15 Dec
Blog

The Benefits of Hill Running — More Speed, Better Mechanics, and Power

I grew up in the late 70s and 80s, have been an athlete my whole life and have loved soccer since I can remember. So one of my favorite mainstream media training stories as a kid was the hill legendary running back Walter Payton used to condition himself in the off-season. Search all over the internet and you can find stories about Payton's alien conditioning, how he brought athletes from all sports to exercise, and how they all ultimately knocked out from exhaustion. He's one of the most prolific runners in the NFL, arguably one of the greatest of all time, and the hill was his secret.

I've been training for almost twenty years now and I'm obsessed with mountain running. I owe that to Payton, and since speed is the ultimate goal in all of my programs, hills (or stairs for those of you who don't have a suitable hill nearby) are an absolute must in any speed or conditioning program. I've spent the majority of my career between Cal Poly and San Jose State, and both places have significant hill / stadium slopes that are perfect for pounding my athletes.

Why hill

Power and strength are crucial when it comes to speed, especially during the acceleration phase. Forty yard jumps, tall running backs shooting through a seam, a batter racing down the first baseline to hit a throw, or a forward exploding to the hole, the sudden surge of speed is the most important factor. It is the first three to five steps that determine the success of the effort.

Check out the NFL combo. When you see the athletes running into their 40s, it's the start that makes the best time. Conversely, if you see a man stumble out of the gate or take a sloppy step, rest assured that the time will be less than impressive.

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgUP_u604NA (/ embed)

Mountain running teaches the drive phase of a sprint like nothing else can. Because of the incline, the runner has to use the forefoot to climb. One of the most important speed training cues we use is that the forefoot is responsible for speed and the heel is responsible for braking. Even tall guys who, due to their size and tendency to heel contact, come up first when running on level ground, are forced into a “suitable” sprint position. Think of the lean angle that world class sprinters use on the first 50-70 meters of a 100 meter run – this is the position we want to teach and the hill does it for us automatically.

The most obvious benefit is the burden that mountain running puts on its feet. I've always thought that parachuting, tape running, and partner hauling were silly considering all of these devices or routines are aimed at the benefits of time on the hills. In addition to squats, Olympic weightlifting and / or kettlebell training, nothing will improve leg strength and explosiveness like sprinting up a hill.

Use mounds for side applications

Since the vast majority of the teams I train for speed don't really have the ability to run straight in their sports where they would benefit from on-track training (think top speed), we devote almost all of our time to Change of direction training. Many children have little or no understanding of how to turn. They have no understanding of where their body is in space, they insist on using their toes to slow down, and most of the time they have little control over their swing when running.

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ymA2RlXnKg (/ embed)

Due to the incline of the hill you have chosen, the runner must of course bring his drive foot into a "toe-in" position when climbing sideways. If they don't, their efficiency will drop and they will almost instinctively feel the need to adjust. When you are on level ground, one of the most important lessons I teach is a subtle toe-in on the outside leg of a turn. This does two things. First, it allows the runner to fully access the big toe while riding. Second, it is directionally in sync with the goal they are trying to achieve. Believe it or not, this is something many of these kids don't own when they first show up. And what you get when you don't have this technique is a slow, feeble attempt to redirect yourself.

Next, gravity is a tyrant. The natural slope of the hill requires a very strong push. One that is required on level ground when the athlete is trying to accelerate. If I can get a kid to drag their bum up the hill, either sideways or straight, then they have context and I can get that kind of understanding on level ground.

The benefits of backward hill sprints

Running backwards on the mountain is the perfect way to pound your athletes. The hill I use is behind our sports complex in Cal Poly and is about 35 meters long with an incline of about 14 percent. Steep. We have integrated running backwards into the final phase of our mountain training. Part of that is because I want my kids to be very uncomfortable, part of functional speed for my defensive backs and linebackers, and the other part is that they develop some level of resilience.

When I was in college we had to walk around the outside of the Begley Building at EKU. In all fairness, it was a deliberate way of making us miserable. The slope changes outside were constant and there was a close relationship with misery because we were told to do this for 15 minutes or more without a break. It was a total jolt, but it taught us a lesson – learn how to penetrate pain. Nothing careless, just a burning sensation on your legs that would almost choke you on your own vomit.

