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Review: Razer Core + GTX 1080 Strix

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The Razer Core is an external graphics card until that will allow you, through Thunderbolt 3, to connect a desktop graphics card to either a Razer Stealth or Razer Blade laptop. What’s nice about the Razer Core is that it also has USB 3 ports and an Ethernet port so you can also use it as a hub as well as a graphics housing.

In this review, I take my Razer Blade 2016 and pair it with the Razer Core housing an Asus Strix GTX 1080 to see if it can outperform the GTX 1060 that comes with the Razer Blade. While the Razer Core is mainly targeted towards games, as it can help boost FPS in most games, I am looking at this from a creative’s perspective on a mission to find the ultimate processing power.

Razer Blade (Skylake) on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mOaW4R
Razer Blade (Kaby Lake) on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mUoCNz
Asus GTX 1080 Strix on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2niqTCV

Is the Rankie USB-C to USB-A Adapter Better Than Apple’s?

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If you’re rocking one of Apple’s latest Macbook Pro’s then you might be living on something that I like to call the #DongleLife. The input/output options on the new Macbook Pro are limited to four USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headphone/microphone combo jack. That’s it! That might not seem like such a bad thing, Apple does think forward after all, but what does that mean for the general consumer? If you have any peripherals that take a standard USB plug to operate your going to be left purchase one of Apple’s adapters or purchasing a third party solution. That’s where the Rankie USB-C adapter comes in.

The Rankie USC-C to USB-A adapter will take the typical USB plug that most peripherals have and convert that connection to a USB-C that the Macbook Pro accepts. And it does it for a fraction of the price that Apple’s own adapter does. But, does that cut in cost also mean a cut in performance?

Rankie USB-C to USB-A 3.0 Adapter on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2npuHzD
Apple USB-C Adapter on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mWAy1r

I Built A Video Editing PC

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The time has come to build an editing workstation. Lately, I have been having many issues with my Macbook Pro slowing down while trying to edit photos in Adobe Lightroom as well as editing 1080p and 4K footage in Adobe Premiere Pro CC. Don’t get me wrong, the Macbook Pro is still an amazing machine but it doesn’t have the horsepower to keep up with my increasing demoing workload. This is where the PC comes in.

It’s been many years since I decided to embark on the PC building expedition. It was something that I enjoyed for a long time but the inconsistencies and issues with building a PC got to me and that’s why I’ve been Mac only for several years. In the video below, I’ll show you what parts are going into the build and why I chose them. Also down below is the parts list if you’re wanting to see current pricing or to pick on up for yourself.

This is just a PC build video, no benchmarking done, sorry! Perhaps the next PC build I do I will include more specs and benchmark results.

Parts List:
Intel Core i7 6850K: http://amzn.to/2jE0PQQ
Corsair Dominator Platinum RAM: http://amzn.to/2iQ4Ux0
Samsung 950 PRO NVMe SSD: http://amzn.to/2ju3lGX
Asus X99 Deluxe II Motherboard: http://amzn.to/2jEdKSS
Asus STRIX Geforce GTX 1080: http://amzn.to/2iPU0qY
Corsair AX1200i Power Supply: http://amzn.to/2iQ1P05
Corsair H100i V2 AIO: http://amzn.to/2iQ16vD
Corsair ML 140 Pro Case Fans: http://amzn.to/2k6d996
Corsair ML 120 Pro Case Fans: http://amzn.to/2jEbTh2
Nanoxia Deep Silence 5 Case: http://amzn.to/2iQ4qHl

Mac vs PC: Which One Is Better for Video Editing?

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I’m going to toss my hat into the ring of an age-old debate; Mac or PC? While many people will argue their opinion one way over the other, for me it comes down to performance. I want to be on the platform that offers the best performance for what I must do. I do most of my work from a laptop that I like to dock at the office when I need to be stationary. This had led to me trying a variety of laptops, both Mac and PC, in the search for the perfect solution.

In the video below I put the Asus GL502VS up against the Macbook Pro. While these machines both have different specs, the GL502VS is technically a gaming laptop, I was curious which one was better for video editing. For my testing, I will be rendering the same project on both machines using Premiere Pro CC. Let’s see who wins in the video below.

Curious on how these machines do with photo editing? Check out the video here.

Get the Macbook Pro on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2iPlVr7
Get the ASUS GL502VS on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jDoEsk

Mac vs PC: Which One Is Better for Photo Editing?

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Which is truly better for photographers; Mac or PC? With camera technology rapidly changing and with that, file sizes increasingly becoming larger, it’s important to have a computer that can handle all of your editing tasks. With the Macbook Pro not receiving much in the way of upgrades, I looked towards the PC side of the fence to see if I could find something that could compete.

