Category: Gaming

  • Best Gaming Headsets under 3000 in India

    Best Gaming Headsets under 3000 in India

    Gaming headsets have gained wide popularity in the past few years. These headsets are designed specifically to cater to the needs of gamers. The visuals and gameplay of a game are not the only important parameters of enjoying a game. The audio is just as important while gaming. Especially with the rise of online competitive games, every sound, every footstep makes the difference between winning and losing. From online shooters like Battlefield and CS:GO to offline games like Outlast and Alien: Isolation, the impact which a great audio system makes has become very clear. Gaming headsets are specially designed to offer the best sound quality, along with a good microphone to ensure that there is good communication between teammates while playing online.

    A good pair of gaming headsets have become essential to fully enjoy the immersive experience of video games today. The term gaming headset is associated with premium quality. Hence, as expected, the best gaming headsets cost a premium amount. However, that doesn’t mean that there are no options in a lower price range. In the past few years, the gaming market has seen several new gaming headsets at an affordable price range, which provide good audio quality as well as a decent microphone. This article will talk about the best gaming headsets under the price range of 3000 rupees for gamers with a budget that is neither too low nor too high. All the products in this list will be rated on the following parameters:

    • Design and durability
    • Comfort
    • Audio quality
    • Microphone quality
    • Compatibility
    • Pricing

    So, without further ado, we start the list of the best gaming headsets under rupees 3000. The links to these headsets with the lowest price will be attached.

    LENOVO LEGION H300 STEREO GAMING HEADSET

    The Lenovo Legion H300 Stereo Gaming Headset is one of the best gaming headsets in this price range.

    Design and durability– The design of the headset is very good. The cushioning is very soft and is made up of faux leather. The padding and cushioning at the top of the headband also feels very soft. Good quality memory foam is used in this headset. It feels very comfortable and premium and doesn’t seem bothersome. The frame of the headset is made up of metal and plastic. The design is very good and the earcups are rotatable. The earcups are also very large so they will go over the ear of most users. The only suspect part of the headset is the locking mechanism which is made up of plastic. Although the plastic seems strong enough, there is a chance it might break if excessive force is used. The microphone is retractable and also seems pretty durable.

    The cable is very long and durable too, as it is braided. Some people might complain that it is too long. The headset has a 3.5mm audio jack, meaning that if you want to connect it to your PC, you might need an audio splitter, which comes along with the headset. The wire has inline audio control with a mute button also available. The wire seems very durable. The headsets are sturdy except for the one plastic part and if taken care of, will last a long while.

    Comfort– The headset is very comfortable. It weighs 320g, which is neither too heavy nor too light. The cushion is very soft and comfortable. The earcups are big and provide good comfort to the user. The only comfort issue is that after long periods of gaming, the user might experience their ears heating up unless there is proper ventilation in the room. Other than that, the headsets are very comfortable and much better than what was expected at this price range.

    Audio quality– The headset comes with 50 mm audio drivers along with noise cancellation. The audio range is between 20-20,000 hertz, which is the usual standard. The headset is a stereo headset. A surround sound version is available, but it costs much more and isn’t worth the price difference. A good quality surround sound headset is good enough.

    The bass is a little overpowering at some moments, but overall, the audio is pretty crisp and good. While playing online games like CS:GO, Rainbow 6, PUBG, etc., you will not miss a footstep. The noise cancellation also works pretty well, though it could have been better. The overall sound quality is very good. This isn’t the best headset if you love listening to music as well, but will work pretty well with movies, TV shows, and other multimedia.

    Microphone quality– The headsets have a retractable microphone. The microphone is just decent. It provides decent audio quality. However, it does catch background noises a lot of the time. It could have been better, but at this price range, you couldn’t ask for more.

    Compatibility– The headset is compatible with multiple devices. They support PCs with Windows 7 or upwards, Mac OS X 10.5.x or later, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch. It can also be used with mobile phones. Overall, very good compatibility is provided.

    Pricing– The best part about this headset is its price. The headset is currently available at Amazon at Rs. 1999. At this price, this headset is a steal. It is also the cheapest headset on this list.

    HYPERX CLOUD STINGER CORE HEADSET

     

    The next headset in this list is the HyperX Cloud Stinger Core.

    Design and durability- The headset has a sleek and simple design that might appeal to many people. It has a plastic build; however, it is very strong. The padding on the headband and earcups are good and soft, although the material could have been better. The earcups are big enough to provide good comfort. Also, the cushion on the earcups is made of breathable material, which ensures that your ears don’t heat up after long periods of gaming. The headset has an 8-inch wire and comes with an adjustable mic and a 3.5mm jack. The wire also has volume adjustment controls and a button for muting the mic. The headset provides a splitter as well. The headset is decently durable. If taken proper care of, it can last a long while, but there are other much more durable headsets available.

    Comfort– The headset is very lightweight and weighs just 213g, which makes it one of the lightest and most comfortable headsets to use. The big earcups along with the breathable design, ensure that even after long periods of gaming, the comfort level is still maintained. It is one of the, if not the most comfortable headset, in this price range.

