ROUND-UP
MONITOR
We tend to advocate higher refresh
rate screens for the enjoyment factor.
However, once you get above 165Hz
it becomes less about enjoyment,
and more about response. The
XG2530 is an FPS-targeted
monitor, packed with tech and
designed to reduce latency and
offer perfect smoothness.First-person shooters are fast-paced dens of destruction. Split-
second reactions can mean the difference between life and death.Does it work? Well, there’s no
delay, and the colour reproduction is
impressive, even for a TN panel. If you
live and breathe shooters, the XG2530
is perfect for you.
SCREEN SIZE: 25” / PANEL TECH: TN /
NATIVE RES: 1920X1080 / REFRESH RATE: 240HZ /
RESPONSE RATE: 1MS GTG /
CONNECTIONS: 1X DISPLAYPORT, 2X HDMI (2.0 & 1.4)ASUS RT-AC86U
http://www.asus.com £220There’s nothing quite like having a
decent home router. Asus’s RT-
AC86U is perfect for anyone looking
for that additional customisation.
From smart bandwidth management
to VPN setup, your own personal AI
Cloud, 5 GHz dual bands and more,
the RT-AC86U makes the
whole affair as easy and
painless as possible.^84%
93 %
91 %
91 %ASUS ROG STRIX X370-I GAMING
http://www.asus.com £185The X370-I gaming may be pricey,
but it’s one hell of a well-built Ryzen
board. Packing some intuitive
engineering into a raised M.2 PCIe
SSD/audio hub, the design aspect is
impeccable. Ryzen demands strong
VRM solutions, and this doesn’t miss
the mark, providing solid
overclocks in the tiny form
factor.VIEWSONIC XG
GAMING XG2530
GAMING
LAPTOPTo be short, yes, it does. Our sample
unit here is the slightly aged X7851,
packing a Core i7-7700HQ, 16GB of
DDR4, a 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD and a
GTX 1060 6GB graphics card at its
heart. It’s actually a fairly accurate
representation of a mid-range rig at
the moment. Combine those innards
with the 17-inch IPS screen and a
£1,150 price tag, and well, it speaks
for itself.
The build quality of the Erazer
X7851 is good. It’s not
exemplary, but the
soft-touch finish is a
nice addition to its design.
The one thing we wish it had
was a more slimline design, however,
especially when it comes to its
distracting bezel.
SCREEN SIZE: 17-INCH / NATIVE RESOLUTION:
1920X1080 / GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB /
MEMORY: 16GB DDR4 / STORAGE: 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD
It’s great to see Medion really push into the gaming sector. The
Erazer brand promises fantastic value for your money, but does it
actually hit the mark?
86 %
MEDION ERAZER X7851
http://www.medion.com £1,150
RAZER BLACKWIDOW TE
CHROMA V2 YELLOW SWITCH
http://www.razerzone.com £160Man, this keyboard is good.
Razer’s yellow switch lacks the
clack of its standard switch in
favour of a more subtle Cherry
Red-like linear click instead.
Combine that with the stunning
RGB lighting and a
fantastically comfortable
wrist rest and there’s little
to fault here.Reviews
HARDWARE