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USB: 3.2, simplicity, scalability

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Today, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) standardization organization announced USB 3.2. Although it remains somewhat difficult to comprehend all of the various USB 3 standards, USB 3.2’s performance characteristics seem quite appealing (20 Gbit/s). That said, I can’t wait for USB 4, which will be a true universal connector!

USB

23 years old and still thriving. Introduced in January 1996 with version 1.0, USB (Universal Serial Bus) is a standard that continues to evolve to meet our ever-increasing throughput needs while, at the same time, remaining extremely easy to use.

USB 3.2 has arrived. While USB 3.1 operates with a single channel and can achieve data rates of up to 10 Gb/s, USB 3.2 will employ two channels.

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Best Gaming Laptops under $1000 2019 Buying Guide

Choosing the right laptop might be one of the most important decision you will take. Especially, if you are going to use it as your primary computer. What you pick would affect your gaming performance and your experience dramatically, and can be the difference between “just winning” and being victorious.

A good gaming experience is defined by various factors. First and foremost is the hardware. How good a GPU and CPU you have? What kind of SSDs are you using? How large is your RAM and VRAM?

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Best Cheap Gaming Laptop under 500 Dollars 2019

With the start of a New Year, Intel’s new Coffee Lake processors and winter sales on most of the game titles it is a great time for gaming laptops and other gears. For the price point of $500 the options a very large and diverse. To get the best bang for your buck is not an easy task since most of the options available will have a catch that will put you at a disadvantage.

The key question to be answered for most of them is what your use case for the laptop is going to be. In our list of reviews below, we consider gaming as the main use case, but even then the questions like “What kind of games?” and “Will you be using it for something else?” arise.

[toc]As a minimum requirement for hardware you can expect at least an i5-7200U for a CPU and a 940MX or better for a GPU is fine. It can play most popular titles at reasonable frame rates and visual quality. But obviously, these are entry-level devices and put AAA title at extreme settings would only lead to frustration.

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Best Gaming PC 2019 Buying Guide: our 8 picks among all brands

Introduction: our selection of 8 gaming PCs

Gaming PCPCs have become incredibly diverse in recent years: there are now Intel NUC mini-PCs (for a living room), all-in-one PCs, powerful tablet computers, hybrid laptops with 360-degree tilting displays, incredibly thin and lightweight ultrabooks, and amazingly high-performance gaming laptops.

However, none of these computers can be called a “real PC” – a computer that can easily be repaired and adapted to ever-evolving hardware and software constraints.

Gaming PC

While the tendency in recent years has been to replace desktop PCs with laptops, PC manufacturers are still as active and innovative as ever in the development of desktop gaming PCs. Major manufacturers, such as Dell, Asus, Acer, MSI, Lenovo, and HP offer gaming PCs with a “warlike” appearance that are often stuffed full of LEDs. These gaming PCs are well-suited to receiving upgrades and optimizations (several graphics cards, liquid cooling, etc.).

The gaming PC market is also driven by specialized retailers (Amazon, for example) as well as computer assembly companies such as Newegg, BestBuy. In addition to distributing PCs produced by major manufacturers, these companies offer PCs assembled from the individual hardware components that can be purchased by anybody. These assembled PCs are usually less expensive than those offered by PC manufacturers, but they are also less original in terms of their design.

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Best Budget and Cheap Gaming Laptop 2019 Comparison

We consider the price range of $500-$1000 and guide you in your quest of the perfect gaming laptop such that you get the best bang for your buck!

How to choose your perfect gaming laptop?

To cut a long story short, the perfect gaming laptop must have a powerful and modern GPU and a mediocre to high-end CPU and you are good to go. But these terms are vague and the necessities go beyond the raw computing hardware. The perfect companion for a gamer needs to be portable, ergonomic, equipped with a high resolution display and must have the best possible internal hardware for that budget.

If the price is nearer to a $1000, it is easy for you to get an Nvidia GTX 1050Ti or a GTX 1060 which are quite powerful for running games at 60 fps, at 1080p. For CPU you can start with an i5-7300HQ if you are on a budget or even an i5-7200U would be enough to prevent any CPU bottlenecks allowing you to make full use of your GPU and other accessories.

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Best Gaming Laptop under 600

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Serious gamers may laugh at the idea that they could get a competent gaming laptop under $600. It’s true that these budget-friendly computers may not be able to play the latest games on the highest setting, but they can’t deliver enough power for more casual gamers. If you enjoy older games or don’t care about the highest definition graphics, many laptops under $600 can be found.

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PlayStation Now vs. Xbox Game Pass vs. Switch Online: Which is the best video gaming service?

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Only a few years ago, the various console brands were competing against each other along the lines of exclusive features and technological performance. Dematerialized games and the internet have, to a certain extent, been responsible for modifying the habits of gamers and manufacturers alike. These days, manufacturers are attempting to set themselves apart by the services they offer, namely their online services. These online services make it possible to consult online catalogs before buying games, to purchase subscriptions, to take advantage of the benefits offered by online stores, and to participate in online communities. As far as gaming consoles are concerned (especially the living room variety), the main online services are those being offered by PlayStation, Microsoft, and Nintendo. While Nintendo has been rather reserved about its eShop, this is likely to change in 2018 with the arrival of Nintendo Switch Online.

