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Abdul Hannan

I’ve been the Journalist & Editorial Writer at Tech4Gamers since July 2022. I spearhead our hardware coverage, including overclocking GPUs, benchmarking CPUs, reviewing peripherals, and fine-tuning custom PC builds for every budget. Daily, I report on breaking gaming news, from major launches and studio updates to the latest industry trends, ensuring our community stays informed. Beyond news briefs, I write in-depth feature articles on gaming culture and emerging technologies. And by collaborating closely with the editorial team on content planning, SEO strategy, and our publishing calendar, I help us consistently hit our traffic and engagement targets.

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Logitech has undeniably been behind in the gaming keyboard scene for a long time now, with most new releases failing in the face of competition from companies such as Wooting and Keychron. Personally, I haven’t been a huge fan of Logitech’s previous releases either, which is why I have been excited to see what changes with the newly released G515.

Logitech Gets The Design Right

I was actually surprised by how much functionality Logitech has managed to pack within such a compact, low-profile form factor. There seems to be adequate spacing between each key, just the right amount of switch travel, as well as a thickness of 22mm which negates the need for a separate wristpad.

While the keyboard isn’t hot-swappable, Logitech has moved to cherry-style key caps, allowing for customization in that regard. Additionally, I found that software customization also works well with the keyboard, with G-Hub allowing for per-key lighting, as well as Key control, which allows you to map up to 15 different functions to a single key.

Compared to the G915 TKL, the improvements Logitech has implemented are clear. They have gotten rid of the volume wheel and some media keys in the process; however, I won’t necessarily miss those exclusions. 

Naturally, you also get factory-lubed switches, sound-dampening foam, and PBT keycaps, all of which have become industry standards at this point, especially for keyboards in this price category.

Great Features, At A Reasonable Cost

With a price of $139 for the wireless version, the Logitech G515 also manages to stack up well against other low-profile alternatives such as Keychron K3. That also means that the price tag sits $100 below the previous G915 TKL, which is a huge improvement.

That is not to say that the Logitech G515 is the best low-profile keyboard on the market, but it’s safe to say that you aren’t going to be overpaying for any of the features the keyboard provides. In addition to that, a cheaper $99 wired variant is also on the way, which is great news for anyone on a budget.

Battery life also remains strong, lasting for around 625 hours with no RGB. Of course, that is going to be reduced to 36 hours if you are going to keep RGB running at maximum brightness. Still, I have no complaints regarding that, and flawless connectivity is essentially a guarantee with that 2.4GHz lightspeed dongle.

A Complete Low-Profile Package

If you are after a well-rounded low-profile keyboard that doesn’t compromise on most aspects, then the Logitech G515 is going to be right up your alley. The keyboard packs all of the well-received features of the previous G915 while also providing much-needed additions such as the PBT keycaps, making it a very competitive offering.

Of course, some people aren’t necessarily going to be happy with the removed media buttons and the volume knob, but, aside from that, Logitech has priced it just right for the amount of features it provides.

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Mussab Ali

At Tech4Gamers I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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There’s no denying that the 1080 Ti has cemented itself as the greatest GPU of all time. In fact, with the current price-to-performance of current-generation flagships, the chances of getting a card as good as the 1080 Ti are close to none. That said, what is it that made it so appealing in the first place?

Unprecedented Price-To-Performance

A reasonably priced flagship GPU that delivers results far better than any gaming GPU? Sounds almost too good to be true, right? Well, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti managed exactly that at the time of its release.

The GTX 1080 Ti (Image Via Hardware Unboxed)That is not to say that the 1080 Ti was the only GPU of its class. I mean, the Titan XP did rival it in terms of gaming performance; however, that came at a huge cost of around $1199.

The 1080 Ti essentially matched the Titan XP in most titles, at almost half the cost, which made it a great value purchase at the time of its release. In Linus Tech Tips‘ initial review of the 1080 Ti, the card equaled the Titan Xp in most gaming and productivity tests, while also consuming a similar amount of power.

Even if you take inflation into account here, the price at which the founder’s edition retailed is still remarkable, especially considering how you simply can’t get a modern flagship GPU at a price as low as that. For reference, the current flagship GPU from Nvidia, the 4090, comes with an MSRP of $1600. 

Not to mention that the 1080 Ti still reigned supreme even after the launch of 2000 series cards from Nvidia. Sure, the card lacked exclusive features such as Ray Tracing and DLSS, but, most people preferred it over the RTX 2080 since it provided similar performance in traditionally rasterized titles at a lower price.

Still Keeps Up

What’s even more remarkable to me is how well the 1080 Ti compares to modern GPUs. While it might not be the fastest GPU around anymore, that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is still capable of running modern titles at 1080p with 60 fps.

