PopCap's most successful game has returned - and hell it's about time! We've been expecting a sequel since it's successful debut of the first game in 2009.
Now big unfortunate thing is that EA has only released it for the iOS, with no plans of releasing it for the Android which would be perfect as well since the great increase of users now dominating the Android Market. However, that's not the point of the post. We're here to make a review - and dare I say it, for a game that's totally free (of course pay abit of cash for some bonus plants), you can be pretty impressed with it.
Now I only played the first few missions yesterday when I recorded it, but little that I know until this morning that the number of missions and levels all across the entire game (even it's just free to play) is ridiculously huge! There's like 40+ missions in the first zone alone, and you still have another 2 more zones! So this game will be tonnes of hours blitzing zombies.
The mechanics of the game are fundamentally the same, but with a few more additions to the game like Plant Seed Power-ups, and more annoying zombies to jack up the difficulty a bit. The reason I reckon personally is that the normal campaign back in Plants vs Zombies 1 was sorta a little too easy. That's totally fine; I absolutely like the challenge. And if you want to challenge yourself and deviate away from the sort of standard play, you have the option of doing star challenges.
Money is easier to get by doing missions because you might want to call for some powerups should you need it. Also, unlike the first game, you can grind for cash, and ancient keys by replaying missions and save for power-ups, of course grinding or replaying will allow you to attempt star challenges should you desire.
Pricing-wise I'm okay with it but with a few gripes. The game in general is free but some of the plants in the Almanac requires you to pay for em'. Well, that is totally justified for the high number of missions in the game because most of these plants will give you that extra edge.
Altogether, the increase in difficulty just sets things rolling for the game. Being free-to-play which is great and will last you for hours and hours, or even days or weeks for the entire campaign is a great trait towards this title.
Summary:
'Free-to-play, ridiculous amount of missions, days or even weeks of fun'.
The only other major gripe that would have otherwise made the game perfect: EA/PopCap, for God's sake, RELEASE IT FOR THE ANDROID AND PC! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well for almost 2 years, I've been satisfied with my Core i5 2500K. Having cranked this system between 4.2 to 4.5 GHz stable ever since has demonstrated on how great the Sandy Bridge Based Core i5s really were as overclocking processors.
However, I think it's almost time to call out a great successor, as a Computer Tech Lover, I always try to get the best without breaking the bank. I have some ideas in mind and would definitely wanted to get out of the P67 Platform for a while. I was looking at either a Z77 or X79 platform but Ivy Bridge isn't really as worth to upgrade to as the Sandy Bridge E.
I did test rigs with a Core i7 3960X from Last Year's Intel Extreme Masters at SITEX 2012 Singapore Expo where I visited every single day of the campaign. However I know that the Core i7 3960X and the i7 3970X is definitely way out of reach so the next best thing behind these would be the Core i7 3930K.
Also a 6-core / 12-threaded processor but having 3MB less Cache and 300MHz less clock speed. That doesn't really mean too much jack since you can still overclock that bad boy to match the performance of the Stock 3960X anyway. Intel IMO has been always on the ball when it comes to performance and overclocking potential.
Well, now I just don't have the budget to get it, but now I dream to have one of those Bad Boys. During the Intel Extreme Masters Last year at the Singapore Expo, there was a Small Boy who won Sean 'Flamga' and me in Unreal Tournament to win the Processor. Dafaq a small boy?! Lucky Chap!
AMD may have begun the counter-attack againtst Intel's Sandy Bridge-E and in future perhaps Ivy Bridge-E processors. They have done well with the improved 8300 series and the APU series but this one is taking the cost and craziness to a new level for perhaps, not-so-worth the cost.
Now here is their specs of the FX-9590:
CPU Base Clock: 4.7 GHz
CPU Turbo ClocK: 5.0 GHz
L2 Cache: 8 MB (2 x 4 MB)
L3 Cache: 8 MB (2 x 4 MB)
Maximum Memory Clocks: 2200 MHz
Minimum Voltage: 0.8 V
Maximum Voltage: 1.5 V
TDP: 220W
Unlocked: Yes.
*UPDATE on 2nd September 2013
AMD recently announced a price cut of the processor and new prices surfaced in the UK.
From what would have cost nearly £800, now can be found for less than 270.
