Intel 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh Claimed To Clock As High As 6.5GHz

65% of the way there to the magical 10GHz mark – if you’ve learned about NetBurst before.

Leaker Moore’s Law is Dead has brought new details on the upcoming Intel 14th Gen (codename Raptor Lake Refresh) chips – which he expects a Q3 2023 launch and supports existing LGA1700 platforms. The updated lineup should maintain the same core counts with the flagship feature a 8P+16E configuration, though it is noted that 6P+8E and even 2P+8E configuration exists.

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Since this will be a small refresh, Intel is focusing on clockspeed boosts rather than architectural updates. So far, the flagship chip is said to clock up to 6.2GHz – 200MHz higher than the current Core i9-13900KS, with possibility that an even more aggressively-binned chip to hit as high as 6.5GHz.
Earlier rumors has pointed to a slightly updated cache design, small multicore performance improvements and even utilizing the new DLVR (Digital Voltage Regulator) technology – but there’s no confirmation from Team Blue so far. Intel is hosting its Vision event tomorrow – and as we’re merely months away from Q3, the company may first reveal preliminary details on the new chip. On that note, it’s possible that these chips may get a new name altogether.

Source: Wccftech
Pokdepinion: I’m going to say that is unlikely to push power draw since that concerns multicore clockspeeds, but boy that clockspeed sure looks face-melting.
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Top 8 SEA Football Clubs Announced To Compete In Champions eFootball Tournament

From September 9 to October 7, 2021, the best eight Southeast Asian football clubs from seven countries will compete for the title of champion in the inaugural regional eFootball tournament, Champions eFootball (CeF).
Teams for Champions eFootball announced

The confirmed participating teams in the eFootball competition include:

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Johor Darul Ta’zim FC from Malaysia
Persib Bandung from Indonesia
Tampines Rovers FC from Singapore
Buriram United FC from Thailand
Chonburi FC from Thailand
Nagaworld FC from Cambodia
United City FC from the Philippines
Ho Chi Minh City FC from Vietnam

Champions eFootball is a major esports circuit in which professional football clubs from across the area compete. By competing on an international scale, the competition aims to foster collaboration between esports talent and professional football clubs.

The teams will compete on KONAMI’s eFootball PES 2021 Season Update for PlayStation 4 for the title and combined prize money of USD9,000 (RM37,989). The competition will be live-streamed on CeF’s official Facebook and Youtube channels for five weeks starting on September 9. While the Elite category will be the focus of the tournament, the Star category is designed to entertain and give lighthearted content for fans of all ages.
Champions eFootball intends to organise a local tournament for qualification into the competition for the 2022 season in collaboration with several football leagues in the region. In addition, CeF winners are likely to engage in a similar competition against European football clubs.
For future updates and information on Champions eFootball, visit their website here or their official Facebook page or YouTube channel.
Pokdepinion: Looking forward to watching this tournament play out. While I’m not really a fan of Johor FC (GO PENANG FC), I’m gonna be supporting them as Malaysia’s representative in the tournament.
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Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G is nothing like its non-5G namesake

The Redmi Note 10 Pro that’s available globally main claim to fame is probably its premium 120Hz OLED display and 108MP Samsung HM2 main camera. However the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G that was launched in China goes in a slightly different direction, with a 120Hz LCD display and 64MP main camera.
Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G: an entirely different beast

By downgrading the display and camera setup, it appears that Xiaomi was able to refocus its costs on higher-end internals. Speaking of which, the display isn’t exactly a huge downgrade, as it still supports the DCI-P3 gamut, on top of an adaptive refresh rate that can be dropped in steps all the way down to 24Hz.

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Instead of the Snapdragon 732G that powers its non-5G sibling, The Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G touts a flagship-class Dimensity 1100, up to 8GB LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. Ensuring that the chip is able to deliver optimal performance is a 16370mm² vapor chamber, which is more than 4X larger than the one in the POCO F2 Pro that boasted the largest vapor chamber in a smartphone of its time.

Xiaomi also gave it some extra love for its display. While it touts an LCD panel, the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G has stronger protection, thanks to Gorilla Glass Victus used here. On the topic of durability, the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G is IP53-rated, a stark departure from their past devices. The audio capabilities are improved too, with JBL tuning and also Dolby Atmos effects baked in. However it seems to have lost its headphone jack along the way, which is a slight bummer.
Xiaomi equipped the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G with 67W fast charging, which is twice as fast as what the non-5G version is capable of. The downside is that the battery appears to be slightly smaller at 5000mAh versus the 5020mAh of the global Redmi Note 10 Pro, possibly due to the fact that it has to be a dual-cell design to accommodate the higher charging rate.

It appears that Xiaomi is targeting the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G at mobile gamers like the Redmi K40 Gaming Edition, as they also partnered up with Razer for the software keyboard on this device. Other gaming features include a 240Hz touch polling rate for more precise input. If you look at it, the Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G’s list of specifications and features is very close to what we previously thought would be the Redmi K40 Gaming Lite.
Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G Specs

Dimensity 1100, octa-core up to 2.6GHz, 6nm EUV
Up to 8GB LPDDR4x
Up to 256GB UFS 3.1 storage
6.6″ FHD+ 120Hz LCD display, 450 nits max brightness
64MP f/1.79 + 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide + 2MP f/2.4 macro
16MP selfie camera
5000mAh battery, 67W fast charging
6GB+128GB: 1699 CNY (~RM1101)
8GB+128GB: 1899 CNY (~RM1231)
8GB+256GB: 2099 CNY (~RM1361)

The Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G touts a different design for its back, while also boasting of three new color options. It is currently offered at a pre-order price of just 1499 CNY (~RM969), 1799 CNY (~RM1163) and 1999 CNY (~RM1292) for the three variants, respectively.
Redmi Note 10 5G
For those with tighter budgets, Xiaomi also launched the Redmi Note 10 5G, which is identical to the variant we have here.

The Redmi Note 10 5G is available in China priced from 1099 CNY (~RM712) for the 4GB+128GB version, and extends all the way up to 1599 CNY (~RM1036) for the range-topping 8GB+256GB option.
Pokdepinion: The Redmi Note 10 Pro 5G would make for an interesting addition to our local Redmi Note 10 lineup… Definitely more so than the Redmi Note 8 2021. However I think neither of the two devices is coming to Malaysia.
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Intel Xeon “Sierra Forest” Uses A Huge LGA-7529 Socket

The socket pins arms race intensifies.
Image: YuuKi_AnS
Courtesy of hardware leaker @YuuKi_AnS, the photos of Intel’s future server CPUs codenamed Sierra Forest is leaked. The new E-core based server CPU will sit on a socket with a staggering 7,529 pins – even more than AMD’s 6096-pin socket SP5 that is currently used by Zen 4 EPYC chips. The current Xeon, codenamed Sapphire Rapids, sits on a LGA-4677 which is quite a lot smaller in comparison to both the LGA-7529 and SP5.
Image: Hassan Mujtaba
Sierra Forest is an entirely new CPU family that is set to compete against AMD’s upcoming Zen 4c “Bergamo” EPYC CPUs, with its entirety powered by high-efficiency “small cores” that provides the compute needed for cloud-based server systems. Such designs provides greater number of cores over a same physical area, which are better suited for highly parallel workloads that do not prioritize single-core performance.

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Image: Intel
As part of the Intel 3 node fabrication product, it’ll sit alongside the P-core based “Granite Rapids”, both of which expected to launch sometime in 2024.
Source: Videocardz | YuuKi_AnS, Hassan Mujtaba
Pokdepinion: What an absolute unit… it’s probably a bit longer than SP5?
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Assassin’s Creed III Remastered Confirmed for March 2019 Release

The folks over at Ubisoft has officially announced that Assassin’s Creed III Remastered will be coming this March. The remastered version will have 4K and HDR support for the PS4 Pro, Xbox One X, and PC gamers.
If you have a regular PlayStation 4 or Xbox One console, you can still enjoy improved visuals as it includes high resolution textures, a new graphics engine, and some other graphical enhancements. It is being said that the gameplay mechanics as well as ergonomics have been thoroughly improved to give gamers a much better experience.
Assassin’s Creed III Remastered will include the full game, the single player missions Benedict Arnold and Hidden Secrets, the Tyranny of King Washington and Assassin’s Creed III Liberation Remastered. For a better idea, below are the details given:

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Assassin’s Creed III Remastered: Players will embody Connor, a master Assassin born of the beauty and brutality of 18th century America. As a bloody revolution draws near, your tribe is threatened by a powerful group seeking to crush the American Revolution and control the thirteen colonies. Shocked into action by the devastation of your village, you pledge your life to the cause of freedom and embark on a decades-long quest to achieve it.
Tyranny of King Washington: Explore an alternate history where one of America’s greatest heroes, George Washington, succumbs to the temptation of infinite power. The new King is born and his reign leaves no one untouched. Players must return freedom to the land by dethroning the tyrant our hero once called a friend.
Assassin’s Creed III Liberation Remastered: Follow Aveline’s story as she battles Spanish forces in the American south to win freedom for her land and people. A woman of conviction, Aveline fights for freedom in 18th century New Orleans, a city on the brink of a rebellion as the Spanish Empire imposes its new rule. Embark on an epic journey that will take her from the crowded streets of New Orleans to voodoo-haunted swamps and ancient Mayan ruins.

