Category Archives: NT IT Reviews

My Fortnite Experience

I am an avid Fortnite player and love the game, but my PC was recently ruined by my little brother and I had to start from scratch with a donated PC. First of all, for you newbies, what is Fortnite? According to CoPilot, “Fortnite is a trendsetting multiplayer online battle royale game developed by Epic Games. In this intense survival experience, players drop onto an island map alongside 99 other competitors. The goal? To be the last person standing. As you explore the island, you’ll scavenge for weapons, gear, and resources while constantly navigating shrinking safe zones. What sets Fortnite apart is its unique building mechanics: you can construct structures—towers, walls, and more—to defend yourself or gain tactical advantages. Whether you prefer solo play or teaming up with friends, Fortnite offers various modes, including Duos, Trios, Squads, and even a building-focused Team Rumble. So, whether you’re a seasoned player or a newcomer, Fortnite’s dynamic gameplay and ever-evolving world await!” (“Microsoft Copilot Conversation on Fortnite,” 22 Apr. 2024)

The system requirements of Fortnite are relatively low, thankfully.  The replacement PC I have has the recommended specs for the CPU but has no GPU, and I only have $150 to meet the recommended GTX 660.  I opted for the GeForce 1650, which is the best I could find in my price range.

PNY GeForce® GTX 1650 for $149.99

The PNY GTX1650 is 49% better than the recommended GTX 660.  While this video card is only ranked 258 on the passmark rating, it will easily play FortNite.

The GTX1650 GPU is made by Nvidia and has a 1410MHz core clock with 896 CUDA cores.  The 4GB od GDDR6 runs at a bandwidth of 192GB/s.

The PCIe interface is slightly older and is PCIe 3.0 with APIs still supporting DX12 and OpenGL4.6.  It only pulls 75 Watts of power and has a single 6-pin power connector. It has a DVI, HDMI, and Displayport outputs and takes 2 slot spots on the back of my PC.
Overall my new setup seems to be playing Fortnite again very well.  I am far enough over the recommended settings, even at my $150 budget, that the experience has me back on the leaderboard.

Note:  This review is part of a classroom project.

Works Cited

PNY GeForce® GTX 1650, www.amazon.com/. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

PNY GeForce GTXTM 1650 4GB gddr6 dual fan. PNY Technologies Inc. (n.d.). https://www.pny.com/geforce-gtx-1650-gddr6-df

“Microsoft Copilot Conversation to proof final draft.” Microsoft, 24 Apr. 2024.

“Microsoft Copilot Conversation on Fortnite.” Microsoft, 24 Apr. 2024.


I used CoPilot to review the post above by asking “Please review the following blog post and give me any inputs to improve it.” and then dropping in the text.  Here is its reply.

 

Your blog post provides a solid introduction to Fortnite, especially for newcomers. Let’s break down the key points and offer some suggestions for improvement:

  1. Introduction to Fortnite:
    • You’ve done a great job explaining what Fortnite is. The description covers the basics, including the battle royale concept, island map, and the goal of being the last survivor.
    • Consider adding a brief mention of the game’s vibrant art style and the ever-changing in-game events that keep players engaged.
  2. Unique Building Mechanics:
    • Highlighting Fortnite’s building mechanics is crucial. You’ve touched on it, but you could expand a bit more. Mention that players can construct walls, ramps, and platforms on the fly, allowing for creative strategies and intense battles.
    • Explain how building structures can be used defensively (blocking enemy shots) or offensively (gaining high ground advantage).
  3. Game Modes:
    • You’ve mentioned Duos, Trios, Squads, and Team Rumble. Consider briefly describing each mode:
      • Duos: Teams of two players.
      • Trios: Teams of three players.
      • Squads: Teams of four players.
      • Team Rumble: A large-scale mode focused on building and combat.
    • Emphasize that Fortnite caters to both solo players and those who enjoy teaming up with friends.
  4. System Requirements:
    • You’ve covered the system requirements well. However, consider organizing this section into bullet points for clarity.
    • Add a sentence about how Fortnite’s optimization allows it to run on a wide range of hardware, making it accessible to many players.
  5. PNY GeForce GTX 1650:
    • Good choice! Mention that the GTX 1650 strikes a balance between affordability and performance.
    • Clarify that while it’s ranked 258 on the PassMark rating, it still handles Fortnite smoothly.
    • Briefly explain what CUDA cores are (they assist with parallel processing).
  6. Technical Details:
    • Expand on the PCIe interface. Explain that while it’s PCIe 3.0, it’s still compatible with modern motherboards.
    • Mention that the single 6-pin power connector makes it easy to install.
    • Add a sentence about the card’s compact form factor, which suits various PC builds.
  7. Conclusion:
    • Wrap up by emphasizing that the PNY GTX 1650 is a budget-friendly choice for Fortnite players.
    • Consider adding a positive note about how the game’s dynamic updates keep it fresh and exciting.