Elric Phares of Tech of Tomorrow recently unboxed this processor and it's nothing more than just a tiny paper throwaway that only contains the CPU, the Case Badge and the Manual.
Can somebody explain this to me? Who the flying f**k packages a super premium processor in such a tiny little cardboard package?? This should be a war crime!
Let's have a quick check the Pros, Cons and the bottomline.
The Good
With an 8-core CPU running like this, definitely nets high performance.
The Bad
Extreme High TDP and Heat Generated which renders Air-Coolers Useless.
Efficiency
The Sodding Package!!!!!!
The Bottomline
This CPU is for those really CPU Enthusiasts freaks who are really to go all out in performance. However, be prepared for the High Heat Generated so Water Cooling's pretty much a definite must. And if you want extreme overclocking, your Freezing Cooling with Liquid Nitrogen will have to go all out too.
My Thoughts
They are indeed the first to clock their PCs at 5.0 GHz (Well that's with boost but I'm gonna count it anyway) at stock out of the box. However the TDP that is generated like this from such a High End Chip will render high-end Air Cooling solutions unable to cope with that load especially when pushed at 1.5 Volts where the heat generated soars. Even though the AMD Processor comes Unlocked and overclocking ready, I certainly doubt that the heat generated will allow much overclocking headroom to push the CPU clocks further.
Now at a release price of $920 US (SGD 1160) and that's the CPU itself only, It's gonna be more costly than even the Sandy Bridge E based 3960X and 3970X CPUs which is already out of reach of most budget.
At least the Core i7 3930K and even the Core i7 4770K are still great CPUs for a more reasonable cost. For one is they are way cheaper than a 3960 / 70 X and the FX 9590, performs on par with these without noticing much difference (very little if any) and you still have that K-unlocked designation. And with a TDP of just over half of that of the FX 9590, you can still get away with decent Air Coolers for acceptable temperatures.
Personally, standard CPU benchmarks out of the window, the real scenario is gaming. And frankly speaking, more cores and clock speeds isn't everything and doesn't translate into necessary better performance compared to the Intel Rivals in the same price bracket. We can see that when pitted against other processors, even the more budget ones from Intel like the i5 3570K and the Recent i5 4670K, the FX 9590 still come out short. Heck, even the first of the Legendary Sandy Bridge overclocker i5 2500K at stock still pulls off admirable performance that still can match and beat the 9590 most of the time. And not to mention the copious amount of heat that it generates!
Also, the BIG disappointment is the Freaking Package that came with it! As explained by Elric, if you want to market and sell out your Processor, at least put in a tin package and heck at least throw in a Decent Antec Water Cooling unit together. They did that with the FX-8150. Elric Unboxed such a CPU, unveiling it and manual in a tin box, and bundled with a liquid cooler. Mostly it's an AseTek Unit but also comes with all the mounting kits and manuals and Dual Fans in Push / Pull. All this in a box that at least you can remember that you purchased that.
Heck the FX 8150 even had the option to be bundled with an ASUS ROG Board in an even bigger box as shown by Linus Sebastian of NCIX. The tin can was stuffed with a stock cooler which you can sell off or save because in the big box it also comes with an Antec Liquid Cooler. Now THAT's an package bundle! Even the FX 8350 came with pretty much what's required. No Water Cooling unit, but at least the stock cooler for you to test and the good ol' tin can.
I really have no idea what is going on in AMD's mind when developed the Processor and also skipped the Radeon 8000 Series of GPUs entirely...will it spell bad news for the company?!
Now, I've been breaking out the Sonic Gear EVO 9 BTMI 2.1 Channel Speakers ever since my NAFA Auditions and giving a bit of testing every now and again. So after 2 months, I reckon it's about time for a review.
The following video is me unboxing the speakers.
WHAT GIVES?
The Sonic Gear EVO 9 BTMI is the flagship of the EVO series. Of course there are more powerful speakers out there also from Sonic Gear but this is one that is totally balances out relatively affordable price point but with more than adequate Sound Quality and features.
It's sheer size makes mainstream Computer Displays (If you placed the set there) a bit small, yeah? Here's one example when I plugged it to my Aftershock X11. Laptop is on the right and you can't really see. Kinda makes the Laptop a little puny eh? But that's the beauty of powering all this from one Laptop.
The Right Channel Satellite.
