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MSI MEG Z590 Ace Review: New Ace in Town

(Image credit: MSI)

While we still don’t have an Intel Rocket Lake-S Core i9-11900K CPU to use for testing, Intel Z590 boards have been rolling in. So while we await benchmark results, we’ll be walking in detail through the features of these brand-new boards. First up on our bench was the ASRock Z590 Steel Legend 6E Wi-Fi, followed by the Gigabyte Z590 Aorus Master and Gigabyte’s Z590 Vision G. Today, we take a close look at the MSI MEG Z590 Ace. We’ll have to wait for benchmark results, though, to see if it deserves a spot on our best motherboards list.

The latest version of the Ace board features robust power delivery, four M.2 sockets, a premium audio codec and more. The new Ace also has updated styling on the heatsink and shrouds while still keeping the black with gold highlights theme from the previous generation. Emblazoned on the rear IO is the MSI Dragon (with RGB LEDs) and the Ace name (no lighting). We don’t have an exact price for the MEG Z590 Ace. However, the Z490’s MSRP was $399, so we expect the Z590 version to cost the same or slightly more.

MSI’s current Z590 product stack consists of 11 models, with most falling into the MEG (high-end) MPG (mid-range) and MAG (budget) lineups. We’re greeted by several familiar SKUs and a couple of new ones. Starting at the top is the flagship MEG Z590 Godlike, the Ace we’re looking at now, and a Mini ITX MEG Z590I Unify. The mid-range MPG line consists of four boards (Carbon EK X, Gaming Edge WiFi, Gaming Carbon WiFi and Gaming Force), while the less expensive MAG lineup consists of two boards (Z590 Tomahawk WiFi, and Torpedo). Wrapping up the current product stack are two ‘Pro’ boards in the Z590 Pro WiFi and Z590-A Pro. The only thing missing out of the gate is a Micro ATX board, but it’s likely we see one or two down the line.

We can’t talk about Rocket Lake-S performance yet — not that we have a CPU at this time to test boards with anyway. All we’ve seen at this point are rumors and a claim from Intel of a significant increase to IPC. But the core count was lowered from 10 cores/20 threads in Comet Lake (i9-10900K) to 8 cores/16 threads in the yet-to-be-released i9-11900K. To that end, we’ll stick with specifications and features, adding a full review that includes benchmarking, overclocking and power consumption shortly.

MSI’s MEG Z590 Ace includes all the bits you expect from a premium motherboard. The board has a stylish appearance, very capable power delivery (16-phase 90A Vcore) and the flagship Realtek ALC4082 audio codec with included DAC. We’ll cover these features and much more in detail below. First, here are the full specs from MSI.

Specifications – MSI MEG Z590 Ace

Socket	LGA 1200
Chipset	Z590
Form Factor	ATX
Voltage Regulator	16+2+1 Phase (90A MOSFETs for Vcore)
Video Ports	(1) HDMI (v1.4)
	(2) Mini-DisplayPort (input), (2) Thunderbolt 4 (output)
USB Ports	(2) USB 3.2 Gen 2, Type-C (10 Gbps)
	(4) USB 3.2 Gen 1, Type-C (5 Gbps)
	(2) USB 2.0, Type-A
	(2) Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) ports (Up to 40 Gbps)
Network Jacks	(1) 2.5 GbE
Audio Jacks	(5) Analog Plus SPDIF
Legacy Ports/Jacks	✗
Other Ports/Jack	✗
PCIe x16	(2) v4.0 x16
	(1) v3.0 x16
	(x16/x0/x4, x8/x8/x4, x8/x4+x4/x4)
PCIe x8	✗
PCIe x4	✗
PCIe x1	(2) PCIe 3.0 x1
CrossFire/SLI	AMD Quad GPU Crossfire and 2-Way Crossfire, 2-Way Nvidia SLI
DIMM slots	(4) DDR4 5600+, 128GB Capacity
M.2 slots	(1) PCIe 4.0 x4 / PCIe (up to 110mm)
	(2) PCIe 3.0 x4 / PCIe + SATA (up to 80mm)
	(1) PCe 3.0 x4 / PCIe (up to 80mm)
U.2 Ports	✗
SATA Ports	(6) SATA3 6 Gbps (RAID 0, 1 and 10)
USB Headers	(1) USB v3.2 Gen 2 (Front Panel Type-C)
	(1) USB v3.2 Gen 1
	(2) USB v2.0
Fan/Pump Headers	(8) 4-Pin
RGB Headers	(2) aRGB (3-pin)
	(2) RGB (4-pin)
Legacy Interfaces	✗
Other Interfaces	FP-Audio, TPM
Diagnostics Panel	Yes, 4-LED ‘Status LED’ display, 2-character debug
Internal Button/Switch	LED/BIOS switches, Power/Reset buttons
SATA Controllers	✗
Ethernet Controller(s)	(1) Intel I225-V (2.5 GbE)
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth	(1) Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (MU-MIMO, 2.4/5/6GHz, BT 5.2)
USB Controllers	??
HD Audio Codec	Realtek ALC4082
DDL/DTS Connect	✗ / DTS:X Ultra
Warranty	3 Years

The accessories included with the board are reasonably comprehensive, including most of what you need to get started. Below is a full list.

Manual
Quick Installation Guide
USB drive (Drivers)
Cleaning brush
Screwdrivers
Stickers (MEG/Cable)
(4) SATA cables
(4) Screws/standoff sets for M.2 sockets
Thermistor cable
1 to 2 RGB LED Y cable, Corsair RGB LED cable, Rainbow RGB LED cable
DP to mini DP cable

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Looking at the Z590 Ace for the first time, we see the black PCB along with black heatsinks and shrouds covering most of the board. MSI stenciled on identifying language such as the MEG Ace name and the MSI Gaming Dragon in gold, setting this SKU apart from the rest. The VRM heatsinks are both made from a solid block of aluminum with lines cut out. Additionally, the shroud is made of metal and connected to the heat pipes, increasing surface area significantly. Also worth noting is the VRM heatsinks share the load connected via heatpipe. RGB LED lighting is minimal here, with a symbol on the chipset shining through a mesh cover on the chipset heatsink and the MSI dragon above the rear IO. While tastefully done, some may want more. With its mostly black appearance, the board won’t have trouble fitting in most build themes.

(Image credit: MSI)

Focusing on the top half of the board, we’ll get a better look at what’s going with the VRM heatsinks and other board features in this area. In the upper-left corner, we spot two 8-pin EPS connectors, one of which is required for operation. Just below this is the shroud covering the rear IO bits and part of the VRM heatsink. On it is a carbon-fiber pattern along with the MSI Gaming Dragon illuminated by RGB LEDs. The socket area is relatively clean, with only a few caps visible.

Just above the VRM heatsink is the first of eight fan headers. All fan headers on the board are the 4-pin type and support PWM- and DC-controlled fans and pumps. The CPU_FAN1 header supports up to 2A/24W and auto-detects the attached device type. The PUMP_FAN1 supports up to 3A/36W. The rest of the system fan headers support up to 1A/12W. This configuration offers plenty of support for most cooling systems. That said, I would like to have seen all pump headers auto-detect PWM/DC modes instead of only CPU_FAN1.

To the right of the socket are four reinforced DRAM slots. The Z590 Ace supports up to 128GB of RAM with speeds listed up to DDR4 5600 (for one stick with one rank). The highest supported speed with two DIMMs is DDR4 4400+, which is plenty fast enough for an overwhelming majority of users.

MOving down the right edge of the board, we see the 2-character debug LED up top, a system fan header, five voltage read points (Vcore/DRAM/SA/IO/IO2), 4-LED debug, 24-pin ATX connector, and finally, a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C front panel header. Between both debug tools and the voltage read points, you’ll have an accurate idea of what’s going on with your PC.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

With the MEG Z590 Ace towards the top of the product stack, you’d expect well-built power delivery and you wouldn’t be wrong. MSI lists the board as 16+2+1 (Vcore/GT/SA) and it uses a Renesas ISL69269 (X+Y+Z = 8+2+1) PWM controller that feeds power to eight-phase doublers (Renesas ISL617A), then onto 16 90A Renesas ISL99390B MOSFETs for the Vcore. This configuration yields 1440A of power for the CPU, which is plenty for ambient and sub-ambient/extreme overclocking. It won’t be this board holding you back in any overclocking adventures, that’s for sure.

(Image credit: MSI)

As we focus on the bottom half, we’ll take a closer look at the integrated audio, PCIe slot configuration and storage. Starting with the audio bits on the left side, under the shroud, is the Realtek latest premium codec, the ALC4082. Additionally, the Z590 Ace includes an ESS Sabre 9018Q2C combo DAC, a dedicated headphone amplifier (up to 600 Ohm) and high-quality Chemicon audio capacitors. This audio solution should be more than adequate for most users.

In the middle of the board are four M.2 sockets and five PCIe slots. With the PCIe connectivity, all three full-length slots are reinforced to prevent shearing and EMI, while the two PCIe x1 slots don’t have any reinforcement. The top slot supports PCIe 4.0 x16 speeds, with the second and third slots PCIe 3.0. The slots break down as follows, x16/x0/x4 x8/x8/x4 or x8/x4+x4/x4. This configuration supports 2-Way Nvidia SLI and 2-Way AMD Crossfire technologies. All x1 slots and the full-length bottom slot are fed from the chipset, while the top two full-length slots source their lanes from the CPU.

