News: Parts List

And here's the parts list:

• Intel "Skylake" Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz
• MSI Z170A Gaming Pro
• Phanteks Enthoo Luxe Case
• Crucial DDR4-2666MHz 16GB 2x8
• NVidia GTX 970 - EVGA-3975 SSC + ACX 2.0
• Corsair H115i Extreme Water Cooling
• EVGA 850W Gold Semi-Modular

Hooray! I'm working on a format for building my YouTube channel, featuring your's truly!

News and Upcoming DIY Build and Reviews

Hi all, been a while since I've done a non-review post on the blog. That doesn't I've been idle in the background, in fact quite the contrary.

It's kind of a long story that starts with, of all things, floors. To save some short term money I sold my trusty MacBookPro Retina 15 inch. I tried just using my wife's cheap netbook, but I still needed something that could do basic photo editing (Lightroom). Which lead me to the purchase of an Alienware Alpha.

I was exposed to a whole new world that I haven't visited in almost a decade. I could now upgrade the processor, which I immediately did to an Intel Core i5-4590S. I could also upgrade the RAM and the hard drive which I also did as well. It opened up my inner computer geek and like a gateway drug, left me wanting for more.

Before you know it, I'm selling it on Craigslist, looking up parts and doing research on Intel Skylake processors, Z170 motherboards, and DDR4 RAM. Not long after that, I have parts ordered for a new PC. Stay tuned for reviews on individual parts and the overall build as well as a review on the Alienware Alpha.

Review: LED Keyboard and Mouse Combo-BlueFinger® USB Wired

This is a fun keyboard set for the price, and I will review it as a set since that's how it came.

Keyboard:
The thing that stands out most isthe lightning design and LEDs. The design is striking enough (no pun intended) while not being as noisy looking as I thought it might from the pictures. I'm not a great typist, but I can say that I didn't encounter any issues in my regular use. I did do some light gaming on it (couple rounds of CS:GO) and managed just fine. The keys are easy to read and everything is how you would expect. Keep in mind that the Return key is an odd shape for the states, but I've gotten used to this by now so not a big deal for myself. There are seven different colors of LED with 5 levels of brightness and off. There's also another LED option where it cycles through each color, though I felt it was a tad fast for my personal taste, but still cool none the less. The keyboard has a good feel to it, just don't expect it to be a tank, but that's not the target for this anyways. Overall, it's a very pleasant keyboard to use and would recommend. I also appreciate the braided cabling to give it a more premium feel and look.

Mouse:
This is my current mouse of choice as it not only looks cool and feels natural in my hand, it also has the added benefit of being a very quiet mouse so it doesn't wake up my wife, which she appreciates. Happy wife, happy life right? :) There are 4 different colors and just does a slowbreathing pattern on the chosen color. I could nitpick and say I wish there was a couple more colors, like green and white for example, but that's just being picky. Overall it's easy to use and doesn't hinder any computing experience.

Overall, I would recommend this set for anyone looking an affordable and great looking casual LED keyboard and mouse set.

Review: EasyAcc 7.2A 3 USB Ports Charging Desktop Power Strip

This is a perfect bedside stand for me. I've always had issues plugging things into the outlet by my bed. I've tried regular power strips but they look ugly and I'm mostly plugging in USB adapter so it looks like a flying spaghetti monster on my nightstand. This is a much more elegant solution. I don't have to plug in extra USB adapters and it's very convenient to access than behind my nightstand. I can charge my iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch. (First World Problems for sure).

There's also two standard outlets which are handy for quickly charging my laptop or just quick access (I have tons of electronic gizmos and widgets). Around on the side is an on/off switch for the whole unit, though I found it was a little too easy to bump.

In the front is a strange little plastic piece that extends. At first I was confused but the picture on the front shows that it's a little stand and actually works pretty well without looking obnoxious.
Highly recommended.

Review: Bluefinger Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Set

Reviewing as a set...

Keyboard:
This is a really good keyboard for the price, it's not a mechanical keyboard and you can tell right away, however I don't think that's how it's marketed anyways. I was looking for a good all-around keyboard for light gaming, looked and felt nice, and for a good price. This definitely fits the bill. Build quality is a little better than I expected at the price point. It feels solid and the keys feel pretty good. Bear in mind this is the keyboard style with the funky return key and backslash in the middle row, which if you're not used to can be frustrating at first, but since you can see that beforehand you'll know what you're getting into and does require some getting used to. Fortunately, my work has these kind of keyboards so it wasn't a problem for me. In fact, I'm using this keyboard for this review.. If you're not used to that I really like the colors, they are vibrant without being too bright. There are several options: first, you can just have it stay a solid color and can rotate between the 3 individually(green, light blue, dark blue), you can have it pulse on one color, or have it pulse between all 3 colors. I tend to just pick one color and go with it (green being my personal favorite).

Mouse:
The mouse has a great feel to it. I like the braided cabling and the length is just right. The clicking feels good and the DPI is good enough for causal gaming and day-to-day use. I really like the colors and design. I do not believe there's a way to stay on a single color from what I have seen, but I prefer it going through all the colors anyways, looks really cool.

Mouse Pad:
It's a good size and really accommodates the bundled mouse. The mouse glides on it smoothly and I have not had a problem and I don't realize it's there (which is a good thing). However, the sharp edges on the mouse will catch on the outside stitching occasionally and this would be my only minor complaint.

Besides the minor complaint about the stitching getting caught on the mouse occasionally, this is a great casual gaming set for the price. It looks awesome with my Alienware Alpha and really completes the look. I love the colors and the overall feel. Honestly, it just looks awesome. I would highly recommend this set.