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0Bv5g-JRFA (/ embed)

The foot drive that walking backwards when going uphill is basically nowhere else to be duplicated. It teaches the kids how to push off the forefoot with whatever they have. Remember that acceleration is in the front of the foot and braking in the heel. The runner trains the right pressure, the right place and the economical use of the feet.

Hills teach running efficiency

Again, due to the incline, the runner is brought into a position in which he has no choice but to give everything. Due to the distance, they have to go up a hill, casual jumping or sessified hopping only makes the ascent 10 times longer. Because they want it to be over as soon as possible, you get a natural full effort.

Hopping has proven to be the hardest part for my children. Other things might hurt more, but jumping makes them work as hard as possible, coordinate their movements as efficiently as possible, and their anaerobic energy system burns them up completely. It is a pleasure to watch.

Selected image: KieferPix / Shutterstock

01 Sep
Blog

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 Review: Add Intel, Lose Speed

View of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 laptop fully open and sitting at an angle.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 in the test: It hurts when you choose Intel

RRP $ 735.00

“The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 lost performance and battery life in the transition from AMD to Intel. Add a bad display and it's hard to recommend. "

advantages

  • Solid build quality

  • Comfortable keyboard and touchpad

  • Good speakers

  • Active pen included

disadvantage

  • Inconspicuous achievement

  • Mediocre battery life

  • Unacceptable ad

I tested the AMD Ryzen version of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 convertible 2-in-1 laptop last year and found that it offers a ton of performance for a very attractive $ 600 price tag. It didn't quite make our list of the best budget laptops, but it came close. This year I was given the chance to review the 2021 update which won't change much – most importantly, Intel is up to date this time around. I was curious to see how this version fares.

I tested the $ 735 mid-range configuration of the IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 with a Core i5-1135G7, which is the right Intel chip to compare to the Ryzen 5 4500U in the previous review unit. That's barely a budget laptop price point (though it doubles the memory over the AMD machine), and I found the Intel version to offer a lower value proposition than last year's model. You can get a Core i3 for the more attractive $ 570, but you're giving up half the memory and storage. In the end, it proves why AMD continues to lead the way in budget laptops.

draft

The IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 has essentially the same construction as the previous model, only this time fiberglass is mixed with the plastic in the lid to give it a more stable feel. The rest of the case is made entirely of plastic but still feels solid – more so than some premium laptops that use magnesium alloy to reduce weight. Compared to the budget-conscious and fairly flexible Asus VivoBook Flip 14, which uses plastic in the case and aluminum alloy in the lid, the IdeaPad Flex 5i feels like a million dollars.

The IdeaPad's hinge is surprisingly good too, it's loose enough to open with one hand, but stiffens when it reaches an upright position to keep it in place in clamshell, tent, media, and tablet modes and hold in place. Overall, the build quality of the IdeaPad Flex 5i exceeds its price.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 folded into a tablet.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Image of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 notebook folded back on the floor.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Image of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 notebook folded back on the floor.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The 2-in-1 retains its dark gray aesthetic, with just a touch of chrome in the Lenovo logo on the lid and keyboard deck. It's a very understated look, with a few angles to give it a streamlined look, but otherwise avoids any bling or oomph. Lenovo's budget and mid-range laptops have been minimalist in design for a number of years, and the IdeaPad Flex 5i is keeping that trend alive. The Asus VivoBook Flip 14 is a little more dynamic in its appearance, but that doesn't mean it looks better – it actually suffers from a lime green border around the Enter key that breaks up its color scheme. I'd say the IdeaPad Flex 5i looks better than it costs, and it won't make you feel like putting it to sleep when you take it to a posh coffee shop.

Like last year's model, however, the IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 is larger than it should be. The display bezels are thin on the sides but large at the top, and the chin is huge. That makes it deeper than necessary. It's also quite thick at 0.82 inches and a bit heavy at 3.3 pounds. The Lenovo Yoga 7i 14 (about $ 200 more than the IdeaPad) is 0.69 inches and 3.09 pounds, while the Asus VivoBook Flip 14 is 0.72 inches and 3.31 pounds. If there is one area where the IdeaPad Flex 5i proves its low price, it is the oversized chassis.

