Gaming Mouse: Logitech G300

Hello all! I`ll do a very quick review on this Logitech Gaming Mouse, the G300. Since my Logitech G100 starts to give me some issue with click & hold, I decided to get a replacement. So I went for a quick shopping at the IT hypermart and I picked this up for RM88. I was having a hard time choosing between G300 & G500. But I ended up getting the G300 because of the size.

The G300

The package includes: G300 and manual book.

Nothing much. No CD drivers n etc. If you need driver just go to their website and download from there.

What can a low cost gaming mouse do for you?

The G300 is lefty-friendly, with 9 programmable buttons with the LGS software.

Built and designed in a ambidextrous shape with rubber coating  for gripping, it was meant to bring comfort and durability.

Users can customize the lighting (Red,Green or Blue). Polls up to 1,000Hz with on-board memory.

Mouse sensitivity can go up to 2,500dpi (Optical) Gaming Mouse and supports up to three game profiles. Great for first-person shooter players on a tight budget.

Conclusion

Claw gripper might find it comfy on the spot, the moment you grip the mouse you will know it’s definitely your perfect sidekick.

However, If you are a palm gripper this mouse is not suitable for you due to the G300 is incredibly narrow users might having hard time palm gripping the mouse(too small to palm grip).

In my opinion, the G300 is a little too light and hollow for me(no weight management). I’d prefer something much more heavier so that It makes me easier to control the mouse.

I wonder If Logitech ever consider braiding the cables? I think users will definitely appreciate it very much. Also macros can’t be created on the fly.

This could be a good gaming mouse for starters to begin with. Affordable, programmable buttons and eye catching design.

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Headset: ASUS ROG ORION PRO 7.1

ASUS ROG Orion Pro is the latest 7.1 headset from ASUS. Retail at RM339, the Orion PRO full-size gaming headset is designed to provide gaming enthusiasts with the finest audio immersion and positioning needed in any game and at any location. As a direct plug & play device, it does not require any drivers to function properly. Just plug it into the USB port and you’re good to go!

The package:

• Orion Pro 7.1 Headset
• ASUS ROG Spitfire USB

• Cable organizer

• Quick Start Guide

Testing

Intel core i5 3570k
ASUS P8Z77-M motherboard

ASUS ROG Xonar Phoebus 7.1
OCZ Agility 3 SSD 60GB
ASUS HD 6970
AMD MEMORY ENTERTAINMENT 8GB
Seasonic x660 PSU
Cooler Master Hyper 212+

Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate x64

HTC Sensation XE

To test the in-game performance audio, I also did a testing pairing with ASUS Xonar Phoebus soundcard.

Gaming – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, COD:MW2 & Borderlands 2 with ASUS ROG Spitfire USB

The clarity of the audio was very remarkably accurate. I could easily locate members of my team mates and enemies nearby.

It does help me a lot in responding well to the gunshots and footsteps sound.

When I got myself into a shooting chaos, I can hear few different weapons’ sound. Each of them produces a very clear and various sounds.

Movies & Music – 

I’ve decided to use Two Steps from Hell – Skyworld for the Music testing. It’s one of the best trailer music, so I decided to test it with Phoebus. The result? It turned an epic battle music to the most epic battle song ever.

Next up for Movie testing, well my choice of movie will be Captain America: The First Avenger.

The Dolby Home Theater V4 definitely made the movie sound better and bigger.

Without the ROG spitfire soundcard or external soundcard, the audio sounded muddy and like any other normal headset.

Using it on smartphone device – HTC Beats Audio device

I did a testing on my phone (HTC Sensation XE) and it’s really awesome that Orion Pro is compatible with Beats Audio.

Beats Audio can be turned on as a EQ setting that you can enable when listening to music on the device. Toggling back and forth listening to music you can tell the difference. Without Beats enabled sound was generic in sound and lower all most muffled. When Beats is enabled the sound became louder and clearer with a heavier emphasis on the low and high ends.