M.2 storage on the Z590 Ace consists of four onboard sockets supporting various speeds and module lengths. The top slot, M2_1, supports PCIe 4.0 x4 modules up to 110mm. Worth noting on this socket is that it only works with an 11th Gen Intel CPU installed. M2_2, M2_3, M2_4 are fed from the chipset, with M2_2 and M2_3 supporting SATA- and PCIe-based modules up to 80mm, while M2_4 supports PCIe only. M2_2/3/4 are all PCIe 3.0 x4.

The way this is wired, you will lose some SATA ports and PCIe bandwidth depending on the configuration. For example, SATA2 is unavailable when using a SATA-based SSD in the M2_2 socket. SATA 5/6 are unavailable when using the M2_3 socket with any type of device. Finally, the bandwidth on M2_4 switches from x4 to x2 when PCI_E5 (bottom x1 slot) is used. The M.2 sockets support RAID 0/1 for those who would like additional speed or redundancy.

Finally, along the right edge of the board are six horizontally oriented SATA ports. The Z590 Ace supports RAID 0, 1 and 10 on the SATA ports. Just be aware you lose a couple of ports on this board if you’re using some of the M.2 sockets. Above these ports is a USB 3.2 Gen1 front panel header along with another 4-pin system fan header.

Across the board’s bottom edge are several headers, including more USB ports, fan headers, and more. Below is the full list, from left to right:

Front Panel Audio
aRGB and RGB headers
(3) System Fan headers
Supplemental PCIe power
Tuning controller connector
Temperature sensor
(2) USB 2.0 headers
LED switch
BIOS selector switch
OC Retry jumper
TPM header
Power and Reset buttons
Slow mode jumpers
Front panel connectors

(Image credit: MSI)

Moving to the rear IO area, we see the integrated IO plate sporting a black background with gold writing matching the board theme. There are eight USB Type-A ports (two USB 3.2 Gen2, four USB 3.2 Gen1 and two USB 2.0 ports). On the Type-C front, the Z590 Ace includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports capable of speeds up to 40 Gbps. Just to the right of those are Mini-DisplayPort inputs for running video through the Thunderbolt connection(s). Handling the video output for the CPU’s integrated graphics is a single HDMI (2.0b) port. We also spy here the Wi-Fi antenna connections, 5-plug plus SPDIF audio stack, Intel 2.5 GbE and finally, a Clear CMOS button and BIOS Flashback button that can be used without a CPU.

Software

For Z590, MSI has changed up its software offerings. We used to have several individual programs to adjust the system, but MSI moved to an all-in-one application called MSI Center with thisboard. The new Software is a central repository for many of the utilities (12) MSI offers. These include Mystic Light (RGB control), AI Cooling (adjust fan speeds), LAN Manager (control the NIC), Speed Up (for storage), Gaming Mode (auto-tune games), among several others (see the screenshots below for details). The User Scenario application has a couple of presets for system performance and is where you manually adjust settings, including CPU clock speeds and voltage, RAM timings, and more. Overall, I like the move to a single application. The user interface is easy to read and get around in. However, sometimes loading these applications takes longer than I would like to see. But MSI Center does an excellent job of pulling everything in.

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Firmware

To give you a taste of the Firmware, we’ve gathered screenshots showing most BIOS screens. MSI’s BIOS is unique from the other board partners in that the headings aren’t at the top but split out to the sides. In each section, all the frequently used options are easy to find and not buried deep within menus. Overall, MSI didn’t change much here when moving from Z490 to Z590 and their BIOS continues to be easy to use.

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Future Tests and Final Thoughts

With Z590 boards arriving but now Rocket Lake-S CPUs yet, we’re in an odd place. We know most of these boards should perform similarly to our previous Z490 motherboard reviews. And while there are exceptions, they are likely mostly at the bottom of the product stack. To that end, we’re posting these as detailed previews until we get data using a Rocket Lake processor.

Once we receive a Rocket Lake CPU and as soon as any embargos have expired, we’ll fill in the data points, including the benchmarking/performance results, as well as overclocking/power and VRM temperatures.

We’ll also be updating our test system hardware to include a PCIe 4.0 video card and storage. This way, we can utilize the platform to its fullest using the fastest protocols supported. We will also update to the latest Windows 10 64-bit OS (20H2) with all threat mitigations applied and update the video card driver and use the newest release when we start this testing. We use the latest non-beta motherboard BIOS available to the public unless otherwise noted. While we do not have performance results from the yet-to-be-released Rocket Lake CPU, we’re confident the 70A VRMs will handle the i9-11900K processor without issue. A quick test of the i9-10900K found the board quite capable with that CPU, easily allowing the 5.2 GHz overclock we set. For now, we’ll focus on features, price, and appearance until we gather performance data from the new CPU.

(Image credit: MSI)

The MSI MEG Z590 Ace is a premium motherboard adorned with several high-end features, including a very robust VRM capable of handling 10th and 11th generation flagship Intel processors at both stock speeds and overclocked. Additionally, the board includes four M.2 sockets, 2.5 GbE and integrated Wi-Fi 6E, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports for increased bandwidth and peripheral flexibility.

The MEG Z590 Ace’s 16-phase 90A VRM handled our i9-10900K without issue, even overclocked to 5.2 GHz. We’ll retest once we receive our Rocket Lake-based i9-11900K, but so long as the BIOS is right, it shouldn’t pose any problems for this board. Although it has four M.2 sockets, unlike the Gigabyte Z590 Vision G, using these sockets causes SATA ports to drop, because more lanes are tied to the chipset on this board). That said, if you’re in a worst-case scenario, you can run four M.2 modules and still have three SATA ports left over. Most users should find this acceptable.

As far as potential drawbacks go, the price point of $400-plus will be out of reach for some users. Another concern for some may be the lack of RGB elements on the board. The MSI dragon and chipset heatsink light up with RGB LEDs, but that’s it. If you like a lot of RGB LED bling, you can add it via the four aRBG/RGB headers located around the board. The other drawback is the lack of a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port, but the faster Thunderbolt 4 ports certainly make up for that.

Direct competitors at this price point are the Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming, Gigabyte Z590 Aorus Master, and the ASRock Z590 Taichi. All of these boards are plenty capable with the differences residing in VRMs (Gigabyte gets the nod here), M.2 storage (MSI and Giga both have four) and audio (the Ace has the most premium codec). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if you forced me to pick among these, the Taichi would be the board I’d want to show off the most. That said, no board here is a turnoff and has its own benefit over another.

The Ace’s appearance, including the brushed aluminum and carbon fiber-like finish, really gives it a premium look and feel, while easily blending in with your build theme. If your budget allows for a ~$400 motherboard and you’re looking for a lot of M.2 storage and enjoy a premium audio experience, the MEG Z590 Ace is an excellent option near that price point. Stay tuned for benchmarking, overclocking, and power results using the new Rocket Lake CPU.

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Marshall’s Mode II earbuds are stuck between rock and a hard price

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Marshall, the British company best known for its thunderous guitar amps, has also managed to build a solid reputation for headphones and earbuds over the last several years. Though they’re a little overpriced for what you get, I like the Marshall Monitor II ANC headphones for their style and clever mini-joystick for controlling audio playback. But now Marshall is moving into the true wireless earbuds market — and it’s very late to the party.

The new Mode II earbuds are priced at $179, start shipping March 18th, and aim to make up for Marshall’s tardy arrival with “phenomenal” sound, wireless charging, IPX4 water resistance, and a design that feels right at home next to the company’s other products. As a first stab at true wireless, these earbuds get a lot right for the price. But that price is also probably their biggest downside.

These certainly look the part of Marshall earbuds. The case has the same textured, leather-like finish as the Monitor II headphones with the Marshall logo proudly embossed on the top and a USB-C port on the left side. Open it up and you’ll find the earbuds, three LEDs to indicate charging status for the case and each bud, and a round, gold button inside the case for pairing. Marshall claims the case has enough juice to give the earbuds four full recharges. Since the Mode II can last for up to five hours of straight listening time, that puts you at 25 hours total.

The earbuds have a matte black finish with a very prominent “M” on them; you’re definitely wearing the Marshall brand with these. They’re nicely compact and not as chunky as some competitors like the Jabra Elite 75t. Marshall includes four sizes of silicone ear tips in the box — including an XL option, which is nice to see. Some foam tips would’ve been even nicer.

Marshall’s signature control nub is a little impractical for earbuds, so just like countless others, the Mode II earbuds use tap gestures. The controls aren’t customizable, and unfortunately, you’re left without any way to directly adjust volume:

Left earbud

Tap once for transparency mode or to answer a call

Tap twice for voice assistant

Right earbud

Tap once to pause/play or to answer a call

Tap twice to skip to next track

Tap three times to go back to the last track

It would sometimes take a stronger tap than I expected to register some of these commands, particularly with the right earbud. Those firmer taps pushed the earbud deeper into my ear, which got unpleasant.

I’ve also encountered some odd bugs with the Mode II, like one where the right earbud wouldn’t play any audio until I touched it. There were occasionally some noticeable balance issues with vocals sliding between the left and right earbuds. Those issues both seem to have been mostly resolved with the latest firmware update, but still pop up at times. Marshall tells me another OTA update will be released before the Mode IIs ship to customers to further smoothen out performance.