Connectivity is solid, with a proprietary power connector (though my review unit came with a USB-C charger), a USB-C 3.2 port, a full-size HDMI 1.4b port, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the left, and two USB-A 3.2 ports and a full-size SD card reader on the right. Unfortunately, there is no Thunderbolt 4 support, which is disappointing even at $ 735. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 offer wireless connectivity.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 right-hand USB ports and SD card port.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 USB ports on the right.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Charging port, micro USB port, HDMI port and headphone jack on the left side of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

power

We praised the AMD version of the IdeaPad Flex 5 for its performance thanks to the Ryzen 5 4500U. That was impressive back then, but what a difference a year makes. That's now a previous generation chip, and the new Ryzen 5000 series processors are significantly faster – and the delta between the previous version and the current 11th generation Intel version is also less significant. My test device equipped the Core i5-1135G7 to go with 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB Solid State Drive (SSD), so that we can compare not only with the previous model from AMD, but also with current laptops.

Don't bother playing.

In all cases, except against the Acer Aspire 5 with its Core i3-1115G4, which was included for a bit of contrast, the IdeaPad Flex 5i could not convince. With the exception of the 3DMark Time Spy test, it was slightly slower overall than the previous AMD model, including our Handbrake test which encodes a 420MB video as H.265. In all of our benchmarks, it was also slower than the other Core i5 laptops on our list, especially the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s Gen 2. The difference isn't huge, but it is enough to place the IdeaPad Flex 5i in the lower end of our comparison group .

In real use, I didn't notice that the IdeaPad Flex 5i is a slow laptop. On the other hand, virtually all modern laptops are fast enough to run Windows 10 and basic productivity tasks like web browsing, Office apps, and the like without slowing down. When you need an extra boost in performance for heavy-duty multitasking or more intense tasks, you may notice a hiccup or two. I would rate the performance as acceptable for the price, but nothing to write home about.

Geekbench (single / multiple) Handbrake
(Seconds)		 Cinebench R23 (single / multiple) PCMark 10 3DMark time spy
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14
(Core i5-1135G7)		 1397/4301 213 1325/4411 4550 1026
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 2020
(Ryzen 5 4500U)		 1096/4543 160 n / A n / A 957
Asus VivoBook Flip 14 (Ryzen 5 5500U) 1102/5432 131 1180/7579 5191 1099
Lenovo ThinkBook 13s Gen 2
(Core i5-1135G7)		 1406/5379 178 1357/5502 4668 1511
HP Envy 14 (Core i5-1135G7) 1549/5431 204 1399/4585 n / A 1380
Acer Aspire 5 2021 (Core i3-1115G4) 1215/2544 300 1274/3128 3752 652

Don't bother playing. The IdeaPad Flex 5i is limited to the Intel Iris Xe graphics and didn't do very well even for that chip. The 3DMark Time Spy test wasn't great, only reaching 16 frames per second (fps) at 1080p and high graphics in Fortnite. You'll want to look your gaming needs elsewhere.

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Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 screen.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The second time I turned on the IdeaPad Flex 5i 14, I knew that the 14-inch Full HD IPS display (1920×1080) would be its biggest weakness. The colors seemed unusual, the screen had an unpleasant yellow-green cast and the contrast didn't blow me away. I don't often respond that badly to a display, but this one was disappointing. Note that the display is in the old school 16: 9 aspect ratio, as larger displays haven't gotten that advanced on budget laptops.

My colorimeter has largely confirmed this subjective experience. Initially, the brightness was low at just 231 nits, well below our preferred threshold of 300 nits. This means that the display may be difficult to see in bright overhead lighting. At 800: 1, the contrast was better than I expected (but again below our preferred level, 1000: 1). The colors were very narrow with only 49% of AdobeRGB and 65% of sRGB – midrange and premium laptops are around 72% and 95% or better – and the color accuracy was just okay with a DeltaE of 2.37 ( 1.0 or less is excellent).

Yes, budget laptops often save on the display. For example, the Asus VivoBook Flip 14 was remarkably similar with 230 nits of brightness, a contrast ratio of 720: 1, 50% AdobeRGB and 66% sRGB, and a color accuracy of 2.62. However, that doesn't change the fact that these displays are not pleasant to use even for simple productivity work and are nowhere near what creatives are looking for.

The sound was better, with upward-facing speakers flanking the keyboard on either side. The volume was more than acceptable with no distortion, and while the bass was absent, the mids and highs were clear. These speakers allow you to watch Netflix and listen to music, which is better than most budget devices.

