Elgato HD 60 Pro: The Definitive Capture Solution

The Helping Squad 2014, ‘PC Setup Closeup’, Elgato – Game Capture HD60 Pro – Review and Test, RobinJack0r, viewed 25th January 2016

Capture solutions are commonly in the form of a external card or software. Both have unique yet detrimental drawbacks that affect the user experience.

External cards have strict limits on bandwidth (the Mbps affecting video quality) because of their USB connections and capture just video signals. It is often a laborious process to get cards to receive both video and in video audio. Software requires significant system resources and have tendencies to create system instability.

PCI cards take the best of both external and software capture and fix the common problems they have. The Elgato HD 60 Pro is currently the only consumer product capable of 1080P 60Fps capture with an insane 60Mbps. It’s PCIx1 interface means it achieves this flawlessly, but the areas the Pro shines in are much more than simply being powerful hardware.

The OuterHaven 2015, ‘hd60pro-750×400-1’, Elgato unveils their latest capture device, the Elgato HD 60 Pro, Keith Mitchell 9/14/2015, viewed on 25th January 2016

 

  Specifications

Interface: PCIe x1

Codec: H.264

Input: HDMI (PlayStation 4 with HDCP turned off , Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, PC, IOS with a thunderbolt port and AV thunderbolt adapter)

Output: Lag Free HDMI Passthrough

Resoultions: 1080p60, 1080p30, 1080i, 720p60, 720p30, 576p, 576i, 480p

Bitrate: 60Mbps Maximum

Sound: Build in Sound (GPU dependent) 224 kbps AAC

 The spec sheet is standard for Elgato’s gaming line up but sound, interface and output are the most significant aspects of the hardware. Built in audio receiving the signal from a GPU’s audio feature fixes and simplify’s the process of recording a video’s sound. But the 60 Pro expects that the users TV/monitor has built in speakers, (not a audio jack on the TV/monitor) otherwise users cannot hear anything. Users with standard monitors can work around this using Elgato Sound Capture. This extension app that comes with Elgato’s software updates allows users to set the inputs and outputs of connected audio devices.

PCI is the exact same interface used by a CPU and GPU, both constantly sending and receiving information across a motherboard and hard drives. The intensity of capture software paired with the fact they take vital, system sensitive resources is why they have tendencies to cause problems for users. Capture cards often need trouble shooting in order to receive both video and in video sound, while cluttering up environments with their cable connections. Because the 60 Pro is hardware dedicated solely to video capture, it requires only the minimum amount of data connection from the CPU and hard drive, which takes the strain off of both the CPU and GPU and is at pace with the two because it has direct contact with the motherboard.

Elgato Recording load at maximum recording settings

Elgato Idle load

Elgato recording load with CPU dependent app in the background

Output has an unexpected versatility. Because the output is almost completely absent of any latency, users can play game consoles through the Elgato’s output with no drawbacks. Sadly, getting the Elgato software to display a console preview within the interface is not a plug and play scenario like advertised on Elgato’s tutorials. In order for the user to see both the interface and console feed, the TV/monitor used requires 2 HDMI ports (Input) for it to work, a crucial detail the tutorials fail to mention. This issue is only applicable to TV/Monitors with a single HDMI input, preventing users from pairing the 60 Pro with their consoles in a optimal manner.

User experience

http://www.helping-squad.com/elgato-game-capture-hd60-pro-review-and-test/

The Elgato HD 60 Pro has fixed every problem I have ever experienced with other solutions. Getting it up and running was the most painless experience and gave me a good lesson on how video signals work. I don’t use a streaming machine and PC capture has been flawless, expect the fact that I have to set Sounds to Elgato-4 every time on my speaker less monitor. The interface is to be commended for its clean, simple yet robust design. I still have yet to find capture software that makes naming footage so easy and still have important functions be easily accessed with a mouse.

MP4 60Mbps files are absolutely gorgeous, almost true to the original signal on a screen. But the subtly noticeable compression I saw in the Witcher 3’s right side map did nothing to diminish its quality and perfect frame capture.

