Before people start judging me, let me tell you why I'm doing this. Apple fans don't realize that they're getting ripped off. They think that since it's Apple, then it must be better. If you have one of those friends, send them here, and this is all the proof that you will ever need to shut that person up for good. Although I will admit that their OS is not bad (but that's what hackintosh's are for).
So lets start off with the CPU. The heart of the computer is an Intel Core i5-4570R. I will compare this to the more popular i5-3570K. There are differences between the two though. The 4570R clocks in at 2.7GHz (with a Turbo Boost of 3.2 GHz), compared to the 3570K 3.4GHz (with a Turbo Boost of 3.8GHz). Quite the difference between the two. The only mac that offers the same performance as the 3570K (and it might actually be the 3570K) is their most expensive model. But we'll get to that later.
Next we have the RAM. Standard 8GB (2x4GB) of 1600MHz DDR3. You are able to upgrade this RAM, but it is not user-accessible. Which means that if you want to upgrade your RAM, not only do you need to pay for the RAM, but for someone to actually install it for you. Sigh...
Next would be the hard drive. It holds 1TB of storage, and operates at 5400 rpm. Nothing really to complain about here. I do wish that an SSD was standard, but it's not the end of the world.
Next would be the graphics card. Now the basic model has Intel Iris Pro graphics. So Apple's basic model doesn't even have a graphics card. However, if you were to upgrade, the next in line would be the NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory.
The webcam is a nice one however. It can support a resolution of 2560x1600. A little overkill if you ask me. Personally, I think anything over 1920x1080 for a webcam resolution is just way over the top.
Then the iMac has it's speakers, dual microphones, a headphone port, four USB 3 ports, mini DisplayPort, Ethernet, wireless keyboard, magic mouse, Bluetooth 4.0, and OS X Mountain Lion.
Now with all these features, at a $1299 price point, it may seem worth it to most consumers. That is, until you get down to the price of each component individually.
Sadly, I can't find a price point for the standard processor, so we'll go off the the most expensive model they have, since I can base that off of the 3570K.
All prices will be form newegg.com and all sales will be negated.
Product | Price
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
i5-3570K | $219.99
Team Xtreem Dark Series Ram | $69.99
WD Blue 1TB 7200 rpm | $69.99
EVGA GTX 760 | $249.99
Asus Sabertooth Z77 | $219.99
Logitech CD C920 | $99.99
USB Desktop Mic | $30.37
Logitech MK520 Combo | $59.99
Linksys USB 3.0 Wireless AC Adapter | $79.99
Intel PCI-E Bluetooth 4.0 | $18.99
QNIX QX2710 2560x1440 | $414.99
Logitech S120 Speakers | $14.99
Cooler Master Elite 430 Case | $54.99
Corsair HX850 PSU | $189.99
Grand Total = $1794.24
2013 iMac Equivalent = $1999
Now this is a BEAST of a machine. I know I picked a better video card than the iMac, but I wanted to prove a point that you can build a better machine, for cheaper. Another thing to mention, with the PC, you can upgrade anything at anytime. Instead of buying a while new computer, you can simply buy one part and replace the old one.
So Apple fans, what do you think now? Again, I'm not making fun of the operating system. If you really want OS X, then you can build the machine I just listed and build a Hackintosh. That way, you'll still be respected in the PC world.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 Review
I just bought the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 for $89.99 CAD (on sale), and I must say I am very impressed by it already. I purchased it as my main camera that I am going to record with when I do my hardware reviews and unboxing videos of new products.
On the back of the box, Logitech claims to be able to record in full 1080p, and it sure does look like 1080p quality. Of course, software must be downloaded on Logitech's website in order for you to use this camera, but it's an easy process and is definitely worth it.
On both sides of the camera are mics. Yes, there are two mics. That doesn't necessarily mean they're the best quality microphones. But, if you don't actually own any other mic, or headset, the mics on the camera will do just fine. Just don't expect to have crystal clear sound.
Apart from the video quality, one of the best features of this camera is the H.264 compression that comes with the Logitech software. So even through long recording sessions, the software will keep the file to a relatively minimal size.
