Low Spec Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 (X1E2)

Thinking about purchasing the top-of-the-line ThinkPad laptop Lenovo has to offer? The good news is you don't have to spend outrageous prices ($2,000 - $3000) that Lenovo charges to access a great laptop. I got a low spec ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 (X1E2) two months ago and have been daily used ever since. And it turns out, as opposed to popular belief, it is still capable of putting out sufficient performance that is more than enough for 99% of the users.

How low of a spec you may ask?
Intel i5 9300H 2.4GHz 4.1GHz
NVIDIA GTX 1650 Max-Q
8 GB RAM (Upgraded to 16 GB)
256 GB Pci-e SSD (Upgraded to 1256 GB)
1080p 500 nits display

Now, before any of you lose your mind. The RAM and storage are both upgradable, so immediately upon receiving the laptop, I put in an additional 8 GB of RAM that increases the capacity to 16 GB. Then an additional 1 TB of Samsung Pci-e M.2 SSD was put in in the empty slot. With some peace in mind, let's talk about the elephant in the room - the processor.

There are several reasons I chose not to upgrade the base CPU. (1) The types of software I typically run on my computers. The intensive tasks I use my computer for are dealing with medium-sized Excel files and light gaming, which are not CPU intensive. For the foreseeable future, I am not going to do any rendering, modeling, or intensive tasks. (2) Temperature. X1E2 is extremely compact at 0.72 inches tall. If the machine has an i7 or i9 processor, which has more core counts at 6 and 8 cores, this means higher temperatures, leading to the fans turning on more frequently. In my time of use, the fans rarely turn on because the i5 runs cool. (3) Battery life. In my typical usage of 40% brightness, the i5 in the X1E2 can easily last 8 to 9 hours which is perfect for a full day, there is no way an i7 or i9 can come close to that.

Here are some data to prove my point:
On a typical day, with five applications and a dozen browser tabs open. The CPU utilization never passes 15% and RAM utilization hovers around 40%. And the temperature hovers between 40C and 50C.
On a heavier load, such as running an AA game, CPU and RAM utilization go up to 70%, and the temperature is in the mid-70sC.

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I admit, for a AAA title such as GTA V, the i5 is in trouble. So you have to significantly turn down CPU-intensive settings, which is the "Population density" in this case. Then the FPS will be steady at 60 without any stuttering.

Ray Tracing for Minecraft Delivers Huge Graphical Improvement

Almost a decade old game renowned for its limitless creativity that players enjoy is getting a major graphics overhaul. Minecraft is a genre in and of itself which sets the bar in the open-world sandbox section. And it looks like Minecraft is going for the best, once again, in terms of the graphics technology.

Ray tracing is still at a very young stage with limited supported games and developers working that are only compatible with the latest NVIDIA's 20 series RTX graphics cards. However, the potential of ray tracing technology is groundbreaking. Ray tracing can drastically improve the realism that focuses on light reflection, and depending on how the proximity of the objects change, the light will react accordingly.

Best Electronics in MWC 2019

As Mobile World Congress 2019 ended a couple of days ago, I'm going to discuss the best gadgets and electronics from the show. The following is a list along with summaries and key takeaways.

1. Huawei Mate X

How could I avoid the main talking point of this year's MWC? A week after Samsung reveal of its Galaxy Fold, Huawei has come out with a true contender and a more staggering price tag. But, let's not bogged down on the price just yet and talk specs. This device will sport...

- Kirin 980 processor

- four cameras

- 8-inch screen (2480x2200)

- 512 GB

- 8 GB RAM

- 4,500 mAh battery 

- Balong 5000 5G modem chip. 

Only a 5G version will be offered sometime in the middle of this year and be priced at $2,600. Although there are many doubts surrounding the whole foldable phone idea, I'm still optimistic about the protentional it could bring. Especially the massive screen real estate on such a small footprint and multitasking capabilities that gets me so excited.

2. Microsoft Hololens 2

A more comfortable, intuitive, and visually pleasing follow-up Hololens has been revealed by Microsoft. Major changes in this new generation are as follows.

- Bigger field of view, doubled as before

- More balanced weight, the internals are divided into front and back

- Better hands tracking and intuitive gestures 

- Eye tracking, for logging into the device or usage for apps

For $3,500, it's a major improvement from the last generation. But you won't be buying this anytime soon, and you really shouldn't or can't. This product from the getgo wasn't intended for the consumers, instead, it's for high valued workers who need their hands free but need to access a computer too. Think medical professions, engineers, industrial designers.

3. Energizer P18k Pop

Not sure if this is a power bank with a phone or a phone with a gigantic battery. But this thing is massive. Larger than most power banks in the market, this device is rated at 18,000 mAh (hence the name). Conservatively speaking, this will last 48 hours of continuous video playback or a week of normal use. Equipt with fast charging, but charge time will take 8 hours. Here are the specs:

- Media Tek Helio P70

- 128 GB

- 6 GB RAM

- 6.2 inch LCD

- 2 pop up camera 

- 3 back camera

- 18,000 mAh 

As thick as this may be, there's still no headphone jack. Price and availability will be around $680 starting as early as June 2019.