    Audio quality– The headset comes with 40 mm audio drivers along with noise cancellation. The audio range is between 20-20,000 hertz. This headset is a stereo headset. The sound quality is good for games. Again, you can clearly hear all the footsteps and sounds clearly in games. Being a gaming headset, it is more towards the bass side and has lesser mids and highs in the audio. The audio quality is good for gaming but if you want to use them for multimedia purposes, these headsets are not recommended.

    Microphone quality– The headsets have an adjustable microphone that can be moved up and down and can be bent towards and away from the user as well. The microphone has good noise isolation. The headset is Discord certified; therefore, you can rest assured that the mic quality is good for communicating with friends while gaming. It is good for gaming purposes and for video calls, but it would not be recommended if you are looking for something more professional like recording YouTube videos.

    Compatibility– The headset is compatible with multiple devices. They support PCs with Windows, MAC, mobiles, and other consoles like PS4 and Xbox One.

    Pricing– The headset is at the higher spectrum of the price range. It is generally priced at 3499 rupees but is readily available at rupees 2799 and 2999 in Amazon lightning deals.

    CORSAIR HS35 STEREO GAMING HEADSET

    Corsair HS35 is another great option on this list.

    Design and durability– The Corsair HS35 headset is well designed. The ear cups are adjustable too. The extension of the headset is supported by a metal plate. The headset looks very sturdy and good. The wire is also pretty long and has a 3.5mm audio jack. It provides a splitter to attach it to your PC as well. The volume controls and the microphone mute button are not present on the wire, but rather at the bottom of the left headset. One of the most unique things about the headset is that the microphone is detachable. The headset is very durable and strong. The only worrying thing is that the cable might be a little weaker.

    Comfort– The headset weighs just 340g, which makes it a little heavier, but it is still very comfortable. The earcups are big and the cushion is made up of cloth. The cloth cushion is comfortable with good memory foam, but it could have been better. The same is the case with the cushioning on the headband. Pressing the mute button can also be a little unorthodox and uncomfortable. The comfort level of the headset is pretty good, but there are better options on the sole basis of comfort.

    Audio quality– The headset comes with 50 mm audio drivers. The audio range is between 20-20,000 hertz. The audio quality of this headset is very good. Not only is the sound very good for gaming, but the sound quality is also very good for multimedia usage and for listening to music. The only complaint is that the highs were a little low, otherwise, purely based on the audio quality for overall use, these headsets are the best of the bunch.

    Microphone quality– The headsets have a detachable microphone which can be attached again at any time. This is one of the coolest features of this headset. The microphone reduces ambient noise as well and provides good quality audio. This headset is Discord certified, so the sound quality for communication is guaranteed to be good.  However, the mic does pick up some background noise.

    Compatibility– The headset is compatible with multiple devices. They support PCs with Windows, MAC, mobiles, and other consoles like PS4 and Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, etc.

    Pricing– The headset is generally priced at 3999 rupees, but is regularly available for rupees 2999 on Amazon lightning deals.

    EKSA E900 PRO GAMING HEADSET

    This headset is the only headset that provides surround sound in this price range.

    Design and durability– The EKSA E900 Pro gaming headset is very well designed considering the price and features it delivers. The manufacturers haven’t seemed to sacrifice the quality of the design for better features. The earcups are large and soft and have good quality memory foam inside. The cushioning on the headband is also very soft. The design of the headset is very similar to the Corsair HS35.

    It has the same metal band to adjust the height of the headset. Also, the volume control and mic mute button are present on the left headset just like the Corsair HS35. It also has a detachable mic. The wire is also detachable, which is a very good feature. The headset also provides a USB type A to type C cable for digital connectivity, which is unbelievable at this price range. The headset also has the EKSA logo on the side of the headset which works while using the USB. The earpads are also removable. The headsets are designed unbelievably well for the price they are being sold at. There is also a splitter provided in the box. The design and durability of this headset are amazing.

    Comfort– The headset weighs just 250g, which makes it very light and comfortable. The cushion is of very good quality and is comfortable to use even after long hours. The memory foam provides a very good quality of comfort and they are one of the most comfortable headsets on this list.

    Audio quality– The headset comes with 40 mm audio drivers. The audio range is between 20-20,000 hertz. These headsets provide Surround Sound 7.1. However, like most stereo headsets with surround sound compatibility, using the surround sound feature decreases the quality of the sound as they use the integrated sound card, which is usually of lower quality. The audio quality is in general good. The bass is pretty good, but the mids and highs are lacking. Overall, it doesn’t have the best audio quality, but it is decent enough for gaming and for hearing the footsteps of enemies and finding their position.

    Microphone quality– The headsets have a detachable microphone which can be attached again at any time. The microphone is of decent quality. Better mic quality is not expected at this price range too.

    Compatibility– The headset is compatible with multiple devices. It supports PC, MAC, Xbox One, PS4, mobile phones, etc.

    Pricing– The headset is generally priced at 2999 rupees, but is regularly available for as low as rupees 2499. This makes it the best headset if using the price to quality ratio.

    JBL QUANTUM 100 WIRED OVER-EAR GAMING HEADSET

    The JBL Quantum 100 is one of the best quality gaming headsets in the market.

