Bren's stats
- Review count265
- Helpfulness votes1,766
- First reviewDecember 27, 2016
- Last reviewJuly 2, 2026
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- Average rating4.8
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- Answer count11
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- First answerDecember 27, 2016
- Last answerNovember 4, 2021
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Introducing the performance V700 Neo: where innovation meets entertainment in the palm of your hand. Experience cinema-quality visuals with native 1080P resolution and 400 lumens brightness, bringing your favorite movies to life with breathtaking clarity. Say goodbye to extra devices~streaming content is seamlessly integrated, offering instant access to a plethora of entertainment options. With auto focus and auto keystone correction, enjoy hassle-free setup and consistently sharp, distortion-free images in any environment. Whether it's movie marathons, gaming nights, or professional presentations, the V700Neo redefines versatility and convenience, making every viewing experience an unforgettable journey.
Customer Rating
5
Unbelievably high-quality projector for the price!
on February 25, 2025
Posted by: Bren
The creators of this projector must have jumped ahead in time and come back with some good ideas for build efficiency and quality because this projector is exceedingly nice for the price in the market today and has some outstanding features that even beat out projectors I have reviewed that are triple its price!
First of all, the image quality is stunning. Playing 1080p HDR videos from YouTube such as some of the LG screen quality test videos, I was blown away by the standard brightness of this monitor on our 100” projector screen in our bedroom. The colors were truly outstanding without bleached-out white tones, and the screen picture mode of “movie” proved to be our favorite for visual quality. An interesting connection we noticed on the brightness settings is that the fan ramps up quite loud on the highest brightness mode, while standard brightness is quieter and eco is the quietest on the fan. This didn’t affect our experience too much either way, as the fan noise is not obnoxiously loud, but I felt it was worth mentioning to users. The auto keystone and focus correction features on this projector are also incredible. They are super precise and even for our projector screen that is at an elevated angle in our bedroom more than 12 feet away from the projector, it was able to pick up the borders of the screen and adjust the image to fit the projector screen perfectly! I like that one can also select whether to have it auto-focus and keystone with each start-up or move.
One of the standouts of this projector is the incredibly loud and clear speakers that are built in! I have not to date tested a projector that has speakers as loud and as sufficient as this for filling even a large living room with sound! While these speakers have no soundbar or bass-connected audio setup competition, I feel like the built-in speakers are perfectly sufficient for most users’ needs and will leave them satisfied. Further to this is the fact that this projector can act as a standalone Bluetooth-connected speaker for your phone or other Bluetooth devices! This is excellent and even further enhances the versatility of this projector. I could see how well this would fit into the use case for an all-in-one entertainment device for a small apartment or AV room.
Set up on this speaker was also super easy, and the Google suite of features are just excellent. I love that the included remote is set up for voice assistant out of the box and that you even have access to some of the most common video services of the day on the remote! The only negative I have, and a very small one at that, is the lack of batteries included with the remote. Come on, Vankyo! Even my daughter’s $15 electric talking doll included two AAA batteries!
Altogether, I have absolutely no problem rating this projector 5/5 stars. At this price, I just cannot imagine you going wrong. I have reviewed projectors in this price range, and I have been unable to find a competitor that has ALL these features gathered together in one projector! I 100% would recommend you give it a try for your entertainment or small business needs!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The HP OfficeJet Pro 9730e delivers fast color printing, 500-sheet paper capacity, and handles files up to 11x17". It's AI-enabled to intuitively adapt to your workflow, with wireless and security features that keep your multifunction printer up to date and secure, and is the world's only wide-format printer with P3 Color.
Customer Rating
5
Exactly what a small business or office needs!
on February 22, 2025
Posted by: Bren
This printer is an incredible value for small businesses or home offices that expect to do a lot of printing and scanning in the office space. Having a two-sided ADF is excellent and seriously improves the workflow of taking a large quantity of documents without certainty of whether they are coming in printed on both sides or not. The two 250-page sheet input trays are also extremely valued; on my previous little brother’s printer, it was driving me nuts having to fill the intake tray sometimes multiple times a day on high-volume printing days. It is worth mentioning, however, that the ink for this printer is extremely expensive for a full refill, costing around $120 if you stick with HP brand ink. I have not tried any generic alternatives, but even those aren’t a huge cost savings. As such, our home office has implemented black printing only at all costs to see if we can save on some ink refill costs. All the same, this is just the nature of printing these days and is the entrance fee you pay to be able to print in volume in a business setting. Thanks for reading and I hope this review helps your purchasing decision!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The Insignia 10' Lightning to USB-C Braided Charge-and-Sync Cable (2 Pack) will not only charge your Lightning-enabled iPhone, iPad or iPod, but also let you transfer files and sync your device. Its 4 ft. length gives you flexible placement options, and its ultra-durable braided jacket keeps the cable protected.
