Bren's stats
- Review count230
- Helpfulness votes1,732
- First reviewDecember 27, 2016
- Last reviewJuly 12, 2025
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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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Dependable storage for your favorite devices, wherever you go - that's what the Crucial X9 Portable SSD offers. With lots of space for all yoru favorite photos, videos, games and more, the Crucial X9 gives you speedy file transfers and compatibility with PCs, Macs, tablets, gaming consoles and Android phones, making it the perfect plug-and-play storage solution
Customer Rating
5
The perfect multi-operating-system storage!
on October 21, 2023
Posted by: Bren
I am absolutely thrilled to have this Crucial X9 external SSD from crucial as part of my technological arsenal! Not only is it a blazing fast device, but it is tough enough for travel and is a perfect bridge between my Windows Gaming PC and 2021 MacBook Pro 14 M1 (MBP) while formatted as an exFAT drive as it came from the factory!
One of my idiosyncrasies as a tech nerd is that I am unable to fully commit to one major computer operating system over another. I have loved MacOS devices for all my college and daily usage needs, while also being unable to separate myself from the passion of PC gaming which is to this day, inarguably, still the best experience with highest performance on Windows computers. In the middle ground between these two areas of enjoyment, exists a no-man’s land where I find myself needing to bridge the gap: video editing. I like to record gaming clips on my Windows PC, but I would prefer to edit them on my MBP which I am far more familiar with. Enter the Crucial X9 2TB SSD. Here is a drive formatted from the factory as exFAT with the compatibility between both my devices that allows me to record clips and games from OBS on my Windows PC and simply plug right into the MBP and be able to pull those recordings speedily and easily off and edit them on iMovie (don’t judge me)!
My 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Pro with its Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, loves this drive and the best speeds I get are in this modality. Out of the box, I speed tested this drive with the included USB-C to USB-C cable (very high-quality feeling by the way) and was immediately thrilled to see write speeds of over 1600MB/s and read speeds of almost 900MB/s. This is right in line with what I would expect to get on a drive with this connection profile and is acceptably close to the advertised 1050MB/s of this drive (especially when considering differences in computers done with testing, etc.). A 100MB/s here or there difference, all I can tell you is that this drive is plenty fast for my needs and the needs of more casual consumers in general! The good news too is that this drive is formatted correctly (exFAT file system) to be essentially universally plug and play for Mac, Windows, and console users! It also has compatibility for Android devices, so I would be interested to see if this could be used with direct connection to Android tables or phones!
Just note that any slower-than-advertised speeds would reflect on your device and not this drive. My windows gaming PC has USB-C ports, but those ports do not have the latest USB-C thunderbolt 4 protocol. It is an older generation and thus my speeds on the drive read and write were no higher than 450 MB/s. This is still vastly sufficient for my needs of recording gaming footage from my Windows PC onto the device and then editing it on my Apple MacBook Pro with all of the great speed it has to offer through its connection! I was able to import a 68.74GB 2 hour and 8 minute 1440p 60FPS MP4 recording off of the Crucial X9 in one minute and 25 seconds onto the MBP! That is honestly so cool and significantly speeds up my hobby workflow!
Now, for the drive itself. This drive is unapologetically a consumer computer accessory from 2023, meaning that it is small, tough, powerful, mercifully USB-C oriented, and does not break the bank. It is so small it is hard for my thirty-year-old brain to even wrap around how this can be an external drive compared to the good ol’ days! In one of my pictures, I have it sitting next to a 1TB HDD external hard drive from WD that is almost 10 years old and has served as my main backup drive for years. Now, that WD Passport is as much a dinosaur in sheer size as it is in its antiquated USB-A to USB-micro B 3.0/3.1 connector! The Crucial X9 is 2.5” long, 2inches tall, and only a hair over 1/4” thick. It is the first external drive I have ever owned that could actually fit in that weird little pocket in some jeans, you probably know the one I am talking about! In spite of its miniscule size, it is extremely tough and up to the rigors of even a 6.5 foot drop and extreme temperatures and shocks according to Crucial! Therefore, it could probably ride in your jeans pocket and still protect your precious data! (looking at you, SanDisk, cough cough). It also seems to not get too hot. I ran about 5 minutes of speed tests to stress it and it was only just barely warm to the touch.
All in all, I think this drive offers exactly what it is advertised to do at the perfect size, price, speed, and connectivity method this day in age! The only end of the review advisement I think I would say is that the box should probably say more noticeably than the tiny font on the back of the box that it does not include a USB-A connection solution in the box. This is going to confuse and frustration people who may not be as caught up with the march of technology. Thanks for reading and I hope this review has been helpful!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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SCUF Envision was designed to deliver the best controller experience for PC gamers. Equipped with 11 additional remappable inputs, ultra-fast wired/wireless connectivity, and advanced software for macros and endless customization options. Our new OMRON mechanical ABXY and D-Pad buttons offer crisp and responsive clicks. Adjustable Instant Triggers allow you to switch between mouse-like clicks and full trigger range. Unlock the full power of Envision by .mapping the fully configurable inputs to any PC shortcut, customizing your RGB Lighting Strip, and tailoring your thumbstick and trigger response curves. More control, more finesse, and more performance to once again, change your game.
Customer Rating
5
Customizable clicky heaven in a PC controller!!!
on October 18, 2023
Posted by: Bren
I am absolutely in love with this controller for PC gaming. It is hard to even know where to begin, but I will do my best. The first thing I need to stress is that this is not your average price of a PC compatible gaming controller, because it is NOT your average gaming controller! This is a precision-built instrument that is meant to take a controller enthusiast’s performance to the next level!