Assassin’s Creed III Remastered will be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 29th March 2019. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey season pass holders will be able to get the game for free.
Pokdepinion: I loved the game until we switched on over to Connor Kenway. Haytham was way cooler.
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Given the move to a whole new generation of gaming for consoles, many are expecting to see the Sony PSVR 2 appear sooner or later. Now, the virtual reality peripheral might be entering mass production soon.
Sony PSVR 2 May Enter Mass Production Soon

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According to Chinese analyst who goes by the name of 黑毛警长008 on social media, who is also a renowned hardware analyst, the Sony PSVR 2 peripheral is expected to begin mass production over at the Goertek company in China.
While there’s no way to tell whether this information is accurate or not, it might point towards the possibility of an official announcement coming soon by Sony. After all, it would mean that the company is gearing up to start selling the product eventually if it’s true.
At the moment, there are no first party PlayStation VR games slated for 2022. One possibility is for Gran Turismo 7 to have a VR mode of sorts, which would be a great addition and an attraction for the game. For now, we will report more on this as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
Source
Pokdepinion: I sure hope they manage to add some interesting features to it that would make a huge difference over its predecessor. At the same time, I’m also worried it might be too pricey.
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OPPO Introduces Hyper Boost Technology

OPPO has today announced the launch of OPPO Hyper Boost, their full-scenario, system-level performance boost engine.
OPPO Hyper Boost

With the OPPO Hyper Boost, it helps to elevate the overall user experience through improvements in the power consumption and performance of Android smartphones. The technology, which was developed over the years, is designed to accomodate a wide range of usage scenarios and behaviors.

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The way that it works is by enabling real-time “two-way dialogs” between apps and system resources. Once it has recognize scenarios and user behaviors from different apps and game programs, Hyper Boost optimizes the allocation of resources across the system to specific needs.
Coming in with three parts, Hyper Boost offers acceleration for smartphones at three levels: system, game, and application, where it will optimize the experience for all three categories.
Pokdepinion: It would be interesting to see whether the Hyper Boost really does its job and shows a significant difference. Well only when we’ve tested it out only we’ll give the verdict.
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Xiaomi: chip shortage may lead to price increases

Previously, we had ASUS hinting at price hikes for their graphics cards due to the shortage on the current-gen GPUs. Now, it seems Xiaomi will also be looking down a similar path, as the global chip shortage doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
Xiaomi’s president Wang Xiang mentioned that they might be forced to pass on the increased costs brought about by the shortage to consumers during the Q4 2020 earnings call. He did stress that Xiaomi “will continue to optimize the costs” though, which should alleviate some worries.

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Still, there’s only so much that Xiaomi can do, considering their narrow profit margins for each device sold. While Xiaomi will probably try to avoid raising their prices, it is probably going to be inevitable. What remains to be seen is which devices will see their prices raised, and by how much.
Source
Pokdepinion: I sure hope that it won’t come down to it. I love my affordable Xiaomi devices!
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Fujitsu Launches First Official Brand Store On Lazada

Fujitsu Client Computing Limited has recently launched their first official consumer brand store in Malaysia on Lazada. In conjunction with that, they are offering customers with special free gifts.
Fujitsu launches official brand store on Lazada

With the Fujitsu Consumer Brand Store, customers can get their hands on the brand’s latest devices such as the Fujitsu CH and Fujitsu UH-X laptops.

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To celebrate the launch, they are offering customers free gifts worth up to RM1,428 from now till the 7th of July 2021.
During this period, you can choose between receiving a free Microsoft Office Home and Student (worth RM529) and M10 tablet (worth RM725) or Lenovo L27m-28 27-inch Type-C Monitor that’s worth RM899.
Here’s what they have to offer on the platform:

Fujitsu CH with 11th Gen Intel Core i5 – Starts from RM3,999
Fujitsu UH-X with 11th Gen Intel Core i5 – Starts from RM4,399
Fujitsu UH-X with 11th Gen Intel Core i7 – Starts from RM5,399

For more details, you may head to the their store on Lazada right here. Stay tuned to Pokde.net for the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews.
Pokdepinion: It’s been quite awhile since I’ve heard the brand. I used to have one of their laptops back in university. This sure brings back a lot of memories. Let’s just hope that they can continue to bring out more products.
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BlackBerry to try again in 2021 with 5G smartphones

BlackBerry will make another attempt in the smartphone market after their relatively lackluster go at it in partnership with TCL, but this time with a US company called OnwardMobility. OnwardMobility will be in charge of the development, engineering and also marketing of the upcoming BlackBerry 5G device.
In the announcement, they assured users that the fan favorite physical keyboard will make a return in the 5G-enabled BlackBerry smartphone. On top of the keyboard, it will also tout the brand’s trademark focus on updates and security, which should appeal to enterprise users.
OnwardMobility will be partnering with FIH Mobile to design and manufacture the devices. FIH Mobile’s name might not ring a bell among consumers, but they are also the people behind the current crop of Nokia smartphones that are marketed by HMD Global.

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The new BlackBerry 5G smartphone will be arriving in the first half of 2021 in North America and Europe, so stay tuned for that. There’s no indication if OnwardMobility will sell it to the rest of the world, or if they even have the rights to use the brand globally.

Do you still fancy a physical keyboard today? Let us know!
Source
Pokdepinion: Well, after reading SuperDaddy’s review of the BlackBerry KEY 2, I am not exactly sure if anyone can adapt to a physical keyboard on a smartphone after so many years with software-based ones.
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LG Malaysia Showcases Next Gen Consumer Products At The LG Home Solutions 2018

Creating a better life with LG

LG Malaysia recently held their LG Home Solutions 2018 showcase where they brought out their new line of consumer electronic products. Some of these products include OLED TVs, Super UHD TVs, new InstaView refrigerators, as well as the TWINWash washing machines.

With the theme “Create a better life”, LG’s new line of home electronics aims to bring human joys and memories that come with creating a better life.

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Pitch ‘Perfect’ Black LG OLED TV
First up in the line of products showcased during the LG Home Solutions 2018 is the new LG OLED TV line.
LG’s new line of OLED televisions feature their α9 Intelligent Processor which delivers improvements in noise reduction, sharpness, depth enhancement and colour reproduction. Check out the detailed list of improvements these new LG OLED TV line bring to the table:

Noise reduction: The processor cleans away the grainy imaging and expresses much smoother contouring of colorus, providing cleaner and smoother images.
Image enhancement: Better depth and image details by analyzing the image frequency, hence increasing and enhancing the image quality.
True colour accuracy: It supports colour space of 33x33x33, compared to the conventional 17x17x17. This means that the processor creates 7.3 times larger colour space compared to conventional processor that gives off more accurate colour in the colour spectrum.
4K high-frame rate (HFR): HFR reduces eye fatigue with a cleaner picture quality and smoother motion. Higher frame rate also allows more life-like picture quality.

These new LG OLED TV line are also capable of delivering what LG says are ‘perfect black colours’ by utilising 8 million self-lighting pixels within the television screen that operate individually, giving you a really intense contrast of the colour black.

The new LG OLED TV line also feature LG ThinQ AI which enables users to use voice commands to perform a set of instructions, providing them with easier control when accessing the TV functionalities.
LG Super UHD TVs with Nano Display
Next in line of products showcased during LG Home Solutions 2018 are the LG Super UHD TVs.
LG’s new Super UHD TVs feature Cinematic HDR by using Dolby Vision and Advanced HDR by Technicolor, as well as with HDR10 Pro and HLG Pro which should deliver a truly cinematic viewing experience. Furthermore, the full array local dimming (FALD) feature gives birth to a new line-up of LED TV that improves the black level and contrast ratio to improve image quality and colour enhancement.
The new Super UHD TVs utilises a Nano Cell Display that utilises nano-sized light absorbing materials to absorb unnecessary light to improve picture quality. This allows people to watch from a wide angle of 60°, sustaining colour gamut to nearly 95% with its IPS Nano Dot.
To further deliver an immersive and cinematic viewing experience, LG’s new Super UHD TVs comes with Dolby Atmos surround sound technology. The Dolby Atmos sound technology also portrays realistic 360° surround sound for a true home cinema experience.
LG’s InstaView Door-in-Door Refrigerator
The LG InstaView refrigerator has a special window with a special ‘Knock-On’ feature which allows users to see the items inside without opening the door. This also results in 41% of cold air loss. This ‘Knock-On’ feature will feature will be made available in side-by-side refrigerators on top of the multi-door models.

