One Minute Tech Reviews

Author Archives: Louie Tran

Apple MacBook Pro 16 Radeon 5500 8GB Bootcamp Gaming Performance vs MSI GS65 Gaming Laptop + eGPU

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How well does the MacBook Pro 16 inch perform? How does it compare to a gaming laptop? How much does an eGPU improve gaming performance? This is where we find out!

I’m borrowing a friend’s MacBook Pro 16 with 5500m 8GB and I don’t know if I am impressed or surprised at the gaming performance because I had low expectations.

I tried out Overwatch, Nier Automata, and Tomb Raider all in using the bootcampdrivers.com Adrenaline RED version, and am easily getting 45-60+ fps on High Settings on a 3440×1440 100hz display (using TAA or AA OFF). The detail on Nier and Tomb Raider unfortunately isn’t as good as it is on my GS65 with an RTX 2060 card but I believe that’s mainly because those games were optimized for the NVIDIA graphics cards and there is a bit of tearing but the games are definitely more than playable and better than what you can get from a console. Overwatch on the other hand, just flies in ultra. I understand most people play games in 1920 x 1080 resolution so I included benchmark scores on that as well.

Also the system runs really hot even with Turboboost turned off and being undervolted so the fans will be on the whole time when playing a game. Not too different from any other laptop so it would be a good idea to have this on a cooling pad because the temps get up into the 90s easily.

As for if this is worth it as a gaming laptop, definitely not. At the configuration of an i9, 32GB, 2TB and Radeon 5500 8GB, you can buy 2 Razer Blade 15s and they will be way better for gaming. But as a high end Mac that can edit complicated 4K videos with ease in Final Cut Pro, and function as a mid-tier gaming laptop, it’s something to think about.

Things to consider…

  • If you want a pretty laptop for gaming, get a Razer Blade
  • if you want the best PC gaming experience, build a PC or get a high end gaming laptop if you want to go mobile
  • If you want a Mac to do productivity work, love sending iMessages from laptop and want to game on the side… get a MacBook Air and build yourself a kickass gaming PC… or get a MacBook Air and a Razer Blade 15 and use the leftover money for games on Steam
  • If you want want a Mac to do productivity work, are one of those types that wear a tin foil hat thinking PCs will get viruses because you clicked on a link that you thought was porn, get a MacBook Air or the Base Model MacBook Pro and every console out there and it will still come out less…
  • If you need laptop for Mac software that squeezes out every bit of hardware (whether you are a pro, hobbyist, or enthusiast), and like the idea of being able to play PC games all in one device… this MacBook Pro is for you.
  • If you have a lot of money, want the absolute best, are a geek that wants to run PC games on a Mac just to say that you did… a spec’d out MacBook Pro 16 is definitely for you. And while you’re at it, build a kickass gaming PC, buy every console out there, gaming laptop, Tesla, camera, and all those toys that your favorite influencer has, and pat yourself on the back because you made it in life! Congratulations!


Three Minute Morning and First Drone Flight with DJI Mavic Mini

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This is the first video I’ve shot and edited in ages. Just picked up the DJI Mavic Mini and flew it for the first time. In face there are many things I haven’t done in awhile and flying a drone is also one of them. Last drone I had was a Phantom 4 which I sold sin 2017 before I moved to Austin. Hope to get back into editing videos again.

Non drone footage taken on Sony A7III with Tamron 28-75 lens.


Goodbye A6300 and 4 ASP-C lenses… Hello Sony A7III with Tamron 28-75 F2.8 Lens Full Frame

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sony a7iii

Happy New Year!

I wasn’t expecting to pickup any gear this early on of 2020, but I have been eyeing the Sony A7III ever since it came out in 2018. I’ve been rocking the A6300 with a handful of prime lenses and loved that camera. However, after borrowing a friends A7III, I’ve been amazed with and wanted one since. I figured I’d just wait for the A7IV to eventually come out but who knows when that might happen and the A7RIV is just simply overkill for my needs.