Close-up of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 stylus and speaker on the right.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Keyboard and touchpad

The IdeaPad Flex 5i has the standard Lenovo keyboard that you find on everything but the ThinkPad range. It's shallower than I'd like, but it has enough click and comfortable floor motion to allow precise typing. The generous key spacing and key size make this keyboard a good budget keyboard that is just a few steps behind great keyboards like the Specter line from HP and the Apple Magic Keyboard. Fast typists should get used to this keyboard quickly enough and familiarize themselves with it in a short time.

The touchpad is good too, with a decent size and a smooth and comfortable surface. The Microsoft Precision touchpad drivers enable the full suite of Windows 10 multi-touch gestures, all of which worked well. I have no complaints.

Image of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14, with keyboard, trackpad and stylus.

Close-up of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 trackpad and stylus.

The touch display was responsive and Lenovo includes an active pen with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. I found it pretty good for sketching (not that I'm an artist) and handwriting on the display, though the 14-inch display and overall mass of the 2-in-1 made it uncomfortable in tablet mode. Still, the pen in the box is a plus that few budget laptops can compete with. As an added bonus, take a close look at the materials included in the box and you'll find a tiny pen holder that plugs into a USB-A port and keeps the pen handy. This, of course, blocks both ports, so you'll have to remove the pin to connect a peripheral.

Finally, Windows 10 Hello support is provided through a fingerprint reader in the upper right corner of the keyboard deck. It was quick and reliable. Lenovo also outfitted the IdeaPad Flex 5i with its ThinkShutter privacy screen for the webcam – just slide it over it and the lens is physically blocked, giving you a touch of privacy.

Battery life

Image of an open Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 laptop lying on the floor.Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The IdeaPad Flex 5i retains the 52.5 watt-hour battery of its predecessor, which, in combination with the Core i5 and the 14-inch Full HD display, made me wonder what longevity I can expect. The AMD model was just fine in terms of battery life and could potentially last a full day on one charge if you don't try too hard.

Overall, the battery life of the IdeaPad Flex 5i is disappointing.

According to our benchmarks, the Intel version is just below this all-day battery life threshold. It took us just 7.25 hours in our web browsing test, compared to the eight hours on the AMD version and 11.5 hours when looping our local Avengers test video, which took the AMD version 11 hours. So that's a hit, even though the web test gives a better idea of ​​productivity performance. The Asus VivoBook Flip 14 managed nine hours in the Internet surfing and 12 hours in the video test – certainly stronger values.

I also ran the PCMark 10 Applications battery test, which saw the IdeaPad Flex 5i last nine hours. That's only seven minutes less than the AMD version, but below the 10 or more hours we've seen as a minimum on most of the other laptops we tested. This is the best test of battery life, and the IdeaPad Flex 5i didn't do as well. It lasted almost two minutes in the PCMark 10 gaming battery test, which is about average for this test.

Overall, the battery life of the IdeaPad Flex 5i is disappointing. Like the AMD version, it can get you through a day of work if your workflow is easy, but doing real work without a plug-in can be a challenge.

Our opinion

For $ 600, the AMD version of the IdeaPad Flex 5 14 was a good bargain. At $ 735, with the main difference being a 512GB SSD versus a 256GB SSD, the latest IdeaPad Flex 5i isn't quite as attractive. It doesn't work that well and can't compete with some other laptops with the same CPU. The battery life is unimpressive and the display – albeit just as bad as on the previous version – is a real disappointment.

There are other laptops in this price range that are worth more for their money. The IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 lost its luster with the move to Intel, and I can't recommend much.

Are there alternatives?

The Asus VivoBook Flip 14 is about the same price and offers significantly better performance. The display and battery life aren't better, but at least you get a faster laptop that can handle more demanding workloads.

If you don't need a 2-in-1, the Asus ZenBook 13 OLED UM325UA is a great choice. It's only a few hundred dollars away from the IdeaPad Flex 5i, but it has much better performance, a beautiful and color-accurate OLED display, and a 1TB PCIe SSD. If your budget can handle it, the ZenBook 13 should be on your list.

Another 2-in-1 to consider is the HP Envy x360 13. It's an AMD machine too, and so much faster, and it has a much better display. It's a bit more expensive too, but well worth the extra money.

How long it will take?

The IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 offers a solid construction that should instill confidence after years of use. Its components are state-of-the-art, if not the fastest, so you can stay productive for just as long. You won't like the industry standard one year warranty.