This line of new LG refrigerators LG’s Inverter Linear Compressor employs a linear piston drive instead of a conventional reciprocating drive, resulting in up to 32% energy saving, up to 25% less noise. Among the new features that comes with this new compressor include:

LINEARCooling: Even cooling in any time, with a temperature regulation of ±0.5 degree Celsius
NatureFRESH: The solution is precise temperature control, keeping produce in the refrigerator fresh
DoorCooling: Even and fast cooling in any part of the refrigerator

LG TWINWash Washing Machine
The new LG TWINWash washing machine is a very useful product as it allows users to wash two separate laundry loads of two different wash cycles at the same time. This helps to alleviate washing time by dividing huge laundry or by separating coloured clothes with the whites.

What enables the LG TWINWash washing machine to wash two loads at the same time is the TurboWash feature, which is equipped with multi-spray that provides a faster and cleaner washing performance.
LG DUALCOOL Air Conditioner
Lastly we have the LG DUALCOOL air conditioners.
LG’s all-new DUALCOOL air conditioner features a Dual Inverter Compressor and is filled with R32 Refrigerant that delivers faster cooling performance while also being environmentally-friendly with zero ozone depletion potential. The Dual Inverter Compressor saves energy up to 70% as well as delivering 40% faster cooling performance.
LG’s new DUALCOOL air conditioner are enhanced by Smart ThinQ which allows users to access and control the air conditioner’s functions LG’s exclusive air conditioning control app on their smartphones.
Do head over here for more information regarding LG’s new products showcased during the LG Home Solutions 2018 showcase.
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Apple Has a Holiday Gift Guide for Malaysians

For this year’s Holiday Gift Guide, Apple has one specifically for Malaysia so if you have trouble picking a present for your loved ones, here’s something for you to consider.
Apple Holiday Gift Guide for Malaysians

Apple has recently publicized their Holiday Gift Guide, and we have one specifically for the Malaysian audience. Unsurprisingly, their newest offerings are being highlighted, namely the iPhone 14 series, the new iPads, the MacBooks, and more.

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The interesting part here is the ability to personalize your gift with Apple. You can engrave a combination of names, initials, emojis, and numbers, which adds a layer of personalization specifically for your loved ones. While the Holiday Gift Guide lists specifically 6 products available for engraving, the whole list of customizable items is more extensive than that. It includes:

iPad Pro
iPad Air
iPad (10th Gen)
iPad (9th Gen)
iPad Mini
Apple Pencil
AirTag
AirPods Max
AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)
AirPods (3rd Gen)
AirPods (2nd Gen)

Apart from engravings, you can get your chosen products / accessories wrapped in a gift box complete with a customized card or a special message on the packing slip. All you have to do is select the available gift options before carting them out.
To get into the spirit of the holidays, you can enjoy Christmas Carols on Apple Music and enjoy holiday-themed shows on Apple TV+, including the likes of the Peanuts holiday specials and the highly anticipated musical feature, Spirited.
If you’d like to check out the Holiday Gift Guide yourself, click right here.
Source
Pokdepinion: You have to be a real baller to gift someone an iPhone. Realistically if you wanna be on the safe side, gift them a subscription to Apple TV+ or share a subscription with that person. There are a lot of good shows on that. AirTags work great too if you know of someone who is really forgetful. Otherwise, a gift card works fine too if you really have no idea what to get them.
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Facebook Dark Mode and New UI Coming Soon – Looks Familiar, Doesn’t It?

Facebook Dark Mode and New UI Coming Soon

Facebook testing new Design in the UK @9to5mac #facebook pic.twitter.com/TdS05QwEFn— Gt Yarmouth Weather ❄ ⚡ (@WeatherYarmouth) October 13, 2019

Earlier this year in May at the F8 developers conference, Facebook mentioned that they have a plan to overhaul the UI on their social media platform. Since then, they’ve been rather quiet about it but now, we have some solid details on that, including Dark Mode.
Facebook users from various parts of the world have been sharing screenshots of the Facebook UI, which also includes a Dark Mode option. It’s interesting to note that it seems rather similar to Twitter but with an additional column.

One thing that’s worth noting is that there is a lack of ads on the new UI. We’re uncertain if the users are using adblockers or if Facebook is going a different route in their advertising strategy. We’ll most likely find out when it becomes available to everyone.

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For now, the Facebook Dark Mode and new UI is only available via invitation. There is no way to force the update at the moment. We’ll be reporting more on the matter as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned to Pokde.net for further details.
Source: Knowtechie
Pokdepinion: Anything with Dark Mode is a huge welcoming addition to me. Can’t wait for it to be out because I want my internet browsing experience to be as pleasing to my eyes as possible.
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HP Elite x2 1012 G1 review

Remember when I reviewed the Acer Switch Alpha 12? I was interested in the 2-in-1 convertibles that manufacturers are seemingly rushing to design. Well I really enjoyed using the Acer Switch Alpha 12, but perhaps a certain group of people would prefer something more business-like. Today I have the HP Elite x2 1012 G1 with me, and it is about as business-like as they go.
Unboxing
We will get right down to the package contents, as HP didn’t really care to design a great looking packaging for the HP Elite x2. That is really quite understandable considering that most corporate users will not give two hoots about the packaging anyway. It does its job with lots of padding to protect it against rough handling while being shipped, and that’s it.

So here’s all there is the package. The first thing I noticed was that HP decided to include a recovery DVD with a device that doesn’t have an optical disk drive. Weird.

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Appearance

The HP Elite x2 looks pretty much like any other tablet on the market, with a sheet of glass — Corning Gorilla Glass 4 here — covering the touch-sensitive display. Bezels on this tablet are quite huge, making for quite a big tablet. The HP Elite x2 is also supposed to be one of the more easily serviceable tablets out there, to better suit enterprise deployments which will most probably use the device for a very long time. The screen is supposedly easy to remove and replace in the event of it being damaged, but I do not dare to pry it open, so we will have to take HP’s word for that.

Over on the back, the sandblasted silver aluminium finish is classic, and looks great. The chromed HP logo in the middle offers a little bit of added flair to the otherwise no-nonsense look. A black strip of glass covering the camera area and what I believe should be the WiFi and Bluetooth antennae of the HP Elite x2 further improves the look. Surprisingly the camera here features a flash. Not sure who would use it as a camera though. Over on the right side we see the biometric fingerprint reader which is needed by enterprise users, or casuals like me who just want to login to Windows faster.

The left side is home to the power button and also the volume rocker. The Kensington lock port is also here, with a blank space above it that seems to be a door to something. The kickstand’s hinge’s end is also nicely capped.

On the right we have the audio jack, the lone USB 3.0 port and the USB Type-C port. There is also a tray that fits a microSD card for storage expansion.

Enough about the tablet itself, let’s talk about the included keyboard cover. The well-spaced island keys are actually backlit and are built onto the aluminium base, which was quite surprising to find. Little rubber nubs in the corners of the keyboard prevent the aluminium from scratching the display. Around the edges, the fabric that will act as a cover is visible.

Used as a cover, you get the full view of the greyish fabric. It feels great to the touch, but is not really that nice looking to me. It also feels as if it won’t survive a wet table top, but I have touched it with wet hands and it seems to have taken that in stride.

The active stylus included with the HP Elite x2 is finished in a similar silver color with two buttons. The tablet and the keyboard doesn’t have a dedicated silo to stow away the stylus, but two stick-on stylus loops that will hold the stylus wherever you want is provided. I have no idea why HP didn’t just build the holder into the keyboard cover instead of giving the user stickers which will invariably fall off sooner or later and also risk bringing the pen along with it. You can also tie the stylus to the HP Elite x2 with a provided cord if you prefer that, but I have absolutely no interest in letting the stylus swing around when I carry it around.

The included charger is also quite interesting. It features a USB Type-C connector, which is great. But that’s not the only thing great about it. This adapter is quite nifty as you can use it both for charging the HP Elite x2 and also for charging any USB Type-C device that needs 5V 2A of power, as it features several output powers that it will automatically choose from.

Specifications

CPU
Intel Core m5-6Y54 @ 1.1 GHz (up to 2.7 GHz TurboBoost)

RAM
8GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 (dual channel)

GPU
Intel HD Graphics 515

Storage
256GB Sandisk X300 M.2 SATA3 SSD

Software
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
HP Support Assistant
HP Recovery Manager
HP Client Security
Wacom Pen
Bang & Olufsen Audio Control Panel

Connectivity
Intel Tri-Band Wireless-AC 18260 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter
Bluetooth 4.2
WiGig (802.11ad)
1 x USB 3.0
1 x USB 3.1 Type-C
microSDXC card reader

Display
12″ 3:2 IPS (1920×1280), multitouch display, directly bonded Corning Gorilla Glass 4

Audio
2 speakers by Bang & Olufsen
1 x 3.5mm combo audio port

Power
45W AC adapter, 4-cell 40WHr battery (non-removable)

Dimensions
300 (W) x 213.5 (D) x 13.45 (H) mm

Weight
0.82kg tablet only; 1.2kg with keyboard cover

Performance
An Intel Core m5 doesn’t sound anything like a heavyweight, and we aren’t looking at gaming performance here anyway. We will be testing the basic performance needed for work, and maybe slightly more than that, with our usual slew of benchmarks.

