Modder Beats Sony To Making A PlayStation 5 Slim And It Looks Awesome

The PlayStation 5 is gigantic for a game console. There's no two ways about it; Sony's latest dedicated gaming system is a beast of a machine that occupies more space than a typical Mini-ITX custom PC. It's bigger than the Falcon Northwest Tiki we just reviewed, and that machine came with a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. Most of the space inside is taken up by two things, a huge block of copper that serves as a heatsink for the AMD-designed, TSMC-manufactured 180W SoC, and the awkwardly-shaped power supply. When you strip the system down to its motherboard (with attached components), it's actually strikingly...

2.5 Geeks: Small Form Factor PC Vs Mac Studio And A Killer Giveaway Announcement

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, Jun 16, 2022

Apple's Mac Studio is here and we've pitted it against Intel's powerful Dragon Canyon NUC small form factor PC. Which one is faster? What does power consumption look like? Join us as we talk PC vs Mac, along with AMD's recent Zen 4/5 and Radeon roadmap announcements, revisiting the Ryzen 6000 powered ASUS G14 laptop, and a HUGE announcement for an AWESOME GIVEAWAY... Show Notes: 10:36 - AMD Reveals RDNA 3 Chiplets, 3D V-Cache For Zen 4 And Phoenix Point Laptop Chips 17:01 - AMD Details Zen 4 EPYC CPU And CDNA 3 GPU Roadmaps With AI Engines Fueled By Xilinx 25:05 - Ryzen 6000 And ASUS ROG Zephyrus...

DJI Mini 3 Pro Review: A Great Compact Drone With Big Features

by Keith May - Thu, Jun 02, 2022

When we reviewed the DJI Mavic 3 last year, we came away impressed, and rightfully so, because it was a great product. The new DJI Mini 3 Pro we'll be showing you here today, however, has essentially redefined expectations for a sub-250g drone. Nothing was left untouched in the Mini 3 Pro and virtually every aspect has been upgraded. The DJI Mini Series has been catering to the entry-level consumer drone market for several years now. DJI continually innovates with the Mini series and regularly ups the ante at its targeted weight and price points. This particular drone segment is extremely...

Flying DJI's New Mini 3 Pro Drone: Better At Everything

by Paul Lilly - Fri, May 20, 2022

We've been getting some air time with DJI's recently announced Mini 3 Pro drone, an ultra lightweight flyer that dodges the need to register with the FAA by checking in at under 249 grams with the standard battery. The regulation-friendly drone, while small, boasts some big features that had us chomping (technically, champing) at the bit to take it for a test flight. We've now done that, so what do we think? Short and to the point, we're impressed with what all DJI was able to fit on board with a drone this size, which is about a third of the weight of the Mavic 3 we reviewed last November. The...

2.5 Geeks: Awesome Alder Lake Gaming PCs, PAX East 2022 And More

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, Apr 28, 2022

In our latest 2.5 Geeks livestream, we have a round-table chat that explores some great new Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake-based gaming PCs from Dell and Origin, Samsung's HOT new Alder Lake-powered Galaxy Book2 Pro 360, the Galaxy TabS8, as well as the sights, sounds and happenings at PAX East 2022... Show Notes: 04:55 Show Start, End Countdown 06:15 What's On Marco's Test Bench - 3090 Ti And More 08:50 What's On Dave's Test Bench - Alder Lake Mobile 09:46 What's Dave's Beer Of The Day? 10:50 Origin's Alder Lake Neuron Gaming PC And The Benefits Of Pre-Builts 18:24 Marco's Twisted Mind, Neuron Thermals...

2.5 Geeks: What's Up With Ryzen 7 5800X3D? ASUS Zephyrus M16, Galaxy Book2 And More

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, Apr 14, 2022

What was AMD thinking with its 3D V-Cache equipped Ryzen 7 5800X3D? A deep dive look at the svelte ASUS Zephyrus M16 Alder Lake-powered gaming laptop, the gorgeous Alienware 34" AW3423DW QD-OLED gaming monitor, and Samsung's Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 is next on the bench... Show Notes: 05:03 - Show Start 09:14 - AMD's Ryzen Spring Refresh 16:20 - ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 New For 2022 23:44 - Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 29:00 - Alienware 34" AW3423DW QD-OLED 36:44 - Ryzen 7 5800X3D Discussion...