This first become apparent when you take the SCUF envision Pro out of the box. Pardon my immature enthusiasm, but my first impression of it was, “Holy bleep, every part of this thing clicks!!”. Seriously!!! There are more buttons built onto this thing than I ever imagined having on a controller! And not only that, but ALL of them are utterly precise in their input and feel. There is no sloppiness, no wiggle, no mush, to ANY part of this controller. It is just, art. In feel, it is somehow a beautiful hybrid of my all-time favorite Xbox 360 controller size and palm fill, but the joystick position in in my preferred PlayStation 4 and 5 controller format.
The user customizability is next level, on both a software and hardware level. The front plate is magnetic and comes off with a careful pry and no plastic tabs to worry about snapping. SCUF has unapologetically made this controller USER serviceable. With the front plate off, you are treated to a smorgasbord of excellence in front of your eyes, from the precisely placed joysticks (swappable with round-top alternatives in the accessories included) to the engineering that went into making each of the d-pad clicks feel so on point. The triggers on this model have a hardware toggle throw on each trigger so you can decide whether you want to go the full throw of the trigger for games like Rocket League where feeling the accelerator on your index finger is great, to FPS shooters where turning the R and L triggers to mouse click makes your inputs much snappier and precise. I switch between games from FPSs like Halo to RPGs like The Witcher 3 and car games like Rocket League, so I am immensely pleased by this customizability!
Speaking of more customizability! Remember those multiplicative buttons I mentioned? Well, specifically the side-action (SAX) buttons and the extra paddles on the bottom were difficulty for me to get used to and come out of the box mapped to some button inputs like “Y” already, so that was a bit distracting for me. But was this untenable? No! SCUF makes it so you have options from both software and hardware perspectives! They included button blanks and a pry tool, so you can easily swap these switches out if you are distracted by them like I am. Or, if you like them but want them on, off, or inputting different actions in different games, the software makes it intuitive to swap and customize certain profiles so that these buttons take on new actions! This level of customizability is where you really can see the SCUF cares about EVERYONE’s experience.
Yet another area of customizability, this Envision Pro gives you the ability to go wireless or wired with the flick of a switch and the input or removal of the included gorgeous, USB-C to USB-A braided cable (or USB-C to USB-C with included dongle adapter). I have been using this controller wirelessly the whole time, but if someone was concerned with ensuring there is no latency whatsoever to remain ultracompetitive, the plugged-in option remains as an option for you! On another note of customization are the G buttons on the bottom of the controller and the array of notification lights and signals built into the smart RGB strip! I think this is yet another area where people are going to fall in love and be thrilled that they have so many options for customization and interacting with the controller!
Another thing that SCUF has done here that is really important to me personally given that they have Corsair onboard for this controller, is the ability to load up the controller with hardware mappings and have it save to the onboard memory of the controller, so I can uninstall the iCUE software on my computer if needed. I have a bad history with iCUE software. In years past, it has caused my PC to crash, messed up my RGB programming, and was even getting me booted by Easy AntiCheat for a while during one of my favorite competitive shooters when it would try to query into the game for RGB settings. The software seems better now, but if I have to uninstall it, I know it is not leaving this controller in a bad place!
From the hardest core competitive PC gamers who use a controller at the center of their input experience, to the overeager plebs like me who just want to enhance their controller gaming experience more than they could have ever dreamed, this controller is the way to go! In truth, the controller does not feel like a computer accessory anymore, but an extension of the PC itself, as inextricable as the mouse or keyboard! When I pick it up and turn it on with the press of a button, I feel like I am relaxing into an intuitive and fulfilling interaction with my PC in its gaming functionality. Truly, I think that if you have read this review this far, you just need to buy the controller, because my words cannot even serve to capture a fraction of the joy this controller has been to use and own. Good luck with your gaming journey, you are not going to want to continue it without this SCUF Envision Pro controller!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Lightweight and designed for comfort, the INZONE H5 is ready for long gaming sessions. Coupled with immersive spatial sound and a crystal-clear microphone, victory is just a moment away.
Customer Rating
4
Great wireless headset for the Sony-Loyal!
on October 17, 2023
Posted by: Bren
This headset is a great wireless option to look at if you are one who is brand loyal to Sony or just want to maintain the aesthetic with your current PS5 console. In short, it accomplishes what it sets out to do: it offers great audio, great communication in a headset that packs wireless convenience into a price that need not be scoffed at by the Sony enthusiast. However, the Achilles heel in this headset is just that there are SO MANY other options out there that are arguably better at this price point. I won’t bother to start listing off competitive offerings at this price as a simple search on Best Buy’s website would do that for you, but I will elaborate on the things I think this headset does really well and where it could improve.
It offers essentially the same exact experience on my PlayStation console as it does my gaming PC, which is a really great thing! If you both a PlayStation and a gaming PC, it is nice to be able to take the simple 2.4ghz USB-A dongle included, switch it to either “PS5” or “PC” mode, and plug and play. On the PC, more customizability is obtainable with the Inzone software! I like this software and find it to be relatively simple and streamlined. I would have loved to have had more offerings in the mic output customization settings, but it is what it is at this point.
The headset itself is built nicely. I really like the recessed, articulating pivot points of the headband-earcup interface. It is aesthetically pleasing and cuts down on the bulk in comparison to the Sony H9 headset I have reviewed in the past. The earcups are also quite comfortable, offering plenty of cushion and noise isolation without turning into ovens and keeping too much heat in. The headband itself is relatively comfortable on my average-sized-male cranium, but I think it errs on the side of just being a tad too thick across the whole headband and looks a little cheap as a result in that metric. Regardless, the end experience is one where I can sustain wearing these headphones for long 3–4-hour gaming sessions without getting too fatigued or hot wearing them.
The audio is quite good at this price. I feel like they struck a great balance of not being too bassy as some headsets lean towards but offer the whole range of audio to give you a more balanced listening experience. Again, I was easily able to adjust this on the Inzone software and found myself liking the music/video preset the best. The microphone is qualitatively appealing as well! I took recordings with my daily-driver Logitech 535 headset and compared it with this Sony Inzone H5 wireless headset, and I found that my vocals were more present and less muffled than on the Logitech headset.