But let's go over the specs really quick:
Subwoofer
Driver: 5.25 Inch
Frequency Response: 30 - 200 Hz
Power: 30 Watts
Satellite x 2
Driver 3 Inches
Frequency Response: 100Hz - 20KHz
Power: 12 Watts
Total Output: 54 Watts
Outputs of the Subwoofer
Features
Modes: FM Radio, AUX in, SD Card, Bluetooth Wireless, USB
Wireless Range: 8m
So that's actually pretty high end for a 2.1 Channel Speaker. It costs about 80 SGD to get a pair of this. I got it from Challenger and with a few bucks discount for Members. It's not exactly cheap but for all intense purposes, it's not bad. There's a crap tonne of features that make it special.
The Good
Apart from Looks and size on the desk, it does deliver promising sound Quality. You can crank the subwoofer all the way up to blast your bass right through, especially when maxed out. Great for all sorts of Music Genres like Techno, Punk and Game Audio.
With many outputs available, you can use it for playing other audio from various media, like a USB player, or SD Card. And Unique to this EVO line, is Bluetooth Wireless so you can play your music off your smart phones in a Wireless Link via Bluetooth. For all these inputs available, it's called BTMI (BlueTooth Multi Input) for a reason.
It's not exactly cheap by any means of your imagination but it still pretty much cheaper than other high end solutions like those from Armageddon Series (A Collaboration between SonicGear and Armaggeddon Peripherals). Also, this is more for the mainstream user.
The Bad
Now there are some annoying things about the speakers. None of which are pretty major at best. However these are worth considering.
The LCD Screen is dimly lit and abit simplistic which cuts back on bling if 'bling'-ness is the name of the game that you seek.
Also an annoying thing is that every time you have to switch the speakers back on, you have to turn up your subwoofer again to your desired level. I guess the reason for you to do that is to protect your speakers in a way that you don't want to blow them out the split second you turn it on if you happen to be playing an audio file and your speakers are off.
It's kinda heavy to lug around so the Sonic Gear EVO 9 should be restricted to the use on your desk which of course, should obviously be a place for any speaker.
SUMMARY
The Sonic Gear EVO 9 is a high-end and impressive speakers for a mainstream user and ideal as a Gaming or a Home Theater Speaker set. Its power and imposing figure are not to be fucked around with.
I was walking around Challenger yesterday in Ang Mo Kio Hub yesterday when I noticed this little tiny thing from Acer.
I first knew somewhat about this when a review was published on this week's issue of Digital Life. On first impressions, it looks like an all-in-one that Acer is pretty famous for. So I did went and take a look and feel for a few minutes. And Acer did come up with something really crazy.
Specs
The Aspire R7 has specifications typically featured on a Low Voltage Sub-Notebook, like a 2-Core-4-Threaded Intel Core i5 3337U which was the model from Challenger or an i7 3537U. Not surprisingly, because of how new the concept is, they sport the last gen Ivy Bridge CPUs.
The screen is a 15.6 Inch Full HD IPS Panel. And in a Windows 8 Environment, it's touchscreen capable. But how the display is hinged comes is a large innovation. You can open it and make it look like a laptop. You can use the flexible hinge and you can bring the screen closer to you to make it like a mini all-in-one. It doesn't stop that, you can go through even further and close the laptop with the display facing up to make it look and operate like a tablet. A lot more so since the screen is touchscreen capable.
The first few models of the Aspire R7 came with only the Intel HD 4000 Graphics. However the one I did come across was powered with a pretty beefy GPU in the form of the nVidia GT 750M; the fastest of the GT 700 series, not counting the GTX graded GPUs which you can check here.
The Laptop is great to be adapted for many purposes thanks to its innovative swivel EZEL hinge system.
Something to consider is the 2.4 Kilo weight (excluding the AC Adapter). It's not really light but not exactly heavy either. It's not the slimmest laptop by any means of your imagination. However for a 15.6 Inch, its weight and thickness is still acceptable in my book.
