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Christmas Gift Guide: Best Monitors

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Best Monitor

Monitors are the most important peripheral in our computer system, as a main viewing screen for our desktop, as a secondary screen to which we connect our laptop to boost our productivity or as a screen for our console. An investment which we probably won’t replace in several years and to which it’s wise to pay close attention.

For that reason, our following Christmas gift guide will be all about the best monitors out on the market. We will review the main factors to keep in mind when choosing a model that best suits our needs and budgets, the most attractive formats like 4K or ultra-wide, and we’ll finish with a selection of all types of models with links and prices.

Most important features

Size. Surely one of the first factors to keep in mind when buying a monitor is the size of the screen. It’s measured diagonally in inches from one corner of the screen to the opposite one. There are many sizes to choose from, from 15 inches all the way up to 40. The average global screen measures 21.5 inches, while the most standard size is between 23 and 24 inches. Before your purchase, make sure that you have enough space on your desk because large displays are usually extremely wide.

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Dolby Atmos will soon be compatible with Windows 10: what does it offer?

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The most important multi-channel sound technologies worldwide are the well-known DTS and Dolby. First came DTS and Dolby Digital in terms of 5.1 sound technologies, followed by DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD that added 7.1 sound and were only losslessly supported with HDMI wiring. The latest iterations of both companies are DTS: X and Dolby Atmos.

DTS: X has taken longer to hit the market, having started to be available for the first time this summer, while Dolby Atmos has been on the market for some time. Both technologies create virtual environments capable of mixing sounds vertically and horizontally, which improves the positioning of sounds in a 3D space in environments such as video games or movies.

Dolby Atmos to hit PC and Xbox One next year

Dolby Atmos basically creates a 3D 360º sound experience thanks to its system that organizes each sound individually, divided into ‘objects’. In previous systems the sound was assigned to a specific channel, whereas Dolby Atmos allocates the sound within a three-dimensional XYZ space. The amplifier reads the information and places the sound where it corresponds, being able to operate from two loudspeakers up to 64 in cinemas.

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ASUS BRT-AC828 a 2,534 Mbps WiFi AC Router with M.2 port for SSD

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The new ASUS BRT-AC828 router is a high-end model with a maximum bandwidth through WiFi of 2.534 Mbps thanks to the use of dual band 2.4/5Ghz WiFi 802.11ac

It includes four antennas for transmission and another 4 for reception (4×4) and ASUS AiRadar technology to optimize the data transmission in a directional way where it is necessary.

ASUS BRT-AC828

We also have two Gigabit WAN ports with added mode for 2 Gbps total bandwidth and fail-safe operation (if one of the internet links fails, it will automatically use the remainder). In addition, it integrates an M.2 port to add an SSD and provide the BRT-AC828 with internal storage to provide functions of a NAS.

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An AMD Vega GPU runs Doom 2016 in Ultra HD at more than 60 FPS

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The next generation of AMD high-end graphics cards based on the Vega architecture has already been presented at an event that took place in Sonoma, California, earlier this week. The architecture will debut with the Radeon Instinct MI25 geared towards deep learning as a GPU accelerator, but they also showed a prototype of the Vega commercial GPU running the Doom 2016 at Ultra HD resolution with the graphic settings to the maximum while maintaining more than 60 FPS stable.

68 Average FPS and no drops is the result of the benchmark made by AMD in the demonstration, not bad considering it is a prototype, with unpolished drivers, and was running a relatively new game at Ultra HD resolution and graphics maxed out. Of course, it should be noted that the demonstration was performed using the Vulkan graphical API on which AMD collaborates. AMD Vega GPU

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Asus continues to put GeForce GTX 900 Series on its laptops

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Lately, some of Asus decisions, especially on its marketing and sales departments are being questioned, specifically the prices they have put some of their products. But it seems that there is something else that is not working well in the brand as they have just announced the launch of their new UltraBook Asus ZenBook UX310UQ which, again, uses a past generation graphics card.

This may come as a surprise to you but it’s not the first time Asus does it, because in September we were criticizing the launch of the ROG Strix GL553VW, a gaming laptop using a GTX 960M. Now, three months later, Asus repeats the move and although both NVIDIA and AMD already have two new generations of graphics cards, in which Asus actively participates for the desktop models, the manufacturer seems stuck in the year 2015 as far as portable hardware is concerned.

GeForce GTX 900

The Asus ZenBook UX310UQ is presented as the most powerful ultrabook of the brand. It has a screen size of 13.3 inches with Full HD resolution, and it is notable for its thinness (measuring 18.35mm thick) and its weight (weighs 1.4kg). This slim and lightweight ultrabook is powered by an Intel Core i5-6260U dual-core processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, a 256GB SSD, and boasts of incorporating “spectacular graphics” (literal words from its website) thanks to its NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics card with 2GB of dedicated memory.