    Design and durability– The headset is made up of plastic, but the design is very well made. The headphones don’t feel cheap at all. The plastic is pretty sturdy. The earcups have good cushioning as well. The wire is braided and it has a 45 degree 3.5mm jack at the end of it. The volume control and mic mute buttons are located on the left headset. The mic is detachable and connects to the headset with a 2.5mm jack.

    The headset is very well designed despite the plastic look. The headset doesn’t offer a splitter unlike all the other headsets on the list, which is a little disappointing. The earcups are also rotatable to 90 degrees, which makes it easy while the headset is on your neck as the earcups don’t hurt your chest. The headsets could have been more durable, but at this price range, they still are pretty decent.

    Comfort– The headset weighs at just 220g, which makes it very light and comfortable. It is the second lightest headset in the price range. The earcups are very large, so even the biggest ears will fit inside them easily. The quality of the cushion could have been better, but it is still pretty decent. Overall, this headset is pretty comfortable to use.

    Audio quality– The headset comes with 40mm audio drivers along with JBL QuantumSound Signature, which helps to listen to footsteps while gaming. The audio range is between 20-20,000 hertz. The sound quality of this headset is nothing short of amazing. The mids and highs are very good and clear. The bass is also very clear, but it is not very loud. While gaming, this headset provides very crisp and high-quality audio and it is easy to locate the enemies through their footsteps in almost all competitive games. Not only is it good for gaming, the audio while listening to music and during multimedia usage is also very good. They offer the best sound quality at the price they are being sold at.

    Microphone quality– The headsets have a detachable microphone which is pretty good. The noise cancellation works pretty well as well. The mic is very good for the price range.

    Compatibility– The headset is compatible with multiple devices. It supports PC, MAC, Xbox One, Playstation, mobile phones, Nintendo Switch, etc.

    Pricing– The headset is usually priced at 2499 rupees, but is recently the price has fallen to 2349 rupees, making it the best sound quality headset if you have a tight budget.

    CONCLUSION:

    All of the headsets listed above are the best in their price range. The list didn’t include headsets from companies like Redgear and CosmicByte because their headsets are not durable for the long term, and many customers have faced issues with their customer service before. Before selecting a headset to buy, you must make sure whether it meets the criteria you are looking for in a gaming headset. Higher price doesn’t automatically make a gaming headset better, and different users have different expectations and needs from their gaming headsets, so it is necessary to look at all the headsets and choose the one which matches your needs. The above headsets offer a wide range of features. They all have their pros and cons. At the price range of rupees 3000, you will not find perfect headsets with no flaws. Keep in mind, most of the gaming headsets which professionals use usually cost more than 100$.

    So, keeping all these things in mind, let us analyze and conclude which headset will be the best choice for you. If you have a very tight budget that cannot exceed the 2000 mark, Lenovo Legion H300 Stereo Gaming Headset is the best choice for you. If you want the most comfortable headsets with decent audio quality, the HyperX Cloud Stinger Core is the best choice as they are the most lightweight and comfortable to use. Corsair HS35 Stereo Gaming Headset should be your choice if you want a very durable headset with very good quality for overall use, not just for your gaming needs. If you want a very good overall audio quality just like the Corsair HS35, but have a tighter budget, the JBL Quantum 100 is the choice for you. However, if you want a plethora of features and a stylish and comfortable headset at an affordable price range, the EKSA E900 Pro Gaming Headset should be your preferred choice.

    Also keep in mind that the price of these headsets is susceptible to change, so be on the lookout for the best deals and best discounts if you want to get these headsets at the best price range. If you want a professional-level gaming headset, you should save money and go for a higher-priced headset as these headsets are useful for most gamers, but professionals should look for better options.

  • Best 60% Mechanical Keyboards in India.

    Best 60% Mechanical Keyboards in India.

    Chances are if you are a gamer or you just like plain typing be it for anything or you are just an enthusiast you probably have a Mechanical keyboard for typing and gaming. People like mechanical keyboards because of many different reasons such as they provide great satisfying feedback something membrane keyboard lack and feel spongy as a result thereof, other reasons include they come in different varieties with different switches even different switches types, for example, switches can come in mechanical and optical type with any of the switch style such as red, blue, brown and the many other that exist. The type of switches you like depends on your preference but it is generally accepted that Blue switches are loud and preferred by typists for their loud clicky sound and great feedback, Red switches are preferred by gamers and for their smooth linear motion and fast actuation whereas brown switches are somewhat of a middle point between click and linear they don`t require the actuation force of the click blue switches but also don`t have a linear feel as they have a tactile bump just not as pronounced as the blue switches and even if you don`t like these switches chances are there is a switch for you out there as these are just the most common ones.

     

    Even among mechanical keyboard enthusiasts, there are some who prefer smaller keyboard just they occupy less space which means more space for their mouse while gaming or more desk space and they just look neat small and not in the way, These types of keyboards are known as 60% keyboard as they have only 60% of the keys a traditional full-size keyboard. Given below are some of the best 60% mechanical keyboards in India (unfortunately there aren`t a lot)

     

    1. Razer Huntsman Mini

     

    The Huntsman Mini comes with Razer`s in-house optical switches which come in 2 varieties clicky optical purple or linear optical red switches, it comes in 2 colours black and mercury with an aluminium frame with Doubleshot PBT keycaps with side printed secondary functions and a detachable USB Type-C cable but no wireless connectivity as some other keyboards in the list and of course as it is Razer it has RGB for days with onboard memory and lightning presets, you can save up to 5 profiles without the need for software and store it in the onboard memory you can also personalize it with Razer`s software for all kinds of RGB effects. The keyboard weighs 521.63 grams and has dimensions measuring 10.34 x 29.36 x 3.68 cm.