Customer Rating
5
Exactly what I was looking for!
on February 1, 2025
Posted by: Bren
If you live in a house as I do with the comings and the goings of multiple Apple product users, you know exactly what is like for people to be clamoring for their turn to charge their phone or how they look when they are huddled next to a wall adapter with a short little 3ft cable greedily tapping away at their phone like Gollum coveting his Precious. I just wanted to acquire some nice cables that my wife and I could have for our own dedicated use with our nicer 20-watt USB-C adapters. Enter these cables. I appreciate the grip added to the port areas for easy handling even when I am fumbling in the dark at night to plug in my phone. The braid on the cables is a soft, gentle braiding that reminds me of some of the nicer laptop and mouse cables I have used in the past. Altogether, these cables are doing exactly what I am hoping for at a great price. I am probably going to grab a couple more boxes of them for the cars and camping trips too just to have some spares around! Definitely pick these up for your needs!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The Klipsch Flexus Core 100 Sound System, powered by Onkyo, lays the foundation for amazing movie nights, gripping gaming campaigns that go late into the night, and streaming the next binge-worthy show. Powered by exceptional acoustics and proprietary Klipsch Transport technology, this 2.1-channel sound bar is the first step towards building the whole home entertainment ecosystem of your dreams.
Customer Rating
4
Small soundbar, huge sound, BIG price.
on January 11, 2025
Posted by: Bren
From the moment you start opening the soundbar, you can tell that Klipsch put a lot of work into making it a good experience for purchasers. The packaging is very descriptive and obvious, even down to having the remote and cables boxes labeled for your convenience! Furthermore, they used a piece of cardboard packaging in the box as a dual-purpose protection for shipping and to act as your drilling and measurement guide if you desire to mount this sound bar to your wall! All in all, really well designed.
As for taking it out of the packaging and hooking it up, it is truly plug and play. No, really, it is. I used my old soundbar’s HDMI and even the power cable (It is a universal two plug barrel adapter type) to hook up the soundbar and much to my delight, it was up and running the audio out of my system, including the full suite of eARC features that allowed me to be able to control of the volume of the soundbar with my Apple TV remote. This is so nice and makes for the smoothest integration into your set up!
From the factory, be aware that this soundbar comes with the Bass at ZERO. Yup, you read that right, zero. This can go up to +6, so I was relieved to be able to crank it up when I first fired up my music and hear that this speaker had some more guts to it than its factory setting conveyed. The maximum bass is by no means room shaking, but this soundbar is just here as it stands alone to get your setup started. The bass fills up the room with excellent low frequency tones and thankfully is tuned nicely so as not to have any junky sounding rattle on the soundbar itself.
The two modes the remote triggers are Movie or Music. I find that music mode really opens up the mids and treble range and punches out the vocals with distinction. The movie sound mode could be best described as providing audio that acts like a pseudo surround sound and blends the bass, mid, and treble ranges together beautifully. If you twisted my arm and asked me to pick one that I would leave it set to, that would be the movie setting for sure. Ed Sheeran’s song, “Afterglow” just absolutely fills up the room with “all the sound” at volume 30 on the soundbar and with it set to the movie mode. I was in a state of acoustic bliss, listening to the full range of the song as it swept over me. Being able to switch on the fly between these two modes is great and will let users tune each audio experience to their preference.
For movies, this soundbar is doing things just right. My go to for testing audio is the famous battle between Gandalf and the balrog at the bridge of Kazad Dum. The whole audio of the battle is projected with excellence from this soundbar. The incredible song of lament that follows as the party members of The Fellowship of the Ring exit Kazad Dum is so gorgeously projected in its range of the alto and soprano singing with the bass and tenors beneath of it. I truly got lost in the sound and forgot for a moment that I was reviewing a soundbar, not just watching one of my favorite movies, haha! The only thing I found to be off-putting audio wise after the song ended was the dialogue between the LOTR characters. I would say on Movie audio mode, the voices maybe have a bit too much “Sparkle” in the higher pitches of speech. Perhaps it was just my ears adjusting to the new audio experience of the soundbar, because I got used to it over time.
As the product stands by itself in isolation in terms of quality, I would positively give this soundbar 5 stars out of 5. For this price, however, I just can’t recommend this product to buyers when there are other soundbars out there with an external subwoofer included for the same or even a lower price. As far as my ears go, which are arguably more experienced at reviewing audio products than your average Joe, I am just not hearing where this is a $350 soundbar by itself. It would really need an external sub to be the whole package for a true home theater experience and that is going to set you back another $299.99 for their compatible model. A buyer would be far better off putting their hard-earned dollars towards a different system that can really fill the room with audio with a soundbar, sub, and possibly even surround speakers, as opposed to paying the premium for the name “Klipsh” inscribed on the front of their soundbar alone. I did notice when looking at Best Buy’s offer page for this that Total Tech members can get an extra $71 off as of the writing of this review. This brings it somewhat into a better range, but not everyone can take advantage of this discount. Overall, I love the quality present here that Klipsch is famed for, but at the end of the day, this review is about audio and helping buyers put their dollars where it will matter most. I hope this review has helped you!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The Best Buy essentials 5,000mAh Magnetic Wireless Portable Charger for iPhone and Most USB-C Devices provides 7.5W of total power to keep your devices charged and at the ready, while a USB-C port can provide up to 15W to charge an additional device. With a 5,000mAh capacity, attach the charger to your iPhone or use the included USB-C cable for wired charging. LED indicator lights will let you know when the battery is charging your device, when it is finished or when it needs to be charged.