The HP Elite x2 is equipped with a M.2 SATA3 SSD, which upon closer inspection was identified as a 256GB Sandisk X300. Performance is as expected from a SATA3 drive. The HP Elite x2 does have PCIe storage options, but we did not get that variant, unfortunately.

CPU performance is surprisingly good actually, on par with the Intel Core i3 in the Acer Switch Alpha 12 I recently got my hands upon. This is really quite surprising actually given the TDP of the Core m5 CPU is HALF that of the Core i3’s.

As the Intel HD Graphics 515 is clocked lower than the HD 520, it does have the slightly lower performance expected from the lesser clock speed.

Despite its low TDP CPU, the HP Elite x2 can actually get quite toasty. The CPU goes up to 90°C while running Intel Burn Test, while the strip of glass along the back does get very uncomfortably hot to touch. While running IBT, the CPU actually reduced its clock speeds from 2.4 GHz to around 1.6 GHz after a while, where it hovered for pretty much the remaining half of the burn test, despite HWiNFO not reporting any throttling. Nonetheless, this is really a worst case scenario, as few, if any, workloads will ever push your CPU this hard. And those workloads aren’t the ones you will usually see being handled on a tablet like the HP Elite x2 anyway. During normal surfing and word processing, the tablet does get warm around the upper right corner, but I have experienced no performance issues from the CPU throttling whatsoever.
Even more surprising was I only managed to clock around 3 hours on the battery despite not doing anything particularly. I only did some surfing with Chrome and typing out an article on WordPad, and I only managed 3 hours before it hit 15%. The lower rated TDP and lower resolution should result in a longer battery life than the Acer Switch Alpha 12, but as we see here, that was not the case.

User Experience

The HP Elite x2 features a fingerprint reader, which means after configuring it, you can practically forget your password. The fingerprint scanner is one of those traditional ones which you have to swipe your finger over for it to register. I found it weird at first coming from fingerprint sensors that only needed me to put my finger on it, but after a while I got really used to it, and was very comfortable using it. It really comes into its own when you are using it as tablet. Using the Windows on-screen keyboard is a PITA and the fingerprint scanner here saves me from it.
The HP Elite x2 is actually a little lighter than the Acer Switch Alpha 12 (50 grams with covers on, 80 grams on the tablet only) I have reviewed despite it being MIL-STD 810G certified. MIL-STD 810G tests its durability in hot and cold as well as humid environments, resilience to thermal shock, drops, shocks, vibrations, dust, sand and even explosions, high altitudes and also whether it can survive being frozen. Needless to say, the HP Elite x2 is one tough cookie. The very flat surfaces on every edge makes the HP Elite x2 slightly uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time, but the MIL-STD 810G rating does makes me less worried about dropping it on a wooden floor.

Now that I am past contemplating to drop it on the floor, I used it. As a tablet, it features some very massive bezels, making it quite a bit bigger than necessary. Sure, a little bezel is necessary for grip, but not this much. Flipping out the kickstand, the HP Elite x2 is pretty stable on just about any surface, including my lap. The lack of grippy rubber strips on the kickstand does allow it to slide around if you start pushing on it when it is placed on smooth surfaces, but it is nothing too major. Also worth nothing that to open the kickstand, you can only slide your fingers into two little indents in the sides to pull on the kickstand. You cannot get a hold of the kickstand from the bottom. The kickstand’s hinges feel very sturdy and can be opened all the way until the tablet is at a 30° angle from the surface. Since we are using it the kickstand, it’s time to bring the keyboard cover into play.

Snapping it on is very easy, just bring the top edge of the keyboard cover near the bottom edge of the tablet, and the magnets will take care of the rest. It also closes securely over the tablet thanks to magnets that hold the cover in place. However simply because the inner surface of the keyboard cover is aluminium, there is actually a chance of accidentally touching something on the screen when the aluminium contacts the screen, as the tablet doesn’t go to sleep immediately.

While keyboard covers may have come a long way in terms of key travel as well as tactile feel, they still usually sport the similar weakness of having less solid materials as their backing. Well not this one. You get a real aluminium surface which not only feels great to the touch, it also makes the keyboard feel extremely solid, just like you would get from a premium ultrabook. A magnetic strip along the top edge of the keyboard cover snaps to the lower edge of the display, giving you an ergonomic tilt.

And I did mention that it was backlit right? You get two brightness levels, and a very short 10 second on-time before it fades away if left untouched. While it may be somewhat annoying at times, it is absolutely understandable as this is designed to conserve as much power as possible for maximum battery life. If you want a tablet for versatility, but still need a proper laptop keyboard to do a lot of typing on, there really is no substitute.  HP actually offers two keyboard cover variants for the HP Elite x2. What we have here is what they call the Travel Keyboard, while there is an Advanced Keyboard that has a built-in SmartCard slot and NFC. I have no need for those features, but it is great that HP is ready for those who might require them.

The included stylus is from Wacom, and is customizable with the included Wacom Pen suite. The buttons can be configured to act as mouse buttons, among other things. It is an active stylus, which is pretty commonplace among these tablets. It uses a not-so-common AAAA and two 319 coin cell batteries, which HP claims will offer 7.5 months of battery life with an hour of non-stop usage everyday, but heavy users may find themselves needing new batteries sooner. The pen can register up to 2048 levels of pressure, which should allow for more natural strokes when drawing and writing. HP didn’t pre-install any apps or software that will work with the stylus, so I downloaded Fresh Paint and it was really quite an enjoyable experience using the stylus on the HP Elite x2.

Connectivity options are limited to the 3.5mm combo audio jack, full-sized USB 3.0 port and a USB 3.1 Type-C port which supports Thunderbolt 3 and also doubles as its charging port. As the power adapter supports 10W output for smartphones as well, you can carry one less charger on your trips, but if you are planning on using the HP Elite x2 to connect to anything else, you will have to stop charging it first. This won’t be a problem if you have docks which will expand the connectivity while also allowing you to charge the tablet though. Speaking of docks, the HP Elite x2 will most probably support graphics docks like the Razer Core and ASUS ROG XG Station 2 thanks to the Thunderbolt 3 support. The USB 3.0 Type-A port is a blessing, as the current standard for transferring files around physically is still via inexpensive USB drives, most of which still sport Type-A connectors. It is damn convenient to be able to plug any pendrive/external HDD/peripheral into the USB 3.0 port, something that a certain Apple product would have trouble without a dock. Here we have the microSD card tray ejected. The need for an ejector pin to access the microSD tray is probably because HP wanted to make it harder for spies to make away with your microSD card full of sensitive data.

The display feels quite outdated when we compare it to recent convertibles like the Surface Pro 4 and even the Acer Switch Alpha 12, both of which sport higher resolution displays than it. Without them side by side, it is quite rare to notice the difference, but in certain webpages like Facebook, you may notice that text isn’t as sharp as they can be. This is most probably a scaling issue more than the display’s fault itself, as text elsewhere is about as sharp as they can be. It is an IPS display, and as with all IPS displays, wide viewing angles are a given. The HP Elite x2 also supports automatic brightness adjustments, which is pretty responsive here to adapt to any changes in lighting conditions. That said, the screen is bright enough for almost any environment.

Audio is pumped out of the two grilles, which flank the dual microphone array in the center. While they sport the vaunted Bang & Olufsen branding, the audio quality is pretty poor. Bass definition is lacking, the entire sound output feels airy and is just no fun to listen to anything through those speakers.

Conclusion
HP has packed the HP Elite x2 with niceties rarely found in other 2-in-1 convertibles, like an aluminium keyboard cover, a Wacom active stylus with 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity and the biometric fingerprint security. And the looks. Oh it looks so professional with all the flat edges and silver finishing. But all that does not come cheap. With a high SRP of RM5299, this is really quite a pricey tablet. Even at the street price of RM4896, the cheapest I could find on Lelong, it is still out of range for many tablet users. However if you require a sturdy keyboard, or the 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity the Wacom stylus provides, or even the biometric fingerprint security, then this is one of your few choices out there.
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Sony Unveils DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment for Added Functions

We’ve seen plenty of 3rd party peripheral makes releasing their own line of controllers, be it for PC or even PS4. It looks like Sony is looking to add some improvements to the DualShock 4 with the newly unveiled Back Button Attachment.
The DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment is an optional accessory for the PS4 controller. It’s a plug-in device which adds two buttons on the back of the controller and lets you remap inputs into the two buttons. Moreover, it adds a bunch of user profiles which lets gamers keep their own personal settings.
You may be wondering why bother getting this instead of another, better controller for the PS4. The most enticing factor of the DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment is quite affordable. The current price we have here is USD $29.99, with a Malaysian pricing currently unknown. Essentially, you get to add features that are normally available in premium controllers at a more affordable price.

