TechNews

For the next 48 hours, NZXT is giving 10 percent off all of its pre-built BLD systems. This includes its pre-fab configurations, as well as any custom-tailored builds. With PC parts at something of a premium right now, a sale like this is fantastic for anyone that’s been biding their time on investing in a new PC.

Pre-builts are the easiest way to currently get your hands on a new GPU without having to spend an absolute mint, and with NZXT’s BLD service, you also get the added benefit of a two-year warranty on parts and labor, as well as guaranteed performance right out of the box.

While NZXT has been in the pre-built PC game for a while now, a new service it’s offering is the NZXT BLD kit. This is the first time a major PC manufacturer has offered a service like this and sounds perfect for anyone that’s wanted to build their own PC but has found the prospect too intimidating.

The BLD kit comes with an illustrated guide, and videos to lead you through each step of the process. Each part comes labeled, and the kit even comes with all the tools you need to put everything together. NZXT is also extending its 2-year warranty to these DIY kits and even has tons of resources for troubleshooting if you ever need help.

The kit currently comes in two flavors, the Starter Pro and the Streaming Plus, the specs for each kit are as follows.

Starter Pro: $1399

Case: H510 Compact Mid Tower White/Black Chassis with 2x 120mm Aer F Case Fans
CPU: Intel Core i5-11400F
GPU: Gigabyte RTX 3060 TI Gaming OC LHR
MOBO: AsRock B560 Pro4
RAM: Team T-Force Vulcan Z 16GB (2 x 8GB)
PSU: Seasonic 550W Bronze
STORAGE: Western Digital WD Blue SN550 NVMe M.2 1TB
COOLER: Deepcool Gammaxx GTE V2
WIFI: MSI MS-B905C WIFI Dual Band Wireless PCI-E Adapter Card
WINDOWS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home

Streaming Plus: $1599

Case: H510 Compact Mid Tower White/Black Chassis with 2x 120mm Aer F Case Fans
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
GPU: Gigabyte RTX 3060 TI Gaming OC LHR
MOBO: MSI B550-A Pro
RAM: Team T-Force Vulcan Z 16GB (2 x 8GB)
PSU: Seasonic 650W 80+ Bronze
STORAGE: Western Digital WD Blue SN550 NVMe M.2 1TB
COOLER: NZXT Kraken M22 120MM Liquid Cooler
WIFI: MSI MS-B905C WIFI Dual Band Wireless PCI-E Adapter Card
WINDOWS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home

While the BLD kit is currently only available to people in the US, NZXT also has several pre-fab systems available at different price points. available to anyone that wants to cash in on this deal.

Starter Series: $1,100 to $1,400

Streaming Series: Starting at $1,700 to $2,900

Creator PC: $4,000

This tier only has a single configuration but pulls out all the stops in terms of performance. This absolute beast of a machine might be considered by some to be overkill, but is just what you’ll need if you need to edit photos or videos or play games at their highest settings. This desktop comes equipped with an RTX 3090 GPU, 64 GB of RAM, and an unlocked Intel i9-11900K CPU. This model even includes primary and secondary storage with a 4TB hard drive and a 1TB SSD.

Apple’s iPhone 4 is often held up as a pinnacle of phone design, but what about the Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone? With its friendly features (a big smiley face painted on the front) and mobile design (thanks to its four wheels), the Chatter Telephone has long been the gadget of choice among the aesthetically discerning and the under-4s. This week, to celebrate the device’s 60th anniversary, Fisher-Price has blown our minds once more with its courage and innovation: the Chatter Telephone now makes and receives phone calls.

The new Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone Bluetooth edition is, admittedly, an accessory rather than fully-fledged mobile device. It connects to your Android or iOS phone over Bluetooth, and, according to Gizmodo, you can actually dial numbers using the plastic rotary dial and answer and hang up calls by lifting and replacing the handset on the cradle. There’s even a loudspeaker function, for when you’re taking that super important conference to try and nail down who took your nose.

