve included it at the top of this post.
Pokdepinion: I remember being weirded out myself when my mother added me on Facebook but I decided to embrace it anyway as I didn’t feel like I have anything to hide. It may not be the same for everyone else but it’s worth thinking over especially as we grow older.
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