Bugs aside, these earbuds do sound quite good. I’ve been listening to The Hold Steady’s new album Open Door Policy, and there’s a lot going on in some of those songs. The Mode II earbuds do a good job of keeping everything — guitars, horns, keys, vocals, drums — distinct in the mix. Upper-end frequencies can sound a little boosted on some tracks depending on how they were produced, but it’s nothing piercing. And the Marshall app gives you full EQ control if you’re not happy with the default “Marshall sound” tuning. AAC and SBC codecs are supported.

As always, fit and a good seal are crucial to getting the best sound. And that’s especially true here. Even when I have the XL tips on, these are the sort of earbud that I need to twist into my ear just the right way if I want the most bass and a balanced soundstage. They never feel loose, but something about the fit can be a bit finicky in my experience, whereas I can just plop other earbuds in without giving it much thought.

The Mode II earbuds don’t include any kind of active noise cancellation, but Marshall still added a transparency mode in case you need to more clearly hear what’s happening around you. The best I can say about this feature is that it’s serviceable, but ambient sound comes through far more muffled than the airy, natural transparency modes of other earbuds. Voice call performance is average: people I spoke to could hear me just fine but noted that my voice sounded a bit hollow and trebly — something that was also true when I listened back to voice memo samples.

Rounding out the features, Marshall includes auto-pause when you remove a bud, and they should be suitable for normal workouts thanks to an IPX4 rating. Like the vast majority of true wireless earbuds, these don’t support multipoint for two simultaneous Bluetooth connections. But you can use either one independently.

If the Marshall Mode II buds were priced at $130 or $100, I think I’d come away with a more positive overall take on them. But at $180, they lack any real standout tricks that would make me reach for them over established competitors. The case is sleek, totally pocketable, and includes wireless charging. Sound quality is good, but not to the point where Marshall thrashes competitors in the same price bracket. Plus, you can get a set of true wireless earbuds with proper noise cancellation by spending $30 to $50 more.

Coming into the fold so late, Marshall really needed to turn the knob up to 11. But the Mode II earbuds don’t quite get there, and the style points count for less here than with the company’s wireless headphones, where the cool design is so visible.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge

Eve is rolling out Thread support to more of its smart home lineup

Eve Systems, a maker of smart home products that work with Apple’s HomeKit platform, is announcing an expanded range of devices that support the Thread smart protocol. The news consists of updated versions of its existing smart plug, a forthcoming firmware update for the company’s smart sprinkler, and a new outdoor weather station.

Thread is a wireless communication standard that was developed from the ground up for smart home purposes and is designed to replace legacy technologies such as Z-Wave and Zigbee. Benefits of Thread include more reliable connections between devices, faster response times, and longer battery life.

Though Thread support has existed in a handful of devices for quite some time, Apple’s HomePod mini is the first one to really make Thread a viable option in the smart home. It can act as a bridge between Thread-enabled accessories and connect them to the internet, which they can’t do on their own. Thread is also one of the pillar technologies of the Connected Home over IP (CHIP) project, a cooperation between all the major smart home platform and device providers to standardize around an interoperable wireless protocol.

It’s with that in mind that Eve is updating and expanding its device portfolio. The new Eve Energy, which will be available in either US or UK versions, is an updated version of Eve’s smart plug. It will support both Thread and Bluetooth and will be available in the US starting on April 6th and the UK starting on May 4th. The Energy is unique in that it can act as a repeater for the Thread network, letting it extend the signal to devices even if they are out of reach of a HomePod mini. In the US, the Energy will cost $39.95.

The latest version of the Eve Energy smart plug adds Thread support.

Image: Eve

A forthcoming firmware update will add Thread support to the $99.95 Eve Aqua, the company’s smart sprinkler system. Thanks to Thread’s greater range, the updated Aqua can maintain its connection to the network better than it could with just Bluetooth. Eve says support for Thread will be released in April.

Lastly, the all-new Eve Weather is a wireless outdoor weather station that allows you to track the exact outdoor temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure at your home. It is a replacement for the Eve Degree, a similar product that relied solely on Bluetooth for its connectivity. The Eve Weather has a monochrome display that shows the current temperature, humidity, and weather conditions; the Eve app provides access to trends over time and more specific data. The Weather also has Siri integration for voice queries.

Eve claims the Weather is IPX3 water resistant and is specifically designed for outdoor use. It runs on a coin cell battery which should last between six and 12 months before needing to be replaced. The Eve Weather will be available starting March 25th for $69.95.

The Eve Weather shows current temperature, humidity, and weather trends on its monochrome display.

Image: Eve

These aren’t the only products in Eve’s portfolio that support Thread. The company has already issued firmware updates with Thread support for its door and window sensors and European-spec Energy smart plug, and it says everything it has released since June 2020 has the hardware necessary to work with Thread. It is one of the first companies to really throw its hat into the Thread ring in a meaningful way.

Eve is a unique company in the smart home market as its products only work with Apple’s HomeKit platform and don’t support Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or any of the other platforms out there. That’s different from most other smart home companies, which try to reach the broadest possible audience by supporting the most popular platforms, which often means Amazon Alexa and Google Home. The HomeKit device ecosystem is much smaller in comparison, largely thanks to an onerous hardware certification that Apple used to require and has since rolled back. HomeKit is also completely inaccessible from outside of Apple’s ecosystem, so if you have an Android phone, you can’t control Eve devices.

Eve System’s CEO Jerome Gackel told me the company’s goal isn’t just to be a HomeKit accessory maker. It’s just that Apple’s platform is the only one that allows Eve to focus its efforts on its devices and apps without having to also maintain a cloud service to allow them to connect to the internet. All of the processing for Eve devices happens locally on your home network or between your own devices, without sending data to the cloud, which helps the company achieve its goal of a privacy-first smart home. (You can still remotely control Eve devices through Apple’s Home app, provided you have a HomeKit hub, such as an Apple TV, HomePod, or iPad running in your home.)

Gackel hopes that support for Thread and its key role in the CHIP project will open the door to working with the other smart home platforms in the future. But Eve won’t work with Alexa or Google Home so long as they continue to require a cloud connection to their platforms.

Eve’s bet on HomeKit has been successful so far — the company already has 18 products in its lineup and claims sales of over 1 million units by 2019, with two-thirds of its customer base in Germany and the rest in the US. Its lineup for 2021 will make it the largest provider of HomeKit accessories, with Thread support being a recurring theme throughout.

CircuitPython Could Become a Bootable OS for Raspberry Pi

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CircuitPython, Adafruit’s enhanced fork of the MicroPython language, runs on nearly 200 different microcontroller boards, including the Raspberry Pi Pico, and it could soon become an operating system for regular (non-Pico) Raspberry Pis. While appearing as a guest on the Tom’s Hardware Pi Cast this week, CircuitPython Programming Lead Scott Shawcroft told us that he wants to create a version of the language that single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi Zero, Pi 4 and Pi 400 can boot straight into, without the overhead of a full operating system.

“I’d like to get CircuitPython running on the Raspberry Pi alone, without Linux underneath it,” Shawcroft said in response to our questions about whether he plans to add Pico VGA output support to the languages. “So, when I think of ‘I want to interface with a TV’ sorts of tasks, I want to actually go the route of getting CircuitPython running the A series chips on the regular Raspberry Pis instead of putting my time into the VGA sorts of things on the Pico, because that’s super limited.”

Recently, a number of Raspberry Pi Pico projects have used the chip’s ability to output to VGA. Ben Stragnell created a Pico-powered NES emulator and, on another recent episode of the Pi Cast, Raspberry Pi Pico SDK author Graham Sanderson showed off a BBC Micro emulator he had created for the microcontroller. However, to Shawcroft’s point, the Pico and its 133 MHz RP2040 processor will never provide the kind of high-res, high refresh rate video out that a regular Pi can.

“If we can get CircuitPython running on a CM4, a Pi 4 or a Pi 400, that means that you can have that nostalgia programming experience on a 4K display or two 4K displays and, if we’re running native on the devices, we can still have that experience of like plug it in and it shows up as a drive, depending on how its connected,” Shawcroft said.

Aside from just allowing better video out than a Pico can handle, bringing CircuitPython to Raspberry Pi as an OS would have other advantages. It would likely allow a regular Raspberry Pi to act more like a microcontroller, booting and running its default program almost instantly and turning off without the need for a safe-shutdown process.

We got more details about this idea from Shawcroft after the show was over and he noted that, while he thinks that bootable CircuitPython for Raspberry Pi will happen, it’s just an idea at this point with no scheduled rollout.

A more immediate priority, which Shawcroft is starting to work on now, is creating the framework for users to edit CircuitPython over Bluetooth LE from mobile devices. So anyone who only has access to a phone or tablet will be able to edit code on a Bluetooth-enabled microcontroller using a mobile app or perhaps a browser. This will allow children, who may not have PCs, to get in on the programming experience.

Whenever bootable CircuitPython comes to Raspberry Pi, its workflow could take one of several forms. First, if the Pi supports USB host mode as Pi 4 and Zero do, you would be able to connect it to a PC and have it appear as a storage device you can write files to, much in the way you write files to CircuitPython-powered microcontrollers.

However, it’s also possible that the Pi could boot to a command interpreter that looks and acts similar to the way people programmed in BASIC on a Commodore 64. Shawcroft has actually played around with this mode of Python input and placed a demo of it, along with an animation of the demo in action, on his github. You also might be able to program the Pi via Bluetooth LE.