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The DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment is expected to be available on 23rd January 2019. It may be different for the Asia region but we’ll be reporting more on that, as well as local pricing, as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
Pokdepinion: I wonder if the features will be built-in the DualShock 5 for PS5. If not, would be great if this was compatible with the new controller at least.
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Antminer E9 mines ETH like 32x GeForce RTX 3080 GPUs while consuming 1/3 of the power!

We don’t exactly talk about ASIC miners, but I guess this is good news for people looking forward to buying a GPU to actually game. Bitmain has just announced their Antminer E9 that boasts a hash rate of 3GH/s, which is equivalent to 32 GeForce RTX 3080 graphics cards.
On top of that humongous 3000MH/s hashrate, Bitmain also claims a significantly lower power draw than what 32 GeForce RTX 3080 graphics cards would consume. The Antminer E9’s 2556W power draw is less than 1/3 of the power that an equivalent mining rig featuring the flagship NVIDIA Ampere GPUs will pull from the wall.

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While the Bitmain Antminer E9 will reportedly cost more than $20 000, its massive hashrate should make it quite attractive to serious miners, versus trying to obtain 32 GeForce RTX 3080 cards considering each card now costs more than your firstborn. Will that mean that you will have an easier time trying to get your NVIDIA graphics card? Maybe.
Bitmain is reportedly working with TSMC, which should mean that it won’t eat up into the supply of GeForce RTX 30 series cards which are made at Samsung’s foundries. Still, NVIDIA will probably try to compete against the Antminer E9 with its NVIDIA CMP HX lineup, which comprises of both Turing-based and Ampere-based GPUs.

Well, hopefully that competition won’t cause NVIDIA to shift their production capacity towards the NVIDIA CMP GPUs, and it will be easier to snag a GeForce RTX 3080 at SRP after this. The situation might be a bit more dire if you are also looking for an AMD Ryzen 5000 or AMD Radeon RX 6000 GPU, considering AMD makes their chips at TSMC.
Pokdepinion: Yes, miners, go do your thing on these ASIC miners and leave our gaming GPUs alone.
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CS:GO gamers on AMD hardware face permabans by Valve

The latest update to Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) brought a slew of bug fixes and gameplay improvement as well as a new map for competitive play. While most CS:GO players received it with open arms, gamers using AMD graphics cards may not be as happy as some of them have been facing permabans for the simple reason of using AMD graphics cards.
The most important thing to remember is not to rejoin a match if you crash, as that will lead to the mentioned ban. The bug isn’t without its fixes though as it supposedly can be fixed by simply using low graphics settings. So if you are using AMD GPUs and just have to frag some n00bs in CS:GO before Valve releases an update to fix this, you have an option here.
While I am sure most of the bans implemented can be overcome via patches, what do you think Valve was thinking when they released an update which affected so many gamers?

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Pokdepinion: I hope CS:GO has a way to compensate the poor AMD users who are unable to enjoy their favorite game currently.
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Infinix Hot 10S arrives in Malaysia from RM499

Infinix have just announced the Hot 10S, which will be offered in Malaysia starting from 13th July 2021. Infinix positions the Hot 10S as a “gaming and entertainment” smartphone, which is quite ambitious of them, considering that it comes with a MediaTek Helio G85 under the hood.
The Helio G85 is paired up with 4GB RAM and up to 128GB storage, which isn’t exactly enough for a good gaming experience. Infinix is probably aware of this, and they implemented their Dar-link Ultimate Game Booster, their own optimization engine software, which will presumably offer a better experience in games.

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One specification that’s pretty much on par with recent gaming-oriented smartphones is its 6000mAh battery, which Infinix promises up to 76 hours of talktime. When was the last time you saw a smartphone rated by its talktime? In case 76 hours isn’t enough for you and your mate to spill the tea, there’s a Power Marathon mode that will enable an extra 3.5 hours of talktime out of just 5% battery. Infinix also promises up to 17.3 hours of continuous gaming, although I do believe that no one is going to test this claim.

The Infinix Hot 10S offers a 6.82″ HD+ 90Hz display on its front, complete with a 180Hz touch sampling rate for a more responsive user experience. Meanwhile on its back, you get a triple camera setup, with a main 48MP camera, a 2MP depth sensor and an AI camera. This is the first time I have seen anyone list an AI camera in the list of camera sensors. The camera bump protrudes from the shimmery back, that Infinix claims is inspired by the Salar de Uyuni of Bolivia.
Infinix Hot 10S Specs

Helio G85, octa-core up to 2.0GHz, 12nm
4GB RAM
Up to 128GB storage
6.82″ HD+ 90Hz IPS display, 180Hz touch sampling
48MP f/1.8 + 2MP f/2.4 + AI camera
8MP selfie camera
6000mAh battery
4GB+64GB: RM499
4GB+128GB: RM549

Infinix will be offering the Hot 10S in two colors, Black and Morandi Green. This 13th July, Infinix will also be running an exclusive promotion via Shopee Live at 3pm, where you can stand a chance to win the one-and-only limited edition custom made back cover engraved with Mobile Legend Bang Bang design. Even if you don’t win, you will still get MLBB phone cases with your Infinix Hot 10S, but they won’t be as exclusive as the one-off case that you can win during the Shopee Live event.
Pokdepinion: Just slap “gaming” on everything and they will sell better!
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Local game developers swindled out of their sales money by UK-based publisher?

A pretty interesting bit of news has apparently slipped right under our noses. If you were at the recent ServerDNA 3.0, you might have bumped into Ammobox Studios, the developers of Eximius: Seize the Frontline. The developers are currently embroiled in a lawsuit against the publisher of their game, TheGameWall Studios.
Ammobox Studios has reportedly not received any money from the sales of their games, which has started more than 3 months ago. They decided to fight back with a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) on their own game to wrest control of their own game. Seems pretty weird but yeah, the developers had to copyright their own game from their own publisher.

The game itself does seem pretty interesting, and we would hate to see our local homegrown game developer get run out of business by unscrupulous business tactics. As of now, Ammobox Studios has regained control of the sales of their game on Steam. The publisher has reportedly gone into hiding and has not replied to any attempts to reach out to them.

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Ammobox Studios mentions that legal action against the TheGameWall Studios will probably take ages to come to a settlement. As it stands, they are pretty happy with regaining control of the game’s revenue on Steam.
Have you tried out Eximius: Seize the Frontline? Well with so much drama around it right now, maybe we should try it out, aye?
We would like to thank NasiLemakTech for drawing our attention to the matter.
Pokdepinion: Here’s hoping our local developer comes out on top of the whole situation.
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Garmin Malaysia And MyFundAction Donates More Than RM30,000 To Flood Victims

Garmin Malaysia collaborates with MyFundAction, a youth-led non-profit organisation, to provide RM36,551.90 in essential items to 45 families affected by the recent flood disaster. The collaboration represents a collaborative effort on two fronts. Garmin Malaysia is in charge of preparing boxes of essential items such as dry food, blankets, diapers, and COVID-19 test kits, while MyFundAction is in charge of delivering them to deserving families.
RM30,000 donated to flood victims by Garmin Malaysia and MyFundAction

“At Garmin Malaysia, we admire the compassion of our youths who go out of their own way to help fellow Malaysians through rescue efforts, donations, clean-ups and social media activism,” said Ivan Ong, General Manager for Aeco Technologies, the official distributor of Garmin Malaysia. “Garmin is proud to partner with MyFundAction and be a part of this colossal effort to offer genuine support so that those affected by the flood are reminded that they are not alone.”

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“The partnership between Garmin Malaysia and MyFundAction strives to improve the victims’ quality of life during this challenging period. We spent the holiday season towards the end of the year to ensure that they can start the new year with their basic needs taken care of and it does not end here,” said Siti Aisyah Shahid, Chief Operating Officer MyfundAction.