It’s not all good news though. Rather disappointingly, the $60 gadget charges via the extremely outdated microUSB, but I guess that is an appropriately retrograde choice. The phone is available to preorder exclusively at Best Buy, though it’s not clear when it will be shipping. You can, at least, rest assured that supplies won’t be affected by the chip shortage, and we expect that more than a few households will be adorning their home offices with one of these beauties come Christmas.

Apple boasted about how efficient its new MacBook Pro laptops are during their debut Monday, but it takes Apple’s most power-hungry laptop charger, a beefy 140-watt brick, to top up the biggest of the new laptops.

Apple’s previous 16-inch MacBook Pros, which use the Intel processors Apple is kicking out of its Mac family, came with a 96-watt charger. The 140-watt charger, which ships only with the 16-inch MacBook Pro, can deliver power into either the laptop’s USB-C ports or its resurrected MagSafe charging port depending on which cable you attach to the charger’s USB-C port.

“MagSafe 3 has a new design that supports more power into the system,” said Mac product line manager Shruti Haldea during the launch event. The high-power charging works also with the laptop’s USB-C ports, too, thanks to a new standard this year that boosts USB charging power as high as 240 watts.

Supporting the new USB-C standard is important for anyone who wants to use Apple’s charger on other devices or third-party chargers on Apple’s new MacBook Pros.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro has the same 100-watt-hour battery size as its predecessor, but it includes fast-charge technology so customers can inject more power with a quick trip to the charger. The 14-inch MacBook Pro, available in configurations with smaller 67-watt and 96-watt chargers, has a 70-watt-hout battery that’s about 20% larger than the Intel-based model it replaces.

The high-power charger didn’t surprise Benson Leung, a Google engineer who’s worked on USB-C technology, including tracking down early problems. “Apple was instrumental at proposing the…new voltages levels to USB’s working groups, so it would make sense that they were planning on releasing the first implementation,” he said in a Reddit post Monday.

The rapid support for the new high-power USB is parallel to the early adoption of USB-C in 2016 by Apple and Google, he added. Both companies were able to support the new technology rapidly because they helped set the standards, Leung added.

Apple’s new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops are powered by its own M1 Pro and M1 Max processors. At its MacBook Pro launch event, Apple also announced its AirPods 3 and more colorful HomePod Mini smart speakers.

USB has amplified its clout in the tech industry by expanding from data transfer duties to charging, first with phones and other small devices, and more recently with laptops. That’s been a boon for consumers, who can use the same charging equipment to top up batteries in laptops, headphones, tablets, phones, game consoles and other products.

One area that’s been out of reach for USB has been higher-end laptops for gaming, which need more than the 100-watt maximum USB has been able to supply. To address this, the USB Implementers Forum standards group expanded USB charging with several new levels up to 240-watt charging levels this year.

The USB-IF’s Power Delivery standard governs power levels so a high-power charger won’t damage a low-power device.

Apple sells its 140W charger separately for $99 but includes no charging cables with it.

Apple’s new MacBook Pro models unveiled today feature a redesigned keyboard with an all-black design, a row of full-size function keys, and a Touch ID ring that provides a more tactile experience for unlocking the Mac with your finger.

The function keys include new shortcuts for Spotlight, Siri, Dictation, and Do Not Disturb, in addition to usual shortcuts for display brightness, media playback, volume, and more. These keys replace the Touch Bar, which was removed on all new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, five years after it was introduced.

Apple didn’t comment on its reason for removing the Touch Bar, but during its “Unleashed” event, the company said that the return of physical function keys brings back the “familiar, tactile feel of mechanical keys that pro users love.”

The keyboard is now surrounded by a black anodized aluminum inset, whereas there used to be silver or space gray aluminum between the keys.

While some users are disappointed that Apple removed the Touch Bar, the new MacBook Pro is likely to be a crowd-pleasing design given not only physical function keys, but the return of additional ports like an HDMI port, SD card slot, and MagSafe. The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models also feature Apple’s next-generation M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, mini-LED displays with a ProMotion adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, and more.

