Capcom Announces Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 & 2 – All Mega Man X Games Included

The folks over at Capcom has officially announced Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 & 2. This includes every single Mega Man X game that has been released thus far for a number of platforms.
Capcom Announces Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 & 2

Capcom has officially announced Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 & 2. with a brand new trailer. According to Capcom, the game will be launching on July 24th 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. For those of you who aren’t aware, the game is a compilation featuring every single entry in the X series.
Much like the Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 & 2 announced for the Nintendo Switch earlier this year, this one will be physically packaged as one title and will include 2 separate discs for each collection.

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However, if you buy the game physically for the Nintendo Switch, you will receive Legacy Collection 1 on a cartridge and a digital voucher for Legacy Collection 2. Of course, if you are not interested in getting the game physically or you want one compilation over the other, both compilations can be purchased separately
Legacy Collection 1 includes the first 4 installments, Mega Man X Mega Man X2, Mega Man X3, and Mega Man X 4, whereas the 2nd one includes the last 5 titles in the series.

Initially debuting as a spin-off series for Capcom’s iconic blue bomber in 1993, the X series hasn’t seen a new main entry in the franchise since 2004’s X8. Despite being under the radar in recent years, the X series is loved by many and seeing this franchise coming to current-generation platforms has been a long time coming.
You can check out the new announcement trailer at the top of this article. As mentioned earlier, Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 & 2 is slated to launch on July 24th 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One. Currently, it’s listed with a price of USD $19.99 for each collection. The Malaysian pricing of the games are still not yet known at the moment but we will reporting on it as soon as information becomes available.
Source: Capcom
Pokdepinion: Tempted to not only play it, but also give speed running a try. Perhaps that’s something you guys might be interested in seeing here on Pokde.net.
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Square Enix to Make Major Announcement Soon; Kingdom Hearts 3 Release Date?

Square Enix will be making some groundbreaking announcements very soon. Will it be about Kingdom Hearts 3? Or even the Final Fantasy VII Remake? Who knows.
Square Enix to Make Major Announcement Soon
Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda
Square Enix is often known for keeping the release dates of its biggest games under wraps for a long time, often defying expectations of fans that wait for those announcements at this or that event or trade show. Yet, some are coming in the next few months according to President and CEO Yosuke Matsuda.
Matsuda had this to say during the latest quarterly conference call for investors.

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Development efforts for major titles are underway at both our overseas and domestic studios. We will be making announcements about the release dates of those titles between the end of FY2018/3 and E3.
For those unfamiliar with the financial lingo, “FY2018/3” means the fiscal year ending in March 2018, which means that the announcement for the release dates of the major titles hinted at by Matsuda should come between April 1st 2018 and E3 2018 in June.
The publisher is also exploring how to market those major games in the pipeline to maximise their potential.
We have built a pipeline of major titles, so we are currently exploring how to market and run those so as to maximize their potential. For starters, we definitely want to achieve operating income of ¥40 billion.
Interestingly, we hear that Square Enix has been lowering the risk of having to major overhauls of titles in developments, and development of games that will launch starting from April 1st, 2018 is proceeding according to plan.
I believe you will be able to tell how long our development lead times are based on the launch dates we will be announcing for our games going forward. I will say that we are facing less risk of having to engage in re-work thanks to the precision with which we are approaching our designs in the initial phase of each development project.
I believe that the development efforts for the new titles we will be launching starting in FY2019/3 are proceeding in line with our plans.

At the moment, one major game that is awaiting a release date is definitely Kingdom Hearts III, that for now only has a 2018 release window. Another eagerly-anticipated game that has no release window at all is the Final Fantasy VII PS4 remake.
Matsuda also talked about the Nintendo Switch, mentioning that Square Enix welcomes the platforms and want to be proactive in creating new IP and rebooting older title for Nintendo’s platform.
Nintendo Switch is seeing rapid uptake, and we welcome the arrival of such a platform. We intend to be proactive in our development efforts given that it’s a platform that is well suited to the mid-sized titles at which we excel.
We base our development resource allocations on the unique attributes of each platform. In particular, Nintendo Switch makes it easier for us to leverage our back catalog of assets and expertise, so we want to be proactive in creating
new IP and rebooting past titles for that platform.
Interestingly Matsuda also makes a prediction for the spread of digital download in the medium and long-term, arguing that they will reach a percentage between 70 and 80% of sales.
Digital downloads already account for around 50% of business in the Western markets. Given that the gaming market is shifting further to digital sales, I believe it will reach approximately 70-80%.
Another intriguing point is that Square Enix would like to experiment in the mobile augmented reality business, which is currently dominated by the success of Pokémon GO.
Players have become extremely discerning about game quality. Providing new experiences is also important, and to that end, we would like to make proactive efforts in the mobile AR space.
During the same conference call, Matsuda also talked about the publisher’s plans for the recently-revealed Left Alive for PS4 and PC.
For a more detailed look into Square Enix’s financial briefing, click here.

Pokdepinion: I wished Square Enix would just give the announcement now. I mean, come on. Final Fantasy VII Remake, Kingdom Hearts 3, and a bunch of games. How can one not be impatient and excited?
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Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Year 6 Roadmap Announced — Here’s What You Can Expect

If you’re a big fan of Rainbow Six Siege, well you’ll be glad to know that Ubisoft has recently reveal the game’s Year 6 roadmap and here’s what you can expect this year.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Year 6

Year 6 brings Crimson Heist, the first season where it introduces Argentinian attacker Flores as well as the rework of the map Border. For Season 2, we will see the introduction of an Operator from the Nakoda Nations as well as the rework of Favela. As for season 3, 3 maps will be slightly reworked. To conclude, an Operator will be released, which hails from Ireland.
Ubisoft looks set to introduce a Reputation System, where they aim to encourage positive behavior from players by rewarding them for doing so. On the other hand, toxic players will be punished ass they will have limited access to ranked playlist. This information will be transparent and it shows how you can increate your rep to avoid being..well toxic.

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As for gameplay itself, they are introducing the Gonne-6, a one-bullet secondary weapon that can destroy any bulletproof gadget and adds an extra loadout option to players. The weapon will be available for Glaz, Dokkaebi, Lion, Finka, Gridlock, Amaru, lana, and Zero.
Players will now have the ability to control cameras and gadgets after their death, where Ubisoft hopes to make players to have a role in the game, even if they are already dead.

Aside from that, Armor will now be switched to Health, making it easier for players to understand better on how much damage that they can take. You will soon be able to adapt Elite skins and to add other gears in the outfit for a full customized set. That’s pretty much the essential updates that you can expect from Rainbow Six Siege Year 6. Are you looking forward to the game? Let us know in the comments.
For more of the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: It’s been awhile since I’ve played the game. The new announcement makes me want to make a come back.. I think I will.
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Steam Has Reached a New Milestone; All Praise Lord Gaben

With the recent success of games such as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Steam has reached a new milestone, and it’s quite an amazing feat to say the least.
Steam Has Reached a New Milestone

Thanks to the massive success of games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and the numerous other popular titles on the service, Steam has had a banner year in terms of player counts and numbers, with the service having hit a new record for players online at once.

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Over the past few days, Steam has hit a new concurrent players record of 18.5 million players to kick off 2018, which is up from the previous record of 16 million players that the service hit back in October of last year.
This figure represents the number of players using the service at the same time and while that means that not everyone on is necessarily playing a game and could simply just be logged into Steam, it’s still an impressive figure and a significant bump from its previous record.
Of course, a large percentage of that can be tied to the games that have consistently ranked among Steam’s highest concurrent player counts, with the reigning champion PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds still topping the charts. At the time of the record being hit, PUBG accounted for nearly 3 million players being in-game on Steam, which easily eclipsed some of the top performing games on the platform such as DotA 2 and more.
Of course, that’s not to say that games like DotA 2 are dying or anything as they still do play a significant role in the service reaching its new milestone. In fact, keep in mind that Steam has tons of  games available on their service so the numbers certainly do add up.
Source: Statistics

Pokdepinion: Didn’t think Steam would have that many people online at once but there you go. It’s also amazing to think how the service can handle many people actually being online at a single time.
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ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor Review

As we should know by now, ARMAGGEDDON makes some pretty cool stuff and yet is still capable of pricing them affordable. The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor we are look at here now follows this trend, and we aren’t surprised at all. Anyway, let’s get down into the review.

Unboxing

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The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor comes in the standard black and yellow themed packaging, with the main features highlighted on the top panel of this box.

Over on the bottom, there is more information as well as a comparison of the different mechanical switches.

This is actually the first time I have seen a mechanical keyboard packaging with a flip open window. While a lot of mice have it, this is quite unique. Well, I do like getting a proper look at my purchase before handing over my moolah, so this is pretty great.
I am not sure if there are any other contents of the packaging, as I only received the keyboard itself.

Specifications

Body material
Brushed aluminium top, plastic base

Keycap
ABS keycaps

USB report rate
125/250/500/1000 Hz

Switch type
Kailh Blue RGB

Microprocessor
N/A

Cable
1.8m, non-detachable, sleeved, gold plated USB connector

Weight
N/A

Included accessories
N/A

Appearance

The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor looks pretty light and compact, a great job by ARMAGGEDDON utilizing all the space available and not wasting any on thick frames and bezels. The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor features floating keys over a brushed aluminium backplate, similar to Corsair’s keyboards as well as the Tesoro Gram Spectrum. I prefer this design as it makes it a whole lot easier for me to clean my keyboard.

The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor features a nice braided cable, a gold plated USB connector and also the much needed cable routing channels that so many keyboard manufacturers seem to forget about. I do wish the cable was detachable though, but this is good enough.