The software itself is easy to use and to the point. But, I recommend not using the auto focus or any automatic settings for that matter. If you move around while you're recording, the camera will constantly make little adjustments, which will make your recordings slightly annoying for your viewers. When you go into the advanced settings (it's really not that advanced), you can change the exposure, gain, brightness, contrast, color intensity, white balance, and, focus. These are all fairly easy changes, and if you're confused, Google is a wonderful tool.
The front glass, is very fingerprint prone. So try not to touch it when you're adjusting the camera. Just grab on to the mics on the side, and adjust it that way. However, a lint-free polishing cloth will do wonders.
The camera has a Z shaped clip, that doesn't feel cheap and easily fits on top of your computer monitor. You can also attach a tripod on the bottom of it if you prefer that. But, there's no need to go and buy an extra one. The camera is very stable on top of my monitor, and I am very excited to start using it.
Overall, I am happy with my purchase, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have a very good quality webcam.
Here's a video review of the product.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Steam OS.
For those who don't know (either you live in a hole, or you don't go on the internet that often), the SteamOS has been announced along with a couple other surprises.
The SteamOS is a Linux based operating system, which is no surprise, as Gabe Newell said that Linux is the future of gaming. I think this was a great choice to base it off linux, because Windows kinda screwed over gaming company's with Windows 8. There's been a lot of compatibility issues and since Windows has changed their focus to touch screens, gaming just isn't ready for touch screen gaming (and it probably never will be). The only real problem, is that Linux isn't very "beginner friendly." People get intimidated by the fact that Linux is basically based off of the terminal. But there are certain "distros" of Linux that are more user friendly. Personally, I use Ubuntu (which is like Windows) whenever I use Linux and I use Cinnamon as my distro. A distro is basically a theme or layout for your desktop. There are many distros, so have a look around and find the one that you personally enjoy.
Anyway, back at the task at hand, Valve is now coming out with their own operating system. They're also creating the SteamBox and are going to send some lucky volunteers a beta version and have it already installed with SteamOS. Valve's goal is to eliminate the console by releasing PCs that you can put in your living room. That's right, just a Micro-ATX case (most likely) with everything a computer can possibly have.
With SteamOS, you can obviously assume that Steam will be on it by default. But what does that mean for other digital game distributors like origin, or GOG.com? Well, that's left to be decided. Valve is definitely making a push forward with their operating system, and I personally think it'll mean the downfall to some of these distributors. If Valve stops supporting Windows (highly unlikely) and only makes itself available to SteamOS, how much of the population of gamers are going to switch over? A majority of gamers, that's for sure. Personally, I would too, however, I would most likely run my system with a duel boot, or, if possible, run either Windows or SteamOS through a virtual machine.
So what exactly does SteamOS offer? Well for starters, games. Obviously right? But Valve is obviously going to implement some new features as well. They will offer In-home streaming. So if your SteamOS machine is in the living room (that's what they're hoping for), and you want to play your computer games, no problem. SteamOS is able to stream your game from your PC to your SteamOS. Which is a very cool feature, exactly like the Nvidia Shield. But exactly how much bandwidth would this use? Streaming 1080p isn't easy on your router and the consumer would need a wireless n or ac router in order to not produce any lag. Unless of course they are hard wired. But still, like myself, many consumers have limited bandwidth per month, and this could also be an issue to most consumers.
SteamOS and Valve are also working on media services. If you create an operating system, but can't offer any media services, you're going to have a rough time trying to pitch your product. But thankfully, Valve is smart, and is making media like music, tv, and movies possible on SteamOS. If they could get Netflix on their OS natively, that would appeal to the majority of consumers who watch Netflix, as it's increasing in popularity.
Something that I find really interesting is their introduction to Family Sharing. SteamOS and Steam itself, is coming out with the family sharing concept, which is people in your "family" can share games with each other. For example, if I bought a game, but my brother wanted to play on his computer on his account. No problem. He'll even have his own saves and achievements. But from what I hear, if my brother, or someone else, is playing my game, I can't play any game at all unless I want to kick the person playing my game out. Now the reason why family is in quotations is because, if your family is like mine, I'm the only person who actually does PC gaming. So no one else in my family has Steam. But what if I did it with friends and gave them access instead? I don't think Valve would really care, because that's what they want right? For people to share their games. Either way, I think it's a great concept and something that I'm really looking forward to.