(You may have to click on the gear icon and set Quality to 1080p 60fps)

Capture solutions like Shadow Force, Action and Fraps are capable of 60 frame capture, but they are bound by system resources and often fail to or inconsistently hit that frame target. In exchange for having to wait for the Elgato to process the large data of a 60Mbps file before you can close it, you are guaranteed a 1080p 60fps capture with no compromises.

Elgato Software PC Setup Interface

But I did experience some issues, just like any other capture solution. But these problems were nowhere near the level of hell I experienced from the Roxio and Action. Pressing the mute button stopped an echo effect when I saw the live feed of my stream, as some of you may have seen on my Twitch Channel.

Sometimes the display would not show up but after updating the software, which is a smooth and reliable process from my experience it worked without issue. I have vivid memories of the tedious trouble shooting I went through just to get video to have an audio signal on the Roxio and have my desk space invaded by cable clutter. While it’s an annoyance to set Sounds to Elgato-4 for every recording and hear nothing, this is only because my monitor doses not have build in speakers.

I never experienced a laborious set-up process that was picky over how it wanted to receive audio and video like with the Roxio and then have Action become a broken train-wreck after it received updates. While your mileage will vary greatly because of your PC’s individual characteristics, the Elgato HD 60 Pro’s hybrid unity of capture cards and software allows for one of the most consistently functional products that only has users experiencing petite annoyances if they didn’t have the ideal input requirements from their equipment.

Footage/feature performance

Users wanting to get straight into streaming to Twitch and YouTube videos are right at home with Elgato’s software. But the software goes above and beyond the passable quality of most software for capture solutions. The most prominent feature of Elgato’s software is Flashback Recording. System RAM allows the software to constantly preview passing footage and by dragging the timeline to a specific place, users can record right at that specific moment or take screenshots.

This feature is a miracle worker in multi-player or needing screenshots of a game. Users can turn flashback off if they do not want storage to be affected. Overlays are wonderfully integrated into the interface. Users can add custom overlays or edit the stock overlays to suit their tastes. They offer great benefits in creating a polished and well done video, but there is little guidance on how to effectively customize GIF’s and web pages that are much more technical that the simplicity of images and scenes.

Audio mixing is great for normal users who want a functional way of getting their microphones to simply work, but experts will be disappointed by the hardware’s lack of audio inputs. Sadly, Elgato does not provide a way to test microphone recordings, something that can be a frustration for many. The Threshold and Attenuation can be modified and by default, other sounds are reduced automatically when using the microphone.

The overall package is extremely well done and a delight for people who want to enjoy their streams and recordings. People well versed in audio set-ups will be left underwhelmed by the software’s options, but basic 3.5mm mic jack and USB set-ups work wonderfully with Elgato’s products. Overlays add a effortless way to add that personal touch to streams and videos, but it’s a shame GIF’s and web pages are impractical for most users.

Conclusion   

Kernel Labs 2016, ‘HD60Pro-Top’, Steven Toth, viewed 25th January 2016

External and software capture solutions have issues so detrimental to the user experience, only a small handful are truly worth someone’s time and investment. Elgato’s PCI capture solution has broken down many barriers. This piece of hardware has capitalized on the interface used by CPU and GPU’s to be one of the most consistently problem free capture solutions, with its most egregious issues being little, easily fixed quirks.

The HD 60 Pro is a top of its class capture solution, costing over $269AU. It is a small number of products that live up to the saying “what you pay is what you get.” Users that want the best experience with the HD 60 Pro however are sadly going to need the following, specific features in their equipment:

A TV/Monitor with Build in Speakers

2 HDMI Input ports

While this does not ruin the user experience if consumers do not have these exact specifics on their displays, It sadly means some users cannot use the full capability of the Pro. But it does little to seriously harm the functionality and potential of the Pro. Elgato have addressed the audio input/output issue for users for standard monitors with Sound Capture, that does a fantastic job of setting up audio for footage and the users recording environment.