The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor feature Kailh switches with RGB lighting. You can see that the lighting reflects off the brushed aluminium for a nice soft glow.

User Experience
While many “purist” hate on Kailh switches, I personally found that they aren’t as bad as they are made out to be. I find that the Kailh Blue switches has a tactile feel similar to Cherry MX Browns, except that they sound more clicky.

As the ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor resembles the Corsair K95 that I usually use, I got used to using it very easily. Overall, I would say that the typing experience on the ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor with the Kailh Blue switches was better than expected.

The driver installation CD was not included with my review sample, so I went to download it. It was a really tiny file, which was probably the reason why it didn’t come with a driver CD. The software allows you to choose up to 13 lighting effects, including off. However I prefer configuring the lighting modes on the keyboard itself, rather than using the software. For me, the software wasn’t really useful except the macro manager, but the fact that it cannot reprogram the multimedia keys left me a little disappointed.
The positioning of the multimedia keys are also a little off. It would have been better if the “music” key was replaced with a “next” key. These keys are also non-programmable, which was disappointing as I did not need them and they would have been a lot more useful if I could repurpose them.
While I don’t personally own a RGB backlit keyboard, I have had my fair share of trying them out at the last Cyberfusion LAN party. The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor features great lighting and brightness levels, but is somewhat limited in terms of color options. I also broke the lighting effect as it suddenly stopped working after I tried to customize it. It scared me at first, but there is a reset option within the software manager. It is as if ARMAGGEDDON is aware of the issue and placed the reset option there to solve it.

Conclusion

The ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor is really satisfying to type on. The clicky sound which may be annoying to some, was a non-issue to me, especially as I usually use my headphones. I usually say that Kailh switches are second class compared to Cherry switches, but after a few weeks with the ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor, I do find them pretty on par, actually. It finally boils down to a matter of personal preference. The Kailh Blue in the ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor here has more tactile feedback than Cherry MX Browns, while being slightly less noisy compared to Cherry MX Blues. I would highly recommend this keyboard to anyone looking for an entry-level mechanical gaming keyboard, as it is not only suited for gaming, but also extensive typing, like I did for this review. With a RRP of around RM450, the ARMAGGEDDON MKA-11R RGB Raptor is pretty great. I will give it a Silver Pokdeward for its good looks and nice Kailh switches, but the software does need some improvements.

I would like to say thank you to ARMAGGEDDON Malaysia for giving us the opportunity to review this product.
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The next Samsung Galaxy Fold may actually be practical

The current crop of foldable smartphones on the market are essentially tablets that fold into the size of a smartphone. The Moto RAZR was the first to tease a design that looks like it will be a regular smartphone folding down to half its length, and it’s finally coming next month. But it won’t be alone for long, with Samsung teasing their own version which may very well be the next Galaxy Fold.
The concept was teased at the Samsung Developers Conference in San Jose. Along with the improved ergonomics, the next foldable from Samsung will also tout a few nifty software features to make use of the upright half when folded halfway.

This design does raise some concerns though. How will the soft plastic screen withstand daily use, considering that there is only one screen, and you will have to flip the clamshell open to use it. Not to mention the hinge must be very robust.

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There’s also the fact that the Moto RAZR has been slated to come with mediocre specifications. Will this design be used for a Galaxy Fold Lite of sorts? Nonetheless, I do find this design to be more interesting than the Galaxy Fold.
Pokdepinion: If this comes to be at a reasonable price, it might prove quite popular.
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Kaspersky Activated 1,931 Anti-virus In TAR UC — Breaking A Malaysian Book Of Record Along The Way

It was a Malaysia record breaking moment for Kaspersky Labs as they have just broken the local record with a total of 1,931 anti-viruses being activated in mobile devices at an education and awareness program that was held in Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC).
Kaspersky Malaysian Book of Records

Students, faculty, as well as visitors to TAR UC joined in on the Kaspersky Lab mobile device anti-virus download drive that included Kaspersky’s Internet Security for both Android as well as iOS smartphones and tablets, meaning everyone has a chance to participate no matter what OS they are using on their device.

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In order for them to create history, they needed a minimum of 1,500 activated anti-virus devices, which then needs to be completed within the time period of 6 hours. It was done by 2.30PM, and from that point, it was a new record with each new downloads. Of course, the people from the Malaysian Book of Records were on hand to validate the feat.
Both Kaspersky and TAR UC worked together to reach out to the students, where the demographic of the record are those who are most likely to use mobile device as their primary source of access to the internet and should protect their digital assets and identity.
According to a research by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission Hand Phone Users, it is found out that 64,5% of users protect their hand phone by using passwords and 44.5% back up their photos and contacts. With that in mind, the number of Malaysians with security solution on their device is still low.
Pokdepinion: Well that’s a whole lot of devices installed with anti-virus. To do it at the pace that they did, kudos to them. Talking about anti-viruses, do you think that we really need them on our device? Let us know in the comments below!
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Intel Malaysia goes green with 4.1MW solar installation at its Kulim campus!

Intel announced their plans to achieve 100% renewable power as a part of their RISE 2030 goals, and they have just unveiled their latest milestone in conjunction with World Earth Day: their latest solar installations at the Kulim and Penang campus. This project is Intel’s largest solar farm outside of the U.S., capable of producing 4.1MW.
It covers approximately the equivalent of 900 carpark spaces and 50 208ft2 on rooftops, generating around 6000MWh of electricity annually. During peak hours, the buildings’ electricity demand is now partially replaced by solar sources. This new solar farm at Intel’s Kulim campus will comprise about 15% of Intel’s global, on-site solar power capacity.

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Intel estimates that these solar installations will cut down their carbon dioxide emissions by about 3800 tons. The project in Malaysia was started in 2020 during the pandemic which was pretty challenging to everyone, but Intel still managed to pull it off and their solar array was operational in January 2021.
On top of harnessing solar energy for electricity, Intel has also deployed solar thermal systems to supply hot water in all its campuses in Malaysia to reduce their emissions.
Pokdepinion: Feels good to use a CPU made with clean power! Now to make more efficient processors!
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SPOILER ALERT: Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 4 Confirmed?

Will there be a Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 4? It’s highly likely, and spoiler alert for the following post if you haven’t played episode 5 of Season 3.
Telltale’s The Walking Dead is one of my favourites in recent years. Sure, it didn’t have much in terms of gameplay but story, at least for the first season, was phenomenal. It was an emotional roller-coaster that kept me wanting more.
Recently, Telltale Games released the final episode for season 3. There a number of endings that you can get depending on the choices you’ve made throughout the game. If you haven’t played it yet and/or you don’t want to get spoiled, best to read this after you’re done.

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Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 4?
Yes, this is Clementine. I am not joking.
Okay, so I’ve given you enough spoiler warnings so I can proceed with what happened in the season finale. In the ending, there are a number of people that can die/turn into a walker. The most important ones being David, Kate, and in a surprising twist, Gabe.
If I’m going to be completely honest, David and Kate’s potential death, and I say potential because there are multiple outcomes, didn’t really affect me. The one that threw me off guard was Gabe’s death, if you get that outcome. I thought it wouldn’t be possible to get the same feels as when Lee died in season 1 but I was wrong. And in certain ways, this actually feels even more painful.
Fast forward regardless of the ending, you have a scene where Javier is cutting Clementine’s hair and they talk about what’s going to happen after. Clementine wants to find AJ at a particular location which I won’t spoil, but it means she has to go away.
After the credits, Clementine is seen moving around and killing walkers on her path. This eventually leads to a screen with a text that simply says “Clementine’s story will continue…”.

Now, this can be taken as a clear indication that there will indeed be season 4 for Telltale’s The Walking Dead. We don’t know when it will be released or if we’ll get a trailer for it soon. I highly doubt it will be coming out this year.

Pokdepinion: Now for a little bit of rant. Honestly, I didn’t really like season 3. In fact, just because of that post-credits scene, it just felt like a filler season to me. The story was focused mostly on Javier and his family, with little parts on Clementine. While I’m happy that she’s still alive, I’m not happy that we didn’t even get a glimpse of AJ. It feels like anxiously waiting for good food, only for some dumbf*** to come out and say “you just got pranked bro!”. Talk about getting cucked. Looks like we gotta wait for Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 4.
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More HONOR V40 Specs Leak – Comes Equipped With 3D ToF Selfie Camera

With the HONOR V40 gearing itself for its 22 January launch in China, more new information is slowly trickling in the grapevine. The latest leaked bit of information regarding HONOR’s upcoming smartphone comes from well-known leaker, Digital Chat Station.
3D ToF sensor on the HONOR V40’s selfie camera?

#DigitalChatStation
Honor V40: the front dual-hole is a 16mp single-camera + a sensor, the battery capacity is 4000mAh, and only the high-end version of the large memory has 50W wireless. Support 100% P3 color gamut screen color management, support dual speakers and linear motor
— Digital Chat Station (English) (@chat_station) January 20, 2021

According to Digital Chat Station, the V40’s dual front-facing camera will feature a 3D ToF sensor alongside a standard 16MP camera. Which could mean that the upcoming device will come with a pretty complex face unlocking feature.