These are my thoughts on the ROG Orion PRO headset

1.     ROG Orion PRO headset was designed to provide the best quality audio and comfort to the users at the same time

So much lighter than my Roccat Kave 5.1. I can wear longer without having headaches after few hours of non-stop gaming session.

2.     The FULL-SIZE EAR cushion that isolates noise around you when you’re gaming so that you can fully focus in your game.

Good noise isolation.

 During tournament if you find yourself easily distracted by the crowds cheering this will be very useful to you.

3.     Braided cable with gold-plated jacks for better durability

 

4.     The ROG Spitfire USB audio comes in handy with 3 sound technologies

a)     FPS EQ for better audio positioning in first person shooters –
b)     7.1 virtual surround –
c)     and headphone amplifier
d) enhancing the in-game sound

5.     Retractable noise-filtering microphone 

 

The microphone is adjustable, flexible & also provides clearer in-game communication.

Just pull it out when you need it.

6.     Cable organizer for wire management purpose

For cable management purpose.

You really need this to get your headset cable organized so that you don’t feel irritated with tangling cables here and there.

7.   Clip-on In-line volume control

The volume control, mute and un-mute button are easily reachable and convenient but old school.

 

 8.    Convenient:

• With the ROG Spitfire USB audio does not requires any driver install because it was designed as a quick setup gaming headset for events such as tournament or lan-party.
• Can reach the buttons easily.

 

Pros:

• A high quality 7.1 gaming headset
• Nice design
• Light weight
• Great performance.
• Braided cable
• Plug and play

Cons:

• Lack of ANC
• Without the ROG spitfire, headset perform like any other normal headset

 

Conclusion:

As a FPS gamer I can now hear the footsteps and gunshots much clearer than usual. This is a new experience for me. Without a powerful soundcard to use with the headset, the sound is just decent.

For a competitive gamer, you can consider this headset to be part of your equipment. It’s not heavy, comfortable with good performance and stays on your head without slipping off. Good for both outdoor and indoor.

It’s an opportunity to have this kind of audio experience and now I just don’t feel like going back to my Roccat Kave.

Site Review: Lazada.com.my

Welcome to Lazada, Malaysia’s largest online store! 

Happy Shopping! 

Never thought Lazada, Malaysia’s largest online store service is really that bad.

1st: Don’t have a QTY database pre-programmed on the site.
Let customer paid first and then a week later let them know that the item purchased is temporarily unavailable?

As a e-commerce website, customers expect more professional a lot especially when they claim their site is the Largest Online Store.
2nd: Even If the item is not  available, they still give their customers the tracking number.
I ordered an item, I got a tracking number. So I figured out oh.. great I’ll be having my item soon. Tried checking everyday. No record available.

3rd: Very slow customer service respond.
Give it a day or two, they’re super busy.  Maybe took them a couple of days to send me this email.

4th: Contact Us form is not usable.

I have to be honest there’s a lot more Lazada need to really improve. First time shopped with them, already gave me a very very bad impression and huge disappointment.

 This site is full of shit and conjob. Please avoid at all cost.

Soundcard: ASUS ROG Xonar Phoebus 7.1

ASUS released its new flagship gaming sound card ROG Xonar Phoebus Gaming Soundcard Set on 11th April 2012 with extra-clear 118dB SNR sound, and a powerful headphone amplifier specifically tweaked for a proper gaming experience for gamers.

As a gamer myself, audio quality is important in gaming. So, will I ever able command my way to victory with Xonar Phoebus?

The Xonar Phoebus was named after the Greek’s sun god Phoebus, I hope it does sound powerful as the name.

What’s included in the package?

• Xonar Phoebus 7.1 PCI-E Soundcard
• External Break out Module
• S/Pdif Adapter
• 6-Pin Power Adapter
• Driver CD
• Quick Start Guide

The Specs:

 Please click here to view the Xonar Phoebus spec.

The Card

FYI, This card does not meant to replace the Xonar Essence STX.

But the clear sound, wide and with amazing range of  surround effects have a precision and clarity that will actually brings benefits to gamers that are looking for something else.

Covered by an EMI protective shield

 Xonar Phoebus uses a PCI-E x1 interface .