Overall, your blog post provides valuable information. With a few tweaks, it’ll be even more engaging for readers. Keep up the great work!

GIGABYTE AORUS NVMe Gen4 SSD 500GB Hard Drive Review

Today I will be reviewing the GIGABYTE AORUS NVMe Gen4 SSD 500GB! I got this for a business PC I’ve been building for one of my customers. I’ve gotten stuff from GIGABYTE before. I managed to grab this for $89 which I believe is a really good price for what you are getting.

First of all, I love the beautiful pink metallic finish on it. It pops out compared to all of the other dully colored hardware inside the PC. This might be a pro for some people like me but it might not be so great for others who want a monotone inside so think about that before purchasing. From all of the use and time I’ve spent with this hard drive, I must say I have 0 complaints! It’s built super well and is definitely worth your money. It was also super easy to install with in-the-box instructions.

Now for the most important part, the specs. This beast includes a huge 5000 MB/s sequential read and a 2500 MB/s sequential write speed. Its random read IOPS is up to 400k and its random write IOPS is up to 550k! It has a great MTBF with a long 1.77 million hours. This is also a TLC hard drive which is something to keep in mind while purchasing. It also has a really nice warranty of 5 years and 850 TBW. Overall, this hard drive is a great buy for anyone out there looking for a great choice.

Note: This review is part of a classroom project.

References:

AORUS NVMe Gen4 SSD 500GB specs 

newegg

Samsung 980 Pro (With Heatsink) Review

This M.2 is very good; I really like it. It has worked flawlessly in my gaming PC for months now and I am very glad I bought it. It was quite cheap due to me getting it while it was on sale. It is very fast and I almost never have to wait on anything to load. It was very cool because it has its own heatsink it stay cold, it also works with PS5. I would recommend this M.2, 10/10.

Form Factor: M.2 2280
Capacity: 1TB
Read: Up to 7000 MB/s
Write: Up to 5100 MB/s
Random Read: Up to 1M IOPS
Random Write: Up to 1M IOPS
TBW: 600TB
Cell Level: TLC
PPG: $0.11 per GB
Warranty: 5 Years or 600 TB TBW

SAMSUNG 870 EVO Series Hard Drive

In todays blog, I will be talking about the SAMSUNG 870 EVO Series hard drive. This hard drive in my opinion is very good for just a simple home motherboard. This hard drive is perfect for a home motherboard because of its specifications and the price! For the low cost of only $52.95, you can get this incredible hard drive!

Now lets get to the fun part, the specifications! This hard drive is 250GB. Its read speed goes up to 560MBps and its write speed goes up to  530MBps. Its MTBF is 1,500,000 hours. It also has a warranty of five years. Its TBW goes up to 150MBps and it is an MLC which is not bad at all. Its price per GB is 0.16 cents which is pretty cheap! Everyone loves cheap. Again, for the low low price of just $52.95, you can get this wonderful hard drive.

When using this hard drive, I would recommend just using a home motherboard. According to everything I have done, it works best on a home motherboard. This is a great, cheap hard drive option if you just have a home motherboard. It works great for me and I have not had any issues with it so far! I would definitely recommend!

 

Note: This was part of a school assignment

970 EVO Plus NVMe® M.2 SSD 1TB

Today I am here to share the 970 EVO Plus NVMe® M.2 SSD 1TB SSD with you and I bought it to use in a gaming setup and it works really nice. The SSD is fast enough for me to do anything I need to and the computer loads right up. This low-profile SSD will fit in any motherboard with a m.2 slot. The Samsung SSD is only $139.99 on the Samsung website. I am also able to load into farming simulator really fast not like my old SSD that took up to 2 minutes to load the gaming software.

Specifications:

  • Size- 1TB
  • Read-3,500MB/s Seq transfer rate
  • Write speed-3,300MB/s Seq transfer rate
  • Total rights/MTBF, how long will it last- 1.5 million hours
  • Warranty- 5 year
  • IOPS- 400,000
  • V-Nand
  • Price per GB- 14 cents per GB
  • Form factor 2280
  • 600 TBW

I am very happy with this SSD and would suggest it to anyone who is looking to build a computer or upgrade from their old Hard drive. This SSD is customizable for different amounts of storage and that would change the price if this one is too expensive for you.

Note this is part of a Classroom project!