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The tipster also mentions that the V40 will be powered by a 4,000mAh battery and 50W wireless charging will be available on the higher-end variant. Other than that, Digital Chat Station says that 100% P3 colour gamut, dual speakers as well as a linear motor will also feature on the HONOR V40.
Image credit: Weibo
There is no official spec sheet for the V40 as of yet but according to leaks, the upcoming HONOR device will feature a MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ SoC, a 6.72-inch FHD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 8GB LPDDR4x memory and up to 256GB of UFS 2.1 storage.
The HONOR V40 is also said to be the first HONOR device since the HUAWEI ban to come with Google Mobile Services. The presence of GMS has also been the purported cause of why HONOR decided to delay the release of the device from 18 January to 22 January 2021.
For more information on the leak, you can check out the tipster’s original post up on Weibo.
Pokdepinion: The HONOR V40 is shaping up to be a more and more interesting device to me especially with that 3D ToF selfie camera. Looking forward to its official release on the 22nd.
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Purchase An ROG RTX Gaming Laptop To Stand A Chance In Winning RM1,699 Worth Of Peripherals

ASUS ROG Malaysia has something exciting for their fans out there. They’ve prepared a special promotion where you’ll get a chance to win ROG peripherals worth RM1,699 when you purchase selected ROG RTX gaming laptops.
ROG RTX laptop buy & win promo
Interested in the deal? Well if you have made a purchase from today until the 27th of April 2019, you are entitle to enter the promotion itself. The laptops that’s included in this deal include:

ROG G703GX
ROG Zephyrus S (GX701GX)
ROG Zephyrus S (GX531GW)
ROG Strix SCAR II (GL704GW/GV)
ROG STRIX SCAR II (GL504GW)
ROG STRIX Hero II (GL504GV)

The peripherals that’s on offer includes 6 sets of ROG Gladius II mouse, Balteus mousepad, and ROG Delta gaming headsets. To learn more on the promo, you can head down here for more information.

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Pokdepinion: Yeah we know that today is April Fools day… but trust us, this deal is legit :P
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Samsung Galaxy Note20 Series Priced From RM3,899

Samsung has officially unveiled their new Samsung Galaxy Note20 series, which features the Galaxy Note20 5G and also the Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G. Here’s what you should know about the launch.
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Series

The new flagship series from Samsung was unveiled at this year’s Galaxy Unpacked event where we got to witness the new Samsung Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Note20 Ultra.
 Well the series is famed for their S-Pen and it seems that it has received an upgrade where it comes with improved latency with just 9ms. It should also offer a better experience as they Note20 series come with support of up to 120Hz refresh rate display.

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In terms of specifications, the Note20 Ultra comes with a big 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display as oppose to the 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen on the standard Note20.
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 series is equipped with an Exynos 990 chipset and offers up to 12GB RAM.
For the cameras, the Samsung Note20 Ultra offers a 108MP main camera. The standard version comes with a 64MP main shooter instead.
Under the hood there’s a 4500mAh battery for the Note20 Ultra and a 4300mAh capacity for the Note20. The Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra will be available for pre-orders at 10am on the 6th of August until the 20th of August.

The price? Well there’s three offerings we’ll be getting here in Malaysia, starting from the Galaxy Note20 Ultra at RM5,199, RM4,299 for the Galaxy Note20 5G and finally RM3,899 for the standard Galaxy Note20. For the standard version (including 5G model), there’s a special freebie of a Galaxy Buds+ worth RM599 when you pre-order at Samsung Experience Store and authorized partners. As for the Galaxy Note20 Ultra, you will get your hands on the newer Galaxy Buds Live that’s worth RM699.
If you’re interested in the series, you can head to link right here to pre-order them.
Pokdepinion: Certainly looks like an upgrade for the Note series! Will you be getting them? Let us know down below.
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Lenovo A7000 Launched in Malaysia

Just days after ASUS launched the Zenfone 2 line-up at KL Live Center which we covered with live updates on our FB page, Lenovo has launched the world’s first smartphone with Dolby Atmos technology at GSC One Utama.
Hard to focus on the phone when it is in the hands of such a pretty model >_<
For the uninitiated, Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology previously available only in certain GSC cinemas. The technology will improve your audio listening experience by providing immersive surround sound.
What is Dolby Atmos?

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Specifications

Processor
Mediatek 1.5GHz 4G LTE True8Core™

RAM
2GB

Storage
8GB (expandable with microSD up to 32GB)

Screen
5.5″ 720p IPS

Camera
8MP rear, 5MP front

Battery
2900mAh

Pricing
RM699 (RRP)

Lenovo claims talktimes of up to 39 hours on 2G network or 16 hours on 3G network, as well as 264 hours of standby. It also comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop with Lenovo’s overlay.

For those interested in this phone, you can head over to Lazada and pre-order this phone for an introductory price of RM625.

Pokdepinion: Pretty good overall specifications and Dolby Atmos technology should seal the deal for those who watch a lot of movies on the go. The 5.5″ 720p screen is a slight let down especially when Dolby Atmos will make watching movies so much better on the phone, however I believe few will complain at this price point.
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ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10 review — worth robbing a bank for

ASUS’ first ever ROG Rampage motherboard was launched in 2006, and the motherboard became extremely popular with support for the best LGA 775 CPUs out there with the Intel X48 Express chipset. It also features a unique “Fusion Block System” which is  hybrid thermal design that combines ROG´s renowned heat pipe design with the additional ability to connect to a water cooling system.
Fast forward to 2016, which also marks the 10th anniversary since the ASUS ROG Rampage that started it all, ASUS poured all its innovation and experience in manufacturing great motherboards into the ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10 which packs the latest high-end Intel X99 chipset. This motherboard is pretty much based on the ASUS ROG Rampage V Extreme, but there are some clear upgrades, as you will find in our comparison of the ASUS ROG RVE and ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10. We compared the two boards in terms of the physical differences on the two boards in the earlier article. This is my full review on the ASUS ROG Rampage Extreme V Edition 10 (or also known as ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10), as well as the top 10 features worthy of highlight! Before that let’s get to the unboxing segment.
Unboxing

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The ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10 comes in premium matte black box with the 10th anniversary logo emblazoned on the center of the box. The glossy lines streaking across the box also enhances the visual appeal of the packaging. Damn this is mouthwatering, and we haven’t even opened the box!

At the back we have the pictures of the ASUS ROG RVE 10 with its specifications. ASUS doesn’t need to list down all the features as ROG fans have already waited for this board since it first appeared at Computex 2016.

Opening the box, we found the motherboard sit nicely in hard foam packaging. It looks almost similar with the ASUS ROG Rampage V Extreme but with a matte black finishing on almost everywhere and a new heatsink designs for the X99 chipset and VRM.
As you should expect from a truly premium and special edition board, ASUS includes tonnes of accessories with the ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10. SATA cables, SLI bridges, ROG cup coasters, WiFi antenna, and guess what, the ASUS SupremeFX Hi-FI USB DAC front panel amp. And oh, driver CDs are so old-school. The ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10 comes with a USB drive containing the drivers. Of course the USB stick has the ROG emblem on it.

Appearance

The motherboard looks very sexy from any direction, the matte black colours really looks extra-premium although the official ASUS ROG colour scheme is red and black. The heatsinks are lit up by ASUS AURA RGB lighting.

At the back of the board we have a stylish ROG Armor printed with special edition 10th anniversary emblem. This back plate is not for improving thermal design but it just there for aesthetic reasons and hide the RGB circuitry beneath it. Let’s get into details of the component that are planted on the PCB.

ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10 still features EPS 12V 8 pin and 4 pin connectors. You still can use the board even though you just connect the 8 pin connector but it might trigger certain PSUs’ over-current protection system. If your PSU only comes with only a 8 pin connector, make sure it can deliver more than 30 Amps on the 12V rail.

Packing a total of 8 phase digital PWM from International Rectifier, solid power delivery is guaranteed up to 60A. Power delivery on this board is really a serious business.

At the top-right of the motherboard, it features two DIP switches. Now you can manually disable DIMM channels and PCIe slots without removing the memory modules or graphics card. It not only offers a great way to configure your memory or PCIe setups but troubleshooting will be much easier with these switches.

Along the lower left edge of the board, we have a total of 10 SATA 6Gbps ports, with a U.2 port for next gen storage options.

Near the SATA ports, there is a clever SLI/CFX switch. Select whether you are running in 2x or 3x multi-GPU configurations, and the PCIe clips will illuminate to guide you to put the cards into the right slots.

Strengthening the PCIe slots are the ASUS’ patent-pending SafeSlot innovation, reinforcing the PCIe slots to provide superior retention and shearing resistance. It is said to have up to 1.6X stronger retention force and is up to 1.8X stronger than standard PCIe slots in shearing test. The PCIe clips are also lit up with AURA RGB lighting with SMD LED beneath them.

ASUS promises an excellent audio experience ASUS SupremeFX audio, with all the circuitry covered by a EMI shield to avoid any electromagnetic interference that would affect the audio quality.

For the ASUS SupremeFX Hi-FI DAC, ASUS chose the industry-leading ESS Sabre ES9018K2M as the main digital to analog converter and two high quality Texas Instrument LM4562 op-amps and TPA6120A2 headphone amp working in harmony to faithfully reproduce every detail without distortion or jitter.

Separated from the motherboard to protect it from any unwanted noise, it is fed data via USB 2.0 and is powered with a 6 pin PCIe connector.

On the rear of the board, a pre-mounted I/O shield which is also one of the many ASUS patent-pending innovations to ramps up the ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10’s aesthetics and also makes building a rig with the motherboard easier. Also we can clearly see the most obvious upgrades on the ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10 in terms of I/O here, which includes the additional LAN Port, with both LAN ports powered by Intel Gigabit Ethernet chipsets. Other than that, the ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10 also equipped with two USB 3.1 Type-C and two Type-A USB ports

Test Machine
Hardware

Processor
Intel Core i7-6900K

 Motherboard
ASUS ROG Rampage Edition 10

Memory
Avexir Blitz 32GB (8x 4GB)

Storage
Transcend SSD220S 480GB

Power Supply
Acbel iPower 90m 600W 80+ Gold (12V @ 48A rail)

Cooler
Cooler Master Nepton 120XL

Software

OS
Windows 10 64bit

 GPU driver
NVIDIA 372.70

Antivirus
Windows Defender

Utilities
CPU-Z, HWmonitor

Software used
LinX, Cinebench, Realbench

BIOS Interface
ASUS claims that they have improved the UEFI BIOS to make it even more gorgeous. Overclocking is indeed easier on an UEFI BIOS, but for a PC novice, you should read some guides from experienced overclockers before jumping right into it. I actually have no prior experience at overclocking Broadwell-E chips, and I spent several hours to learn how to get the sweet spot. Overclocking an Intel Broadwell-E is not really necessary as the chip itself is already way too overpowered for most usage conditions unless you are set on breaking some world record.