Requires a standard 6-pin PCI-E for external power, x1 S/PDIF output and x1  4pin aux input.

FYI, this card has no front panel audio header on this card.

 

From Left to right : mic in, headphone out, box link, line in, front out, centre/sub out, rear out and a combination of side and SPDIF out.

The Control Box

The control box is convenient to use with the dedicated headphone amp and mic and allows for easy access to primary windows volume control, quick mute, and also featuring an integrated noise cancelling mic.

To help with gaming in the dark, the control box headphone-out lights up green, while the microphone-in glows red, and lastly much more greater durability with gold-plated jacks.

As a gamer myself I dislike tabbing in and out during gaming, with Xonar Phoebus I can just adjust the volume settings or mute the volume by just turning the knob left or right.

The Setup:

Intel core i5 3570k
ASUS P8Z77-M motherboard
OCZ Agility 3 SSD 60GB
ASUS HD 6970
AMD MEMORY ENTERTAINMENT 8GB
Seasonic x660 PSU
Cooler Master Hyper 212+

Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Two different lighting that changes accordingly:

• blue for ‹64 ohms
• red for the two settings over 64 ohms.

The ASUS Phoebus software

 Comes together with a driver you can download or install via the driver CD included in the package ( recommended to download the latest driver from ASUS site)

It’s user-friendly and meant for users to adjust the settings of your input and output while the The Dolby® PC Entertainment Experience v4 ( PCEEv4) technology is for user to tweak the EQ.

The following features are included in Dolby Home Theater v4:

• Surround Decoder: converts stereo content into 5.1- or 7.1-channel surround sound and converts 5.1 surround sound into 7.1 surround sound
• Surround Virtualizer: creates a virtualized surround sound experience over the PC’s built-in speakers or over headphones
• Dialogue Enhancer: improves intelligibility of dialogue across all types of content
• Volume Leveler: maintains a consistent volume across all content and applications according to where the user sets the volume level
• Volume Maximizer: boosts the level of the audio signal so users can turn up the volume without causing noise or clipping
• Intelligent Equalizer: monitors and adjusts audio to match the user’s chosen preset
• Graphic Equalizer: lets consumers tailor audio to their exact specifications using high-quality digital filtering
• Dolby Digital Output: provides real-time encoding of PC content into the Dolby Digital format over S/PDIF or HDMI™ outputs; users can then enjoy audio content from their PCs in surround sound on their home theater systems
• Audio Optimizer: improves the frequency response of the PC’s built-in speakers so content sounds true to the creator’s intent
• Audio Regulator: eliminates or reduces distortion caused by the combination of overdriven speakers and amplifiers

Testing

To test the in-game performance audio, I paired it with ASUS Orion Pro gaming headset.

With my 2.1 speaker setup I am actually limiting the performance of Phoebus therefore I won’t make much comment on this part.

Gaming – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive & Borderlands 2

The clarity of the audio was very remarkably accurate. I could easily locate members of my team mates and enemies nearby. It does help me a lot in responding well to the gunshots and footsteps sound or even mobs attacking from the back.

When I got myself into a shooting chaos, I can hear other different weapons’ sound. Each of the weapons produce a very clear and various sound.

Movies & Music – 

Two Steps from Hell – Skyworld

The only trailer music I can think of is this, so I decided  to test it with Phoebus. Turning a epic battle music to the most epic battle song. Can’t resist myself from repeating the songs more than twice.

My choice of movie will be  Captain America: The First Avenger .

The Dolby Home Theater V4 definitely made the movie sound better and bigger.

Pros:

• A high quality gaming soundcard
• Unique functionality
• High quality construction
• Excellent performance.
• Built in headphone amp
• User friendly software

Cons:

• Control box able to control stereo outputs only
• no front panel audio header

Conclusion

I am very impressed with Phoebus. The clarity of bass, acoustic, vocals and pitch sounded were great and clear. For gaming it definitely sounded better.