    2. Gamakay SK61 – RGB

    The SK61 is a popular keyboard because it is relatively inexpensive among 60% keyboards but it is not built cheaply at all and which makes a great option for a 60% keyboard or your first ever mechanical keyboard. The SK60 comes with Gateron optical key switches with options to choose from optical Blue, Red, Brown, and Yellow switches which are hot-swappable, the keyboard comes in 2 colours black or white with an ABS bottom shell with double-colour ABS keycaps and a detachable USB Type-C cable with no wireless connectivity and is RGB backlit which is customizable via software or onboard shortcuts. The keyboard weighs approx 0.78 kg and has dimensions of 29.3 x 10.3 x 4 cm and it also includes a keycap puller in the box which is a  nice addition.

    The GK61 and SK61 look the same.

     

    3. Gamakay GK61 – RGB

    if you didn`t already know the state of 60% mechanical keyboards in India then you can get why there are basically two identical keyboards on the list, the GK61 shares the same features as the SK61 with the only difference being that the GK61 has mechanical switches instead of optical switches found in the SK61, So what is the difference between mechanical and optical switches, basically optical switches use light for actuation instead of a mechanical connection, optical switches still have the same mechanical components like a standard mechanical switch just the actuation mechanism is different and uses light, one benefit of optical switches is extended life of the key switches as they don`t suffer the degradation that happens to the metal components inside. While most people may not be able to tell the subtle difference between optical and mechanical switches for those who can you can pick your poison between the GK61 and SK61.

     

    4. Ducky One 2 Mini RGB

    If you are a fan of mechanical keyboards you may have heard of Ducky keyboards, Ducky keyboards are known for their customizability available with a plethora of switch options. The Ducky One 2 Mini features a brand new bezel design with PBT double-shot seamless keycaps with Cherry MX switch options ranging from Blue, Brown, Red, Silent Red, and Speed Silver. The keyboard comes in a dual colour bezel design which makes for a good 2 tone design with white bottom and black front and has RGB which is adjustable via software, it also comes with a detachable USB Type-C cable for connectivity with a polling rate of 1000Hz which is the rate at which the keyboard is sending its signal to the PC which in this case is 1000 times per second, the keyboard comes with 2 level angle adjustment something not often found on many keyboards and also comes with 10 additional PBT double-shot colourful keycaps. The keyboard has a footprint of 30.2 x 10.8 x 4.0 cm and weighs 590 grams and comes with N-Key roll-over facility.

    Another similar keyboard to this one is their own Ducky Mecha Mini which shares much of the same features as the One 2 Mini but comes with a full aluminium casing with nano-coating giving it more rigidity compared to the One 2 Mini while also adding to its heft which stands at 827 grams compared to the 590 grams of the One 2 Mini, both of the ducky keyboards also come in special editions like the some themed on the Chinese Zodiac animals but good luck getting them in India.

     

    5. Gamdias Hermes E3

    To be honest, this is a keyboard I hadn`t even heard of before researching for this article but looking at some reviews it looks decent enough, so the Gamdias Hermes E3 is a gaming focused keyboard that comes with Gamdias certified mechanical switches which looking online might just be Outemu Blue switches which for some reason they advertise as their own, aside from that they are decent switches and they have long come from just being another Cherry clone, they also have N-key rollover functionality. The keyboard comes in 2 colours being white and black and RGB lightning with 19 customizable chromatic effects via shortcut keys but lacks the software for any control, fortunately, it has built-in memory, the build of the keyboard is good with an aluminium backplate, it comes with a detachable USB Type-C cable and has a polling rate of 1000Hz, the dimensions are 29.1 x 10.1 x 4.1 cm and it weighs 550 grams.

    Conclusion

    At the end of the day there are not many options available for 60% mechanical keyboards and even less so in India where they are priced outrageously high or might not even be in stock most of the time and the import scene for keyboards is that there are some sites available that can ship to India but there are customs duty which can range from a little to as much as half of the price of the keyboard and even so if you are to order from them the chance of you getting it quick are questionable it can take some sites more than a month to get the keyboard to you while you deal with their customer care executive for the 4 times why your keyboard is stuck in an odd place, overall above are some decent keyboards in different price ranges which you can look at to suit your tastes.

  • Acer Predator Helios 300 – Review

    Acer Predator Helios 300 – Review

    Acer Predator Helios 300 is an awesome laptop by all means. It has one of the best performance to price ratio we have ever seen in the past many years. An absolute beast which can crush anything you throw at it. The model I purchased is Acer Predator Helios 300 G3-572. 