 With brilliant footage quality, a great in all the right places interface and robust features that can be effectively altered to the users set-up while fixing the shortcomings of common capture solutions, the Elgato HD 60 Pro is the definitive and the best capture solution of the modern video game world.

What’s great

• Streamlined and robust software interface
• The best capture quality that does not hog resources
• Simple HDMI setup
• Wonderful integration of streaming and capturing
• Flashback Recording
• Genuine 60Fps capture
• Sound Capture allows any audio setup to suit the users needs 

What’s okay

• Web page/GIF overlays need to be more straight forward
• Audio Mix options should be expanded upon
• Mute prevents echoes in microphones and live stream feeds
• Basic video editor suited only for simple highlight cuts
• signal flash when exiting the software in the PC set-up

What’s bad

• 2 HDMI Inputs are needed for consoles to take advantage of Elgato
• Set-up tutorials fail to mention this important detail
• Rare occasions on specific games where the live feed won’t receive the footage’s audio signal
• No live Stream Hotkey option 

Roxio HD Pro and Mirillis Action Gameplay Recording: Which is the most user friendly?

Capture devices have become more prevalent in the modern gaming world. Even the PS4 and Xbox One have capture features and software allowing anyone to share their experiences.

Both consoles set a new standard for user friendliness of capture devices, and outperform most PC capture devices in ease of use and stability. The Roxio HD Pro and Action are capture devices designed for different gameplay needs. Action is strictly PC, while Roxio is for capturing 7th and 8th generation consoles gameplay. When both are put side by side, Action ticks all the check lists for a easy to use recording software while the Roxio’s shortcoming become evident in the unchecked ticks.

 Setup

             Roxio’s Xbox 360’s Setup                                                                               Action’s Interface

The most striking difference between the two is the complexity of their setups. Action is ready to go from the moment it boots up, with only the file format needing changes to either Intel Quick Sync or Nivida NVENC. The Roxio HD needs console cables plugged in, bit rates adjusted and console and picture settings also need alterations to record effectively.

The Roxio also suffers from being a capture card, rather than a standalone program. It’s cable connections make it unwieldy in most console environments. Action has no psychical setup, with its entire capacity stored on the users hard drive.

File Management

Roxio’s file storage interface                                                                              Action’s file storage interface

Regularly capturing footage will eventually need effective file management to sort out the user’s content.  Roxio file management is standard. It allows users to put files in a specific folder on the PC with the default being the Videos folder.

Action However will have all recorded videos on the left hand side of the interface. This makes file searching effortless and is stored on the Action Videos folder. A selected file can also be exported to YouTube on the bottom left side.

        Roxio’s settings                                                                                                                     Action’s settings

 Settings on the programs are also vastly different in their flexibility to suit the users needs. Roxio’s settings options are very subdued. It allows the bitrate to be adjusted, switch inputs to HDMI or component, alter hotkeys and configurations for Twitch and YouTube live streaming.

Action’s settings options have more use for making professional content. Not only can it record video in 1080p HD, function keys allow Action to record in game audio, take screenshots and benchmarking tools. It can record the user’s webcam and have the microphone audio as a separate file to be edited for future use. The HUD also displays the game’s FPS (Frames Per Second) as the user plays, giving useful information to users testing their PC’s performance.

 Installation

Roxio HD Pro Capture Card                                                                                 Action product design logo

The effort needed to install either of these programs is night and day. Roxio’s software comes in a disk which is standard for most programs. But this method doesn’t take into account PC’s without DVD drives, such as Ultrabook laptops.

Users without DVD drives will have to find the service pack on the Roxio website. It’s not clear where it can be found, and users must be a registered Roxio member to download the service pack. Creating so much difficulty over installing software required to make the capture card work leaves a sour first impression on the HD Pro.

Action can also be purchased on their official website, or through Steam. If purchased on Steam the program will be fully installed with no need for registration. The best software on the market is also often straight forward to install, and this is reinforced with Action’s install compared with Roxio’s install.