Even though there’s no bootable version yet, Raspberry Pi users do have a way to use CircuitPython right now. The Adafruit Blinka library for Python, which you can install via pip, allows you to add CircuitPython code to regular Python programs.

While Shawcroft may not have time to work on bootable CircuitPython for a while, he noted that other developers are free and encouraged to take up the project.

“If folks like this idea, then I’d encourage them to reach out to help make it happen,” he said. “We’re always looking for more CircuitPython contributors. My highest priority is always to support others working on CircuitPython so I’m happy to give guidance and get things merged into CircuitPython proper. I’d love to see CircuitPython supported directly on Pis and other single board computers.”

Marsback M1 Wireless Hot-Swappable Keyboard Hands-On: Funky Look, Bouncy Switches

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Light and snappy, a little too flashy and packing potential, the Marsback M1 is an interesting 75% Bluetooth mechanical keyboard that hit Kickstarter this week (early bird price of $159). It’s an attempt at the best gaming keyboard that experiments freely with a chunky, frosted base, over-the-top RGB and extra peppy switches while pulling in helpful features, like hot-swappable switches, that aren’t as common as we might like.

Marsback sent us a functioning prototype to test out. Ultimately, it’s a bold design that, at first glance, one Tom’s Hardware editor couldn’t decide if he loved or hated.

Marsback M1 Specs

Switches	Marsback MBS-I (tested), MBS-II or MBS-III&
Lighting	Per-key RGB
Onboard Storage	2 profiles
Connectivity	USB Type-C to USB Type-A, rubber
Additional Ports	None
Keycaps	PBT plastic
Construction	Polycarbonate plastic
Software	Marsback Pro
Dimensions (LxWxH)	12.6 x 5.2 x 1.7 inches (321 x 131 x 42.8mm)
Compatibility	Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Dos, Linux, Unix

Who Is Marsback?

Let’s get this out of the way. Many are skeptical about buying something off crowdfunders like Kickstarter as there’s a chance it’ll never come to market. The good news is that this isn’t Marsback’s first product. The company, which started in 2018 with 3G consumer gadgets, also made the Zephyr gaming mouse with a built-in fan, which appears to be available outside of Kickstarter on Marsback’s website.

For better or worse, Marsback also acknowledged consumer skepticism about crowdfunding projects on the M1’s Kickstarter page, admitting that due to the keyboard’s large (6,000mAh) battery, some countries won’t allow it to be air shipped, which would result in slower delivery.

The company also pointed to budget concerns, stating that the keyboard’s hand-assembled, homemade mechanical switches are affected by increasing labor costs. It said that “keeping it affordable, yet high quality is never easy. But instead of aiming for making money, we aim for giving you an experience like no other”

A Marsback rep further addressed potential concern, telling us, “We will continue to sell the keyboard after the campaign [ends] on Kickstarter, both on our official website and Amazon store. And the Marsback M1 keyboard is not our first Kickstarter campaign. Before that, we’ve fulfilled the Zephyr gaming mouse.”

More good news comes from Marsback saying the M1 is “already in production,” with the first step being making and testing the switches. It’s expecting to ship the M1 in early July. The company first came up with the M1 in March 2019.

In a statement announcing the M1, Jack Walker, co-inventor of Marsback M1, said, “The Kickstarter campaign will help us manufacture our units and finalize our packaging components so M1 can arrive in homes across the world as soon as possible.”

Design

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With its thick, heavy, white-frosted base, the M1’s keys look like they’re sitting in a block of dull ice. The body was CNC milled out of polycarbonate, because of the material’s translucent look and ”lack of tooling costs,” according to Marsback’s Kickstarter. This is actually the hardest and most time-consuming part of making the M1.

This makes for a block of a keyboard that looks much different than the black plastic bases and dark tops comprising the vast majority of mechanical clackers today, whether RGB is on or not. It also makes for a much heavier keyboard than you’d expect of a wireless keyboard with a 75% layout.

Lurking within the M1’s base are 21 surface-mounted LEDs. When brought to life, they produce a memorable blast of RGB. The frosty, diffused exterior often paints a cotton candy effect on the RBGs. But don’t mistake that for being dim. In fact, I’d advise you not to look directly into these lights for more than a couple seconds unless you’re after a quick headache. You can adjust brightness, but now matter how you slice it — be that with a rainbow effect, solid color breathing or a small patch of lights circling the perimeter — this is powerful, look-at-me RGB.

The downside is the visibility of the individual LEDs, which is so prominent that you can basically count each one. This isn’t an issue from a top-down view, but from the sides it makes the RGB glow look unnatural.

On top of that, in true gaming keyboard fashion, the keys themselves have per-key RGB for the ultimate dizzying array of RGB overload. These 84 LEDs for the keys are also very bright, casting a glow on the RGB base. Thankfully, RGB is controllable with hot keys (as are numerous other functions, such as volume control and a calculator launcher). But I wouldn’t remember them without the handy manual Marsback includes in the box. And there were times when some functions wouldn’t work on my prototype (hopefully this will be addressed with the final keyboards).

I tested the Sakura Pink version of this keyboard, which already looks busy sans RGB, with pink flowers and accents. It was hard to find an RGB effect that enhanced this design rather than overpowered it. And it was hard to tell what was the base’s RGB effect and what came from the keys. The black version and, especially, the white version with its white pudding keycaps seem to blend with the RBG effects better, based on the pictures Marsback has provided.

(Image credit: Marsback)

Sadly, I didn’t quite get the Cherry blossom feel I had hoped for with the M1’s Sakura Pink theme. The spacebar comes close, as do the pink petals sprinkled throughout, (although, I could use more of those). But many of the keyboard’s flowers come off more ‘60s and/or Barbie-themed.

Snappy Homebrewed Switches

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

What first stood out to me about the M1 are the linear switches Marsback brewed for them. Despite the linear travel, Marsback promised a pleasantly tactile sensation and delivered.

As the M1’s Kickstarter page states, Marsback designed the switches to provide “better control [over] the keystrokes and bounce sound.” The vendor describes the switches as “light and short on touch” with lubrication applied to each switch’s mandrel and the spring connection for a smooth rebound. You should relube after 10 months though, a Marsback rep told us.

The M1 is available with three different types of Marsback M1 switches:

	MBS-I (tested)	MBS-II	MBS-III
Total Travel	4mm ±, 0.6mm	4mm ±, 0.6mm	4mm ±, 0.6mm
Actuation Point	2mm ± 0.6mm	2mm ± 0.6mm	2mm ± 0.6mm
Actuation Force	45g ± 15g	50g ± 15g	55g ± 15g

I’ve only had a couple days with the M1, but typing with the MBS-I switches has felt perky and, as promised, satisfyingly bouncy. At first I did have to snap some switches more firmly into place, but since my test unit is a prototype this can be forgiven. Once the switches were properly installed, I was surprised at how responsive the keys felt. They certainly felt linear, but the quick bounce back did add a pleasant distinct feel to the typing experience while making it seem slightly more enjoyable for long-term typing than using Cherry MX Red linear switches.

The switches also felt very smooth. The lubrication seems effective, but I do wonder if the switches will lose a lot of their magic once this wears off. Combined with the keyboard’s PBT keycaps though, typing felt quick and slightly more stiff with a thinner, less hollow noise than what you get on other keyboards, including the Varmilo MA108M Moonlight keyboard, which has very smooth electrostatic capacitive mechanical switches.

Typing on the M1 felt very stable, with the keycaps showing very little wobble and only if I forced them. The MBS-I switches use 5-pins (compared to the 3 pins many switches, including Cherry MX Reds use), and M1 has a plate on top of its PCB, so this sturdiness isn’t surprising.

It took me some time to adjust to the M1 and avoid typos because the keys felt light and depressed easily. The M1’s Kickstarter goes as far as to say that average typing speed could increase by as much as 5% on the Marsback M1. I didn’t immediately see such results. My average speed was the same and my accuracy was slightly down, but I could see both, especially accuracy, improving over time.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

And, of course, should you dislike Marsback’s switches, they are hot swappable, making it fast and easy to change your keyboard’s mechanical switches without soldering.

Wireless Connectivity

The M1 has a leg up on productivity in its ability to connect to up to three Bluetooth devices and toggle between them using FN and F2, F3 or F4. I didn’t do a lot of back and forth between PCs in my short time with the M1, but when I did switch between PC to PC, I was able to do so quickly and without issues. The M1 uses Bluetooth 5.1 via a Nordic N52810 chip.

You could also use the M1 with its cable. Marsback even took the extra stepin making the M1 connect via USB-C, which is more common and faster than Micro-USB. However, my prototype annoyingly requires you use hot keys to switch to wired mode.

Marsback opts to pack the M1 with a 6000mAh battery that it says should last up to 2 months with the LEDs off and 12 hours with full RGB. Charging time is pegged at 6 hours. Although, my prototype lacks a power button, which complicates things and is another detail I hope is addressed with retail units.

Software

Mrsback’s M1 uses a 32-bit microcontroller and 128KB of SRAM and will be programmable via Marsback’s software, called Marsback Pro.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Marsback Pro will let users make custom macros, set per-key RGB and store up to 2 onboard memory profiles, which you can activate without software by hitting FN and F9 or F10.

Final Thoughts

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

If you’re a believer in crowdfunding and like the way the Marsback M1 looks, it may actually be a good contender in the increasingly flooded mechanical keyboard market.

