I know it's spendy, like 50 bucks spendy, but those vacuum blowers on amazon are 100% worth.

However, you will become the roaming pc cleaner.

Edit:http://www.amazon.com/Metro-ED500-DataVac-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW?ie=UTF8&keywords=air%20compressor%20for%20computer&qid=1465497952&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Edit:if you're concerned about ESD there's a more expensive one I think that's ESD resistant.

I actually already asked this question to /r/pcgaming and got some excellent feedback.

I ended up purchasing a 1440p 60hz monitor for the resolution later that day, and just picked up a 1080p 144hz recently, so I have the advantage of playing with both of them side by side to give you an accurate insight.

The 1440p has much higher color quality and makes games look ridiculously beautiful. The fact that you're at 2k 1440p means you really don't need much, if any AA to get smooth models. The desktop work space is very nice to have outside of gaming, especially if you work on editing video or do graphics design. This thing is BRIGHT. I had to turn the brightness almost all the way down just to keep it at a comfortable level, especially at night.

What I've noticed with my 1440p is if you're running a rig with a 970 or a card of equivalent or lesser performance, playing 2k 1440p resolution with ultra settings will yield framerates under 60 in most AAA games.

It also is a double loss in performance because the games you do have that pump out over 100 fps tear badly on 60 hz monitors. The lack of consistency in frames per second in general is noticeable enough to degrade the entire gaming experience. This can be somewhat fixed by enabling vertical sync, but it doesn't work well in every game, causes input lag sometimes, and from what I've observed it's there just to do what it can.

In a nutshell, 1440p didn't match up with my system's performance output at all. I had to actually turn down games in order to get a substantial, fluid frame rate. And even then, it was still capped at 60 fps max. I even overclocked my monitor to 75hz, and it looked worse even though it read 75 fps in-game. And turning down the game's resolution to 1080p on the 1440p monitor obviously didn't look good at all.

The 1080p 144hz monitor isn't as great in the color and clarity department on the desktop (in-game there is a smaller, noticeable difference, however it is not a deal-breaker), but holy cow when I first connected it, the difference was night and day. The game was so much more fluid and played more "live" if that makes any sense. Every single game looked and played like it felt like it was supposed to, some even better.

I wanted to cry when I first played CS:GO at 275 fps. It was that beautiful.

In all seriousness though, being at 1080p vs 1440p meant my graphics card could pump out much higher framerates above 60 at ultra settings with AA, where it was having trouble staying in the 50s in Witcher 3 at 1440p with some things such as foliage distance, shadow quality, nvidia hairworks, draw distance, and terrain quality turned down or off completely. I love my 1440p monitor and its resolution, but it just doesn't do well for gaming on this rig.

And the biggest difference? I was actually able to SEE the frames at 100+ fps. I play games exclusively on my 144hz monitor now while the 1440p is great for a second monitor with a large desktop workspace.

At 1080p@144hz, you will get higher and much more consistent, fluid frame rates that won't screen tear at higher ultra with AA. Games look so much better, I cannot stress that enough. OR at 1440p you'll get lower frame rates at lower graphics settings at the cost of a higher resolution, and will have bad screen tearing in games pumping out over 100 fps, forcing you to enable vertical sync.

After playing with both of them for many hours, if I had to go back and pick one, I'd pick the 1080p 144hz hands down. Actually if I could have an extra $1200+ to throw down, I'd pick up a 1080 pascal and a 1440p@144hz monitor.

TL;DR Don't get a 1440p unless you have the rig to back it up. If you want to push 1440p for gaming, you'll need a rig running a 980/i5 or better, and a 1440p monitor with 144hz to get the minimum performance necessary for games to look as good as you paid to play them at that quality. Otherwise, go 1080p@144hz.


My rig for those wanting details:

Edit: Duh, forgot to include the monitors in the pcpartpicker:

• Asus VG248QE 24" 1080p@144hz
  
• Acer G257HU 25" 1440p@60hz
  
  
  PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
  
  Type|Item|Price
  :----|:----|:----
  CPU | Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
  CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler |
  Motherboard | MSI H110M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard |
  Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory |
  Storage | Sandisk Ultra II 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive |
  Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card |
  Power Supply | Corsair Gaming 700W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply |
  Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) |
  | Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
  | Total (before mail-in rebates) |
  | Mail-in rebates |
  | Total |
  | Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-03 09:18 EDT-0400 |

stop buying these worthless cans of air and buy an electric duster.. never going back to these cans.
http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395329983&sr=8-1&keywords=electric+duster

Powerline. I have this exact one. Works like a charm

Congrats on the new computers. You might want to air blower to clean your and your brother's computers every so often, especially since you have a pet. Having dust and pet fur in a computers can slow it down. I would recommend this. Other computer enthusiasts might know of better computer cleaners.

Thanks for all the great art!

Philips SHP9500 HiFi Precision Stereo Over-ear Headphones (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ENMK1DW?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf. And the mic is V-MODA BoomPro Gaming, VoIP Headset Headphone with Mic (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJ17WKK?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf. I highly recommend them, sound quality is amazing but the only downside is everyone can hear your shit.

Never buying a can of compressed air again.

Congratulations! It looks like you just found a nice computer! It appears you're missing a hard drive/solid state drive, SATA cable, and operating system.

To begin, you'll want to get an unused hard drive or solid state drive. These can be found on Amazon, Newegg, or in Bestbuy (among other places). I'll supply links to a few examples below. After you've made you're selection, you'll need a SATA cable. This cable allows you to hook the drive up to your motherboard. The last step is to install Windows. All in all, it's a very simple process albeit a bit time consuming (primarily for the Windows installation).

This is a very simple explanation of an also relatively simple installation/resolution. If you'd like more detailed instructions, I'd be happy to help!

Hard Drive Example

Solid State Drive Example

SATA Cable

Operating System (Windows 10)

Ubuntu is also a FREE operating system that is compatible with your hardware. Most users are experienced with Windows, which is why I listed it. Personally, I prefer Windows over Ubuntu.

Powerline Adapters are a blessing. I got the two-port version so I can have my PS4 and PC plugged in at the same time.

Get something like this. It literally runs internet through the power cables in your house. Plug one next to your router with an ethernet cable, and one near you device with an ethernet cable. Instant internet.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Powerline-ethernet-Adapter-TL-PA4010KIT/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1543444947&sr=1-4&keywords=powerline+adapter

might want to make an investment

Go to Amazon and get one of the following:

• Western Digital 1TB Blue - $44
  
  
• Seagate 1TB BarraCuda - $44
  
  Or you can spend $15 more and get twice the storage:
  
  
• Western Digital 2TB Black - $110
  
• Seagate 2TB BarraCuda - $60
  
  These are all 7200 RPM drives and are from a reputable source.
  
  Edit: Changed 2TB WD to Black, which is 7200 RPM

Or spend a bit more, and never buy a can again.

http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

Just a word of warning - I implemented this in my car, and ran into a few hurdles:

1. Audio output was too quiet, haf to crank my stereo to 100%. Installed a USB soundcard ( https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-AU-MMSA/dp/B00IRVQ0F8 ) to correct the issue.
   
2. Calling support is limited! Just launches speakerphone on your phone, no bluetooth audio support for calling.
   
3. I had trouble finding a power adapter that wouldn't trigger the lightning bolt (bad power indicator) in the upper right of my screen when, especially since the phone pulls power through the Pi. Oddly this one worked fine: https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Charger-Charge-Samsung-Galaxy/dp/B01KZHKF4I
   
4. This issue is probably limited to my exact car, or my model of car ( 2010 Hyundai Elantra Blue), but: after connecting the setup, within 5 minutes a light would fire in my dash indicating one of my TPMS sensors had disconnecting. Removing the Pi setup would clear the light within 5 minutes. The sensors operate on 315 mhz; no idea how the Pi setup could be interfereing ( tried a Pi2, Pi3, and Pi3b+ w/ Official 7" LCD ). I am probably the only person on earth who will experience this, but figured I'd report anyways.
   