    The technical specs

    1. 7th gen Kaby Lake Intel i5 7300HQ Quad Core @ 2.5 GHz with Turbo Boost Up to 3.5 GHz
    2. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti With 4GB Memory
    3. 8 GB DDR4 RAM (2400Mhz) with one unused RAM slot
    4. 128 GB Hitachi SSD – HFS128G39TND-N210A
    5. 1TB Western Digital HDD – WDC WD10SPZX-21Z10T0 (SATA III)
    6. 15.6 inch Full HD IPS Display (1920×1080@60Hz)
    7. Dual Fan Cooling with Metal AeroBlade 3D
    8. Red Backlit Full-sized keyboard
    9. Trackpad with Windows precision drivers
    10. Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4A WiFi Card (b/g/n/ac) dual band with MIMO support
    11. KBL Sienta_KLS (U3E1) Motherboard (Intel HM175)
    12. Intel HD Graphics 630 Integrated Graphics
    13. Windows 10 Home 64 bit Operating System

    There is another version called G3-571 which is usually sold in US and European markets. The only difference is that it has 1060 GPU, 16GB RAM, i7 7700HQ while surprisingly lacking the superior aero blade 3D cooling system and 1TB HDD. Also, there is a huge difference in terms of the price. I wonder why they don’t have Aeroblade cooling which was the main feature of this laptop in the most expensive model! My version G3-572 is usually sold in Asia and middle-east, especially India, Malaysia, Singapore, Philipines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

    Build Quality

    Overall the build quality is best in its price range. You are getting an aluminium lid and deck. The area surrounding the screen is made of good quality plastic, probably for better Wifi range as its antennas are usually placed there. The bottom is also good quality plastic. The air outflow vents are on the back, even though the entire thing is painted red with holes in it, only half of the vent is open for airflow as both fans are on the same side.

    There is a red accent on the vents and two lines on the lid. Other than that, there is a thin line surrounding the trackpad. It doesn’t scream ‘gamer’ like many other laptops but it still has some aggressive looks. It feels like it was designed for both work and play. You can easily take it to offices.

    It is a fingerprint magnet and will be full of your fingerprints within a day of usage. The body flex is non-existent, the hinges are strong and well-built, but it can still be opened with one finger. The corners are sharp and not rounded, but it is not too sharp to cut your fingers or anything.

    It weights 2.7KG which is quite lightweight compared to yesteryear’s laptops with the same performance. It is quite slim and lightweight although not as much as Razorblade, but it is perfect for its price range and totally acceptable considering the awesome cooling system it possesses.

    Nothing feels flimsy or cheap about this laptop. In short, the entire laptop feels like it was built to last.

    Display

    It is a good Full HD IPS panel. I was really concerned about the display after reading all the negative reviews about it. So, let me explain. It is said to have lesser colour gamut and lesser brightness than several laptops in the 1lakh+ range, but it is not a bad display by any means. I can’t notice any lack of colour although it might actually be lacking those colours.

    What I mean is that this is one of those areas where the specs may make it sound like a bad display, but in reality, it is a good display perfectly usable for anything you want to do. It is far far superior to any TN panel displays I have ever laid my eyes on.

    The brightness may be lower than the other high-end laptops, but I find myself using it in 0% to 20% brightness most of the time as otherwise, it feels too bright for my eyes. The only time I crank it up to higher brightness is when I watch some movie.

    I just took the laptop outside into direct medium intensity sunlight and I was able to read everything at 0% brightness without any efforts, while it was fully usable at 100% brightness although not perfect for movie watching in that condition. And, I am never going to use this laptop in that much sunlight ever.

    Some reviewers like the infamous Dave Lee has have compared it to the Acer Nitro and other laptops in this price range and have said that several laptops in this range have similar display panels.

    The matte finish is absolutely fantastic. I would call it a must-have feature in any laptop. I was unable to use my previous laptop with a glossy display against the windows as the light from behind will reflect from the screen, but now I am typing this with the windows right behind me! It has one of the best matte finishes I have ever seen in any laptop.

    Keyboard

    It is a fairly good quality keyboard. There is a little bit of resistance in the buttons, but you will quickly get used to it. There is switchable backlight, but the only colour available is red, and there is only one brightness setting. It is perfect at its brightness level, so it is not an issue. I first thought the red colour may not look good, but it works just fine.

    The keyboard shortcut to change brightness or volume requires two hands as all shortcuts require holding the function key. This may be ideal for gaming, but I wish if there was some easy way to do it without requiring the Fn key like my old HP laptop. Several other laptops feature a button to lock fn, but I couldn’t find that one in this laptop. And, this makes it harder to change brightness or volume while using it with one hand.

    One thing I dislike is the placement of the power button at the corner of the keyboard. I have not had any trouble due to it, but I wish if it was a separate button, instead of a button within the keyboard. That power button doesn’t feel special. It is like just another key in the keyboard. Acer may have included it within the keyboard for cost-cutting reasons, but still, I am concerned about accidentally pressing it although I have never actually ever accidentally pressed it. Also, 3 years from now, if the keyboard fails, then I don’t know if the power button will work or not.

    Trackpad

    It is a great trackpad with windows precision drivers. It is a fairly large trackpad made out of good quality plastic, placed right above the keyboard. While typing, the accidental touch avoidance system worked perfectly and didn’t cause any accidental mouse movements. There is a metallic strip running around the trackpad, so you are never going to miss the boundaries of the trackpad.