For one, its feature set is hard to match. Reliable Bluetooth connectivity across three devices isn’t that common in a mechanical keyboard, let alone one with RGB. Add hot-swappable switches into the mix, and it becomes even rarer.

Compared to other Bluetooth gaming keyboards, the M1’s $159 early bird price isn’t horrible either. The Logitech G915 Lightspeed is currently $250, and the tenkeyless version, the Logitech G915 TKL, is on sale for about $200. The Hexgears Venture also started via Kickstarter and is now available for $160, and the Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro is $230.

At much above that, though, the M1 will probably have a hard time keeping up — especially if it doesn’t improve on build quality flaws with the final product. Some will also yearn for the option to connect via wireless dongle, especially for competitive gaming. Additionally, we can’t predict how long the M1 will be available at the early bird pricing or its final retail price.

But typing on this keyboard was impressive and distinct, largely thanks to Marsback’s bouncy linear switches. There are possibilities here. Particularly if you appreciate the phrase “moar RGB.”

Microsoft’s latest Garage app is for recording group transcriptions

Microsoft’s newest Garage app, the company’s brand for more experimental apps, is Group Transcribe, which lets groups of people capture real-time collective meeting transcriptions using their phones. It’s available for free right now on iOS.

“This app uses a multi-device approach to provide real-time, high quality transcription and translation, so users can be more present and productive during in-person meetings and conversations,” Microsoft’s Lainie Huston said in a blog post.

Here’s how it works. Everyone who wants to participate in the group transcription needs to download the Group Transcribe app. Then, one person kicks off a transcription, and they can invite others to join by sharing a five-letter conversation code, a QR code, or by joining the group transcription with nearby sharing over Bluetooth.

Then, the app will begin transcribing the group’s conversation, noting who said what. Group Transcribe can even also auto-translate things people say and show those translations in line as part of the transcription. Transcriptions are saved in the app so you can review or share them after a meeting.

Here’s a screenshot of what the transcriptions and translations look like:

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft suggests that each person participating in the meeting should use their own phone “within arm’s reach” to have “the highest quality experience.” And in an FAQ, Microsoft says Group Transcribe doesn’t have a limit to how many people can join a transcription, but it notes that the app works best for “in-person meetings [with] up to four people.”

Microsoft doesn’t require you to sign in with any sort of account to use the app — you just have to enter your name and your preferred language. The app does send data to the cloud as part of the transcription and speaker identification process, but Microsoft lets you choose whether you want to share meeting recordings with the company that it will use to help improve Microsoft’s speech recognition technologies. And if you’re making a group transcription, everyone in the group needs to have agreed to share recordings before one is shared with Microsoft.

You can read more about the app and its privacy features in Microsoft’s FAQ.

Samsung QN95A Neo QLED 4K TV review: Mini LED makes its stunning debut

(Pocket-lint) – Samsung’s Neo QLED TVs employ a revolutionary new LED backlight that’s significantly smaller and more efficient than previous generations. This enables the manufacturer to squeeze extra LEDs behind the panel, allowing for increased dimmable zones and greater precision.

This approach is generally referred to as Mini LED, and should not be confused with Micro LED, which is a completely different self-emissive display technology. However, Mini LED does promise to significantly improve local dimming and reduce unwanted blooming – all at an affordable price.

The QN95A is the flagship 4K TV from Samsung for 2021, and not only incorporates this Mini LED backlight but, in a change from last year, also includes the majority of features found on the high-end 8K models. So you’re not forced to buy the higher resolution TVs to get all the latest gizmos.

So just how jaw-dropping is Mini LED in the Samsung QN95A (which is the QN90A in other territories)? Spoiler alert: it’s very impressive indeed.

Design, connections and control: Slimmed down minimalism

Slimmer One Connect Box
Single fibre optic cable that includes power
4x HDMI inputs with eARC, 3x USB; Ethernet
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2

Along with those increased number of dimming zones, the QN95A includes a slimmed down One Connect box (where the connections go – it’s not on the TV’s frame as a result), comprehensive smart platform, AI processing, extensive gaming features, and Object Tracking Sound.

Plus, the QN95A is a gorgeous piece of industrial design, with a minimalist appearance, nearly bezel-less screen, and speakers cleverly hidden in the edges of the panel. The stand is well-made, providing solid support, and can be installed on a narrow surface.

It’s a testament to the smaller LEDs used that Samsung is able to cram a full-array backlight into a chassis only 15mm deep. It also means the QN95A looks great wall-mounted (using the optional ‘No Gap’ bracket), and the single cable from the One Connect box makes installation tidier.

The new slimmed-down One Connect box is sleeker and more elegant. Its reduced size is also discreeter, making it easier to hide away. The textured matte finish is also preferable, because the earlier glossy black boxes tended to attract fingerprints and smudges.

The box houses four HDMI inputs, one of which (HDMI 3) supports eARC. All of the HDMI inputs are capable of handling 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, making this TV a great choice for next-gen gamers who want to take full advantage of their new consoles.

What is HDMI eARC? Why is it different to HDMI ARC?

There are also two USB 2.0 inputs, twin tuners for terrestrial and satellite broadcasts, a CI slot, an optical digital output, and an Ethernet port. In terms of wireless connections, there’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and support for Apple AirPlay 2.

The sleek metal Solar Cell remote is ergonomically-shaped, making it comfortable to hold and easy to use with one hand. While essentially the same as last year, the new zapper sports a solar panel on the back that recharges the batteries – making it eco-friendly and economic.

Features: Mini LED and multi-intelligent processing

Processing engine: Neo Quantum 4K Processor with AI
100% of DCI-P3 colour, 2000nits of peak brightness
Anti-reflection screen and Ultra Viewing Angle
HDR Support: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ Adaptive

The Samsung QN95A’s main selling point is its use of a Mini LED backlight, made possible by a newly-designed micro layer that contains LEDs significantly smaller than previous generations. This is possible due to the elimination of the protective packaging and lens around the diode, allowing for thinner panels, more LEDs, and an increased number of dimmable zones.

There are 792 zones in the QN95A – a big increase on the 480 zones used previously – but upping the number of zones also requires more processing power, so a new local dimming algorithm redirects power from darker areas to improve efficiency and peak brightness. All while the Quantum Matrix system coordinates all the zones, and the Black Detail Boost feature increases shadow detail.

The new Neo Quantum Processor increases the processing power by employing multi-intelligence deep learning. Instead of a single neural network, this processor combines up 16 to create a neural analyser specialised for upscaling and processing video. All this added power is designed to deliver the best possible experience, regardless of what you’re watching.

The QN95A supports high dynamic range (HDR) in the form of HDR10, HLG (hybrid log-gamma), and HDR10+ Adaptive. The last of which uses dynamic metadata designed to adapt the tone-mapping on a scene-by-scene basis, and now employs a sensor to customise the performance based on the ambient lighting conditions in your room.

The combination of Mini LED and Quantum Dot tech ensures brightness levels and a colour gamut that’s tailor-made for HDR. Samsung claims a peak luminance of 2,000 nits. In our measurements the QN95A topped 2,800 nits in Dynamic Mode, although the more accurate Filmmaker Mode maxed out at 1,700 nits.

What is QLED and Quantum Dot?

In terms of the colour gamut, this reached 94 per cent of DCI-P3 – not quite the claimed 100 per cent but still impressive given the overall brightness. It’s the combination of very bright peak highlights combined with saturated colours at increased luminance levels that gives QLED an inherent advantage over OLED when it comes to delivering impactful HDR.

The Filmmaker Mode was introduced in 2020, and is designed to deliver an image that represents the content creator’s original intentions. It uses brightness and colour settings to match the industry standards, and turns off any unnecessary processing or frame interpolation.

What is Filmmaker Mode and why does it matter?

Other features introduced previously and continued into 2021 include the anti-reflection screen and Ultra Viewing Angle technology. The former is designed to reduce reflections from ambient light in the room, and works well, making this an effective TV for daytime viewing. The latter reduces the colour and contrast drop-off experienced when viewing LCD TVs at extreme angles.

The processor doesn’t just improve the picture quality, it also analyses the audio signal and optimises the sonic performance based on the TV’s location in your room. Other acoustic features include Adaptive Sound+, with Active Voice Amplifier for clearer dialogue, and Adaptive Volume that adjusts the volume based on content.

Samsung

The QN95A supports Object Tracking Sound Plus (OTS+), which uses eight speakers and 70W of amplification to produce a more immersive audio experience. There are four speakers along the bottom for the left, right and centre channels, along with a pair of woofers and two speakers at the top for greater immersion.

This particular model also supports Q Symphony, so when combined with a compatible Samsung soundbar, the system employs the TV’s top speakers to give the overall soundstage a greater sense of height and immersion.

Finally there’s the new Tap View feature, which allows owners of compatible Samsung smartphones to instantaneously connect by simply tapping the phone against the TV’s chassis.

Picture quality: Impressive local dimming

The Samsung QN95A certainly delivers when it comes to picture performance, with all those extra zones put to good use. It’s relatively easy to add lots of zones behind an LCD panel, what’s considerably more difficult is orchestrating them in a way that delivers the deepest blacks and the brightest highlights without causing blooming or losing details in the shadows.

Samsung has always employed a highly effective local dimming algorithm in its TVs, and the latest iteration continues that tradition. The results are genuinely impressive, with the blacks appearing deep and inky, while the highlights are free of blooming. This is best demonstrated by the scene in First Man where the Apollo command module orbits into the shadow of the moon.