Conclusion

Roxio HD Pro in action                                                                                    Action in the moment

Capture cards have gone through a rapid evolution in user friendless, with the PS4 and Xbox One setting the benchmark all capture software should strive for. When Action and the Roxio HD Pro are compared, there is no argument over which is the easiest to use. Action is one of the best PC capture software, wielding fantastic features and high quality capture with the best interface of any capture software.

The Roxio HD Pro is a disappointment from a ease of use standpoint. It delivers with capture quality and picture enhancing options, but other settings are too basic for capture card standards. It’s final nail in the coffin is failing the fundamental basics of ease of use, suffering from unwieldy cable setups, installation that disregards consumers without DVD drives and a capture with clunky stability when the card’s in use.

Enthusiasts wanting to share the gameplay to the world need Action for the best recording experience. Console recorders know far better options exist than the Roxio HD Pro.

Verdict

• User friendly interface with fantastic feature for producing polished content
• Performance research tools with fully customizable recording settings
• Only limited by the power of the user’s PC

 

• Offers great HD recording and picture enhancing
• Brought down by lacking in fundamentals in ease of use

PlayStation Vita Review 2015

 Ps Vita wallpaper by mattsimmo, Deviant Art

http://mattsimmo.deviantart.com/art/PS-Vita-Wallpaper-275044577

(This Review is based on the original OLED modal that doesn’t have 1G of internal storage and bigger rear touch placers.)

Sony’s successor to the PSP has ventured an interesting journey through the gaming industry. Released worldwide in 2012, its early titles amazed with production values coming close or on par with home consoles. But the expense of making a Vita game at the time made the handheld suffer the chicken and egg predicament. How can you get people to buy the console without software support, but where can you get the developers willing to pay the expense for making the software.

It was a console that had so many excellent strengths from its design, features that can be used in inventive ways as illustrated in Tearaway and being 1 of 3 modern consoles able to play classic games, but its own excellence was its greatest weakness.

Artwork from Dorkly, Videogame consoles are your teachers, page 3, number 10

http://www.dorkly.com/post/45128/videogame-consoles-are-your-teachers/page:3

3 years later, the Vita’s solution to its problems was shifting focus to being a console thriving with unique and cult status games, a companion device for the PS4 and giving a solution to retro gamers wanting to play PS1 and PSP titles but own a PlayStation 4, as the Vita is able to play PS1 and PSP titles. As of the 25^th January 2015, the PlayStation Vita has sold 9.6 million units worldwide and its rival the 3DS has sold a dumbfounding 50.4 million units. By inspecting the negative and positive elements of Sony’s handheld and how its game library can be a utopia for aficionados of gaming, one will discover how the PlayStation Vita is the best handheld console that dared to compete against the unshakeable masters of the handheld console.

Design

Weighing 260 grams and having a stunning OLED screen, the original Vita fits well in a cargo trouser pocket though it doesn’t have the slimmer weight of the Vita Slim which makes it easier to fit in a regular pocket. Even though this model may need trousers with long and deep pockets so it doesn’t slip out and hit the concrete, its greatest virtue is the display.

OLED Vita Screen photo from Mobile Fanatics, Up close with the PlayStation Vita, http://www.themobilefanatics.com/2012/03/photo-gallery-up-close-playstation-vita/

Bright, vivid and colourful are a few words describing the majestic beauty of the OLED display. Games with colourful art direction appear crisp and pop out while games with a more realistic or gritty art direction have clear contrast and rare colours stand out.

The handheld also has the advantage of responsive dual analogue sticks that are as comfy as the DualShock 3 and 4 once the user is used to the small yet effective input range.The D-pad isn’t as separate or mushy compared with the Dual 4, but great for PlayStation 1 games with their more finicky and precision based gameplay, like in platformers. The traditional shape symbol buttons and R1 and L1 are also there, but how does one play a FPS (First Person Shooter) without the distinctly missing R2 and L2 buttons.

The Vita uses the touch screen and the obscure rear touch pad to make up for a lack of R2 and L2 button, and games for the Vita have used the touch inputs in varying degrees of success.

