Tech Satori

 There are obviously thousands of deals this sale but I, as a PC enthusiast, am making a list of deals you shouldn't ignore if you are shopping for a budget-midrange PC build/setup. So without any further ado, let's look into all the great deals. Processors i3-12100F and i5-12400F . When Intel 12th gen was launched in 2022, they were good but affordability of AM4 was pulling the budget market towards AMD. But in 2024, tables have been turned. 12th gen Intel processors often go on sale with such good pricing that cheaper AM4 motherboard doesn't make a difference in final build cost.  Speaking of motherboards, there aren't any noteworthy discounts on motherboards, so I'm skipping them. RAM G.SKILL Aegis 8GB 3200MHz CL16 Now it doesn't seem to be any better than a typical 'naked' RAM at first glance but it does have better CL timings. Which makes it better choice for low budget i3-12100F build. Yes you can get better RAM with proper heatsink by paying ₹500...

 When Ryzen 7000 series was released, it made clear that they're the new top dogs. Even the cheapest of the bunch(Ryzen 5 7600) was trading blows with i7 and i9 of that time in gaming. So unless you had some specific use case for those extra cores of i7 and i9, there was no point spending more on those processors for a gaming PC.  BUT, the new AM5 platform had the Achille's heel of any new tech product; the cost of new technology. While a Core i7 and i9 were more expensive, they were available with DDR4 support, making the entire platform cost in less favour of AM5. The cost of early AM5 motherboards didn't make it any better for AMD. For context, cheapest AM5 motherboards in India were ₹17-18k at launch and decent "AMD recommended" DDR5 RAM(6000MHz) kits were in the neighbourhood of 20k. Making the cost of a Ryzen 5 7600X platform about ₹45-50k. You could've gotten a i5-13600K with 32GB DDR4 and a "decent enough" motherboard for that price. While a ...

  You might've heard a lot of tech influencers and even people on public PC forums multiple times repeating the same statement over and over again, "Never cheap out on PSU".  But the issue is, an average consumer might not be able to differentiate between a good PSU and a bad PSU. While most of them could be aware that 80+ Bronze rating or higher is better, only a few of them know that it doesn't necessarily translates to longevity or reliability of the unit. Yes, looking for 80+ Bronze or better automatically eliminates a lot of bad PSUs from options, but there are bad options in higher rated PSUs too. Best example of this was Gigabyte's exploding PSUs in 2021. What makes it worse that they weren't just cheap models, 750 and 850 watt 80+ Gold rated PSUs were also in the batch of exploding PSUs too.  That incident triggered a rise in popularity of "PSU tier list(s)" among new PC builders and shoppers. Earlier PSU Tier List on LTT forum was probably ...

 As a fellow Indian who grew up in a lower middle class family, I understand that a lot of Indian can't afford to spend more than ₹10,000-15,000 on a graphic card. I'm also aware that if you don't live in certain cities then Amazon is cheapest store that can actually deliver to you.  So I'll rate various budget GPUs that are in stock and help you make informed choices. Let's begin: GPUs under ₹5,000 I'll clear something first, most GPUs in this segment should only be used for Video Output or to play really old or easy to run games if the integrated graphics of your ultra cheap PC is struggling in them. Also, I'm only listing products with "Fulfilled by Amazon" tag for buyer safety. Still you should follow my tips on online shopping safety .  So here are the contenders: Nvidia GT 710 2GB DDR3 - Strictly NO, GT 730 cost about the same and are much better. Only buy them if you're getting them under ₹2700.  Nvidia GT 730 2GB DDR5 - To be used wit...

  We've all heard stories that someone ordered something online but received worthless junk like bricks, potatoes, soap, etc. Most of us ignore these news saying "it is very rare, it won't happen with us". There are also some people that say "I shop from ___ site, it has much better track record than others".  But believe me, when your luck runs out, it runs out. During the recent Durga Puja sales, I've seen reports of people being scammed while shopping from established giants like Amazon and Flipkart as well as newcomers like Meesho. In fact, even I was scammed once(although it was partly my fault that I didn't made sure my order was fulfilled by Amazon), but I was fortunate enough to get a full refund.  So here are some tips to avoid such mishaps when shopping online Most of these mishaps happen with prepaid orders, so always choose pay on delivery options if possible.  Some products are eligible for delivery time inspection by delivery agent(Open...

 The Great Indian Festival has begun. And here are the deals I personally consider worth taking. As usual, since Tech Satori is gaming focused, majority of my recommendations will be gaming related. Also these recommendations are for Budget-Midrange "gaming" segments. But worry not, there will be deals for others as well. Also don't forget to check out Flipkart's Big Billion Days As well. Best Laptop Deals Slim and Light Laptops for everyone Asus Vivobook 15 X512DA-BQ301WS  Ryzen 3 3200U, 8GB RAM 256GB SSD - Although schools are open again but the many kids are still attending online classes, then this could be the right laptop for them as well as anyone else who do online work. It has a 1080p display and a 2 core 4 thread processor powerful enough to handle video calls/conferences and office suite. In fact it can even handle more than that. Highly recommended if you are shopping in Rs 20-25,000 range.  HP 15s-Ryzen 3 5300U 8GB RAM  256GB SSD - If you have bud...