Samsung

In this sequence the screen goes completely black and then the surface of the brightly-lit Moon gradually appears through the spaceship’s window. This scene is incredibly difficult for any display that uses local dimming, but the QN95A does an excellent job of highlighting the details in the moon’s surface through the window without introducing haloing or other artefacts.

The QN95A also handles bright colourful HDR images with skill, allowing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 to take full advantage of the wider gamut offered by the format. The scenes on Ego’s planet are a riot of Day-Glo colours that pop with comic book vibrancy.

The same is true of Pan, where the Samsung delivers the film’s exaggerated colour scheme correctly, and reproduces the arriving-in-Neverland sequence with no clipping and a clearly defined sun setting over the mountain. This proves the QN95A is correctly tone-mapping HDR10 content, and retaining the original creative intent.

The film Overlord mainly takes place at night, and is often a very dark, but the Samsung handles this difficult material very well, delivering deep blacks, excellent shadow detail, and highlights where necessary. The TV also renders all the subtle differences in the film’s primarily green and brown colour design very effectively.

The QN95A is equally impressive when it comes to motion handling, with 24p content looking smooth, and free of judder or unwanted artefacts. The Picture Clarity motion settings apply frame interpolation, resulting in smoothing, which can be useful with sport, while the LED Clear Motion setting uses black frame insertion, darkening the image, but improving the motion.

Samsung

The built-in apps deliver excellent 4K and HDR images, and in the case of Amazon Prime there’s the added enhancement of HDR10+. The levels of detail and contrast are equally as impressive when watching Netflix, Apple TV+ and Disney+, despite the lack of Dolby Vision support.

What is Dolby Vision? Dolby’s own HDR tech explained

Since the QN95A uses an LCD panel, there’s no danger of screen burn. It also offers a host of features aimed at next-gen gamers, including VRR (variable refresh rate) for syncing the TV’s refresh rate with the console’s frame rate, thus reducing tearing. There’s also support for 4K at 120Hz, along with AMD Freesync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync.

There’s ALLM for automatically detecting a console and selecting the Game mode, which results in a class-leading input lag of 9.2ms. The Game Motion Plus is designed to smooth out motion, but in doing so it does increase the lag to 14ms – although that’s still very respectable. If all that isn’t enough, the QN95A even supports the 21:9 and 32:9 ultra-wide aspect ratio options offered by a number of PC games.

What is ALLM and VRR? TV gaming tech explained

Samsung has realised that with so many different gaming options and features now available, it’s easy to lose track of what exactly you’ve selected. The solution is the new Game Bar, which pops up when a game source is detected to provide at-a-glance key information. This includes HDR, frame rate, VRR, and key gaming picture adjustments.

Pocket-lint

Finally there’s a multi-view mode that allows users to watch two different sources simultaneously. You can adjust the size of the two picture-in-picture screens, change their relative position and choose which has audio priority. While this feature isn’t necessarily game-specific, it is useful for gaming while watching YouTube tutorials.

Smart features: Comprehensive platform

Tizen OS
SmartThings app
Alexa/Bixby built-in

The Samsung QN95A uses the same Tizen-powered smart platform as previous generations, which remains a responsive, intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface. There’s a launcher bar along the bottom and a second layer that provides faster access to the video streaming services.

In terms of those streaming services, the choice is fairly comprehensive and includes Netflix, Amazon, Now TV, Disney+, Apple TV+, Rakuten, YouTube, and all the UK TV catch-up services. The only problem with all this choice is it’s hard to keep track, but Samsung has a solution.

The Universal Guide helps you find the content you want by presenting it all via a user-friendly interface. It then uses AI machine learning to analyse your viewing habits and create a single ‘For You’ page with personalised content to suit your tastes.

The Digital Butler was introduced in 2020, allowing for quick and easy connection by automatically scanning for nearby devices, detecting them and then representing all of them in an easy-to-understand graphical fashion.

Finally there’s a brace of built-in smart assistants – Samsung’s own Bixby, and Amazon Alexa. You can also access Siri via Apple’s AirPlay 2, while the Samsung SmartThings app allows for quick and easy setup, plus a degree of control if you don’t fancy using the provided remote or your voice.

Sound quality: Object tracking sound

Object Tracking Sound Plus (OTS+)
4.2.2 speakers and 70W of amplification
Adaptive Sound+
Q Symphony

The QN95A sports Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound Plus (OTS+), which integrates eight speakers in a seamless fashion, hiding them in the outer edge of the TV cabinet. The audio performance is genuinely impressive, with an open soundstage, additional height, plenty of bass, clear dialogue and powerful amplification.

Samsung

Object Tracking Sound doesn’t just involve more speakers, it also analyses the audio signal and uses sophisticated processing to align sounds with the location of specific images on the screen. It really works, creating an engaging experience with improved directionality and immersion. There’s also an optimisation feature to fine-tune the audio based on the acoustic environment.

While there’s no on-board Dolby Atmos decoding, the QN95A can send the object-based audio format back via ARC from its internal apps to a supporting soundbar or AV receiver. Since it also supports eARC, the Samsung can even pass lossless audio back via HDMI to a supporting soundbar or AV receiver.

Anything missing?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it really is time Samsung added support for Dolby Vision. The company is the only TV manufacturer not to embrace the dynamic metadata format, and while HDR10+ is similar, there’s significantly more content available in Dolby Vision.

While we’re on the subject of Dolby, the QN95A also doesn’t include on-board Atmos decoding. This is a shame because with all those extra built-in speakers, the Samsung could really take advantage of the additional height channels the format offers.

Samsung’s smart platform is undeniably comprehensive, but it doesn’t include Freeview Play. This isn’t really an issue because all the UK TV catch-up services are present and correct, but it does mean these aren’t integrated within the EPG (electronic programme guide).

Verdict

The Samsung QN95A makes an excellent case for embracing Mini LED as an alternative to OLED. While it remains an evolution of existing LCD backlight technology, rather than something completely new like Micro LED, it does offer an impressive picture performance.

The added precision of nearly 800 dimming zones results in deeper blacks, brighter highlights, improved shadow detail and almost no blooming. Add in the superior colour performance of Quantum Dot and upgraded processing, and you have a highly capable 4K HDR TV. Its pictures truly sing.

The QN95A is also a seriously specified model with a comprehensive smart platform, every necessary streaming app, the One Connect box, excellent audio quality thanks to OTS+, and a shed-load of features for next-gen gamers.

Also consider

Philips

Philips OLED+935

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Not fussed about Mini LED and OLED more up your street? Philips’ top-end 2020 telly integrates Ambilight – edge lighting that goes beyond the screen, for extra immersion and dynamism – plus a B&W soundbar for top notch sound quality. It’s a very different offering to the Samsung, but a very elegant alternative indeed.

Read our review

Writing by Steve Withers.

Best Bluetooth record players: budget to premium plate spinners

Best Bluetooth Record Players Buying Guide: Welcome to What Hi-Fi?’s round-up of the best Bluetooth turntables you can buy in 2021.

While the mechanics of vinyl playback haven’t changed all that much since the medium’s inception, turntable technology hasn’t stood entirely still.

One major evolution that has brought a growing number of record players spinning into the 21st century – and with a growing number of great-sounding decks, more to the point – is the adoption of Bluetooth.

No longer is vinyl solely the preserve of those with a traditional hi-fi set-up. Crate diggers can now enjoy their finds free from wires, with systems consisting only of their deck and a competent pair of wireless Bluetooth speakers or headphones.

In this list there are talented turntables ranging from entry level to premium, and there’s even an Award-winning just-add-speakers system fully loaded with on-board amplification that you can send tracks to via Bluetooth rather than connecting wireless speakers or headphones the other end.

The landscape of vinyl is changing with the times, and with our pick of the best Bluetooth record players, you can come along for the ride too.

10 of the best-sounding vinyl records

1. Sony PS-LX310BT

A fully automatic deck with oodles of character.

SPECIFICATIONS

Reasons to Buy

Entertaining sound

Easy to use

Plug-and-play

Reasons to Avoid

Purist alternatives sound better

Not only does this Sony leave you with little to do during set-up – just attach the belt to the platter – it does pretty much everything but shaking the vinyl from its sleeve, too.

What’s more, it sounds ridiculously fun. More traditional decks, such as the Award-winning Rega Planar 1 (£250), can be more mature in their performance, but when you consider this fully-automatic deck’s list of features, it’s hard to believe it can sound this good with such a price tag.

Read the full review: Sony PS-LX310BT

2. Pro-Ject Juke Box E

An Award-winning turntable system.

SPECIFICATIONS

Reasons to Buy

True just-add-speakers convenience

Capable, even-handed sound

Good range of features

Reasons to Avoid

Some will hanker after more power

Baffling remote control

The Pro-Ject Juke Box E is based on Pro-Ject’s well-regarded Primary turntable and is tricked out with an Ortofon OM 5E cartridge, amplification (25W per channel into 8 ohms) and Bluetooth receiver, meaning you can stream music to its amp as well.

It’s an all-in-one system that demands very few compromises, given its price. It’s also an all-in-one system that we can’t easily argue against in favour of separates. The Juke Box E delivers convenience and backs it up with Award-winning sound quality. You can’t really ask for more than that.

Read the full review: Pro-Ject Juke Box E

3. Cambridge Audio Alva TT

An interesting spin on premium turntable design.