Work cited:

Samsung, http://www.samsung.com/us/computing/memory-storage/solid-state-        drives/ssd-970-evo-plus-nvme-m-2-1-tb-mz-v7s1t0b-am/. Accessed 1 April 2024

Crucial T700 GEN5 NVME SSD M.2

The Crucial T700 GEN5 NVME SSD M.2 is one of the best hard drives that I have bought. It makes my pc go way faster. The only problem that I had was that I need to buy a adapter for it but it didn’t cost that much on Amazon. It only costed $17.99 on Amazon. Then the price of the Crucial T700 GEN5 NVME SSD M.2 only cost $294.99 when it cost $379.99 at regular price but I got it when it was on sale on the Crucial website. 
So about the specs on the Crucial T700 GEN5 NVME SSD M.2. It is a 2TB SSD M.2 drive. The interface of it is PCI-Express 5.0 4x. The random read and write can go up to 1,500,000 IOPS. Also it has heatsink with it. Also it has a 5 year warranty on it. If you want some more specs on the Crucial T700 GEN5 NVME SSD M.2 then click on the link to Newegg.

This drive has been really reliable for me. It has made my Gigabyte B650 AORUS run a lot faster than it has with my old M.2 drive I had on it. I would recommend this M.2 drive to anyone if they were in need of buying one.

Note:  This review is part of a classroom project.

Resources:

“Crucial T700 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD with heatsink | CT2000T700SSD5.” Crucial, https://www.crucial.com/ssd/t700/ct2000t700ssd5. Accessed 3 April 2024.

“Dual M.2 PCIE Adapter for SATA or PCIE NVMe SSD with Advanced Heat Sink Solution,M.2 SSD NVME (m Key) and SATA (b Key) 22110 2280 2260 2242 2230 to PCI-e x 4 Host Controller Expansion Card.” Amazon.com, https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-advanced-solution-Controller-Expansion/dp/B07JKH5VTL. Accessed 3 April 2024.

Wikipedia, https://www.newegg.com/crucial-2tb-t700/p/N82E16820156333?scrlybrkr=47b916c7. Accessed 3 April 2024.

Seagate 4TB HDD

I recently have got a new home mother board and got a new hard drive for my computer. This hard drive is the Seagate Barracuda 4TB Internal Hard Drive HDD – 3.5 Inch Sata 6 Gb/s 5400 RPM. This Hard drive cost $84.99. This hard drive is about 4 cents per gig.

The max read speed is 190MB/s. It has 256 cache. the rotational speed is 5400. The load and unload cycle is 600,000. The read max is 1 per 10E14. The power on hours is 2400. the workload rate is 55. It also comes with a 2 year warranty.

This Hard drive has been very reliable for me and has worked very fast for my home computer. I will use the hard drive until it goes out on me. I love this thing!

 

THIS IS A CLASS PROJECT!!

SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 250GB Review

I recently purchased this SSD for my home PC. This has been a really good and reliable SSD. The motherboard for this PC is the ASRock B450M/AC

Motherboard. This is a 2TB M.2 PCIe SSD from the company Samsung. I got it because it has many qualities of a good SSD. As an example, this M.2 is about 40 cents per Gb. This

SSD is currently $99.99 on Newegg. It’s currently rated 4.5 out of 5 eggs on Newegg.

This a ClassRoom Review

The Samsung 990 PRO SSD Review.

Recently I got a new gaming computer and i put a ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E motherboard in the case, and I needed an SSD to hold a lot of my streaming data, games, and documents. So I did some digging and I found the Samsung 990 PRO SSD.

The Samsung 990 PRO SSD is a PCIe 4.0 / NVMe drive, has a total compacity of 1TB, a read speed of 7450 MB/s and a write speed of 6900MB/s. With a 3 year warrantee and a price of $124.99, id say its a good deal. Not to mention paying about $0.12 per GB. Overall this drive has been the most reliable and it exceeded my expectations

Note: This is a school project

Hard Drive Review

 

970 EVO Plus NVMe 1TB is a good and reliable hard drive for 1TB. It costs $139.99

This hard drive is highly rated for how fast and smooth it can run I wouldn’t recommend buying this for gaming and its only because of the low amount of storage it has. Depending on the games you play it could work but if you plan on using more then 1TB the I would buy more or get a different kind with more storage. I would recommend using this hard drive for either school work or small business work. This hard drive has a 5 year limited warranty and its size is 3.16 x 0.86 x 0.09 and the operating temperature is 0-70c. Read/write speed is 3,500/3,300 MB/s. It is a internal storage device the series is 970 EVO Plus and its interface is PCle Gen 3.0 x 4, NVMe 1.3 and it is able to be used for gaming if the game is smaller then 1TB. Cache memory is Samsung 1GB Low Power DDR4 SDRAM.

So overall I would recommend this hard drive and rate it a 4.8 out of 5 stars.

 

Note this is for a school project!!!!