5. Heavy Waze + Spotify user here; the entire setup would shit the bed if there was too much going on in Waze (traffic, cops, accidents would trigger massive audio tearing). Other users report similar experience on this front.
   Overall, cool project, but I retired my setup!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B2HH7G0/

Worth spending $260 for a 144hz!

USB pros: much easier to install, plug and play

PCI pros; faster speeds, more reliable

USB LINK: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Adapter-Archer-T2UH/dp/B00UZRVY12

PCI LINK: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Express-Adapter-TL-WDN4800/dp/B007GMPZ0A

Or you buy a headphones with a detachable cable (3.5mm jack) and get a V-Moda boom pro and you have it all in one high quality cable.

My recommendation is Philips SHP9500 with V-Moda Boom Pro

Definitely get a cheap 3rd party cooler for that CPU my dude. An H7 would do just fine.

Edit: On second thought, Cryorig must be going out of business because the cooler I paid under around $30 is now well over $100. Another great option would be the budget king H212 Evo and step-ups include Noctua's offering or the Scythe Mugen, BeQuiet's, all are great budget coolers.

Use this whenever you see dust building up.

This RAM is actually 3600 CL18 (18-22-22-42 timings) and not the CL16 shown on Amazon. See the model number: CMK16GX4M2Z3600C18

PCPartPicker also agrees. These sticks aren't on the B-Die list which would 3600 CL16 almost certainly be. The only B-Die from Corsair that is 2x8GB and 3600 CL16 is their Corsair Dominator RGB and Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro. This is clearly not any of those kits.

These are Hynix AFR chips.

---

With such bad timings, buy some 3000 CL15 or 3200 CL16 RAM and you should be able to reach 3600 CL18 easily (though staying at 3000 CL15 or 3200 CL16 is probably better performance wise)

Here's a Team kit for $126 + shipping on Newegg, a G.Skill kit for $130 + shipping or some more Corsair RAM for $135 on Amazon that almost certainly can clock to 3600 CL18. Save yourself the extra $55 or time from having to return it to Amazon when you discover it's CL18.

If you want real B-Die, I think this G.SKILL Ripjaws V kit is the cheapest for $193 + $6 shipping from Newegg with 14-14-14-34 timings at 3000mhz. You can clock it to 3600 CL16 fairly easily. Pay the extra $10 for real B-Die or wait till a eBay coupon if you want cheap B-Die.

To play the game, you would need something like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ or http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-12623RED-Generation-GeForce/dp/B015PYZ186/

These 2 would be the bare minimum for the game when it comes to the graphic processor (GTX 960m). They will as far as we know now, handle the game, but most likely at minimum settings.

A lot better would be something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834233094R

But... laptops aren't so good for gaming, not even gaming laptops. Graphics cards produce a lot of heat and laptops don't cope too well with heat. For laptops graphic processors to work well in a laptop, the make them slower and less powerfull then a desktop one. This way the consumer less power and produce less heat. Laptops aren't build for gaming.

For less money you can buy a desktop, the handle heat well and don't need to take power consumation into consideration, since they don't have a battery. Something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227604 or this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883102076 both will run circles around the laptop when it comes to gaming. They will run NMS very comfortably. You would of course still need a monitor.

Then there's the PS4.... for half the money, you can get a PS4. It has everything you need to run the game, no worries, no hassle. You don't need to worry about drivers, settings or if your laptop/pc will run the game. Whatever game is released for the PS4, always runs well on the PS4. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16868110152

.

I'm a pc gamer and pc gaming has a number of advantages over PS4 gaming, I've owned a PS4 as well as a gaming PC. Seriously, if all you care about is this game, then do yourself a huge favour and save yourself a lot of money and hassle and get the ps4.

Or spend $6 and get a mic.

https://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486410430&sr=8-1&keywords=zalman+mic

VOIP is so good now there is little-to-no reason to have a low quality microphone. Y'all should pitch in and get her one: https://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ

I've never been an advocate of gaming headsets. You pay for something that's way more expensive than what you're actually getting. You buy a $150 headset, you're probably getting $70-80 headphones with a bad microphone.

You're almost always better off to buy a pair of headphones that suits your needs well and then buy a microphone afterwards. You'll get the better use of your money this way. I've got a pair of Sennheiser HD 558s with a Zalman ZM-Mic1. It clips onto my headphone's cord so I don't have to worry about it being all over the place. Sound quality is good and I've gotten no complaints about static or fuzziness from friends. Otherwise, the Modmic is always a good choice.

If you're looking for something that isn't sound isolating, I would recommend buying a pair of open headphones with an external microphone. The 558s are open, by the way. You get a bit of sound leakage, so other people can hear what's going on if it's loud enough, but you can also hear everything around you. Because of this, you get a more realistic sound.

https://smile.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84?sa-no-redirect=1

http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

Audio is shit. Someone get my man a good microphone. Is he recording from the toilet?

Get a laptop, finance it if you have to, like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ

Teach yourself how to build websites. Learn all things web development.

Start with just basic knowledge of windows and computers:

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/computerbasics/

Now, start learning a platform to write some code:

https://www.microsoft.com/net/learn

Also refer to knowledge dump sites like

www.stackoverflow.com

Can't afford internet? Ok, camp out at a McDonalds (they are everywhere, and have free wifi).

Even if you end up homeless with nothing but this laptop, you can find a McDonalds with an ac outlet and wifi to continue learning.

Teach yourself,

Google.com is your friend (bing.com sometimes too). Ask question on stackoverflow.com

There are online resources to learn everything you need to know for free.

And eventually, you'll be building websites.

Now, try to get into freelance work:

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245953

Once you feel confident, start applying to development jobs.

I linked all MS and C# resources above, because well, that's the easiest kind of web development job to land at entry level (or internship) that's in high demand and pays really freaking well.

E.g. Enterprise Level .Net developers make 6 figures, easy (I'm one of them and almost to 6 figures).

I mention this, because this is a mental job that requires your brain, not your body. You don't do any physical labor, not an ounce of it, in software development.

After you've learned all this and you want to get hired somewhere:

• Contribute to Stackover.com, consistently, build rep there.
  
• Make a LinkedIn profile. Connect with anyone you do freelance work for. They'll endorse your skills.
  
• Start a tech blog and blog about code, techniques you've developed, cool things you've made.
  
• Check in things you've made to GitHub.com (online source control)
  
  Build rep, connect with other professionals on LinkedIn, blog, and get your code in the public eye.
  
  Now when you apply somewhere, you can site your source code on github, your linkedin endorsements, your stack rep (user name), and your blog.
  
  Talk passionately about code and what you've done and learned. Make them think you love the stuff. Be confident, don't doubt yourself, and you will sell yourself well.
  
  Web Dev jobs now days don't give a damn if you've got a college degree. They just want someone who knows how to do it and the above resources are find for showing them that, as long as you can pass their questions in the interview. They'll ask you thinks like:
  
  
• I've got a class in Dll 1 I want to reference in Dll 2, but Dll references a different class in Dll 1, will this work?
  
  No, it'll create a circular dependency between dll 1 and dll 2, to resolve this, refactor with Dll 3 so classes common between Dll 1 and Dll 2 are in Dll 3. Reference Dll 3 in Dll 1 and Dll 3 in Dll 2.
  
  
• I want to add a record to the database in MS Sql Server, but if it already exists I want to update that instead, how should I do that?
  
  Use MS Sql Server's Merge command, it's designed specifically for that, as opposed to the old way of doing it with an IF ELSE block which is less efficient.
  
  So this simply means that you need to be well read. Don't just learn to code a little, really dive down into your chosen platform and read change logs for new releases, read other professionals blogs, follow the creators of your platform (Microsoft, Oracle, Python, etc etc). Be reading something tech related all the time.
  
  Got a Phone? Install FlipBoard and subscribe to topics related to what you are learning. Read that crap everytime you take a shit.

If cleaning PCs for dust and hair is something you do regularly, I highly recommend investing in one of these. Way more powerful than canned air and never runs out (I was able to use mine to clear my deck of leaves). I have one at the office and one at home. They're great. Cheaper in the long term too.