SPECIFICATIONS

Reasons to Buy

Solid build

Clear, detailed presentation

Impressive midrange

Reasons to Avoid

Sound lacks a little dynamics and drive

This is no ordinary £1500 turntable. Cambridge Audio has added a twist or two of its own by fitting it with a built-in phono stage, direct drive motor and Bluetooth connectivity. The fact it’s aptX HD Bluetooth means the Alva TT can stream your vinyl wirelessly to compatible Bluetooth headphones or a wireless speaker in hi-res 24-bit/48kHz.

Sound quality is pleasing, with vinyl given an open and airy soundstage and vocals a particular highlight. If you want a simple home hi-fi system with a premium turntable as your source, the Alva TT could be just the ticket.

Read the full review: Cambridge Audio Alva TT

4. Elipson Omega 100 RIAA BT

A pleasant-sounding deck with plenty of features.

SPECIFICATIONS

Reasons to Buy

Defined, insightful and musical

Impressive bass

Simple to use

As well as giving you the ability to archive all your records on your computer via the USB port, a built-in phono stage means you can plug the Omega straight into your amplifier. The Bluetooth connectivity means whether you have wireless or powered speakers, you needn’t have any physical connections whatsoever.

That said, Elipson has still directed its main focus towards designing a turntable that sounds good, ensuring this deck is much more than just an impressive list of features.

Read the full review: Elipson Omega 100 RIAA BT

Best turntables
10 tips for buying second-hand vinyl
25 record stores to visit before you die

Our Verdict

The MSI GP66 Leopard is a powerhouse gaming notebook housed in a fairly subtle shell that also boasts a comfortable keyboard. It also offers plenty to upgrade or repair, but it’s a chore getting inside.

For

Strong gaming performance
Comfortable keyboard
Replaceable components
Subtle design for a gaming notebook

Against

Difficult to open
Touchpad feels cheap
Too much bloatware

Just because you grow up a bit doesn’t mean you need to stop having fun. The MSI GP66 Leopard ($1,799.00 to start, $2,599.00 as tested) is a powerhouse gaming notebook with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 and Intel Core i7-10870H. But it would fit in anywhere, whether it be an office or a gaming room, thanks to its matte-black stylings. If you’re looking for gaming power without all of the flash, this might be on your list of the

best gaming laptops

If you ran some workstation tasks on this, you might believe it was a work machine. Only when you turn on the RGB keyboard do you know it’s time to play. There aren’t red stripes, or, say, an RGB lightbar like MSI’s other models.

It’s a powerhouse, and many of the components are upgradeable for replacement down the line. But while the GP66 Leopard is all grown up, there are still some areas, like its touchpad and its bloatware, where it needs some more maturing.

Design of the MSI GP66 Leopard

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As far as MSI’s gaming notebooks go, the Leopard is quite plain. While some of its other laptops have red accents or RGB light strips, the GP66 is an all-black affair. On the aluminum lid, even the dragon shield logo is tone-on-tone. Only the hinges, which are connected to aggressively shaped plastic molds, suggest this is anything other than a workstation PC.

The only real sign of the GP66’s gaming prowess is the keyboard, which has RGB backlighting courtesy of SteelSeries. But the black aluminum deck and the fairly thin bezels around three sides of the display suggest just a premium notebook. The bottom cover is plastic.

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The Leopard is a thick machine at 0.92 inches tall, so there’s plenty of room for ports. However, MSI has placed only a few of them on the sides: The right side has a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, while the left side has another Type-A and the headphone jack. The rest of the ports — USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, HDMI, RJ-45 Ethernet and the charging port — are all on the rear of the device. Alienware has been doing this for years, and it’s a benefit if you use your laptop like a desktop replacement and don’t move it around much. But it can also be inconvenient if you like to use your laptop on your lap.

At 14.09 x 10.51 x 0.92 inches and 5.25 pounds, the Leopard isn’t exactly portable in the toss-it-in-a-bag sense. Dell’s 15-inch competitor, the Alienware 15 m4, is slightly lighter at 5 pounds and a similar size 14.2 x 10.9 x 0.9 inches, but its design is slightly more sleek. The Gigabyte Aorus 17G is expectedly larger with a bigger screen, at 5.95 pounds and 14.9 x 10.8 x 1 inches.

MSI GP66 Leopard Specifications

CPU	Intel Core i7-10870H
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (8GB GDDR6, 130W Max graphics power, 1605MHz boost clock)
Memory	32GB DDR4-3200
Storage	1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Display	15.6, 1920 x 1080, 240 Hz
Networking	Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2×2 ax), Bluetooth 5.1
Ports	3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack, RJ-45 Ethernet
Camera	720p
Battery	65 Wh
Power Adapter	230W
Operating System	Windows 10 Home
Dimensions(WxDxH)	14.09 x 10.51 x 0.92 inches / 357.89 x 266.95 x 23.37 mm
Weight	5.25 pounds / 2.38 kilograms
Price (as configured)	$2,599.00

Gaming and Graphics on the MSI GP66 Leopard

MSI opted for a powerful implementation of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 for the GP66 Leopard. This version has a 130W max graphics power and a

boost clock

of 1,605 MHz.

Besides running benchmarks, I tried playing Control, a game I use often on laptops with RTX GPUs because of how tough it is to run and because

ray tracing

has a truly noticeable effect. With the settings maxed out at 1080p and with ray tracing on high, the game ran between 52 and 57 frames per second as I traded shots with hiss guards surrounding a control point, though it went as high as 70 during exploration.

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On Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, highest), the GP66 hit 106 frames per second. The Aorus 17G, with an RTX 3080

Max-Q

ran the game at 86 fps, while the Alienware m15 R4 with an RTX 3070 played it at 77 fps.

The Leopard played Grand Theft Auto V (1080p, very high) at 125 fps, beating the Aorus (100 fps) and Alienware m15 (108 fps).

MSI’s laptop ran Far Cry New Dawn (1080p, ultra) at 103 fps, beating both the Alienware and Aorus by over 10 frames per second.

The GP66 Leopard outperformed on Red Dead Redemption 2 (1080p, medium), playing at 82 fps.

It also won out on Borderlands 3 (badass, 1080p), at 99 fps, while the Aorus 17G ran at 79 fps and the Alienware hit 84 fps.

We also ran our gaming stress test on the GP66 Leopard by looping the Metro Exodus benchmark at RTX settings for 15 runs, simulating roughly half an hour of gaming. It ran at a largely steady average of 76.38 frames per second across the runs. The CPU ran at an average of 3.73 GHz and an average temperature of 61.85 degrees Celsius (143.3 degrees Fahrenheit). The GPU ran at an average of 1.1 GHz and 61.49 degrees Celsius (142.68 degrees Fahrenheit).

Productivity Performance on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Beyond gaming, the GP66’s Intel Core i7-1070H and GeForce RTX 3080, along with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD are powerful parts that should aid in creative endeavors like streaming or video editing.

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On the Geekbench 5 overall performance benchmark, the GP66 earned a single-core score of 1,274 and multi-core score of 7,848. The Gigabyte Aorus 17G had scores of 1,265 and 7,895, respectively, while the Alienware 15 R5 notched scores of 1,252 and 7,642.

On our file transfer test, the Leopard copied and transferred 25GB of files at a rate of 1,059.78 MBps, falling just below the Alienware but ahead of the Aorus.

It took the GP66 Leopard seven minutes and three seconds (7:03) to complete our Handbrake test, transcoding a 4K video to 1080p. That’s slightly faster than the Alienawre (7:07) and far speeder than the Aorus (8:33).

Display on the MSI GP66 Leopard

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Our review unit came equipped with a 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 (FHD) display with a 240 Hz refresh rate. The most demanding titles won’t run that fast, but you can take advantage of it if you like playing esports titles like Overwatch, Fortnite or Rocket League.

When I watched the trailer for the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie, I felt the need to turn up the brightness for the best experience. Cole’s yellow gloves popped, as did Kano’s red eye lasers against a dark background, but the screen was largely serviceable rather than special.

When I played Control, the screen was bright enough, even in some dark spaces. That game has a lot of red, and it really popped, especially against the Oldest House’s dark walls.

MSI’s panel covers 78.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, matching what we saw on the Aorus 17G. We reviewed the Alienware m15 R4 with a 4K

OLED

screen, so it’s not surprising to see superior coverage there.

However, at 277 nits of brightness, the screen was dimmer than both the Aorus (300 nits) and the Alienware (362 nits).

Keyboard and Touchpad on the MSI GP66 Leopard

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MSI’s inputs are a mixed bag. Arguably the more important part of a gaming laptop, the keyboard, is the superior of the two. For years now, MSI has partnered with SteelSeries on its keyboards, and they’ve typically been quite good. On the Leopard, the keys are a bit more shallow than I would like, but they’re still fairly comfortable to type on. I hit 120 words per minute with a 2 percent error rate, which is about as fast as I ever get on the 10fastfingers.com typing test.

The 2.5 x 4.1-inch touchpad is fine for navigating and gestures with its Windows precision drivers, but it felt like cheap plastic compared to the aluminum around it. On top of that, I found I had to click harder than on most laptops. For gaming, you should be using a mouse anyway, but this could be a little better for general productivity use.

Audio on the MSI GP66 Leopard

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When I listened to Daft Punk’s “Something About Us,” the various synths and samples were quite clear through the laptop’s bottom-firing speakers. The vocals, purposefully distorted, still stood out on top of the track, along with some piano backing. The low end, including some drums, could have used a bit more punch.