Customer Rating
5
Flexible portable choice for device charging!
on December 21, 2024
Posted by: Bren
I am very happy with this wireless portable charger! Although it does have a bit of a cheap plasticy construction, it lends itself towards being a very lightweight and portable. One of my biggest concerns when I first pulled it out of the box is that it would end up getting too hot while wireless charging my iPhone 14 Pro via magsafe. I am happy to report that it does not! This charger does not appear that it is going to be at any threat of ending up on an immediate recall list as compared to some of the recent Anker wireless chargers that got recalled due to fire hazard (yikes).
This charger is exactly as utilitarian as its price would indicate. It chargers my iPhone with ease and also has zero problem charging my Airpods Pro 2 case, even while it is encapsulated in a thick and very sturdy dbrand case! The little kickstand on this charger is awesome, allowing me to put my phone in landscape mode and watch a video on my break of lunch while giving it some extra juice to make it through the day. My maximum battery capacity is down to 87% on my iPhone, so it was important to me to get something that would allow me to carry some extra charge in my pocket without breaking the bank. This charger gives me all of that for sure! It is handy too that it has USB-C input and output so you can use a cable to charge other miscellaneous devices that require a direct plug in. It looks like it can do both wireless charging and wired charging at the same time! It also appears to be able to do pass-through charging, so you can charge this portable power bank while it is charging your phone or other compatible magsafe style device! This is handy in situations where plug-in options aren’t abundant and it would be handy to top off both devices at once. The only downer is that the USB-C port on my power bank is already very temperamental, requiring you to really sink that cable in flush in order for the charging to work whether input or output. As such, I am not quite sure if I would trust this device to years of longevity with frequent wired charging.
Altogether, this Best Buy Essentials charger is an easy 5 out of 5 stars for me! Don’t hesitate to pick this up for a quick and useful stocking stuffer for your loved one this holiday! Cheers!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Push performance to the next level with the blazing speed and massive bandwidth of Crucial DDR5 Pro OC Gaming Memory. With support for next-gen multi-core CPUs and the ~sweet spot~ speed of 6,400MT/s, our gaming memory harnesses the power of low latency so you can beat the clock and focus on outplaying your opponent instead of worrying about performance bottlenecks. This powerful, flexible memory supports next-gen multi-core CPUs and stable overclocking with Intel XMP 3.0 and AMD EXPO. Available in black or white in a 16GB density with a unique, origami-inspired aluminum heat spreader for a winning aesthetic. Unlock a new world of gaming performance with Crucial DDR5 Pro Gaming Memory.
Customer Rating
5
Low-profile dimensions, massive performance!
on December 21, 2024
Posted by: Bren
This RAM kit is the new understated-looks performance-buff king that I have put in my gaming PC. I am so pleased with multiple aspects of this RAM that I will share. First of all, it is the first RAM that my Intel i7 13700F CPU and Aorus Z790 motherboard seem to play well with together that has allowed me to enable the XMP profile and get the full 6400 MT/s speed that this RAM is capable of! My previous RAM, a Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB 6000 MT/s kit, was locked at 5600 MT/s in spite of multiple efforts and tutorials I followed to try to get my BIOS to behave with it. For a streamer and gamer, I really want every drop of performance out of all parts of my system that I can squeeze out of them, not to the extent of doing too much crazy overclocking that can introduce instabilities into the system (exactly what you DON’T want while running a stream). I am so grateful that I was able to toggle some simple settings in my BIOS and now I am getting full performance out of this RAM; going beyond the advertised 5600 MT/s max of the 13700F CPU!
Going beyond the performance, the aesthetics and build quality of this crucial RAM is pristine. It is low profile enough as to be welcome in almost any ITX case I can think of. It also is beautiful to behold and does not contribute additional rainbow RGB vomit to my system. One of my HUGE pet peeves with the Corsair Vengance RAM is that the stinking RGB lights would not turn off when I put my PC to sleep! I would have to turn off the whole system to get perfect darkness out of my PC case. Now, I do not have to worry about that, all while getting the best performance I could have hoped for out of this economical and high performing RAM kit!