"I priced everything out online and this is what it's worth" suuurrreee....

• 4TB Hard Drive - $120
  
  
• i7 2600K - $175
  
  
• 16GB RAM - $50
  
  
• 7850 - $75 I actually bought a 7870 on eBay a few months ago for $57 but whatever
  
  
• Motherboard, can't find one but equivalent decent mobos would be like $150
  
  
• PSU - $75 and probably better than the one this thing comes with
  
  
• CPU Cooler - $20
  
  
• Case - $70
  
  
• Enough LEDs to melt this computer - $20
  
  I'd offer $750 for everything, tops.

Looks good, I'd just swap out that HDD for this 1TB for only $14 more. Still within OP's budget. Can't go wrong with Caviar Blue

ASUS VG248QE would like to have a word with you

Get one of these instead http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

Same price on Amazon.

My monitors (pictured right):

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VG248QE-1920x1080-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B00B2HH7G0/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=asus+vg248qe&qid=1567120962&s=gateway&sr=8-1

My wife's monitors (pictured left): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0043T7FHK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The stands:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C5H5DN0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My wife doesn't notice difference between 60 and 144 FPS and doesn't play shooters so for her we went with a less expensive option that had a lower refresh rate/response time. The speakers are a little quieter too, and they don't have display ports (her aging GPU only has HDMI ports anyway). If you can spare the extra money per monitor I would HIGHLY recommend the VG248QEs. I've had these for about two or three years now and they've been a dream. Reliable, beautiful picture quality, speakers are loud af. I use display port cables on each and then I have my Switch hooked up to the right monitor with an HDMI. When it's time for me to play Smash with my buddies in discord, I just push a button and it flips right over for Switch time.

Couldn't recommend the stand enough either, things incredibly sturdy and well constructed. I've had it for as long as the monitors and purchased it again when buying my wife's monitors this week.

These are cheap and one of the best ones on the market

I use Beyerdynamic DT990 (600 ohms) for competitive shooters and Sennheiser HD800 for singleplayer/immersive games.

My go-to recommendation is Sivga SV007 with V-MODA BoomPro. If you need sound isolation, then I suggest Status Audio CB-1.

If you're open to using a mic such as Antlion ModMic or Massdrop Minimic, then I have other headphone recommendations and suggestions.

If you want virtual surround sound, then you can use e.g. Astro Mixamp Pro TR, Creative Sound BlasterX G6, or Turtle Beach Elite Pro TAC. I recommend SBX Pro Studio from Creative as a virtual surround sound processor; it has less compression and better positional audio than Dolby Headphone.

 

Setup

---

You attach the BoomPro mic by inserting it directly into the headphone, which replaces the original headphone cable.

The cable terminates in a single 3.5 mm connector, so you can connect it directly to the controller or any other device with a headset jack. If you connect it to a regular headphone jack, then the mic won't work. No mics will. If the device has separate headphone and mic ports, then you need to use a TRRS Y-splitter, which is included with the BoomPro.

To connect the headset to the USB port on PS4, you can use an audio USB adapter.

My recommendations:

• Antlion: over twice as loud as the controller.
  
  
• Sabrent: a little quieter than the controller.
  
  
• Ugreen: moderately louder than the controller.
  
  At approximately the same volume, I heard no difference between these and the controller. I heard no hiss, hum, crackling, or other noise. The difference in the mic quality was negligible.
  
   
  
  

  Sound
  

  
  ---
  
  

  
  

  
  SV007:
  
  SV007 a well-balanced sound profile. The mid-bass, which is where boom and punch come from, is a little bit boosted. The sub-bass, which is how deep the bass goes and is where rumble comes from, is a little bit reduced. The overall bass is clean. The treble is close to neutral. It's clean, smooth, and crisp. The midrange is clear, not tinny or muffled. The overall clarity is great.
  
  It has a large soundstage, very good imaging and separation, and good to very good detail retrieval for competitive shooters. I assess headphones mainly in Battlefield: Bad Company 2, a multiplayer game I've played for over 3000 hours and I thrive at relying on sound cues.
  
  Soundstage is perceived space and environment of sound. It's width, depth, and height. I mean the type of soundstage that the headphone produces. Many games have a narrow, shallow, and short soundstage. A small soundstage makes the environment around you sound confined or boxed in. With a large soundstage, the environment sounds more spatial and expansive. Imaging is inherent to the audio content. It's how accurately the locations of sounds/objects are reproduced. Soundstage and imaging constitute positional audio, and you could say they are the stereo equivalent of virtual surround sound. Before you make any stances on virtual surround sound, I recommend that you read this post I wrote. Separation is how you discern individual sounds from a range of overlapping sounds. You don't need to be concerned with this if you play competitively.
  
  

  
  

  
  BoomPro:
  
  You can actually judge for yourself by listening to recordings on YouTube.
  
  I prefer to watch Podcastage for mic reviews.
  
   
  
  

  Build, ergonomics, & features
  

  
  ---
  
  

  
  

  
  SV007:
  
  SV007 has an open design (as you can see with the grilles on the earcups), so sound passes freely in and out, unlike closed headphones which attenuate sound from passing through. The benefits of an open design are generally a larger soundstage and better imaging. If your ears tend to heat up, it may help mitigate this as it allows more airflow and heat to dissipate.
  
  The build is sturdy and lightweight, featuring metal yokes, hinges, and headband. It has no flimsy or squeaky parts. The cups are made of wood. They tilt and swivel and can lie flat. I have average sized ears and the earpads fit around them and don't press them against the inside of the cups. The pads are plush and have a smooth and relatively high-quality protein leather. The headband has decent padding, but the headphone has great weight distribution so it doesn't exert pressure on top of my head and doesn't cause hotspots. Adjusting the headband is smooth and easy and it stays firmly in place. The clamping force is mild and isn't too loose or too tight for my average sized head. The build quality is excellent with a near immaculate finish all around.
  
  

  
  

  
  BoomPro:
  
  BoomPro has a flexible aluminum neck and a tangle-free, braided cable that's free of microphonics. The game volume and mic mute controls are easy to adjust and don't accidentally adjust themselves when rubbing against your clothes. Adjusting them is smooth and consistent, not scratchy, sluggish, or sticky. The mic is as non-obtrusive as a boom mic can be and is almost unnoticeable in my peripheral vision.
  
   
  
  ^Formatted ^in ^Reddit ^Enhancement ^Suite.
  

To my surprise after doing a little research, this thing is no joke. Reviews are off the chain with this thing. If I didn't already spend a lot of money on clothes I would have definitely considered getting this. Maybe next year!

This is the ticket if you want some real power!

http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

That'll blow your pants right off.

These are great headphones for the money. You can have a great budget gaming headset if you pair it with the V-Moda BoomPro for $30: https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Microphone-Gaming-Communication/dp/B00BJ17WKK

It may be budget, but they will blow any "gaming" headset out of the water. I got this for my brother, and they are pretty comparable to my HD58x if not better for when it comes to gaming.

Don't suck. Blow.

Picked up a Datavac for myself and it's working good so far: https://www.amazon.com/Metro-ED500-DataVac-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

>grease my fans

lol that made my morning. Thank you.

DUSTING DUSTING DUSTING: Just get some air cans or an electric duster (Cheaper over the long run.) and dust your computer monthly.

Do NOT let the fans spin freely when you do your dusting. Rotate them manually every few blows and hold them down whilst cleaning.

Thermal Paste: Replacing the thermal paste isn't much of a priority, it works best after it settles in. Replace like once a year if you really need to (If you see a rise in CPU temps)
_
Liquid Cooling: If you have liquid cooling then clean out the pipes and blocks when it starts to get dirty (Every 6 months - 1year?)
_

That's about all the maintenance I can think of, can anyone else think of anything?

<sigh>

You have anger management issues.
Not subject to debate. Not a question.
You have anger management issues.

You should do something about that.