Arc Discrete GPU Chat With Intel Fellow Tom Petersen – 2.5 Geeks

by Marco Chiappetta - Fri, Apr 01, 2022

Intel Graphics Innovation Fellow Tom "TAP" Petersen joined us on our most recent 2.5 Geeks live stream to discuss the company’s just-launched Arc mobile GPUs. TAP is offered up some great insights and lively discussion regarding all things Intel Arc discrete graphics, from performance and key differentiating features to the future of Arc and its market impact. Don’t miss this one! And don’t forget to like and subscribe to the channel... Show Notes: 06:26 - How Long Has Arc Been In The Works? 09:03 - TAP Looking Back On His Career 12:00 - Differentiating With Deep Link 15:03 -...

2.5 Geeks: Ryzen 6000 Zen 3+ Deep Dive With AMD's Robert Hallock

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, Mar 17, 2022

We recently had the opportunity to go live with AMD’s Director of Technical Marketing, Robert Hallock, to chat about the Ryzen 6000 series mobile processors and the intricacies of the laptop market. Our discussion, complete with some new revelations regarding the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, is posted below. If you liked this discussion, please hit YouTube and subscribe to our channel. This, and numerous additional interviews and video reviews are available there... Show Notes: 07:28 Introducing Robert Hallock 10:12 Zen3+ vs. Competitive Architectures 15:35 The Laptop Market Today 17:00 Specific Optimizations...

Join Us LIVE Wednesday For A Ryzen 6000 Chat With AMD Director Of Technical Marketing, Robert Hallock

by Paul Lilly - Tue, Mar 15, 2022

AMD is certainly busy these days with product launches at all ends of the spectrum, and we love to see it—competition is alive and well in the tech space. That also means there is plenty to talk about. Back in January, we sat for a chat with AMD Gaming Chief Frank Azor to discuss a plethora of topics from CES (be sure to check it out if you missed it), and now AMD's Director of Technical Marketing, Robert Hallock, is carving time out of his schedule to discuss with us the Ryzen 6000 series. Also known as Rembrandt, the Ryzen 6000 series of mobile CPUs represent the culmination of AMD's latest...

2.5 Geeks: Hot Tech Announcements From February And MWC Livestream

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, Mar 03, 2022

Join us as we recap the hottest headlines, reviews and unveilings from the past couple of weeks! Intel's Dragon Canyon NUC 12 Extreme, Ryzen 6000 mobile, the Alienware x14 with Alder Lake, the RedMagic 7 gaming phone, MWC unveilings like Qualcomm WiFi-7, Snapdragon-powered ThinkPads and more... Show Notes: 09:29 - Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 Harnesses AI Processing For Breakthrough 5G Experiences 18:07 - Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Delivers World's First Wi-Fi 7 Solution For Up To 5.8Gbps Throughput 26:46 - Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 Powered Lenovo ThinkPad X13s Rocks Big Battery Life And Performance Gains...

2.5 Geeks: Intel Alder Lake-H Laptops With RTX 3080 Ti, GeForce RTX 3050 And More!

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, Jan 27, 2022

In this latest episode of 2.5 Geeks we're diving deep into Intel's Alder Lake-H 12th Gen Core-powered laptop launch, along with NVIDIA’s powerful new GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU for the fastest gaming mobile gaming machines we've ever tested. We'll also be checking out NVIDIA's new, more affordable GeForce RTX 3050 and the performance it brings versus the competition... Show Notes: 03:46 – A Look At The Alienware x17 R2 04:17 – A Peek At The MSI GE76 Raider 07:04 – Radeon RX 6500 XT Review 07:31 – God Of War PC Performance Results 10:22 – Intel Alder Lake-H 12th...

