Best products from r/pcmasterrace

We found 2,296 comments on r/pcmasterrace discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 13,905 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

18. TP-Link AV600 Powerline Ethernet Adapter - Plug&Play, Power Saving, Nano Powerline Adapter, Expand Home Network with Stable Connections (TL-PA4010 KIT)

    Features:
  • Fast speed: Wired connection with high speed data transfer rate, ideal for HD video or 3D video streaming and online gaming, up to 100Mbps
  • Plug and Play: No new wires and no configuration required; Step 1: connect 1 adapter to your router. Step 2: plug in another Powerline adapter wherever you need wired internet service.
  • Network expansion: The TL-PA4010 KIT transforms your home's existing electrical circuit into a high-speed network with no need for new wires or drilling and brings wired network to anywhere there is a power outlet(Up to 300 meters)
  • Miniature design: Smaller than most Powerline adapters in the market, blends discreetly in front of any power outlet
  • Power Saving Mode: TL-PA4010 KIT automatically switches from its "Working" mode to efficient "Power-Saving" mode when not in use, reducing energy consumption by up to 85%.
  • Please note that powerline adapters must be deployed in sets of two or more
  • Kindly Reminder: Powerline Adapters must be on the same electrical circuit for connectivity. Appliances and devices running on the same circuit may affect powerline performance.
  • Compatible with all TP-Link Powerline Ethernet Adapters AV2000, AV1300, AV1200, AV1000, AV600, AV500, AV200. Please purchase TL-WPA4220 or TL-WPA4220KIT if you need Wi-Fi
TP-Link AV600 Powerline Ethernet Adapter - Plug&Play, Power Saving, Nano Powerline Adapter, Expand Home Network with Stable Connections (TL-PA4010 KIT)
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Top comments mentioning products on r/pcmasterrace:

u/Markyy88 · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

So I woke up and these are the links to the videos and some pointers and what not.

ALL LINKS IN THE BOTTOM

Here is the first video for 150 dollars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dj5G0isn9Y

These are the 50 dollar headphones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fD-M1F6L4g

These are the really high end for 200-1000 dollar sets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgTnJ3JQQ0E

Open vs Closed

Closed

Closed which is what I use right now but am looking to get an open pair for 150 bucks. Now closed is where the sound outside your headphones do not come in, as much. Now some are completely noise cancelling then others and some you can still hear but not too well. It has a less of a sound stage so it is harder to know where somethings is by hearing it.

Open

Open is where the vibrator (forgot the name) is directly exposed with little noise cancelling materiel and sometimes none. The offer a much larger sound stage where you can tell where hostiles are, where the birds are, tanks, etc. They also are much better sounding. However, if you live in a loud place with a lot of things going on, get closed. Open also allows for people to hear what you listen to, from 2 or 3 feet away but not behind a closed door.

Microphones

One of the things that you need to be weary about is desktop mics. They are good sounding, great everything. However if you have a small desk get an attachable arm. If you have a mechanical keyboard or hit your table a lot get an arm. But arms can be expensive 20-40 dollars or even more. The solution is getting a Antlion Modmic 4.0 for 40 bucks, great sound, nice and clear and noise cancelling so it won't pickup outside noise. Desktop mics I'd get is a Blue Yeti, Snowball, Audio Technica 2020 is also great, Snowflake microphone, etc.

Ad-dons for audio

So if you want to get better audio, louder, etc. Get an AMP/DAC mix. They are a DAC/AMP connecting VIA USB plug to the PC and then the headphones connect to the DAC with a quarter inch with some 3.5mm connectors but not recommended. These offer a much better experience but at a cost for 80-200 dollars for good ones. Some pads too add bass or take away from treble, mids or bass or add to. But not that much but it is always great to get better pads then stock ones on some stuff for more comfortable wearing.

Headphones

Probably why you are here reading this. Now if you have 80-100 dollars here are my recommendations

Takstar HI 2050 open back headphones and a modmic 4.0 come in at just 100 dollars, they are great headphones. VERY comfy pads from Bererdynamic, honestly I don't know how they aren't losing money they sound like 200 dollar headphones.

Superlux 668B's they are good headphones, they sound high end, are very tough, etc. However they are semi-open and have a fairly large sound stage. My biggest 2 problems are, they are very treble heavy and uncomfortable for larger heads and ears. If I got these I'd need the velour ear pads Amazons sells for them because the stock are hard plastic. The other problem is they aren't very big either and I have a very large ear and head so they is a minus for me. Which is why I love the Takstar HI2050's.

Now if you want to drop more money then get these AKG Q701's which are VERY open. They offer the largest sound stage in the price bracket and more then almost all 500+ headphones. They are very comfy and big for big ears. Very good sound.

For some alternatives in that price bracket for open are DT 990's pros for 150 dollars, they are a bit treble heavy but still are very great. They are 150 on Amazon for the 250 OHM one which can be used in quarter inch and 3.5mm plugs by unscrewing the quarter inch adapter. They have very deep ear pads and very comfy ones too.

Now if you want closed for 30 bucks and still good audio get these Monoprice 108323. Now these earpads aren't very good IMO so I'd get Brainwavz replacement pads for 20 dollars. They are deep, comfy and overall nice. Sound I don't know too much about but they still beat gaming headsets.

For the last pair of closed backs I can think of are DT 770s, bass heavy, VERY big headphones from Beyerdynamic and overall good but not a good sound stage get these for 170 on Amazon.

Another honourable mention is Audio Technica M50x's, they are ok. Better then gaming headsets but don't offer much compared to 990's or 701's but still good. They are 160 I believe.

Now get a modmic or whatever mic you want with these, I'd get a desktop mic w/ arm personally but modmic is nice.

Links

u/Vortax_Wyvern · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I came from /r/headphones. I did respond a similar question the other day, so, trying to help, I'll paste my previous answer, if you don't mind.

Wall of text ahead. Please, read only if you are really interested...


What I usually recommend when someone ask for advice about gaming headsets is: Gaming headset are crap 99% of the time. They provide very poor sound quality, and any good headphone (literally, even 40$ ones) will sound far better than expensive 300$ headsets. The question is not if headphones are better than headset (the answer is “Hell, YEAH”). The question is, are they better for you?


What are you planning to use your headphones for? Just for gaming, or for gaming and music listening?


If the answer is “just for gaming”, then ask yourself if a Hifi headphone is what you need. Usually games don’t really need high quality headphones, since they provide low quality sound, and you will be more concentrated gaming than listening. In that scenario, everything will serve you, and gaming headsets have the advantage of the integrated microphone.


So, if you want something good for gaming, and just for gaming, with integrated microphone, then the only two headsets with good enough quality sound (aka don’t suck) are:


HyperX Cloud (70$)


Sennheiser G4me One (170$)


Both are good choices. Or go with any fancy RGB headset you find (Logitech, Razer, Corsair, Steelseries, etc), you will most probably don’t notice the difference while gaming.


BUT, if you plan to use them for music listening besides gaming, then keep reading.


Hifi headphones for gaming have the disadvantage of having to deal with the micro thing. None of them have microphone incorporated, and you must either use a desk microphone like this, use a modmic like this one. or if your budget is tight, something like this. The first one requires desk space. The second and third one are detachable micro, with an extra cable you’ll have to deal with. Any of them are a nuisance. Any solution is annoying. All of them are an extra expense that must be accounted. If micro is a must and you are not willing to bother with this solutions, please, go back to HyperX Cloud or G4me One.


Ok, so, you really want some damn good headphones, that also can be used for gaming! Keep reading, please (are you bored yet?).


You can choose Closed back headphones (the classic ones you have already used. Closed back models offer good isolation and do not leak sound. This is your choice when there are people around you, or you want isolation from noisy a environment.) or Open Back headphones (Open back models offer next to no isolation and will leak sound -and allow you to hear what happens around you-, but they are the best sounding models). Open headphones achieve the best sound, soundstage (feeling that sound is coming from around you) and imaging (ability to locate the origin of one sound).


If you are here because you want to get a replacement for a gaming headset, I would recommend you Open back, but since they don’t isolate, you must choose. If isolation is required, get closed back, if that’s not a concern, go open.


Some closed back cans:


Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. 100$. Balanced headphones, very good feedback from lots of people. Typical entry level headphones to the rabbit hole.


Sennheiser HD 598Cs. 125$. Balanced, very very detailed, great instrumental separation. Comfortable as hell, very recommended.


Beyerdynamic DT770. 160$. V-shaped signature (lots of bass and lots of treble). Amazing soundstage (for a closed headphone). Great for explosions, movies, and rock. Treble can be harsh if you are sensible. Get the 32 ohm version, as the 80 (may) and 250 (do) need an amplifier to work properly.


Those are some examples of entry-mid level of closed cans. There are lots more, depending of your budget!


As for open cans:


Superlux HD668b. 40$. Those are THE CANS. The best quality for low budget you can get. Hands down. Great soundstage, Bass light. They are not too comfortable, but pads can be changed for a deluxe comfort (extra expense). You are not getting anything better at this price. For gaming in a budget, this are the headphones you were looking for,


Philips SHP9500. 80$. Mid-forward signature. Good soundstage, great comfort. Very detailed. Another amazing quality for the budget headphone.


Sennheiser HD 598 SR. 170$. Very similar to the HD 598Cs, but with open back. Wider soundstage, a little less bass. Very balanced headphones. Super-duper comfortable. Great for long gaming sessions.


Philips Fidelio X2. 250$. V-shaped signature. Those are in another league. Build quality is just.. OMG. Extreme soundstage and imaging. More comfortable than the HD 598. Bass is BOOOOOM!!!. A little pricey, and can be somewhat fatiguing to listen if you are treble sensible, due to high treble.


Well, that’s all. I have selected only headphones that don’t need an amplifier. Now is your turn to research, watch some Youtube videos, read some reviews, and give them a try.


All this headphones are GOOD. No trash here, and all them will make you open your eyes when listening your music if you are coming from standard headsets. You will notice sounds, instruments, that you never realized they were there, even if you had listened this song a thousand times before. Try them, and be amazed.


Welcome to the rabbit hole.


u/polopollo85 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I used to play WoW on a 2013 15 macbook pro till 2 weeks ago.

I bought a new desktop from a friend. Really powerful to me.

  • Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5/3.9Ghz
  • 16GB RAM DDR4 3000Mhz Vengeance
  • EVGA GTX 1070 8GB
  • SSD 480GB Corsair Force LE
  • And Watercooling (even if not overclocked, as I don't know yet how it works)

    Now that is amazing, it is like I play a new game. (Going from 12-25fps to 90+, and I think WoW is limiting to 100 by default. Anyway).

    ------------------------------------

    My problem is I borrowed his monitor. From what I see, it is a ASUS VS228H-P 21.5" Full HD 1920x1080

    And for those who played WoW, it feels "smaller". My knowledge of screens is limited, but I think when I run WoW on the macbook, the resolution is 2880x1800. I feel I can't go to a smaller resolution.

    Another friend told me "if you are gonna do gaming, you need this monitor". But all I can see is the same "1920x1080" resolution.

    -------------------------------

    What is the advice from this community for a good compromise?

  • I am looking for a 27'' screen.
  • I've heard of 4k. By browsing here and there I found this one which is definitely high end budget to me. People said that under 32'', everything feels "tiny".
  • In a 1st time I'm gonna play WoW on it, then I'll do more adventure games like the Witcher, Tomb Raider, Skyrim, etc. Anything that will be release and be awesome on the "adventure" side. I do not plan to do any MOBA or FPS, I'm too old for this :) My aim is just to play and have fun, not going to the competitive side of games, just enjoying chilling adventure games that I missed by having a mac.

    ---------------------------------

    I start to feel overwhelm by browsing topics I am not familiar with yet (remember, I come from a all-in-one macbook). I need enlightenment, I plan to buy a new monitor around black Friday (in sale or not, $200 would be preferable, definitely under $400). If you guys have heard of a similar situation, and could tell me something like "Yeah I have a similar story and went with this monitor XXX, I highly recommend this to you, {you don't need 4k, you need 4k}, the fps above 60 {matters, not matters} for what you seek for, the price is just {$250, $450 but really really worth it, $350 right in your range!}"
u/Gravityblasts · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I have a few, but it depends on your budget. If you are looking for all in one DAC and Amp combos, the two I would suggest are:

BUDGET

FiiO E10K and the NuForce uDAC3

Both of those would be great options for a budget solution, and they are tiny so they double as a portable or mobile Dac/Amp. They get power from USB, but it should be enough to drive 50ohm headphones. The Fiio is going to be the cheaper of the two, around $75, and the Nuforce will be around $100. Sometimes the Nuforce uDac3 will be around $70-$80 on amazon, but it's usually around $100.

MORE EXPENSIVE

If you have between $200-$300 budget, then I would recommend the Modi 2 and Magni 2 by Schiit Audio. It is usually referred to as the 'Schiit Stack" (because you literally stack them on top of each other lol), but you don't have to stack them.

If you go to their site, it will lists all of their amps, and all of their Dacs. The Magni 2 is the Amp, and the Modi 2 is the Dac. There are the basic versions (which is what I have), and they run $99 each if you order directly through Schiit, which comes out to $200 for the set. They also make an "Uber" version of each, which runs about $150 bucks per unit, which is $300 total. The differences between the standard and Uber version or sort of minimal, but the Uber version of the Schiit stack is regarded by many audiophiles as the best "budget" audiophile Dac/Amp setup. For the price, it rivals many solid state and tube amp and dacs that cost $500+ dollars.



I have the Standard version, and it sounds great with my AKG K612's. There is a list somewhere of all of the headsets that sound great with the Schiit stack, and what kind of sound signature you get out of each. The best thing to do if you already know what kind of sound signature you like out of your headphones, is to find the Headphone + Dac/Amp combo that produces that type of sound, and pic that. But I would say that the HD598's + the Schiit stack will be perfectly fine for you, but of course that will be up for you to decide if you were to go this route.

MY SUGGESTION

I would recommend the budget route, at least until you know what kind of sound signature you like. Some people want flat sounding cans, others want bright highs (probably really good for hearing gunshots and footsteps), others want a more warm sound, where the mids really break through the track and the bass really kicks.

The budget option will be a cheap way for you to determine if the HD598's produce the type of sound you like. If they do, then you can upgrade your Dac and Amp in the future, OR just change to a different headset if you decide that you want more highs, or more low end.

u/Idkidks · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace
There's a lot of different builds you could look at.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $229.99 @ B&H
CPU Cooler | CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler | $34.88 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | MSI Z170A KRAIT GAMING 3X ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $114.89 @ B&H
Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $61.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $49.78 @ OutletPC
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING Video Card | $399.99 @ B&H
Case | NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case | $66.99 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $74.99 @ NCIX US
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $1033.50
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-24 03:27 EST-0500 |

The above is just /u/motionglitch's build put into reddit markup.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $189.99 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard | MSI Z170A KRAIT GAMING 3X ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $114.89 @ B&H
Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory | $43.99 @ Newegg
Storage | PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $64.99 @ Jet
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $49.78 @ OutletPC
Video Card | *MSI Radeon RX 470 8GB Gaming X Video Card | $209.99 @ B&H
Case | Phanteks ECLIPSE P400 ATX Mid Tower Case | $60.99 @ NCIX US
Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $84.99 @ NCIX US
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | $90.72 @ B&H
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $910.33
| *Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria |
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-24 03:26 EST-0500 |

I slightly altered his build, I felt I made it slightly more entry-friendly. I'll go through it one by one.