Dollar for dollar, if you are an avid PlayStation 5 gamer, loved-one of one, or are a PC gamer just wanting to show Sony your regard, than this headset is a great choice. Thanks for reading and I hope this review has helped guide your decision!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The DJI Mavic 3 Series features next-level imaging performance. Mavic 3 Pro's triple-camera system ushers in a new era of camera drones by housing three sensors and lenses with different focal lengths. Equipped with a Hasselblad camera and dual tele cameras, Mavic 3 Pro is a triple-camera drone that unlocks new shooting perspectives, allowing you to embrace creative freedom further, capture fascinating scenery, explore photographic storytelling, and make cinematic masterpieces.
Customer Rating
5
Easy drone for the beginner or professional!
on October 8, 2023
Posted by: Bren
In this review, I am not going to condescend to whoever may read this regarding certain camera specifics, etc., because if you are considering this drone for a serious purchase, you are likely already in the 99th percentile of top drone users and photographers and have looked through all the camera and video specs yourself. Thus, what I want to lay out are a few key features that I have found to be overwhelmingly impressive about this incredible drone package.
First of all, this package enables nearly two hours of flight time spread among the three included batteries. I am incredibly impressed by how much flight and shooting time I got out of the Mavic 3 Pro. DJI is clearly demonstrating an understanding that what professionals and recreational enthusiasts want out of a top-of-the-line consumer-grade drone is to be able to fly longer, and farther, and shoot better. That is what this package offers, without a doubt. The Mavic 3 Pro has a transmission range of up to 15km with stable signals which is bound to thrill true professionals and long-distance videographers, photographers, and explorers! As a recreational UAS pilot, I have not even come close to approaching this distance, but the peace of mind is huge in the event of a fly-away situation or even if, down the road, I decide to start shooting commercially!
Next, the Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing and APAS 5.0 system they have implemented in this drone gives me incredible peace of mind when navigating this drone through tight areas, obstacles, and even just out and about with unexpected obstacles that may come up during good ambient light hours. It even gives me the confidence to occasionally hand over the coveted RC controller to my relatives and friends who are so eager to try out flying the drone! With the obstacle sensing in place and the usual auto-take off and auto-land and return to home (RTH) features present here, this drone feels as safe to fly as it does incredibly fun and rewarding in the pictures and videos it captures. Just note, the obstacle avoidance features do not work at night in poor ambient light conditions, so fly with caution.
Another aspect of safety with the drone is the ability to easily tap into the prop cameras on each rotor with a swipe of your fingers and navigate tight areas using them! This is an incredible feature and usable on the fly; I have it set to appear in the bottom left of my RC controller while I am flying!
As for the RC controller, I really can’t stop singing its praise to my friends and family, much to their annoyance. This is an iteration of the DJI controllers that appears to be truly dialed in. The battery life is great, the built-in antennas are awesome and are much more aesthetically pleasing than external ones that flip into place, and the controller stays nice and cool with an easily visible screen even in hot weather and direct sunlight! I filmed in the middle of a field on an almost 90-degree day in direct sunlight and the controller never even struggled. The screen acts exactly like an android smartphone, even down to swiping from the top of the screen down to access WIFI and Bluetooth connection, etc.
The onboard 8gb of storage built into the drone is very much appreciated. It is only enough storage for a few minutes of 4K 60FPS footage, but I am quite glad to have it there and it is incredibly easy to get to the images either wireless mobile transfer to your phone with the built in app connectivity, or with a USB-C cable hooked directly into the drone while turned on. Just note, you will need to format the internal storage in order to clear it for further recording or images, deleting it on the drone-computer folder view didn’t empty it.
Overall, what is being offered in this fly more combo package with the Mavic 3 Pro drone is such a good deal that it should easily push any serious professional or recreational UAS enthusiast into overdrive, clambering over their keyboard to hit that “Add to Cart” button. As more and more reviews are coming forward on social media platforms and retail websites, it is clear that what DJI has put together with this Mavic 3 Pro is truly an astonishing piece of UAS artistry that is sure to stand up to the test of time! Thanks for reading and I hope this review has helped to stoke your enthusiasm!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Shark CarpetXpert with Stainstriker, 2-in-1 deep carpet cleaner and handheld spot & stain eliminator, combines Shark's powerful suction & PowerSpray high pressure spray to deliver the best tough stain elimination**and unbeatable deep carpet cleaning‡. Two unique chemicals mix and activate on contact in the built-in tool to deliver 20X more stain-striking power*. ‡Shark CarpetXpert models vs. consumer carpet cleaners based on ASTM F2828 using included cleaning solution as of May 15, 2024. **Based on TM110, vs. extractor market, using included stain cleaner and best-performing accessory. *vs. Shark Deep Clean Pro Formula.
Customer Rating
5
A versatile carpet cleaner for the average family!
on September 21, 2023
Posted by: Bren
Before I launch into too much detail in this review, I just want to start off with being very plain: this carpet cleaner is a game changer in my opinion. I have had experience with multiple consumer-grade carpet cleaners, and this is one of the first I have encountered that seems built top to bottom for average folks who don’t have an engineering degree to disassemble the thing or the muscle memory of a plane pilot with a bunch of complicated triggers and toggles. Now for some more detail!
When you first open the box, take a deep breath, and don’t allow yourself to get unnecessarily overwhelmed with the assembly process. Shark takes you through it step by step with easy-to-follow instructions including drawings and diagrams! They even have videos online if you are more visual and want to follow along that way. Regardless of your preferred instruction style, I would be as bold to say that the assembly was downright intuitive! Pieces just snap and twist in place with ease and there are no annoying screws to insert or knobs to tighten. Shark really appears to have had the average user in mind with this upright carpet cleaner!