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MSI GS65 Stealth Thin Review: a 15.6-inch gaming laptop

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MSI GS65 Stealth ThinSince the GS60 and GS70 were launched in early 2014, the GS lineup has been the perfect example of ultra thin gaming laptops.

With the GS65 Stealth Thin, MSI is exploring an idea that is quite overused in multimedia laptops, although it is actually quite new in gaming laptops because it reduces bezels as much as possible to get a smaller chassis. For example, this is what ASUS and Dell do with their ZenBook and XPS lineups, respectively.

The laptop is slightly different from the MSI GS63VR, which was the only 15.6-inch GS model so far. The MSI GS63VR also has an independent numeric keypad, which the GS65 lacks due to its small size.

Instead of the striking red details found on most gaming laptops, MSI has decided to go with a subtler design for the GS65. Although it has the typical black finish of the GS lineup, the GS55 also has elegant golden details on the exhaust vents, the hinges and the lid, which has a golden line around it and rocks the Gaming Series dragon logo in the same color.

Although MSI is using the word “thin” for the model’s name, it is actually not any thinner than the aforementioned GS63VR Stealth, which is 17.7 mm think (according to the manufacturer). Its weight is also very similar (both models weigh 1.8 kg, according to MSI).

The GS65’s biggest downside is that the chassis is not sturdy enough. Despite being made entirely of aluminum, it somewhat tends to bend under focused pressure, which happens both on the lid and the keyboard area.

It is worth mentioning that the camera is above the display and not below like in a lot of models with thin bezels like this one.

The laptop’s hinge system is the only part made of plastic and allows us to fold back the display 180º. The design keeps the display in its place while using the laptop as usual, but it cannot prevent the display from moving if we use the laptop in unstable places like moving buses or trains.

The GS65 is one of the first laptops to feature the new 6-core 8th-gen Coffee Lake processors (or 9th-gen if we take into account the Kaby Lake R), which are much better in terms of performance than the 7th-gen Kaby Lake processors.

The laptop has a 6-core Intel Core i7-8750H at 2.2 GHz, which scored twice as much as the old Core i7-7700HQ in the multi-core Cinebench R15 benchmark (over 1000 points). Such score means the laptop is able to perform advanced tasks in the most demanding ways.

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MSI GP73 Leopard 8RE-039XES Review: a 17.3-inch gaming laptop

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MSI GP73 Leopard 8RE-039XESWe are still talking about all the new MSI models, which is taking longer than I would like due to the amount of available information. Now it is time to talk about the MSI GP73 Leopard, a 17.3-inch gaming laptop that has a Coffee Lake processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or GTX 1060 GPU, placing it between the popular MSI GL73 and the great MSI GE73 Raider.

This new laptop is clearly based on the MSI GE73 Raider. Its external design has a black surface with an elegant brushed finish on both the keyboard area and the lid, while the bottom case and the screen bezels have a smooth finish.

Just like the GE73 Raider, the GP73 Leopard’s lid has a striking wavy finish with two oblique lines that frame the backlit Gaming Series logo. In contrast, the red lines on the lid are shorter than those found on the GE73 Raider’s lid.

The GP73 is relatively bulky. It is 32 mm thick, but it does not seem to greatly affect the laptop’s weight, which is quite light (2.7 kg) for its size.

MSI GP73 Leopard 8RE-039XESOn the right side, we can see the power jack, two USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-A ports and the SD/MMC card reader. On the left side, we find a wide range of ports, including another USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-A port, an RJ45 port, an HDMI port, a mini DisplayPort output, a USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C port, two independent audio and mic jacks, and a Kensington lock slot.

I am being told only the lid of the laptop would be made of aluminum, a material that does not seem to make the lid sturdier in this case because it will clearly bend under focused pressure. In contrast, the keyboard area feels more durable and sturdier despite being made of plastic.

The hinge design is so firm that it does not allow us to open the laptop with a single hand. The design keeps the display in its place while using the laptop as usual, but it cannot prevent the display from moving if we use the laptop in unstable places like moving buses or trains.

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Best Gaming Laptop under 800 dollars 2019

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While in the last posts we reviewed some top of the class gaming laptops, now we will consider some affordable options for the ones who are thinking about a laptop with modest portable gaming experience, however you don’t expect the highest frame rate, or the extreme graphic settings.

We decided to lower the price range from 1000 dollars down to 800 dollars, and find the best gaming laptop solution in this price range. Didn’t come as a shock finding that we have found there are tons of options in this price group, some even surprisingly good for the money you’ll spare.

In our manner, by dong a massive research and analysis, and limiting the playing range even more, we have managed to make a list of top five gaming laptops in the range of 800 dollars on the market momentarily. Although not looking as pretty as high end laptop, the performance of these laptops is surprisingly good, so they can freely be named “mid-high end”.

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