> my little sister accidentally spilled a glass of water on my computer at home and it wasn’t working

This isn't /r/techsupport or /r/computertechs but I can tell you with moderate confidence that your data is still on the hard drive, and can be recovered pretty easily.

If it's a slightly older, or value-oriented laptop, it probably has a 2.5" drive inside.

You just need a nerd to open the laptop, remove the drive, hook it up to something like this and bada-bing-bang-boom your old laptop will show up like a giant USB-Stick.

If it's a modern, higher-performance, or super-mega-ultra-thin laptop it may be glued shut, in which case the level of difficulty just went way the hell up - but if the laptop is already dead, and if you are writing the laptop off as unworthy of repair, then we can use destructive methods to open the laptop to remove the storage device with all your stuff on it.

SOME laptops do not use a removable internal storage device. These are pretty much always the super-ultra-thin devices. You might be in a real pickle with one of these devices.

But if we're talking about a $600 Acer from BestBuy, it's a really easy task you could probably do yourself with a little Googling.

I don't want to delve any deeper into this in this community. Please feel free to engage the nerds in /r/techsupport or something for guidance on what to do.
But I wanted you to know the situation may not be unsalvagable.


Now, back to your intended LOR teacher. Odds are fair that you just inflicted serious damage on your relationship with them.
I wouldn't write you anywhere nearly as positive a LOR after this event as I might have before this event.
And if you're being honest with yourself, neither would you.

Anger Management. Get some help.

I have a 144hz Asus monitor and a IPS Dell Monitor.



After using calibration profiles for both, the IPS easily has better color depth, accuracy, viewing angles, and etc.


HOWEVER, the monitor I ended up using more is the Asus, because I play competitive CS. Actions feel much more responsive and fluid even on 64 tick servers, but much more-so on 120 tick+ servers. I play on the lowest settings, and on high digital vibrance, so the IPS beautiful screen is useless.


Any game that couldn't utilize the 144 hz, was a bummer to play on the Asus. Even after calibration, the colors felt over-saturated and or washed-out. I don't know much about color accuracy or what-not, but the IPS definitely looked better on games, movies and and even browsing.


Depending on what your doing, could highly influence which monitor type is better, but I think 9/10 if cost isn't an issue, the IPS is a better choice. And, if money still isn't an issue, and you want the best of both worlds, those overclocking IPS monitors from Korea is always an option.

It makes no difference. If you're going to drop that much money buy him these and this.

>He wanted a fresh install

My default maneuver here is to just replace the drive so there's an intact and ready rollback that takes no time at all, especially because HDDs are so cheap anymore that a decently sized drive could be purchased on Amazon for [$50 with one day shipping], and [several other] drives are available in a similar price bracket with the same shipping.
Saves a shitload of time, especially when it's just that one thing you missed in your backup and it's easy to transfer.

Although the panel is TN, this always gets good reviews, and is always on sale!

Something like this: Datavac ED500
edit -https://www.amazon.com/Metro-ED500-DataVac-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
https://www.amazon.com/Metro-Datavac-Safe-Electric-Duster/dp/B00U01YVYK

Sennheiser HD650s with an O2 amp, and E-DAC. I have a Zalman ZM-MIC1 as a mic, which is great although I'd recommend a free standing one to most people.

I love them, great for what I listen to. Very good for gaming too. You pretty much forget you are wearing them.

Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop, 15.6" Full HD, Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, GeForce GTX 1060-6GB, VR Ready, Red Backlit KB, Metal Chassis, G3-571-77QK https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y4GZS9C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_yjE5Ab3WS2GRB

I, too, am a teacher and recently purchased three vives and three of the above mentioned laptops. They’ve been great. My only complaint is touchpad sensitivity. GTX 1060 is plenty powerful for educational VR applications. Hit me up, would love to discuss and maybe collaborate on ideas for VR integration.

Managed to find a couple options.

Card

Card

Dongle

I don't have any personal recommendations for you, but these ones look pretty good.

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-VG248QE-24-inch-Ergonomic-Back-lit/dp/B00B2HH7G0?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

G O D L I K E

This
http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1412294826&sr=1-1&keywords=Data+vac
Is the real pro tip. So much better and cheaper in the long run. Powerful, doesn't freeze your hand if you use it too long and you can turn it upside down without shooting out harmful chemicals.

USB to SATA cables are $10 on Amazon.com problem solved.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HJZJI84/

I'm currently using the V-moda boom pro. Haven't had any complaints from teammates about audio issues, in fact have heard that i sound very clear compared to others talking. If it's compatible with your headphones (standard 3.5 jack) i would recommend, soley based on single wire set up and no need for magnetic adhesive on your head set.

This.

An ASUS VG Series 24"

I'm running lightboost on it. its amazing!

Edit: I want to let everyone know that lightboost isn't nVidia exclusive. I'm using with my r9 280!

If we assume that karma is stored in an int32_t (so a maximum of 2,147,483,647 karma per post) the karma value of one post would be stored in 32 bits or 4 bytes. Keep in mind that it wouldn't be relevant if the post gets 2 or 2 million karma, it would always take the same amount of space. So the only thing that matters to get a ton of karma is the amount of posts you make.

If we take a 1TB WD Blue hard drive (like this one) which weighs 1.61lbs (or ~0.73kg) according to Amazon, we have to get 1,000/0.73 = ~1,370 hard drives.

If we further assume that only karma values are stored on it and we can use the full space of the drive (10^12 bytes), we have ~2.510^11 (or 250 billion) post we can store per drive.

So to get a ton of karma you have to make 2.5 * 10^11 * 1370 = 3.425 10^14 (or 342.5 trillion) posts.

EDIT: If we take larger (which you can find in servers) or lighter (for example SSDs) hard drives you'd have to make even more posts.

Nice Build. His budget was around 1100, so he might be happier if he stepped up the monitor a level or two. Maybe go for a 24inch 144hz monitor if he primarily plays first person shooters. This would be a good example:

https://www.amazon.com/VG248QE-1920x1080-144Hz-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B00B2HH7G0/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1478271530&sr=1-3&keywords=144hz+monitor

Or, if OP isn't into playing FPS games then he could get a decent 2560x1440 monitor instead such as this:

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-G257HU-smidpx-25-Inch-Widescreen/dp/B00QS0AKVK/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1478271680&sr=1-1&keywords=2560x1440

Either one puts the total a little over the 1100 budget, but the difference would be very very noticeable, and OP would get a true feeling of PCMR

Ethernet over Power.

It's affordable and avoids running new wires.

I use one of these... was a $40 investment at the time and definitely have gotten my money's worth.

Hey man, buy this: https://www.amazon.com/Metro-ED500-DataVac-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

No more wasting money on cans of air.

Fear not, for you can still enjoy the wonders of surround sound with Hi-Fi headphones. Most "gaming" headsets use a built-in DAC (and BS marketing magic) to emulate surround sound over stereo. You can do the same thing using Razer Surround or similar software for free.

You'll have to decide between a closed or open earcup design. If you're not already familiar: a closed-back design will give you better noise isolation and more bass response, while an open-back design will give you a wider soundstage and better positional accuracy. 95% of headphones are closed-back, but there are some nice open-back options in your price range.

The Audio-Technica ATH-M40x ($100) are a decent option. They're durable, portable, closed-back headphones with a lot of bass response.

The Sennheiser HD 558 ($115) are a steal at that price. They're incredibly comfortable, open-back headphones with a very wide soundstage and warm signature. They'll do much better with surround software.

Both of those options have a relatively low impedance, so you shouldn't have to worry about amping (although they'll still benefit from it). If you're looking for a mic, the ModMic 4.0 is on MassDrop right now. It's a bit pricy, but I've heard great things about the sound quality. If you want something a bit cheaper, the Zalman Clip-On is always an easy option.

Edit:
This might be slightly skewed, because a brick sitting on my head would be more comfortable than the headband on my Q701s.

| Introduction | Last-Gen Crusher | Next-Gen Crusher | Value (Recommended) | Enthusiast | Kiss of Gaben |
|:-----------:|:-----------:|:------------:|:------------:|:------------:|:------------:|


Last Updated on October 13th, 2013

IMPORTANT! READ THIS!