Performance
I installed all the necessary drivers before starting the test. First, I ran ROG Realbench benchmark at stock clocks to test the stability before attempting to push the chip to 4.5 GHz. The system was able to finish the run without any crashes in both cases, and the score obtained after overclocking is much better compared to the stock clocks. Overclocking mainly affects the load temperatures and power consumption, as I have recorded in the table below too.

Next, let’s take a look at the 10 features that I think are absolutely worth highlighting on the ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10!

1. Aesthetics
ASUS craftsmanship on the board is something that is worth complimenting. Premium build quality matched with the matte black colour scheme along with the remarkable heat-sinks’ designs. It feels absolutely solid on hand and you can feel how much effort have dedicated in designing this special edition motherboard.

Just observing the very neat arrangement of components is simply so satisfying.
2. ASUS AURA lighting
RGB lighting on this motherboard is a very nice touch. It illuminates the board as well as some of the area around the board. As the heatsinks also feature RGB lighting, you can have a unique color theme without resorting to painting the heatsinks.

What makes it more exciting is when you are able to synchronize the lighting effect with any RGB LED strip or ASUS graphics card that comes with RGB lighting.

3. ASUS SupremeFX audio
There are two audio option with the ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10, the SupremeFX which feeds the rear audio outputs, or a separate dedicated DAC which goes into the front panel, the ASUS SupremeFX Hi-Fi for better, wider and crunchier audio quality. To be noted during the review I couldn’t get the ASUS SupremeFX Hi-Fi to work as the driver was still in Beta and it ended up not working correctly on the latest Windows 10 Anniversary build. I hope that ASUS will fix the issue with their vendor before more complaints occur in the ROG forum.

I only tested the sound quality on the SupremeFX and it was pretty great, but I really, really craved to hear the audio output of the DAC.
4. Overclocking headroom and control
Overclocking on the ASUS X99 platform is not rocket science. All you need is some time, to get a better understanding of how to best push an Intel Broadwell-E CPU. If you’re familiar with ASUS BIOS, it will be even easier for you to get your feet wet. You can refer ASUS’ internal blog here for the Broadwell-E overclocking guide on ASUS X99 chipset motherboards.

If you have any issues or questions, ASUS ROG forum is the best place to ask. I browsed and read a lot on both sites, and It really helped me a lot in attaining my overclocking target in this review.

Switches on the motherboard are really convenient, being able to manually deciding which DIMM or PCIe lane to disable. The LED Q Code also makes troubleshooting much easier.
5. RAMcache
You may have heard about RAMdisk before, but how about RAMcache? The latest exclusive ASUS RAMcache feature really works as advertised with mindblowing performance.

A standard 2.5″ SATA3 SSD can achieve up to 550MBs read and write transfer speeds, but after allocating some RAM for the RAMcache feature, its speed became tremendously faster.

Caching recent application at over 7000MBs, literally this is no more loading time when joining a BF4 multiplayer server. What’s the requirement? Install more RAM in your system.
6. Intel Gigabit Ethernet
Comes with not one, but two Ethernet port by Intel Gigabit Ethernet. Testing game ping is not relevant as our lab is equipped with fibre connection, we’re normally getting around 8-20 ms in most multiplayer games even over WiFi. So I tried do some LAN file transfer by using DuktoR6 software.

Typically I get around 600-700Mbs transfer speed on Gigabit connection, but this time I got over 900Mbs transfer speeds! That’s really something! Choosing an Intel Gigabit controller for the ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10 is a great decision as we have previously tested the Intel Gigabit before and it does perform really well.
7. Sonic Studio/Sonic Radar
Great visuals are no longer an issue nowadays, as now we have NVIDIA G SYNC technology and  ASUS noticed about this and they try to amaze us with more features to enhance your gaming experience. Sonic Studio II is an audio suite that offers 6 audio controls: Reverb, Bass Boost, Equalizer, Voice Clarity, Smart EQ (Smart Volume), and Surround. Surround is dedicated for 2-channel headset and offers one of the best virtual surround technology for gaming.

But what entices me more is the Sonic Radar, what this software does is load an overlay that visually represents sound activities according to their positional location. It is designed as a gaming aid for pro/amateur gamers, those hard of hearing or unable to use in-game audio clearly. It does not interfere with game files, nor does it represent anything more than the game engine produces. In my observation it’s actually better if you’re using 5.1 or 7.1 channel headsets.

8. Storage
With a total of 10 SATA ports, a M.2 SSD slot and a U.2 port with NVMe support with up to 32GBs transfer speed, you literally can use any of the best storage options in the market now. And I think few will ever find the 10 SATA ports to be insufficient.

9. SafeSlot
Patent-pending SaleSlot featured by ASUS is engineered to provide superior retention and shearing resistance. Manufactured in a single step using a new Insert-molding process integrates the slot with the fortifying metal for an inherently stronger slot, which is then firmly anchored to the PCB through additional solder points.

ASUS claims it have up to 1.6X stronger retention force and was up to 1.8X stronger in shearing test. I’ve witnessed some gory case involving the PCIe slot, and it was horrible and not something I want to share. Broken PCIe slots will also not be covered by warranty as it is considered physical damage, so stronger PCIe slots are definitely welcome.
10. Pre-mounted I/O shield
Mounting a new motherboard into a computer case might be the most tricky part for new PC builders. Generally you need get the right angle when mounting the board, and if you get it wrong you risk not only damaging the case but also you might do some serious damage to the motherboard itself.

I demand this feature in all of ASUS’ upcoming motherboards irregardless of the price range. If ASUS does this it will definitely gain more fans.

Conclusion
It’s the most expensive X99 motherboard in the market right now. One of the reasons is because it comes with the SupremeFX Hi-Fi DAC. But after bearing in mind all the features and accessories, also the overclocking capabilities this baby has, the ASUS ROG Rampage V Edition 10 is really worth the cost. What makes this motherboard even more special is it is commemorative of the 10th anniversary of the original ASUS ROG Rampage. ASUS is essentially successful in adding sentimental value to the motherboard for old-time fans of the Rampage series, while bringing great new features that will entice even newcomers to the ASUS Republic of Gamers. I do not hesitate to award it our Gold Pokdeward. ASUS ROG Rampage Edition 10 is available, priced at RM2733 at any shop or online retailers in Malaysia. Join the Republic, scrubs. And yes, while it is worth robbing a bank for, we do not officially condone any crime.

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AVF Gaming Headsets GH1 & GH2 Reviewed

You really need a new headset for gaming and VoIP but limited within the budget? Can’t afford to buy pirate ship, three headed serpent, or an alloy of iron brand? Then this may be the answer.
Some of you might know about this headset, and some maybe do not know about it at all. It is AVF gaming headset, the AVF Gaming Headsets, the GH1 and AVF GH2. Come with lowest price you shall get
with some excuse able audio quality.
Design
From a glance the retail box is almost identical. Here is the front box.

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At the back of the box we can see the headset specification written, thumbnail of the product also the AVF address. Take a look at the back, both headsets share the same specification, but does it sound identical?

Since it share almost identical retail box, let look on the side. Hah! Caution, do not use when driving, do remember okay?

Here is the AVF GH1 and AVF GH2
I love braided cable on the AVF GH2, it really look nice and wonder if it look good if I use it for power supply cable sleeving?

Volume control on both headsets, AVF GH1 has bigger and mute button but not the AVF GH2 part, it small and have no mute button. Speak about the microphone, AVF GH1 microphone tick my interest instead what the AVF GH2 offer. AVF GH2 microphone lack of flexibility, it shorter compare with AVF GH1.
Both headsets are on-ear cup design, and I’m not of on-ear headset fan, it hurt my ear for long term period
This is AVF GH1 earcup

The AVF GH2 earcup

Both AVF GH1 and AVF GH2 have headband cushion, but AVF GH2 does look good.
AVF GH1 headband

AVF GH2 headband

LED lighting in action!

Connector for both headsets is 3.mm jack for audio and microphone and 5V USB connector for the LED.

The rest we can conclude that it is full of plastic and not very sturdy in design and build quality.

Conclusion
AVF GH1, its sound reasonable with the price tag, what I like about the AVF GH1 is the microphone flexibility, also the headband that is quite soft. Gaming session was okay, playing drum and bass music also have a good point since it punch with extra bass. Technically, it has very loud bass. Talk about size, its small even max out the head adjustment didn’t help much.
AVF GH2 is the one I would like to highlight, even on paper it have the same specification as AVF GH1 does, but is sound much different and much better. Riding jet and chopper in BF4 is really nice, explosion sound really pop out since the extra bass AVF GH2 offer. Put on media, playing music and watching anime is acceptable.
To be mention, stereo effect is really works on both headsets. Thus it is not like other cheap headset that claim as stereo but actually just mono.
Take into account about the microphone, both have good recording audio, on my test it captured no noise at all.
End of my word, AVF really need a new revision of gaming headset, focus on one series and make it as signature product that people may catch up with their product. Overall I recommended AVF GH2 over AVF GH1 despite the short microphone, but AVF GH2 offer me better audio quality, and comfortability.
Suggestion retail price for the AVF GH1 and GH2 is respectively RM69 and RM79, that is the price I get after search it on lelong.com site

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There is a Problem with the Nintendo Switch Wi-Fi; May Disrupt Its Mobility

It’s not a massive problem, but the Nintendo Switch Wi-Fi issue can disrupt its mobility.
We’re slightly over 1 week away from the launch of the Nintendo Switch. Some have gotten the consoles early for reviews, which is why you see a lot of Nintendo Switch-related posts lately on the internet.
While the Nintendo Switch is generally well-received among those who have tested it, some users are reporting that the console has one particular issue with regards to Wi-Fi connectivity.