Impulse Gamer, Little Big Planet 

http://www.impulsegamer.com/vitalittlebigplanet.html

The front touch screen is an intuitive and sensitive input, and its sensitivity along with a dual shock control layout has been put to great use in fighting games as well as improving on functionality in games like Dragon’s Crown where it’s used to find treasure while fighting through hectic battles.

Tech Radar, PS Vita Review, March 05 2012,

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/gaming/handheld-consoles/ps-vita-1061138/review/4

The rear touch pad is a mixed bag in terms of intuitiveness and reliability. While being an inventive way of interacting with in game objects and makes actions more involved, the pad by its nature and placement is prone to accidental input, and because the original Vita is no longer in production and replaced by the vastly better Slim, OLED models are plagued with technical issues that all revolve around the rear touch pad. When installing games that heavily use it like Tearaway, such games may stop the pad from functioning completely which can cause critical progression issues in games where it’s used to progress in a Vita game. This issue only applies to the original Vita, and not the Vita Slim.

PlayStation PS Vita, WordPress, PS Vita Specs

http://psvitaplaystation.wordpress.com/ps-vita-specs/

The console with its screen and glossy finish is a dust, stain and finger print magnet that will often need cleaning. Even if it’s a bit unfriendly to fashionable trouser pockets, the Vita is an good looking handheld, and the rear touch pad issue only affects a certain number of games, with a large majority of the library being fully playable without the rear touch pad.

Features

A plethora of features reside in the Vita, with the most useful ones being Remote Play, Content manager, Videos and web browser. The other features, while having there uses are done better on other consoles, and even smartphones.

Pocket Lint, Hands-on video: PS4 Remote Play Explored

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/125119-hands-on-video-ps4-remote-play-explored

Remote Play allows the player to have PS4 gameplay streamed to the Vita with the handheld being the controller. This is a commendable feature for players that have their sessions regularly interrupted by people watching TV and is similar to the Wii U tablet. The function works with all PS4 games that don’t require the PlayStation Camera, and the L2, R2, L3 and R3 are mapped to the front touch screen with Start and Select being the Share and Options button.

Dragons Dogma Wiki, Dragon’s Dogma PS Vita backgrounds,

http://dragonsdogma.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:ObsidianDraconis/Dragon’s_Dogma_PS_Vita_Backgrounds

Due to the compulsory need of a proprietary memory card, content manager will be a frequently used app as digital Vita games have sizes of 1 to 3 GB’s filling up 16 GB card quickly. (Psychical game cartilages are smaller in file size) Apps on the card are in coloured categories making space management a simple press on the screen.

Dragons Dogma Wiki, Dragon’s Dogma PS Vita backgrounds,

http://dragonsdogma.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:ObsidianDraconis/Dragon’s_Dogma_PS_Vita_Backgrounds

There is also 3 back up methods for games on the Vita and they are the PS3, PC and PS Plus cloud storage. Cloud storage keeps save files and is the easiest method that simply needs the player to be subscribed to PS Plus which is purchased on the PS Store starting at $10 for a month and won’t make you top up if the automatic funding option is turned off on the service list once purchased. The PS3 serves as a mass back up storage for Vita games and allowing music, videos and images to be transferred onto the Vita while storing PS1 save files that cannot be saved on the cloud. (The PS4 sadly does not support the PS3’s mass storage utility for the PlayStation Vita)

PC back up requires Content Manager Assistant to be installed on the PC, and makes it easier to organise one’s Vita games while serving as the best way for getting music files on the Vita. These methods offer great versatility for preserving Vita games as well as getting other forms of media, particularly music on the handheld.

The PS Store also offers movies to rent that are found on the Videos app on the home screen, and is an acceptable video player, with movies looking great on the OLED screen with reasonable rental prices at round $5 to $6. TV rentals however are lacklustre because the pricing structure will have the user purchasing one episode at a time instead of a whole season, making them more expensive and stopping binge watching.

The web browser is commendable for finding walkthroughs, and nothing else. Having only 512MB of Ram, the browser takes an eternity loading webpages and has virtually no security unless paying for Trend Micro Security to defend a browser that struggles to load and display any decent website. It’s a useful app for guidance in a game, but is terrible when compared against other respected web browsers.