Garmin provided all of the items in response to MyFundAction’s request for the most in-demand necessities. As of today, the organisation is still looking for contributions to purchase basic food supplies, hygiene kits, and ready-to-eat meals. Those interested to donate can check out the link here.
This collaboration is part of Garmin’s attempt to raise awareness about the flood disaster while also being at the forefront of delivering assistance. Garmin Malaysia will continue to organise such programmes in the future to broaden its horizons in terms of fostering goodwill.
Pokdepinion: Very thankful for the donation to the flood victims. The floods last month was just absolutely shocking and something I’ve never seen before especially so close to home.
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Acer Debuts Chromebase For Meetings 24V2 And Chromebase 24I2 — Made For Meetings And Productivity

Acer has recently introduced two new products, the Acer Chromebase for Meeting 24V2 and Acer Chromebase 24I2, where the former comes with Google Hangouts Meet and the latter coming in to fill multiple roles as a desktop working device or as an in-store kiosk.
Acer Chromebase for Meetings 24V2
The new Acer Chromebase for Meetings 24V2 is a dedicated AIO touchscreen video conferencing system that’s designed for individuals and small to medium-sized spaces. You can immediately make conference calls arranged and scheduled using Gmail and Google Calender or even by clicking a shareable link.
It supports up to 25 callers through Google Hangouts Meet, up to 50 with Google’s G Suite Business, and up to 100 callers with G Suite Enterprise.

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It comes with a 24-inch Full HD adjustable touch display that provides 250 nits. For conferencing, it offers a 5MP wide-angle webcam and also dual microphones as well as two stereo speakers.
Other than that, it runs on an 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U processor, 4GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 32GB SSD.
Acer Chromebase 24I2
Moving on to the Acer Chromebase 24I2, it runs on Chrome OS, meaning that you can access Google Play and search for Android apps.
It also comes with an 8th Gen Intel Core processor, up to 8GB DDR4 RAM, and up to 128GB SSD.
Both the Acer Chromebase for Meetings 24V2 and Acer Chromebase 24I2 come with a diamond cut stand, VESA mounting kit, and come with a range of ports that include USB 3.1 Type-C connector, four USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, HDMI, SD card reader, and RJ45 ports.
Pokdepinion: Acer Chromebase for Meetings 24V2 huh? That’s a very specific product name to say the least.
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foodpanda Launches E-ftar To Let You Enjoy Your Ramadan Delicacies

foodpanda has recently unveiled of their new E-ftar initiative for this holy month of Ramadan where you can still get your favorite Ramadan delicacies while staying at the comforts of your home.
foodpanda E-ftar
You might have remembered of the previous partnership that the company had with Penang Halal International, well they’ve also worked with several local government councils to launch the Ramadan Bazaar, E-ftar.
The bazaar consists of various food vendors that are only available during the month (of Ramadan). In this period, you can get classics such as Roti John, Kuih, Murtabak, as well as Ayam Percik.

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You can simply enjoy them by searching at its dedicated swimlane ‘E-ftar- to find vendors available near you. At the current moment, there’s more than 200 different vendors in the section, with foodpanda revealing that there will be more in weeks to come.
Aside from getting your favorite foods, foodpanda is also offering those who are living in the Klang Valley area to enjoy free delivery on all orders until the 30th of April 2020.
The foodpanda app is available for download on both Android and iOS devices at the Google Play Store and App Store.
Pokdepinion: Well we’ve only got another day to utilize that free delivery offer!
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Maxis Wants 3G Users To Move On To 4G

As we all know, 5G is coming to our shores here in Malaysia. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Maxis is hoping that 3G users in the country to move to 4G connectivity.
Maxis wants 3G users to switch to 4G

With internet being essential in our daily lives, Jalinan Digital Negara (JENDELA), the government’s digital infrastructure plan to achieve wider 4G coverage was implemented. One part of the plan is the 3G sunset initiative which is currently what all telco in the country are trying to work on.
For Maxis, they’ve been communicating with their 3G customers of all three segments: mobile consumers, mobile enterprise, and M2M/IoT enterprise to gradually upgrade to 4G before the year end.

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In addition to that, they’ve rolled out their Balas Budi dengan 4G campaign, with aims to support and assist customers to prepare for the eventual network upgrade.
Maxis has promos and device bundle offers through their Zerolution plan and RM1 device plan. For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Well I’m not surprise to see their decision, seeing how 5G is on the way to the country. I just hope that they improve on current coverage. Not going to lie, I’ve had occasional network issues.
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Amazon’s First Game Is Called Crucible And It’s Free-to-play On Steam

Figuring out what game you should play next? Well Amazon has just released their first ever game, Crucible and it’s free to play on PC.
Crucible

Crucible is a team-based shooter that features 10 characters to choose from. As you’d expect, they all come with their own specialty. They also come with a set of talent tree that you will need to choose on which to follow.
These skills reset in every match so you can tweak around if you’re not satisfied with a build. There’s three game modes to choose from; Heart of the Hives, Alpha Hunters, and Harvester Command.

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In the game, you’ll need to choose on whether to focus on killing your enemies or scavenging for materials to upgrade your character.
Here’s the game’s synopsis, courtesy of Steam:
Crucible is a team-based action shooter driven by the choices you make. Each match in Crucible is a fight for survival and control. Not only will you be going toe-to-toe with your fellow competitors but you’ll have to adapt and overcome all the challenges the planet itself throws your way. You and your teammates will need to work together to take down alien creatures, capture objectives, and pursue your opponents in search of victory.
Though the game is free, it’s not yet available here in Malaysia just yet where they’ve stated at the page store that they’re continuing to work on opening up Crucible to other regions.
Should you want to check the game out, you can head to Steam here.
Pokdepinion: The game kinda looks a bit more tactical and requires teamwork than let’s say Overwatch… Don’t see a lot of love at the store page but I guess I’ll find out if it’s worth it once I’ve played it?
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Tales from the Borderlands is Free for PC; But Here’s the Catch

Looking for a good game but can’t afford to spend much? Perhaps this might be the thing you’re looking for. PC gamers can get Tales from the Borderlands completely free of charge, but here’s the catch.
Tales from the Borderlands is Free for PC

If you clicked here, it means you’re interested in getting a game for free. Well, you indeed can get Tales from the Borderlands for free, but this is the catch. You have to be a Amazon / Twitch Prime member.
Twitch Prime subscribers have been getting a nice lineup of PC games included in their subscriptions recently, including Superhot and Steam World Heist. The next game they’ll get is an arguably underappreciated little number called Tales from the Borderlands.

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The Borderlands world got a story-heavy Telltale makeover that a lot of people missed out on. Borderlands is known for its fast pace and its twitchy mechanics (and its humor, of course) but many thought Telltale couldn’t make it action-packed enough. Ironically, Tales from the Borderlands had quite a lot of action in it, albeit in a different form than the main series had.
For those who missed out on Tales from the Borderlands and are maybe eyeballing the Twitch Prime subscription service, this may be a good time to jump in. The free download is only available until January 17th 2018. It’s a short window, so don’t miss it.
If Tales from the Borderlands is the only part of this news that strikes your fancy, and not a monthly subscription, you’re in luck. The game is actually on sale for USD $7 on GOG right now.
As a PSA for those who may not know, Amazon Prime subscribers can get Twitch Prime completely free. All that’s required is to connect your Twitch account to your Amazon account and start collecting your free games. Click here if you’re interested to subscribe to the monthly program.

Pokdepinion: If you’re a fan of watching streams on Twitch, it is definitely worth getting Twitch Prime. Plus, it’s pretty cheap at USD $4.99 (half price if you were lucky enough to subscribe during the promo period about half a year ago).
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This Upcoming WhatsApp Feature Could Make Life Easier

Hate it or love it, WhatsApp is one of the most famous messaging apps around the world. Well it appears that the app will be getting a feature that will definitely make life easier.
WhatsApp to work on multiple devices concurrently

I've talked about multi device support for future versions.WhatsApp already shows the string "Use WhatsApp on other devices", suggesting that other devices will be able to use the same account in future.The connection to the internet won't be necessary for the main device! pic.twitter.com/DpdfxSo3it— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) April 2, 2020

The feature that’s in discussion is indeed the ability to use the app on multiple devices at the same time. It was revealed by WABetaInfo, a known leakster when it comes to the messaging app, where he reveals of a “Use WhatsApp on other devices” option.
It appears that the feature is currently in beta and it is said that the function is yet to be operating on iOS just yet, so we might be looking at a later release date.

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This feature is certainly a welcomed one, considering how other chatting apps such as Telegram is already available with it.
At the current moment, you can only sync your WhatsApp with your desktop, where you need to be paired by using the same Wi-Fi and be connected at all times.
Source
Pokdepinion: Similar to the previous WhatsApp article, it took them that long to come up with a feature like this.
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[UNBOXING] ASUS ZenFone 5z (ZS620KL) — the high performance twin of the ZenFone 5

If you think the ASUS ZenFone 5 (ZE620KL) and its Snapdragon 636 is just a bit too weak for your preference, the ASUS ZenFone 5z might just satisfy you. With a Snapdragon 845, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of UFS 2.1 storage, this baby is packed with the performance of a flagship, but is priced like a mid-range device.