Altogether, if you are avoiding flashly RGB in your system but still want performance out the wahzoo, I would absolutely consider getting this kit. DDR5 RAM is in an interesting place right now with the options available and I would say that Crucial hit the nail on the head with this one. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy your purchase!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The Roomba Vac 2 Essential robot + AutoEmpty dock makes cleaning effortless, with 2x cleaning power* and navigation technology that guides it to vacuum your floors in neat rows. Best of all, it empties all on its own into a bag that holds up to 60 days of dirt and debris~giving you more time to do the things you love. *As compared to the Roomba ~ Essential robot
Customer Rating
2
Skip this and get a Roomba j7+ while you can!
on November 16, 2024
Posted by: Bren
My review title says it all. Skip this Roomba robot vacuum package and get a Roomba j7+ that is actually SMART while you still can on sale. They are nearly the same price and quite frankly, without naming outside of Roomba competing brands, there are smarter vacuums for this price.
Maybe we are just spoiled in 2024, but if I am going to have a app connected autonomous vacuum, I like it to have some of the creature comfort features I have gotten used to, like being able to map out the house, have forbidden zones, avoid toys and cords etc.
I get what Roomba did here, and maybe 3 years ago this would have been a more enticing product package. The self-emptying features are nice, but again, with current sales and the upcoming Black Friday sales coming up, I just can’t recommend this vacuum when there are smarter options coming up for sale.
Sorry to be a bummer, but innovation in products should move us forward, not backwards! Hope this review helps you out and I do not at all want to discount the brand as a whole; the Roomba j7+ self-emptying combo available at Best Buy is STILL one of the smartest and best household cleaning products I have ever used!
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Shark HydroDuo with Dirt-Reveal Technology is a cordless hard floor cleaning system that picks up both wet and dry debris, mops, and scrubs~all at once, ideal for everyday, grab-and-go cleaning. Tackle stuck-on messes with the on-demand spray or pick up dry messes and debris without having to wet your floors. Use on sealed hard floors including hardwood, tile, marble, stone, laminate, and more. Faster than a vacuum and mop alone*. *Based on cleaning simulation in area of 300 sq. ft.
Customer Rating
5
Perfect solution for small to midsize floors!
on November 16, 2024
Posted by: Bren
As a parent of a 6-month-old baby girl who has just recently started crawling up a storm, is enjoying her infant-led weaning on soft foods, and likes lobbing globs of food like they are grenades, I have been desperate for a cleaning solution that keeps our kitchen and dining room (and my sanity) intact. The Shark HydroDuo has come in to save the day! It offers some of my favorite features of our Dyson V15 Detect Submarine Vacuum and Mop combo at nearly a 10th of the cost, all with the convenience of being a vacuum and mop in one and not having to switch out the attachments to fulfill either role.
Unboxing and Setup:
As usual with their cleaning implements, Shark has made the setup and use of this hydro duo an absolute breeze. They have handy instructions printed right on the box when you open it, but they also have a booklet included for more detailed instructions as well as clean up and maintenance of the device. I found I was able to set up the vacuum intuitively; there were so few parts needing to be attached out of the box, and none could be mixed up by my reckoning. Once I had the vacuum set up, I plugged in the charging and storage tray and placed the vacuum on there as the battery was completely drained from the factory and needed a complete top-up before use. This is probably best from a battery calibration standpoint. I also filled up the cleaning fluid tank and was pleasantly surprised to see that they included a bottle of concentrate that looks like it will last for at least six full tank clean-ups! More Shark Hydro brand cleaning fluid concentrate with a volume per the marketing that will last about 19 cleanups is available for around 19 dollars or so online from various sources.
First-time use:
One of the best parts of this Shark HydroDuo versus the Dyson Detect vacuum model is that the dirt reveal light works for both vacuuming AND mopping. My wife and I have stated aloud to each other that we wish we had a better way of seeing the stubborn stains and grit on the kitchen and dining room floor while mopping the same way our detect V15 shows dirt with its fluffy head cleaner. Well, Shark has done that for you here! Putting this to advantage, I first diligently vacuumed up as much dry material as I could see without using the sprayer. Shark advises that you first vacuum up dry debris as much as possible before using the sprayer for best performance. Logically, that just makes sense, and I followed that recommendation to the best of my ability.
The vacuum and mop overall did excellent for us. The vacuum was able to vacuum up all the pesky debris and detritus that builds up in our busy daily workweek lives, even (for the most part) my wife’s 3-foot-long curly hairs that she sheds like a husky! The mop with the handy included quick dry fluid to mix into the tank was excellent at getting even some of the more petrified food stains and kitchen messes cleaned up and it generally did really well performing a fairly in depth clean of the floor. When the wet is added into the equation with this mop, though, the drawbacks of the roller system manifest: what was left of my wife’s long hairs got gummed up and wrapped around the roller, and there were definitely a few clumps that ended up just being pushed around and had to be picked up by hand. Admittedly, long human hair is a major challenge for all but the most expensive cleaning appliances, so I do not consider this a major demerit against the Shark HydroDuo.