To get started using this machine, I decided to use the included Deep Clean Pro fluid. It is a solution that is easy to add to the cleaning fluid tank and all you do is follow the instructions on the tank for adding water to a line and then filling it to the next line with the cleaning fluid! I wanted to note that that volume is about 3oz. worth of this Deep Clean fluid and the included bottle is 12oz., so you are looking at 4 full cleaning tanks worth of carpet cleaning before you need to buy more! Shark recommends only using their cleaning fluids in the machine, but time will tell if that is true.
After assembly and filling the tank, actually using the area carpet cleaner with brush roll is one of the most rewarding aspects of this purchase. It cleans so deeply and so thoroughly.
When you are on the deep clean mode, it is easy to get into the motion of using it. Instead of annoying triggers or toggles, it is as simple as this: pushing the cleaner forward releases cleaning solution and scrubs with the brush roll, pulling backward activates suction to pull all that dirty solution into the waste tank! After a few passes back and forth, with the push of a button you can switch over to a drying-only mode and start vacuuming as much moisture as you are able into the waste tank to speed up your drying times! I will post some before, after, and side-by-side pictures of my clean versus dirty carpet, but let me just tell you, it is a night and day difference!
The final detail I want to touch upon is the amazing hand tools for spot cleaning, including the wet pet mess tool! This may be one of the most thoughtfully designed aspects of this machine. They thought of everything, whether it is a method to clean out the hose easily when you are done, dual-sided fiber and rubber brush head on the regular hand cleaning attachment, and the thoughtful separate waste tank for the wet pet mess cleaning tool so you don’t needlessly get pet yuck sucked up into the main carpet cleaner! They really did think of it all. I did not use the included oxy-multiplier solution that is used in combo with regular cleaning solution when set on the hand tool mode, but it appears it will be an effective solution to use for some of those really stubborn, deep-seated stains.
I am super happy with having this carpet cleaner in my arsenal. I have absolutely no complaints. I wanted to end this on a final note that cleaning every attachment and dirty piece of this cleaner, from the brush roll to the waste tank, could not be easier! We all know how good it is to get your carpets cleaned, but if you are unable to clean the machine that does the work easily, it can turn into a smelly, bacterial wasteland in no time!
Thanks for reading this review and I hope it helps to encourage your purchasing decision! You really won’t go wrong with this one!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Logitech G Yeti Orb is a premium RGB gaming microphone with LIGHTSYNC that delivers best-in-class audio performance and ease of use. With LIGHTSYNC RGB and a condenser capsule optimized for game streaming, plus Blue VO!CE presets, Yeti Orb is the easiest way to game with clear, focused audio. Just plug in via USB and you’re ready to join the voice chat, stream, and create video content with a massive jump in your vocal quality – instantly. Control your whole setup at once with G HUB. It’s that easy.
Customer Rating
5
Surpassingly good entry-level mic!
on September 20, 2023
Posted by: Bren
Logitech has impressed once again with yet another product exhibiting performance and aesthetics far and above the expected quality its price tag would reflect.
This Logitech Yeti Orb mic was incredibly easy to set up, literally plug and play with its 2m long USB-C to USB-A cable. The included stand is a nice touch, very sturdy and sleek looking, unlike some mic stands' overly mechanical appearance or ugly geometry. The mic itself is like a little Death Star orb, and the little RGB logo (programable in the Logi G Hub application) is a nice touch, along with the full wrap-around dark grey mesh of this condenser mic. The mic orb has two standard tripod mounting screw holes (1/4”-20”), making it incredibly easy to set up this mic on its included stand or on any other mic mounting solution of your choosing.
Now, for the audio itself, I am truly incredibly impressed with how well the mic picks up my voice to the exclusion of my rapid mouse clicks and key taps while I am Twitch Streaming my FPS games and talking to my friends in Discord, and that is just the factory tuning and settings out of the box without messing around in the G Hub app! In almost all of my Logitech product reviews, I cannot help but mention how nice the G Hub software is for exacting control over the lighting and audio characteristics of the various gaming peripherals in their lineup. I will stand by my belief that G Hub is probably the smoothest and best-looking gaming product software on the market. As such, adjusting the settings on this Yeti Orb mic was easy-peasy and has resulted in me being truly overjoyed with the product!
Altogether, this Logitech G Yeti Orb gaming microphone gets a solid 5/5 rating from me, and I would highly recommend it to any gamer or streamer who wants to dabble with a stand-alone mic in their setup but isn’t quite ready to commit to some of the higher dollar selections available. Thanks for reading and I hope this review helps boost your confidence in this purchase!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Enjoy a smooth gaming experience with this 31.5-inch ASUS LED monitor. The Shadow Boost feature increases clarity in dark scenes, and the ultrafast response times minimize blurring and streaking for seamless gameplay. This ASUS LED monitor has an ergonomic design that allows tilting, swiveling and pivoting as needed.
Customer Rating
5
Balanced gaming and productivity monitor!
on September 18, 2023
Posted by: Bren
While this monitor is not a 4K resolution monitor, it is still visually stunning at 2K (2160x1440p at 16:9 aspect ratio) with its HDR capability and the excellent VA panel present here. The size is excellent and is going to become part of a dual monitor setup, paired with my older 24” 1440p panel, for increased productivity for work and school while enjoying gaming and occasional Twitch streaming. This 31.5” monitor is overclockable up from 165hz to 170hz refresh and has a quick response time of 1ms. In my use case, this monitor is perfect for 1440p gaming on my 3060 GPU-equipped desktop PC and provides an excellent first-person shooter experience. I have used this monitor with BattleBit Remastered, Hunt Showdown, Rocket League, Doom Eternal, and Witcher 3 and have enjoyed stunning visual fidelity and performance in all these experiences!