Also the big statement on this configuration of the Acer Aspire R7 is the GPU, the nVidia GT 750M with 2 Gigs of Video Memory. A GPU of this caliber in a slim notebook like this will be handy for quite a casual on-the-road gamer. The GT 750M performs in league with the GTX 660M and the Radeon HD 6950M. To be honest, fitting a pretty slim 'Tablet' with a GPU like this is actually pretty fucking crazy and now you have the Graphics Horsepower to support your gaming needs. Plug an external gaming mouse and Keyboard and maybe perhaps a large TV via HDMI, and away you go. The Bad
The main bad part: The Touch Pad. After I read from Digital Life, I did anticipate the out-of-place touchpad when I did touched it. And bringing the screen closer essentially blocks the use of the touchpad. For gaming and general purposes however, you would still want to use an external mouse anyway.
If not for the GPU and the SSD Caching, the hardware would have been just mediocre at best for gaming unless you back it with an SSD. The CPUs at low voltage would be considerably weaker than the normal full power ones like the I5 3210QM and the I7 3610QM / 3630QM.
At the size like this, it would also be nice to include a Number Pad to the keyboard.
And like most slim laptops and ultrabooks of the time, the Aspire R completely omits an optical drive bay which is a shame.
The Bottomline
This notebook is more than just a notebook. It can be a multipurpose large Tablet and a Mini Desktop all in one. The Touchpad replacement is a big set back to the product and the hardware is a bit entry level. However, with the GPU, the laptop can serve a wider scope of roles that it can fulfill, not just the office environment.
Rivals:
A Laptop / AIO / Pad thingy surely has no rivals. But compare spec for spec wise, some good notebooks from various companies like Samsung and HP would have portable laptop specs like this.
Been a while since I blogged here. However now, would be a perfect time especially for Mobile Gamers on the Go. Now the Ivy Bridge Clevo W110ER notebook has been out for a while where it fulfilled a niche of mobile gaming at its most compact form. It gained a reputation as a literal netbook on steroids because this was the first in the long while that a notebook for gaming and maximum portability has been released.
I have currently one such example: Aftershock's incarnation of the Clevo W110ER: The Aftershock X11 which I won about 4 months ago. It's currently configured with a Core i7 3630QM CPU, 8GB RAM, nVidia GT 650M, Matte Screen and a Samsung 840 SSD. The rest is pretty standard as per the other Clevo W110ER.
Last Generation: Clevo W110ER / Aftershock X11
Little did I notice, with Haswell already released, the mobile gaming laptop niche has found a new successor. And Clevo has done it YET again with the Clevo W230ST. Like the W110ER it succeeds, this laptop almost has no direct competitor besides the likes of MSI GE40, Alienware's M14 series and Razer's new 14' Blade. These latter 2 laptops are 2 overpriced junkies at nearly 3K if going spec for spec. However gamers will be pleased to know that this wouldn't be the case with the 13' Laptop and it's also designed for the same role that the expensive laptops fill.
Now What gives?
The newer Aftershock XG13 (The Aftershock's Clevo W230ST) presents a few major updates to the table. Most notable are the much increased horsepower that it has got under the hood, including GTX-grade GPU (The smallest notebook that I've seen with one) and the newer Haswell CPUs, and lower temperatures while not sacrificing too much weight (In fact almost none).
Now this isn't a review per se because I don't have one to compare against the X11 which I have. And most specs are just speculation.
Aftershock would be the very few companies in the world to commence shipping of the Clevo W230ST. Aftershock PC has named their incarnation the XG13.
New Generation in Mobile Gaming: Clevo W230ST / Aftershock XG13
Features of W230ST
Weight: 2 Kilos
Now granted, the W230ST may be half a pound heavier than the 1.7 Kilo Clevo W110ER. But despite a larger screen and slightly bigger dimensions and a tonne of hardware, that weight increase is almost negligible; still acceptable. And at only 32mm thick, it's actually 5mm slimmer than the W110ER at 37mm. You can still fit it in an average sling bag you use for school. To me anything bigger than 14-15' is too big.
Haswell CPUs:
The Haswell Processing units have just hit the market and the new architecture brings about further enhancements to the Ivy Bridge. Currently as of the writing though, the lowest entry-level CPU is still a Quad Core i7 and it already packs quite a punch. The Core i7 4700MQ is still high in the tier of Notebook CPUs. Its Hyperthreading performance has been optimized for more consistent power in heavy threaded use as well as the boosted Integrated GPU and power consumption.
Intel HD 4600 Graphics.
When the dedicated GPU isn't needed the integrated HD 4600 takes over. And it has about 30% boost over the HD 4000 Graphics.