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Nintendo Switch Wi-Fi Issue

Most of the people who have gotten their hands on the Nintendo Switch are loving the user interface and operating system, praising its smooth performance and ease of operations. After some further digging, the Nintendo Switch Wi-Fi issue reared its ugly head.
Simply put, the Nintendo Switch cannot connect to the internet on Wi-Fi routers that need internet authentication. If you’re not sure what this means, allow me to explain. You know how when you head over to Starbucks or McDonalds, your browser will pop-up and it’ll bring you to a page where you need to click ‘I agree’ or log-in in order to access the internet? This is the kind that the Nintendo Switch Wi-Fi will not be able to access.
You might be thinking how such a primitive issue is causing problems for the Nintendo Switch Wi-Fi, and the answer is simple. The Switch does not have an internet browser and because of this, it cannot be authenticated by Wi-Fi connections like the ones in McDonald’s or in airports. No, I am not joking.

This isn’t really a problem for those who plan on gaming on it exclusively at home but for those of you who are looking to take it out, it might be an issue. For instance, if you’re going on a holiday and you plan on gaming on the Nintendo Switch in your hotel room, you might not be able to access the hotel’s Wi-Fi.
Don’t lose heart just yet because this doesn’t mean that the Nintendo Switch will never have an internet browser. It might just come in the form of a Day One update, which the console is already confirmed to have. However, it’s not a guarantee that it will show up in the Day One update because no one knows what the update will include.
For now, we’ll just have to wait and see. The Nintendo Switch will launch worldwide on March 3rd 2017.

Pokdepinion: Not having an internet browser for a game console in 2017 sounds rather silly. I don’t really understand why Nintendo doesn’t want to include it from the start since it’s a basic application in today’s world. For now, the Nintendo Switch Wi-Fi has an issue, and it can be a bit annoying for some. We at Pokde would like to get our hands on one, see if there’s something that we can do about it assuming there will be no browser in the Day One update.

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HONOR 20 Pro Review — photography powerhouse

Introduction

The HONOR 20 was pretty disappointing to me. I loved the HONOR View20 before it, and I was probably expecting a bit more. Now we will be looking at the HONOR 20 Pro, a smartphone which actually brings more to table than just more cameras. It is quite an upgrade over the HONOR View20 and the HONOR 20, but does it have what it takes to impress us in a time when the market is saturated with great phones from every other smartphone maker? Let’s find out.
Unboxing

The box is pretty similar to the HONOR 20’s with some light UV spot patterns applied onto the clean white surfaces of the box. Of course, the “PRO” is highlighted to differentiate between the HONOR 20 Pro and its lesser brethren.

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The device we got here is the Phantom Blue variant. While we didn’t receive any documentation with it, all the necessities are here. The USB-C to 3.5mm dongle is here because the HONOR 20 Pro lacks a 3.5mm jack, like most recent flagships.
Appearance

The HONOR 20 Pro’s front facade is dominated by the 6.26″ display. The selfie camera cutout is located closer to the edges than the Korean flagships, which gives you more usable screen space. There’s a very minimal bottom chin and side bezels, as HONOR maximized the space here to offer an impressive 91.7% screen-to-body ratio.
The official renders of the Phantom Blue HONOR 20 Pro are a lot more greenish than reality…
Over on the back we see that HONOR has done some changes to the design. While the HONOR 20 and HONOR 20 Pro are pretty similar, the HONOR 20 Pro definitely feels more premium in hand with a 3D curved glass back. The color is also more premium. In addition to the holographic design, the color also darkens at the top and bottom extremes, giving it an even more intense 3D effect. As far as designs go, HONOR has done a great job.

The side of the frame is metal, and HONOR used a side-mounted fingerprint scanner which also serves as the power button. It allowed HONOR to design the seamless back while also not having to resort to under-display fingerprint scanners. We all know how these physical fingerprint scanners are faster than any under-display fingerprint scanner, so I hope HONOR continues this design even after they make the jump to AMOLED in their upcoming flagships.

Last but not least, we gotta check out that sweet bottom. The HONOR 20 Pro sports curvy sides, with only a USB port, the primary microphone hole and the loudspeaker here. It’s a bit thicker than the HONOR 20 as well, probably due to the larger battery and also more impressive camera hardware. There’s still no 3.5mm jack here though, unfortunately. Over on the top we have the proximity sensor which looks like a IR blaster, but it isn’t one, much to our disappointment.
Specifications

CPU:
Kirin 980 (2 x Cortex-A76 @ 2.6 GHz + 2 x Cortex-A76 @ 1.92 GHz + 4 x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz), 7nm FinFET

GPU:
Mali-G76MP10 @ 720 MHz

RAM:
8GB LPDDR4x

Display:
6.26″ FHD+ (1080p) IPS LCD display, HONOR AllView, 91.7% screen-to-body ratio

Storage:
256GB UFS 2.1

Camera:
Main Camera(s)
48MP f/1.4, Sony Exmor IMX 586, 0.8μm pixels, OIS + 16MP f/2.2 super wide angle + 8MP f/2.4 3x telephoto lens, OIS + 2MP f/2.4 macro camera
OIS, AIS, EIS, PDAF, laser AF, LED flash, Portrait mode, AI Ultra-Clarity, Super Night mode, Aperture mode, HiVision
Front Camera
32MP f/2.0
AI beautification, AI HDR, Portrait mode

OS:
Magic UI 2.1.0 based on Android 9 Pie

Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Dual-band GPS
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC

SIM:
Dual nanoSIM

Battery:
Li-Po 4000 mAh (non-removable)
22.5W HUAWEI SuperCharge fast charging

Ingress protection:
No

Dimensions:
154.60 x 73.97 x 8.44 mm

Weight:
182 g

Performance

In Antutu the HONOR 20 Pro bests all the other Kirin 980 smartphones, which is nice to see. When pitted against the competition, you do see that the Kirin 980 comes up a bit short.

The CPU performance is decent, although it is a lot more competitive against last year’s flagships rather than 2019’s.

GPU performance is an area where the Kirin 980’s Mali-G76 MP10 doesn’t impress. But it is worth mentioning that it won’t have an issue tackling the latest mobile games, although as you can see, it won’t be topping any benchmarks.

PCMark performance sees it come in just below the HUAWEI P30 and also the Xiaomi duo in this stack, although it handily comes up on top of the Samsung flagships.

Interestingly, the battery life figures sees it come way below the HUAWEI P30 which has a much smaller battery, despite similar specifications aside from the display. The HONOR 20 Pro also scores the exact same as the HONOR 20, which is even more suspicious.
Using the HONOR 20 Pro for daily use as well as gaming, it really performs as you would expect a flagship to. Fluidity in daily use and well-sustained performance in PUBG Mobile are what I expect of any flagship, and the HONOR 20 Pro does deliver all that without a hiccup. It warms up quite a bit though, which does make it quite uncomfortable if you are planning on extended gaming sessions.

Battery life in my daily usage also reflect small gains despite the larger battery. Perhaps the larger RAM does consume more power, causing it to burn through more power. Recharging it with the included 22.5W SuperCharge power adapter yielded 42% in just 30 minutes, which is a good showing given the size of the battery.
User Experience

I do feel like HONOR did a really good job designing the HONOR 20 Pro. Unlike the HONOR View20 which felt like it was going to slip out of my hand at any time, and the HONOR 20 which was a bit too blocky for liking, the HONOR 20 Pro felt much more comfortable and secure in my hands.
The side-mounted fingerprint scanner on the HONOR 20 Pro is also more refined than the HONOR 20’s. The HONOR 20 sample I received had pretty sharp edges around the fingerprint scanner, but this HONOR 20 Pro didn’t have such an issue. It is also a very snappy one, as lightly resting my thumb against it was more than enough to unlock the HONOR 20 Pro.
The screen is good. It’s not AMOLED good, but it’s good enough, even when comparing against other flagships. 1080p is plenty for a sharp screen of this size, and from what I can tell, the color reproduction is pretty spot on as well. HONOR could have probably opted for an AMOLED panel, especially given that this is the “Pro” variant, but this is still a very solid display panel and I most definitely won’t hold it against HONOR for choosing an IPS panel instead.
Not exactly symmetrical stereo audio, but it’s (way) better than nothing.
Another thing I like about the HONOR 20 Pro is that HONOR is still offering stereo sound by partnering up the loudspeaker on the bottom with the earpiece up top. It does make a difference, especially when comparing side by side against another flagship which lacks the capability. What I don’t like is that the HONOR 20 Pro doesn’t have a headphone jack, although a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle is included in the box.

While I loved the hardware, the software was a tad less impressive. Magic UI 2.1 is based on Android 9 Pie but the design is quite an old one, with only minor tweaks here and there over the years. The user experience is pretty good. I had no issues finding whatever I needed, and the option to use an app drawer is also pretty unique for a Chinese-made Android skin. It just looks old. Given that EMUI 10 is coming soon, the horizon beckons for Magic UI 2.1, and we might finally see a UI that befits the beautiful design of the HONOR 20 Pro.