Lenovo Yoga A940 - $1000 Cheaper Microsoft Surface Studio Competitor

Microsoft Surface Studio finally gets its first competitor on this very niche market targeting animated or graphic design studios. Unveiled in CES 2019, Lenovo is delivering their all-in-one PC alternative at a much lower price and offers more useful features. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Precision Dial

A fully customizable nob which can be located on either side of the display that has a button at the end, and two different size dials. The specific functions of all the controls can be different based on application, which is especially useful for content creators. 

2. Tilting Screen

The 27-inch touch screen display is available in QHD or 4K resolutions and has the ability to tilt to 25-degree crafting mode. So creators alike can get up close and personal with their work. 

3. Included Peripherals 

Other than the Precision Dial, included peripherals are a keyboard, mouse, a station to wirelessly charge your phone and the Active Pen. You can cleverly store away all the accessories under the display to clear up room for the screen to lower down. 

Other notable features about the Y940 are the desktop-class Intel Core i7-8700 processor and the AMD Radeon RX560 graphics. The minor details also include the five speakers for the immersive audio and video with Lenovo generous amount of I/O ports. All of this for the starting price of $2350, which isn't cheap by any means, but if your line of work requires creativity in art, the Y940 would seem like a bargain.

Every New Features on Note 9 S Pen

Despite the lack of change on the surface for the new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 compared to its predecessor, internal specs have all been upgraded. Other than the 4000 mAh battery, available 1 terabyte storage and 8 GB of RAM, Note 9's new S Pen stylus is definitely one of their key selling points. Now, the new S Pen comes integrated with Bluetooth Low Energy and transforms the mere note-taking accessory into a full-fledged remote control.

Here are all the functions it has right now:

1. Presentations
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will come pre-loaded with Microsoft apps, and it is a powerful device enough to run a PowerPoint presentation directly from the phone on a larger screen or a projector. With the phone in your pocket, you can single click the S Pen button to advance and double click to reverse to the previous slide.

2. Photos
By default, by holding down the S Pen button launches the camera, single click to take a picture, and double click to flip the camera between front or rear facing. This would be especially convenient such as when taking group photos.

In the gallery, single clicking the S Pen button advances to the next photo and double click to reverse back much like the function in PowerPoint.

3. Video and music streaming
In media apps such as downloaded music, voice recorder, and YouTube, users can single click the S Pen button to either play (record for voice recorder) or pause and double click skips to the next track.

Of course in Samsung fashion, they provide a full range of customization. Users can either enable or disable S Pen functions for specific apps. Also, single click and double click functions can be changed to your desire. And long pressing the S Pen button to launch a certain app can also be changed.

The S Pen with its Bluetooth capabilities can recharge with just 40 seconds and has a half hour battery life. Even without any battery, the S Pen still functions like a regular stylus. It is great to have a peace of mind for users not worrying and managing battery life. Even better, Samsung has announced that the S Pen is open for developers, we'll see what else we can do in the future.

Boston Dynamics to Sell Dog-like SpotMini

Boston Dynamics announced on TechCrunch's TC Sessions: Robotics event at UC Berkeley that they are going to start selling their dog-like SpotMini robot in 2019. Pre-production has already been started, the first 100 SpotMinis are contracted to being built by manufacturers for commercial purposes. The aim is for it to be used in offices, and be accessible for business applications, then later, to be used in homes eventually.

Boston Dynamics highlights that SpotMini is the quietest robot they have built, and it weighs 66 pounds with 90 minutes of operation per charge.

For its actual purpose and price, Boston Dynamics hasn't said anything about it. It would be interesting to see what it can do in a business setting. Here, we have a demo video showing SpotMini running around in their headquarters to shows off its autonomous navigation capabilities.

Samsung Releases 970 PRO and EVO SSDs

Based on the M.2 form factor and PCIe Gen 3 with 4 lanes, Samsung unveils their third generation solid state drive lineup. The newest 970 PRO and EVO maximizes NVMe bandwidth to deliver unparalleled performance on processing large volumes of data such as 3D or 4K graphics and data analytics.

970 PRO will have a read speed up to 3,500 MB/s and a write speed up to 2,700 MB/s.
970 EVO will have a read speed up to 3,500 MB/s and a write speed up to 2,500 MB/s.
That's 30% faster than the previous generation on write speed.

Samsung also includes the improved warranty, the SSDs will feature a 5-year warranty or 1,200 terabytes, a 50% increase in write endurance rating compared to the previous generation. Overheating has been addressed as well, a heat spreader and new nickel-coated controller can lower the operating temperature. Beyond that, there will be Dynamic Thermal Guard that automatically monitors and maintains optimal temperatures.

970 PRO will start at $329.99 with capacities in 512GB and 1TB.
970 EVO will start at $119.99 with capacities in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB.

The 970 PRO and EVO will be available for purchase starting May 7, 2018.