There is a semblance of bass, which many laptops don’t offer, and I was able to tune it more to my liking in the Nahimic audio software.

When I played Control, Jesse’s internal thoughts were clear, especially as her narration ran over the creeping voices of the hiss. At some points, though, I wished I was able to make the volume louder, though this is something else that could be solved with headphones.

Upgrading the MSI GP66 Leopard

The GP66 Leopard is pretty easy to upgrade or repair. Well…it is once you manage to get inside. Compared to some other gaming notebooks, it’s like breaking into Fort Knox.

At first, eleven screws separate you from the GP66 Leopard’s internals. A size 000 Phillips head screwdriver will do the trick. Note, though, that one screw is beneath a factory seal, which is a questionable practice at best. If you send this back through warranty, MSI will know you opened it.

Even after removing all the screws, the system was too tight to open at first. No spudger or pick would fit in the cracks in the chassis. I tried this for longer before I cared to admit, before I eventually found

a YouTube video

from someone that had cracked the case. There is a decorative cover around the hinges, which you can pop off with a spudger. Once that’s off, you can slowly move your way around from the rear ports to the front of the case and carefully remove the bottom.

Once you’re in there, you’ll find that the RAM, Wi-Fi card and the SSD are replaceable. There are two PCIe

m.2 SSD

slots, and since ours came with a sole 1TB boot drive, there is room to expand. The 65 Wh battery, too, is replaceable.

Battery Life on the MSI GP66 Leopard

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The MSI’s GP66 Leopard’s 65W hour battery isn’t going to last it terribly long on a charge. This, unfortunately, is a trend on gaming notebooks, but the Leopard with its full-power RTX 3080, didn’t last as long as competitors.

MSI’s notebook endured for two hours and 25 minutes on our test, which browses the web, runs OpenGL tests and streams video over Wi-Fi, all at 150 nits of brightness. The Alienware m15 ran for 4:01 and the Gigabyte Aorus 17G ran for 4:42.

Heat on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Call it the MSI GP66 Jet Engine.

To keep its components cool, the GPU fans run hard and loud (especially in extreme performance mode, which MSI sent the GP66 Leopard to us set to by default). Admittedly, if you use headphones this is a bit less of a problem.

We took surface temperatures while running our Metro Exodus gauntlet (see the gaming performance section above).

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The center of the keyboard, between the G and H keys, measured 38.6 degrees Celsius (101.48 degrees Fahrenheit), while the touchpad reached 25.6 degrees Celsius (78.08 degrees Fahrenheit). The hottest point on the bottom of the laptop was 46.7 degrees Celsius (116.06 degrees Fahrenheit).

Webcam on the MSI GP66 Leopard

MSI has a laptop with a 1080p

webcam

coming this year. This isn’t it.

No, the GP66 Leopard still has a 720p webcam, and an image at my desk was grainy, though at least it was color accurate with my blue eyes and green t-shirt.

One minor annoyance is that the light that notifies you the camera is on blinks, rather than staying on and static. This is extremely distracting when you’re having a video call or streaming and want to focus on what’s on the screen.

Software and Warranty on the MSI GP66 Leopard

There is quite a lot of software preinstalled on the GP66, which has been a trademark of MSI laptops for a bit now. Unfortunately, a lot of it is bloatware.

Let’s start with the good stuff (it’s a shorter list). There’s MSI Dragon Center, which lets you monitor CPU and GPU usage and other stats, as well as change between different modes of performance. SteelSeries Engine 3 lets you configure the lighting on the keyboard, though I feel MSI should roll this into the other app. Nahimic lets you customize audio profiles.

Aside from that, MSI has added a ton of extra bloat, including the Cyberlink suite (AudioDirector, ColorDirector, PhotoDirector and PowerDirector), as well as Microsoft Sudoku, LinkedIn, Music Maker Jam and Norton Security.

That’s on top of the regular

Windows 10

inclusions, like Roblox, Hulu, Hidden City: Hidden Object Adventure and Adobe Photoshop Express.

MSI sells the GP66 Leopard with a one-year warranty.

Configurations

We tested the MSI GP66 Leopard with an Intel Core i7-1070H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD and a 15.6-inch, FHD display with a 240 Hz refresh rate. All of that adds up to a grand total of $2,599. (We have, however, seen an identical model with 32GB of RAM going for $2,499, so be sure to shop around).

For $1,799, you can get the Leopard with a Core i7-10750H, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and an FHD 144 Hz display.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for a powerful gaming notebook that draws attention to games, not itself, the GP66 Leopard is worth looking at. The combination of a full-power RTX 3080 and 10th Gen Intel makes for a potent, if loud, gaming machine. And MSI has put it in a chassis that looks and feels fairly adult, even compared to something like the Alienware m15, which has also gone minimalistic.

There are some things MSI needs to work on here: primarily, the touchpad, which feels like an afterthought, and the sheer amount of bloatware that the company includes on its laptops. If you prefer a premium experience, the Alienware may be a better way to go, but a similarly specced model (with a 300 Hz compared to 240 Hz on the Leopard) is a little more expensive as of this writing.

But if you want a gaming notebook with powerful graphics performance, subtle styling and replaceable parts (even if it takes a bit of work to get to them), this Leopard will impress.

Model	Year Released	CPU	RAM
Raspberry Pi 1 B	2012	700 MHz Broadcom BCM2835 (1 core)	256MB
Raspberry Pi 1 A	2013	700 MHz Broadcom BCM2835 (1 core)	256MB
Raspberry Pi 1 A+	2014	700 MHz Broadcom BCM2835 (1 core)	512MB
Raspberry Pi 1 B+	2014	700 MHz Broadcom BCM2835 (1 core)	512MB
Compute Module 1	2014	700 MHz Broadcom BCM2835 (1 core)	512MB
Raspberry Pi 2 B	2015	900 MHz Broadcom BCM2836 (4 cores)	1GB
Raspberry Pi Zero 1.2	2015	1 GHz Broadcom BCM2835 (1 core)	512MB
Raspberry Pi 2 B v1.2	2016	1 GHz Broadcom BCM2835 (1 core)	512MB
Raspberry Pi 3 B	2016	1.2 GHz Broadcom BCM2837 (4 cores)	1GB
Raspberry Pi Zero 1.3	2016	1 GHz Broadcom BCM2835 (1 core)	512MB
Raspberry Pi Zero W	2017	1 GHz Broadcom BCM2835 (1 core)	512MB
Compute Module 3	2017	1.2-GHz Broadcom BCM2837 (4 cores)	1GB
Compute Module 3 Lite	2017	1.2-GHz Broadcom BCM2837 (4 cores)	1GB
Raspberry Pi 3 B+	2018	1.2-GHz Broadcom BCM2837 (4 cores)	1GB
Compute Module 3+	2019	1.2-GHz Broadcom BCM2837B0 (4 cores)	1GB
Compute Module 3+ Lite	2019	1.2-GHz Broadcom BCM2837B0 (4 cores)	1GB
Raspberry Pi 4 B	2019	1.5-GHz Broadcom BCM2711	1 / 2 / 4 / 8GB (2020)
Compute Module 4	2020	1.5-GHz Broadcom BCM2711	1 / 2 / 4 / 8GB
Raspberry Pi 400	2020	1.8-GHz Broadcom BCM2711	4GB
Raspberry Pi Pico	2021	133-MHz RP2040	264K

Specifications – MSI MEG Z590 Ace

Software

Firmware

Future Tests and Final Thoughts

Marsback M1 Specs

Who Is Marsback?

Design

Snappy Homebrewed Switches

Wireless Connectivity

Software

Final Thoughts

Design, connections and control: Slimmed down minimalism

Features: Mini LED and multi-intelligent processing

Picture quality: Impressive local dimming

Smart features: Comprehensive platform

Sound quality: Object tracking sound

Anything missing?

Also consider

Philips OLED+935

1. Sony PS-LX310BT

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

2. Pro-Ject Juke Box E

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

3. Cambridge Audio Alva TT

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

4. Elipson Omega 100 RIAA BT

Reasons to Buy

Our Verdict

For

Against

Features

Build

Sound

Verdict

Our Verdict

For

Against

Design of the MSI GP66 Leopard

MSI GP66 Leopard Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Productivity Performance on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Display on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Keyboard and Touchpad on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Audio on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Upgrading the MSI GP66 Leopard

Battery Life on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Heat on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Webcam on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Software and Warranty on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Configurations

Bottom Line

1. Raspberry Pi’s original target was just 1,000 units.

2. There have been at least 21 Different Models of Raspberry Pi.

3. Raspberry Pi Pico marks a new chapter in Pi history.

4. The most popular Pi is . . .

5. The Pi has more than 20 operating systems.

6. There are two Raspberry Pis in space.

7. The Raspberry Pi Foundation wants products to live forever.

8. The price of Raspberry Pi has dropped, relative to inflation.

9. There’s a Pi War every year.

What’s needed to setup?

Let’s get Zwifting

How realistic is the Neo 2T?

Measurements & accuracy

What’s missing?

Also consider

Wahoo Kickr V5

Sony KD-48A9 review: Design

Sony KD-48A9 review: Picture Features

Sony KD-48A9 review: Smart Features

Sony KD-48A9 review: Picture Quality

Sony KD-48A9 review: Sound Quality

Alternatives to consider

LG OLED48CX

Sony KD-55A8