Moving on, let’s take a closer look at the camera. The camera hardware is just awesome. It features an unprecedented f/1.4 aperture, which is really no joke when you consider the large 1/2″ sensor. And on top of that, there’s OIS, which adds to the complexity of the whole camera setup here. There’s also OIS for the 3x zoom camera, a necessity given the long focal length.

The software would look familiar to anyone who has used a HUAWEI or HONOR smartphone in recent times. The UI has remained pretty recognizable, just like how Magic UI/EMUI has barely changed over the years. The camera app is easy to use, although I do find the fact that the way HONOR hid the Super Macro and 48MP AI Ultra Clarity modes very frustrating.
          Ultra-wide angle (Night Mode)            Macro          3x telephoto              3x telephoto            Portrait mode            Ultra-wide angle              3x telephoto          Ultra-wide angle            3x telephoto              Selfie            Auto              Auto            Auto          3x telephoto (Night Mode)              Ultra-wide angle (Night Mode)            Macro            Selfie            Macro
As you might expect given the hardware, the results are pretty good. The Portrait shots are also one of the most accurate we have seen thus far, with the edges around our model as refined as they come. It’s even better than the HONOR 20’s, which came with a 2MP depth sensor for the sole purpose of delivering better bokeh. There probably some room for improvement with its processing though, with an aggressive noise reduction algorithm wiping out a lot of detail in shots taken indoors. Aside from that, the Super Night Mode serves up excellent shots at night, and I am very impressed by all the cameras on the HONOR 20 Pro. Except for the macro camera which I still believe is an unnecessary inclusion. I must however mention that for some reason, the HONOR 20 Pro’s macro camera delivers better results than the HONOR 20, despite both devices sporting the similar hardware. You can view the full sized shots here.
Conclusion
Now to answer the question I posed in the very beginning of this article. Am I impressed? Definitely. I got some amazing results out of the camera, and I believe there’s still room for more optimization on the software side as the hardware is just unprecedented at this point. It’s worth mentioning that the HONOR 20 Pro bagged the honors (hehe) of being the second highest scoring device ever tested by DxOMark. And this is their very first device to be tested by the renowned camera reviewers, so HONOR definitely did an amazing job with the HONOR 20 Pro.
With a price tag of RM2299, the HONOR 20 Pro is pretty reasonably priced. It could however do with more flagship features like ingress protection and wireless charging. And if I was feeling particular picky, the HONOR View20‘s IR blaster and 3.5mm jack would have also been very welcome on the HONOR 20 Pro. But set aside what the HONOR 20 Pro lacks, and focusing on what the HONOR 20 Pro has, I do see that it offers a camera that is better than flagships that are going for a lot more ringgit. If your primary consideration when choosing a smartphone is a great camera, this is the phone to get.

Our thanks to HONOR Malaysia for providing us the HONOR 20 Pro for review.
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Garmin Introduces New Garmin Approach S12 Smartwatch

Garmin Malaysia has just announced the new Garmin Approach S12 smartwatch. The Approach S12 is the latest addition to the brand’s prominent Approach series of GPS golf products. The Garmin Approach S12 features over 42,000 preloaded courses for budding golf enthusiasts. Across the board, the latest Approach S12 offers exemplary battery life and supports connectivity with Garmin’s club tracking sensor and the Garmin golf app 1 which makes it easier than ever to upload scorecards, review performance stats and much more.
Garmin Approach S12 is here

The Garmin Approach S12 comes equipped with a 1.3-inch high-resolution display for easy reading under sunlight as well as a new Big Numbers display mode which makes it easier to read yardage numbers during play. The Approach S12 can also be connected to the Garmin Golf app for wireless updates a player’s most frequently played golf courses, therefore, providing them with up-to-date course information.

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Furthermore, the Garmin Approach S12 has a battery life that can last 30 hours in GPS mode. It also comes with a Green View feature to see each green’s true shape and to move the pin for better yardage accuracy, regardless of where a golfer is on the course.

The Garmin Approach S12 smartwatch is out now for a retail price of RM930. It is available in either Black, Granite Blue and White and can be gotten through Lazada, Shopee, AECO e-store and at all Garmin branded stores, including authorised resellers and MST Golf. For more information on the Approach S12 or Garmin’s full line of golf electronics, check out their official website here.
Pokdepinion: Ah golf. I remember giving the game a try a few years ago. I really like the mechanics behind it, the technique needed to execute the perfect slice, to gauge how much swing power the ball needed for it to travel where you want it to. But alas, Malaysia’s hot weather held me back from fully enjoying the game. Which is why I just watch the game on TV only.
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OPPO Reno2 Series Launched In Malaysia From RM1,599

Today marks the launch of the OPPO Reno2 series, where they’ve introduced the brand new OPPO Reno2 and Reno2 F, each coming with quad cameras.
The quad camera setup setup on both devices feature a 48MP camera and a 8MP wide angle lens.

For the Reno2 is then fitted with a 13MP telephoto lens and 2MP mono lens to complete its quad setup. As for the Reno2 F, it uses a 2MP depth camera and 2MP mono lens instead.

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Another difference between the two is that the OPPO Reno2 uses a Snapdragon 730G instead of the MediaTek Helio P70 on the Reno2 F. Completing the difference between the two is that they both come with different lift type cameras (front camera). A Shark Fin popup is used for the Reno2 and a standard vertical for the Reno2 F.
OPPO Reno2 Specifications

CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G
Display: 6.5″ Full AMOLED (20:9)
Memory: 8GB RAM + 256GB internal storage
Main camera: 48MP Sony IMX 586 f/1.7 + 13MP f/2.4 telephoto + 8MP 1/3.2 wide angle + 2MP mono
Front camera: 16MP f/2.0
Battery: 4000mAh battery
Price: RM2,299

OPPO Reno2 F
CPU: MediaTek Helio P70Display: 6.5″ Full AMOLED (19:5:9)Memory: 8GB RAM + 128GB internal storageMain camera: 48MP GM1 EIS + 8MP wide angle + 2MP mono + 2MP depth sensorFront camera: 16MPBattery: 4000mAh Price: RM1,599
As you might expect, both runs on ColorOS 6.1, based on Android 9 Pie. Adding to that, they feature OPPO’s proprietary VOOC Flash Charge 3.0, which they claim can reduce charging time by 10%.

If you are interested in these devices, you can pre-order from now until the 25th of October 2019 where every order will get you a one year screen protection warranty as well as an OPPO Reno bag.

As for the official sale date, the OPPO Reno2 series will go live on the 26th of October, a day after the pre-order period.
Pokdepinion: I’m surprised that they didn’t come up with a high end variant. What do you think of their prices? Will you be getting one?
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Lenovo Legion 2 Pro Will Have Monstrous 144Hz 6.92-inch Display And More

Looking forward to Lenovo’s next gaming smartphone? We have learned some new things on the Lenovo Legion 2 Pro, including its monstrous 144Hz 6.92-inch display.
Lenovo Legion 2 Pro Monstrous Display

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The Lenovo Legion 2 Pro gaming smartphone is set to launch on 8th April 2021. Until that day comes, the company is making more and more teasers leading up to the event. As a result, we managed to learn a number of things about the upcoming device.
For starters, it has a monstrous 6.92-inch AMOLED display, made by Samsung, with a refresh rate of 144Hz. The display resolution will be Full HD+, 2460 x 1080 to be precise. Unsurprisingly given recent devices and leaks, it will be powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC. What’s surprising here is that the SoC will have a twin fan cooling system for improved performance.
It also appears that the Lenovo Legion 2 Pro has appeared in the Master Lu benchmark, which reveals a 16GB RAM / 512GB internal storage configuration. To add to that, we expect to also see a 12GB RAM / 128GB internal storage variant along with a 12GB RAM / 256 internal storage variant.
To power all of this, it will be coming with a 5,500mAh battery and it still retains the dual USB-C port design with each supporting 45W fast charge, which will make 90W if you use both simultaneously. There’s definitely more to know about this gaming smartphone so we will report more as soon as information becomes available.
Source
Pokdepinion: It’s shaping up to be a notable upgrade over its predecessor, but I do wonder if the camera system will be better. I understand that it’s a gaming phone so it shouldn’t be a priority, but it still needs to be competitive enough to fight against the other smartphones out there.
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ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III Ver2.0 review

We have reviewed the ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III. We found it to be quite an excellent mouse, priced very reasonably for the features it offers. Today, we have the ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III Ver2.0, which is understandably the newer version, succeeding the model we previously reviewed. Note that we used the word newer and not upgraded. With that said, let’s go on to our review of the ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III Ver2.0.

Unboxing

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The ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III Ver2.0 comes with the same black and yellow theme on its packaging. However it does look a lot more attractive than the packaging its predecessor came in, now sporting a product image instead of the plain blackness the old packaging had.

Moving to the right panel, we have a list of features and specifications. Here, we notice the first change, the newer mouse actually has a less sensitive sensor compared to the older one. The main star of the game here is the Avago ADNS-3050, with a max CPI of 4000 instead of the 5000 the previous version offered.

Over on the back we have a short list of features in various languages. ARMAGGEDDON claims to be packing an “upgraded Avago ADNS-3050 gaming engine”. More on that later.

A nifty flip window allows you to take a look at your upcoming investment in a blister pack. The flip door has a long essay on what makes ARMAGGEDDON products Ultimate Gaming Gear. The font is really tiny so unless you have nothing better to do, there is no need to spend time here.

And here are all the contents of the packaging. Ta-da! You get the ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III Ver2.0, a user manual, an extra set of Teflon feet. Unlike its predecessor, there is no driver CD included. This is indeed quite a wise decision, as it allows ARMAGGEDDON to reduce costs, as most users are capable of downloading the driver online.