Yesterday, I sold my A6300 camera and 4 lenses and picked up with A7III with Tamron 28-75 F2.8 lens at my local camera store for a great deal. Sure it was a little impulsive and there is a chance that the A7IV could come out this year but I doubt that it would be leaps and bounds over this one. Like a kid on Christmas I ran home took it out of the box, put the battery in, popped on the lens and did the initial setup and then… 1% battery life left. I took a hasty quick photo of the closes thing around me of course it happened to be my cat Lilly.

cat

I was pretty amazed at the quality, and even though I have borrowed this camera a few times, it feels different when I now actually own it. The Tamron lens is awesome. I think it is the only lens I will ever need but there’s a chance that I MIGHT pickup a 35mm or 50mm full frame prime in the near future.

basil

No regrets whatsoever in selling my ASP-C camera and lens and I look forward to taking awesome photos this year… and maybe get back to doing YouTube videos again!


What’s On My Desk Winter 2019

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Some changes since my last post in the summer as I added a monitor arm as well as a floating laptop stand!

  • MSI GS65 9SE – currently my main rig for work and gaming.  This thing is an absolute beast and can handle all the new games you throw at it. My Macbook Pro 13 inch is now assigned to being a travel laptop and Final Cut Pro machine.
  • Monoprice Zero G Curved Gaming Monitor UWQHD 100hz – I finally replaced my aging 32 inch display and went with an Ultrawide. I’ve been using 60hz for the longest time and 100hz is incredible lol
  • NB North Bayou Monitor Desk Mount Stand Swivel Arm Gas Spring – This thing is a game changer. I’m able to adjust my display however I want. I love it. Buy it!
  • EZM Notebook Arm Extension Desk Mount Stand – This is great too as t also frees up some space on my desk. Plus being able to adjust the height makes using it as a second screen a lot better too!
  • Sony SRSHG1 HearGo Bluetooth Speaker – Small but mighty. It can connect USB, bluetooth 3.5, Wifi, Google Cast… you name it. This thing is amazing and sounds great
  • Logitech MX Keys – Replaced my Steelseries Apex 7 keyboard and went back to a wireless setup. This keyboard, although not as clicky as a mechanical keyboard works pretty great
  • Logitech MX Master 2S Wireless Mouse – Kind of tempted into upgrading to the MX Master 3 for the USB-C but other than that, it’s not that much of a difference from what I hear. I have this at my desk and an MX Anywhere 2s in my laptop bag
  • Xbox One Controller (White) – for gaming. I sometimes use the PS4 controller for PSP emulated games
  • Razer Nari Headphones – Picked these up when they were on sale. Sound quality is excellent especially when playing FPS games like Overwatch or Modern Warfare 2019. I’ve also screamed and jumped sevral times playing Resident Evil 2!
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max 256GB – Didn’t think I was going to upgrade this year but I was sold on the low light capabilities of this phone and I sold my Sony RX100 V but still keeing the Sony a6300 (camera that took this photo). iPhone 11 Pro Max is still paired with my Apple Watch Series 4 smartwatch

One Minute Review – Apple AirPods Pro

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airpods pro

One Minute Review

Like:

  • Stupid easy pairing with any Apple device such as iPhone, iPad, MacBooks, iMac, Apple Watch, yes the whole Apple Line thanks to the H1 Chip
  • Very impressed with the sound quality for music and phone calls – has nice clarity, bass and treble
  • 4.5 hours of listening time and 3.5 hours of talk time on a single charge. Battery case can charge the AirPods quickly to get you extra useage
  • Fits well in my ears thanks to the silicone tips – the OG AirPods kept falling off my ears. I can run and work out with these
  • Small, compact wireless charging case, unlike the PowerBeats Pro – these can easily fir in your pocket
  • Noise cancellation and transparency modes are welcome additions and they work pretty well
  • IPX4 rated water and sweat resistant

Don’t Like:

  • After 12-18 months, AirPods don’t hold their charge that well anymore
  • Apple’s battery replacement service is $49 an earbud… people will end up throwing these away contradicting Apple’s environmental values

Recommend?

  • YES if you are looking for a good overall pair of earbuds with noise cancellation features
  • YES if you are using this with your Apple devices
  • NO if you want Bose / Sony headphone quality noise cancellation

 


What’s Your Every Day Carry (EDC)?