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Are Dual Monitors Worth it? Are two better than one?

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Is it better to use two monitors or one large one? Is a panoramic monitor practical? What are the pros and cons? What do I need? What are the recommended applications for each solution? These are some of the questions that users ask themselves when putting together their setup for work or play.

Dual Monitors

Through the years, I’ve tested several configurations, multi-monitor as well as with only one. They’re all interesting although, depending on the moment or application, some can be better suited than others, I’ll tell you about my experience with multi-monitor setups.

Working with multiple monitors: pros and cons

Dual Monitors

Everything has its pros and cons, nothing is perfect which means there is no universal solution. We all must find the most practical and useful solution for our needs, be it for work or play.

Using two or more monitors has its pros and cons, but it will be on the user to fully take advantage of it.

When you work with multi-monitor setups you will find pros and cons. I would only recommend using one monitor if it has a 1440p resolution or higher. If not, I can manage but there will be a lack of workspace. Anyway, when using several monitors, you have to keep in mind things like resolution but also size and aspect ratio. But let’s talk about the pros and cons of a multi-monitor setup.

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AOC P2779VC monitors include wireless charging

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The AOC P2778VC monitor is a 27-inch model with a PLS panel of 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, with 178 degrees of horizontal and vertical viewing angles, 5ms GtG response time and a dynamic contrast ratio of 20,000,000:1. It offers two HDMi 1.3 inputs and a VGA. However, what makes it special is that, on …

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Best Windows Laptop alternatives to new Macbook Pro/Air 2017

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Introduction

With the launch of its new Macbook Pro, for which Apple has taken longer than usual, prices have been revised upwards, the cheapest model being up to 200 dollars more expensive than the models of the beginning of 2015. A price increase that also comes with improvements, but we can have many of them with alternatives from different PC manufacturers.

Today we’ll mention some of these options that go from classic designs to more modern models with more versatile configurations. Great options that will allow us to have a PC as good or better than Apple’s new Macbook Pro.

Razer Blade Stealth

One of the most attractive options can be found in the hands of Razer,  In fact, no matter how much it bothers some Apple users, the design on the new Macbook is pretty similar to this model. It is thin and it has high quality screen options. It is updated with some of the best Intel processors and also supports Thunderbolt III.

Razer Blade Stealth

 

It has a 12.5” screen we can find in QHD and 4K resolutions. It has a thickness of only 13mm, it weights less than 1.4Kg and it is completely made of aluminum. It also has a touch screen, a programmable illuminated keyboard (RGB) and a great trackpad. The latest version comes with Intel Kabylake processors, 8GB of RAM and storage of up to 512GB SSD.

Razer Blade Stealth

The battery life on this new model is around 9 hours, which is very close to the 10 hours of the new Macbook. Its price starts at 899 dollars, which is a much more attractive price than the current Macbook Pro.

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How to check if your laptop supports 5 GHz and 802.11ac

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While they’re already talking about the new specifications for 802.11ad and 802.11ax that will allow to transmit data , via WiFi, with a throughput in the order of gigabit per second (see WiGig, data transmission up to 8 Gbps with 802.11ad and WiFi 802.11ax will let you reach up to 10 Gbps), it’s the 802.11ac standard, today, to let you get the highest speeds by using a wireless connection.

Approved in January 2014, 802.11ac exclusively supports frequencies at 5 GHz. By connecting to a WiFi network at 5 GHz, actually, it’s possible to reach much higher speeds in data transmission phase than the traditional 2,4 GHz.

WIFI

So, how to check if your laptop supports 5 GHz? And how to see which IEEE 802.11 standard versions can be used?

5 GHz: 802.11ac and 802.11n. Which benefits?

Most of the wireless routers available on the market today are dual band: that means that they let you set up two independent wireless networks that work on completely different frequency spectrums. The two WiFi networks, at 2,4 and 5 GHz, can be enabled at the same time and each of them will use its specific ID (SSID).

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HDMI 1.4 vs 2.0, what‘s the different and how to choose?

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The HDMI cable lets you transfer audio and video data by using a connection that allows to put the quality first (HDMI is the acronym for High-Definition Multimedia Interface).

The first uses of the HDMI interface are dateable to the end of 2003: at that time, actually, it was important – looking at the future – to predict a valid replacement for the VGA and DVI interfaces.

Over the years, the HDMI had a gradual evolution with several specific versions (1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.0 and 2.1), and each of them introduced new features and functions.

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