The four features of the Vita are apps that give handheld strong potential as a multimedia device that provides great distractions when the player wants more than simply games from their console.

(P.S There are 32 and 64 GB memory cards but are available only in Japan, and other countries have only 4, 8 and 16 GB memory cards commercially available.)

Gaming library

The titles for the Vita cover a range of genres with the most popular games being JRPGS and Indies. One of the criticisms aimed at the handheld is the lack of exclusives in the library and how it pales in comparison to the 3DS library. The reason why the Vita thrives with Indies and ports while having sparse exclusive like Tearaway and Killzone Mercenary is due to one simple fact.

Vita games have production values that are close to the budgets of console games which makes them more expensive for handheld developers to create. When the Vita launched worldwide in 2012, its launch titles Gravity Rush and Uncharted Golden Abyss amazed with their production values and inventive use of the Vita’s control features. But these games set a high expectation that the Vita would have exclusives that matched or came almost close to console games, and resulted in a drought of games that wasn’t a popular IP like Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed meant to be system sellers and being inferior to their console counterparts.

10 best PlayStation Vita Games cover image, Arcade Sushi

http://arcadesushi.com/best-playstation-vita-games/

The PS Vita would remain in obscurity in the handheld market until the PS4’s Remote Play feature gave the Vita some much needed attention. It wasn’t a solution to its problems, but people realised that a competitor to the 3DS existed and by that time, ports of games such as Dragon’s Crown, Persona 4 Golden, Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remastered and having backwards compatibility with PS1 and PSP titles gave people incentive to purchase the handheld. Then the Vita shifted its ambitions from the console experience on the go, and instead thriving on indie titles and hosting a gaming library of critical darlings and cult classics that were made in the Vita’s life time period of 2012 and 2014.

With the PlayStation Vita’s original and current ambitions, it has never had a popular system seller and is very evident with the 3DS’s 50.4 Million units sold and the Vita selling 9.6 million units. The game library of the PlayStation Vita clear cuts a gaming audience in half. One half will be having a ball as the library is stuffed and exploding with offbeat and specialised titles taking video game elements of eons past, and giving them a modern update or create a fantastical element that gives players an experience they will find nowhere else. The other half have found their gaming needs with the 3DS and its blockbuster titles of Pokémon, Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart and it’s stellar Street Pass social feature allowing them to have greater connections with gaming friends.

With such a broad and unique library of games, the Vita is the modern aficionados’ handheld console.

Value

Poster artwork by Patrick Zachar, Deviant art

http://patrickzachar.deviantart.com/art/Playstation-Vita-Poster-Blue-309933032

Sony’s little console is an exotic product of the handheld market. Even with a dwindling beginning and the problematic reliability of the originals rear touch pad and the borderline money sink of a compulsory memory card, its revision the Vita Slim fixed the pad’s issues and being less awkward in the everyday pocket. The library is a smorgasbord of unique IP’s and classic PlayStation games that epitomise the brands international third party developer’s innovative and evolutionary efforts in the gaming world.

The original Vita in comparison to the Slim, is one of the master disasters of the PlayStation lineage. But the original is a reminder to avid fans of video games that often it takes time and a lot of blunders before an entertainment device matures into a product worth spending dozens of hours on with all its incredible adventures waiting to be experienced.

Summation: If you really want to get the PlayStation Vita, I implore you to but the Vita Slim because it has a better touch pad and 1 GB internal memory, enough to play an indie game or two and the argument on what screen of both models is better won’t matter when you actually play on the Vita Slim. Please note that the images without a description and link to the source were captured with my IPad and the Vita screenshot feature (Start+ PlayStation button). And yes, now that I am beginning to credit the image and artwork sources of other people’s creations, I will be updating my older reviews and giving credit to the images and artwork of other creators they rightfully deserve.

Have a great day and don’t hesitate to point out an inaccurate detail in this review.