Aside from the top notch audio quality, the Phoebus design itself is very stylish and I like it very much. The design and material used makes it worth the money you’re paying for a premium soundcard such as illuminated gold-plated jacks in green and red color, “Xonar Phoebus” will lit up on the side of the soundcard in blue or red color, EMI-shielding, and latest Dolby technology.

If you are looking for an upgrade or a soundcard , ASUS ROG Xonar Phoebus SRP RM699 is well worth your consideration.

 

Display: ASUS VE228T 21.5″ LED LCD Monitor Review

If you are on a tight budget because you spent too much on the hardware and not willing to spend any more than what you have, you might want to consider the ASUS VE series.

Why ASUS VE Series?

True-to-life Pictures Powered by LED – They really mean it, It’s not just a normal or standard monitor.

The one that I bought is the VE228T model which is almost similar to VE228H . It supports Full HD (has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels) a response time of 5ms and a brightness of 250 cd/㎡. It also has a D-Sub and DVI connectors except that it lacks an HDMI port.

The Splendid Technology

With the dynamic contrast ratio (DCR) of 10,000,000:1 and the Splendid Technology, featuring five video preset modes (Theater, Game, Scenery, Night View and Standard) and three skin tone presets (Natural, Reddish and Yellowish) to enable users to further fine-tune their ASUS monitors to achieve specific results.

To learn more about The Splendid Technology please visit here.

Below are the specifications  for ASUS VE228T 21.5″ LED LCD Monitor :

Unboxing the ASUS VE228T

The first thing that usually come across naturally is the screen itself, apart from that you can also find a quick start guide and an Asus VIP notice with few cables (a single link DVI, VGA and a 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable.)and 2 different types of power cord (UK and EU).

As for the monitor, it’s covered in a plastic back film to protect it from scratches.

It’s very easy to attach monitor base.   To assemble the monitor base:

1. Have the front of the monitor face down on a table.

2. Assemble the base and the arm by aligning the arrow marks on the base and

the arm.

3. Fix the base to the arm by fastening the bundled screw.

Under the right side of the ASUS LCD monitor there are six buttons for you to adjust video inputs, audio levels, brightness , access the OSD menu and power button itself. The power button illuminates blue when the monitor is powered on and receiving a signal.

The connectors

Can be found located at the back of the LCD monitor .

 

D-Sub and DVI-D

3.5mm Mini-Jack and input for AC power

 

There is also a Kensington lock slot near the power input.

There’s also a standard 100 x 100mm VESA wall mount for those that interested  to attach the display to a monitor table arm or wall mount.

OSD (On-Screen Display) menu

You can activate the OSD menu by pressing the MENU button.

OSD Function Introduction

Splendid

This function contains five sub-functions you can select for your preference(please refer to the image above). Each

mode has the Reset selection, allowing you to maintain your setting or return to the preset mode.

Image

This function contains six sub-functions you can select for your preference(please refer to the image above). You can adjust brightness, contrast,sharpness, saturation, position (VGA only), and focus (VGA only) from this menu

Color

Select the image color you like from this function.

Color Temp.: contains five color modes including Cool, Normal, Warm,

sRGB, and User mode.

Skin Tone: contains three color modes including Reddish, Natural, and Yellowish.

Input Select

This setting is for you to select your desired input source.

System Setup

Allow you to adjust the system.

Splendid Demo Mode: turns on/off ASUS Splendid Demo function.

Volume: the adjusting range is from 0 to 100. is a hotkey to activate this function.

Aspect Control: adjusts the aspect ratio to full or 4:3.

OSD Setup:

• Adjusts the horizontal postition (H-Position)/the vertical position (V-Position) of the OSD from 0 to 100.
• Adjusts the OSD timeout from 10 to 120.
• Enables or disables the DDC/CI function.

Language: there are 11 languages for your selection, including English,German, Italian, French, Dutch, Spanish, Russian, Traditional Chinese,Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

Information: shows the monitor information.

All Reset: “Yes” allows you to restore the default setting.

 

Testing:
For this part I am only interested in testing the display in Game Mode. I noticed the huge difference in brightness, contrast and etc. I finally can now feel the true power of my GPU .