The new MacBook Pro models can be ordered now and will start arriving to customers and launch in stores on Tuesday, October 26. Pricing starts at $1,999 for the 14-inch model and at $2,499 for the 16-inch model. Apple said macOS Monterey will be publicly released one day earlier on Monday, October 25, following over four months of beta testing.

Apple has just announced the next generation of AirPods, but if you’ve been waiting for new Beats earbuds, you may also have something to look forward to there. A report from 9to5Mac describes the upcoming Beats Fit Pro that, according to the article, will have wingtips that seem to be designed to ensure a better fit in your ear.

You can see the rumored earbuds at the top of this post or in this set of images shared by 9to5Mac, featuring the Beats Fit Pro in black, gray, white, and lavender.

In addition to the new design, the earbuds will have active noise cancelation, Apple’s H1 chip for speedy pairing and Hey Siri, and support for quick pairing on Android through the Beats app, 9to5Mac reports. It also seems as if the Beats Fit Pro will have good battery life: six hours with ANC on or seven hours with Adaptive EQ.

The Beats Fit Pro will be announced on November 1st and will ship starting a few days after, according to 9to5Mac. MacRumors reports that images of the Beats Fit Pro have appeared in the iOS 15.1 release candidate, lending credence to the possibility that they will be released soon.

There are some great deals today for next-gen console gamers. For Xbox Series S|X owners, grab the official Xbox wireless headset and a second controller for the lowest price we’ve seen this year. For PS5 owners, upgrade your internal storage with a super fast SSD from Western Digital or XPG. In other deal news, score a 65″ LG OLED 4K TV for as low as $1399, get a decked out Alienware RTX 3080 gaming PC for as low as $2099, or save 20% off the upcoming WarioWare game for the Nintendo Switch.

New Xbox Series X Wireless Headset

This is the lowest price we’ve seen so far for the official Xbox wireless headset for the Xbox Series X and S consoles. This headset is Microsoft’s answer to the deservedly popular Sony Pulse 3D wireless headset. It pairs with the Xbox Series S|X without requiring a dongle and you’ll also be able to use it with your other Bluetooth-enabled devices. Other features include Dolby Atmos, DTS: Headphone X, and Windows Sonic support, generous 15-hour battery life, and super comfortable plushy earcups.

Xbox Series S|X Core Controller

Save 18% off the official Xbox Core wireless controller for the Xbox Series S and X consoles. This new controller features a redesigned hybrid D-pad, textured grip on the triggers, bumpers, and back, and a battery life of up to 40 hours. It has a universal 3.5mm audio jack for headphones and a USB Type-C input for plug-and-play compatibility for the PC.

Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller

The Xbox Elite Series 2 wireless controller is the most precise and customizable Xbox controller on the market. This professional-grade controller features adjustable tension thumbsticks, shorter hair trigger locks, wraparound textured grips, interchangeable thumbsticks and paddle shapes, custom profiles saved on your controller itself, and included USB Type C cable with charging dock. It boasts up to 40 hours of battery life and is compatible with the Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, and PC.

Alienware AW3420DW 34″ 3440×1440 Curved 2ms 120Hz G-SYNC IPS Gaming Monitor

The 2020 Alienware AW3420DW is one of the best 34″ ultra-wide gaming monitors out there today. Today’s price is even lower than what we saw on Prime Day of this year. This is an outstanding gaming monitor; the IPS panel offers very wide viewing angles and 98% DCI-P3 color accuracy, the 2ms response time means no visual lag or ghosting, and the 120Hz refresh rate and G-SYNC support means no stuttering or tearing.

Back in Stock on Amazon: PS5-Compatible WD Black SN850 1TB M.2 SSD with Heatsink

Amazon finally has the PS5-compatible WD Black SN850 1TB SSD with heatsink back in stock. This is currently the most popular SSD to get for your PS5 internal storage upgrade. It’s blazing fast drive with transfer speeds rated at up to 7,000 MB/s and a PCIe Gen4 interface and it comes preinstalled with a heatsink. It’s also confirmed by Western Digital themselves to be compatible with the PS5.