Dell Inspiron 157000 Review (2014)

Review model:

Operating System: Windows 8.1 Pro

System Type: 64-bit

Hard Drive: 1TB hybrid drive (5400 RPM)

Ram: 16GB

CPU: Intel Core i7 2.00GHz

GPU: Nivida GeForce GT 750M

Video Memory: 2.0GB

Laptops are becoming more ubiquitous in the modern world. For many people, purchasing the right laptop can be a steep hill to climb. Many factors come into a person’s mindset when looking for the right laptop, and some need a laptop to meet their multimedia and work demands at a reasonable price, others want great performance for PC gaming without breaking their wallets.

The Inspiron 157000 is an Ultrabook laptop, a specific class of laptops with slim body’s and long battery life. Ultrabooks are normally not suited for PC gaming, but the Inspiron 157000 is a unique creation of the Ultrabook class. It comes with a optional Nivida GeForce GT 750M GPU, a mid range class 2 graphics card able to play most modern PC games at modest quality settings in full HD resolution. (1920×1080)

This makes the Inspiron not only powerful in multimedia thanks to its hybrid hard drive and excellent 16GB Ram, it is also a strong contender as a modest gaming laptop, able to play 3-D games such as Tomb Raider 2013 and Deus Ex Human Revolution once optimize on the GeForce Experience, an optimisation program that comes with the GT 750M. However PC games such as Evolve, Dragon Age Inquisition and Metro Last Light are too powerful for the 750M to handle, even when optimized on GeForce Experience.

The Inspiron 157000 laptop is a fantastic laptop for everyday life with an impressive 6 hour extended battery life, and a convincing choice for PC gamers who need a decent laptop without having to pay obscene amounts of money. $1900 is expensive in general for a laptop, but when most quality gaming laptops have ridiculous prices of $2500 and all the way up to the MSI GT80 Titan SLI’s money sucking $6300 price tag, $1900 suddenly looks like great value for a laptop with mid range gaming capacity.

 Design

With a 15.6 inch display, aluminium build, spacious keyboard, 4 3.0 USB Ports, HDMI Input, and a plethora of Multi-media Card Readers the Inspiron 157000 is a slick looking laptop that feels solid to the touch. But two design elements stand out the most.

1080P Display

The LED Back-lit Touch Display is a gorgeous screen that shows vivid colours with hardly any pixilated patches,making it great for watching movies online along with browsing images, but is very reflective and hard to see in sunlight. It is also a touch screen that works great for both the desktop and Windows 8 UI. However having both the keyboard and touch screen turned on proves exceptionally difficult, and a system refresh might be needed to have them both turned on, but this is not a good solution as a system refresh removes all programs from the laptop, including the Nivida GeForce, one of the  Inspiron’s best features.

The touch screen is a complementary to the navigation experience, and navigation is just as smooth with the traditional mouse and keyboard.

HDMIinput = Display on TV

Depending on what specific modal the consumer chooses, the Inspiron will not have a DVD drive, but to make up for that a HDMI will allow the 1080P display to be shown on a TV. Not only will the TV screen bring out the best in the laptop’s display, but one can watch movies and TV shows online if not yet released on DVD.

 The keyboard is spacious and has a back light for dark environments, but the mouse pad has woeful click pads that often lead to accidental inputs, and it is best to get a wireless mouse as soon as possible.

The laptop has 4 3.0 USB ports along with a card reader which is very useful for people with a lot of media workload.

SD card, Multi Media Card on the right

Charger, two USB 3.0 Ports on the left

All these qualities make the Inspiron a well-designed laptop with a secure weight that comes only in sliver grey.

User Interface

The Inspiron 157000 comes with Windows 8.1 Pro, with two Interfaces, the desktop and Windows 8.1 UI. The Windows UI is an elegant interface with a user’s favourite applications ready for easy access with simple drag and size options for organisation. The desktop is the same familiar interface of the beloved Windows 7 and where most of the laptop management takes place.