With that said, there are also family options. So if a mature adult buys GTA but doesn't want his 10 year old to play as due to family sharing, no problem, with family options, you can choose which games you want to hide from the rest of your family. That way, 10 year old Jimmy doesn't kill cops and beat up random prostitutes on the street (virtually of course).
As I said before, with this new SteamOS, they also want to make a console related "box". They want to kill the console by getting into the console market themselves. You can sign up for a chance to receive a beta SteamBox here. All you need to do is join that group and do the required steps to sign up for the beta. If one of my readers gets in, please let me know, because I would love to know the specs of it and how it works.
From what I think, this SteamBox is completely upgradeable. Since it will be a micro-ATX computer, everything from the graphics card to the RAM will be upgradeable. This also means, instead of buying a pre-made SteamBox, you can make your own, as long as you download the SteamOS (it's free since it's linux based!) and install that on your hard drive.
And the last thing that Valve announced was their controller for the living room SteamBox. Here's a picture of it.
Notice that there are no analog sticks? That's because they're replaced with two track pads, a bold move by Valve. I don't know how I feel about having track pads instead of analog sticks. That may be because I'm so used to seeing analog sticks with controllers, that this concept just doesn't stick to me, but I am very interested on how their going to implement this controller with all their steam games. They claim that EVERY STEAM GAME is playable on this controller. They even specify RTS games. I'm sorry, but I don't see how someone can play DotA 2 on this controller. Valve says, that the controller is not required to play their games and they will not ditch the mouse and keyboard. This is just an option for people who prefer controllers or are playing games that are better on the controller then a mouse and keyboard. The controller also features a touch pad in the middle that can be swiped left or right to change the option on the screen. For example, there could be quick save on one screen and a quick load on the other, to access the other button, all you need to do is swipe left or right. The touch screen and both track pads are also pressable and can act as buttons (just like R3 and L3 for Playstation). I like this feature, I just hope the touch screen doesn't get dirty easily. Lastly, there are four buttons on the front, four on top, and two in the back. I don't like how the X and Y buttons are placed on the left side of the controller, because then if I'm playing some sort of FPS, I might need to stop moving entirely to reload my weapon. The controller is also fully customizable and you could actually take the entire thing apart, make adjustments and put it back together. In fact, Valve encourage it and want to see what people can come up with.
Overall, I am very excited to see what Valve has in store for us. If I receive a beta SteamBox, I know the first thing I'm going to do is take it apart and see what's inside it. Anyway, that's all I have about Valve and their SteamOS. If you want to check out more, you can here.
Stay frosty.
The SteamOS is a Linux based operating system, which is no surprise, as Gabe Newell said that Linux is the future of gaming. I think this was a great choice to base it off linux, because Windows kinda screwed over gaming company's with Windows 8. There's been a lot of compatibility issues and since Windows has changed their focus to touch screens, gaming just isn't ready for touch screen gaming (and it probably never will be). The only real problem, is that Linux isn't very "beginner friendly." People get intimidated by the fact that Linux is basically based off of the terminal. But there are certain "distros" of Linux that are more user friendly. Personally, I use Ubuntu (which is like Windows) whenever I use Linux and I use Cinnamon as my distro. A distro is basically a theme or layout for your desktop. There are many distros, so have a look around and find the one that you personally enjoy.
Anyway, back at the task at hand, Valve is now coming out with their own operating system. They're also creating the SteamBox and are going to send some lucky volunteers a beta version and have it already installed with SteamOS. Valve's goal is to eliminate the console by releasing PCs that you can put in your living room. That's right, just a Micro-ATX case (most likely) with everything a computer can possibly have.