13.3 " FULL HD Display
It's very rare to find full HD displays this small. Most companies selling the W230ST would offer the option of 1366 x 768. However Aftershock's XG13's one is Full HD and matte, a feature so well loved for indoors and out. 1366 x 768 screens are more common in such a size and already decent as they are. At 13.3', it's practically the smallest screen with a HD 1920 x 1080p resolution and also the smallest being powered by an nVidia GeForce GTX 765M.
mSATA Storage: 2 in fact plus your 2.5' Drive Bay.
Now things get really exciting at this point. This is one of the crucial features that the Clevo W230ST has that the W110ER doesn't. The W110ER has only room for a single 2.5' drive and once you put one in, that's all you have and you can't expand. Having 1 SSD may be fast, but it's more expensive in terms of $/GB. Now Clevo has taken things further and cramped in not one, but TWO mSATA bays in addition to your 2.5' drive bay. So with it, you can whack in 2 mSATA SSDs in RAID 0 for crazy performance for your OS, and you can use a large capacity drive for large amounts of media. What's more is for the purposes of your key applications, you can rely on 2 small Capacity 64GB SSDs; 128GB which is more than enough and you'll have that money saved for a pretty good 2.5' drive like a Seagate Momentus XT. 2 x 128GB or even 2 x 256GB mSATA SSDs; though nice to have, but a real overkill at this point.
Embedded nVidia GTX 765M
Now using the GTX 765M is a huge step over the GT 650M. The GT 650M has 384 CUDA Cores running at 835 MHz and boost to 950MHz runs on 2GB of DDR3 RAM (Not GDDR3, I dunno why). However the GTX 765M kicks it up a tonne with double the CUDA cores (768), GDDR5 memory and a core clock speed that's still slightly more than the base clock of the GT 650M. It's essentially a cutdown GTX 650 Ti. The 765M doesn't have a boost clock, but who really gives it a shit if that's their aim of keeping temps optimal. And already more-than-double the power over the GT 650M, that justifies the reason that boost clock isn't really needed. Also, this notebook supports output of 2 more external displays for nVidia Surround (1 HDMI, VGA) that's if you can take the awkward screening sizes like how they did it with the X17. But it's been tested and it works, not the most elegant nVidia Surround though.
Other neat features:
Clevos still retain the flexibility of upgrades in the W230ST over the W110ER which is always nice to have. Now another few features that the W230ST (XG13) has over the W110ER (X11) are a backlit keyboard for a touch more bling, an additional USB 3.0 port and eSATA port.
Some minor cons remain.
Like the predecessor, the W230ST still completely emits an optical drive bay. However with the inclusion of a 3rd USB 3.0 port, at least you have more room to add one.
THE BOTTOMLINE
The Aftershock XG13 Clevo W230ST looks set to please the road warrior gamer once again with something that performs on par with the also-new X15S for considerably lower price point. Yeah dimensions are slightly bigger than the older X11, but for all things considered, that slight addition of weight is completely reasonable and justified.
SHOOTOUT TIME!!!!!
NOW At this point I would love to have the AFTERSHOCK boys to do a benchmark comparison for a recommend Spec XG 13 vs a recommended Spec X11 for games, applications.
I got this card second hand, bare card only without the additional accessories, for an affordable 450 SGD. I chanced upon a cheap deal, and since never looked back.
As you can tell, the PNY Enthusiast Edition is based off the original 2GB NVidia GTX 680 with its closed shroud blower fan cooler that mainly exhausts air out the back of your computer chassis. Now this design is helpful if you're doing in a enclosed case so you won't accumulate much heat from the GPU inside the case.
3-Way SLI
PCI-Express 3.0
Windows 7 and Windows 8
Open GL 4.2, 3D Vision, 3D Vision Surround, CUDA, PhysX, TXAA, Adaptive VSync, GPU Boost, FXAA
Card Specs:
Dimensions: 10 Inch by 4.4 Inch
Slots Taken: 2
Thermal Design Power: 195 Watts
Recommended PSU: 550 Watts.
Now this is a 10 Inch Card, it's not overly big or small by any means. In fact this card is actually smaller than any of my AMD Radeon 6970s I used in the past. And this slightly shorter profile makes cable routing more tidy. And also uses a LOT less power. The performance I can get for some reason is either trading blows or even sometimes winning to TWO RADEON 6970s, as evident in my BattleField 3 Video where I did overclock the GTX 680 slightly. Even if it loses to some games which I'll do in the future, at least the difference is not much and there's a lot less heat build up in my case, especially after I put another fan in my case facing the Blower of the GPU so it can take in more cool air to exhaust.