 These two interfaces can work together to solve issues that would irritate users of Windows 7. If an application has made a glitch in which the user can’t access the desktop, they can press the Windows button to open the Windows UI, open Google Chrome and bring up the Desktop’s apps on the bottom right and close the affected application stopping the glitch. The union between the interfaces creates a smooth navigation experience, visually impressing onlookers and blitzing through office work.

Features

GeForce Interface

For PC gamers, the Inspiron’s killer app is the Nivida GeForce Experience. This program allows users to easily optimise their games for the best player experience. In games like Dota 2, the default resolution makes text impossible to read and graphics blurry, but once optimized on the GeForce, presentation significantly improved.The only unfortunate aspect is that the program as of the 2nd January 2015 supports only 214 titles. http://www.geforce.com/geforce-experience/supported-games

While a broad range of games are GeForce supported, it’s unfortunate that it isn’t a universal  game optimisation program. The program also has features like Shadow Play for recording gameplay and FPS that require more powerful Nivida GPU’s to work, which the Inspiron cannot use because it’s  GPU isn’t powerful enough to use this feature.

My Dell Interface

All Inspiron 157000 models come with My Dell. My Dell performs checkups and backups on the laptop and sort out performance issues and backup computer files on a USB. It also offers cloud storage for the users files, and is a handy back up option. There’s also Onedrive, a free cloud storage service that comes with Microsoft Office, so users can rest easy knowing the Inspiron offers plenty of back up options should something ever go wrong with the laptop.

Performance

With 16GB’s of RAM and 1TB storage, the Inspiron is highly capable in internet browsing and media storage, easily handling a plethora of tasks without any hiccups.

In the realm of PC gaming, the Nivida GeForce GT 750M with 2.0 GB of video memory makes the Inspiron excel in 3-D gaming when setting are optimised on GeForce Experience, as optimisation is tailored to what the user’s PC can handle. It will also handle less powerful 3-D games like Team Fortress 2 with ease.

Tomb Raider 2013 Benchmark (In game benchmark)

FPS (Frames Per Second)

min: 32FPS

max: 52FPS

Average: 40.6

Settings:(Optimized on Nivida GeForce Experience)

Anti-aliasing: Off

Depth of Field: Ultra

Hair Quality: Normal

High Precision: On

Detail: Normal

Post-processing: Off

Reflections: High

Resolution: 1920×1080

Shadow Resolution: High

Shadows: Normal

SSAO: Ultra

Tessellation: Off

Texture Filter: Anisotropic 16X

Texture Quality: Ultra

  Value

 

For $1900, the buyer is getting a commendable gaming laptop that will play lesser 3-D games at smooth frames rates, with a number of advanced 3-D games being modestly playable once optimised on GeForce Experience. If the user’s gaming interest resides in 2-D and less intense 3-D games like Shantae and TF2, they will be getting their money’s worth with the Inspiron.

But the true quality of the Inspiron lies in being a powerful laptop for universal computer use in work, media and video production thanks to its excellent specifications and potential when users explore its capacity in media programs and gaming. The two issues with the laptop are of a touch display that is hard to turn on and off, and the mouse pad is of poor quality and users will need a wireless mouse to effectively navigate windows without keyboard control.

Overall, the Inspiron 157000’s high quality specifications, slick design and good gaming capacity will satisfy and delight many consumers. PC gamers won’t choose this laptop for high end gaming, but its specification qualities shall make mid range gamers content, as well as allowing them to venture into creative pursuits.

Summation

 My first laptop review took longer than I expected. My initial thoughts with the Inspiron was that it was not able to play 3-D games like Far Cry 3 because of their advanced graphics, but after playing Tomb Raider 2013, my thoughts changed when the game looked and performed wonderfully. I also feel that my review lacks any detail on the internet experience. People reading this review should know that it’s based on the 157537 model, not the 157000 model, but the 157000 modal has a faster CPU at 3.1GHz and retains most of the 157537’s specifications, but the Nivida GeForce Experience is OPTIONAL, so make such your clear with the Dell website that you want the Nivida GeForce.

Once again, feedback is greatly apprenticed, and don’t be afraid to point out an inaccurate detail.