CPU - 6600k vs 6500. The main difference is the clocks. The 6500 is 300mhz slower than the 6600k. The other difference is that the 6600k is overclockable unlike the 6500. Overclocking is reasonably simple, but it's not for everybody. There is a risk (not very high, but it's there) to damage your CPU. I set you with a non-overclockable CPU first so that you can get the hang of building a computer first.

CPU Cooler - The overclockable CPUs from Intel don't come with a cooler, so for his build he needed to get a cooler. The non-OCable come with the regular stock cooler, which is (arguably) easier to install.

Motherboard (MOBO) - I kept the same motherboard, so that if you feel the need to upgrade your CPU to an overclockable model, you can just sell the 6500 and buy the 6600k/6700k + cooler.

RAM - I just got cheaper RAM, there's not going to be a huge impact on performance.

Storage - Our builds both have a 1TB hard drive, but I added in an SSD (solid state drive) to put your operating system and programs on. The main advantage of SSDs are speed, when used as the main system drive, it makes the system much more responsive. The main disadvantage of SSDs (as a rule of thumb) is that they do not handle writes very well. This means you'll mostly want to refrain from moving files back and forth. They aren't super fragile, but always exercise the "better-safe-than-sorry" principle (it'll save your ass more than a few times).

Video Card/GPU - I added a filter (I'm not very good at them :P) on this one. My main goal was to let you pick the performance that you'd want/need. The sweet spot for GPUs is the $150-$300 usually, but since AMD doesn't have a performance competitor for NV (Nvidia) past the 1060/$250, the 1070 is the next step up at about ~$400 (just over budget, but if you get some of these parts during sales you'll be able to fit it in your ~$1000 budget) I kept the VRAM (Video-RAM) capacity locked at 6GB/8GB, as I think Star Citizen would like to use all it can get :) Plus it'll increase the longevity of your card if you decide to keep it for a while.

* Add-On Here's some game benchmarks for the 480 4GB/8GB vs 1060 3GB/6GB. The 3gb 1060 is close enough to the 470 that you can consider them equal. Unlike the 480, the lower VRAM or capacity 1060 actually has a lower amount of cores, resulting in lower performance. There also is a factor I find a lot of people forget in the AMD vs NV debate; if you're planning on buying or upgrading to an adaptive-sync monitor, those that support AMD's version (Freesync) are on average, cheaper than their same specced NV (G-Sync) counterparts. See MG278Q@ $485 vs PG278Q@ $715 or the G2460PF @ (what should be) $200 G2460PG @ (what should be) $379

Case - I personally prefer the P400 over the S340 as it's the case I'm using at the moment, but both are wonderful cases and I'd suggest you look around to find the right case for you, they're highly subjective :)

* Add-On A great place to go looking at these cases would be the Hardware Canucks channel, they even just released a "Top Cases of 2016" video.

Power Supply (PSU) I just got a higher wattage PSU from the same line, they're good power supplies and should last you for a good few builds. More wattage was mainly for the "better-safe-than-sorry" principle.

Operating System (OS) Just added Win10 into the cost. If you're a dual-credit/college student, you're probably able to sign up for Microsoft Imagine/Dreamspark which gives you a few free Windows products, including Win10.



There are some really great channels out there that put out wonderful content, I'll list a few of my favorites here.

LinusTechTips.

Paul's Hardware.

Techquickie.

Hardware Unboxed .

He's a smaller channel, but I like MindBlank Tech.

Digital Foundry

I hope this helped :D
u/rootbeerfetish · 3 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Hi! I'm by no means an expert on the subject but I did learn a few things while pursuing a quality audio experience and its kind of turned into a new hobby.

Simulating surround sound was something I wanted to achieve as well when shopping for headphones a while back. Something I learned is that the headphones themselves can't really do this. The right kind of headphones (and sometimes software) can help this effect but you can't magically turn 2 channels (I.E. right and left) into 4 or more to get multi-directional sound. In gamery types of headphones, the marketing makes all kinds of claims that its the total fault of the headphones but it's simply not true.

The only real way to get a simulated surround effect in your headphones is if the source had this in mind from the get go. And after that good quality headphones can help a bit further. This can be easily demonstrated with this video. Plug in ANY pair of headphones in your house and for added effect? Close your eyes. Seriously even 3 dollar earbuds from the dollar store will work. And what you'll notice is a full high-quality multi-directional, surround sound experience from just youtube and whatever headphones you happened to try. Neat! But how?

Games and movies ect need to have an audio engineer design the sound with this concept in mind known as binaural. In games, this is usually the "headphone" mode in options settings. Or it'll just be on by default. There are times where a game simply won't have it and no amount of software can change that going into your headphones. Software can't magically know that the bullet was supposed to be behind you instead of in front of you.

What does this mean? That you can get virtual/simulated surround sound from pretty much any pair of headphones? Yes! Learning this concept to me was the beginning of something new. I started looking at simple high-quality headphones that could help make the effect even more dramatic.

I learned about open vs closed back headphones. Closed back headphones make you feel like the sound is sort of coming from inside your own head. This is fine especially if you want to block out other sounds from your room or house ect. Open back headphones let sound in your headphones from the outside, allowing for a more natural 3D effect in most cases. I did a lot of research on open back headphones. I ended up getting the AD900x's. I know this might be expensive-ish but there's a good option for optimal sound on a budget.

I got this combo deal for my fiance. You'll get an open back experience to help further the 3d effect you're after and ontop of that these headphones sound fucking GREAT for the money. Seriously makes me mad that I was buying gaming headphones for all these years leading up to what I learned. Check it out.

  • Headphones
  • Replacement earpads. (optional) The stock ones made me and my fiance's ear sweat like crazy. Not comfortable.
  • Microphone.

    Now, this is just a suggestion. Just use whatever you thought sounded better when it came to your logitech's or Beats after making sure headphone mode was on in the game you're playing. Hopefully, I've given you enough to do your own research on the subject. But. For the money? I found this combo to be amazing for gaming and surround sound. Just make sure you always turn on "headphone mode" in games and you'll get the 3D experience you're after. Learn more at https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/

    ----------------------

    TLDR; Some audio nerd info. I'd personally just use whatever you thought sounded better when it came to your logitech's or Beats after making sure headphone mode was on in the game you're playing. Seeing as the surround sound effect is mostly due to the source. If you ever want to try and make the 3D effect more dramatic I linked a suggestion on a budget.

u/BigisDickus · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Yeah, I tend to agree. But you can find gamer stuff that's not too bad. Laptops are big offenders like some of Asus' ROG but some is better than others. Something like the HP Omen isn't too bad (it would be better if you could make the back-light white). Some of Dell's stuff looks pretty professional, they just don't tend to reach the same high-end specs unless you get into Alienware or something. Lenovo makes some laptops with good gaming specs that aren't too bad. They do make a more stereotypical 'gaming' line as well though.

A big negative for most stuff is the garish red LEDs. Make it white or RGB so you can change it. IDK why red is the default color and not just a black/white (and thus grey and even aluminum) color scheme isn't the standard. I don't want my laptop to look like it goes in a rice burner from The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Now, I have a Sager laptop that's pretty clean looking and I use some Corsair stuff and they tend to keep it pretty clean looking as well. Say what you want about the RGB-fever, they have designs that aren't garish with crazy lines. Their more basic keyboards look pretty clean as well (Ducky and DasKeyboard are really good mechanical keyboard choices though), their mice aren't too bad either. Just set the RGBs to one color like white and not a strobing rainbow and you can keep a clean aesthetic

Not all "gaming" stuff is made equal though, that's for sure. Sometimes it is a chore and a little compromise to get good gaming hardware that doesn't look awful.

u/Xenon-133 · 5 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Here's a few options. Depending on where you are in the world some might be more feasible than others. I'm talking from a UK perspective, YMMV.

u/badillin · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Well, thats a beast of a rig!

With this you could cut a few corners... for example, are you planning on overclocking? if not, there is no need for a K processor, so you could get the 7600 (no k) and with no overclockeable cpu there is no need for a z170 motherboard... but the price difference may not be all that big.

You could get a cheaper PSU, but again, thats a really good and reliable one, the price difference might not be worth it if you are not on a very tight budget.

Essentially i think you have an excellent rig and the things you could "cheap out" on, might not be worth doing so, as in, if you have the extra $ better to have this than the slightly cheaper versions.

A thing i would add is a regular HDD at least 1tb, and use it as storage, if for any reason you need/want to format your pc, you could just wipe the SSD and all your downloaded games/pictures/videos/documents would be safe in the other drive. Only games with long loading times benefit from being installed on a SSD, so no need to have them all in one (i dont have any games on my SSD for example, only Windows and windows programs).

You should post your specs on /r/pcmasterrace with a title like "can someone check my build?" so you can get more opinions, i might not be seeing something!


-------------------------------------------------

What monitor do you have, or what resolution (1080p/1440p) and refresh rate (60hz/144hz) are you planning on gaming on?

If you are getting a new monitor, and keeping a AMD Gpu, consider one with FREESYNC (or one with Gsync if you change for a more powerful nvidia card, but expect a $200 price increase as Nvidia taxes manufacturers that use their tech) people say it makes a considerable difference... i havent had one so i couldnt really give my opinion on that.

Now for GPU, With the rx480 you are on the sweetspot for 1080p 60hz gaming.

the next step up would be an nvidia 1070 for either 1440p 60hz or 1080p 144hz

and the next one would be a 1080 for 1440p 144hz

-------------------------------------------------

Also do you have mouse/keyboard??

Personally i love Logitech Mice, Want top of the line and arguably the best wired/wireless Mouse there is, but also quite pricy? go for the g900, or one of the most loved and better reviewed is the g502 just ask /r/G502MasterRace

i have a g700s that can be used wired or wireless but the battery life is crap. around 1 week, so i invested on rechargeable batteries, it can be charged via the cable, so not all that annoying, but the g600 battery lasts for around 6 months... (The g600 is wireless only though.) i went for the g700s because of button placements.

And for the keyboard... well there is no dispute, get a Mechanical Keyboard, only thing is that you might be overwhelmed because of the huge ammount of options... but basically get one with CHERRYMX switches, there are others switches, but these are the best there are, no contest. Just decide on the color of the switches, as each one has different characteristics, some are clicky some take more pressure etc... a tester

https://www.amazon.com/WASD-6-Key-Cherry-Switch-Tester/dp/B00AZQKCD4

would be useful to decide what kind you want, i went for the Cherry Mx Browns and i have to tell you, i couldnt be more satisfied, honestly one of the bestest buys ive ever made for my PC, Why do you think my answers are so lengthy? i look for excuses to write on mine, thats how satisfying it is. You might not feel this way the moment you get it, but after a month using it and you get accustomed to your Mech, and then type on a common membrane keyboard, youll ask yourself how the hell did you use that crap for so long.

/r/MechanicalKeyboards is where you should go ask as there are a huge amount of options to choose from.

Thats all i can think of right now!

u/hyp36rmax · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

That's a good question. Not to sure about the UV white glow.

My preferred fans have always been the Scythe Gentle Typhoons, however due to business decisions between Nidec Servo and Scythe, the Gentle Typhoons are now available through several private labeling and OEM orders only now.

Coolerguys.com: Gentle Typhoon's Link PWM Link

Performance-PCS: Darkside Typhoon's Link

Heard great things about EK Vardars and Noctua's. I own a set of the Industrial PWM 3000RPM's in my VR rig. Those are loud at full speed haha.

You would take the same precautions you would with an air-cooled system with a water-cooled setup. It really comes down to how you build your system. A solid fitting connection using compression fittings should have no problem as long as you've leak tested your system prior to filling your loop.

Check out this great tutorial from B Negative from Overclock.net with leak testing: Link

Paper and cloth towels are your best friend when setting up a loop especially on your first go around. Better safer than sorry. Maintenance is easier then an oil change on your car. If you plan to just using distilled water, you will have to add a little more a few months down the road. The most you would have to do is clean out your rig from any dust that's accumulated on the radiators and fans.

Metro Vacuum is my best friend: Link

Feel free to change the water yearly or on your best convenience. It's really up to you as long as you monitor it you should be ok.

The rule of thumb is 120mm radiator for every component with an additional 120mm for overclocking. Now this totally depends on how thick your rads, speed and static pressure of your fans. The fans mentioned above Gentle Typhoon and EK Vardars have a great sound and static pressure ratio.

We can go into more detail with this later if you like.

Copper tubing was actually trial and error. I imagine it being easier then acrylic hardline tubing. Haven't tried that yet. The concept is similar though using totally different tools. I will say if you plan on copper tubing, make sure you have the proper tools and some sand! The sand is used inside the tubes when bending to minimize the kinks that can occur when pressure is asserted against it.

There are really only two types of pumps available D5 and DDC type pumps. DDC pumps are great for portable builds while D5 is generally a stronger pump. Again we can go into this further a little later.

Anytime ;)

u/MoogleMan3 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

You can have a killer setup for under $500.