Cleaning up the Shark was intuitive and easy. The dry bin gets dumped in the trash, the dirty water bin gets rinsed and put out to dry, the roller gets cleaned off and placed upright on the storage/charging station in its handy, specially designed drying spot. It was cleaning the roller that made us realize just how severe the spin up of long hairs was, but we weren’t too flustered about it.
All in all, I think this Shark Hydro Duo, for its intended price and use cases, gets a solid 5 out of 5. This is the perfect solution for small to mid-size dwellings with sealed hardwood, tile, and linoleum-type flooring that needs good maintenance of both vacuuming and cursory mopping. I just wouldn’t quite throw away your traditional mop, bucket, and broom if you are a person who likes a super deep clean and feels the need to do it the manual way once in a while for a true deep clean. Thanks for reading and hope this interview helps you out!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Set your immersion to maximum with the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K~a wireless ergonomic RGB gaming mouse that~s more advanced and customizable than ever. Featuring our most precise sensor and scroll wheel with deeper configuration options, playing your way just took on a whole new meaning.
Customer Rating
5
My new daily driver mouse for gaming and work!
on November 10, 2024
Posted by: Bren
Well, folks, here is the mouse I have been waiting for! Razer has NAILED it with the Basilisk V3 Pro 35K. It is the perfect wireless mouse for me, from FPS gaming to productivity and work-related needs.
The mouse itself is gorgeous. I love the white edition and how nicely it fits into a light-themed PC setup. It will be interesting to see how, over, the mouse holds up to grit and grime from the user’s hand, but I will say at this point that this material is grippy, and for a claw-style mouse user, it feels like I can exert perfect strength and precision over this mouse. My first Razer Basilisk mouse was a wired version back in 2017, and I feel like this version continues the tradition of such a comfortable and ergonomically pleasing mouse.
Right off the bat, one of my favorite features is the smart reel mode for the scroll wheel! It is a mode that has the wheel set at pleasant, tactile cycling at baseline with tactile clicks, but if you scroll faster, the electronic clutch releases and you can free-spin the scroll wheel to navigate through web pages and documents rapidly! This feature is EXACTLY what I have been looking for to help me at work. I have to review a ton of lengthy documents and faxed files, and the ability to adaptively scroll through them in a rapid or more precise and tactile manner is amazing and practically worth the price of the mouse alone to me. I would say it matches the Logitech MX Master 3S series mouse in terms of productivity! I also adore that this mouse has the means to store the USB-A 2.4ghz dongle in it so that I never have to worry about losing that tiny accessory between my work and home commute. This mouse is a no-brainer for someone who will use it for work and games.
For the first time since I started reviewing Razer products, I can finally say that I don’t hate their software. The new Razer Synapse 4 software uses fewer computer resources, is less invasive (i.e., doesn’t require a login to set up your mouse), and truly allows you to exert full control and customization over the mouse. Changing bindings, color, battery savings schemes, and more is intuitive. I occasionally stream on Twitch and enjoyed setting some important functions, like muting Discord to the DPI clutch thumb button.
For high-end gamers, the features you want are here. The mouse has a max sensitivity of 35,000 DPI, a fantastic battery life, and the ability to be paired with a $70 Razer Mouse Dock Pro, which can enable you to wirelessly charge this mouse via a magnetic charging puck module you install on the bottom of this mouse and the dock acts as an integrated 8K Hz transceiver when plugged into your PC (and set up in the Synapse 4 software) to increase your polling rate. That makes this mouse a top-end, extreme performer with all of the other features Razer offers, which are too many to list in this one review. I am by no means a competitive gamer, but when I set the DPI to my preferred 2,000 DPI, I definitely felt like I was flicking headshots with ease on Hunt Showdown, and I had precise control over the fighter-jet-like Doom Slayer in the Doom Eternal Ancient Gods DLC’s.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Enjoy everyday activities with this ASUS notebook PC. The Intel Pentium processor and 4GB of RAM let you run programs smoothly.
Customer Rating
5
The USABLE budget laptop champion!
on November 10, 2024
Posted by: Bren
I reviewed the prior version of this laptop that was, for all intents and purposes, exactly the same as this machine with the exception that the new, speedier Intel Celeron N6000 processor is contained in this laptop. That is only a good thing as this laptop remains incredibly efficient but also has more power to make multitasking and doing productivity tasks on this laptop feel smoother than ever. I rated this laptop’s predecessor as a 5 out of 5 usable budget laptop with perfect utility for young students with non-power tasks on their laptop and for casual users performing simple daily tasks like answering emails, browsing the internet, and doing basic Word, Excel, and PowerPoint-type tasks. This laptop also takes the gold for that category in this price range, with the added benefit of being even snappier than before!