One aspect of this monitor that should be noted is that it lacks HDMI 2.1 connectivity, but this is honestly fine for a 2K resolution monitor as you can still achieve 1440p@120Hz just fine. I specifically used this with the included Display Port cable in the setting of PC gaming on an ASUS ROG Gaming Desktop with an Intel Core i7-13700F, 16GB RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, and this pairing is honestly a match made in heaven! Especially with current sales, you could have a full 1440p high refresh rate gaming setup with this 31.5-inch monitor, all from ASUS (if brand loyalty or preference is a factor for you), for less than $1600! That is incredible and was unheard of 5 years ago.
I have noted a couple of things about this monitor that I want to share. First, the included stand is tiltable and directionally pivots, but there is no height adjustment. On my 28-inch-tall desk, this monitor feels ever so slightly low for my postural comfort, and I am not a tall guy in my office chair. So, if you are concerned with ergonomics and comfort over a long day of use, you may want to go ahead and consider a Vesa mounting arm for this monitor. Just make sure it is compatible with a large 31” monitor as many of the common ones on Amazon are limited to 27” size monitors.
Another thing that I wanted to share is the 170hz overclockable refresh rate. That setting is found in the menu of the monitor itself if you want to select to turn it on. However, the monitor is 165hz at its baseline and for me, that is plenty fast for even my most frenetic FPS shooters like BattleBit Remastered and Doom Eternal. I found that when I chose to overclock the monitor, I noticed some flickering and tearing happening on the previously listed games, so I decided to turn off the panel refresh rate overclock and be content with 165hz. Since then, I have had no discernable flickering of the monitor. On the note of refresh rate etc. this monitor is AMD freesync compatible but is not yet supported for NVidia G-Sync. I look forward to the day when/if it finally is G-Sync supported because I have always been one who has noticed frame rate drops while gaming and G-sync on my other monitor has always smoothed things out.
I hope these couple of details are helpful for you! The TUF series of products from Asus have always stood out to me as some of the best in the gaming business for dollar-to-performance ratio if you are not overly concerned with certain creature comforts like a height adjustable stand coming right out of the box. Thanks for reading and good luck with your purchase decision!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Retro style and superior sound that go great together—anywhere. Enjoy retro style, amazing audio, and built-in dual voice assistants anywhere in your home. With the JBL Authentics 300 speaker’s leatherlike enclosure, convenient metal handle, and built-in rechargeable battery, you can take your music with you—from the kitchen for your dinner-prep playlist to the bedroom for your wind-down podcast. Its retro ‘70s-inspired design featuring the iconic Quadrex grille makes a bold statement anywhere you set it down. And so do its wide soundstage, crystal-clear highs, and deep bass. With Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa available simultaneously, you can play your favorite music, control your smart home devices, and more, hands-free, using just your voice.
Customer Rating
5
Portable audio for the aesthetically inclined!
on September 15, 2023
Posted by: Bren
In many circles of audiophiles, you will hear or read time and time again that function matters over form. “Looks be danged, as long as the speaker produces the best sound possible!”
But what if, my dear readers, you could have both? What if it was possible, to have a Bluetooth speaker that, pound for pound, absolutely rocks a room with incredibly balanced and clear audio, while also being so aesthetically pleasing as to be welcomed to adorn the shelves, dressers, mantles, or tables of even the classiest of folks? Enter the JBL Authentics series and¬–more specifically–the JBL Authentics 300 that stands out as the absolute Goldilocks selection in this current triune Authentics lineup!
I am in love with this speaker. Plain and simple. From the moment you open up the JBL packaging, you can tell that they care deeply about the presentation and heritage this Authentics series represents. On first handling the speaker and pulling it out of the box, I was stunned by its substantial heft and high-quality feeling materials and assemblage, all pointing again to the determination that this is not merely another boring black box to sit on the counter of some bachelor’s bathroom while they listen to their favorite podcast. This is a speaker that when placed in the center of my living room, drew our attention and admiration immediately.
The setup was as simple as anyone could hope these days of wireless-connected audio products. I intuitively pressed the power button on top of the device and was greeted by 75% battery from the factory (according to the visual battery indicator) and the sound of a pleasant guitar riff on boot-up in place of the usual annoying beeps or robotic voice directions of other, lesser Bluetooth speakers. I opened my iPhone Bluetooth settings, pressed and held the Bluetooth button on the speaker for a few seconds, and was immediately able to find it in my Bluetooth devices and connect with ease.
Then came that moment of holy ascension into the heaven of audio that washed over me like warm bath water after a chilly winter’s snowball fight. The trebles–crisp. The mids–present and blended. The bass–warm and impressively potent yet not overwhelming or overpowering of the rest of the audio mix. Present on top of the device are manual knobs for treble and bass, but I simply sat back on my couch and enjoyed the audio rolling over me while drinking in the visual, retro appeal of this most excellent speaker.
All of this dramatic write-up aside, I want to convey in plain terms that this speaker is the best choice for anyone who wants a mature, good-looking speaker that has excellent utility as a dual-smart assistant capable speaker, while also having the deep pockets to pony up for this trendy device. I would never lie and pretend that there are no Bluetooth speakers half this price that sound as good if not better. But I will also pair this with the honest opinion that most of them look half or less as good concurrently.
I will not sit here and write out a recitation of all of the stats and facts about this speaker that are already listed in the product descriptions and specifications but will mainly focus on some final points of praise and some points of improvement for the future of this device lineup. A point of praise is that this speaker is the perfect size and capability to be a good, multi-room transportable speaker with its substantial eight-hour battery life, while also being of a size and aesthetic to be perfect as a soundbar replacement for those inclined to use it as such. My wife and I use a portable projector setup as the “TV” in our room, for the rare times we feel like enjoying a movie or show in our bed. This Authentics 300 speaker, plugged into power, served its purpose perfectly over the course of my testing of connecting each time automatically I turned on the projector (and Xgimi Mogo 2 for those interested) and was a source of awe and praise for us as it turned our bedroom into a close facsimile of the full surround sound entertainment system we utilize in our living room.