Mic: Audio Technica AT2005 - A great mic that a lot of let's players use (draax, zueljin, kingdaddydmac, etc.). It also accepts xlr or usb inputs (more on that at the end). I use the atr2100, which is the same mic, just different color and warranty. The at2005 is cheaper by about $25 right now, so buying today, that's the one I'd get. It's a dynamic mic, so it blocks out sound that's not in front of it. Much better for noisy environments. Condenser mics like the blue yeti will pick up a lot more background noise. Other mics I've used are the V-Moda Boompro, which works with most headphones that have detachable cables (in my case the M100s) and sounds good, but changing the cable for when I didn't want to use the mic became old pretty fast. You can leave it attached, but then the boom mic is there all the time. I've also used the antlion modmic 4.0 and can't recommend it. It has white noise unless you use a usb soundcard, the cable is stiff and it's kind of expensive compared to full fledged mics. $56

Stand: Pyle PMKSH01 Suspension Boom Scissor Microphone Stand - A decent cheap stand. Nothing special, but it comes with an integrated xlr cable. I use this one, but may upgrade to the Rode PSA1 ($100) later on. The shock mount will not fit the at2005 however. $21

Shock Mount: On-Stage MY420 - A great shock mount that fits the at2005/atr2100. Shock mounts reduce noises from bumping your desk or tapping on your keyboard; things that may reverberate to your mic. It might not even be necessary if you're not a heavy handed gamer or if your desk is made of a thick, dense material. $25

Wind Filter: On-Stage Foam Ball Windscreen - Reduces wind/breathing noises as well as minimizing plosives. Not a complete necessity, but extremely cheap and it does help, so why not? $3

Cable management: Velcro One-Wrap Cable Wraps - I use these for keeping the usb cable for the mic attached to the stand. Extremely useful and cheap. $6

Headphones: Very subjective to user preference. I prefer closed vs open for noise isolation. Here's what I've used:

Audio Technica ATH M50: Good (not great) headphones for ~$100. Considered the standard by many, but to me they're just good. $155

V-Moda M100: Excellent sound with very potent bass. They make the M50s sound muddy in comparison. HOWEVER, the M100s have a design flaw where the "wings" (the parts above where you adjust the headphones) will crack over time. It happened to two pairs of my M100s. Unacceptable for the price of these headphones, regardless of how good they sound. $222

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm: Amazing. Potent bass like the M100s, but even a bit clearer. Very wide soundstage for closed headphones. I paid $219 for mine and don't regret it a single bit. I might grab another pair at the price they're currently at. $150

All that adds up to around $261 + tax choosing the DT770s, and will be a killer setup for gaming. Far better than any "gaming" headset, and it even opens the option of streaming or let's play videos (the reason I got my setup). There is one more thing I'd add though, given the budget if you're serious about mic quality, and that's the $99 Focusrite Scarlett Solo 2nd Gen. It's a usb audio interface that accepts xlr mics. It gives you a bit more control over the audio coming out of your mic and cleans up the signal so you get less "noise" from the usb interface. Quality is good without it, but with it, it's noticeably better.

Hope this helps some! I spent quite a while researching things when I put my own setup together. :)

u/olbaze · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

If you want a simple set of starter peripherals, I'd go for Logitech G402 for a mouse, SteelSeries 6Gv2 for a keyboard and HyperX Cloud II for a headset.

The best option for a mouse would be for you to make a list of features that you require (how many buttons? Ambidextrous/ergonomic design? Wired/Wireless? Lighting preference?) and come back here for a list of mice that satisfy all or most of your requirements. Then you would go to a shop to test how each of those mice feel in your hand and choose the one that is the most comfortable. Buying a mouse on a recommendation is likely to end with you getting a mouse that is not comfortable.

For a keyboard, as a beginner, a standard layout mechanical keyboard would probably be the best bet. However, mechanical keyboards come in various switches, so it would be best for you to spend a few bucks to buy a keyswitch tester online and find which you like best. From there, you could come here or /r/MechanicalKeyboards for suggestions.

For your headset, HyperX Cloud II is an excellent choice and will be pretty much impossible to beat for the price. And any better headset will cost you twice what the HyperX Cloud II does, making it an even better option. In fact, I got the HyperX Cloud II as a Christmas present for my little sister. Meanwhile, if you had other uses for headphones, buying a more expensive pair of headphones with something like the Antlion ModMic would be a good choice.

Edit:
>The g502 looks like a transformer

How about Zowie EC1-A then? I have owned an older version of that mouse for close to 3 years and it still works flawlessly. It is also an extremely simple mouse, with no drivers or firmware of any kind to trip you up.

u/OverExclamated · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Two picks that you can't go wrong with are:

Open backs: Fidelio X2 + VModa BoomPro

Closed backs: Audio-Technica MSR7 + VModa BoomPro

Spendy yes, but these are essentially the top of the heap for great sounding, well built, comfortable, and easy to use headsets. Compatible with pc and most consoles, either of these should last a lifetime save for maybe the cords or pads which are replaceable. Buying 'Used - Like New' is an option to save a bit.

If you decide using a desktop mic is an option, then the DT990's have already been suggested. The ModMic is an attachable mic option that works with everything, but it adds yet another cord so it's not an option I'm particularly fond of.

If you decide the options above are just more than you really want to spend, there are a few good budget picks as well.

u/callizer · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Hmm I would highly recommend to spend a bit more (~$50) and get the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X. It's around ~$170

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR86

This thing is legendary. It sounds like a $500 headphone, almost everyone will recommend you this thing if you ask for a best bang for buck headphone, especially a closed headphone. Sound isolation is not the best, but it's pretty good I think. It's also has detachable cables and can be "folded", so you can use it as a portable headphone if you want to. This is THE most popular headphone used in studio for recording purposes.

This headphone is really great on its own, but I personally pair it with a headphone amplifier to be even better. My daily driver is the ATH M50X with FiiO E11k.

If you decided you don't want sound isolation and prefer a good soundstage (good for listening to footsteps for games like CS:GO), get Sennheiser HD 558. Otherwise, Audio-Technica ATH M50X all the way.

Edit: you could also go for the Audio Technica ATH M40X, the little brother of M50X. Get this if you have a fixed budget of $120, but I really recommend to save a bit more and get the M50X instead.

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/75b2f282c93a7651/index.html

Another alternative for under $120:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AJIF4E?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=as2

u/__PETTYOFFICER117__ · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I'm currently using the AKG K7XXs and love them, but those are pretty pricy.

The Sennheiser HD518s are great. I've owned a couple of the HD5xx models, can't remember which exactly, but they were excellent headphones and EXTREMELY comfortable for hours on end. Very good sound. Absolutely a great line.

You could then throw on something like this and you're still close to your original budget...

u/MrDrumline · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I'd look into getting plain over-ear headphones -- something like these are nice for the price -- and putting this on it as a microphone. Works wonderfully and saves quite a bit of money over the horrifically overpriced gaming headsets. Total cost is about $30, but you can certainly find some better headphones for cheaper if you spend more than 5 minutes on Amazon like I did. I picked the Sennheisers because the reviews were good and by many people, and it's a good brand.

Edit: If your boyfriend is ever in the market for a really nice pair of headphones, I can't reccomend the Sony MDR-7506 enough. It's pretty much industry standard for musicians, mixers, sound engineers, recording artists, etc. They've been around and improving since the early 90's They're the best $85 one can spend on audio.

u/Trazac · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Already discussed at a few places in the thread, but I always suggest the headphone+mic combo. You'll have better headphones and a better mic for around the same cost.

These Superlux HD688B Headphones are probably the best set you can get for the money. If that's a bit too expensive, you can get the HD 681 headphones instead.

Pair that up with any cheap mic and it will sound better than any mic on pretty much any headset. This Clip-On Zalman Mic is often suggested because it is easily attached to your headphone wire and sounds good. If you can spend a bit more, then this Sony Lav Mic will sound a bit better but not be as easy to use. Even one of these desk microphones will sound really great at the expensive of needing to be on your desk and pick up desk noise.

u/TicklishOwl · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

If you live in the states, you can just get this for $48 and change. WD, 7200rpm, and cheaper than either of your two options.

If you can't get that drive, then...always go for the higher RPM when dealing with mechanical drives for the most part. Any WD "Blue" that's not 7200rpm is really their old Green line, and they were really terrible in quality, which was unusual for WD.

Usually, WD does beat out Seagate in terms of quality but mostly when you start looking at thousands of drives at a time (How many premature failures per thousand units...etc). WD's Blues (the real blues, 7200rpm ones) are pretty decent, with their Blacks and enterprise HGST being among the best.

However for the average user, you're ok going with either. I'm going to hope you're using an SSD and only need the platter drive for storing large files and backups, so either would be ok. My own personal bias has me erring on the side of caution with WD > Seagate, but honestly the Seagate you listed would be much better than the WD "Fake Blue" 5400rpm since it's their bottom barrel line.

u/wickeddimension · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Yes I do (Althought I always recommend Cable over Wifi ,but I'll just assume that isn't a possiblity for you :P )

The Archer T series are good. The 3 models come up as top, T6E , T8E , T9E. Some do 802.11AC wifi others don't. Depends on your router and home network if you would have any use for that.

Those are all PCI Cards you place inside your PC. The Asus PCE-AC68 also deserves a mention if we are talking about High performance Wireless cards. Althought its expensive.

You can also go the USB route, you'll end up with dongles like this Netgear AC1200 which is a excellent USB options, but once again pricey (See the trend, dont worry we are getting there)

A more affordable PCI Options would be this TP-LINK WDN4800 N900 or a USB dongle like this TP-Link WDN4200 N900

And if you are really low on funds you could go for something like the Asus USB-N13 for 18$ or TP-Link N300 which is only 11$.

Personally I'd recommend you grab the TP N900, either the PCI or USB variant would do fine , PCI is faster, USB is probably a bit more versatile as you can use it with any PC/Laptop. N900 gets great reviews all around and it supports 802.11N , should be plenty fast for gaming. One issue the N900 seems to have is Digital signage with W10 ,so you need a different driver than the official one to get by this issue and use 5ghz. Not sure if thats relevant for you.

Either way ,you see the trend, Asus and TP-link are really my go2brands for anything networking.

I realize I still gave you a ton of choices, might not be the most helpful, but atleast you'll have some direction to look.

u/Seburrstian · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Solid! ATH M50 is a great choice and are great headphones for the price, but you can also spend a bit more if you want a detachable cable

Do you want Blue or Brown switches? Blues are great and make a satisfying clack sound, but browns are generally better regarded for gaming and typing. Both are great.

EDIT: Also, check out Ducky Shine keyboards and corsair keyboards. The Corsair K70 looks very nice for the price and the Ducky Shine series is fantastic in quality. I myself use a logitech g710+.

u/ranterbach · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I strongly disagree. M50s are one end of the spectrum, and they're very polarizing. They don't sound bad, but they're certainly not what I'd consider fun headphones. They put sound inside you.

Philips SHP9500s, on the other hand, are cheap, and very reminiscent of HD600s, which is pretty universally considered to be a very good thing. They sound great, they're supremely comfortable, they have a standard 3.5mm detachable cable, and they're very affordable.

The point is, if you need headphones under $200, the SHP9500 is the way to go.

u/jninja119 · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

On my personal rig I use the [audiotechnica ATH M50Xs](Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVLUR86/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_J9fIybVCJPWFD) and they sound amazing, I also use a [blue yeti mic](Blue Yeti USB Microphone - Blackout Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N1YPXW2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_55fIybEAPYH7B) and it comes out clear crisp and clean. To keep my desk from lots of chaos I use a [boom arm](RODE PSA1 Swivel Mount Studio Microphone Boom Arm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D7UYBO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_l7fIybE7YH913).
( I don't use that boom arm personally, but for someone who wants a good quality boom arm, that's the one.)

Now all this stuff will give you the best experience for a separate mic and headphone combo (well best experience that won't cost thousands of dollars) but if you don't want to use the yeti on a boom arm and just want a headset, get the M50Xs and get an [attachment microphone ](Antlion Audio ModMic 4.0 Attachable Boom Microphone - Omni-Directional with Mute Switch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T6XUL8S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_bRagIybFHB6Q2N) instead. This mic has better quality than pretty much any mic built into headsets since the mic tends to be where they cut corners.

As a person who owns dozens of pairs of gaming headphones, I would choose my audiotechnicas with an external mic over them all. I have used Sades GW, Corsair Voids, Turtle Beaches 800Xs, Astro a40s, Logitech g930s, Tritton 720+s and many cheap headsets as well. Get the m50Xs, I would also recommend [sennheiser hd598](Sennheiser HD 598 Special Edition Over-Ear Headphones - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0126HISOO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_UkgIybSZ1SBNW) headphones. The truth about all those gaming features (and this is my opinion, as an owner of all the aforementioned headphones) is that high quality sound is better than fake 7.1 surround.

u/dstaller · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Blue is the loud clickity clackity switch. A lot of people like the noise and try to associate it with mechanical keyboards, but if you're like me and prefer a less noisy experience avoid them. When a friend of mine was still living at home, his mom made him get rid of his blue switch keyboard because it was so loud she couldn't sleep at night being in the next room. He also didn't have o-rings so she had to deal with the clicky noises and the clacking from bottoming out.

Browns are basically quieter versions of Blues. Great for typing without all the noise. Has a tactile bump for actuation without the click noise and great for typing. I use these for both gaming and typing and I love them.

Reds are linear switches. Little quieter than browns. Easier to bottom out if you don't have o-rings because there isn't a bump or click for actuation and they have little resistance. Typically used more for gaming, but doesn't mean you need them for gaming.

All three are commons choices and at the end of the day it completely comes down to preference. If you're unsure what switch you'd prefer, go to a computer store with some on display and try them out. If none are available, there are switch testers to you can order to test out the different choices.

http://www.amazon.com/WASD-6-Key-Cherry-Switch-Tester/dp/B00AZQKCD4 For example.

Also, http://www.amazon.com/Max-Keyboard-Keycap-Cherry-Sampler/dp/B00E71W4O8 cheaper option with less switch choices.

Browns with o-rings are my personal favorite. Brown for the bump without the click, and o-rings to avoid the clack. I also really love the way Black switches feel, but admittedly they're a bit too stiff for me to game with so I stick with brown.

u/Norther_Winslow · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

You're right, they can be. What happens is the little particles of dust that get pulled in can create a static charge, if that's discharged it could in theory damage your components. In practice I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you're keen on getting a blower/vacuum look for an antistatic version like this one http://www.amazon.com/Metro-ED500-DataVac-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

They are more expensive but offer some protection.

If you're going to be cleaning once a month you shouldn't be building up a ton of dust. A can of air duster should get you through a few months cleaning. That's what I use.

If you notice dust around the side panels or around the openings here or there take a look at your fan configuration. this is a result of negative pressure in your case, you're exhausting more air than you're pulling in. This can be eliminated pretty much entirely by maintaining positive air pressure, adding an additional intake fan will usually get you there. If you have a more limited case a fan controller can be used to slow down your exhaust fans or speed up your intakes until you get the desired effect.

Filter your intakes. Search for magnetic fan filters. With any luck you should be able to just slap them on the outside of the intake fans, and still be able to get the case panels back on. This cuts out a huge amount of dust and take a few seconds to clean.

If your case needs to be on or near the floor vacuum regularly. At least a couple times a week. Keeping the environment dust free is the best first step to keeping your pc clean.

If you take the time once a month to give your machine a quick dusting with a can of duster it's gonna stay very clean and it won't be more than a 10 minute job for the life of your pc.

u/edit1754 · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

For just TF2, you don't need anything fancy. This $620 Ideapad 700 with a 950M DDR3 and a not-poor-quality screen should do fine.

Next up are these if you want to perhaps get into more gaming but you're more focused on other aspects and/or lower price.

  • https://www.amazon.com/i5-6300HQ-keyboard-Microsoft-signature-Anti-Glare/dp/B01LXCBXQO/ (Great screen -- only on the ZX53VW not the K501UW or FX502VM, large SSD, OK battery life)
  • https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ (Decent screen, SSD, great battery life, I would wait for it to go down to $650-$700 again)

    If you do want the ability to play current games on quite good framerates (i.e. Overwatch), look for a GTX 1050 / 1050 Ti, and of course avoid models/configs with low quality TN screens.