With SteamOS, you can obviously assume that Steam will be on it by default. But what does that mean for other digital game distributors like origin, or GOG.com? Well, that's left to be decided. Valve is definitely making a push forward with their operating system, and I personally think it'll mean the downfall to some of these distributors. If Valve stops supporting Windows (highly unlikely) and only makes itself available to SteamOS, how much of the population of gamers are going to switch over? A majority of gamers, that's for sure. Personally, I would too, however, I would most likely run my system with a duel boot, or, if possible, run either Windows or SteamOS through a virtual machine.
So what exactly does SteamOS offer? Well for starters, games. Obviously right? But Valve is obviously going to implement some new features as well. They will offer In-home streaming. So if your SteamOS machine is in the living room (that's what they're hoping for), and you want to play your computer games, no problem. SteamOS is able to stream your game from your PC to your SteamOS. Which is a very cool feature, exactly like the Nvidia Shield. But exactly how much bandwidth would this use? Streaming 1080p isn't easy on your router and the consumer would need a wireless n or ac router in order to not produce any lag. Unless of course they are hard wired. But still, like myself, many consumers have limited bandwidth per month, and this could also be an issue to most consumers.
SteamOS and Valve are also working on media services. If you create an operating system, but can't offer any media services, you're going to have a rough time trying to pitch your product. But thankfully, Valve is smart, and is making media like music, tv, and movies possible on SteamOS. If they could get Netflix on their OS natively, that would appeal to the majority of consumers who watch Netflix, as it's increasing in popularity.
Something that I find really interesting is their introduction to Family Sharing. SteamOS and Steam itself, is coming out with the family sharing concept, which is people in your "family" can share games with each other. For example, if I bought a game, but my brother wanted to play on his computer on his account. No problem. He'll even have his own saves and achievements. But from what I hear, if my brother, or someone else, is playing my game, I can't play any game at all unless I want to kick the person playing my game out. Now the reason why family is in quotations is because, if your family is like mine, I'm the only person who actually does PC gaming. So no one else in my family has Steam. But what if I did it with friends and gave them access instead? I don't think Valve would really care, because that's what they want right? For people to share their games. Either way, I think it's a great concept and something that I'm really looking forward to.
With that said, there are also family options. So if a mature adult buys GTA but doesn't want his 10 year old to play as due to family sharing, no problem, with family options, you can choose which games you want to hide from the rest of your family. That way, 10 year old Jimmy doesn't kill cops and beat up random prostitutes on the street (virtually of course).
As I said before, with this new SteamOS, they also want to make a console related "box". They want to kill the console by getting into the console market themselves. You can sign up for a chance to receive a beta SteamBox here. All you need to do is join that group and do the required steps to sign up for the beta. If one of my readers gets in, please let me know, because I would love to know the specs of it and how it works.
From what I think, this SteamBox is completely upgradeable. Since it will be a micro-ATX computer, everything from the graphics card to the RAM will be upgradeable. This also means, instead of buying a pre-made SteamBox, you can make your own, as long as you download the SteamOS (it's free since it's linux based!) and install that on your hard drive.
And the last thing that Valve announced was their controller for the living room SteamBox. Here's a picture of it.
Notice that there are no analog sticks? That's because they're replaced with two track pads, a bold move by Valve. I don't know how I feel about having track pads instead of analog sticks. That may be because I'm so used to seeing analog sticks with controllers, that this concept just doesn't stick to me, but I am very interested on how their going to implement this controller with all their steam games. They claim that EVERY STEAM GAME is playable on this controller. They even specify RTS games. I'm sorry, but I don't see how someone can play DotA 2 on this controller. Valve says, that the controller is not required to play their games and they will not ditch the mouse and keyboard. This is just an option for people who prefer controllers or are playing games that are better on the controller then a mouse and keyboard. The controller also features a touch pad in the middle that can be swiped left or right to change the option on the screen. For example, there could be quick save on one screen and a quick load on the other, to access the other button, all you need to do is swipe left or right. The touch screen and both track pads are also pressable and can act as buttons (just like R3 and L3 for Playstation). I like this feature, I just hope the touch screen doesn't get dirty easily. Lastly, there are four buttons on the front, four on top, and two in the back. I don't like how the X and Y buttons are placed on the left side of the controller, because then if I'm playing some sort of FPS, I might need to stop moving entirely to reload my weapon. The controller is also fully customizable and you could actually take the entire thing apart, make adjustments and put it back together. In fact, Valve encourage it and want to see what people can come up with.