    I have not had any problem with it except the right click needed a slightly stiffer press than what would have been perfect for me. But, again there are gesture touches which can be used for right click. The gestures worked every time without ever failing on me.

    I/O Ports

    There are all standard ports you find in typical laptops.

    • 1 USB type A 3.0
    • 2 USB type A 2.0
    • 1 USB 3.1 Type C (1st Gen)
    • 1 HDMI 2.0
    • Ethernet port
    • Full Sized SD card slot
    • Power port
    • 3.5mm audio jack
    • Kensington lock.

    I personally would have preferred if those two USB 2.0s were actually 3.0 ports. Why in the hell do we have 2.0 ports anymore? I understand that it is for compatibility with old hardware, but why two of them?

    Another thing is that it has only one port for external monitors. So, it is going to be tough to hook two monitors to it. There are solutions like using the USBs, but that is not as good as the dedicated ports. I wish if it had a mini display port or even the ancient VGA for secondary monitor situations.

    The placement of the 3.5mm port would have been ideal at the corner nearest to the user as the wires will then never fall onto the keyboard area. And, I wish if they provided two ports one for mic and one for headphones like most five-year-old laptops instead of a single port which can be used for both purposes.

    I can totally adjust with the situation like If anyone needs two 3.5mm ports then it can be solved by buying a small 3.5mm splitter. For extra USB 3.0 Type A ports, all I need to do is to buy a USB type C to type A converter to be able to get an extra full-sized USB 3.0 port.

    The reason for this lack of ports is not because Acer didn’t know all these or due to increase in cost, but because no one will buy their higher end laptops if they make this model perfect. They need to cause some trouble in the models priced low so that they don’t lose customers for more profitable higher priced laptops.

    Sound

    There are two downward firing speakers at each corner of the laptop facing the user. If you keep the laptop on the bed, then it might mush out the sound a little bit. The speakers are fairly loud and can fill a room, but not the loudest speakers I have ever seen.

    The sound quality of the speakers seems to be good enough for casual movie watching and is as good as any laptop speakers, but if you are really serious about the sound then you will either buy external speakers or a good headphone. The sound card in this laptop seems to be really good as the 3.5mm jack gave out nice sound quality compared to my previous laptops.

    There are few options to adjust the sound in the Dolby software which comes with this laptop. I found the option Music to be the best allrounder.

    Battery Life

    I have not really tested the battery life properly, but I was able to get over 6 hours of battery life in the battery saving mode while doing light browsing with the display at 20% brightness and WiFi on. I was browsing in chrome which is known to consume a lot of power compared to other browsers, and I had at least 6 tabs open at all times. I watched some youtube videos and was checking about certain things related to this laptop. I also downloaded and installed few software. Infact I wrote this review on the battery during this time. I think I will be able to extend it furthermore if I optimize it properly.

    For sure, the battery life will be low if I am doing anything which requires high performance like gaming etc, but that is totally expected. It is great that even with a comparatively smaller 48 Wh battery, It was able to outperform them in battery tests done by several reviews. When I first read the capacity of the battery, I expected it to have poor battery life, but that is not the case here.

    WiFi Performance

    In today’s world, WiFi is one of the most used features of a laptop and Acer definitely didn’t skimp on it. I was surprised by the performance of the WiFi card as I was able to get full range at locations where my previous laptops couldn’t get much range. I can say that this WiFi card is at least twice as better than the laptops sold in the low-end range. This laptop sports this branded wifi card –

    It has dual bands, which means it can use both 2.5Ghz and the newer 5Ghz Wifi Bandwidths with theoretical peak speeds of 867 Mbps. It supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac wifi standards. These are all different versions of WiFi released over past two decades. It is like 2g/3g/4g of WiFi with ac being the latest.

    The interesting thing is that this laptop supports MIMO which is the latest tech within ac standards as it allows WiFi to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously. All previous standards used to make the router communicate to only one device at a time, so it was a choke point while connecting to dozens of devices.

    I am really glad about this awesome wifi card. This is not some unique feature of this laptop as many other laptops also use the same chip. I am just glad that they used a branded good card instead of some cheap card as they could have easily gotten away with it as most people wouldn’t notice. Many laptops come with bad cards and gamers simply replace the chip after buying, but I don’t think that would be needed in this particular case.

    Software

    The date of manufacture was July 2017, so all the drivers were up to date for me. Only the Windows 10 needed some upgrade which consumed about 5GBs of data and took few hours to download.

    It doesn’t come with any bloatware. This was one of the rare cases where I felt like Acer could have added more software than they did. The only noteworthy software they provide is PredatorSense for controlling fans, Dolby audio for sounds, and an update software.

    Some things which can be considered bloatware are Office Suite, OneDrive and Skype which is usually provided along with windows.

    Gaming and High-performance tasks

    Yea, the point many of you were waiting for. The reason I put this point at the end is that I have not yet tested it properly. I am sure it will work as good as any laptop with the same configuration. I will update it once I have done some tests. It will take at least a few days for this to be reviewed.

    Price

    I got it for Rs49,990 from Flipkart, along with some additional discounts on Big Billion Day sale. The total would be approx $750. This is a very good deal because typically laptops with this configuration go around Rs100,000 range($1500) in India due to high import taxes.