  • http://www.dell.com/en-us/member/shop/productdetails/inspiron-15-7567-laptop/fncwf514s
  • Pick the IPS screen under the config option. This is an option that was recently added because many were very unsatisfied with the quality of the base screen option. Rule of thumb: Don't buy this laptop without the IPS upgrade unless you plan to replace the screen yourself with an even better one.
  • Search for a coupon if/when you decide to buy. Last coupon EXCLUSIVE50OFF499 expired, current coupon 50OFF499 doesn't apply to it. Still a good value without a coupon, though, so don't feel like you can't buy it if a discount hasn't come yet and you need to choose something.

    EDIT: Also, of course, this Pavilion which is currently discounted to $649. Best price for a 1050 laptop. Note: Offered 3840x2160 option for the screen is PenTile (RG/BW) not-true-3840x2160. Considered deceptive marketing on HP's part. See /r/SuggestALaptop/ sidebar. If you were to want 4K, I would choose the Inspiron 7567 4K, as it is a true 4K display.
u/RaZz0r65 · 3 pointsr/pcmasterrace

yea i love the O2 + ODAC combo unit i have the one with rear power and a fancy aluminum knob i love that thing.

I have it paired up with a pair of DT770's pro 250ohm.

Was it expensive as hell?

Yes

Was it worth it?

Hells yes i have had a line of gaming headsets from low to high budget and none of them can even hold a candle to the current set up.

How ever my brain was like well you now have a pair of fancy headphones and a amp + dac better get a nice mic to go with it.

So now i have a AT2020 with a mic stand shock mount and pop filter for no good reason.

Sense i hardly ever use it but they few times i do i get compliments that i sound great so yay i guess.

But really tho OP get a amp and a nice pair of headphones and a clip on mic.

For around 200usd i would recommend something along the lines of this

Desktop amp

Sony MDR-7506

And

Zalman Zm-Mic

this set up will blow the socks of pretty much any gaming headset out there the only ones that might be on par.

Is prob something like the Sennheiser high end gaming head phones and something like the Audio Technica line of gaming headphones.

But those headsets alone will set you back 250-300+ usd and you will most likely need a amp + dac to unlock the full potential of them anyway so.

u/__REV__ · 3 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I highly recommend against "gaming" headsets. They are usually overpriced for the components they use. I went with the route of using a set of semi-open back headphones and clip on mic for a bit. I've since upgraded to a NEWER condenser microphone. Either way:

Cheap but very good quality heaphones

super cheap but decent mic

Also I recommend these earpads. They lessen the low end a bit and make the headphones x100 more comfortable.


edit: just realized that's the "recommended combo" on amazon lmao. Either way its ~52 USD and a great deal. Compare the quality of this setup and its right up there with 100 dollar "gaming" headphones. Also semi-open and open headphones are great for FPS games because of the open soundscape.

u/Captainjim17 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

It's just an all round nice mouse, great value for money, plenty of programmable buttons on the sides, adjustable DPI right on the mouse right up to 12000 (which is really unplayable, but whatever) has adjustable weight, three profiles, full macro support, has an on the fly adjustable DPI sniper button, Logitech has outstanding support and warranty, Logitech's software is very good. All pretty much reason's why it's great, or you can just go over to /r/G502masterrace and they will tell you how good it is.

Just Checked Amazon and its 45 bucks https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Proteus-Spectrum-Tunable-Shifting/dp/B019OB663A

You won't get a better mouse for that price. Heck you won't get a better mouse full stop.

u/dalbukerke · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace
intel i7-7700K build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | €339.98 @ Amazon Italia
CPU Cooler | Corsair - H110i 113.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | €126.73 @ Amazon Italia
Motherboard | ASRock - Z270M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | €119.42 @ Amazon Italia
Memory | Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | €128.69 @ Amazon Italia
Storage | Samsung - 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | €96.70 @ Amazon Italia
Storage | Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | €78.76 @ Amazon Italia
Video Card | Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card | €544.99 @ Amazon Italia
Case | NZXT - S340 Elite (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case | €98.99 @ Amazon Italia
Power Supply | XFX - XTR 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | €98.52 @ Amazon Italia
Operating System | Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | €72.77 @ Amazon Italia
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | €1705.55
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-24 23:19 CEST+0200 |

amd r5-1600X build (obs.: i selected the X version but best value (price/performance) is nonX which comes with CPU cooler so you don't even need the Corsair saving you 156€ in the total price

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD - Ryzen 5 1600X 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor | €248.08 @ Amazon Italia
CPU Cooler | Corsair - H110i 113.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | €126.73 @ Amazon Italia
Motherboard | Gigabyte - GA-AB350-Gaming ATX AM4 Motherboard | €104.51 @ Amazon Italia
Memory | Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | €128.69 @ Amazon Italia
Storage | Samsung - 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | €96.70 @ Amazon Italia
Storage | Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | €78.76 @ Amazon Italia
Video Card | Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card | €544.99 @ Amazon Italia
Case | NZXT - S340 Elite (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case | €98.99 @ Amazon Italia
Power Supply | XFX - XTR 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | €98.52 @ Amazon Italia
Operating System | Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | €72.77 @ Amazon Italia
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | €1598.74
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-24 23:22 CEST+0200 |

monitors with gsync;

24" 1440p@165hz €416

27" 1440p@144hz €634

u/SomeoneHasThis · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

well, that depends on your budget

I own a pair of Sennheiser HD558's, Philips Fidelio x2's, and AKG K7XX's.

I would highly recommend all three of them but it depends on what kind of use you are using them for, the genre of music, your budget, style choices and your personal tastes.

I should also mention that due to some QC issues on the X2's (the earpads are glued in) you can get them for about 160 right now, which is an amazing price for these cans. the pair i bought was that cheap because it was sent back without the cord. so I bought a nice braided cord from amazon

I use the k7xx's and x2's at my computer with a monoprice amp/dac

I use the k7xx's for instrument driven music such as acoustic/rock/classical and competitive games where I need to hear everything they have a fairly flat eq which make them incredibly clear and nothing drowns out anything else so you can hear everything

The x2's have a v-shaped eq that is considered more fun (Increased treble and bass) which makes them better for EDM/electronic/pop/hip hop and action movies/games

open-back headphones have decreased bass over closed back but the bass is much tighter and clean and with the x2's bass increase they are almost like a open-closed hybrid sound

u/Daktush · 3 pointsr/pcmasterrace

>Why go AMD? I ask because I could still go either way

Better all rounder. Support underdog (better for industry if you care). Socket is new meaning you will have easier time upgrading. Longer lifespan because significantly better multithreading.

>Adaptive sync?

Freesync/Gsync. They match refresh rate of monitor to graphic card output Hz. Makes big difference in smoothness and screen tearing - Gsync (Nvdia version) has a pretty significant premium. You are locked to one of the two depending on your graphics card manufacturer (AMD=Freesync, Nvdia=Gsync)

>PSU is one of the last things I want to upgrade.

You mean you want the one you buy to last you a long time? I tell you, you are most probably overpaying for capacity you will not use with that build but if you have an upgrade path in mind sure

>I can't really afford a SSD with the price of the GPU right now:(

Dig under a couch and get a 128gb SSD. Throw fans out, downgrade PSU, MOBO, throw paste out even downgrade CPU if you have to (yours would pair better with 1070 anyway). SSD is the best upgrade you can make to your comp and it is cheap as fuck

>What external optical would you suggest?

Cheapest, likely use it once or twice then it will sit gathering dust somewhere. But in any case it's good to have one (well, not a computer case)

>Why the g502?

Most recommended gaming mouse, absolutely brilliant. Only complaints I have ever heard are that it is a little too big and a little too heavy even without its adjustable weights on. Mice guide from logicalincrements

>Those Logitech are 40$

Suit yourself. These ones I got for 15 bucks on sale and I bet they sound better

Edit: Just made a comment for someone just ascended with websites you might find useful

u/Pokemonzu · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I was planning to build a pc with a similar budget but ended up getting an older pc to upgrade from a relative.

Here's my partlist tho, it's about $800 without a monitor, keyboard and mouse, etc.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rBbtyf

According to benchmarks on youtube this kind of build should be able to run AAA games at 1080p, maxed, 60fps+.

I listed an SSD (like a hard drive but a lot faster) that has 250GB, but you could switch it out for (or just add) this 1TB hard drive that is pretty popular: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Cache-Desktop-Drive-WD10EZEX/dp/B0088PUEPK

Alternatively you could a more expensive but better value HDD: https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Desktop-3-5Inch-Internal-ST3000DM001/dp/B006KCX0UE

Feel free to ask any questions (I haven't actually built a pc yet, but I've been looking online about it for a several months now). Oh yeah, and a great place to pick your parts is pcpartpicker.com.

Edit: Oh, I also chose a mini tower mini-ATX motherboard and case, which is smaller but may be harder to work with and offers some expansion but not as much as a mid or full tower with ATX. PCpartpicker has a compatibility checker that only shows you compatible parts when picking them, so that should help if you wanted to change some parts in my list.

u/freakingwilly · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

A lot of this depends on your budget. Wanting to step up from 25€ still doesn't tell us how much you are willing to spend. All dollar amounts listed below are in USD:

Sub $20 - Tascam TH02. $18. Similar to the HD201 from Sennheiser, but easier to find and much cheaper.

Additionally, the Monoprice HiFi Studio Headphones are another excellent choice around $25.

$30 to $50 range - Koss Porta Pro. $33. I've always heard great things about these headphones, plus they have a sweet look.

$70ish range - Philips SHP9500S. These are closer to $75, but are extremely comfortable and have amazing sound for the price.

Most of these headphones won't require an external amp/DAC, but it won't hurt to have one either.

u/SummerMango · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

They are hollow/tinny sounding. I would recommend buying these:

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-EF0060-Aurvana-Live-Headphones/dp/B000ZJZ7OA

With this:

http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ

If you must get a headset, but the Steelseries Siberia V2:

http://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-Siberia-Full-Size-Gaming-Headset/dp/B003N636VI

The 1500 are pretty much terrible. They are comfy, sure, and maybe decently built, but do not offer an analog solution, you are permanently tethered to a PC to use them


Note:

If you have money to burn, get the AD700s:

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-AD700X-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B009S332TQ (these are the X. If you can find a set of AD700 in stock they will either cost around 100 dollars new, or way more because they have become rare).

Headphones like the AKG701/612/q701 are in the same range of 'nothing can touch these in terms of l33t h4xx0r sound'.

Plus, better headphones work nicely for things other than gaming.

I highly, and strongly, recommend buying a good set of headphones that you will love and look forward to using all day long, over something disposable and boring.

u/iamnotyourspiderman · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

When you're looking into headphones, you should at least determine what you personally like audio wise and what are you going to use the headphones for. Do you like a lot of bass or do you prefer clearer audio? Also will you be using them to play only stereo content or would you be utilising a wide soundstage?

If your definition of a "PCMR headset" is something like a comfortable fit with adjustable leds that screams gaming, I'd recommend Steelseries siberia 650 for example.

HOWEVER, the quality of the "gaming" headsets is pretty much shit compared to what you can get with the same money outside of the gaming franchises. Especially the built in mics in gaming headsets have pretty terrible quality in all of the models on the market compared to proper microphones.

Personally I don't care about the leds and stuff and enjoy good quality audio, so I went with quality AKG studio headphones I already owned and bought an Antlion modmic 4.0 to go with them. I've been very pleased with this setup and the best part is, you can choose the quality headphones that suit you best and slap that quality mic onto any model or brand.

If I didn't already have my AKG 272HD's and had to buy the entire setup, I would probably have gone with the modmic + Sennheiser HD 558. That setup has a pretty amazing price to quality ratio and most of all it's comfortable and sounds great. To go even further the Sennheiser HD 598's are basically the same headphones but with a better soundstage and less bass. Just my 2 cents.

TL;DR: Would seriously recommend to make your own quality headset out of a modmic and some good quality studio headphones for the price of a lower quality "gaming" headset.

u/DyLaNzZpRo · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Here's a few choices.

Mionix Castor

Generally regarded as the best mouse in terms of quality, great for FPS (as it's light), although only has 2 additional buttons. That, combined with a flawless sensor and a nice look.

Corsair M65 Pro

From what I've heard it's solid but it's a little small, great sensor, overall nice looking.

Corsair Sabre


Cheap, flawless sensor, comfortable (a little small) and has 5 additional buttons.


Zowie ZA13


From what I've heard it's a great, basic mouse, a little pricey for so few features though.


There's also the G502, I don't really like it solely due to the weight, the RGB model is slightly lighter but IMO it's too heavy for relatively low DPI.

u/killtrix · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

My first thoughts are:

  • Did you make sure to clean off the CPU well with a high % isopropyl alcohol and what did you use to wipe off the old paste? Usually Microfiber towels, toilet paper or q-tips work well enough.
  • What method did you use to apply the paste? The "pea-method", the spread method, or an X?
  • Did you make sure the cooler was fastened down tight enough?

    If you have done these things, either way, I'd recommend trying to reapply the paste and make sure you are using the right amount. If you get the same results again, then I'd recommend getting an aftermarket cooler. There is a very good chance that the cooler is the problem. Many people use the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO because of the awesome price/performance you can get with it. This would be the best next step to solving your issues. Just make sure your case has enough room for it first.
u/JaviJ01 · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Sorry for the late response, but I appreciate all the help you've offered so far. If it's cool I still have some questions.

I currently have that Zalman mic you linked and getting the white noise with it. Do you think the onboard soundcard I have on my z97 board is the issue? (MSI SLI Krait z97 if it makes a difference)

Would getting a microphone with a little plastic buffer like this help the issue, or would spending the money on a cheap sound card be more beneficial?

I was also looking a condenser mic with stand or maybe a gaming headset like these G430s on sale.

Any and all help would be appreciated!

u/Negatively_Positive · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

If you just want a mid range laptop that work consider this https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ

I brought it recently (got overcharged because I did not pay attention) but still very happy with the laptop. The one I linked is the best price.

The only downside is the weight (if you want light weight, ultrabook is the only option but that means no gaming on laptop). Otherwise it has everything I want, most important is a good battery.

I say buy this laptop, which can run any games you want, and put your money into better things (like saving for future desktop, buying more games just use it else in your life).

If not for the new possibility of graphic card generation, I would buy another one for my friend but he decided to wait.

Feel free to ask me if you need.

u/Templated · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

With no experience with these but with a lot of recommendations and looked up performance tests in mind I'd recommend the Antlion ModMic. The sound quality is outstanding. Together with those I'd buy a good pair of stand-alone headsets without a mic. Personally I recommend Sennheiser. Unfortunately I do not process any high-tier closed pair. I have on me the open Sennheiser PX-200 II. Tho they are not the greatest for long sessions but I find the quality really good for the mobility and cost. I also play games with them and they (of course) outclasses my old Creative Fatal1ty. But of course, Sennheiser also have some gaming headsets for sale. Like the PC 360 which are recommended by a lot of owners. If you'd like to mix around and buy a superior headset you can do that and instead buy the Zalman-MIC1 which, by the extremely low price, are also recommended by others. Bought one today actually. Just waiting for the delivery c:

u/kinjileslie · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Uh oh, I see I'm finding another subreddit to join... because I love typing.