Should you buy it?

No. Take the power of the AMD processor from its predecessor and add more than $ 100 in price, and the IdeaPad Flex 5i 14 isn't that big a bargain.

Editor's recommendations



29 Jul
Blog

What Every Coach Should Know About Speed and Conditioning

You can make athletes optimally faster, better conditioned, and even tougher in the same program if you understand a few simple principles.

A new school year is just around the corner. Everywhere there will be coaches during the season trying to prepare their athletes for game time and off-season coaches trying to make their athletes faster, stronger and tougher before the season starts.

Continue reading

26 Jul
Blog

What Every Coach Should Know About Speed and Conditioning

You can make athletes optimally faster, better conditioned, and even tougher in the same program if you understand a few simple principles.

A new school year is just around the corner. Everywhere there will be coaches during the season trying to prepare their athletes for game time and off-season coaches trying to make their athletes faster, stronger and tougher before the season starts.

Continue reading

11 May
Blog

How to Speed Up Your Graphics Card

When gaming, the graphics processing unit (GPU) is your best friend. It renders everything you see on the screen, from the user interface to the mountains in the distance. It works in tandem with the CPU, but it really does make up most of the heavy lifting, so we need to treat it properly to keep it happy and running at its best.

Unfortunately, there are many factors in your PC that create a virtual rain cloud that hovers over the performance of your GPU. But don't worry: this is how you speed up your graphics card for the best possible gaming experience.

Note: This guide applies to Windows 10 PCs. However, some suggestions also apply to macOS. In this guide, we will also focus solely on the GPU. It's the main component of in-game performance, but not the only component. For more general tips, check out our guide on how to increase your fps on PC.

Update or update your drivers

This should be your first step in accelerating GPU performance whether your PC has built-in graphics or a discrete GPU. Since this chip handles most of the visual burden, installing the latest drivers must be a priority.

If you're not sure what is installed on your PC, follow these steps in Windows 10:

Step 1: Right click the Start button and choose Device Manager from the pop-up menu.

Step 2: With Device Manager open, click Display Adapters to expand and view your GPUs.

You should see at least one GPU in the expanded list. If your PC has an Intel CPU or AMD GPU, you will see a list for Intel or AMD Radeon. If you also have a standalone GPU, you'll see an additional list for an Nvidia GeForce or AMD Radeon chip.

In this example, our Alienware laptop lists Intel HD Graphics 530 (integrated) and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 (discrete). Because of this setup, games use the more powerful GeForce chip by default. This is the driver we want to update.

Follow these links to get new drivers:

When installing the driver, use the AMD Custom Install option, which will uninstall the current software suite and install the current version, or the Nvidia Clean Install option. You may also want to consider uninstalling the display driver first, as this is a great way to delete old drivers, but it is not strictly necessary.

If you've installed Nvidia's GeForce Experience desktop client, a notification will usually be sent when a new driver is available. If it isn't installed, click the link above to download and update it manually.

Update Windows 10 and DirectX

DirectX diagnostic tool

You probably already have the latest version of DirectX, but you should check it out just in case. DirectX is a graphics API, and while there are others – OpenGL and Vulkan in particular – DirectX is the most common version for games on Windows. If you have the latest version of DirectX, you must have the latest platform that your GPU can use to communicate with the games you are running. Older versions will work, but you can improve your in-game performance almost immediately by simply upgrading to the latest version.

Step 1: Type dxdiag in the search box on the taskbar and press Enter.

Step 2: The DirectX Diagnostic Tool will appear on your screen with the System tab loaded by default. Find the version number listed under System Information as shown above.

Microsoft updates DirectX using the Windows Update function. If you're not currently running DirectX 12, you'll need to manually update your PC.

Step 1: Click the "Start" button, then click the gear icon on the left edge of the Start menu.

Step 2: In the Settings app, select Update & Security.

Step 3: Click the Check for Updates button.

Note: Older graphics cards may not support DirectX12. If this update doesn't change your DX version, it may be the cause.

Overclocking

Nvidia

One way to improve GPU performance is to overclock it. It does this by adjusting the frequency and voltage of the GPU core and its memory for extra speed. If you are not used to overclocking components, then proceed carefully and read them carefully and thoroughly before you begin. The wrong settings can possibly damage the chip. An inadequate cooler also causes the overclocked GPU to overheat and crash.