In Gamers Nexus‘ 2024 revisit of the 1080 Ti, it roughly provided the same performance as the RTX 4060 in most titles, even gunning ahead of it in some titles thanks to its 11GB VRAM capacity.

Of course, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend purchasing a 1080 Ti in 2024; however, those who own the card will still be satisfied with the experience they are getting 7 years after the card’s initial launch.

Huge OC Headroom

One of the best things about the GTX 1080 Ti was its overclocking headroom, which was an enthusiast’s dream. Even the lower-end variants of the card that didn’t come with the best possible cooler could be modestly overclocked without running into major hiccups. 

When overclocked, the 1080 Ti even gained a small lead over the RTX 4060 Ti, which is an impressive feat. Don’t get me wrong, its overclocking capabilities aren’t the best in the world; however, when it came down to it, the 1080 Ti overclocked well. 

Of course, you didn’t necessarily need to overclock the 1080 Ti, and most did consider its stock clocks to be more than enough for most tasks.

Lives Up To Its Title

With decent overclocking headroom, a solid price-to-performance ratio, and essentially no competition in its range, the 1080 Ti is considered among the best GPUs ever released. Even 7 years after its launch, the card has consistently managed to surprise me with its results in modern triple-A games, and while it may not be the beast it once was, it’s safe to say that it still lives up to its title.

Unfortunately, it seems like Nvidia has no real plans of launching a real successor to the 1080 Ti either. Sure, the 4090 might be the best-performing card, but it comes nowhere close to the value the 1080 Ti provided at the time of its release. 

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Ali Rashid Khan

As Tech4Gamers’ Wiki Editor, I dissect gaming products, offering detailed perspectives on a variety of PCMR hardware ranging from the Best Motherboards and CPUs to the Best GPUs, RAM, and PSUs.

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Ah, yes.

You’ve finally decided to get rid of the physical limitations of your Desktop PC.

Or perhaps you want something that’s portable, but still has enough oomph to give similarly priced Gaming PCs a run for their money while not sacrificing five essential areas.

What are those five essential areas, you ask?  Screen, performance, battery life, keyboard, and audio. 

But hey, let’s not forget you’re a wise person who isn’t idiotic enough to buy overpriced laptops like the likes of Razer would have you buy. You want an all-rounded package with a reasonable price tag to match.

You’re in luck. The Acer Nitro 17 has all of the above and much more to offer while still demanding a very sensible amount of money. Let’s have a look at what Acer has for us.

Acer Nitro 17: Specs

You’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to customising your Nitro 17.

That’s because Acer gives you the flexibility to choose from a variety of variants with both Intel and AMD hardware under the hood.

AMD Variants

The Acer Nitro 17 unit that I am spotlighting boasts a Ryzen 7 8845HS CPU along with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU with 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM and a 1 TB SSD, bolstered by 32 GB DDR5 RAM, for just $1,250.

However, you can also upgrade to a faster Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU along with an RTX 4070 (8 GB VRAM) GPU with the same 1 TB SSD and 32 GB DDR5 Memory. 

Alternatively, the base AMD variant sports a Ryzen 8645HS Processor and an RTX 4050 (6 GB) GPU while halving the SSD to 512 gigs and the DDR5 RAM to 16 gigs.

Intel Variants

If you opt for the Intel route, Acer will start you off at $1,250 for an Intel Core i5-14450HX CPU, an RTX 4050 (6 GB) GPU, a 512 GB SSD, and 16 GB RAM.

You can work your way up through several configurations all the way up to an Intel Core i7-13700HX or Core i7-13700H Processor, an RTX 4060 (8 GB) GPU, a 1TB SSD, and 32 GB RAM.

Acer Nitro 17: Real-World Performance  

Where should I start?

• Display: For starters, the Nitro 17 offers you a 165 Hz 17.3” FHD (1920×1080) Display which can get as bright as roughly 350 nits with support for Nvidia G-Sync to solidify the immersive gaming experience. However, Acer also offers an upgraded option of the same 165 Hz 17.3″ display but with a higher QHD (2560×1440) resolution.
• Keyboard & Speakers: Moving on, Acer’s value-packed 17” laptop integrates a full-sized RGB keyboard with a dedicated number pad and arrow keys and somewhat front-facing dual stereo speakers, which do get surprisingly loud, akin to the speakers found on Apple’s MacBooks.
• I/O Connectivity: Furthermore, the Nitro 17 acts as a docking station, what with its 2x USB Type-C connectors, 3x USB Type-A ports, an Ethernet connection, a MicroSD card reader, and of course, an HDMI port. Phew.
• Battery Life: Even more surprising is the Nitro 17’s battery life where it outshined other gaming laptops with a runtime of almost more than 7.5 hours on normal web browsing and almost 3 hours of gaming with full power, which is atypical of a gaming laptop.
• Gaming Grunt: Needless to say, featuring a Ryzen 7 8845 processor along with an RTX 4060 GPU and a 1 TB SSD/16 GB RAM configuration means that the Nitro 17 is more than capable of taking on your boatload of games without breaking a sweat.