The Radeon R9 series coming out. That means it may be a good idea to WAIT on buying any parts. Existing Radeons will get cheaper, and the new ones will offer better performance. Thank you.


Introduction


Here I will be explaining why I chose the parts I did in the various builds, a little information on how to assemble for those who need reference, and other important tidbits of information. Stay tuned. If you have any questions, just tail one onto this post and it will be added if it's helpful for others.

Why does no build include a display, mouse, or keyboard?

Glad you asked. Chances are, the builder already has some or all of these things. If not, you'll want to shop around for well-rated 1080p displays and well-rated mice and keyboards. Try to get a mechanical keyboard if you can, the difference really is night and day. There's also a large table below with a lot of good parts to choose from. Take a look!


Why do you only have AMD cards?

I'm working on adding both nVidia and AMD options where applicable. If you find an nVidia or AMD card that's faster and the same price as the one that's already offered, please do leave me a comment so I can add it. AMD and nVidia are pretty much the same now, so it mostly comes down to price and multi-GPU needs. It's worth noting that nVidia's SLi technology is better than AMD's Crossfire. I normally end up with AMD cards for single-GPU and nVidia for multi-GPU.


Why are you using AMD CPUs? They suck. You stupid fanboy, etc.


Reason #1: PCs are supposed to last a long time, and Intel's latest Ivy Bridge and Haswell chips have a measly 3-5 years of life expectancy before they dry out on the inside. Why do they dry out on the inside, you may ask? Because Intel decided to stray away from the industry standard "fluxless solder" they had under the CPU lid and use cheap thermal paste instead.

Reason #2: AMD FX chips are not nearly as bad as the big reviewers suspiciously made it look. It does indeed trade blows with Intel, but overall in a (real world, read: not 800x600 benchmarks) normal situation, it does better. Game streaming, straight-up gaming, and productivity all do well on the FX chips.

Reason #3: Next-Gen console ports (AKA, a chunk of all PC games for the next 8 years) are going to be built for AMD's x86 module-based architecture as well as their GCN GPU architecture. Sources: [1], [2]

Reason #4: Evolving software. When the 8-core chips were first announced in 2011, we could barely utilize 6 cores with our games and applications. It was so bad that AMD and Microsoft had to release a patch for Windows just for the things to work right. Times have changed. Developers are better at juggling cores and continue to get better as time goes on. In optimal situations with the cores being fully utilized, a $199 8350 can even land a punch on the newer $339 i7-4770k.

Reason #5: AMD's motherboards have better backwards and forwards compatibility. You can use anything as far back as an AM2 single-core Sempron up to a 2014 Steamroller. They're also generally a good bit cheaper than the Intel-based boards with comparable features.

Reason #6: Have you seen how cheap AMD's CPUs are? The FX-6300 and FX-8320 are absolute monsters. You would have to be crazy to ignore them.

Reason #7: If you really wanted an Intel chip, you could easily swap it out anyways. I just don't want to be recommending bad chips.



Why so many watts?

The extra wattage in these builds leaves room for you to grab a stronger CPU and graphics card if needed.

Why no optical DVD drive?

The DVD drive has been intentionally left out, just borrow one when you install your OS.

Why no OS?

The OS has been left out because most builders already have a disc laying around. If they don't they'll have a preference on which version and which edition of Windows or Linux they plan on using. Even if it's already been used you can still get it activated.

Why do the stronger builds include an SSD along with the hard drive?

It's worth it, trust me. I would have included them in the lower builds, but $100 extra would have really put a damper on their appeal.

I want to see some more quality parts!

The builds don't include coolers, monitors, mice, or keyboards. Here are a couple of each if you're having trouble picking them yourself.

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | $29.98 @ Outlet PC |
| Monitor | Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor | $147.58 @ Newegg |
Keyboard | Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard | $74.98 @ SuperBiiz
| Microphone | Pyle Home PDMIKC5 Professional Table Top Condenser Microphone | $25.84 @ Amazon |
| Microphone | Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone - Silver Edition | $106.02 @ Amazon |
Mouse | Logitech G500 Wired Laser Mouse | $55.98 @ Outlet PC
Mouse | Logitech G9x Wired Laser Mouse | $72.98 @ SuperBiiz
Speakers | Corsair Gaming Audio Series SP2500 232W 2.1ch Speakers | $219.99 @ Amazon
Speakers | Logitech Z313 25W 2.1ch Speakers | $34.99 @ Amazon
Headphones | Audio-Technica ATH-M35 Headphones | $69.00 @ Amazon
Headphones | Sennheiser HD 380 Pro Headphones | $140.99 @ Amazon |



***

Also, feel free to link to / paste source anywhere on Reddit. I take full responsibility for any negative vote brigading my posts may be bombarded with.




| Back to Guide |
|:-----------:|

This thing.

Canned air is shit. Get something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/

I have one and it's a solid purchase.

Yea dude its absolutely incredible

Ayyy I'm here to help.

Just my opinion, I am no expert, but these seem like the best choices as they are popular, and consideration how much work it would take to design them.
Also check the most popular on Amazon, Newegg and PC part picker.

CPUs from one socket look almost the same right?
So a LGA 1151 and AM3+ CPUs.

For RAM, classic PCB with black chips, maybe another one with a very simple heatspreader in different colors, as it would take quite a lot of work to create realistic heatspreaders for little benefit IMO.

Any HDD, they all look similar.

For SSDs, Samsung are the most popular and very simple to do.

Three most popular CPU coolers prolly are CRYORIG H7, Hyper 212 EVO, and Corsair H100i, maybe with addition of a single fan AIO like Corsair H55.

GPUs are tougher:

• definitely MSI twin frozr, they use them for most cards
  
• ASUS new strix
  
• Gigabyte G1 Gaming as for 1070 and 1080 and Windforce for smaller cards
  
• EVGA hates you, it seems like they have a different design for every card, but the most popular for enthusiasts could be ACX 3.0 used with 1070 and 1080
  
  Motherboards and cases: the hardest parts to pick, almost every one part is completely different from the other.
  Just go by the most popular.
  
  Anything I forgot?

Canned air is terrible, get this and never worry about dust again:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J4ZOAW

edit: fixed link. Thanks Devisioned.

a datavac is 50$ on amazon...

edit: link for the interested

If you really want a boom, use an Antlion Modmic or something similar. If you don't mind a boomless mic and only care about audio quality, get this one.

this is the standard price on amazon

I'm using this and it works great. Sends Ethernet through your power sockets.
http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-PA4010KIT-Powerline-Adapter-Starter/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=pd_sim_pc_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=13D3TNS9AF1GJJK3RK7K

These paired with a V-MODA BoomPro Mic are a perfect match, and pretty much the best gaming headset you can put together for under $100. I've had mine for about 9 months now and it is fantastic, sounds amazing and haven't had any issues with either items.

Personally I took a black marker and covered up the big R and L. Simple solution to make them look less cheap.

Dedicates headphone plus mic. Don't waste your time with "headsets". Try this setup:

1. http://www.amazon.com/Philips-SHP9500-Precision-Over-ear-Headphones/dp/B00ENMK1DW/
   
2. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJ17WKK/
   
   V-Moda Boom Mic + Phillips SHP9500. Zeos (of ZReviews) highly recommends those headphones, despite their relatively cheap cost. Check out his guide here and also /r/Zeos and /r/ZReviews

Get an electric blower duster instead. It saves money over time and is more powerful than a full can of compressed air will ever be.

I would recommend avoiding headsets personally. Grab a nice pair of quality headphones like the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700's for example, and basically any microphone. This is a very popular microphone, people usually clip it onto their headphone cord.

I use separate headphones and mic.

This mic you can clip to the headphones cord or I have it sitting on the desk in front of me and have had no problems.

For that price you could buy some ridiculously good audiophile headphones that would likely blow these away. Pair that with an awesome $10 mic and you'd be good to go.