Test Rig: Core i5 2500K 4.2 GHz 16 GB DDR3 RAM CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus ASUS P8P67 PRO Motherboard PNY nVidia GeForce GTX 680 Razer Imperator 2012 BF3 Mouse CM Storm Quickfire Rapid
The new Kepler Architecture places some interesting features to the table like adaptive VSync, FXAA and TXAA and PCI-E 3.0. This is nVidia's First card to incorporate the PCI-E Gen 3 interface that you can use on your new Ivy Bridge Motherboards but you can still use it with the older Gen 2 PCI-E interfaces like on a P67 like mine / Z68 Platform without any restrictions.
The VSync will be helpful when enabled as it will cap its FPS to the refresh rate of your monitor like say 60 and if your performance is below that it won't dip straight down to 30. Instead the FPS will remain fluid and the GPU will dynamically boost itself so it will get close to 60 as possible. If you're not playing those super graphics intense games like Borderlands 2, capping the FPS will not only conserve power, it'll ease the GPU so it will cool itself down so there's less heat, and saves a TONNE on power bill even though the Kepler Architecture proves to be a lot more power efficient than the earlier Fermi Architecture.
The previous Generation 80 card, the GTX 580 needs a 650 Watts of power. That is the now requirement of the DUAL GPU 690. And evidently, the GTX 680 needs just 2 six pin PCI-E Cables, rather than a 6 and 8 Pin, and you can get away with a 500W PSU even though it recommends a 550W PSU.
Games I'll be benchmarking soon after my Yong Siew Toh Auditions:
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
Crysis 3
Borderlands 2
Metro 2033.
All these reasons make it more compelling for me to replace Crossfired Radeon 6970s for just 1 GTX 680.
Coolermaster has been releasing their CM Storm Series of gaming accessories like their Keyboards and Mice. This case, this review is typed on one I just got this Morning at the SITEX 2012 - Intel Extreme Masters. Already successful with their range of mechanical stuff, they came up with the CM Storm Quickfire PRO.
Do refer to the video on YouTube on the Unboxing of the Keyboard in the future which I'm still doing. Meanwhile, I'm typing this review from the Keyboard itself. So for now here is all the basics of what goes into / with the CM Storm Quickfire Rapid.
In the box, the package contains the following items:
- The Tenkeyless QWERTY Keyboard
- Customed RED WSAD Arrow Keys to be fixed to replace the WSAD keys.
- Key Removal Tool
- Gold braided USB Port.
- User's Guide
- Customed CoolerMaster Logo WINDOWS keys.
- PS2 to USB Adapter.
But how about the features?
1. TENKEYLESS DESIGN
The Tenkeyless design of the keyboard eliminates the number keypad to reduce the length of the keyboard to increase portability so you can carry it around in a bag that can handle a laptop which is ideal in a LAN party. Also saves a bit of cost while retaining the rigid build quality. The reduce length also allows the user to position the mouse closer to him if he should see fit. 2. CHERRY MX BROWN KEY SWITCHES
The Brown Key Switches that are installed on this particular model pack the balance of almost everything. It is noisier than that of Black and Red Key switches but not as noisy and clicky as that of the Blue Switches. They also have a balance of the tactile feel as well. And compared to membrane keyboards, the mechanical keys do boost your typing rate by quite a bit. However, the switches are also great for gaming as well. 3. LOWERED COST AND BALANCE QUALITY
With its simple tenkeyless design and without the backlighting places the CM Storm Quickfire Tenkeyless keyboards among some of the cheapest gaming mechanical keyboard that's available. However the cost does not compromise build quality. Even though that it is still a tenkeyless design, the keyboard itself STILL has some heft and heavy weight to it, still weighing at almost one kilo. So you know that this keyboard is built like a tank.
4. PLUG AND PLAY READY
No frills and no fuss, all you need to do to get it running is just plug it to a USB Port via its supplied Gold-Ended cable. It does take a while to install its own integrated driver once you plug it in, but other than that there's really no more additional software or drivers that you need.