Acer Nitro 17: Don’t Miss Out

Acer’s latest creation begs the attention of those on a budget, but even if your budget’s flexible, I would highly recommend checking out the Nitro 17. 

Who knows, you might end up saving quite some serious bits of money. 

High-performance CPUs, latest generation GPUs from Nvidia, the newest DDR5 RAM, a high refresh rate FHD screen, outstanding speakers, an RGB keyboard, and ample battery life, no matter what you’re in the market for, Acer has got you covered.

Long story short, if you’re looking for a budget gaming laptop, look no further than the Acer Nitro 17, regardless of whether you’re an Intel or AMD fan, but especially if you’re siding with Team Red.

Don’t forget to check out Amazon for some interesting deals on different variants of the Acer Nitro 17.

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Obaid Ur Rehman

At Tech4Gamers, I mainly cover new gaming news, leaks, and rumours. Aside from that, I love to write features about my favourite games while inserting my opinion about their different aspects. 

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We all know the features and gameplay of Counter-Strike. But, do you know how Valve has opened a multi-billion dollar market just from a single game? 

History Of CS:GO’s Market

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive came into being by Valve Corporation on August 21, 2012. The game was initially not free and that was the only way Valve earned from it. However, Valve wanted to convert this one-time purchase into something more lucrative.

This model was followed for a year until, Value decided to drop an “Arms Deal” update on August 13, 2013, which introduced weapon skins, cases, and keys.  This created the iconic weapon skins system and the ever-growing Steam market for this game.

Rare Patterns

Not only were weapon skins rare due to special cases and events, but the weapon’s patterns (or finish) also significantly impacted its sales price. With the Arms Deal update, CSGO also launched a randomized skin pattern where each weapon had a distinct design.

This meant that people who stumbled across a skin, particularly a knife with unique patterns were flowing in profits since this specific skin equated to not only a few thousand dollars but the value could ramp up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The infamous blue gem is one of the examples of an incredibly rare skin pattern that the “Case Hardened” skins possess. In this pattern, an entire side of the weapon is covered with a shiny blue surface. A knife or an AK-47 with this pattern sells for $800K to $1.5M.  

Stickers, Gloves & Others

On February 5, 2014, Valve introduced stickers along with the “Katowice 2014” which was in correspondence to the EMS One Katowice 2014 tournament that was taking place at that time. 

Since these were the first-ever stickers, they are of so much value today that now their starting price is $400 and goes up to $110,000. Similarly, over the years, Value introduced gloves, agents, music kits, Graffiti, and Pins that were also tradable and sellable. 

Steam Market 

The weapon cases gave players an opportunity to obtain expensive skins on the basis of their luck. After the players had the skins, the Steam Community Market allowed users to trade or sell their skins.

Skins were categorized by rarity, with some being extremely rare and hence highly priced. These rare items were often found in limited-time events or special cases and stumbling upon these items meant that you could bag thousands of dollars by selling a single skin.

Skin-Betting & Gambling 

This urge to obtain the rarest weapon skins encouraged people to open more cases in the hope of getting lucky. However, the twist was that the cases required a key worth a few dollars that they needed to purchase. This meant that Valve was raking in high profits.

Due to the popularity of the skins, skin betting began to rise in Mid-2014. Here, players wagered their skins on the outcomes of professional CS players, and all the skins from users were placed in a virtual pot and the winner gets to take all the skins.

This also led to other gambling sites, which came in the form of Roulette, Jackpot, Coin Flip, and other games. Here, the concept was to bet the skins and a random winner would be selected who would take all the skins. 

Scams

These sites began doing extremely well and it got to a point where YouTubers and streamers started to indulge in scams. These guys would record themselves getting rare skins from gambling websites that they were promoting.

As innocent as it seemed, it turned out that these promoted websites were their own inventions where they rigged all the items in their favor, which hooked the audience and encouraged users to buy from their sites.

This site raked so much money that in July 2016, Valve had to issue cease and desist letters to over 20 gambling sites, to shut down the prevalence of this scam.

CS2

We see that Valve is the ultimate raker of profit. With the transition from CSGO to CS2, Valve had improved the outlook of the game enhancing the visuals and the details on the skins. This also equates to a rise in Valve’s ever-growing profit.