Good comments from the other replies here. I love my K68 and my K63. I have one at home, where I work often typing up compliance letters, policy docs, emails and PowerPoints for my company. And never ending meeting notes. Loved my K68 so much at home I got the compact K63 for work.

That being said, be sure you get something you're happy with, even if you end up returning another keyboard. I love MX switches. You might want to check out Romer-G switches on Logitech, much newer design and I hear people rave about them. I'm sure someone will correct me: I think MX switches are from the '80s? I love them and type all day on my two Corsairs with reds, even though they are more "for gaming than typing." So, yes, I think you'll get used to them if you keep the K68 but if you have the option to find something you'll really love, that should be the keyboard you get. Sounds like you don't love the reds.

There's also stuff like this switch tester out there: Cherry MX Switch Tester on Amazon

Edit: Fixing link

u/HisRandomFriend · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

It would help if I knew what country you're in so I can link you to a site that would actually be helpful. Also I personally would still recommend building a desktop as your best option for price to performance, but if you want a laptop, again knowing your country would be helpful. It seems that http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=22J838BU4WN1J&coliid=I13UBS526ZUQZ3 is probably one of the best in your price range, although I'm not sure about international versions. I do know that the US price converted to Euros is well under €900, so maybe shipping and a plug adapter. I hope this is somewhat helpful, but again knowing your country would be better.

u/sharrken · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Ok, well if you want to go cheap as you can on microphone then the Zalman ZM1 is pretty decent for the tiny price - $5.50. I used one for a fair while and the sound quality is pretty decent, better than a lot of cheap/midrange headsets. Bit further up something like this Blue Snowball USB mic is going to have really top notch sound quality, but its $45. I would go with the zalman for now and then move up to the Snowball later on if you're not happy/fancy an upgrade.

Headphones wise the general consensus of the internet is that you can't go wrong with the ATH-M50. At $117 + $5.50 for the mic, you're about $25 over budget, but equally the headphones are really great, its all standard jack connectors, and you have a really great pair of headphones for music/movies to boot. For more reccomendations, I suggest you check out this post over at headfi. More gaming headphone reccomendations than you could possibly ever need.

u/importflip · 3 pointsr/pcmasterrace

ATH M50x: Nice starter headphones.

Beyerdynamic DT770: These are closed so they are good at bass. I linked the PRO-32s because I doubt you have a soundcard, or want to get one that can push the ohms.

Beyerdynamic DT 990: These are like the 770s, but they are open, so less bass, and better positioning (sound staging).

All three should be good for music and gaming, with the first 2 being better for bassy music and the last being better for more instrumental music.

Later on you should look at getting a DAC.

You can get good stuff at the price point you are looking for, but if you end up loving the sound quality, 150+ should be your starting point. Also check out head-fi forums for other suggestions.

Edit: Changed link for the 32 Ohm version of the DT990s

u/rizwankhalid171 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Nice none of that amazon a10 gaming pc scam

Parts I recommend are :

CPU: i5 6500. It's a perfect CPU for the price. Rumoured to be better than some i7 ones

Ram: 16 gb ddr4. If you want 8 is fine but it's relatively cheap for 16 gb. Go for Kingston or g skill ripjaws.

Motherboard: standard lga1151 board. Matx is what I recommend. Spend like 80 ish dollars to 100 on this. Don't really know that much on this sorry.

Gpu: windforce gtx 1060 6gb. Beast card. If you have the cash upgrade to the 1070 is highly recommended it will smash every game at 1080p

Psu: corsair always reliable. Get a 650 watt one and you're set.

Hdd: western digital blue 1tb. Perfect mass storage for all your games and applications

Ssd. Samsung 850 240 gb. Use this to store you're operating system and crucial applications.

Case. Nzxt s340 elite perfect case with ample space to work with whilst also looking beast

Operating system (if you need one) windows 10 don't know the price

Some peripherals you may like

Logitech g502 mouse. Solid mouse for most games
Anker 4 port usb hub for extra connectivity

Also if you plan to use wifi get a wifi card from tplink. Here's one I use :

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007GMPZ0A/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482097102&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=wifi+card&dpPl=1&dpID=41dj0fWrySL&ref=plSrch

Is cheap fast and reliable.

u/luckoskij · 0 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I know this is technically out of your price range but the ath m50s are some of the best all-around headphones you can buy. If you can get another $40 or so, these are some of the best reviewed headphones ever. They are referred to as the starting place for audiophile grade. I used these to play games like Bioshock infinite, etc and the guns in those games sound almost real with the volume up around 30 or so. Also these headphones don't need a amplifier.

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR86


[edit] as per the people below, sennhesiers are nice too. But I vastly prefer my m50s to the sennhesiers I used to own. For music they can't be beat. Truly a nice eq'd set that is not too bass heavy or trebly. Just my honest opinion. You may even be able to find the non-x versions on eBay or so for around $80-90. They just lack exchangeable cords. I have the non x version in white.

u/Tjoala · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace
  • Philips SHP9500S - $56.99 - Video Review


  • V-MODA BoomPro - $29.00 - Video Review

    I can assure you, this is what you want. You'll do a bunch of research, watch a bunch of videos and read forum posts, compare various headphones and continually question if all of the reviews on the Philips are telling the true story about how great they are, and the answer is Yes. They are amazing, and the best sounding open-back headphones under $200 you can get new. Open back is generally what you want, as it sounds more natural, allows you to hear outside noise such as if someone is trying to talk to you, and let's you hear yourself talking so you don't do the "deaf-man's yell" where you're talking too loudly into your Mic.


    Note - there is no difference between the SHP9500 and the SHP9500S, other than a shorter cable and no gold surround on the audio jack. That's it. Everything else, including the drivers, are the same. Save $25 and get the (S) version. They are also low impedance (Ohms) so anything can run them at whatever volume you want, no amp needed. They do great on anything from PC to Smart phone to XBox One controller. The whole "sweat-magnet" thing from the review I linked js only if you're outdoors in the heat, kinda-thing. Nothing to worry about indoors.
u/ryios · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

If it's a work station, possible video editing etc.. I would go with socket LGA 2011-v3 instead of skylake.

The i7-5820K is an LGA 2011-v3 processor and it's better than any skylake out right now. More PCI-E lanes, more max memory support, supports DD4 just like skylake, and X99 Mother Boards (chipset for lga 2011-v3) have 8 DIMM slots (8 sticks of ram) allowing you to get them up to 128 GB of ram with 8 16GB Sticks "should you ever need that much".

LGA-2011 V3 is also quad channel memory and not dual channel, so you need 4 sticks of ram instead of 2. Easy deal just go with 4 sticks of 4 gb or 4 sticks of 8 GB for 16 or 32 GB. 4 sticks of 4 is say 80 bucks or 4 sticks of 8 for 100-130.

The i5-2580k is a beast and is currently the 4th best cpu on the market going by benchmarks. It's also a 6 core vs's syklakes 4 core and has as good or better overclocking potential. It's a beast of a CPU. Price point wise it's only 30 dollars more than the i7 skylake posted below but way more than 30 dollars value wise in terms of performance "in my opinion".

Now for the monitor, don't buy that through PC part picker or newegg. Shop for that exclusively. Do research, read review after review. If possible go in stores and see them. Your talking about something you'll be spending $300 on that you will be staring at for thousands of hours.

On a whim though I found this one which looks pretty freaking good for $339. http://www.amazon.com/VG248QE-24-Inch-Screen-LED-lit-Monitor/dp/B00B2HH7G0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373906581&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+144hz

Myself though I have a 2560X1440 monitor that is $400. However it's 60hz with a 4ms response time.

So pick your poison, 144 Hertz 1080p for 300+ or Bigger resolution for the same money but not 144 hertz.

As a developer myself though, I can tell you that I would not trade my 2560X1440 for a 1920X0180 for anything, hertz or not.

Writing code, designing things etc, 2560X1440 is awesome. I can see almost twice as much code on the screen at a time. I can see my entire database schema without having to scroll, etc etc etc.

u/Nexdeus · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Mic

Stand

Adapter to attach the Blue Yeti to stand

DAC - better than a the Creative Blaster Z imo, I've owned both ;)

Headphones

So what you have listed above are the following items.

Blue Yeti mic - great mic, very clear, has quite a few modes.
The stand I use, I have my mic above my monitors. The adapter listed is used to be able to screw the mic in.
The headphones I listed I own, and they are very comfy (use the plush ear cups), they sound great, and very clear.
The DAC I listed is a fantastic little box, this will replace your sound card and output the audio via USB and you plug into this bad boy.

Hope this helps!

u/1mikeg · 6 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I use one of these.

Cans of compressed air can sometimes throw out the accelerant used to compress the air. This isn't great for internal components. Also, this never depletes. Take the computer to an open area that airs outdoor (garage, shed, etc.) Take off the case door and if your case has any filters take them out, too. Blow out the filters first. When you get near the fans, hold them so they don't spin freely. You should see the dust bunnies start to fly. Blow from front to back as dust will build up in the direction of your case's natural air flow. Use the attachments for narrow areas or for detailing.

Tips:

  • Removing the GPU can make things a little easier but not necessary.
  • Avoid blowing directly in the CPU fan. Instead try to blow from the side. If you have a ton of dust in your CPU fan, remove it and clean it manually with a toothbrush.
  • You'll then have to then clean the thermal compound of the CPU itself and the bottom of the CPU, re-compound, and re-seat the fan.
  • If you must blow out the CPU fan, do it in short bursts and make sure the fan only spins in it's regular direction.
u/sn34k · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Thanks! I used to always do a full tower, but with the way cases have changed the mid towers have so much more space now.

The headphone amp is awesome, though I want to get the DAC that goes with it. You can also get some really affordable 2 in 1 DAC+Amp combos like this:
https://smile.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493067328&sr=1-6&keywords=fiio

A friend of mine uses that one with his phone and did with his PC before upgrading to ridiculous audiophile level gear.

The main reason I use the amp is I got the headphones off that same friend for a great deal but they are 250 Ohm so you have to have an amp to use them at all. They sound amazing though.

u/3agl · 3 pointsr/pcmasterrace

As I said, if sound quality isn't really the issue and you're just using voip, the gear he has is fine. Also that's a pretty nice audio interface that'll last op for quite a while.

Alternative with better value and slightly better specs Second xlr/1/4 in, and it comes with studio one and midi input/output. Pretty good bang for the buck.

I have this and it's really nice. Also I've filled up all the inputs and outputs so ¯\ (ツ)

A Higher quality and well recommended mic would be the AT2020

I have an sm58, used, these can be found in the 50-100$ range, and they tend to live very long and kick a lot of ass. There are stories of these mics falling out of moving vehicles on tour and then (once picked up) continuing the tour working just fine.

I have a pair of ath m50xs but the m40s are also a great pair of headphones, and a real budget would be the m20s if you're looking for headphones.

I know you asked for budget, but op did a pretty good job already so if you don't really care about recording then get what OP got.

u/ect0s · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I use a set of Vmoda Crossfade headphones mostly now. They don't have an integrated microphone, so I grabbed their boom mic that plugs into the headphone cable in.

I was more worried about the sound quality for music listening and mixing than my voice quality from the microphone, but the mic sounds fine for gaming. If your a streamer or do youtube, your better off with a standalone microphone like the Blue Snowball as /u/motionglitch mentioned.

The headphones themselves are comfortable and fairly balanced frequency wise. I managed to find a store with them in stock and got a listen, and out of the options available they were the best choice.

As for the MIC, I had some issues getting it to stay put firmly, but otherwise its been fine. There are other similar Mic on cable setups, and corsair even makes a cheap 15 USD lavaliere mic that works.

https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Gaming-Headset-Headphone/dp/B00BJ17WKK/

https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-Crossfade-Over-Ear-Noise-Isolating-Headphone/dp/B00HYH7HXA

u/Tardsmat · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Get Superlux HD668 Headphones and a Zalman Z-MIC1 clip microphone. I can't find them on pricespy, but the headphones are about 30€ and they are the best i've ever listened to. Seriously, 100€+ headsets are nothing compared to them. I absoluotely love them, they sound extremely clean. just read some Amazon reviews and decide for yourself In any case, DO NOT buy a headset. Find yourself nice headphones and a clip Microphone and you will get much more value for your Money as headsets are overpriced.

u/camicazi · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

The headphones+ mic is much better if you are willing to spend ~150 dollars or more, my personal recommendation would be beyerdynamic dt990(open)/dt770(closed) if you mainly play singleplayer games and and dont care so much about positional sound, and akg k701/q701(both open) if you play multiplayergames and want perfect positional sound.

Pretty much any mic is as good or better than the ones in headsets, I personally have this one, and the sound quality is just as good as the mic in my 120 dollar headset, if you want a perfect mic this one is pretty popular, but I personally think that the zalman is more than enough.

But if you are more interested in headsets you should look at the other users recommendations

edit: forgot about the modmic, its really good (but not as good as the snowball), and is preferable if you want a little more expensive mic that is on the headphones rather than on the table

u/peachey777 · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I've heard good things about the HyperX headsets, that's a shame they broke in such a short time. I show you what I use for my headset/headphones, they might not appeal to everyone but I'm very happy I went this route. It will be a bit more expensive than the HyperX headsets.

So for headphones, I got the Philips SHP9500. They're $75 on amazon as I write this, and they're just wonderful headphones. Open back, amazing sound, easily the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn, and a detachable 3.5mm cable which is what makes using these as a headset so appealing
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-SHP9500-Precision-Over-ear-Headphones/dp/B00ENMK1DW

To turn these into a headset, you also gave to get the V-MODA BoomPro Mic, which is another $30. Because of the detachable 3.5mm cable on the headphones, the V-MODA BoomPro just plugs directly into the headset
http://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Gaming-Headset-Headphone/dp/B00BJ17WKK

So again this is more expensive and probably not for everyone, but I will personally never buy another gaming headset ever again after using a pair of these headphones

u/Lucidiously · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

A 2080 might even be overkill for 1080p depending on what games you play, but it should last you a long time and also leaves you the option to upgrade to a 1440p monitor if you so desire.

I'm not that knowledgeable about mice and keyboards, but for a mouse you can't really go wrong with a Logitech G502.