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every day carry

I was working on my quick review of the AirPods Pro and was going to take a few photos of it. Ended up emptying my pockets and took an opportunity to take this shot using my Sony A6300 which has been collecting dust since I’ve been taking almost all my photos with the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

I don’t really carry that much stuff and this is basically everything you see here except for my driver’s license. What’s your EDC?

 

One Minute Review – Razer Blade Stealth 2019 (Late 2019) with NVIDIA GTX 1650

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One Minute Review Version

Specs:

  • 13-inch FHD (1080) Matte Display, 4K touch screen option available
  • Intel Core i7 – 1065G7 10th Gen Ice Lake
  • NVIDIA GTX 1650 Max Q 4GB GDDR5
  • 16GB LPDDR4 3733 Mhz RAM (Not Upgradeable)
  • 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD Samsung PM981 (Upgradeable)
  • Ports: 1 USB-C, 1 Thunderbolt / USB-C, 2 USB 3.1 Type A
  • Weight 3.26 lbs / 1.48 kg

Like:

  • Excellent build quality
  • Track Pad is on par with the Apple’s MacBook Pro
  • Fast overall performance
  • Runs cool and quiet
  • Windows Hello face unlock works great
  • USB A ports are always appreciated, this has 2!
  • Can handle just about any AAA title in a 13-inch form factor – Shadow of Tomb Raider and Modern Warfare 2019? No problem!
  • Good, bright and easy to read screen
  • Good battery life for productivity
  • Built in speakers sound good, although not as good as the MacBook Pro 13.
  • Decent keyboard, except for the misplaced Right Shift Key
  • Hard drive and WiFi card are upgradeable
  • Great for plane rides, gaming on the go, and a good overall productivity / work laptop
  • No ugly green glowing snake logo – great for working adults!
  • Almost no compromise portable solution

Don’t Like:

  • Screen is at 60hz – for a gaming laptop at this price it should at least be over 100hz
  • Right Shift Key will infuriate you. May not seem like a big deal until you type out a question. Trust me, you will freak out. Thankfully you can re-assign the key in Synapse
  • MSRP is $1799. Let that sink in.
  • Not a negative but I would like to see a 32GB RAM option!
  • Razer’s customer service is NOTORIOUS for being terrible, I recommend you buying this at a retailer with a good extended warranty

Recommend?

  • Yes if you want a good looking laptop with excellent build quality that can play games in a 13 inch form factor
  • Yes if you want a good overall laptop with a GTX 1650 graphics card and price is not an issue for you
  • NO if you are looking at overall value! You can get a better laptop for less
  • NO because you are happy playing with your Nintendo Switch on the go and can leave your PC games at home!
  • NO because the next generation will have an RTX based graphics card and faster refresh rate


 

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One Minute Review – iPhone 11 Pro Max (3 Months)

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One Minute Review Version

Like

  • Night Mode feature is excellent
  • Great video recording quality and the video image stabilization is excellent
  • Big improvement on battery life
  • Bright, easy to read screen
  • Overall a great reliable phone that checks all the important boxes
  • It’s an iPhone XS Max with a better camera 😄

Don’t Like

  • No Native RAW settings – it’s a PRO Phone! Why not?
  • Still connects at USB 2.0 in 2019
  • ProMotion 120hz display would be nice
  • Everything that’s missing will most likely be on the next gen iPhone in 2020
  • Siri is still meh
  • It’s an iPhone XS Max with a better camera 😒

Recommend?

  • Yes if coming from anything older than an iPhone XS Max
  • Yes if Night Mode and Wide Angle photos is important to you if you have the XS Max
  • No if iPhone and iOS is not your thing (duh)
  • No because you are the practical type and can get just about all the same features from the cheaper iPhone 11

Need more details?

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Monoprice 35in Zero-G Curved Gaming Monitor – 3440x1440p, UWQHD Review

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When I was offered a chance to do an honest review of Monoprice’s 35in Zero-G Curved Gaming Monitor I immediately said “YES!” They have been coming out with impressive displays and the timing was perfect since I recently sold off my Xbox One X and re-joined the PC Master Race after a half decade hiatus.