Lowest Price Ever for a PS5-Compatible SSD with Heatsink: XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade 1TB M.2 SSD

This is the latest SSD that’s specifically designed for your PS5 storage upgrade. It also happens to be the lowest priced PS5-compatible 1TB SSD with heatsink available. In fact, it’s even less expensive than most compatible SSDs without heatsink. The S70 Blade boasts transfer rates up to 7,400 MB/s and a PCIe Gen4 interface. It includes a PS5-compatible low-profile aluminum heatsink, but for whatever reason you’ll have to put it on the SSD itself (which isn’t hard, it’s just adhesive).

Sony WH1000XM4 Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones (As Good As Bose)

The ever popular and highly rated Sony WH1000XM4 headphones are back down to $248. This is the lowest price of the year by $30. The WH1000XM4 is oft considered one of the best noise cancelling headsets under $400; it’s comparable if not better than the Bose QuietComfort headphones, both in terms of audio quality and noise cancellation.

17% Off Tales of Arise for PS5

This is the first time we’ve seen the PS5 version of the game discounted anywhere. Tales of Arise is one of the best Tales games in a long while. I’ve beaten the game myself, and I haven’t had as much fun playing a Tales game since Vesperia and Symphonia. If you’ve seen the gameplay videos or played the demo at all, you’re probably already aware that Tales of Arise graphics are a massive improvement over its predecessors. That’s because Bandai Namco abandoned its proprietary graphics engine for the much more powerful and flexible Unreal Engine. Aside from the revamped graphics, expect the same well-loved gameplay from before, including real-time combo-chaining battles, a wonderfully generic yet epic storyline, and cringe-worthy yet endearing character skits.

65″ LG CX 4K OLED Smart TV for $1399.99

Refurbished with 90-day Woot (Amazon) Warranty

Note that this is a refurbished model with a 90-day Woot warranty. Woot is owned and operated by Amazon. The CX-series is LG’s 2020 OLED TV. The OLED panel blows away any IPS, VA, or TN monitor in black levels, color rendition, response time, and HDR. The new 2021 C1-series model has very negligible improvements over the CX-series and in terms of image quality, they’re practically identical. The CX OLED TV is a perfect match for the PS5 console because it has HDMI 2.1 inputs which can output 4K at 120Hz.

2021 LG C1 65″ 4K OLED TV Price Drop

Now with 6 Months of Free HBO Max

Today the newest LG 65″ 4K OLED TV has dropped to the lowest price we’ve ever seen. The LG C1 OLED TV improves upon last year’s highly-rated CX model with an upgraded A9 Gen 4 processor that delivers slightly better image quality, better 4K scaling, and improved audio handling as well as a new webOS smart TV redesign. The C1 OLED TV also looks good when paired to a gaming PC with an RTX 30 series video card because it has HDMI 2.1 inputs that support 4K at 120Hz and G-SYNC. It’s easily one of the best (if not the best) TVs on the market right now. For a limited time, you also get 6 free months of HBO Max, so you can catch up on blockbuster movies like Godzilla vs Kong, Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Suicide Squad, and more, as well as upcoming movies like Dune and The Matrix Resurrections.

Rubber Encased Hex Dumbbells on Sale

If you’ve been stockpiling exercise equipment to work out at home, you might have realized that the cost of weights adds up. You could be paying upwards of $2-$4 per pound of weights if you’ve been buying stuff at regular retail price. Deals like these aren’t flashy, but they’re very welcome. The dumbbells listed above cost just over $1 per pound. They’re rubber encased to protect your floor, and the chrome finished ergo handles are textured for a better grip.