The features seem to match up with this amazon listing of that yeti, but the dimensions are a bit off(the amazon ones could be estimates):

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Yeti-USB-Microphone-Silver/dp/B002VA464S

Pair these up with the V-Moda boompro and you've got a very nice comfortable headset for less than $100

1050 TI mini 11,200

Ryzen 1200 8,175

8 GB 2400Hz RAM 5700

1TB HDD 3,500

Corsair CX 550W 4,855

or

S12G 6,700

ASUS B350 6,960


Monitor: Dell s2216h 8,500

[Case: Tesseract SW] (https://www.mdcomputers.in/cabinet/deepcool-mid-tower-tesseract-sw.html) 3,363

Typical Keyboard and Mouse 850

Total = 53,103

Some games with this CPU and VC combo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK_ktjGHyeg

Notes:

1. Do not change the CPU, and Video Card.
   
   
2. I would recommend S12G over CX 2017 anyday. You can go for s12II but that PSU is almost 7-8 years old. It has group regulated design, and that thing is just purely too old.
   
   
3. Given the budget, 22" monitor will be fine. If you can spend extra, spend it on CPU and get yourself Ryzen 1400.This will last more than 1200. Or you can spend a little extra on a 24" monitor: Dell SE2416h. Or buy yourself another 8GB stick of RAM.
   
   
4. There are other motherboards with different sizes and prices in the market. You also need to check RAM compatibility.
   
   
5. You can add another 8GB RAM in future but make sure you buy the same RAM.
   
   
6. Buy the case and keyboard of your choice, of course.
   
   Any questions? Feel free to ask.
   
   Keep the questions coming, and don't cheap out on PSU.

Raspberry Pi 2 Model B

Supports CEC. Comes with 4x USB 2.0 slots, an HDMI, quad core ARM A7 processor, 1 GB RAM, and an ethernet port. Also has GPIO pins but I don't know of any Kodi related uses for them. It is an extremely low power device (uses about $3 worth of electricity per year) and requires nothing to keep it cool (e.g., no fans blaring in the middle of your favorite movie).

Base cost is $35. Requires a microSD card, an HDMI cable, and a microUSB charger, all of which can be purchased for approximately $5 each. An existing microUSB charger, such as from your cell phone or a device like a Kindle or Chromecast can be used, of course. Optional components include a case ($10-$20 or 3D print your own), USB wifi dongle ($10+), and an external hard drive ($50+). A few companies put out bundles that include a Raspberry Pi board and various components such as this basic one and this more complete one. A wireless keyboard ($20+) can also be handy. Product links are provided as examples; there may be better deals or smarter purchases to be had.

You'll then want to use a minimalistic Linux distro such as OpenELEC or OSMC, both of which are designed specifically to run Kodi and have optimized builds for a Raspberry Pi. OpenELEC seems to be more popular and is what I use myself. Installation is easy -- you just download and write to your SD card (oh yeah, you might need an SD card reader, $5). If you'd like you can also install a "real" Linux distro and install Kodi in that as you would on a regular desktop computer. You can either store your media on an external hard drive connected to the Raspberry Pi or on a separate computer or NAS and share your files over your LAN.

Pros:

• Cheap base cost
  
• Low power
  
• Very hands off after initial setup
  
• CEC! Use your TV remote to control Kodi
  
• Hardware decoding for h264
  
• As it is full-fledged computer you can easily add in additional software such as emulators, a web browser, etc.
  
• More of a DIY solution (may be a con)
  
  Cons:
  
  
• A few plugins (typically they are Windows dependent) and more computationally intensive skins may not work
  
• May get pricey if you need to buy all the separate components
  
• Can not handle 10-bit x264 (aka Hi10p; rare outside of anime fansubs) or HEVC (aka h265) files.
  
• No 4K output, max resolution is 1920x1200
  
• More of a DIY solution (may be a pro)
  

S2716DG - $480

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DG-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0

Follow the instructions here for setup.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DG-LED-Lit-Monitor/product-reviews/B0149QBOF0

>Nvidia Control Panel>Adjust desktop color settings:
Brightness-50%
Contrast-50%
Gamma-0.60%
Digital vibrance-70%
Hue-0
CLICK APPLY

>DELL Monitor settings:
Brightness-26%
Contrast-75%
Color>Custom Color:
R-97%
G-99%
B-96%

Powerline Adapters let you use your home's electrical lines like makeshift ethernet cables: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Powerline-Adapter-Starter-TL-PA4010KIT/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1519569756&sr=8-2&keywords=tp+link+powerline+adapter

Amazon Link. Not trying to shill the product or anything, but it's import to keep our build's clean and this is a necessary tool.

The problem isn't thermal paste, it's that people don't regularly maintain their devices and/or don't place their consoles somewhere with proper ventilation. My PS4 is 4 years old and runs dead silent because after one year (once it was out of warranty), I routinely (every 4-6 months) open my PS4 and dust out the inside with my electric duster (https://www.amazon.com/Metro-ED500-DataVac-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW). I blast the fan, power supply, all the vents, and loosen any hardened dust with a soft paintbrush.

My PS4 runs quiet no matter what I'm playing. Same applies for my PS3, which is going to be 9 years old this year and still runs cool.

Those nooks can get nasty and properly cleaning a keyboard is a serious time sink.

But what I find works best is a microfiber cloth and one of these.

Wait for this cyber Monday, I'm sure there will be some killer deals. For that price look into laptops with atleast 7700hq processor and gtx1060. I will look one up now for you as an example. This for example is a great pc: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-7700HQ-1060-6GB-G3-571-77QK/dp/B06Y4GZS9C/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1511621010&sr=1-3&keywords=Gaming+laptop

I wouldn't call that a deal; I'd call that a scam. Notice that the seller is "Just Launched", is asking $20 less than the competition, and most importantly has no buyer feedback.

If you're hardstuck at 50 bucks these are ok. Be aware that the "7.1" is SIMULATED and often sounds weird depending on game.

I think people should consider the Philips SHP9500 on a deep sale for $55 for Black Friday + VModa boom mic $30 as this is a pretty significant improvement in both headphone and mic quality with the bonus that the SHP9500 can be used for listening to music.

I've been working from home for around 5 years now, both salaried and freelancing.

I have a wife, a son and two dogs, so it's important to reenforce that separate between personal and professional time not just in myself but in my family as well.

I have the benefit of owning a large home with a separate office. My son and wife both know that when the doors are closed I am not to be bugged unless it's something important.

I also use a pair of great headphones and playing music to prevent being bothered by sounds outside my little bubble.

If you're still open to working from home and your main complaint is the lack of separation, try cordoning off a piece of your home as your professional office space and train yourself to do nothing but work from that spot. No gaming, no playing, just work and profit generation.

If that doesn't work for you, and you're in a small town with no true hacking spaces, local coffee shops are usually ok with remote workers as long as you continuously keep refilling your coffee cup with them.

I'd recommend purchasing some really good headphones with either integrated microphone, or a detachable cable that you can use a microphone with. Don't use the cables with the inline mics that don't extend away from the cable - I highly recommend the V-MODA Boom Mic. My headphones of choice at the moment are the beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus because of the size (I have large ears, these rest around my ears and not on them which is important) and comfort level. Also, they sound amazing with a small $30 amp.

Having the mic be directional so that you can put it directly in front of your mouth and circumaural headphones are both important for filtering out background noises.

With this you can now ignore your phone and use Google Voice, Hangouts, Skype, Slack for voice calls.

Anyway, good luck. We're counting on you.

Metro Vac!

Been looking for a while myself OP
> BenQ GW2765HT 27-Inch 2560x1440 IPS Monitor
>
> BenQ ZOWIE 27" QHD 2560x1440 LED 144Hz
>
> ASUS MG278Q WQHD, 1ms 27-Inch FreeSync
>
> Dell Gaming S2716DG 27.0" Screen LED-Lit Monitor with G-SYNC
>
> ASUS ROG SWIFT PG278QR 27" 2560x1440 1ms 165Hz G-SYNC
>
> Acer Predator XB271HU bmiprz 27" WQHD (2560x1440) NVIDIA G-SYNC

I highly doubt that will ever happen

Edit:

For those interested, the tracked price since Oct. 2015:

https://camelcamelcamel.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DG-LED-Lit-Monitor/product/B0149QBOF0?active=amazon&context=search

You can buy extenders that run through the house's power lines. They're called "powerline adapters". I use them in my house with my roommates where I can't have a giant UTP cable from the switch to my machine.