The Monoprice 35 inch gaming display is an ultra widescreen display at 3440×1440 resolution at 100hz with a 21:9 ratio. Right out of the box it was very easy to setup. I was quite surprised on how light this was when I was unpacking it. You can easily use the included stand or you can VESA mount on a wall or use a display arm. My one gripe that I have with the included stand is that you can’t adjust the height. In fact you can barely just tilt the screen up or down. If you are looking for more flexibility then you need to buy a third party VESA stand or arm. The monitor has 2 HDMI port and a display port and a 3.5 audio out. No USB-C or USB-A connectivity here which would have been nice. What I did notice though as that it has a set of red lights in the back as part of its aesthetic which looks really cool if you are into that kind of thing. Personally, I don’t really care.. what I do care about is performance and that’s where this monitor shines especially at this price point.

Since this is a gaming monitor, I of course connected my gaming PC which Windows 10 automatically detected the hardware, resolution and hertz. At 3440×1440 or 2K, it likes pretty amazing. Not exactly edge to edge but the bezels were thin enough to where it can be appreciated. The display was very responsive within Windows and being able to have multiple spreadsheets on an ultrawide was game changing. Websites, videos, and photos looked great and I just loved working on this thing all day. But you’re not really buying this for work aren’t you? I fired up Doom 2016 and set the game to the ultrawide ratio and it was one hell of an experience. I am upgrading from a 60hz display so I am absolutely appreciating the faster frame rate. Keep in mind that not all games natively support the 21:9 ratio so you will have black bars like Paladins but just about every modern title did take advantage of that 100hz which was just really smooth. When I had this connected to my MacBook Pro 2018, working with Final Cut Pro as well as other productivity software was really smooth. If you want take advantage of that 100hz on a Mac, make sure you have this connected through the display port or an adapter that supports HDMI 2.0.

Yes there are gaming laptops with the same resolution at 144hz but if you try finding one at 35-inches, they go for $650 and up. I say that this rivals the Alienware 1900 which goes for about $1000. Now compare that with the specs of the Monoprice display at you are looking at about a $600 price difference. The Monoprice 35in Zero G Curved Gaming Monitor is such a great value for it’s price, performance and display quality. Also keep in mind that Monoprice includes a 1 Year PixelPerfect Warranty so if you find a single dead pixel, they will take care of you.

Even though it’s not perfect with some shortcomings such as the lack of USB-C connectivity and very basic stand, I can confidently recommend this display for its performance, display quality and value.er whether you would recommend this product and what you like or dislike about it.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5


 

What’s On My Desk Summer 2019

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Been awhile since I’ve done one of these. I normally have a MacBook Pro 13 2018 on my desk but I just recently got back into PC gaming and also sold my Xbox One X a few days ago. I’m still keeping the Sony PS4 Pro and Nintendo Switch for exclusives though. So here’s what’s on my desk!

  • MSI GS65 9SE – currently my main rig for work and gaming.  This thing is an absolute beast and can handle all the new games you throw at it. My Macbook Pro 13 inch is now assigned to being a travel laptop and Final Cut Pro machine.
  • HP Envy 32 – 32 inch display 2560×1440 resolution. I think I’ve had this for about 5 years
  • Sony SRSHG1 HearGo Bluetooth Speaker – Small but mighty. It can connect USB, bluetooth 3.5, Wifi, Google Cast… you name it. This thing is amazing and sounds great
  • SteelSeries Apex 7 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – This is the best keyboard I have ever typed on. No joke. I don’t even care about the gimmicky lights!
  • Logitech MX Master 2S Wireless Mouse – I finally upgrade from an old Logitech M510 and the difference is night and day. Love how comfortable it feels to use and the horizontal scroll wheel is a game changer for working on spreadhseets. I have this at my desk and an MX Anywhere 2s in my laptop bag
  • Xbox One Controller (White) – for gaming. I sometimes use the PS4 controller for PSP emulated games
  • Sony RX100 Mark V Digital Camera – I just recently upgraded from the Sony RX100 III earlier this year and I’ve taken that across six continents. I am planning on taking this camera to 7 in a year or two. This camera is amazing to carry around on trips especially when you want to take better quality photos than your smartphone.
  • iPhone XS Max 256GB Space Gray – Trusty iPhone that goes everywhere with me. It’s a smartphone that does it’s job and does it reliably. Running the developer version of iOS13 and it paired with my Apple Watch Series 4 smartwatch