Specifications

CPU/Chipset:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (4 x Kryo 385 @ 2.8 GHz, 4 x Kryo 385 @ 1.8 GHz)

GPU:
Adreno 630

RAM:
6GB LPDDR4X

Display:
6.2″, 19:9 FHD+ (1080p) Super IPS+ display, 550 nits brightness, 100% DCI-P3 gamut, 96% NTSC gamut, 90% screen-to-body ratio

Storage:
64GB UFS 2.1 (expandable via microSD up to 2TB)

Camera:
Main Camera(s)
12MP f/1.8, Sony IMX 363 1/2.55″ sensor (1.4µm pixels) + 8MP 120° wide-angle camera
Single tone LED flash, HDR, portrait mode, AI photography, [email protected] videos
Front Camera
8MP f/2.0, 24mm (35mm eqv.)
Beauty, HDR, portrait mode, GIF animation, filters

OS:
ZenUI 5 based on Android 8.1

Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz)
Bluetooth 5.0

SIM:
Dual nanoSIM (second slot shared with microSD slot)

Battery:
Li-ion 3300 mAh (non-removable), ASUS BoostMaster 18W charging, AI Charging, USB Power Delivery 3.0 support

Weight:
165 g

Stay tuned for our full review which will be published on 30th July!

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SanDisk Extreme and Extreme PRO portable SSDs announced from RM589

While SSDs are inherently more durable than HDDs, making them great for use as portable storage solutions, a strong enclosure still helps to protect your precious data. That’s where the SanDisk Extreme and SanDisk Extreme PRO portable SSDs come in, with a sturdy aluminium chassis and a durable silicone shell to withstand substantial amounts of abuse on the go.

The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD offers up to 1050MB/s read and 1000MB/s write speeds. Aside from the speeds, the SanDisk Extreme also lives up to its name by being capable of enduring up to 2m drops while also being IP55 rated with a durable silicone shell. On top of physical durability, it also protects your data with 256-bit AES hardware encryption and password protection.

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You can get the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD in capacities ranging from 500GB up to 2TB. Prices are as follows:

SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 500GB: RM589
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 1TB: RM999
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 2TB: RM1999

If you want an even more extreme option, there’s the SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD. With a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 interface, it is capable of up to 2000MB/s read and write speeds. To allow it to sustain these high speeds, it sports a forged aluminium chassis under the silicone shell to act as a heatspreader. The SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD is only available in 1TB and 2TB capacities at the following prices:

SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD 1TB: RM1499
SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD 2TB: RM2599

Both the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD and SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD are covered by a five-year limited warranty.
Pokdepinion: The SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD sure sounds amazing, but that price…
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Razer Introduces Razer DevCon 2021 – Set to take place in May

Razer has just announced the inaugural Razer DevCon 2021 which will be taking place on 7 May at 10 AM PST (8 May at 2 AM Malaysian time) on the official Razer Twitch channel. Razer DevCon 2021 will be a special event for developers where Razer will provide insight into how to integrate Razer’s world-class ecosystem of hardware, software, and services at every level of development to drive innovation and provide gamers with a more immersive experience.
Razer DevCon 2021: Razer’s first convention for developers

There will be several technology-focused panels during Razer DevCon 2021 which will be packed with over four hours of thought-provoking discussion led by industry veterans from various Razer teams along with support from leading industry partners such as Activision Blizzard, and Renaud Ostrowski, Audio Artist at Vibe Avenue Studios, and Frank Rosay, Game Producer at iLLOGIKA.

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Developers who are interested to participate are encouraged to register in advance in order to receive access to Razer’s internal team of developers and engineers that will help provide support and insight into utilizing Razer technologies such as Razer Chroma, Razer Gold and THX Spatial to create a unique gaming experience. Interested members of the gaming community are also welcome to tune in and gain unique insight into the future of the rapidly changing gaming industry.
Panels will cover:

Razer Chroma – developers will learn to build an immersive game lighting experience with Razer’s open SDK; from designing lighting effects for games, to implementing it on websites, streaming and cloud platforms.
Razer Gold – developers will learn about enabling the Razer Gold payment gateway to monetize their games and apps, as well as how to engage and reward users through Razer Silver.
THX Spatial Audio – developers will learn to implement THX Spatial audio along with tips and tricks to ensure fully immersive and true-to-life sound replication in-game.

Registration is open to all PC, Console, and Mobile gaming ecosystem developers. Razer is also inviting those who are interested but are outside the gaming world to join in Razer DevCon 2021. Furthermore, the first 1000 registered and verified developers who attend the conference will receive an exclusive special attendee’s pack available only at Razer DevCon 2021. Additional prizes and awards to be announced at a later date.
For more information about Razer DevCon 2021, do head over to the official website right here.
Pokdepinion: Razer Devcon 2021 is a pretty interesting move by Razer. Looking forward to seeing what they offer there.
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Fortnite Creator Launches Epic Games Store – FREE GAMES Every Two Weeks

Fortnite Creator Launches Epic Games Store with Free Games Every Two Weeks

Following up from its reveal earlier this week, Epic Games proved that it had more tricks up its sleeve tonight as the company officially launched the Epic Games Store. We had a few notable tidbits about the store from The Game Awards.
During The Game Awards 2018, the Epic Games Store officially launched and while the selection of games on the service is limited at the moment, there’s a good mix of games available right now and plenty more expected to come somewhere not too far down the road.
Right now, the Epic Games Store is currently featuring Ashen, Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek, and the newly-revealed Hades from developer Supergiant Games, while upcoming titles that were highlighted for the platform include Darksiders 3, The Pathless, World War Z, Outer Wilds, and many more down the line.

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However, one of the most interesting features that Epic highlighted for the store is that the Epic Games Store will offer users a free game every two weeks, with the first two titles to be Subnautica (December 14-27) and Super Meat Boy (December 28 – January 10).
The Epic Games Store is now live, and for a closer look at what’s in store from the new PC games platform, you can check out the trailer at the top of this post.
Pokdepinion: I heard free games and that’s all I needed to know to make me care about it. Gonna be tough if they wanna compete against Steam directly, that’s for sure.
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Open post to ASUS Malaysia by Pokde.net

Introduction

Last weekend our whole Pokde.net team was united at the ASUS Master DIY Tour – LAN Party and after the very long endurance, we were presented with a message that this shall be the last ASUS DIY Tour to be organized by ASUS Malaysia. Being enthusiasts of ASUS that we are, this is an open post (rather than open letter) to ASUS on our opinion against this.
There is no such thing as bad publicity
I couldn’t stress this any harder really. We monitor what goes around in the tech world and because this event was a closed one and priority was given to the hardcore fanboy’s community, there were several questions raised, names called and other bitter events happening around, pointing fingers back to ASUS. As bad as it looks, to us, we take it positively. It just shows that the scale of this event could go to limits that even ASUS Malaysia could not have imagined. Of course the limits had to be imposed to create a limited scale for control purposes but this itself is one of the reasons why this auspicious event should not be given death just yet.
Any event is bourned to have hiccups
Everyone present in the LAN Party is assured of the conditions that we faced but lets be practical here; all efforts were made to unleash the best for the event and the participants were more than happy to give a helping hand. Any conditions that went out of control were just beyond ASUS’ jurisdiction. Period. At the end of the day, no one really gave a hard time or raised a tantrum so I guess it is really something that we – as grown ups – can decipher. Yet another reason.

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Always stick to the ultimate goal
Lets rewind our clocks and open up the memory drawer. It was a LAN Party. Were we bridging our computers over a LAN network as the definite goal? Negative. I would rather say we were bridging our souls together instead. All in all, I think my total gaming time in the whole LAN party was less than 5 hours. The rest of the time, I was “connected” to other souls present there. We shared the same hall, similar games, same sleeping area, same interests – heck, we even shared the same bathroom! That is how I define a “Local Area Network”. Wait, because the participants were not even all from the same area, I could easily call this a “WAN Party” instead.
Rome was not built in one day
So far, this is the third ASUS Master DIY Tour organized by ASUS Malaysia. What has the return been so far? To us at Pokde.net, the LAN Party has to be the most awaited, the most planned, the most united and the most epic event this year. Never have we taken an event so seriously. We were hands in hands with ASUS providing as much manpower as we could, planned our journey from three different states, had endless discussions threatening each other in case they don’t turn up and so forth. This is just the small part of the millions of sacrifices others had made just to be in the event itself. I couldn’t think of any other event in which such a response could be gathered.
Of course it ended in regrets
If there was one regret that we at Pokde.net had in this event, it was the fact that we forgot the goodbye part. After the final photography session, we were awakened from our zombie modes and realized that the event had came to an end. If it was not a working day the very next day, I dare to place my bets that everyone would want to extend the event just for another day. For us at Pokde.net, even when the event had came to an end, we were still loitering around the hall, taking pictures and finally decided to camp at the nearest mamak for a few more hours before leaving for our bedrooms. We had endless neck wrecking laughters, gave some bleeding edged names to each other, fused with weird selfies. It just couldn’t have gone wrong really.
So, ASUS Malaysia, this one is for you
If you guys are still deciding on whether or not to have another one next year, I think the social media is shouting all over in support over this. The LAN Party’s shadow is still mesmerizing upon us even after a tiring working day. We could just not stop getting back on social media, meeting the great people we left just about a day ago, fooling ourselves with false hopes that perhaps ASUS Malaysia will suddenly pop-up out of the blue indicating that we are going to continue the party again this very next weekend so we can pack our bags and rigs once again and scream “Hell Yeah!” together and unite in this one-of-its-kind event. We at Pokde.net are casting our votes for another ASUS Master DIY Tour and this is our dedicated post to not kill this event. Given priority before the past event’s highlights post which should follow next as part of our promise.
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[CES2019] 2nd-Gen AMD Ryzen 3000 mobile processors are here — new 35W TDP variants introduced as well!