As with CPUs, you can overclock a GPU using desktop software. One solution is MSI's Afterburner, which will scan your GPU and find the highest and most stable overclock settings. Another example is EVGA's Precision X1, which supports GeForce RTX graphics cards. GTX support will be available soon.

For more help on overclocking your graphics card, see our dedicated guide.

It's worth noting that there is little overclocking headroom built into almost all modern GPUs. You don't have to do anything to get your GPU to peak out-of-the-box performance as long as you give the GPU the proper power and cooling.

Increase your performance limit

As mentioned earlier, MSI Afterburner can automatically determine the highest stable overclocking your GPU has. This includes power and voltage limits. You can get more performance out of your GPU by simply increasing the performance limit of your GPU. Nvidia and AMD cards have a base and increase the clock speed. When all conditions are met – power consumption, temperature, etc. – your GPU automatically increases its clock speed up to the boost limit. So increasing the performance limit does one thing: enables your GPU to hit the boost clock speed more frequently and consistently.

Note: As with overclocking, make sure your GPU is highly cooled before proceeding. This will raise the temperature of your GPUs, and possibly louder too.

Step 1: Open the MSI Afterburner.

Step 2: Drag the power limit slider from 100 to 110.

Step 3: Click the check mark under the sliders.

Step 4: Play a game that is straining your GPU.

Step 5: Check your clock speed with MSI Afterburner.

Step 6: Keep an eye on your GPU temperatures and make sure they aren't out of range. Repeat this process until you have reached the performance limit or the GPU becomes unstable.

Afterburner takes the upper performance limit from your GPU's BIOS. As long as you simply increase the power limit and do not make any other settings, everything is fine. This is not overclocking per se as you are not increasing the clock speed of your GPU. Instead, you simply give your GPU more room to automatically hit its boost clock speeds.

Set a custom fan curve

If you increase the power limit in MSI Afterburner, the temperature limit is increased next to it. Temperature is a limiting factor in getting your GPU to perform at its best. So it's okay to raise the limit a bit. However, you should check the operating limits of your GPU. The current RTX 3080, for example, has a maximum operating temperature of 93 degrees Celsius. You don't want to hit this limit often as it will not only shorten the life of your GPU, but also result in automatic downclocking that can degrade performance.

To keep temperatures down, you can use a custom fan curve.

There are many fan curve tools online, but you can set the curve of your GPU right in Afterburner:

Step 1: Open MSI Afterburner and click the Settings icon (a cog).

Step 2: Select the Fan tab.

Step 3: Enable the Enable custom automatic fan control option.

Step 4: Adjust the curve to increase the fan speed as the GPU gets hotter. We recommend reaching 100% fan speed well before the temperature limit of your GPU. For the RTX 3080, for example, we set the curve so that it is between 70 and 75 degrees Celsius. From there, it's all about checking the temperature of your GPU in-game and balancing that against fan noise. The picture above is the fan curve we set for an RTX 2080.

Clean your PC

If your graphics card gets too hot, it will be throttled or slowed down to avoid damaging sensitive components. If the intake fans and filters are covered in dust, adequate airflow will not carry heat away from components, including the GPU, which can lead to excessive heat build-up.

Your first line of defense is to clean all of the intake fans with a can of compressed air. Then turn off your PC, unplug the power cord, ground yourself and remove the side panel of your PC. Use compressed air to blow dust off the components.

Note: Resist the urge to use a vacuum cleaner. The static structure can damage the components of your PC.

With laptops, your only option is to blow dust out of the intake fans. If you are lucky, there is a vent cover that covers these fans. You can easily remove dust and blow it off the fans directly.

Keeping your PC clean is vital to overall health and performance, whether you are gaming or just browsing the internet.

Improve airflow

Bill Roberson / Digital Trends

While cleaning your desktop or laptop will help improve airflow, you may simply need more. For desktops, the case may have room for additional fans at the front, top, and bottom. Additional fans increase the noise level of your PC. However, they keep the overall heat low.

You cannot install fans on laptops. However, you can purchase a cooling pad that will be located under your laptop. It usually contains two huge 140mm fans that blow cool air against the bottom of the laptop. The downside is the dust collection, which means you still have one more device to keep clean.