The only detractor that I can identify in this speaker is one that may be considerable for some and less for others: The speaker does not charge via the USB-C port, but via a power cable that, while not proprietary, certainly doesn’t have the kind of portability and universality that a truly on-the-go Bluetooth device would require. This is the same kind of double-barrel plug cable, though, that many consoles like the Sony PS4 use for their power, so you can find extras for less than 10 dollars online if you are concerned about portability! Alas, I think that for a device that, to my testing, uses less than 35 watts at peak power while charging, many of us would have preferred an external adapter with a USB-C cable, allowing us to trickle charge the device or buy additional adapters as needed (or charge with 35 watts PD cabled power stations), as opposed to having the AC adapter built into the device with this undeniably ugly cable serving as the only means to charge this speaker.
That small but unavoidable irritation aside, I am happy to say that this speaker has earned its place in our home and hearts as a main go-to for all our music and portable external audio purposes. There are many soundbars that can perform admirably as music speakers, but there are not many portable Bluetooth speakers that can look this good and perform so well in that dual purpose! Furthermore, the addition of being able to set up this speaker to serve as an Alexa smart speaker (and/or Google Smart Assistance for those inclined) further increases its modern utility. Thanks for reading and I hope this review has helped to encourage any excitement you already may be stoking for the anticipation of choosing to buy this speaker!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The Ninja Detect Duo Power Blender Pro with BlendSense Technology allows you to toss in any ingredients, press the dial, and watch them transform into a perfectly smooth output. Whether blending or chopping in the 72 oz. full-size pitcher, Ninja Detect makes live decisions on the amount of power, speed, and time needed to get you to a perfectly smooth outcome every time. The blender that automatically adjusts speed & time for perfectly smooth results.
Customer Rating
5
Excellent Blender for All-Around Use!
on August 30, 2023
Posted by: Bren
This blender has been excellent for all of our household blending needs, including the excellence and efficiency of being able to blend in the included individual blender cups for smaller servings or on-the-go use!
The BlendSense technology of this system does appear to work well! I tested it multiple times with different configurations of ice-filled cups with smoothie ingredients like whey protein and banana, and much to my delight the blender did indeed vary in the speed and intensity of its motor as the different ingredients were detected. It even displays a digital count-down clock as it is blending at displays in real-time what actions the blender is performing, including “crush” for when a large amount of ice is being ground up! I will be perfectly honest that I don’t think that this detect feature is precisely life-changing where our blending needs are concerned, but it is absolutely cool to use and the feature that detects if there is too little liquid in the mixture may actually come in handy and prevent the blender motor from experiencing unnecessary strain or damage.
As with other ninja blenders I have had in the past, this blender is utterly intuitive to use and requires little to no setup to get started. The first few times I blended with it, we did notice a rather pungent, acrid, heated-electronics smell coming from the motor exhaust at the bottom of the blender, but it stopped smelling that way after a few cycles of blending were performed.
The only thing I wish that this blender had in comparison to the last Ninja blender I had was a better cord management system for winding it up and stowing it away when the blender is not on our counter being used. The last Ninja smart blender we owned had a protruding rear vent port that was also handy for winding the cord around.
Altogether, this very small complaint aside, we are extremely happy with our new Ninja Detect blender! It is a very handsome-looking appliance and is very tech-forward with its digital display and real-time feedback while blending. Thanks for reading and I hope this review helps you make your purchasing decision!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Feel the power emanate from within the neon-hued shell of the Helios 16. Suit up, strap in – and let Helios pave the way. Equipped with superior cooling technology and a trove of performance like NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 laptop graphics and the latest 13th Gen Intel Core i9 processor with new performance hybrid architecture– this gaming laptop will be your guide to gaming bliss. With the 16" 2560 x 1600 IPS panel, 240Hz Refresh, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, NVIDIA G-SYNC technology and 3ms Overdrive response time you can say farewell to blur and hello clear, crisp, high-octane gameplay.
Customer Rating
5
Top-level gaming in a mobile form factor!
on August 18, 2023
Posted by: Bren
The laptop is a gorgeous device. I will detail more about individual features below, but I will just start by saying that the build quality is excellent and this 16” screen laptop weighs just a little over 5 pounds (without the power adapter, more on that later). It is less than an inch thick and is surprisingly sleek, fitting into my 15.6” laptop-accommodating backpack. Even better, the laptop includes a custom neoprene zippered protective carrying case from Acer, so it is ready for use on the go right out of the box! The colors of the finish of the device look great. Granted, the keyboard deck and the top of the lid are fingerprint magnets, so you are going to need to keep it wiped off if you want to maintain a clean look. There is an abundance of I/O enough to make anyone happy, including two USB-C ports with the latest Full-Function Thunderbolt 4 certification and an HDMI 2.1 Port for ease of hooking up additional monitors with high refresh rate capability.
One of the most positive aspects of this machine is, as expected, the incredible screen. The 240hz, 1600p IPS screen with 3ms response time is incredible for all different kinds of gaming. I am primarily an FPS gamer with games like Doom Eternal and Hunt Showdown, and this machine CRUSHES both of those games. That 240hz refresh also corresponds to really smooth experiences with regular computing tasks like web browsing and productivity. Also, this screen gets BRIGHT. The 500-nit screen is bright enough to make daylight brightness in a room still possible while playing games with darker sequences or night maps (like in Hunt Showdown). There is some perceptible blacklight bleeding in the top right and left corners of my particular screen, but it is not enough for me to worry about. Finally, the colors look GREAT on this screen. I am not a photo editor so I can’t speak to the precision of the colors, but for gaming and general productivity purposes, the images this screen produces look fantastic.