Overall, I am very excited to see what Valve has in store for us. If I receive a beta SteamBox, I know the first thing I'm going to do is take it apart and see what's inside it. Anyway, that's all I have about Valve and their SteamOS. If you want to check out more, you can here.
Stay frosty.
Friday, September 27, 2013
A Little About Me.
Hello everyone!
Before I dive into what I plan to do, I figured I will tell a little bit about myself. If you're interested in my content, chances are you will want to know who I am.
My name is Daniel Moy. I'm a student studying Software Engineering at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Ever since I was a kid, I've always had a passion for video games, and I spend most of my free time doing just that. What my favourite game you ask? (Did you see the "u" in favourite? Yes, I'm Canadian.) Probably Crash Team Racing for PSX. I never had a N64, so I never really got to play Mario Kart very much, but Crash Team Racing was the next best thing. I still play that game to this day with friends and family, and I personally think it's better than Mario Kart (maybe because I'm so used to it).
From video games, I made my transfer to PC about last year. Computers are my new passion. I built my first one last year, and have not stopped fiddling with it. I constantly move it around the room, add new hardware, and even clean it, just so I have an excuse to open my computer. It's crazy how I went from an average computer user with probably above average understanding of computers, to this computer geek who can't get enough of them! But I won't lie, I don't know everything about computers or their hardware, but I know probably more than the average user, and enough to keep the computer geek inside you happy. But if I get anything wrong, feel free to correct me or add something that you think I missed. I'm always willing to hear from people and love learning.
So enough about me for now, you're probably wondering what you're going to get out of this blog. Well, I'm just starting it and I have some ideas in my head, but nothing is set in stone. What I plan to do is have a hardware review blog, maybe some game or software reviews, and some unboxing videos as well. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to unbox until I actually buy something new, but for now, I can review what I currently have and hopefully inform you guys on how bad or how good something is based on my opinions. If my reviews help you purchase or avoid a product, then I'm doing my job as a reviewer.
That's about all for now. I don't know what I'm going to completely get started on this goal, but I'll try to keep content coming in to keep you up-to-date with what's going on with my blog, and in the world of technology. Thanks for stopping by.
Stay frosty.
Before I dive into what I plan to do, I figured I will tell a little bit about myself. If you're interested in my content, chances are you will want to know who I am.
My name is Daniel Moy. I'm a student studying Software Engineering at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Ever since I was a kid, I've always had a passion for video games, and I spend most of my free time doing just that. What my favourite game you ask? (Did you see the "u" in favourite? Yes, I'm Canadian.) Probably Crash Team Racing for PSX. I never had a N64, so I never really got to play Mario Kart very much, but Crash Team Racing was the next best thing. I still play that game to this day with friends and family, and I personally think it's better than Mario Kart (maybe because I'm so used to it).
From video games, I made my transfer to PC about last year. Computers are my new passion. I built my first one last year, and have not stopped fiddling with it. I constantly move it around the room, add new hardware, and even clean it, just so I have an excuse to open my computer. It's crazy how I went from an average computer user with probably above average understanding of computers, to this computer geek who can't get enough of them! But I won't lie, I don't know everything about computers or their hardware, but I know probably more than the average user, and enough to keep the computer geek inside you happy. But if I get anything wrong, feel free to correct me or add something that you think I missed. I'm always willing to hear from people and love learning.
So enough about me for now, you're probably wondering what you're going to get out of this blog. Well, I'm just starting it and I have some ideas in my head, but nothing is set in stone. What I plan to do is have a hardware review blog, maybe some game or software reviews, and some unboxing videos as well. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to unbox until I actually buy something new, but for now, I can review what I currently have and hopefully inform you guys on how bad or how good something is based on my opinions. If my reviews help you purchase or avoid a product, then I'm doing my job as a reviewer.
That's about all for now. I don't know what I'm going to completely get started on this goal, but I'll try to keep content coming in to keep you up-to-date with what's going on with my blog, and in the world of technology. Thanks for stopping by.
Stay frosty.
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