Update the cooling (desktop only)

A great way to boost GPU performance is to install an aftermarket cooler. This could be a beefier air cooler or a more advanced liquid cooling solution, but it will depend a lot on your graphics card as some are compatible with aftermarket coolers and some are not. This is especially true for liquid cooling, where custom grinding requires bespoke water blocks, which can be costly. Alternatively, you can attach an all-in-one cooler for a CPU with a Kraken G12 from NZXT. However, this is a fairly advanced process that shouldn't be taken lightly.

Do your research again before you begin and be aware that if you remove the standard cooler, you will likely void your GPU's warranty.

Note: Some GPUs can greatly improve cooling by tightening the screws, adding washers, or replacing the standard thermal paste. This depends a lot on your GPU, right down to the specific version. So be very careful when making changes that you are not sure are safe and justified.

Adjust the power settings

Windows 10 power settings

If you're playing on a laptop, plug it into an electrical outlet. The GPU (and CPU) usually throttle when the laptop is unplugged because lithium-ion batteries cannot deliver enough power for maximum performance without affecting battery life. There may be a setting in the BIOS to disable CPU throttling, but GPUs have hard-coded instructions for throttling battery power that you cannot change.

However, adjusting the power settings on desktops and laptops that are plugged into an electrical outlet can improve GPU performance.

Step 1: Click the "Start" button, then click the gear icon on the left edge of the Start menu.

Step 2: In the Settings app, select the System option.

Step 3: The display field is displayed by default. Select Power & Sleep on the left.

Step 4: Scroll down and select the Additional Power Settings link.

On laptops, you can reach the same control panel by right-clicking the battery icon next to the system clock. Select Power Options from the pop-up menu.

Step 5: Select the High Performance option.

When you click the Change plan settings link, you will see the Change advanced power settings link in Windows 10. Click on it and a popup will appear with all the settings that fall under High Performance. Only adjust these settings if you are very familiar with Windows 10.

Update other PC components

AMD Rizen CPU 7 in hand pensBill Roberson / Digital Trends

You may have a fantastic GPU installed in your system, but it's just one of many components that make up a single PC. Your CPU, memory, and storage all contribute to how fast and fast your PC feels, and a good processor can help increase frame rates noticeably, especially at lower resolutions.

Keep in mind that while the GPU does most of the extensive visual enumeration, the CPU does the math, physics, artificial intelligence (A.I.), input processing, code execution, and more. In addition, it has to handle everything else that is running outside of your game, like all Windows 10 services. You still need a decent CPU for your awesome GPU to really shine.

You also need to consider system memory – the current market standard is 16GB, which means 8GB is the bare minimum. Trying to save money is admirable, but buying cheap could mean sacrificing speed and performance. If you are experiencing lags while gaming, it may be time to consider upgrading. Remember, this doesn't mean you have to get the most expensive option.

However, make sure that there is indeed a bottleneck before upgrading. Your CPU and GPU have a delicate relationship when it comes to gaming, and different games emphasize the two components differently (for example, many A.I.-controlled characters put more stress on the CPU than the GPU). The best way to make sure that bottlenecks are a problem is to use Task Manager to check system usage. The Performance tab shows your GPU, memory, disk, network, and CPU usage. If your CPU usage is often higher than your GPU usage while gaming, it is likely that you have a CPU bottleneck.

Identifying and removing bottlenecks is more of an art than a science. However, if your CPU regularly freezes in games while your GPU is fine, you may need to update your processor. These lists of the best AMD processors and the best Intel processors can be helpful if you are unfamiliar with processor specifications.

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21 Feb
Blog

Roborock S7 Review: Finishing Up the Cleaning at Sonic Speed

Roborock S7 Review side view

Roborock S7 robot vacuum test: wipe up at the speed of sound

"The ability to vibrate at up to 3,000 times per minute means superficial stains disappear faster."

  • Smart navigation makes it efficient

  • Quiet operation

  • Sonic mopping requires fewer passes to mop

  • Goes over partitions / humps with ease

  • On the expensive side

  • The rubber brush can still get tangled

Roborock has had an incredible ride over the past few years. The company, which was once an unknown player in the field of robot vacuum, competes against some of the heavyweights like iRobot, Shark and Ecovacs, thanks in part to its diverse and powerful models.

The latest model, the Roborock S7, has the same basic ingredients that made its previous bots such a success, such as a combination of vacuum and mop, but its differentiator over the competition is its sonic vibration technology with wiping. Bad spots could soon be a thing of the past if this new implementation actually works.