The hardware this is equipped with is appropriately top-spec for a high-end laptop like this but is in need of special accommodations for optimized cooling. The Intel i9 13900HX is an incredible mobile CPU and crushes at multitasking and pushing out all of those crispy, high-end frames to the monitor on AAA title games like Doom Eternal. With HWmonitor, I did detect the CPU temps climbing up to 100C on some of my more intensive multitask workloads while gaming and streaming. By putting the fans into turbo mode through the PredatorSense app and putting the laptop on a cooling pad, I was able to keep the CPU temps at 90C and below and never noticed any stutters or frame drops while gaming. This laptop has visible fans on the bottom of the device with slats to allow plenty of cool air to be pulled in. As such, it is essential that you keep that air intake unobstructed by keeping this on a flat, hard surface like a desk while gaming or utilizing a laptop cooling pad. The good news is that my complaint of some finicky cooling needs only extends to the CPU. During my most intensive testing while gaming at full graphics, running a second monitor, and streaming via the GPU hardware encoder on OBS, the NVidia 4080 this laptop is equipped with never exceeded temperatures higher than 94C! For a high-power mobile CPU like this with 12GB of VRAM, this is fantastic for my use case and has left me completely satisfied with the performance for concurrent high-fidelity and frame-rate gaming combined with streaming on Twitch!
Another thing that I really like on this laptop is the keyboard. It is a comfortable keyboard to type on, with just the right pitch and angle to the palm rests for ease of typing on a flat surface. The keys themselves feel great and the full number pad they included is a welcome addition for my Excel spreadsheet household budget crunching. The media control keys above the number pad are a welcome addition, as are the comprehensive and fully lit controls on the function row of keys. The keys themselves are beautifully lit with the mini-LED RGB per-key lighting. Also, there is additional lighting on the rear jutting portion of the laptop, right on the top of the deck! It looks so cool and honestly adds some edgy appeal to this device without overdoing it. Altogether, as an almost 30-year-old, I can get behind the looks of this high-end gaming laptop without being afraid it looks too unprofessional in certain business settings.
The speakers on this laptop are actually a real surprise as to how loud and clear they are. There is a detectable bit of buzz to them occasionally on the very top end of the volume levels when an audio track gets dense with mixed trebles and mids, but it is not that bad or frequent. Frankly, I am an obligate headset and earbud user so the speakers on a laptop like this are not important to me. Most gamers I know are also using headsets, so the gamer crowd should be perfectly satisfied with the audio on this laptop. The webcam on this laptop is one of the reasons why I can openly say that a business professional or student would be thrilled to have it. It is a crispy 1080p full HD camera and has proved to be excellent in dim rooms. I am impressed that they managed to squeeze such a good camera into the top of this very thin bezeled screen without having to go with a notch design (thank goodness). I used this camera on OBS while streaming on Twitch and even though it isn’t the most flattering camera angle for my face, it worked great and was seamless to use. There is a green indicator light that lights up next to it when it is activated, but there is no physical shutter to block the camera.
Now to just touch on a few of the identified downsides of a device like this. The first is that the power adapter this comes with is an appealingly rounded edged adapter but is an absolute brick weighing over 3 pounds with the cords included. To my testing, this laptop cannot receive power in through its thunderbolt 4 ports, even during eco and battery saver use, so that means that if you are expecting to use this beast of a gaming laptop on the go for more than a few hours, you are going to have to lug that large power brick with you.
The next gripe is one that I am going to be reasonable about, but it is the short battery life. This beast is absolutely ravenous for power! In my battery test, I went as absolutely low power as possible, including using eco mode, setting the battery immediately to battery saver mode, setting the keyboard RGB to static color and to turn off after 30 seconds of nonuse, and turning down the screen refresh rate to 60. While that took away some of the beauty of the screen, it did not reduce my productivity on the machine. An addendum necessary to all my battery testing is that I am an obligate Google Chrome Browser user due to my online master’s college program being a Google University, so I recognize that there is less power efficiency there than with Google Chrome as my web browser. With all of these efficiency settings implemented, I did manage to squeeze out 2 hours and 4 minutes of unplugged use before I hit the 10% mark on the battery. While this is acceptable for my use case, I just want to make sure others are aware.
I really wish that Acer could have included the ability to charge this over the USB thunderbolt connection with a 100W PD option or the like so that there might be a more portable way to juice this thing up on the go than that 3-pound beast of a power adapter, especially given that the laptop draws less than 100watts when fully charge and doing basic tasks that don’t involve the discrete GPU. One other issue I think should be mentioned in this portion of the review, is that the software of the PredatorSense app will not allow you to change the mode from balanced to Performance or Turbo, where it claims to overclock the GPU and CPU, until you reach 40% or more battery power, even while the adapter is plugged in. This makes sense I suppose from a voltage and device protection perspective, but it is still a limitation people should be aware of. That way, you know to plug your laptop in when you get home from the coffeeshop for some time (as an example) before you get your high-power gaming session started.
Benchmarks:
1TB M.2 NVMe SSD in this laptop is a PCIe Gen 4 drive. It achieved over 6500MB/s read speeds and 4978MB/s write speeds! This is a beast of a drive. There is also one more M.2 slot open for additional storage to be added.
1TB M.2 NVMe SSD in this laptop is a PCIe Gen 4 drive. It achieved over 6500MB/s read speeds and 4978MB/s write speeds! This is a beast of a drive. There is also one more M.2 slot open for additional storage to be added.
