Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by flee93

ILLEGEAR Q5 EVO review~

flee93 — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 12:22:39 +0800

Note: This review is solely from the writer’s point-of-view and the opinions and perspectives contained in this review are not affiliated with the laptop company, ILLEGEAR SDN BHD.

Hi, long time lurker here, first time review poster.

Before I was introduced to ILLEGEAR, I was honestly unaware that a laptop could be customizable because to my knowledge, unlike desktops; everything is built-in and the only upgrade option is to buy a totally new laptop as the “upgrade”. Then I came across with ILLEGEAR and although the ability for the customization is there, the price is well beyond my reach last time during my survey way back in 2015 I think. But lo and behold, I discovered the availability of ILLEGEAR Q5 EVO, with a tantalising starting price for a gaming laptop (RM3,999 with the default specs). I’m not sure if this is advertised in the ILLEGEAR website (got this info from their FB message) but it is actually possible to supply our own components to incorporate into the laptop body & can bring down the price even further! I then proceed to send them with my M.2 and RAM sticks for a final price of RM4,237 for a gaming laptop with i7-7700HQ AND GTX 1050TI 4Gb, which is unheard of! By doing so, I managed to maximize the CPU and GPU but still having the final price to be within my budget. I'll save some more to upgrade the RAM and SSD of this laptop in the future, the Q5 EVO has two M.2 slots which is nice for future expansion. I was quite worried regarding the shipping process because I selected the free GDEX courier option (I live in Shah Alam and it’s quite troublesome for me to travel to just to collect the laptop) but thankfully, the laptop arrived in pristine condition (thank you ILLEGEAR for padding the laptop excessively!).

First impressions - The build quality and IPS screen are simply astounding. I was expecting a "budget-gaming" classification would result in cutting corners on the build, but happily I was wrong. The black anodized aluminium material on the screen back cover complemented the laptop chassis nicely and despite the size of the laptop (screen is 15.6"), it does feel lighter than expected. Probably because of the material used on the palm rest and the laptop bottom(it's solid (doesn't feel quite hollow when knocked on) but I guess it's plastic, very solid though). The RGB keyboard is something else, though. I tried snapping a couple pics but the pictures don’t really reflect on how vibrant and colourful it is. I’m still meddling on the settings on whether to put in on constant Rainbow mode/a set of customized colours, but the matte finish on the keypads are a nice touch!

Regarding the performance; I’ve tested the unit using Witcher 3 (The GOTY Edition) and surprisingly, it can run quite smoothly with High to Ultra settings applied, I noticed that the fan speed does increase during the gameplay but the fan noise is not really discernible in normal environment. I heard it can also be maximized manually in MyApps centre, but I’m not sure how necessary it is. Maybe the sifus here can advise on the requirements when is it necessary to max the fan speed? The cooling performance of the Q5 EVO is, in short, magnificent. Initially I was quite sceptical in terms of heat dissipation because unlike other ILLEGEAR laptops, Q5 EVO doesn't come with IC Diamond (it uses its own stock thermal paste instead). But my worries were instantly relinquished when I found out that the GPU temperature peaked at 70°C - 75°C only during heavy load. The speakers on the Q5 EVO also performed better than expected. The volume can go quite loud but at the same time, no crackles can be heard from the speakers. A tip that I find quite useful is to perform some optimizations on the Sound Blaster to adjust the sound output according to your preference. One thing that I would like to point out is the Windows default setting that should be configured upon purchase. By using default settings (in Windows power saving) gaming performance would be hampered, until the FPS dropping down to 30fps. I would suggest to opt for “High performance” mode/plug in the AC line to keep the performance at optimum.
One minor gripe that I would like to point out is regarding the I/O ports. Well, two actually:

i) Unavailability of MiniDisplay/Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. External display option for this laptop is only limited to a single HDMI output only. But at least it's a full-sized one (no converter necessary) but I'm afraid a multi-monitor output is not possible. Oh well

ii) No USB ports on the left side. I'm a left-handed person and I personally am more comfortable in plugging my USB peripherals on the left side of the laptop whenever there is an option. The complete absence of a single I/O port on the left side of this laptop frustrates me a little bit, but I'll have to try to make the best of it in the long run.

Overall, I would give this laptop a rating of 9.5/10. Highly recommended based on the build quality and customization options with the incredible price/performance ratio. Thank you very much ILLEGEAR for the amazing service provided, very satisfying purchase experience!

Photos:

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[sold] iFlix 1-Year Voucher Unlimited Access

flee93 — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 16:39:01 +0800

Item(s): iFlix Voucher - unlimited access

Package includes: Voucher code for 1 year

Price: RM50

Reason for sale: iFlix voucher is bundled together with Chromecast purchase from Lazada Malaysia. Decided to sell the voucher because I'm currently subscribing to iFlix already.

Dealing method: Bank Transfer

Contact method/details: PM

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Item(s) conditions: New, unused.

Picture: Email screenshot:

Thank you very much for reading!

CANON EOS 550D + EF 50mm f/1.8 II LENS

flee93 — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 22:21:07 +0800

Item(s): Canon EOS 550D + EF 50mm f/1.8 II LENS PRODUCT INFO - REVIEW

Package includes (with no box):
-Canon 550D 18-55mm kit lens with UV filter
(full set)
-Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens
-Lens brush cleaning kit
-Charger & cables
-8GB SD card
-Original Canon SLR bag (RED colour)
-Manuals, pamphlets etc

Price: RM1250

Warranty: No longer covered

Dealing method: COD is preferred

Location: Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam

Contact method/details: PM me for WhatsApp contact

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Item(s) conditions: Very good, working condition.

Reason for sale: Bought in mid-2011 for studies, light usage but no longer using.

Picture:

Thanks for visiting!