Here's an example:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AWRUICG?keywords=powerline%20adapter&psc=1&qid=1457025049&ref_=sr_1_1&s=electronics&sr=1-1-spons

> Tell that to the 26GB repo of a Unity game I cloned with the complete history.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Cache-Desktop-Drive-WD10EZEX/dp/B0088PUEPK/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1521228859&sr=1-3&keywords=hard+drive

It would cost you $1.20 to store that repository locally.

On Amazon as well for the same price.

Why can't the 27" go on sale. I missed the last BestBuy one a month ago, I wasn't planning on building a computer/going for such an expensive monitor. Now I have all my parts except for a monitor. Can't decide on which to get, and can't get in on the limited stock Refurb ones either.

Anyone have suggestions? Regarding the 27" Dell, the Asus or the Acer?

Non-funky link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4ZOAW

>but all of the responses are "get a good pair of headphones and a clip on mic"

Because this is the best option.

I personally use the clip on Zalman but I've heard great things about the ModMic. If you got a great pair of headphones(many use the AD700, HD558/HD598, etc) and attached this it would essentially be the same as a gaming headset but with significantly better sound quality and better build quality.

If you're going to be stubborn and not accept this, I reccommend going for the Sennheiser PC360. It's typically around the same price as the HD598 but not quite as good...

EDIT: Added links to some products, note that I only looked them up on Amazon, you can probably find everything cheaper if you shop around...

---

EDIT 2: DarkWingPig mentioned virtual surround sound, which is what draws many people towards gaming headsets. You can add this functionality to any pair of headphones using a sound card such as the Asus Xonar DG, Asus Xonar DS, or the Asus Xonar DX.

I have an Asus Xonar DX and, in my opinion, it can work well in certain games such as Counterstike, where knowing the position of a sound is essential, but I don't use it for the majority of games...

A user over at Head Fi called Mad Lust Envy has created a thread reviewing many different pairs of headphones in relation to how well they work with Dolby Headphone(virtual surround sound).

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). 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.

I would recommend This clip mic paired with your choice of headphones.

I use this duster and it works just fine.

Source: Ran a custom PC building service/repair business for five years.

Just buy this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_TNFJzb6A1NCW2

It's a small electric powered air blower, with a dust filter on the bottom. I use it at work for hours every day, works like a charm.

As far as bang for your buck, I think the Hyper 212+ is a better buy. It's about two-thirds of the price of the Hyper 212 Evo and you'll only see a minimal benefit with the Evo (which is from the better fan, if I recall correctly).

You really can't go wrong with either cooler but if you're already over budget or need to save a few dollars somewhere, I'd say the 212+ is a better buy - especially if you're only doing some conservative overclocking.

https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Microphone-Gaming-Communication/dp/B00BJ17WKK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511122973&sr=1-1&keywords=vmoda+boom&dpID=41WfbQw%252Bp8L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

My monitor has four built in crosshair overlays that pair to your mouse cursor position. It's pretty much cheating.

CCC shows it's dropping by steps the past few days. Amazon's pricing algorithm is have a price war with something. Hold men, hold.

Yes they do, both of them. I happen to have many. Even my $250 LED monitor just this morning had so much glare, I couldn't see anything and had to turn it away to see better. I only linked the monitor to show you it is in fact LED and not just a generic, cheap monitor.

I bought a USB adapter to get audio out.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IRVQ0F8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_5ZhQAbSGK1SN1

144hz is a huge step up. If you don't have the money, then this is fine. But if you can drop the cash for a 144hz monitor, then I'd definitely go for it. It might even be worth it to check out a 1440p 100hz ultrawide.

Monitors to look at:

1080p 144hz TN

Ultrawide 1080p 144hz IPS

1440p 144hz TN(you might not be able to hit 144hz with all games on this one due to the resolution being so high)

EDIT: TN, not IPS

GTX 1080 is definitely going to overkill this 1080p 60Hz monitor. I would either get the GTX 1070 and a 1080p 144Hz monitor like this one or keep the GTX 1080 and get a 1440p 144Hz monitor like this one

Yeah I'd recommend this over the USB suggestions. Get a good one. Or try the power link setup.
This is what I use.

Get a Datavac.

Canned air is so wasteful. Get one of these guys

www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001J4ZOAW/

They're much more powerful as well, they make canned air look like a toy.

http://www.amazon.de/Zalman-ZM-MIC1-Mikrofon-mit-Mikro-Clip-Schwarz/dp/B00029MTMQ

if you use this correctly, that mic is the shit while only having a price tag of ~$10

Price is 50$ regularly on Amazon so looking at this (70$-20$-5$), this is not really that big deal.

Do yourself a HUGE favor and get yourself an Ethernet Powerline Adapter.

It sounds expensive but you can get a decent one for $20 $36 and it works great! My Wi-Fi speeds were 1/10th of what I get with the adapter.

Filtered according to your specifications

165hz $308

144hz $225


No clue how worth it those prices are but that's all I found for 24" 1440p 144hz

Not sure what your budget is, but I picked this one up recently and really like it. 1440p, 165Hz, G-sync, 24" TN panel

Dell Gaming S2417DG https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IOO4SGK

I would try this

Much better processor in that one you'll regret not getting a better processor for wow especially. Also 16GB RAM is nice for some multitasking

/u/BigOleBallsack - I would get neither. With a $5000 budget, unless you need to take still photos, I recommend an interchangeable lens Super 35 camcorder instead.

By the time you buy ND filters, an XLR audio solution with decent preamps and rigging (e.g., a top handle) to compensate for the GH5's or the A7s II's still camera ergonomics - you might as well buy a real video camera.

In your price range, I recommend a [$2595 Super 35 4K JVC LS300] (https://www.amazon.com/JVC-GY-LS300CHU-Ultra-Camcorder-Handle/dp/B00USBVISE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?m=A17MC6HOH9AVE6&s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1487897950&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) with a [$399 Metabones Canon to micro 4/3 autofocusing adapter] (https://www.amazon.com/Metabones-Smart-Adapter-Thirds-Camera/dp/B014C1BF7O//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) and something like a [$799 Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens] (https://www.amazon.com/Sigma-18-35mm-F1-8-Lens-Canon/dp/B00DBL0NLQ//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20).

The LS300 has these features that still cameras lack:

• built-in ND filters
  
• built-in pro XLR inputs with phantom
  
• top handle
  
• built-in IP encoder for [live streaming] (https://youtu.be/Y3oYNy47yYo) with a [$9 wi-fi dongle] (https://www.amazon.com/Edimax-EW-7811Un-150Mbps-Raspberry-Supports/dp/B003MTTJOY//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
• SDI out
  
• power zoom rocker with [prime zoom] (https://youtu.be/0Eq4_hPzQPc), which gives you a 2.5x lossless zoom with prime lenses
  
  I have shot with this camera, it is a solid pro camcorder with the ability to produce high quality 4K video at a reasonable price.
  