Alienware x17 R2 Review: An Alder Lake-H And RTX 3080 Ti Gaming Battleship

by Dave Altavilla, Paul Lilly - Tue, Jan 25, 2022

For those of you who find joy in larger gaming laptop form factors, the recently unveiled Alienware x17 R2 is proof that your mobile battle station size preference has not been left behind. Better still, Dell has a found a way to maintain its larger display and keyboard form factor while making this the thinnest 17-inch Alienware laptop yet, and it doesn't come at the expense of CPU and GPU firepower or cutting-edge features. So, when the opportunity came to kick the tires on the new Alienware x17 R2, we pounced. Afterall, now also infused with Intel Alder Lake mobile CPU and beastly GeForce...

2.5 Geeks: Exploring PCIe 5 SSDs And Next-Gen Storage With Phison

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, Jan 20, 2022

PCI Express 5 is expected to usher in new found levels of solid state (SSD) storage performance for next-generation computing platforms, and Phison is at the forefront of the SSD controller technology that will enable it. Watch our live discussion with Phison's own Chris Ramseyer for a deeper dive on all of the revelations the company made at CES 2022... Show Notes: 06:05 - Introducing Chris From Phison 09:42 - More About Phison And Its Tech 12:40 - What Is Phison All About? 14:48 - How Will PCIe 5 Affect SSDs? 18:20 - Why Does Everyone Focus On Sequentials? 20:24 - SSD Benchmarks And DirectStorage...

Ryzen And Radeon CES 2022 Deep Dive With AMD Gaming Chief Frank Azor: 2.5 Geeks

by Marco Chiappetta - Wed, Jan 05, 2022

In this latest episode of our 2.5 Geeks webcast, we have a lively discussion with special guest Frank Azor regarding AMD's CES 2022 announcements. From Ryzen 6000 and 5800X3D to Radeon Super Resolution, Smart Shift Max, Smart Shift Eco, and much more... Show Notes: 06:10 - Introducing Frank Azor 07:23 - Post "CES" Keynote Comments 10:20 - The Arsenal AMD Brought To CES 17:33 - Ryzen 6000 Mobile Architecture Discussion 22:05 - Did AI Play A Role In Ryzen 6000 Design 24:03 - AMD Smart Shift Max And Smart Shift Eco 32:18 - How Smart Shift Max Handles Fan Speeds 34:57 - Will Ryzen 6000 Series Every...

Maingear CEO Patents Gaming PC Innovation That Dramatically Simplifies Cable Management

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, Dec 16, 2021

We recently became aware of Gigabyte's beautiful Aorus Project Stealth PC concept, with connectors and cable routing moved behind the motherboard deck, in what seemed to be a truly innovative gaming desktop design with better air flow and an easier build process. It appears, however, that Maingear patented the design 10 years ago and pitched a number of partner on it at the time. So, what gives? Was Maingear ripped off? And is this the new efficient and ultra-clean PC build of the future? Show Notes: 06:43 - Meeting Maingear's CEO, Wallace Santos 14:01 - Touring The Maingear Facility BITD (Link...

2.5 Geeks: Wi-Fi 6E Networking And Why You Should Care With Special Guests From Intel

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, Nov 11, 2021

Your home network is only as good as its weakest link. Let's explore new Wi-Fi 6E technology and what it enables, with some experts from Intel. Joining us this livestream are Eric McLaughlin Vice President, Client Computing Group, General Manager Wireless Solutions Group and Bob Grim, General Manager Of Killer Networking Products at Intel Corporation. Show Notes: 01:40 Introducing Eric & Bob From Intel 04:54 Eric Goes Full Italian For A Moment 07:14 Integrating Killer Networks Into Intel 09:54 How That Business Been? 12:36 How Did The Pandemic Affect The Wi-Fi Business? 15:57 “No, I Will...

DJI Mavic 3 Review: Did The Best Drone Get Even Better?

by Keith May - Tue, Nov 09, 2021

DJI's worst-kept secret has arrived. After months of extensive leaks, the new DJI Mavic 3 has landed (or taken off depending on your perspective). DJI has advanced its done line-up significantly since introducing the first Mavic Pro back in 2016. The Mavic Pro line, including the upgraded Mavic 2 Pro, have been workhorses for those in the aerial photography and videography fields, while the Mavic Air line targeted consumers who craved a quality drone with good camera chops, but didn't quite want to jump into prosumer territory. We mention DJI's previous-gen products here hoping to avoid some confusion....