    Flipkart sold only very few pieces at the price I mentioned. Maybe around 30-60 pieces. It was not sold at that price because the actual value of the product is that low, but because they wanted to advertise themselves as the store where things are sold at the lowest price. And, in all their advertisements this laptop was their star product with maximum discounts.

    It went out of stock within few minutes of the beginning of the sale, and I was one of the very few lucky souls who could grab it in few seconds. I thought Flipkart will cancel the order as it would have been more profitable for them to cancel my order than to deliver it. And, to my surprise, they delivered on time!

    There were two variants on sale, one with i5 7300 HQ at Rs50k and the other with i7 7700HQ at Rs60k. I decided to go for the i5 because the difference in real-world performance between both models was non-existent. The i7 has about 5% higher single core performance and about 25% better multi-core performance due to hyperthreading technology, but those are based on benchmark tests.

    In the real world, most software will not even need the amount of performance the i5 can deliver, so the additional performance of i7 will remain unused except for special software like video editors or some other software which is multi-threaded. And, even in such scenarios, the actual difference in performance is hardly more than a couple of minutes of extra waiting time for rendering in a 1hour video rendering. That is not a lot of difference. So, the i5 was better value for money than the i7 version. Of course, go for the i7 if you don’t care about value for money, but otherwise, you will be better off in spending that extra Rs10k in buying something else.

    If you are buying this laptop without the highly discounted prices, even then, it is an excellent laptop. I would edit this review if I face any issues with this laptop.

    Summary

    This is a fantastic value for money high-performance laptop. Buy it if you want a well-built laptop which can do pretty much anything you throw at it then this is a good choice.

    There are always things which are better and worse than any product, but what we need to do is to find the most optimal option of all of them. There is a saying in economics called the law of diminishing returns. It basically means that there is a point at which adding more money will buy you lesser and lesser satisfaction. This law is applicable to all products.

    Consider the difference between a $200 netbook and a $400 laptop. The first one cannot do a lot of things, while the second one can do most casual tasks with ease. Now, add $200 more and you get a basic gaming laptop. Add $200 more and you get a better gaming laptop. At this point, any more addition of $200 will start to give you lesser and lesser stuff.

    In my opinion, this laptop stands at that optimum point where you can do whatever you want with your laptop and any more money will start to buy you lesser stuff. If you are into VR, then that point will be a laptop with 1060GPU, but for pretty much everyone else, it is 1050ti.

    In two things, this laptop proves that the specs don’t show the full scenario – batter and display, both of which are low in this laptop according to all tech specs, but in reality, both of them are good enough and outperformed all my expectations. Sure, it would have been better if they have put a bigger battery and highly colour accurate bright screens, but those things would have significantly increased the cost of production and also taken away the customers from their higher end models, so I guess that is the reason for why Acer made these choices.

    Tl:DR – This is a great laptop and the apparent negative points in the spec sheet doesn’t clearly show the reality.

    Let me know your opinion in the comments about Acer Predator Helios 300

     

    If you dont want a heavy laptop and instead prefer a thin and light laptop then I recommend this laptop – ASUS Vivobook s15

  • Make New Username/ Retrieve Your Old Profile Battlefield 2 (Bf2)

    Make New Username/ Retrieve Your Old Profile Battlefield 2 (Bf2)

    After GameSpy’s official shutdown, many multiplayer games that relied on its technology are still playable online .

    Gamespy announced its closure in early April, and operations that included leaderboards, friends lists and multiplayer matchmaking ceased May 31. In the wake of that announcement several independent projects have created workarounds to keep games alive online.

    But the problem still continues , many new players who got the fresh installation of the game could not make new profile. But, the TECHOIDS TEAM has came up with the solution . No need to worry, you can Retrieve your username /profile by following this guide .

    The downlink link for the profile is : https://www.mediafire.com/?393mjblpn2jjo8k

    GUIDE :
    PLEASE NOTE : Maverick is my PC NAME ,  use your PC username  ( for example : C:UsersMaverick”Your PC username”Battlefield 2
    Step1 : Launch the Game atleast once and Go to this path C:UsersMaverickDocumentsBattlefield 2

    And paste the ” Profiles” Folder there . Its will look like this –> C:UsersMaverickDocumentsBattlefield 2Profiles

    Step2 : Go to C:UsersMaverickDocumentsBattlefield 2Profiles001

    Find profile.con file and ” OPEN WITH NOTEPAD ”

    Step 3: The file looks like this –> Here, you have make some changes

    LocalProfile.setName “Enter Username” —-> Enter your Battlelog Username

    LocalProfile.setNick “Enter Username” —-> Enter your Battlelog Username

    LocalProfile.setGamespyNick “Enter Username” —-> Enter your Battlelog Username

    LocalProfile.setEmail “Enter battlelog.co EMAIL ID ” —-> Enter your Battlelog Email ID

    LocalProfile.setPassword “Enter battlelog.co PASSWORD ” —–> Enter your Battlelog Password

    LocalProfile.setTotalPlayedTime 140811

    LocalProfile.setNumTimesLoggedIn 3

    —————————————————————
    After editing, the file will look like this , this is EXAMPLE FILE ( Enter everything in Quotation mark ” ” )