Operating System:
This PC is equipped with Windows 11 S edition, which is essentially a lightweight, Windows-app only version of Windows 11 that will truly work just fine for the majority of basic users who aren’t wanting to fiddle around with a bunch of novel software installs. You get your basics here: a Microsoft Edge web browser, Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other apps available and/or preinstalled in the Microsoft Apps store. I think this is perfect for users who aren’t looking for all the bells and whistles and are happy to use Microsoft Edge for web browsing and checking email, as well as whatever programs are available natively through Windows. If you really want full featured Windows 11, you can get into the Windows store settings and switch out of Windows 11 S into normal Windows 11 Home, just have caution that this laptop model does only have 64GB of storage and you will quickly run out of room (and speed) if you try to load this up with too many programs. If you are or your child are in need of Google Chrome for Google University and apps, you will need to switch this laptop to Windows 11 Home to be able to install Google Chrome onto the laptop. Just note, that switching out of Windows S mode to regular Home is a one way street, you can’t switch back (not that you’d want to, I think).
This PC is equipped with Windows 11 S edition, which is essentially a lightweight, Windows-app only version of Windows 11 that will truly work just fine for the majority of basic users who aren’t wanting to fiddle around with a bunch of novel software installs. You get your basics here: a Microsoft Edge web browser, Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other apps available and/or preinstalled in the Microsoft Apps store. I think this is perfect for users who aren’t looking for all the bells and whistles and are happy to use Microsoft Edge for web browsing and checking email, as well as whatever programs are available natively through Windows. If you really want full featured Windows 11, you can get into the Windows store settings and switch out of Windows 11 S into normal Windows 11 Home, just have caution that this laptop model does only have 64GB of storage and you will quickly run out of room (and speed) if you try to load this up with too many programs. If you are or your child are in need of Google Chrome for Google University and apps, you will need to switch this laptop to Windows 11 Home to be able to install Google Chrome onto the laptop. Just note, that switching out of Windows S mode to regular Home is a one way street, you can’t switch back (not that you’d want to, I think).
Set up:
This laptop, to the shock of no one who is familiar with budget PCs with Windows 11 loaded on it, takes a long time to get through its initial booting processes, updates, and setups. Gratefully, though, it is faster than its predecessor; it took about 45 minutes to get this laptop up and running from out of the box! While this is still slow, I have had this experience with multiple other budget Windows machines I have reviewed, and that is just the way it is when you are dealing with lower-end hardware that runs such a bloated and poorly optimized OS like a factory Windows 11 install. Just get your laptop plugged in, boot it up, and put your favorite show in the background on your TV for a couple of episodes while you wait on this machine to go through its steps for set up. Additionally, when it seems to be done updating, make sure to go into settings and click on the Windows update icon in the top right corner of that screen to make sure you check and install for any more updates. This is, unfortunately, what you must deal with on almost any Windows 11 OS laptop these days.
This laptop, to the shock of no one who is familiar with budget PCs with Windows 11 loaded on it, takes a long time to get through its initial booting processes, updates, and setups. Gratefully, though, it is faster than its predecessor; it took about 45 minutes to get this laptop up and running from out of the box! While this is still slow, I have had this experience with multiple other budget Windows machines I have reviewed, and that is just the way it is when you are dealing with lower-end hardware that runs such a bloated and poorly optimized OS like a factory Windows 11 install. Just get your laptop plugged in, boot it up, and put your favorite show in the background on your TV for a couple of episodes while you wait on this machine to go through its steps for set up. Additionally, when it seems to be done updating, make sure to go into settings and click on the Windows update icon in the top right corner of that screen to make sure you check and install for any more updates. This is, unfortunately, what you must deal with on almost any Windows 11 OS laptop these days.
Regular use:
Overall, I think this laptop is unequivocally perfect for basic users. What do I mean when I keep saying, basic users? What I mean is, people who are only opening this laptop up to do a few basic tasks at a time, like browse the web, check their emails, type up a Word document, work on an Excel spreadsheet, maybe play some Solitaire built into the computer, haha! The important qualifier in this use case, is that you, the user, MUST have excellent “computer hygiene”. What I mean by this is that you must close programs you are not using in order to avoid slowdowns and program stutters. This is due to the fact of what I talked about earlier, this laptop has very little RAM (Random Access Memory) and cannot keep multiple programs open and running smoothly at a time because of it. So, with whatever you are doing on this laptop, expect to have to keep browser tab counts down and to have to close programs you aren’t using. You will be less frustrated and enjoy a much smoother experience on this machine!
Overall, I think this laptop is unequivocally perfect for basic users. What do I mean when I keep saying, basic users? What I mean is, people who are only opening this laptop up to do a few basic tasks at a time, like browse the web, check their emails, type up a Word document, work on an Excel spreadsheet, maybe play some Solitaire built into the computer, haha! The important qualifier in this use case, is that you, the user, MUST have excellent “computer hygiene”. What I mean by this is that you must close programs you are not using in order to avoid slowdowns and program stutters. This is due to the fact of what I talked about earlier, this laptop has very little RAM (Random Access Memory) and cannot keep multiple programs open and running smoothly at a time because of it. So, with whatever you are doing on this laptop, expect to have to keep browser tab counts down and to have to close programs you aren’t using. You will be less frustrated and enjoy a much smoother experience on this machine!