Geekbench 6 (GPU) OpenCL score: 170020
Geekbench 6 (CPU) Single Core score: 2799 Multicore: 16022
Unengine Heaven Benchmark 4.0 with Ultra Quality, Extreme Tessellation at 1600p resolution: 105.3 FPS with a score of 2654
Overall, this laptop delivers exactly what I would expect at this price point in the way of being a beastly gaming laptop with some aspects that make it more reasonable for mixed business or school use like the FHD webcam and full-sized keyboard. I really don’t have any recommendations for how Acer could make this laptop better, except that I am always game for more ways to power mobile devices on the go such as with USB-C power input capability. Thanks for reading and I hope this review has aided your purchasing decision.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The HP Smart Tank 7001 supertank printer makes printing seamless from start to finish for the whole family with a high-capacity refillable ink tank and wireless connectivity. Create outstanding-quality color documents at a low cost with up to two years of Original HP Ink included in the box¹.
Is it supported by Big Sur Op System? Does it work with airprint?
It does work with airprint! I am having no problems on my Apple MBP currently :)
3 years, 8 months ago
by
Bren
The Canon imageFORMULA R10 portable document scanner is simple to set up and easy to use, anywhere. Easily convert paper documents to searchable digital files, using the built-in software, to get and stay organized.
Does this product scan both sides of a document? Is this user friendly? Thank you
Yes, it does scan both sides of a document and a card! I found it to be extremely user friendly, I just had to be patient with the updates to the software and firmware upon first setting it up :)
3 years, 8 months ago
by
Bren
The Apex 5 gaming keyboard has hybrid mechanical switches that combine the smoothness of a membrane switch with the added durability, performance, and satisfying tactile click of a blue mechanical switch. It also has per-key RGB customization, OLED Smart Display, aluminum alloy frame, premium magnetic wrist rest, and more.
Can the key caps be switched out with other key caps
Yes! They are compatible with most Cherry MX keycaps! From Steelseries' Blog post on the hybrid mechanical switches, "Like a blue switch, it registers a keypress with a click at 2mm, bottoms out at 4mm, and requires 50cn of force to press. Because it is a mechanical switch, you can even put aftermarket keycaps on them"
5 years, 3 months ago
by
Bren
The PRO headset from Logitech G is designed with and for esports pros. Aluminum forks, steel headband, and memory foam and premium leatherette head and ear pads keep you comfortable through marathon training and competition sessions. Pro-G 50mm drivers deliver incredibly accurate audio with improved bass response. The advanced USB DAC has a five-band onboard EQ that can be programmed via G HUB software with settings from your favorite esports pros. Pro-tuned, detachable boom mic with wind screen and pop filter ensures your comms are crystal clear. Designed for PC.
do these work for ps4?
Yes, the cable will plug into your PS4 controller and be good to go for use for audio and microphone use, no problem!
5 years, 11 months ago
by
Bren
With its Bluetooth interface, this Logitech MX Anywhere 2 910-004373 wireless mouse enables you to pair with up to 3 Bluetooth Smart Ready devices simultaneously. Darkfield Laser Tracking technology allows operation on most surfaces, including glass.
Does this product work for gaming?
Extremely well, depending on your needs. I use it for battlefield 1 and Doom and I love it. The programable buttons work awesome. For RPGs you may want a mouse that has more programable buttons, depending on your style :) If that is the case, I recommend the one's below:
Products from my answer
Razer - Naga Epic Chroma Wireless MMO Gaming Mouse - Black
(315)
Razer - Naga Hex V2 Wired Laser Gaming Mouse with Chroma Lighting - Black
(188)
Razer - Naga Chroma USB MMO Gaming Mouse - Black
(903)8 years, 4 months ago
by
Bren
Razer Blade Laptop: Developed in partnership with Intel and NVIDIA, the Razer Blade delivers performance to run the most demanding games of today. Powered by an Intel Core i7 quad-core CPU, NVIDIA GeForce graphics processor and a 14" LED display, you'll be blown away by the immersive visuals of your games in crisp high definition 1080p.The Razer Blade features 6th Gen. Intel Core i7 quad-core processor. This ensures your games and media playback run with powerful processing performance anywhere, anytime.The Razer Blade features a high-performance NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. This means you play games the way they were meant to be played, with fluid frame rates and rich DirectX 12 graphics, and in VR.With NVIDIA Optimus technology, the Razer Blade combines great performance and great battery life by intelligently delivering power only when you need it, and conserving it when you don't.
Is this with QHD or Full HD?
Razer Blade Laptop: Developed in partnership with Intel and NVIDIA, the Razer Blade delivers performance to run the most demanding games of today. Powered by an Intel Core i7 quad-core CPU, NVIDIA GeForce graphics processor and a 14" LED display, you'll be blown away by the immersive visuals of your games in crisp high definition 1080p.The Razer Blade features 6th Gen. Intel Core i7 quad-core processor. This ensures your games and media playback run with powerful processing performance anywhere, anytime.The Razer Blade features a high-performance NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. This means you play games the way they were meant to be played, with fluid frame rates and rich DirectX 12 graphics, and in VR.With NVIDIA Optimus technology, the Razer Blade combines great performance and great battery life by intelligently delivering power only when you need it, and conserving it when you don't.
is this the newest one razer blade?
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.
How long does the battery last and can the ram be upgrade
Battery has averaged 2.5 to 3 hours under normal use and 1 hour or so with gaming (as should be expected in any gaming laptop, really). The RAM can be upgraded given you are patient and careful when you unscrew and pry open the back. 8GB of 2133Mhz RAM is what it has stock in one of the two available slots.
8 years, 6 months ago
by
Bren
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.
will programs be installed on the ssd before the hdd
Yes, they will be. By default to allow quick bootup and accessing times. You can select the 1TB "D" drive though when you are downloading. I keep all of my games on the 1TB drive and it has worked perfectly.
8 years, 6 months ago
by
Bren
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.