A well-known bot that cleans efficiently

The Roborock S7 is not that different from its siblings. There are a few subtle changes such as: B. fading in and out "breathing" LED lights, a more compact water container and above all a new solid rubber brush. Aesthetically, it doesn't differ from previous designs we've seen from Roborocks Bots. The same characteristic features are present here, such as the protruding lidar sensor array, the rubberized side sweeping brush and the all-plastic construction.

Roborock S7 Review top viewJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

In terms of cleaning, the Roborock S7 cleans efficiently thanks to its lidar-based navigation. It accurately maps rooms and does a good job of avoiding most obstacles. The occasional cord on the floor can trip it, but it can navigate challenging spaces by trying to clean in straight lines. The sweeping brush on the side guides dirt well to the solid rubber brush on the underside. However, after a few cleaning sessions, I found that the hair was curled up and tangled in the center of the brush.

Still, he manages to vacuum up some of the annoying pieces of trash in my apartment. Carpets are treated decently as with their 2500 Pa suction they pick up most of the superficial things but not nearly pick up the hard, embedded parts my cordless vacuum cleaner can collect.

Is Sonic Mopping Technology Legitimate?

The marquee of the Roborock S7 is its new sonic mopping technology. All of Roborock's previous vacuum cleaners use the pulling method. Honestly, I'm happy with it, but it doesn't necessarily disinfect surfaces – something very few bots can do.

Fewer passes are required to remove stains from solid surfaces.

The S7's sonic mopping technology has a new brush attachment and microfiber mopping pad with a better feel. What happens here is that the mopping pad vibrates at a speed of up to 3,000 times per minute. It's different, yet effective, in that it requires fewer passes to remove stains from solid surfaces – like tiny drops of dried coffee on tiles. Now the hard, deep stains aren't removed, like the streaks that sneakers can leave on tile and that a good old mop with enough pressure and scrubbing can achieve. But hey, at least it wipes floors as efficiently as vacuum cleaners. Time is money so I'm impressed with how quickly the job gets done, although I would still love to find a way to sanitize surfaces.

Roborock S7 Review bottom view

Even better, the S7 pulls back the mopping pad as it passes over bumps, partitions, and carpet, and then brings it back down to apply the pressure it needs to sonic wipe. Other 2-in-1 combinations require you to remove the mopping pad so that they can vacuum carpets.

You can hardly hear it being cleaned

With two people working from home and having conference calls all day long, I'm very impressed with how quietly the Roborock S7 cleans. It's loudest when it comes to carpets, but it's almost unnoticeable as it cleans wood floors and tiles. There is a slight hum when it is swept, but it's quiet enough to be drowned out with some background music.

Roborock S7 Review LidarJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

In addition, the Roborock S7 is a competent robotic vacuum cleaner as it is equipped with all the modern conveniences that I long for. This includes the support of voice assistants such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, the ability to set up virtual boundaries / restricted areas and to clean certain rooms. All of this makes the Roborock S7 a well-rounded bot that can clean quietly and effectively while you are at home.

Our opinion

There is nothing that the Roborock S7 cannot handle. It cleans well, doesn't waste time, and its new wiping system is a small but effective step forward. It's not a game changer in the world of wiping, but changing it just makes it more efficient.

The only disadvantage of this otherwise pinpoint robot vacuum is its price. At $ 649, it is almost at the top of the Roborock product range – only surpassed by the camera-dead Roborock S6 MaxV. It's a tough sale as I prefer the added functionality of the S6 MaxV's built-in camera for intelligent obstacle avoidance and live streaming.

How long it will take?

Even with the all-plastic construction, the S7 has some serious problems. The only problem I have is the plastic part on the mop pad attachment that allows it to vibrate back and forth. It seems to be on the fragile side, especially when the pad is removed from the Velcro straps. However, there is a 1 year limited warranty.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes, the Roborock S6 MaxV mentioned above isn't too far off in terms of price – a compelling option due to the advantages of its integrated camera. It cleans just as effectively whether vacuuming or mopping.

Should you buy it?

Yes, just because some people are not yet familiar with the idea of ​​a vacuum with a camera. The Roborock S7 is essentially the S6 MaxV without a camera, but with an improved wiping system.

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