For (mechanical) keyboards there is a lot of choice in the $50-150 range, depending on what features you want such as RGB, I know Corsair makes good ones and I've got a CoolerMaster myself that I'm quite happy with, but there are a lot of other manufacturers. You could ask the folks over at /r/MechanicalKeyboards for advice, but be warned that it's a rabbithole, before you know it you'll be looking at $250 keyboards with custom keycaps. ;)

One thing I would do when it comes to mechanical keyboards is figure out what switches you prefer, there's a lot of variation. The ones that are used the most are Cherry MX, which come in several colours denoting their function. Reds are more silent and offer no resistance, Browns are more tactile, Blues are clicky like a typewriter and Blacks are like Reds but require a bit more force push down. Those are just the most common ones, and afaik most gamers stick with Reds or Browns. A switch tester like this can help you decide, you can find them much cheaper on Aliexpress though.

u/Computeria · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

1080p ultrawide or 1080p 16:9 144hz?

I'm looking at this LG 25UM58-P 25-Inch 21:9 UltraWide IPS Monitor with Screen Split https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BV1XB2K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_46O4ybHK7MS5T

And this ASUS VG248QE 24" Full HD 1920x1080 144Hz 1ms HDMI Gaming Monitor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B2HH7G0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_JgP4yb2Q6APTV

I am looking to try a nicer gaming monitor to replace my 60hz 1440p VA panel (viewsonic). Will be paired with my 1060 3gb and i7. Birthday is coming up and do not have a lot of money. Was previously set on trying 144hz gaming but what do you guys think? Would trying ultrawide gaming instead be better? The panel certainly looks like it will look better and my system should have an easier time hitting the refresh rate. I can't decide between looks and speed. They'll both be a general improvement over what I have now and losing screen size is a fine tradeoff for me. What are your guys thoughts/opinions?

u/SpinahVieh · -9 pointsr/pcmasterrace

> my issue is how far apart the keys are, total size, keysize and shape, weight, lack of dedicated macro keys

You can find most of these online. On the weight: This is a stretch and would just add to the budget, but there are desk mats for that which you can get pretty cheap. If not: Rubberized feet all the way! Also that sounds like you are abusing your keyboard, maybe you dont want blues but some heavier switches instead? When you buy a new mech, make sure to ask over at /r/mechanicalkeyboards! We love helping.
About macro keys: AutoHotKey! ;) I pretty much abuse Ctrl+F-Keys for that.
>Hadn't heard of the scimitar, but it seems one of the main complaints is that if your thumb is big, it will drag while pressing the buttons, naga has this too, but it seems to be worse on the scimitar, the naga is still returnable, so i might go try the scimitar in store and see if i like it more.

I havent tried it and I'm not even the typical PCMR Corsair fanboy (I'm actually pretty critical on their products), but the Scimitar looks effin' sweet! I wouldn't have thought that it has such problems as it is made to be used by pretty much every person.
>I looked into standalone mics and headsets, but the entry price seems about 195-260 total which is a lot more expensive than the 149 i payed.

Well, uhhhh...
I wanna add that Ive now had 3 pairs of headphones in that price range and the SHP9500 stood out BY FAR. They had such a clear sound, it was amazing.

u/shadyinternets · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

as others stated, gaming headsets are generally not the best here. get a decent pair of headphones, made by an actual headphone company and a mic and you will have 10x better sound than so called gaming headsets.

your best bet is probably ATH M40x headphones, $89 on amazon at the moment
https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M40x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR54

and a VModa BoomPro Mic for $29
https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Gaming-Headset-Headphone/dp/B00BJ17WKK/ref=pd_sim_267_12?


just plug the mic into the hedphones instead of the cord that came with the M40s and there you go. headphones when you just want headphones, and a full headset when you want that.


there is also the m50x for a bit more money at $139, though honestly i dont think its worth the extra money. especially just for playing games and basic listening from a computer or phone or something.
https://www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH-M50X-Headphones-Portable-Amplifier/dp/B01D6FKDT8/ref=sr_1_3?


there are also m30x that are only $69. but YOU DO NOT WANT THESE! these are cheaper than the m40, but these do not have the removable cable like the 40s and 50s do, meaning adding a mic will be more expensive/challenging as you cant just plug the $30 vmoda one in and be good to go.
so dont be tempted by the $20 savings on these> https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M30x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUQW8/ref=sr_1_1?

i own the m40x and the m50x as well as several far more expensive pairs of headphones and i can assure you it is hard to find much better sound, comfort and features for the price than you get with the the 40/50x. especially the removable cable, that is missing from my pairs that cost 6 times as much as the 40's.

u/DaysOfFog · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

As in cleaning your storage or stuff like keyboard, mouse, etc.?

For storage, CCleaner. Run it for a few minutes and it will find all the stuff that you don't need. Just try not to mess with the registry stuff, unless you know what you're doing. And uninstall all the programs/games you don't need.


For keyboard, I recommend pulling out your buttons, put them in water with soap, let it be for about 10 minutes, then clean the remaining stuff and dry them with a towel. The rest of the keyboard clean with a wet cloth. I also recommend Cyber Clean. It picks up all those things that you can't get with a cloth.

For mouse, a wet cloth will do just fine.

For your monitor, buy one of those screen cleaning sprays. Every once in a while, clean the cloth you got with the bottle.

The last thing is the case. Since it's quite new, I don't think it needs a lot of cleaning, but it's worth to look for dust. Pull the cable out of the electric socket, open the case and dust it off with those qtips (the things you clean your ears with) or try to buy a small vacuum cleaner from amazon. Remember, don't let the fans spin, because you can cause a short-circuit.

If there's a lot of dust, you'll just have to get all the parts out and clean it that way. And don't forget the dust filters, if you case has any.

When you get the heat sink off the processor, clean them and put on a new thermal paste. Look for some tutorials on youtube, because I've never tried this. I've also got my PC a few months ago.

And the power supply. Don't open it, unless you know what you're doing. Opening it also voids your warranty.

u/azucarr · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I have a Redragon K552 (RGB Backlit) and I love it! It is a bit loud but most mechanical keyboards are. The only downside is that there is no numberpad which is a plus if you are looking to free up some desk space for gaming or something. The colors are not as bright as I would like them to be but they are pretty to look at the key press is comfortable and responsive as heck. For $45 it is a very nice keyboard!

https://www.amazon.com/Redragon-K552-Mechanical-Keyboard-Equivalent/dp/B016MAK38U

u/Dark_Ethereal · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

You get Dolby Headphone from a soundcard. Asus does some really good soundcards which come with Dolby Headphone.

However, Dolby Headphone is probably not so great compared to SBX Pro Studio (but it may well be effected by personal preference). SBX Pro Studio comes with the newer Creative soundcards.

Do. not. get. gaming headphones/headsets. Do not buy any headphones that plug in via USB.

A USB headset has a built in soundcard (or DAC). So when you pay for that headphone, your buying headphones, a soundcard and a mic for the price you are paying, and you don't see how much is spent on what.
So will the DAC be a good DAC or a crappy DAC? Will the mic be good, but the playback quality shit? Or will the headphones be good and the mic sound like shit? You don't know how much is being spent on each one and they all come as a package, so you don't get any choice.

And every time you want to buy new headphones (because maybe they broke or something), you HAVE to replace that built in DAC as well, even though it may be functioning perfectly.
If your mic breaks, you have to replace everything. If the cable breaks, you have to replace everything.
Integrating everything in a USB headset is a surefire way to make people buy more really expensive stuff when things start failing.

A much better choice is to buy a separate soundcard/DAC, separate headphones and separate mic, ensuring the quality of your choice for each one. That way when one breaks, you replace that part of the system, not the whole system.

I personally recommend a good soundcard (for virtualization software that external DACs don't offer), a pair of headphones with detatchable cable, and one of these beauties.

I use the V-MODA Boompro with my Philips Fidellio X1 headphones (with Asus Xonar soundcard with Dolby headphone), so I've essentially made myself a $280 audiophile quality gaming headset like so. (But I got the headphones used through Amazon Warehouse and made savings.)

u/cmcbain · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I would recommend this monitor: https://www.amazon.com/VG248QE-1920x1080-144Hz-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B00B2HH7G0 It served me well with my 980ti. I'm a firm believer in being able to max out the refresh rate at a given resolution, instead of going for a higher res monitor you can't max out.

Currently rocking a 1080 ftw 1 with this guy https://www.amazon.com/PG279Q-2560x1440-G-SYNC-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B017EVR2VM/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1486857496&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+rog+monitor


ymmv, but moving from 60 to 144hz is a bigger difference for me than moving from 1080p to 1440p. (I also admittedly play FPS primarily so once again, ymmv) Best of luck my friend!

u/zakabog · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

> What do you think would be the best switches for me? MX Brown?

That's something you need to answer for yourself, if you can try and find a store that stocks Cherry MX switch keyboards and try them out.

> I also like my friend's Logitech Orion G810 keyboard, but I don't know the cherry MX equivalent to Romer-G.

Somewhat like a mix of red and brown.

I love my WASD Code keyboard with Cherry MX Brown switches, Amazon sent me this tester accidentally with one of my orders and it actually convinced me to get a Cherry MX Brown keyboard (after feeling how wonderful mechanical keys felt I needed to buy one.)

u/glowinghamster45 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

WD Blue's are solid and can frequently be found on sale. I picked up a 1tb at Microcenter for $40 not too long ago. Samsung SSD's are frequently considered the best, but there are plenty of other good ones that can be cheaper. Crucial, PNY, Sandisk come to mind offhand. Again, at Microcenter I think I picked up a 240gb Crucial ssd on sale for around $55. I have a Samsung in my personal rig, but the Crucial was going into an office machine to push spreadsheets, works great for that.

Edit: links for the wd blue and the crucial ssd. Not the prices I paid for them, but if you look around enough I'm sure you can find a better deal.

u/MisterMushroom · 3 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Monoprice 8323 is a good low-budget option. I've used these for around 2 years myself. Good pair of headphones, however the extension on one side has cracked and is beginning to crack on the other. It's easily repairable with electrical tape, and considering the color you can't really see it, but that is a factor. Cheap enough to replace if I really wanted to, however.

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x is close to the max on your budget, but is a universally recommended great option.

Whatever you get, make sure it has a replaceable/detachable cord.

/r/headphones has a good recommendation sub you may want to check out as well that will cover more ground.

u/evenmoreKUSH · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Why is the i7 necessary?

With the games you suggest she would be fine with an i5 or equivalent quad core and not know a difference at all.

I suggest you get an inspiron 15 7559.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1495047766&sr=1-3&keywords=inspiron+15+7559

I got this laptop last year. It is easy to upgrade. I put a SSD in the extra drive bay and upgraded the ram to 16gb for about $100 total. I can play all the games you mentioned on ultra. The battery is awesome and the the keyboard has a backlight.

What I really like about this laptop is that it looks professional. I can take this to meetings at work without being embarrassed by immature glowing neon colors.

The screen is an inch smaller than you would like and it packs an i5, but the cost/performance is great. Right now I think it is selling for $800 but it regularly drops to ~700 with sales.

I use mine every single day and I love it.

u/The-guy-behind-u · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

A good alternative to "garbage" gaming headsets would be a pair of headphones and a mic to go with it. Can't really tell what price point you mean by not to expensive is but because I have them I recommend Phillips SHP9500's. Now there are other great headpones out there made by Sennheiser, Audio-Terchnica, etc... but I have only used the SHP 9500's so I don't have an opinion on there quality. For a mic you can get something like a mod mic, v-moda boom pro(recomended for shp 9500) or a zalman clip on mic. Now I would advise looking up some headphones and find a headpone/mic combo in your budget and not just go shp9500/v-moda right away because I recommend them. Now for a soundcard the one in your mobo is good enough. Here is a post about this topic from a while back to shed some more light on it. https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/4nabvv/gaming_audio_and_you_why_995_of_gaming_headsets/

u/notwitty_username · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Hey there, sorry I didn't have a chance to get back to you earlier.

Honestly this Inspiron is a pretty good deal. If the Y50 ever goes back on sale on the Lenovo site that is a little cheaper, but still has a GTX960. Can't go wrong with a Sager though, if you don't mind the size.

You can run Minecraft pretty well on most Intel iGPUs, unless you need a more powerful dedicated GPU for other games.

u/gozit · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

You are probably best off buying a decent laptop like the Dell XPS 13 or 15, skylake editions with the i5 or better and 8GB of RAM or better, something like this http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Dell-XPS-15-9550-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.326871600 as well, you will never get good sound quality from an onboard sound card. So you will need to go for an external DAC/AMP combo, something like this http://www.amazon.com/Fiio-Olympus-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447788266&sr=8-1&keywords=fiio+e10k ... It has a headphone port that amplifies headphone sound as well as a line out port for sound systems / speakers.

I know the laptop is over your budget but think of stuff like battery life, portability, durability etc. You are going to want something nice, with a decent SSD, and that fits the bill. Cheers

u/Bigevilmegacorp · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

If you're on a budget, the JVC RX700's are great headphones for only $30 on amazon. Pair that with this clip-on mic and you now have a great headset for under $40.

I've been using this setup for about half a year now, and it works great for me. I had to crank the mic sensitivity all the way up, and the headphones are a solid-but-cheap feeling plastic. Other than that though, they really do sound amazing for only $30 (and the cord on both these products are easily long enough to reach around to the back of your PC).

u/PM-SOME-TITS-GURL · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Really can't recommend the ATH-M50x enough. I know they're a bit over your budget, but they are top tier introductory level headphones, just like a fine wine, the longer you have these the better they get.

After ~40-60 hours of burn-in time these things are going to sound ammmmaazzzzinng. I used mine for nearly 3 years before I upgraded to something more enthusiast grade in the $400 range. And even then I still use my M50s every day for listening to music at work.

Edit: Op, my bad, I read right over the fact you're looking for surround sound capable headphones. I have several friends who bought this pair of headphones together when they had a sale going, and all three of them swear by how great the overall sound stage is. And apparently they are non-virtualized, multi speaker driven surround sound. The reviews on amazon don't look promising, but my buddies insist that they've never had a run in with the series of complaints people have on amazon. So your mileage may very.

u/AlaskanBeard · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

It's not necessarily hi-res, but I'm super happy with my ASUS VG248QE's. Instead of something widescreen you could go with a dual monitor setup (I've got triple monitors).

I recommend them a log on this sub, but they're definitely worth it.

u/mhero18 · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

hi OP, I'm interested in entering this giveaway! Thank you very much! :)

Looks like everyone is raving about the G502 so I guess that's what I'm going for! don't know too much about gaming mice as I have a really basic one when I was on a budget. Looks like it's currently $57.98 on amazon and with tax will be $61.46 for me. :)

have fun and glad you finally got that refund!

u/lpmagic · 0 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I went with:

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M40x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR54/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524855100&sr=8-1&keywords=audiotechnica+mx40

and:

https://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1524855155&sr=1-3&keywords=zalman+clip+on+mic

that's a tiny bit over your budget, but, it's the best gaming set up I've ever had, when I want to just jam out, I unclip the mic. The sound is excellent. The mic works great, I use it on discord and TS all the time in a competitive environment. Quite often you will find these headphones on sale too, I htink i paid $80 or so and I also think the mic was a bit cheaper when I got it. can't go wrong.

u/Reanimations · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I use the Logitech G430s. They're $40 on Amazon at the time this comment was typed. I've had them for the past few months and they're great.