In the video below I put the Asus GL502VS up against the Macbook Pro. While these machines both have different specs, the GL502VS is technically a gaming laptop, I was curious which one was better for photo editing. For my testing, I will be exporting the same batch of photos from Adobe Lightroom on both machines. Let’s see who wins in the video below.

Curious on how these machines do with video editing? Check out the video here.

Get the Macbook Pro on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2iPlVr7
Get the ASUS GL502VS on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jDoEsk

GoPro Hero 5 Black Initial Thoughts

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The successor to the GoPro Hero 4 line has finally arrived. The Hero 5 line of GoPro products is here and boy do they look awesome. Only time will tell if they are truly a worthy successor to the Hero 4 line of products but they are off to a good start.

As a longtime user of the GoPro Hero 4 line, I discuss my initial thoughts on the GoPro Hero 5 and the Hero 5 Session. And being that I currently am a Sony Action Cam user, I discuss my thoughts on the two brands of action cameras as well.

GoPro Hero 5 Black on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jwNF7W
GoPro Hero 5 Session on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jWVtwM

Top 8 iPhone 7 Settings to Change First

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Who doesn’t love the smell of a new car? What about a new iPhone? When I first get something new I find that customizing it to my liking can be quite fun. With a new iPhone, that means downloading my favorite apps, organizing them into folders, setting my wallpaper, changing the ringtone, and the list goes on. And with each new version of the iPhone, there are specific settings and features that I like to customize and/or change.

On the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, those are the most current versions at the time or writing, there are some settings specific to those devices that I like to change to make things a bit easier. And there are some iOS specific settings I change that you’ll find on each iPhone. In the video below I share my thoughts on the settings I often change on my new iPhones that make my life easier and hopefully will help you out too.

Get the iPhone 7 on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mdYr5h
Get the iPhone 7 Plus on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lLYtjQ

Five Reasons to Choose the Macbook Pro over the Razer Blade 2016

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The Macbook Pro with Touch Bar is Apple’s latest and greatest Macbook pro. It has better internal hardware than the previous generation as well as the Touch Bar which makes navigation around macOS and various other applications a breeze. Apple didn’t push the hardware to the limits, though, it’s just a minor spec improvement over the prior generation. But, it’s a quality built machine that’ll sure to keep pushing a few years down the road.

While on the other side of the fence, Razer, is pushing the limits of mobile computing with their stylish and powerful Raze Blade 2016. Razer, while mainly catering towards gamers, is wanting to capture some of the creatives that feel left behind by Apple.

But, does it make sense to purchase a gaming laptop when the main purpose of it will be for creative tasks such as coding, photo editing, and video editing? In the video below, I give you my top five reasons that you should choose a Macbook Pro with Touch Bar over the Razer Blade 2016.

Macbook Pro with Touch Bar on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mQ0AUT
Razer Blade 2016 on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2myRY4l

Five Reasons to Choose the Razer Blade 2016 over the Macbook Pro

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When Apple introduced the Macbook Pro with Touch Bar, they left many creatives wondering if Apple cared about them at all. It was only a slight hardware improvement over the previous generation, it comes with a new Touch Bar, and costs more than the previous model.

While on the other side of the fence, Razer, is pushing the limits of mobile computing with their stylish and powerful Raze Blade 2016. Razer, while mainly catering towards gamers, is wanting to capture some of the creatives that feel left behind by Apple.

But, does it make sense to purchase a gaming laptop when the main purpose of it will be for creative tasks such as coding, photo editing, and video editing? In the video below, I give you my top five reasons that you should choose a Razer Blade 2016 over the Macbook Pro with Touch Bar.

Macbook Pro with Touch Bar on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mQ0AUT
Razer Blade 2016 on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2myRY4l

Five Reasons to Choose the iPhone over the Google Pixel

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The iPhone is Apple’s bread and butter. Since it’s introduction in 2007, it has revolutionized the smartphone world. It’s even made Apple’s own brand of computers better, with features from the iPhone trickling down into the Mac operating system. But, does that mean that it’s better than Google’s own Pixel and Pixel XL? After all, the Pixel phones are Google’s vision of what Android should be, much like Apple’s vision for the iPhone.

There are many arguments to whether you should choose an iPhone over an Android phone. And there are much more arguments on the opposite. Most of these decisions come down to the individual but there are somethings that you should take into consideration before choosing one over the other. In the video below, I outline the top five reasons, in my opinion, that you should choose an iPhone over a Google Pixel, or any Android phone for that matter.

iPhone 7 on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2n3QFYD
Google Pixel on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mjy9wY