Alienware Aurora R12 RTX 3080 PC for $2099.99

Do you need a rig that can run Battlefield 2042 in 4K? If you’ve been on the lookout for the extremely elusive RTX 3080 video card for your (up to 4K) gaming needs, then check out this ready-to-go prebuilt Alienware Aurora gaming PC from Dell. The $2200 PC comes equipped with an 11th gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, 512GB SSD, and a separate 1TB hard drive for storage. The RTX 3080 is way more powerful than the previous generation’s best video card, the RTX 2080 Ti, and is the best recommended video card for 4K gaming. The RTX 3080 is the card I’m currently using for the BF2042 open beta, and I can run the game at 4K resolution and over 60fps consistently at medium to high settings.

HP OMEN RTX 3080 Gaming PC for $1899.99

Select “RTX 3080” and “800W Power Supply” as upgrades

Here’s another RTX 3080 config that’s worth a look. Although its overall specs aren’t as good as the Alienware config listed above, you simply won’t find an RTX 3080 equipped pre-built PC for a cheaper price. In fact, the RTX 3080 by itself probably goes for a similar price on eBay. It’s paired with the latest AMD Ryzen 5 5600X processor (which can be upgraded). The 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD is lean, but you can easily pick out and swap in your own components.

More Video Game Deals

More Daily Deals for October 18

Just in time for the spooky season, TiMi Studio Group will kick off a Pokémon Unite Halloween event on October 20 that’s dedicated to all things frightening. It’s a pretty massive patch, too, packing in a brand-new playable monster, extra gear, and more.

The highlight of the update trailer is the addition of Greedent, a Normal-type Pokémon introduced in the eighth generation. The final evolution of Skwovet, Greedent is a squirrel-looking creature that primarily uses physical attacks. We don’t see too many of its abilities in the announcement trailer, but it appears as if Greedent will have some solid lane-clearing moves perfect for chasing enemies down.

Elsewhere in the update is a new map overlay that turns it into something more akin to The Nightmare Before Christmas. While the game has already started incorporating spooky music, once things officially kick-off, you’ll see plenty of carved pumpkins and festive lights strung up. There’s a new mode where the monsters can also turn into pumpkins during a match, but it’s unclear how it’ll work. Some ultimates, like Lucario’s, have also been altered to match the Halloween season.

The limited-time Halloween Festival event also features new Trainer cosmetics (like a Pikachu-shaped pumpkin helmets) and Holowear for Charizard, Eldegoss, Lucario, Wigglytuff, and Zeraora. For example, Lucario is dressed like Zorro, with a black cape, pointed hat, and eye-mask to match. The entire thing runs from October 20 to November 7.

Read More: Pokémon Unite Survey Suggests Huge Changes Could Be Coming

This Halloween event comes just a month after TiMi Studio Group dropped the popular MOBA on mobile devices. At the same time, Pokémon Unite started a new season that took our pocket monsters to space. Two creatures, Mamoswine and Sylveon, also joined the game’s roster. With Greedent, who is an admittedly inspired inclusion, there are now 26 total playable Pokémon.

Apple is hosting its next big hardware event at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. The event is titled “Unleashed,” and while we’re not totally sure what Apple will be unleashing, the dotted-font design on the invitation could be a hint at the higher-res miniLED displays expected for new MacBook Pros. These new, more powerful MacBook Pros will probably come in 14- and 16-inch screen sizes, and, may have SD readers and HDMI and MagSafe ports.

And possibly (finally) Apple may release new AirPods as well. It also seems likely we’ll get a release date for macOS Monterey, which was announced at the same time as iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, but remains in beta. The rumor mill also has been predicting the end of the Touch Bar.

WHAT TIME IS THE APPLE “UNLEASHED” EVENT?

You can tune into the live stream, which starts at 10AM PT / 1PM ET on Monday, October 18th. If you miss the live stream, it’s likely you’ll be able to catch a replay after the event wraps.

WHERE CAN I WATCH IT?

Apple is hosting the stream on its website, and it is also streaming it on YouTube. The YouTube stream is embedded above for your convenience.