The 7.1 surround sound is awesome, and there's a pretty nice amount of bass. The ear cups are removable and washable, and the headband has a sort of memory foam as cushion. They feel good to wear for long periods of time and they don't make me sweat at all. It also comes with an above average mic. I can recommend them in a heartbeat.

u/xXGuyOnCrackXx · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Yeah portability is a key factor but it's not the end of the world. I personally don't care if my laptop weighs more because i just need to take from point a to b in a bag. Somebody might think that weight is a key factor.
Also we are talking about a jump from a i5 to an i7 which is a huge jump plus a dedicated graphics card. The built-in Intel graphics is okay for basic needs but it's nowhere close to a dedicated graphics card.

All of these are 500 to 700 with similar specs.
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-763BLK-Full-HD-GeForce/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=zg_bs_565108_6
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-15-i5558-5718SLV-Signature/dp/B018LH6FWK/ref=zg_bs_565108_7
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-15-6-Inch-Touchscreen-Performance/dp/B018LSJ82I/ref=zg_bs_565108_10

This is 780 with better specs and weighs less. Plus they straight up stole the design of the Macbook lol.
http://www.amazon.com/K501UX-15-inch-Gaming-Processor-Windows/dp/B0146DD02G/ref=zg_bs_565108_16

I just looked on Amazon because I was too lazy to go in depth but the point still stands, you can find a better deal for a better laptop at a lower price.

u/Aquagoat · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

If you've got a PCI slot on your mobo free you can get a wireless card to put in there for sure. Like this.
You could also get an Ethernet Over Power kit like this. You'd plug one into an outlet near your router, and run an ethernet cable from the router to it. Then plug the second one in near your PC, and connect to it with your ethernet cable. Voila. I've never used them, but I have a friend who uses one with great success.

u/TeamWorkOPleaseNerf · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

In the case of peripherals i would strongly recommend investing a good amount on them. They re gonna be with you a long time after all.

For monitors its a bit expensive but this is la creme de la creme while still being reasonable, gonna need a big desk tho https://pcpartpicker.com/product/bMKcCJ/msi-optix-ag32cq-315-2560x1440-144hz-monitor-optix-ag32cq

A more affordable 1440p 144 hz monitor, also supports gsync compatible https://pcpartpicker.com/product/t4Crxr/acer-monitor-umhg0aa001

​

Some cheapo headphones that still manage some incredible soundstage and clear sound https://www.amazon.com/Superlux-HD668B-Dynamic-Semi-Open-Headphones/dp/B003JOETX8

The classical 559 from seenheiser https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-559-Open-Headphone/dp/B01L1IIEKM

​

And if you talk in games/chat on discord a lot get this mic that sounds almost profesional grade https://www.amazon.com/Samson-Mic-Portable-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B001R76D42

​

Windows you may ask? I dont want to pay them 110 dollars for a license, well the gray market on ebay/amazon has deals on keys for 10 or 5 bucks. How can they get so cheap? Well oem manufacturers buy them in bulk, that way you can make a 300 dollar pc with win 10 and still make profit.

Alternatively this has worked for me in the past. You dont even need to install a thing on your pc https://msguides.com/microsoft-software-products/2-ways-activate-windows-10-free-without-software.html

To install it downoald it with the media creation tool from microsoft into an empty usb then boot to it with the new pc.

u/EnglishTimelord · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Do you realise that 5.1 and 7.1 are pure marketing gimmicks?

Stereo is better at positional audio for headphones/headsets, Here and Here are examples of what can be done with stereo.

Here are some good headphones that will easily beat any headset, well under budget too. For a mic try Modmic or the Zalman.

Edit: The best for positional audio below like $500 is this. For durability the Audio Technica M50x and Beyerdynamic dt-770 are good.

u/Lenfried · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

If you're talking about this laptop, I recommended it to a friend and he's pretty happy with it. I think it's the best value mid range laptop, just make sure to get the version with SSD in it.

u/rgrass · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

OK, so all you need is a microphone.

TheEternalNightmare's suggestion of the Zalman Zm-Mic1 will get the job done but this is a case of "You get what you pay for" at less than $10 it's not much. But it is a mic; you talk, they hear you (mostly).

If you're willing to spend more (around $50) the Blue Snowball iCE is a pretty good choice. Connects with USB.

If you need something like a standard headset boom mic the Antlion ModMic is probably your best bet. It sorta just sticks to the side of the headphone cups and connects to the
3.5mm microphone port. It's around $55

It just depends on what you want and what you're willing to pay for.

u/Cjprice9 · 3 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Do you really need a sound card? Your motherboard will likely have a pretty good one in there already. That $250 is very expensive, either save the money or use it for a better GPU.

That monitor is a good one, however since you're using an AMD card, I recommend this one instead. It costs about the same, and has freesync, along with the 1080p and 144hz.

That motherboard is a bit pricy for the sort of build you're doing. You could shave off ~$50 from your overall price there.

I'd recommend shaving some price off those peripherals and using the money to get a solid-state drive along with your HDD.


u/PhantomIsFrightened · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

For LANs, I recommend the Logitech G430s. For home, I recommend something like the Sennheisher HD 598s if you have a large budget and play alone in a room (due to them being open back) and pair it with a dedicated mic like a Blu Yeti. I, personally, would stray away from both of the headphones you have listed due to the fact that they are both marketed towards gamers, and generally, headsets of the sort will be of poorer quality (more on that here). If you're on a tight budget, but still want high quality sound, I'd recommend a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50Xs' with the Blu Snowball. I also saw you mention the kinds of headsets used by professional gamers. Pros usually are sponsored by certain brands, and in turn, use the brands gear (such as mice, keyboards, headphones, etc.). Additionally, pros generally use 2 separate pairs of headphones, one pair of in-ear monitors, and one pair for noise cancellation. The pair used for noise cancellation is generally one own of their sponsors. As you continue to search for a pair, please consider what I have mentioned, and feel free to ask me any questions.

u/joheinous · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Switches are the thing that tell when you press the key, certain switches do certain things. Blue ones tend to be loud but satisfying. Red ones are sort of in the middle between quiet and loud. This is a guide. If you are planning on spending a lot on a keyboard you can get a tester kit and test each switch to see which would suit you best. You could also make a trip out to best buy or your local tech store to try out the keyboard they have on display.

u/Wolfanini · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

One last update before I build my machine:

Everything other than the video card and SSD has been delivered.

I was able to order a 240GB Crucial BX200, normally $65, for $50~ on Amazon. That should be delivered tomorrow.

Just ordered this video card which is $130 after the rebate. I'm nearly there!

I've got an LCD monitor at my dad's which I'm sure has an abysmal refresh rate, but perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised. I'm planning on picking up this Asus gaming monitor after I get my tax return. Unless you know of a cheaper alternative with comparable specs?

Lastly, I plan to pick up a Zowie EC2. Those don't seem to go on sale very often.

Again, thank you for your help. Excited to rejoin the PC master race.

u/batman7494 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Hello! I'm also in the military and I have this laptop. It's a pretty awesome machine, Skylake i5, 960m, 8gb RAM, and it come with an SSD! Screen is 1080p and is pretty good. I've had it for about 8 months now and it's still holding up well. Best of all it comes with no bloatware. Also it's very easy to add a Hard drive, you just have to remove a single screw in the back and then you just put it in the empty space. Dell 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (6th Gen Intel Quad-Core i5-6300HQ Processor up to 3.2GHz, 8GB DDR3, 256GB SSD, Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M, Windows 10) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_93pYxbE4CPFQS

u/chouetteonair · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

My recommendation is /r/headphones, but while you're here check out the Sony MDR-V6 ($76) with replacement pads ($24.50) for comfort. I don't know how it'll do for sound whoring, but it looks like they've been a staple for decades in studio work.


Closed-back, over ear, fixed coiled 10' cable (this is long, really long), and pretty well recommended from the looks of things. It looks like these headphones are more expensive right now than usual though.


I use the Sennheiser 558 (was $80, seems to be getting replaced), but they're open backed (great for music but with non-existant isolation).

u/UnicornCrackFace · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

So after reading over a few times and looking at the linked wiki I feel a bit more confident when looking.

My desk is a standard height with a narrower shelf circa 30-40 cm higher. I have a desk mount clamped to the shelf for my monitor and keyboard and mouse on the lower section. My pc is set below the desk currently.

The main reason for separating the mic and headphones is that I found that "gaming headsets" are gimmicky and the sound quality from them doesn't compare to standalone headphones (with DAC/preAmp). So this is the route I'm taking- but this left me with the task of getting a desk mic.

My previous headset always left staticy sounds running through skype etc, so was looking to invest a bit more this time round. Now I didn't realise about the phantom power. Thanks for this.

I was looking at this https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2CIWW6MEVV8FK&coliid=ISASLKK24FDV4
as a DAC and PreAmp, but are there options to plug mic into a standalone unit alongside headphones? (That you're aware of)

I think a boom arm nearer my face is definitely the option that seems best for noise cancellation like you suggested.

u/Heff2010 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I personally recommend the G502, but it is up to personal preference. Go to a store like best-buy and feel some of the display models they have. Get the one you like best that fits into your budget. Buy is online though, you'll save monies that way...

u/DAVdaBRAV · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Also came here to say that a light weight laptop and a gaming desktop is a very comfortable combo if you have the budget for it.

I don't have a single specific recommendation, but I have this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015PYYDMQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&pldnSite=1&th=1 which is a Dell Inspiron 15" Which has enough punch to play some games under 1000 USD (the amazon page also links to the current version of it). I like it fine, but I use it as a backup for my desktop, and if I were in your situation I would prioritize something lighter for carrying everywhere and taking notes in classes.

I have been in the university setting before, and if I were to purchase a new laptop to for that use case today, I would make these my top priorities (and in this order):

  1. Keyboard layout (The laptop I linked has a built-in number pad, I like it much better than my previous laptop that did not. Also, if there is a tiny backspace, weirdly placed trackpad, etc., nothing else the laptop does will ever make up for it.)
  2. Battery life
  3. Solid state drive capacity. (Personally, I wouldn't install a spinning drive in a portable device anymore.)
  4. Weight
  5. Screen resolution (1080 > 768)
  6. Processing speed

    The other big benefit of the laptop + Desktop combo is that you can sync your coursework on both of them and if something bad happens to one (Surprise Windows update anyone?) you've already got everything on another computer with your printer already installed.
u/monhies916 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I can't offer much insight into desktops but being in school I had to choose portability. I bought this dell laptop and it has been pretty good for me. It has decent specs and doesn't cost much more than a normal laptop. The best part is that it does not get that hot like my other laptops even under gaming.

u/Nepetis · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Headphones and mic.

I personally don't talk too much, sometimes I will play a few games with friends and we will but if I am solo or just don't want to, headphones give me best audio quality for the price.

I got these headphones and this microphone.

The microphone is good quality but picks up a lot of background noise: something to consider if you will be in a noisy environment.

From testing though, that mic gives better quality than my old Siberia V2 headset, and the headphones give much better audio. The headphones are uncomfortable for periods longer than 3 hours at first but they are fine for much longer after a week of use.

Just recommendations on what I use; but whatever your choice, get headphone and mic. (/r/headphones will help)

u/BNasty20 · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I might be late but I just stumbled across this post. I use my 950's for gaming and listening to music. They work great for gaming (Xbox 1). I play PubG and I can pinpoint exactly where players are around me. The built in mic never did work for gaming. The mic only worked with a telephone. I knew this before I bought them so I bought a VModa mic to use for gaming. https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Microphone-Gaming-Communication/dp/B00BJ17WKK

This mic is the one I bought. It is pricey now but I found it on sale for like $18-$20 when I bought it.

I had the headphones for two years before the headband broke. I never worked out or ran in them (strictly gaming and music). It broke right where the headphones rotate. The plastic cracked where the screws are. Luckily I was able to duct tape and super glue. Lasted longer than my Beats Studio Wireless. Wanted to give you an update on durability.

Hope I'm not too late!

u/LordSocky · 3 pointsr/pcmasterrace

The simulated surround sound completely warps the audio, I wouldn't recommend enabling it.

The included USB dongle can improve your sound quality significantly for both headphones and microphone if your motherboard has bad onboard sound, or your case's front panel audio connectors are of poor
quality (like mine!)

The microphone is really good, has built-in noise cancellation that filtered out the noise of my huge box fan a few feet away blowing directly on me, and my several case fans, without messing up my voice.

The padding is very comfortable, especially if you have a big head, and the earpieces can be rotated 90°, so you can quickly pull them down and they hang comfortably around your neck.

Sound quality isn't audiophile-level, but it's pretty decent, if a bit bassy, like almost all gaming headsets.

All in all, these headphones are excellent, ESPECIALLY for $40.

u/Dis9942 · 6 pointsr/pcmasterrace

for the love of god don't get a headset, get headphones and a separate mic. What is your budget? If you are a foot step fanatic like me, I HIGHLY recommend this pair of open back headphones. Get a Vmoda boom pro if you want a headset like mic, or for a traditional mic get a Fifine one, they have an amazing budget line up.

u/nicolass1101 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I personally have the Audio Technica ATH-M30x and they are really comfortable and sound really good. These are the best of the best though. For microphones, the Snowball is pretty good but I got the Yeti for $60 during black friday and its amazing

u/frostpudding · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I know that these are pretty widely recommended, all closed with detachable cables:

Audio Technica M40x ($100):

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M40x-Professional-Headphones-Headphone/dp/B00UG7QMPO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1517785116&sr=8-3&keywords=audio+technica+ath-

Audio Technica M50x ($150):

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR86/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1517785267&sr=1-3&keywords=audio+technica+ath-m50x

(compared to the 40x, these swivel and a bit better sound AFAIK)

Sennheiser HD598 ($150):

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-598-Cs-Headphone/dp/B01JP436TS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1517785068&sr=8-3&keywords=sennheiser+hd

Beyerdynamic Custom Pro ($150):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PK2LJ4E/ref=twister_B00WU2YVQA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Pretty sure you can replace all of the ear pads. I personally just bought the Beyerdynamic Custom Studios, which are the Pros with better sound + velour pads. I personally picked theirs because they are known for their comfort and you can replace almost anything on those headphones, including the padded headband. You just snap it on/off.

u/OmniscientBacon · 3 pointsr/pcmasterrace

The CPU cooler on the Ryzen 1400 is actually pretty good. It would be more beneficial to get a 120/240 ssd instead. The 1060 6GB is still pretty over priced right now because of mining so it might be worth waiting. And [something] (https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Express-Adapter-TL-WDN4800/dp/B007GMPZ0A) like this would be good for your wifi card.

u/TheVetNoob · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Are you dead set on a laptop? You can get much better value from a desktop. Why do you need a keyboard and monitor if you're buying a laptop? I also need a rough estimation of how much you're willing to spend.