    LocalProfile.setName “GHOSTCALL”
    LocalProfile.setNick “GHOSTCALL”
    LocalProfile.setGamespyNick “GHOSTCALL”
    LocalProfile.setEmail “WeLoveGhostcall@gmail.com ”
    LocalProfile.setPassword “WE-ALL-LOVES-GHOSTCALL ”
    LocalProfile.setTotalPlayedTime 140811
    LocalProfile.setNumTimesLoggedIn 3

    ————————————————————–

    Save this profile . Go to battlog launcher , Enter your username and password . Click Play Bf2

    In the Battlefield 2 Menu , Again Enter your Battlelog.co Password

    ————————————————————-

    #IMPORTANT : If you face any different problem, Kindly Leave a comment
    PLEASE NOTE : Maverick is my PC NAME ,  use your PC username  ( for example : C:UsersMaverick”Your PC username”Battlefield 2

    The downlink link for the profile is : https://www.mediafire.com/?393mjblpn2jjo8k
    THANK YOU FOR READING

    #QUICK LINK : https://techoids.com/guide-play-battlefield-2-without-gamespy-database-error/

    GUIDE : Play Battlefield 2 without Gamespy “There was a database

    error”

    TAGS :
    Make New Username/ Retrieve Your Old Battlefield 2 (Bf2) Profile
    How to make new bf2 profile
    Can’t make new bf2 profile
    Can’t see the bf2 username
    How to play bf2 after gamespy

  • GUIDE : Play Battlefield 2 without Gamespy “There was a database error”

    GUIDE : Play Battlefield 2 without Gamespy “There was a database error”


    Hello Battlefield 2 Fans,

    Its been a sad day for all of us . Finally the gamespy/EA have shutted down all of its service , and everyone is getting the error ” There was a database error , please try again ” .

    But, Thanks to battlelog.co Team that the game is still alive .  Our Techoids Team has made  this video showing each and every step dor How to  Play Battlefield 2 without Gamespy  and fix the “There was a database error , please try again” .

    Before starting the procedure,  here are  these 3 things youu need to look for :

    a. Register yourself on www.battlelog.co and Download the CLIENT SOFTWARE
    ( Phoenix Edition )

    b. Update your game by installing the standalone update/patch installer Version 1.41 and 1.50

    c. Make some changes in your Battlefield 2 Profile

    Now, lets begin the steps :

    1. Go to  www.battlelog.co   and register yourself by entering
    BF2 Player Name:

    Email address:

    Password :

    Country:

    #NOTE :  Please use the same BF2 (Battlefield 2)  nickname that you normally use to  register and play . Later ,It will be used  to import your stats. If you want to start from bottom rank , simply create a new unique nickname .
    Install the launcher (Phoenix   Edition) and Choose the installation directory of your Battlefield 2 game. For example , install this in
    C:Program Files (x86)EA GAMESBattlefield 2   (  This is Machine dependent and the directory may vary from user to user)

    2.  After logging in to your battlelog.co account , make sure you download the client launcher link given on the Home Page
    In order to download the patch/updates , visit the given link
    http://battlelog.co/downloads.php

    3.  These are standalone Installer  1.41 and 1.50  , these will automatically update your game to Version 1.50
    #NOTE :  Install  Patch  1.41 first and later 1.50

    Patch Size :  V1.41 – 527 MB
    V1.50-  1.93 GB

    4. After completing above steps you need to modify your game profile
    #NOTE : Please , make a backup copy of every profile you have

    Follow this path , in order to find your Profile
    C:UsersMaverickDocumentsBattlefield 2Profiles
    Here, you will see many folders with the name 0001,0002,0003,0004 etc..
    The more number of profiles you have greater will be number of  folders. Go to any folder ” For example 0002 ” .
    Look for file named Profile .  Right click on that and open with notepad . The file will loos like this
    LocalProfile.setName “ghostcall”     <—- Your Username
    LocalProfile.setNick “ghostcall”
    LocalProfile.setGamespyNick “ghostcall”
    LocalProfile.setEmail “XXXXXXXXXXX@gmail.com”      <— Your Email ID
    LocalProfile.setPassword “01000000d08c9ddf0115d1118c7a00c04fc297eb01000000da459bc34a0cfb4ba0d24e5868bc50b900000000400000005400680069007300200069007300200074006800650020006400650073006300720069007000740069006f006e0020007”
    LocalProfile.setTotalPlayedTime 140811
    LocalProfile.setNumTimesLoggedIn 2

    The password in Encrypted from . So here, you need to modify the password and Email ID .  Use the same EMAIL and password id, which you have used on battlog.co

    For example , after modifying your profile , this file will look like this

    LocalProfile.setName “ghostcall”     <—- Your Username
    LocalProfile.setNick “ghostcall”
    LocalProfile.setGamespyNick “ghostcall”
    LocalProfile.setEmail “YYYYYYYYYY@gmail.com”      <— Your Battlelog.co  Email ID
    LocalProfile.setPassword “We-All-Loves-Ghostcall”           <—— Sample Password
    LocalProfile.setTotalPlayedTime 140811
    LocalProfile.setNumTimesLoggedIn 2

    5. Launch the client and click play Bf2
    In the game menu , again use your battlelog.co password and username

    TAGS :
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