Appearance

The ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III Ver2.0 sports the exact same shell its predecessor had, which means the two are indistinguishable when looking at them. It is ergonomically designed for right-handed users, so left handed gamers can stop reading now. The ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III comes in two color options, which are matte black (Sable Soviets) and glossy white (Alpine Allies). No prize for guessing which variant we got here today. The top shell is glossy white, with silver trim around the scroll wheel and CPI toggle button. The ARMAGGEDDON logo takes position on the back of the mouse.

Two side buttons take up the right, with a nice rubber grip to enhance comfort. The left gets no buttons, but also features a strip of rubber so your pinky rests comfortably.

Flipping the mouse over we find a lot of text. ARMAGGEDDON decided that filling the space on the underside of the mice with text to be a good idea. A warning to avoid a stare-down with the laser beam is included. Wait, we are talking about a laser beam in an optical mouse? Okay… The serial number and warranty expiry date of your specific mouse is also printed here, so you need not go digging for the packaging when you have issues with it. Four decently sized white Teflon feet should keep your mouse gliding well across most surfaces.

It features RGB lighting for the ARMAGGEDDON logo as well as for a strip between the upper and lower halves of the shell. The brightness and vibrancy of the colors are top notch, but we will talk more about that later.

The USB connector features gold-plating, to prevent oxidation. The 1.8m cable is braided in white, which looks great but I am not sure how long it will stay that way. White sleeving material usually yellow after some time, and also gets dirty very easily. Still, as the mouse is mainly white, having a black cord may look a little off. A ferrite core near the USB connector prevents interference from negatively affecting your mousing experience.

Specifications

Body material
Glossy plastic shell, moulded rubber grips

Sensor
Avago ADNS-3050 4000 DPI optical sensor

DPI
250/500/750/1000/1250/1500/1750/2000/2500/3000/3500/4000 (configurable in driver software)

USB report rate
1000 Hz

Switch type
Omron switches, rated for 10 million clicks

Microprocessor
Unspecified, with up to 1000 Hz polling rate

Cable
1.8 m, braided

Weight
102 g

Included accessories
User manual
Replacement mouse feet

User Experience
The ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III Ver2.0 has a driver software which you can download from its product page. You can use it without installing the driver software, but you won’t be able to take advantage of all the features it offers, like the RGB lighting.

The driver software is pretty neat, with everything accessible in expandable menus at both the left and right sides. In the center, an image of the mouse guides you by letting you know which number in the button assignment menu corresponds to which button on the mouse. You even get to program macros, which is great to improve productivity. Remember the little switch on the bottom of the mouse? Well, it serves to toggle between the two higher and two lower CPI. The CPI button behind the scroll wheel then selects between the two sensitivities.

As a mouse with support for RGB lighting, the configuration is pretty rudimentary. You get a choice of static and pulsating single color modes and the multi-color mode, which goes through the whole spectrum.

Each mode has their own customization, for example in static mode you get to adjust the brightness, and in pulsating mode and multi-color mode you can set the speed at which it pulses/changes colors. In the single color modes, the color is determined by the color you assign to a specific sensitivity in the CPI setting menu.
Back to the topic of the “upgraded Avago ADNS-3050 gaming engine”. The sensor’s official specifications states that the sensor tops off at 2000 DPI and a maximum tracking speed of 60 inches per second (ips). ARMAGGEDDON claims 4000 CPI for the ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III Ver2.0, with a maximum tracking speed of a whopping 160 ips. In fact, this is greater than its predecessor which had a maximum tracking speed of 130 ips. To test whether it really works at the whopping 4000 DPI, I fired up Paint to draw some circles.

At 4000 CPI, the ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III Ver2.0 had jittery movement. Even at 3000 CPI the jitter was noticeable. It does work really well below 2000 CPI though, so if you don’t need the higher sensitivities this mouse is great. Actually using the mouse, I am not bugged by the jitter at the higher sensitivity settings since I am most comfortable at the 1750 CPI setting.

The ergonomic shape of the mouse is really great to hold. Its shape is similar to the Microsoft IntelliMouse 3.0, which also inspired designs of mice like the Ducky Secret and Razer Deathadder. I guess Microsoft did a great job that allowed its design to still be relevant after so long. Comfort is top notch, perfect for palm grip users. The glossy shell is actually quite nice to hold, and nowhere as slippery as I expected it would be. If your hands are sweaty, or oily after a meal or something, you will leave fingerprints all over your mouse. That said, the white coloration does help to hide them. The buttons on the top shell are all nicely tactile while not being too loud. The side buttons are too mushy for my liking though. The scroll wheel has noticeable notches while still being quiet enough to not irritate your roommates.

Conclusion
The ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III Ver2.0 is really comfy to hold. For RM119, it is a great mouse with a comfortable ergonomic shape for right-handers. The price is also cheaper than the original (older?) SRO-5 HAVOC III which cost RM169. For RM50 less, you get the same body but an inferior sensor. The jitter at the higher CPIs may be a deal-breaker for you if you usually use a higher sensitivity. If you are like me, and rarely use the higher sensitivities, you can seriously consider this mouse. In this case, newer doesn’t mean upgraded. But at least it’s cheaper.
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Toys “R” Us Allegedly Sells Children’s Data For Income

Most of us probably know that Toys “R” Us went bankrupt last year but they found new owners to continue the establishment. That seems fine and dandy right from them right? Well not quite as they’ve been reported to be selling children’s data in order to make money.
Over in the US, it seems that they’ve partnered up with a startup company called b8ta, who fitted two of Toys “R” Us’ new stores in the country with sensors that tracks your movements.
The stores features cameras from RetailNext, which happens to measure foot traffic. In the US, it is illegal to collect any data on kids that are under 13, so that might stir up some controversy there.

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In addition to that, Toys “R” Us isn’t the same anymore. What do I mean by saying that? Well it seems that they’ve leased floor space to toy companies. Think of it that you’re shopping on an ecommerce platform. Let’s say you get to the Lego section, well according to the theory, Lego will know how many people have stopped by and purchase their products.
Easily put, they have the data of traffic of how well and the amount of people who visited their section at Toys “R” Us.
Pokdepinion: I’ve not been to a Toys “R” Us store in a very long time though.. Let’s hope that they don’t do it here in Malaysia..
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Recent Genshin Impact Leaks Unveils Two New Character Skins

Although Genshin Impact had a livestream for the next update awhile back, there are loads of new and exciting things for fans to expect. One of the things that fans will be delighted to know is that there are reportedly new skins for two specific characters.
New Skins for Diluc and Fischl

Diluc and Fischl fans will be thrilled to know that there are two new skins being unveiled, according to a Reddit user who translated the leak by popular Genshin Impact leaker TZ. The information originates from Uncle DD, whose disclosed information have been accurate so far.

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This particular information brings much anticipation for both Diluc and Fischl as they are now only getting skins after the game gave out Jean and Barbara skins, followed by a recent Ningguang skin in the game.
However, do note that while this is news that have been leaked before, there is credible sources this time round so fans can rest easy knowing that there will be new skins for our two beloved characters. Thus far, there is no information whatsoever about when the skin will be released so only time will tell.
Genshin Impact is currently available for free on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, and PC. A Nintendo Switch port of the game is coming sometime in the near future.
Source
Pokdepinion: Whilst I don’t personally play Genshin Impact myself, I am intrigued to see what miHoYo comes out with next. The game has such cute characters after all!
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ASUS ROG STRIX RX 480 8GB OC review — premium performance, premium design

Let’s put more AMD Radeon RX 480 scores into our benchmark list. Last time, I reviewed the PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 480 8GB graphics card. It was the highest end gaming card based on Polaris architecture you can get. Moving on, we now have the ASUS ROG STRIX Radeon RX 480 8GB OC in our labs to test. ASUS are known for their premium hardware, so we expect to see a proper high end card from them. Without further ado, let’s go to the unboxing.
Unboxing

It’s doesn’t matter whether it’s an AMD or a NVIDIA card, the packaging for ASUS ROG STRIX cards are pretty similar at first glance. The only way we can differentiate is by the red labels for AMD cards, while NVIDIA cards have green labels. The ASUS ROG STRIX RX 480 8GB OC we have here today, is understandably factory overclocked, with further overclocking potential available too. At the front of the box, we have the picture of the graphics card itself and highlights of some features such as ASUS AURA RGB lighting.

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At the back of the box we have every detail regarding the card printed. The ROG STRIX RX 480 features ASUS DirectCU III cooling system with triple patented wind-blade fans. It also features Auto-Extreme Technology to ensures consistent graphics card quality as well sd improved performance and longevity. The ASUS AURA RGB has over 16M colors and multiple effects for customization. Last but not least the ASUS FanConnect allowing you to connect PWM fan for targeted cooling in your system.

Inside the box we have the ASUS ROG STRIX RX 480, two set of ROG cable ties, driver installer DVD, user manual and a World of Warship premium pass.
Appearance

Every one of the latest ASUS’ ROG STRIX graphics cards share the same DNA in term of the design and cooling technology. The ROG STRIX RX 480 dark grey cooling shroud is made of plastic with a matte finish which complements the RGB lighting effect. At the front, we have three patented Wind-Blade fans for cool operating temperature while operating 3X quieter than reference designs.

This card is pretty heavy, so it is a good thing that it comes with a metal backplate to improve the card’s sturdiness. While ASUS was working on that, they most probably thought “why not”, and threw in RGB lighting for the ROG logo.