Mouse and Monitor

Headset: Please don't get a headset. 7.1 is also pointless with headphones, because you can't get "surrounded" by sound when there's a multiple speakers within inches of each other. Get a pair of headphones, and an inexpensive, well reviewed mic. You'll get much better audio quality, and you usually get better mic quality as well. Check out /r/headphones for a list of quality headphones. If your headphone budget is under $50, I highly recommend the Superlux 681 or Superlux 688. They're widely considered to be the best headphones under $50, and I have them myself.

Keyboard: /r/mechanicalkeyboards

u/apriarcy · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

https://www.amazon.com/AOC-G2460PF-24-Inch-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B01BV1XBEI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480692350&sr=8-1&keywords=144hz+freesync

I just bought one of these and I'm very pleased with it. The high framerate and FreeSync is amazing. The color accuracy isn't the greatest, but if you tinker with the OSD settings you can get it looking pretty nice. I will never go back to 60hz and non-FreeSync by choice.

Edit: It looks like your 270x doesn't support FreeSync, I forgot to mention that. But the monitor would still be a good choice because of the high refresh rate and 1ms response rate. Having FreeSync leaves you open to upgrade to a supported GPU when the 270x no longer can keep up.

u/st0neh · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

If you can manage it then then Sennheiser Game Ones are definitely the best headset option, but they do hover around the $150 option so they may be over budget once currency is taken into account.

The Sennheiser HD 558s are probably your best option as far as headphones go, and you can definitely pick up a much cheaper mic than a Modmic.

http://amzn.com/B00029MTMQ

Isn't the best quality in the known universe but it'll get the job done and it's VERY popular.

Lack of soundcard probably won't be a big deal depending on your motherboard, and if it is then you can pick up an Asus Xonar DGX pretty cheap later on.

u/jbramont · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

These headphones + This mic would give you better quality than any of the headsets you mentioned.

You don't have to go with that exact pairing, that is only a popular example at a great entry price.

Decent headphones + mic, will be better than any "gaming" headset, in both sound quality in gaming, and in voice quality for chatting.

If you must go with a gaming headset, this is the best you'll get.

u/Combatical · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

G502 for the mouse, as for keyboard, youre going to want to start getting into the mechanical keyboard game.. And there are many types of switches with different feels to them. Get yourself a switch tester and try out the different kinds of keys and see which one you like the feel of the best.. My personal favorite are browns, but it varies widely from person to person. After that, check out the folks over at /r/mechanicalkeyboards they are pretty helpful and super knowledgeable on the topic.

u/Milicona · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I'd personally stay away from razor, their products don't tend to last long before running into issues, and they are overpriced as well.

Go with a different brand like Logitech or corsair. For your typing experience it really comes down to the types of switches for the keys. Red switches are considered by many to be the best for gaming, blue switches are stiffer and provide a better typing experience in my opinion but work fine for games as well but are a bit noisier. Brown switches are the loudest, and should probably only be used for typing.

So in my opinion, go with a mechanical keyboard from any company other than razor that uses red or blue switches.

This seems like a good choice, unless you need a number pad. https://www.amazon.com/Redragon-K552-Mechanical-Keyboard-Equivalent/dp/B016MAK38U/ref=sxin_2_ac_d_pm?ac_md=2-0-VW5kZXIgJDUw-ac_d_pm&crid=IYAK9U1PPCEC&keywords=mechanical+gaming+keyboard&pd_rd_i=B016MAK38U&pd_rd_r=09716618-e63c-45d9-95e3-265e3fd28696&pd_rd_w=raWHR&pd_rd_wg=jw7Wo&pf_rd_p=64aaff2e-3b89-4fee-a107-2469ecbc5733&pf_rd_r=C3FQ6535BPN7SX7Z30MB&psc=1&qid=1565591070&s=electronics&sprefix=mechani%2Celectronics%2C167

u/FatEskimo97 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

You can probably find these for lower prices than in the links, but I'm just providing some main ones:

-----

Headphones: Audio Technica ATH M50x: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR86

With

Mic: Modmic 4.0 (microphone that attaches to your headset): http://www.modmic.com/collections/frontpage/products/modmic-4-0

-----

OR (you can mix-and match too. Like if you want the Modmic with the M50 or the Snowball with the M50x, go for it)

-----

Headphones: Audio Technica ATH M50 (older version of the M50x I linked. Lower price and just as good. Only problem is that I can only find them in white, but you could probably find black versions on eBay): http://www.buydig.com/mobile/product.aspx?sku=ATHM50WH

With

Mic Blue Snowball USB Mic (awesome quality mic with 3 different recording signatures you can switch to. This is actually the mic I have and I use it for gaming as well as recording myself/my band playing guitar): http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-Microphone-Textured/dp/B000EOPQ7E

With

Extra: Pop filter (you really should get one of these with a real microphone. They reduce the "popping" sound caused by the fast-moving air against the metal and pieces inside the mic that you'll get when yelling into the mic): http://www.amazon.com/Dragonpad%C2%AE-Studio-Microphone-Flexible-Gooseneck/dp/B008AOH1O6/ref=pd_bxgy_MI_img_y

-----

Here's a video that kills 2 birds with 1 stone. It shows both what a pop filter does as well as shows you the Blue Snowball: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KREN_ojEnKo

-----

If you decide to go with the Snowball (my personal recommendation. Even better if you play instruments and feel like recording) you pretty much need to get the pop filter. I'll answer any other questions too.

u/ERROR134 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Best answer: Do not get a gaming Headset! Buy Headphones, a soundcard and a microphon.
Personally I think this is the best setup, many people think that too:
Superlux Headphones
ASUS Soundcard If you want take the DGX if you want to put it in an PCI-e slot.
Zalman Mic-1
This guarantees amazing soundquality. EVERY so called Gaming Headset is a fail, I promise! This headphones are incredibly good, it is better than most ones that cost up to 150-200€. You also get 5.1 and the costs are really really low.

u/dvorak_qwerty · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

i picked up this guy for 250USD a couple weeks back.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B2HH7G0/ref=s9_qpp_gw_p147_d35_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-7&pf_rd_r=1MBGEYN3T835G2M70DPV&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200342&pf_rd_i=507846

I like it but the color isnt great. i chose it for the 144hz, 1ms response and 24in size. i think in this price range (even though 199Blbs is like 331USD) you have to chose between excellent color or excellent speed. i think the monitors with both are in the 450-500USD range. dont know if it helps you in the uk, you know queen willing and all.

u/LooperGamer · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Hi guys sorry for the long reply and yes I completely forgot about posting the GPU I will add it now to this comment and to the list along with the items I left out apologies. (I will be adding the desk and gaming chair as I guess its necessary) Sorry again as theses items are on amazon.

DVD Drive: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00WHU2J4Q/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AF7E5A82QCFP9


Monitor: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01BV1XBEI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Mouse & Keyboard: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00FILMEPK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3POKN5ZIQ456H

Desk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B018GCZJF4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3W1YAJZVE78ZY

Chair: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KPL7FXE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2PMGTX81ALFWA

GPU: https://www.amazon.co.uk/EVGA-Nvidia-GeForce-Gaming-Graphic/dp/B01GVHNWUK/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1475177807&sr=1-3&keywords=gtx+1070.

As for the Intel i7 I do plan on making, creating and editing videos for the future as well as rendering but because of my research I have come to the conclusion the i5 does not perform well at rendering videos or editing for that matter (I have a youtube channel but mediocre at best, as I use an elgato capture device for consoles and it connects to my laptop which cant even handle 1080p videos on youtube, and takes 3-4 hours to render a video)

Another thing I forget to mention is that the i5 costs £219 while the i7 costs £289. theres not that much of a difference if you think about it future wise.

And as for the GPU gtx 1070 if you say that it is only needed for 2k gaming do you suppose that the 1060 would be a better choice as the price difference is around £100.

u/Zerowantuthri · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I have the Fidelio X2 and love it. Really comfortable and sounds great. Better still...you do not need an amp to run it well (although it runs fine with one too). While it is an open backed headset the noise leakage is pretty minor. Unless someone is sitting within 10 feet of you it probably won't bother them...YMMV.

They really punch above their weight for the price. A surprisingly good pair of headphones.

If you need voice coms you can add a V-Moda Boom Mic for another $30 (I have that too...works great since this headset has a detachable cable).

My previous set of cans was an overpriced Beyerdynamic gaming headset. The sound was good and the mic was very nice but I hated everything else about that headset. Truly top of my list of buyer's regret. I am literally restraining myself from going off on a rant about them. I got a puppy and she ate the cord. I was not happy at first but I think she did me a favor. I am waaaay happier with the X2's and a boom mic.

u/ImpatientPedant · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

You can't 'build' one yourself but I think there are sites where you can customize and add and remove parts.

Even mini ITX builds are unsuitable for bike rides, so a laptop would be the way to go. Try r/suggestalaptop as well.

I personally like the Dell Inspiron 7559 (my current laptop) as it's bang for buck. Here it is. I could not find it elsewhere. The Lenovo Y50 seems decent as well. Good luck

u/charliethepetrolhead · 0 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I'd get a decent mic and headphones, I use this Zalman mic which does the job just fine, but is a little fiddly. You could also spend a little more on a ModMic which I've heard good things about.

For headphones, I'd recommend the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X - they're good, and should be even better with your sound card.

Apologies for the UK links.

u/Kyzriel · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I currently use the SteelSeries Arctis 3, and it's good. As is the Siberia 200 from them. Many people will probably recommend the HyperX Cloud headsets as well.

I would honestly recommend, if you can get the money together for it, to invest in a good pair of headphones and a cheap-ish USB studio microphone. You'd only need about $150, which isn't too bad compared to some of the overkill audio setups I've seen around. You can also just get a cheap little lavalier microphone with the headphones as well.

u/JRD_ · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I could be talking out of my ass, but isn't ping in online games like LoL and Overwatch based on the game servers' location? So the Speedtest wouldn't be using the same server as LoL and Overwatch use, which could explain the difference in ping. For example, when I do a Speedtest on Ookla I have 22 ms, but my ping in Overwatch is never below 70, which I believe is due to my distance from their server. Then again, I could be completely wrong about this.

The only thing I could think of would be to try a wired connection as the person below me suggested. You could even move your computer into your mom's office (where the router is located) and plug it directly into the router for 5 minutes to see if that effects your ping. If it does, then buy a Powerline Adapter, again, as suggested by the user below and you're all set. A Powerline adapter works by plugging one adapter into an AC outlet near the router, and plugging and ethernet cable from the router into that, and then placing the other adapter near your computer and plug an ethernet cable from that adapter to your PC. This image explains it very simply. Best of luck!

u/benjiman1999 · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

There's a 30 USD KB/m bundle on amazon from Havit with rgb backlighting.
Here's a link if you're interested: HAVIT Rainbow Backlit Wired Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Combo (Black) [ 2016 Model ] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016Y2BVKA/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_lAPBxb35FTA9J

Alternatively, if you don't care about having a numpad, and have a slightly larger budget you could get a tenkeyless mechanical for around 40 usd. Here's one from amazon: Redragon K552 KUMARA LED Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016MAK38U/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_rHPBxbFAE905Q

I would highly recommend the mechanical keyboard if your budget will allow it, but the other one is also pretty good. The mechanical will most likely last much longer (assuming you don't smash it to bits with a hammer or something) so that might be a better long term investment, so at least take that into consideration.

u/Robert_Skywalker · 7 pointsr/pcmasterrace
u/Exactually · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Not sure if this is the correct place to ask but I need some building advice. I'll be building a mITX machine for VR development in a couple of weeks and am upgrading my setup to support it. My budget is $1500. Should I get a 24" Asus VG248QE G-sync monitor or should I use the funds to make the build better? My current monitor is a 27" Hanns G

I'm also curious about my power supply. I have a CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-650TX and was wondering if I should get a new modular PSU with 750W or stick with what I have?

u/Alpha_Cake · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

WD color codes their HDDs for certain tasks. Blue is for everyday tasks, and green is for storage. There are more such as red for RAID setups, black for max performance, or even purple for surveillance systems.

WD Blue: http://www.amazon.com/WD-Blue-Desktop-Hard-Drive/dp/B0088PUEPK

WD Green: http://www.amazon.com/WD-Green-Desktop-Hard-Drive/dp/B006GDVREI

u/rekkeu · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

I bought this laptop back in June. It performs well for what I wanted it to do which was moderate gaming while away from home. I did not expect to be running any current gen games at high settings which it won't.

Few examples of what I have played on it with good settings would be.... Borderlands 1 and 2, diablo 3, wow, overwatch, bioshock, csgo, and a multitude of platformers and rogue-likes. It comes stock with a 256GB ssd with the ability to add a second ssd if you wish. I added an extra 1TB over the holidays and it was extremely simple to install. Can't recommend this laptop enough for what I bought it.

u/Flying_Spaghetti_ · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I REALLY like the Logitech G502. It feels amazing in your hand and has all the awesome features you want in places you won't accidentally hit.

u/mattmonkey24 · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Going to need a budget haha.

These are good and there is a free mod that upgrades them to the next model (HD 598) called the foam mod. I'd suggest trying open back headphones because of the better soundstage which is great for games


https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-558-Headphones/dp/B004FEEY9A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468695436&sr=8-2&keywords=sennheiser+hd518

u/malignSAINT · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

IPS for the best picture possible and TN for the best response times. VA is kinda I'm the middle ground.

IPS typically doesn't go under a 5ms response timea but some can simulate 1ms

TN might not look as pretty but they more easily achieve 1ms response times and you can get some decent 1440p 144hz monitors.

So really it depends on if you are gaming or not. For a non competitive game I would recommend an IPS because they look so amazing but for fast paced games like shooters and such TN might be the way to go. I have this TN panel as my main monitor for gaming and 2 IPS displays on the sides for different things like youtube on one side or when I'm streaming I have chat on one and all of my technical stuff on the other.

u/Chopstick2U · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

You've already got standard headphones you like? The easy, cheap option is to get the Zalman Zm-Mic1. It clips to your headphone cable and plugs into your PC's headphone input.

If you really want to keep those headphones and you are also willing to spend more money on better voice quality, get the Antlion ModMic.

There are a ton of great reviews for both of these products on Youtube. The general consensus seems to be that gaming headsets don't give you good sound quality for their price, and you're better off buying your mic and headphones separately.

u/Twak83 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

As other people have said, if you want a headset get a hyperX Cloud II.

Orrrr, you could get a much better set of headphones with a clip on mic that's just as good as a headset's.

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-558-Headphones/dp/B004FEEY9A?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

--
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00029MTMQ/ref=s9_acsd_hps_bw_c_x_1

shrug IMO a headset is like a prebuilt, medium quality at best for way too much money. (:

u/MrAtom1 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

For a mouse i'd recommend the Logitech G502 , many people here love this mouse and looks very good, the price is also pretty good