Build Quality:
This laptop's build quality utterly belies what its price tag says. It is actually an admirably well-built machine. It is, for one, very lightweight and thin. It measures on my scale a few hairs under 3 pounds in weight and is 3/4 of an inch thick at its thickest point. It is a little thicker and wider than a current generation Apple MacBook Pro 14 for comparison, but half a pound lighter! I think aged users who are tired of carrying around bulky, hot machines are going to be happy with this laptop. It is gentle on the body to use and gentle on the budget too. More on the build quality is a metal keyboard deck and lid with an otherwise plastic housing construction. Truly not bad!
This laptop's build quality utterly belies what its price tag says. It is actually an admirably well-built machine. It is, for one, very lightweight and thin. It measures on my scale a few hairs under 3 pounds in weight and is 3/4 of an inch thick at its thickest point. It is a little thicker and wider than a current generation Apple MacBook Pro 14 for comparison, but half a pound lighter! I think aged users who are tired of carrying around bulky, hot machines are going to be happy with this laptop. It is gentle on the body to use and gentle on the budget too. More on the build quality is a metal keyboard deck and lid with an otherwise plastic housing construction. Truly not bad!
Keyboard:
This laptop sports a solid and comfortable keyboard deck and keycaps that offer a great typing experience. The keyboard is not backlit, which is a bit of a bummer, but at this price, I don’t think anyone can complain. I love typing on this keyboard; it feels like a simple scissor-switch membrane-style keyboard, which is perfect for most users. The only thing I have come to realize after reviewing this laptop and its predecessor is that I really don’t love the layout Home, PgUp, PgDn, End, and FN keys taking up an entire row at the far right of the keyboard deck. This shifts all your familiar typing keys to the left of the center, and as a result, I continuously find myself hitting Home when I try to hit backspace. This isn’t the worst thing, and I do believe one can grow used to it, but I just want to mention it here to be thorough.
This laptop sports a solid and comfortable keyboard deck and keycaps that offer a great typing experience. The keyboard is not backlit, which is a bit of a bummer, but at this price, I don’t think anyone can complain. I love typing on this keyboard; it feels like a simple scissor-switch membrane-style keyboard, which is perfect for most users. The only thing I have come to realize after reviewing this laptop and its predecessor is that I really don’t love the layout Home, PgUp, PgDn, End, and FN keys taking up an entire row at the far right of the keyboard deck. This shifts all your familiar typing keys to the left of the center, and as a result, I continuously find myself hitting Home when I try to hit backspace. This isn’t the worst thing, and I do believe one can grow used to it, but I just want to mention it here to be thorough.
Webcam:
The equipped webcam is a barebones 1280x720 resolution webcam, with 0.92 megapixels, that can still be called “HD”, but just barely. It has a very slow frame rate of 8FPS, but it seems to get the job done. There is no physical shutter for the webcam; it is just one that is software-based and triggered by pressing F10. There is also a white indicator light at the top of the laptop frame next to the webcam aperture hole that shines brightly if your webcam is on. I am going to say that I am just happy there is a webcam here, and it looks better than a potato! I would say it is even on par if not better than a webcam on a $1000 Dell laptop I tried recently!
The equipped webcam is a barebones 1280x720 resolution webcam, with 0.92 megapixels, that can still be called “HD”, but just barely. It has a very slow frame rate of 8FPS, but it seems to get the job done. There is no physical shutter for the webcam; it is just one that is software-based and triggered by pressing F10. There is also a white indicator light at the top of the laptop frame next to the webcam aperture hole that shines brightly if your webcam is on. I am going to say that I am just happy there is a webcam here, and it looks better than a potato! I would say it is even on par if not better than a webcam on a $1000 Dell laptop I tried recently!
Display:
The display here is excellent for a budget laptop! It is a full HD resolution 1920X1080p display running at 60hz. Translation: for a budget laptop, you are not getting a crappy-looking display. It displays YouTube videos and picture content nicely and gets nice and bright for working in brighter environments like out on a coffee shop patio. The lay-flat display may be nice for some, but I personally have never seen the utility in a laptop screen that lays totally flat, so I am not losing my mind over this feature. Altogether, it is an excellent full HD display for this budget laptop!
The display here is excellent for a budget laptop! It is a full HD resolution 1920X1080p display running at 60hz. Translation: for a budget laptop, you are not getting a crappy-looking display. It displays YouTube videos and picture content nicely and gets nice and bright for working in brighter environments like out on a coffee shop patio. The lay-flat display may be nice for some, but I personally have never seen the utility in a laptop screen that lays totally flat, so I am not losing my mind over this feature. Altogether, it is an excellent full HD display for this budget laptop!