5. WINDOWS LOCK KEY / GAMING MODE
The Keyboard comes with the feature of the Windows Lock Key. What you require is to hold down the Function Key (Located between the Right Windows and Control Keys) and then press F9. What it does is Locks the Windows Key so you won't accidentally pop back to the Windows Desktop while you're gaming. Nice to have but not really required. However some pros will just remove the windows key entirely for gaming.
6.OTHER NEAT FEATURES
Other neat features include the inclusion of the USB to PS2 adapter which you can plug at the PS2 port of the motherboard. Most gamers ban this because of how much increase response they can get out of this if you compare that with being plugged in via just a standard USB. However I never seen much of a difference there so....yea. The Quickfire Rapid's Key caps are laser engraved rather than painted so after prolonged usage, the letter prints will not faint.
PERSONAL OPINION
Being the cheapest mechanical keyboard that rivals its price which is a tiny bit above my old keyboard Razer Lycosa, it still brings a lot more performance tweaks to the table within its small frame. I did manage to get it for about 109 SGD which is about 90 US dollars from SITEX at the Intel Extreme Masters, whereas the Lycosa is still around the 80 Dollar mark. However the Mechanical Keyboards make typing fairly easier and slightly faster by about 10 percent compare to a high end membrane keyboard. The switches may be a little noisy if you exert a bit more pressure on your taps, but I like em' clicky and abit noisy.
You do have to sacrifice your number pad if you're doing calculations but many times I don't see people using the number keypad that often.
I actually typed this review on the Quickfire Rapid Keyboard itself in the freaking dark so I really can't see the keys. And even so, provided you know your keyboard around, you should be fine. I reckon it is extremely safe to say that when it comes to gaming and typing vs a Membrane Keyboard, no doubt that even the cheapest Mechanical Keyboard made by CoolerMaster still takes its competition in stride.
IN SUMMARY: It gets an EXCELLENT and Value for Money rating from me. Big Big thumbs up.
Now the Asus Zenbook is something abit unique compared to other notebooks. It functions as a pretty decent gaming machine but fills in the niche of an Ultrabook because of similar weight, size and how slim it is. The one from Notebookcheck.net is configured such that running applications remain smooth as always. However, that one comes at a cost of a costly machine, knowing how expensive would 2x RAID 0 Solid State Drives cost in such a slim factor. You do get swift no-frills performance with those drives, especially if those are running on RAID Zero.
The GT 650M GPU employed is the GDDR5 variant, which gives a bit of a tweak compared to the DDR3 version found in smaller laptops.
Do be mindful of the heat it emits because of the CPU and the RAID 0 Config, however this is one machine that could potentially be the competitor to the Retina MacBook Pro.
2.) And a Heavyweight Champion that should trump most high End Desktops aside with the Option of Dual SLI / Crossfire GPUs:
Aftershock's Ultimate Version of the X17 after the release of the Aftershock X17 notebook. The Titan is perhaps THE ultimate laptop with Similar specs to the X17 but with an added twist. The Titan (which I would like to dub as the X17 Ultimate) has space to cramp in Dual Graphics Core setup in SLI or CrossfireX Mode rather than the X17. I thought the original X17 could cramp in the Dual setups but I guess if you want a great gaming notebook without burning too big of a hole to swallow, which is probably I reckon why X17 is reverted to a single card configuration.
When you play on the Titan, you know it. You have a sense of power in your notebook. Dual GPUs with the choice of GTX 675M, GTX680M and the Radeon 7970M in SLI/CrossfireX mode can literally take on all today's game titles without breaking a sweat.
And knowing Clevo's range of custom Notebooks, the extent of customization options knows no bounds either. You could ramp up your CPU Processor all the way to the i7 3820QM or more. You start off already decent on a Core i5 Processor as your base CPU. It's still based on the 22 nm Ivy Bridge architecture. You can upgrade the RAM to an excess of 32GB, fit in RAID 0 drives, improve Heatsink thermal compound, deck it with Windows 8...etc. You can pretty much get this decked out to its maximum but of course, don't expect it to come cheap.
Don't expect the base model to be at the ideal cost and weight either. But if you want the maximum performance of a full fledged gaming computer, the Ultimate TITAN / Clevo P370EM even at its base configuration is gotta be that instrument to pwn your enemies to kingdom come.