AMD Ryzen Mobile processors have been around for some time, but they haven’t exactly been popular. Despite offering competitive performance, it didn’t get picked nearly as much as Intel’s solutions did. Hopefully, with the upgraded performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 3000-series mobile processors, they will finally bring the fight to Intel.
Higher clocks!

These aren’t really huge upgrades, but are incremental improvements over the first generation of Ryzen Mobile chipsets. AMD packs the latest 12nm Zen+ CPU cores with Radeon Vega GPU to deliver solid APUs. AMD did bump up the clocks on the CPU and GPU to deliver higher performance.

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Still better in gaming

In terms of performance, AMD didn’t reveal how much of an uplift the new second generation Ryzen Mobile chipsets bring to the table. It did however compare it against the pretty good Intel Core i7 8565U, where it handily trounces it in gaming performance. Vega is clearly the superior GPU when pitted against Intel’s iGPUs, so that’s a really low hanging fruit there.
High performance AMD APUs?

The higher 35W TDP Ryzen Mobile H processors will be used in higher performance designs. In the slides shared by AMD, the ASUS TUF Gaming FX505 will be offered with either a Ryzen 7 3750H or a Ryzen 5 3550H. The TUF Gaming laptop features pretty beefy cooling so we can expect them to deliver maintained boost clocks most of the time.
We can expect the laptops with the new Ryzen processors to make an appearance in our markets pretty soon, so stay tuned!
Pokdepinion: I really want a FreeSync laptop. That would just complete my adaptive sync dreams.
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Lost Sphear Showcases New World and Characters; From the Makers of I Am Setsuna

Tokyo RPG Factory, the makers of I Am Setsuna, is bringing a new J-RPG called Lost Sphear. Some important details on the game have been released.

Lost Sphear Showcases New World and Characters

Today, the Japanese arm of Square Enix released a “pre-launch” trailer of the upcoming J-RPG Lost Sphear by Tokyo RPG Factory. The game has been created by the same team that brought us the J-RPG that brought us back them retro feels, I Am Setsuna, and that’s definitely visible in the charming art style.

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We get to see a glimpse on the world, followed by the cast. Interesting the Imperial knight Gardula (the one with the horned helm) definitely appears to be a woman, if the voice is any indication. While I don’t have any precise indication of this, it appears that she might be hiding her gender behind the armor.
Last, but not least, we get a nice and quite extensive look on gameplay, which looks lovely, showing battles, giant bosses and stylized environments for your viewing pleasure.
If you have not played I Am Setsuna yet, go for it. The game won’t take up too much of your time and is quite affordable on Steam as well. It has one of the best videogame soundtracks in recent years. If you’re a fan of Chrono Trigger, you’re definitely going relive some feels from the past.
Lost Sphear will launch in Japan in a few weeks on October 12th, while North America and Europe will have to wait for a release on PS4, PC and Switch on January 23rd, 2018.

Pokdepinion: Can’t wait to get my hands on Lost Sphear. I mean, Tokyo RPG Factory has done a major job with I Am Setsuna anyway so hopefully this won’t be a disappointment. The only complaint I had about the game is the ending but I shall not spoil it for you in case you haven’t played it yourself.
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU vs desktop GPUs — how fast is the flagship Ampere mobile GPU?

We all know how fast the desktop Ampere GPUs are, so let’s take a look at the flagship NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU. Unlike previous generations, the GeForce RTX 30 series sport a rather huge gap between the desktop and mobile GPUs. While the GeForce GTX 10 series and GeForce RTX 20 series had largely the same GPUs across the desktop and mobile lineups, that isn’t the case this generation. With that in mind, have a look at the current GeForce RTX 30 series laptop GPUs’ specifications along with the rest of the desktop Ampere GPUs:
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptop GPU Specs

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

CUDA Cores
3584
3840
4864
5120
5888
6144
8704

RT Cores
28
30
38
40
46
48
68

Tensor Cores
112
120
152
160
184
192
272

Clocks (GHz)
1.78
1.28~1.70
1.67
1.29~1.62
1.73
1.25~1.71
1.71

Memory
12GB GDDR6
6GB GDDR6
8GB GDDR6
8GB GDDR6
8GB GDDR6
8GB / 16GB GDDR6
10GB GDDR6X

Memory bus width
192-bit
192-bit
256-bit
256-bit
256-bit
256-bit
320-bit

TGP rating
170W
60~115W
200W
80~125W
220W
80~150W
320W

NVLink
No
N/A
N/A
N/A
No
N/A
No

As you can see, aside from the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, all of Ampere mobile GPUs are smaller than their desktop counterparts, especially the GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU. But the GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU is still quite a big GPU, so let’s take a look at some preliminary benchmarks.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU Benchmarks
It is worth mentioning that we are testing on pre-release drivers on the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE. This configuration allows the GPU to pull up to 130W, which is close to the upper limit of the GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU. We will be keeping to synthetic benchmarks for now, due to the fact that we want to try our best to rule out the effects of the CPU. Different power limits in combination with varying cooling solutions and CPU configurations will yield wildly different results, so this is still a pretty rough idea of the performance level possibly with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU.

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Performance

In Superposition, we see that it just edges out the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition, although it is still quite a far cry from the GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition. Here, the GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU offers about 66% the performance that the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 OC Edition brings to the table.

In 3DMark Time Spy we see it fall behind the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition, but it is still a good deal faster than the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER we tested previously. The laptop GPU offers just 64% of the performance that the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 OC Edition is capable of.

Owing to the higher RT core count, the raytracing performance of the GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU appears to marginally best the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition. The gap between the laptop and desktop GPU is even larger here, with the GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU only eking out a mere 63% of what the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 OC Edition can. On average, we see that the laptop GPU can pump out 64% of what the desktop GPU is capable of.
These benchmark scores point to the GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPU being capable of trading blows with a GeForce RTX 2080 desktop GPU, which is pretty impressive considering that they are only one generation apart.
Power

Now let’s take a look at the clocks, power and thermals of the GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPU. Average clocks in Superposition are pretty low at 1554MHz, with a peak of 1635MHz. The maximum power draw is 133.5W, with an average of 129.6W with the GPU temperatures maintained by the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE’s excellent cooling system at below 77°C at all times. Now this is where it gets quite interesting.
The low-ish clocks of the GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU might be a downer to some, but it still allows for a lot of graphics horsepower at a lower power draw. On the other hand, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition draws up to 200W, or 50% more power, to deliver similar levels of performance with a 20% smaller GPU.

Compared against the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 OC Edition that’s capable of drawing up to 370W, the desktop card draws about 2.7X the power for around 56% extra performance. Obviously, it will be impossible to even power, not to mention cool, a 370W GPU in a laptop. In terms of efficiency, it is hard to argue with NVIDIA’s decision to use a big but slow GPU as their flagship mobile Ampere graphics solution, considering the limitations in terms of cooling and power delivery in laptops.
The higher capacity 16GB of GDDR6 memory running at a leisurely 14.3Gbps is also quite an interesting decision on NVIDIA’s end. The large VRAM should be great for content creators, who are also a target audience of the GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPUs. However it probably won’t affect gaming performance in a huge way. We will be checking out gaming performance in the full in-depth review of the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE soon.
Conclusion

NVIDIA’s Ampere laptop GPUs are quite significantly slower than their desktop counterparts, but I think that should surprise no one. On top of a lower power limit, we are looking at a lower core count as well, which will definitely result in lower performance. We have always said that you cannot compare desktop and laptop GPUs directly, and it is all the more true with the GeForce RTX 30 series laptop GPUs.

With that said, they are still going to be a huge upgrade over the last-gen mobile GPUs. Also, there’s still some power headroom left in the GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPU. As far as we know, the only GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPU configured to run at 150W is in the ROG Flow X13’s XG Mobile Dock, so maybe that will offer performance closer to the desktop GPUs. Putting that aside, we will be testing more of the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE in more detail soon, so stay tuned for the review!
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