And I also I don’t need to worry about missing a target in the dark spot especially where those players love to camp at, with their camouflage outfits. I don’t need to strain my eyes that much anymore.

My gaming experience has now increased to another level.

Pros:

• Built in Stereo Speakers : 1W x 2 Stereo RMS
• 100 x 100mm VESA wall mount
• Low-cost  21.5″ LED backlit LCD monitor
• Low power consumption
• Full HD 1080p (1920×1080)
• True-to-life Pictures Powered by LED

 

Cons:

• No height adjustments, rotation support, or a swivel base.
• No HDMI port
• Headphone jack located near the other port  is not convenient to reach

 

Conclusion

There’s nothing special about the built in stereo speakers. Would people even bother to use this speakers anyway? I can only think of a couple of downsides for this monitor ,which is the lack of a HDMI port, unable to adjust height and no rotation support plus the fact that the headphone jack is a bit far and inconvenient to reach.

 

There aren’t many other options you can find for at this price and resolution. From daily use > gaming > entertainment purpose this is the best bang for the buck LED backlit LCD monitor you can get.

Final thoughts, for a 21.5″ LED backlit LCD monitor at the cost of RM445 with so many features and low power consumption is really not bad.

I have no regret getting this monitor and I`m very impressed.

 

Credits to:

ASUS

Redeem CS:GO with ASUS Motherboards

Do you know you can redeem your CS:GO copy for free from Asus? 😀

This is for real! You can visit here for more information .

This campaign is open to all states in Malaysia, including Federal Territories from 15th August 2012 and terminates on 11:59:59PM at 16th November 2012.

Redeem CS:GO with ASUS Motherboards:

1. Purchase any of the motherboard models as per below during the campaign period.
2. Cut out the serial number information from the motherboard box.
3. Snap ONE picture which contains both the motherboard’s original purchase receipt and the serial number cutting.
4. Submit the picture to my_opbg@asus.com as well as your name, address, email, and contact number.

Motherboard Models:

Rampage IV Extreme, Rampage IV Gene, Maximus V Formula/ThunderFX, Maximus V Formula, Maximus V Gene, Crosshair V Formula-Z, Crosshair V Formula, Sabertooth X79, Sabertooth Z77, Sabertooth 990FX R2.0, P9X79 Pro, P9X79, P8Z77-V Deluxe.

 

Simple right? Here’s my proof.

Credits to: ASUS Malaysia (“ACMY”) https://www.facebook.com/asusrogmalaysia

Don’t forget to support and like the page ^_^!

Mass Luminosity – Introducing you to “Gaming Tribe”.

Hi gamers! Today I won’t be reviewing anything but I`m gonna introduce you to a community, Mass Luminosity.

Mass Luminosity is a social media company creating powerful experiences for gamers worldwide.

Their mission is to:

1. To create engaged global communities, especially for gamers and technology enthusiasts.

2. To democratize information by facilitating the transformation of content consumers into content providers.

3. To bridge the gap between social media and effective product promotions.

Launched by a gaming entrepreneur, Angel Munoz and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA.
From what I’ve remembered, Mass Luminosity used to be just like any other gaming community page starting from very small at very first and slowly growing into a very big one. Now about 303,779 people in other part of the world has joined the group.

You are welcome to join as well at https://www.facebook.com/MassLuminosity or you can follow them at http://www.twitter.com/massluminosity

Currently, Mass Luminosity is building global online communities for the following brands: AMD, AMD Gaming, ORIGIN PC, Cooler Master, Patriot Memory, PowerColor, CM Storm, Corsair and others.

Yes be prepared because they have giveaways for the community. You can be the lucky one (like me, I won a pair of AMD Memory from Mass Luminosity before).

And recently, they launched a new social media platform for gamers called Gaming Tribe which is currently in beta testing phase. Users will be notify via email if there’s any giveaway going on so that you won’t miss it.

If you’re a hardcore fans, they’re selling stickers via online. Just go to http://www.fpsgraphics.com . They’re doing promotion right now buy 1 get 1 free :] . I already got mine :D. Hurry and get yours now!