Unlike the reference design of the Radeon RX 480 which only uses a 6-pin PCIe connector and ended up running the risk of damaging motherboards when pushed hard, the ROG STRIX RX 480 draws power through a 8-pin PCIe connector, which can safely deliver more than enough power for the card even when overclocked. Theoretically, this card can draw 225W from the PSU safely.

At the rear of the card we have two ASUS FanConnect header. You can connect two 4-pin fan to the header and the fan can be control manually through ASUS GPU Tweak II software. This features actually is very useful if you want to control the fan speed based on the graphics card’s temperature, which usually is higher than the CPU’s temperature nowadays.

To make the card more VR friendly, ASUS has throw in two HDMI 2.0 ports, two DisplayPort 1.4 connectors and a single active DVI connector.

These dense aluminum heatsink are part of the ASUS DirectCU III cooling technology. Also, coursing through the fins we have five thick heatpipes which are in direct contact with the GPU to effiiciently wick heat away from the GPU.
Test Machine

The ASUS ROG STRIX RX 480 8GB is tested on Pokde’s new and official bench rig for this review.  I would like to express my deepest gratitude to our sponsors who have supporting us since the early days of Pokde.net.
Hardware

Processor
Intel Core i7-5820K

Motherboard
ASUS X99-Deluxe

Memory
Avexir Blitz 16GB DDR4

Storage
Sandisk Ultra II 256GB

Power Supply
Cooler Master V850

Software

Game Tested
Witcher 3, Battlefield 4, DOTA 2 Reborn, CS: GO, Overwatch

OS
Windows 10 64bit Annivesary

GPU Driver
GeForce Game Ready Driver 375.57

Antivirus
Windows Defender

Utilities
Furmak, Fraps, MSI Afterburner 4.3 Beta 14, GPU-Z, OBS, Steam, Uniplay, Origin, GOG Galaxy

Card Specification

GPU Architecture
Polaris 10 (Ellesmere XT)

GPU
AMD Radeon RX 480

Memory
8GB GDDR5 @ 8Gbps

Memory Interfarce
256-bit

Base/Boost Clock
1330 MHz / N/A

Card Dimension
298 x 134 x 40 mm

Card Weight
N/A

Almost all the software used in this test are updated to the latest version. That includes the operating system, system drivers, BIOS and graphics drive
ASUS GPU Tweak II

The latest iteration of the original ASUS GPU Tweak II, brings a better UI and I hope ASUS keeps improving it constantly. ASUS GPU Tweak & MSI Afterburner are always my go-to tools for GPU overclocking.
ASUS AURA RGB Software

ASUS ROG STRIX RX 480 8GB OC comes with RGB lighting customization through the provided tool in the ASUS GPU TWEAK II. I tend to forget to cover the software customization since the default lighting already looks very nice.
Performance
During the graphics card review I monitored the power draw from the system. For the ASUS ROG STRIX RX 480 the bench rig never consumed above 306 watts. By subtracting the 120 W (± 10 W) that the rest of the hardware consumes, this card only sips approximately 186 watts (± 10 W). The card sip less than 225 watts that it can safely draw, but it is still higher than the reference designs which is limited to 150W.

DOTA2 and CS: GO was never a problem for a high end card like the ROG STRIX RX 480. The game has smooth gameplay with a framerate of over 100 on both 1080p and 1440p resolution. Meanwhile at 4K resolution, only DOTA2 drops below 100, with an average framerate of 83, which we must say is still very playable, while CS:GO is still great at 141 frames per second on average.

In Battlefield 4 we can see the average framerates drop as low as 35 fps at 4K resolution. The story is a lot cheerier at 1080p and 1440p resolutions though. Compared to the PowerColor RX 480, the ASUS ROG STRIX RX 480 wins by a slight margin here.

Playing Overwatch with friends is fun and better when the frames rates is also high. The ROG STRIX RX 480 handles Overwatch spectacularly . Although at 1440p the framerates dropped quite a bit, it actually went up at 4K resolution. This also happened with the PowerColor cards I have reviewed before, so this might be an AMD Radeon thing.

Onto our last game in our benchmark suite, Witcher 3 is the only game which needs a boatload of GPU power for fluid gameplay. For AMD cards, I turned off NVIDIA HairWorks and the results are still not that great, especially at 1440p and 4K. At 1080p you might consider turning off Anti-Aliasing for a better experience.
Both AMD’s and NVIDIA’s latest generation of cards are excellent in terms of their thermals. None of the AIB cards that I have reviewed had any issues with their temperature. Like the ROG STRIX RX 480, the temperatures are fixed at 65 Celsius, and the fan spins very quietly even under load.
Overclocking

Increasing the GPU Clock and Memory Clock without any voltage increment is our aim in Pokde.net. I manage to overclock the card by 70 MHz on the GPU Clock and 100 MHz on the Memory Clock. This gave me a performance gain of around 5%.
Conclusion
The ASUS ROG STRIX RX 480 is priced at RM1499 which makes it’s the priciest AIB Radeon RX 480 card, closely followed by the MSI Radeon RX 480 Gaming X. With the competition setting their prices within the same range, I dare say that the ROG STRIX RX 480 is not really that expensive, it is just that the Ringgit that is weak.

For me, VR is yet to become mainstream in Malaysia, and that is why I would prefer to buy a Radeon RX 470 or maybe a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti as both GPUs are sufficient for my usage. After judging based on its performance and features, I award the ASUS ROG STRIX RX 480 with the Silver Pokdeward.
The PokdeRig
We would like to thank our sponsors for our very own benchmarking rig – The PokdeRig. These companies believe in us and put their trust into what we do. They deserve all the love in the world!
Asus X99-Deluxe
Intel Core i7-5820K
CM MasterAir Pro 4
CM V850 PSU
Sandisk Ultra II
Avexir Blitz 16GB DDR4
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In-depth overview of Radeon Software: Crimson Edition

Yesterday we shared news about the upcoming Radeon Software : Crimson Edition, but the news seemed a little empty to me. So I decided to take some time to do an overview of the Radeon Software: Crimson Edition.
As we know, the Radeon Software: Crimson Edition is the AMD Catalyst Control Centre (CCC) replacement and will be available for download at the end of this year. The AMD CCC has served AMD users 13 years and at last it will be retired. Radeon Software: Crimson Edition is the first product from Radeon Technologies Group (RTG) meant to change the playing field of drivers forever.

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The Radeon Software has its own design philosophy, focused on user experience, form and functionality. But will the software deliver as promised?

The Radeon Software has a similar naming convention with its predecessor, AMD CCC, but now versions will be named according to their major and minor updates. Starting with Radeon Software, and followed by the name of the major and minor version.

Changing the naming convention means nothing if the software still performs like its predecessor. The Radeon Software said to start up 10x faster than the old AMD CCC. In the slide, AMD said it take 8 seconds for AMD CCC to start-up, but in my case it only takes 5 seconds, maybe because I’m using a SSD. So the Radeon Software might be even faster and even more responsive on my system.

Improved user interface comes with the Radeon Software. It’s meant to be simple, responsive and maintain functionality. Now you can even get an overview of your system specification.in AMD Radeon Software itself

In the picture below we can see that it has 3 tabs, Overview, Software and Hardware. I hope it could be as detailed as what Speccy can offer.

AMD Overdrive in its current form is not my favorite tool, because it doesn’t seem to want to work with me. Now RTG has given it a new breath and re-designed the tool, and you can now configure your own overclock settings for each game in your library.

Display option has become simple and intuitive, and from the slides, I agree that the new design is much better than AMD CCC’s. Setting up Eyefinity would be easier than before.

The system tray settings of AMD CCC is something I believe few ever used. However, RTG has redesigned it in AMD Radeon Software, and it should make itself more intuitive, thus giving users a reason to actually use it.

Pokdepinion : The Radeon Software is still a new piece of software, and probably bugs and instability issues are still hiding in it. I would really love it if Radeon considers adding a suggestion button in the software, so users can provide input to the developers to create an even more intuitive software. My own suggestion is to add an in-game OSD in Radeon Software for system monitoring.
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Apple Releases iOS 16.4 with New Features, Emoji and Bug Fixes

Apple has released iOS 16.4, bringing minor updates to the mobile operating system, including notifications for web apps on Safari and voice isolation for cellular calls. There are also new emoji, support for Sony’s PlayStation 5 DualSense Edge controller, and improvements to crash detection.
Apple iOS 16.4 Update Brings Minor Improvements and Bug Fixes

Apple has released the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 16.4, bringing several minor updates to improve the user experience. One of the biggest additions is the ability to receive notifications on web apps from Safari, which includes a badge count on the home screen and is configurable with Focus mode.

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Another significant update in iOS 16.4 is the addition of Voice Isolation for cellular calls, offering improved ambient noise reduction. This feature was previously available on FaceTime and other third-party VoIP call apps.

The new version also includes 21 new emoji symbols such as hand gestures, pink heart, jellyfish, and Wi-Fi symbol. Photos get a new feature that can remove duplicate photos and videos across iCloud Share Photo Libraries. Additionally, Apple Books in iOS 16.4 brings back the page turn animation which was previously removed in iOS 16.
For gamers, iOS 16.4 now has built-in support for Sony’s PlayStation 5 DualSense Edge controller. There are also improvements to crash detection on the iPhone 14 series.
iOS 16.4 is available to install on iPhone 8 and later starting today. The update changelog includes various fixes, such as the issue where Ask to Buy requests from children may fail to appear on the parent’s device and the matter-compatible thermostats could become unresponsive when paired to Apple Home.
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Pokdepinion: The new release demonstrates Apple’s continued commitment to refining its operating system and improving the user experience. With each update, iOS continues to provide better features, smoother performance, and new functionalities that enhance the user’s daily life.
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