AMD Unveils EPYC With 3D V-Cache, Beastly Dual-Die Instinct MI200 GPU For Massive HPC Workloads

by Paul Lilly - Mon, Nov 08, 2021

For chip companies, bigger profit margins can be found in the data center market, and that's often where we see new innovations manifest first before trickling into the consumer space. To wit, we know AMD is prepping a Zen 3 refresh with stacked 3D V-cache. While we patiently wait, AMD today also just introduced 3rd Gen EPYC processors with 3D V-cache. Combined with its also-new Instinct MI200 GPU accelerators, AMD claims to be arming data centers and high performance computing (HPC) customers with the arsenal they need for the exascale era. That's the theme of today's unveiling—the need...

Alienware X15 Gaming Laptop Review: A Svelte Stunner With Caveats

by Dave Altavilla - Thu, Oct 14, 2021

Thin and light gaming laptops are a bit of an enigma. They essentially aim to defy the laws of physics, eschewing size and thermal dissipation area in an effort to strike a more portable, stylish design while still maintaining respectable gaming chops. Let's face it, no one really likes the bulk and chunky demeanor of most high-end gaming laptops that are designed for all-out performance. It's a difficult, fine line to walk, but a worthy, noble one to develop a compelling, quality thin and light gaming laptop, and that's exactly what Dell went all-out for with the new Alienware X15. The new...

2.5 Geeks: Facebook Outage, Twitch Breached - Can We Trust Anyone With Our Data?

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, Oct 07, 2021

It's been a whirlwind week and it's not even over yet! Check out our lively discussion of the many trials and tribulations of Facebook, whistleblowers, Twitch data breaches and other Tech happenings like Far Cry 6's arrival, Intel's latest ad Trolling Apple, an Alienware X15 sneak peek and much more... Show Notes: 05:10 - Facebook Whistleblower Drops Bombshell And SEC Suit 28:49 - Facebook, Instagram And WhatsApp Go Down Hard 33:31 - Was Facebook's Outage Really An Accident, A Hack Or Sabotage? 43:28 - Twitch Source Code, Passwords, Creator Payouts, And More Leaked 57:24 - Intel Trolls Diehard...

2.5 Geeks: New Microsoft Surface Devices - What's HOT And What's NOT?

by Marco Chiappetta - Thu, Sep 23, 2021

During our latest 2.5 Geeks stream, we feature a quick breakdown analysis of Microsoft's newest Surface products, including the Surface Pro 8 2-in-1 convertible, Surface Duo 2 foldable Android device, the Surface Laptop Studio and more. Are they all that and a bag of DRAM? Do they check the right feature boxes? Let's discuss… Show Notes: 04:52 - Microsoft Surface Product Recap 05:26 - Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Discussion 13:05 - What The Heck Is the Surface Pro 7+? 13:36 - The All-New Surface Laptop Studio 20:33 - Are The 120Hz Displays Just A Gimmick? 23:55 - The Surface Duo 2 Foldable Android...

2.5 Geeks: Is Smartphone Innovation Dead? Samsung Vs Apple And More

by Marco Chiappetta - Fri, Sep 17, 2021

The Apple iPhone 13 has arrived! Samsung is flipping out over foldable phones. Is this true innovation or are we just recycling the same ideas over and over? Let's geek out and talk about it. Check out our latest episode of 2.5 Geeks and let us know your thoughts in the comments... Show Notes: 05:00 What's Currently In The Lab? 09:26 Alleged Alder Lake-S Series Benchmarks Leak 13:55 Intel Core i5-12600K Alder Lake Benchmarked With DDR5-6400 Memory 16:15 Intel Z690 Alder Lake Chipset Specs Detailed 18:14 AMD Denies Favoring Miners Over Gamers For Radeon Cards 22:29 Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 Review...