  Amazon's Great Republic Day Sale is live now(only for prime members if you are reading this on the day of publishing). And once again, I'm back with my pick for gamers, techies and students. To keep the list short, I'll include only PC(laptop and desktop) and accessories, but if you'd like to see top picks from other categories, do let me know in the comments.  [Note: As usual, not all the deals are revealed on the day 1, so do check again if new products are included] Laptops There aren't many deals on high end laptops by the time of writing, so I'll mention the ones that are noteworthy. HP Victus(Ryzen 5 5600H, RX 5500M) - RX 5500M definitely the best GPU you can find on budget laptops under INR 60,000. It lies between 1650 Ti and 1660 Ti in overall gaming performance. The only con with this laptop is that the screen is only 60Hz, there are other options available with 144Hz if you are into competitive gaming. ...

 I just saw the latest video by JayzTwoCents , and it got me thinking "We(techies) do end up with some generic gifts that we don't need and throw them away in our storage". So I thought let's make an Indian version(with products readily available in India) of that list.  Stream Deck Whenever someone mentions Stream Deck, majority of people assume that it is used for streaming. But in fact it can do much more than that. Productive people(editors, designers, digital artists, devs) often end up repeating certain action over and over again, while it is possible to bind macros, we often end up creating 3 key combinations that are not conflicting with other existing key bindings of the OS/Software. And the experience of activating those macros is not so smooth, Stream deck can overcome that.  Not only that, stream deck can also be used to operate smart home appliances from your desk. If the person doesn't already own a Stream Deck, they'll definitely appreciate rece...

The "Great Indian Festival" and "The Big Billion Days" are live now. So I shortlisted some of the best  deals I've come across. So here are my picks(Since there are literally thousands of deals to kept the list gaming focused to keep it short).  Note: The prices(if mentioned) are for ongoing sale only. Some of the offers are limited time deals, so they may change when the offer ends.  Jump to categories Budget Gaming Laptops Budget Gaming Mouse Budget Gaming Headsets Budget Gaming Monitors Budget Gaming Laptops MSI GF63 (i5-10500H, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD, RTX 3050, 15.6in 144Hz 1080p Display, 1.86Kg) - Being the cheapest in MSI gaming laptop lineup, all GF laptops suffer from a bit of thermal throttling, and I expect it to be present in it too. But it is not that severe, it can be easily overcome with a cooling pad. Now, being just a 3050 with just 4GB VRAM, you cannot expect it to run all ...

 When last year GPU price hike started due to supply issues then tech experts predicted that it would be solved with new launch of graphics cards. But all new launches were affected by scalpers and miners worldwide. When the cryptocurrencies crashed a few months ago, gamers got some hope. But it soon turned into despair when cryptocurrencies boomed again.  Conditions are worse in India, even certified sellers are selling them for more than twice the normal price(for example, RTX 3090 is usually listed for ₹2-2.5lakh in India, which is roughly $3000). Even founder editions are more expensive than US listing on Nvidia website. A GTX 1660 Ti costs more than an average "middle-class" family's monthly income these days.  Which raises the question, are gaming laptops better deal than desktops in India? Before we answer that, let's address the elephant in the room. Whenever there is a debate of Laptop vs Desktop,...

 The Great Freedom Festival 2021 is live on Amazon now and here are some of my personal "watch-list" products with great deals. Please note that these preview image may contain regular prices, you may have to click on them to see regular prices. Laptops Asus ROG Zephyrus G14(2020) : I know that it is an old model now that 2021 model exists too. But being old may have worked for its advantage, it still a very capable all purpose laptop the gets a never seen before pricing.  HP Pavillion Gaming : This may not be the ideal gaming laptop but considering that you are getting a 6 core 12 threaded processor processor under the hood, that too under 60,000INR? It is hard to pass. However, don't forget to install a SSD if you don't like slow boot times. Budget Gaming Mouse Well, no need to write an introduction for these guys, they're already one of the best gaming mouses under 2000INR. And now the ...

 A lot of friends and relatives often ask me for laptop recommendations for themselves or for their friends/relatives. Since new year is coming, a lot of you guys might be interested in buying a laptop for yourself or as a Christmas/New year gift for family. So I decided to make a list of best options according to budget and usage. I will mention only 1 in each category unless something deserves an honorable mention. For those of you who don't care about the budget and just want the best of best, here are my ultimate picks Best all-rounder :  Asus ROG Zephyrus G14( Base Model ) ➕ Up-to 8 core 7nm Ryzen processors ➕ 100% sRGB 120Hz 14 inch display ➕ Dual M.2 slots ➕ Portable and lightweight(under 1.7kg) ➖ Not really "affordable" considering Indian market   Best Workstation/Editing Laptop : Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 ➕ Dual display for better productivity, primary display is available in both 1080p 300Hz and 4K 60Hz ➕ 32GB RAM Pre-installed in all available models ➕ Dual SSD ...