Battery:
As expected, the battery life on this laptop is pretty decent, with lower-end and lower-power internals! My projections are showing about seven hours of sustained multitasking use at 40% brightness on the “balanced” in the Windows power settings. I think this is reasonable and far exceeds the laptops of even half a decade ago in this price range. It charges via a proprietary charger barrel port and does NOT charge via the USB-C port included on the laptop. I understand that Asus would want to keep costs down on such a budget laptop, but it is still nice to have power delivery through a USB-C port available for versatility when on the go.
As expected, the battery life on this laptop is pretty decent, with lower-end and lower-power internals! My projections are showing about seven hours of sustained multitasking use at 40% brightness on the “balanced” in the Windows power settings. I think this is reasonable and far exceeds the laptops of even half a decade ago in this price range. It charges via a proprietary charger barrel port and does NOT charge via the USB-C port included on the laptop. I understand that Asus would want to keep costs down on such a budget laptop, but it is still nice to have power delivery through a USB-C port available for versatility when on the go.
Opening up the laptop:
I got peppy and decided to open up this laptop to see what is inside the guts of it. Take a look at the pictures! What I found is a highly organized and not overstuffed internal configuration, complete with soldered-on RAM (bummer), a cute lil’ 64GB eMMC storage module, a user-replaceable single antenna Wifi card, and an extremely sturdy and nicely thermal pasted CPU heat sink! I was impressed by this. I really think there could have been room in here for user replaceable RAM, so that is a bummer that means you are stuck with the amount of RAM that you buy this with. However, I found something quite interesting in the motherboard… what appears to be an M.2 slot complete with a full-sized mounting screw position for a M.2 SSD! So, if you or your kid are tech savvy, they might enjoy the ease of opening this laptop up and installing an M.2 SSD to transfer the OS onto in order to gain more storage and faster boot speeds of varying programs. This laptop was really easy to get into with Philips head screws, and the bottom popped off with just a little jostling from a gift card in a couple of spots near the hinges. If only this laptop had replaceable RAM, I would be losing my mind with excitement! But it is still excellent and speaks to being future-proof for easy battery replacements, too.
I got peppy and decided to open up this laptop to see what is inside the guts of it. Take a look at the pictures! What I found is a highly organized and not overstuffed internal configuration, complete with soldered-on RAM (bummer), a cute lil’ 64GB eMMC storage module, a user-replaceable single antenna Wifi card, and an extremely sturdy and nicely thermal pasted CPU heat sink! I was impressed by this. I really think there could have been room in here for user replaceable RAM, so that is a bummer that means you are stuck with the amount of RAM that you buy this with. However, I found something quite interesting in the motherboard… what appears to be an M.2 slot complete with a full-sized mounting screw position for a M.2 SSD! So, if you or your kid are tech savvy, they might enjoy the ease of opening this laptop up and installing an M.2 SSD to transfer the OS onto in order to gain more storage and faster boot speeds of varying programs. This laptop was really easy to get into with Philips head screws, and the bottom popped off with just a little jostling from a gift card in a couple of spots near the hinges. If only this laptop had replaceable RAM, I would be losing my mind with excitement! But it is still excellent and speaks to being future-proof for easy battery replacements, too.
Stats:
Speedometer 2.1 score: 98.9. This is an almost 10-point increase from the prior processor-containing model and is part of why web browsing and web apps feel snappier. This is definitely a win!
Speedometer 3.0 (a newer and more intense web apps stress test): 5.77 (not an excellent result, but reasonable for a laptop in this price range)
Overall, I would retain this laptop as a 5 out of 5 stars, but I would give it 4.5 out of 5 if it was an option because, truly, in Quarter 4 of 2024, there should be no more laptops or computers with 4 GB of RAM as the minimum spec in my opinion. It is time for companies to face the fact that the demands of modern computing have gotten far too intense for a mere 4gb of RAM to handle masterfully. At the very least, there should be options for adding additional RAM given how much space is in this chassis.
Overall, I would retain this laptop as a 5 out of 5 stars, but I would give it 4.5 out of 5 if it was an option because, truly, in Quarter 4 of 2024, there should be no more laptops or computers with 4 GB of RAM as the minimum spec in my opinion. It is time for companies to face the fact that the demands of modern computing have gotten far too intense for a mere 4gb of RAM to handle masterfully. At the very least, there should be options for adding additional RAM given how much space is in this chassis.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Only at Best BuyPlay your way to the top with this HP OMEN notebook. The Intel Core i7 processor provides lightning-fast response times, and the 1TB hard drive is enough for all your favorite games and apps with room to spare for music and video files. This HP OMEN notebook has a full-size backlit keyboard for fast, easy typing.
What is the RPM of the 1 terabyte hard drive?
7200rpm, much better than the 5400rpm hard drive found in my $1600.00 MSI Stealth Pro :(
9 years, 6 months ago
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Bren