Yamaha RX-V671 7.1 AV Receiver

flee93 — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 22:13:33 +0800

Item(s): Yamaha RX-V671 7.1 AV Receiver PRODUCT INFO -- REVIEW

Package includes: AV Receiver, YPAO calibration mic, remote, manual, FM antenna, warranty documents

Price: RM1500

Warranty: Until 28th November 2014

Dealing method: COD

Location of seller: Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam

Contact method/details: PM me for WhatsApp number

Age of item: Almost 3 years

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Item(s) conditions: Great condition, still working, seldom used

Reason for sale: To be replaced by soundbar

Picture:

Thanks for visiting!

[SOLD] Sandisk Sansa Clip+ 4GB MP3 Player

flee93 — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 22:01:07 +0800

Item(s): Sandisk Sansa Clip+ 4GB MP3 Player >>PRODUCT INFO<<

Package includes: MP3 player & USB cable (supplied earphones is not included)

Price: RM150

Warranty: Unsure, bought from Amazon USA in May 2013

Dealing method: COD, PosLaju postage is free

Location of seller: Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam

Contact method/details: PM me for WhatsApp contact

Age of item: >1 year

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Item(s) conditions: Great condition & working flawlessly

Reason for sale: Upgrade

Picture:

Thank you for visiting!

Acer T230H 23'' Widescreen Touch Screen Monitor

flee93 — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 21:48:46 +0800

ITEM SOLD!!

Item(s): Acer T230H 23" Widescreen Touch Screen Monitor Product Info

Package includes: Monitor, power cable & USB cable (for touchscreen functions)

Price: RM600

Warranty: No longer covered

Dealing method: COD is preferred

Location of seller: Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam

Contact method/details: PM for WhatsApp number

Age of item: 3 years

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Item(s) conditions: Great condition, tested and still fully working

Reason for sale: Bought in mid-2011 for studies, light usage but no longer using.

Thank you very much for viewing

[SOLD] WD 2TB Passport Essential USB3.0

flee93 — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 21:46:57 +0800

Item(s):
Original Brand NEW WD My Passport 2TB Portable External USB 3.0 Hard Drive Storage (SILVER)

Package includes:
2TB WD My Passport (1 unit)
USB 3.0/2.0 cable (1 unit)
Quick Install Guide (1 unit)
WD Carrying Case in silver colour (1 unit)

Price:
RM400

Warranty:
3 years warranty from WD

Dealing method:
PosLaju
West (Peninsular) Malaysia - Free Postage
East Malaysia - RM10

Location of seller:
Selangor - Shah Alam

Contact method/details:
PM

Age of item:
NEW

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Item(s) conditions:
New & unopened, still have not used

Picture:

Reason for sale:
Bought wrong colour & deciding to purchase bigger storage space

Thank you for your time!

3TB HDD problem

flee93 — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:31:45 +0800

Hi, I encountered a problem with my TViX 6500, recently I bought a WD 3TB external HDD.

Connected to TViX via USB, not detected.
Splitted to 2 1.5TB partitions, detected (first partition only) but all files are unplayable.

Opted for a firmware upgrade, turned out that 6500 is now an abandoned model already.

So, my question is, does any Media Player in the market (available in Malaysia) fully support 3TB HDD, internally or externally (via USB)? And how about the price?

Thanks in advance

Kaleidescape Intros 1080p Upconverting Players

flee93 — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:34:26 +0800

Kaleidescape says its $4,295 1080p Player and $2,995 1080p Mini Player offer a viewing experience mainstream audiences will find on par with Blu-ray.

Kaleidescape’s 1080p Player and 1080p Mini Player

Source

About Ask a Pro June 18, 2008 | by Arlen Schweiger
Media server provider Kaleidescape is continuing to bank on consumers’ satisfaction with standard DVD, for now. Though the company is working toward pushing out a Blu-ray player next year, this year’s big product still fully integrates with Kaleidescape’s robust organizational system for your movies and music.

The company has announced two movie players that give your DVD collection the upconversion treatment—the 1080p Player and the 1080p Mini Player—and are straightforward in saying that these will be just as good as Blu-ray for the non-videophile mainstream viewer.

“We believe we’ve done a really good job of scaling DVD content. As I’ve looked at the output and we’ve had some folks look at the output, we’ve become pretty convinced that the viewing experience rivals that of Blu-ray,” says Kaleidescape product development director Linus Wong. “We’re not going to say you get a bit-for-bit identical image. But we certainly believe, that for most consumers, the experience they get with our new players will, in fact, rival the experience you might get with Blu-ray.”

Designed to work as components within a Kaleidescape system and not as standalone units, both new players deliver the 1080p upconverted goods with help from Sigma Designs VXP video processing.

The 1080p Player includes a DVD/CD-ROM drive for direct playback and importing to your Kaleidescape system, where you’ll get the usual metadata and extras in the company’s Movie Guide database while sorting through the onscreen display (OSD) for both movies and music. The 1080p Mini Player includes a mounting bracket so you can attach it and hide it locally in a room where you don’t need direct playback—perhaps a secondary area where you won’t be inserting Netflix rentals or movies that your friends bring over—and can just pull from your Kaleidescape server.

Wong says that an Import button on the front panel of the 1080p Player was added so people don’t have to worry about any potential legal troubles when popping in a borrowed or rented movie. The importing of a movie to the system only starts when you press the button, and not automatically when you insert a disc; you can also select the “Import DVD” or “Import CD” on the OSD.

“It helps cover the customers’ peace of mind,” says Wong. “Customers understand they aren’t allowed to import rented movies, or movies they don’t own. It gives them peace of mind that the player won’t automatically import content, as it did in the past.”

The 1080p Player is available now with an MSRP of $4,295, and the Mini Player will be out next month with an MSRP of $2,995.