  Here are a few examples of the image quality this camera can produce:
  
  Narrative
  
  
• [UrbEx by Filippo Chiesa] (https://vimeo.com/200431612) (4K)
  
  
• [Даниил Хармс стихотворение Страх |Тест камеры JVC GY-LS300 by Александр Носовский] (https://youtu.be/xyO_-T7BhdM) (1080p)
  
  
• [JVC LS300 Test Footage by Hamilton Video & Sound Limited] (https://youtu.be/qQoDt62DNak) (1080p)
  
  Music Video
  
  
• [JVC GY-Ls300 Test 001 by Dario Viola] (https://youtu.be/LRWuOhLSAi8) (1080p)
  
  Corporate/Commercial/Interview
  
  
• [Halloween AM Skit by Robert Grant] (https://youtu.be/knzu5ZLgYMc) (1080p - Local TV promo - LS300 used on some shots)
  
  
• [KW Realty Group Experience, Anniston, Alabama by Barrett House Productions] (https://youtu.be/5fSgXSCEg9M) (1080p - [Azden SGM250 pro XLR microphone] (https://www.amazon.com/Azden-SGM-250-Professional-Powered-Microphone/dp/B00XWG2YBW//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) plugged directly into the camcorder)
  
  
• [Indian Oaks Event Center Community Golf Course by Barrett House Productions] (https://youtu.be/CLBbyXualSs) (1080p)
  
  Live Event
  
  
• [Supersonic Lips - House of Blues - Mas Musica Festival by Juan Flores] (https://vimeo.com/185562492) (1080p)
  
  
• [JVC LS300 Sample low light Footage (The Pocket Band) by Lonzos Studios] (https://youtu.be/VXEWARTJhv8) (2160p)
  
  Wedding
  
  
• [4K Ultra HD Wedding Film - Kassandra & Ralph's Photo Shoot by Jim Merchant] (https://youtu.be/d4pILlMyFEM) (2160p - shot with manual Rokinon cine lenses)
  
  
• [Kristin & Doug's Wedding at Glen Magna Farms 4K Ultra-HD Wedding by Jim Merchant] (https://youtu.be/GdKBKd5_e2Q) (2160p - shot with the LS300 and a Sony AX100 consumer camcorder)
  
  
• [Wedding with a jvc gy-ls300 by NOA NOA] (https://vimeo.com/154440004) (1080p - shot with the LS300 and Panasonic auto lenses)
  
  J-LOG on Vimeo (please watch at 4K and your monitor's highest resolution)
  
  
• [Japanese garden with the JVC gy ls300 by NOA NOA] (https://vimeo.com/162712903)
  
  
• [JVC GY-LS300 4K J-Log Vision] (https://vimeo.com/138523082)
  
  
• [Palm Springs Photo Festival 2016 - JVC LS300 footage by Zachary Andrews] (https://vimeo.com/164723392) (4K J-LOG)
  
  1080p on Vimeo
  
  
• [Breathing in New Life] (http://vimeo.com/120445118)
  
  
• [“Honmonji Temple” in GY-LS300 by moribun] (https://vimeo.com/139214323) (downscaled from UHD to 1080p, downloadable if you're a Vimeo Plus or Pro member [if you're not, you can sign up [here] (http://vimeo.com/pro/new?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=prosubscribe-cj-vimeo-bizlander-300x250-20130424&utm_campaign=7696)])
  
  
• [JVC GY-LS300 Camera Test] (http://vimeo.com/122736335)
  
  
• [A Snowy Day in Ann Arbor, Shot with the JVC GY-LS300 by Chase Stanton] (https://vimeo.com/158042771)
  
  J-LOG on YouTube (please watch at 2160p and your monitor's highest resolution)
  
  
• [GY-LS300 4K J-Log1 "KYOTO New Year's Day" by GAIPROMOTION] (https://youtu.be/efJrfawjVw0)
  
  Non-LOG Gammas on YouTube (2160p)
  
  
• [GY-LS300 UHD 4K w/ Canon 70-200 and 85mm lenses by JVCProfessional] (https://youtu.be/QYCdxMrvAoA)
  
  
• [JVC LS300 Clips by Hamilton Video & Sound Limited] (https://youtu.be/OzgGwCUdZV0)
  
  
• [EVS’s test footage for the JVC GY-LS300 4K super 35 Cinema camera] (https://youtu.be/S47dceBcuJI)
  
  
• [TOKYO“I”land KOWA PROMINAR w/JVC KENWOOD GY-LS300 by Satoshi Watanabe] (https://youtu.be/WO8DW5d0isE)
  
  
• [JVC GY-LS300 4K Footage by elton chong] (https://youtu.be/0pYEFhE3xLE)
  
  This camera is not perfect. It has a tiny viewfinder and LCD, so you'll probably need to buy an EVF - and, although it has 4:2:2 chroma subsampling, it is still an 8-bit camera.
  
  But for less than $3000, the LS300 is the most flexible large sensor, interchangeable lens 4K Super 35 camcorder on the market.
  
  Hope this is helpful and good luck with finding the right camera for your needs!

Raspberry Pi 3

Raspberry Pi Clear Case

32GB MicroSD Card

Netatmo Weather Station

Wind Gauge

Rain Gauge

Rain/Wind Gauge mounts

3 Way HDMI Switch

1FT HDMI Cable

Wifi Adapter

Everything is attached to the back of the television with some double sided sticky paper things i had lying around. Anything will probably work.

The USB wall outlet is one that delivers 3.1A at 5V that we bought from our local hardware store.

The server that the software runs on is a poweredge r710 with dual x5670s and 64GB of ram. Of course, this isnt all it does, but it is one of the many things i host on it. :)

If you'd like, i can post the scripts i wrote for it as well.

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 7th Gen - 4.65k

GPU: Zotac GTX 1050 Ti 4GB - 11.7k Buy Zotac only because you get 5years warranty by registering online for free.

MOTHERBOARD : Gigabyte H110 BIOS Updated - 4.46k

RAM: Crucial 8GB 2133MHz DDR4 - 4.1k

HDD: WD 1TB Blue - 3.6k

SMPS: Antec BP450 450W - 1.89k

CABINET: 2.3k (Circle CC 819)


TOTAL: 32.7K


If your budget is strictly 30K, or if you are using a 720p monitor instead of 1080p, then go for Zotac GTX 1050 mini 2GB - 9.3k

NEW TOTAL: 30.3K

I think that this is DEFINITELY the best build under 30K.

> Problem 1: blockchain becomes 1 tb in 1 year

Where is that stat from? What size of consistently large blocks are creating a 1 tb yearly chain increase? What would the value of the fees and blocks of that size be? What would the value of 1 BCH be at the point where blocks are at that level?



> Problem 2: internet sucks!

Graphene
https://people.cs.umass.edu/~gbiss/graphene.pdf

xthin and

https://github.com/BitcoinUnlimited/BitcoinUnlimited/blob/dev/doc/bu-xthin-protocol.md, https://github.com/BitcoinUnlimited/BitcoinUnlimited/blob/dev/doc/bu-xthin.md

compact blocks

https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0152.mediawiki

and IBLTs.....

https://arxiv.org/pdf/1101.2245

How do you rectify the idea that users are supposed to be running a full node, but not mobile (spv) wallet to do most commerce unless you are home all the time? The very idea that everyone in the world should be running a full node is just silly. How many people do you know that can not even be bothered to back up their photos from their phone? The vast majority of people in the world will never run a full node. However anyone that wants to will still be able to. 1tb a year is not an expensive ($47 and cheaper every year) addition to securing your own finances. Running a full node and then expecting the average person to use the rube goldberg machine of lightning for "cash" transactions at the same time vs the simplicity of reasonable block size increases that follow value, volume and demand is a losing proposition. Nature prefers simplicity.

Hey! It looks like you've got a pretty solid build started here! I just want to point out a few things to make your life just a little bit easier.

1. The motherboard you have will NOT work with the CPU that you've chosen. You picked a Z170A board, which works with the 6th and 7th generation (if BIOS is flashed) of Intel CPU's, and you're buying an 8th generation. So I would recommend this board or this one instead. Either will work, it just depends on how much money you want to spend.
   
2. Don't buy the power supply you've picked. It puts out way more wattage than you'll use, so I would recommend saving some money and maybe picking up this one. As a bonus it has an RGB fan, so that's kinda cool. It's also fully modular, meaning that you only need to plug the cables into the PSU that you need instead of having extras to hide in your case.
   
3. I'd also save some money on your RAM. This set is cheaper, faster, and only requires that you use two of your RAM slots instead of all four. More upgradeability in the future!
   
4. Think about if you really need 2TB of storage right now. The 1TB SSD you have picked out is going to be great, and if you're new to PC gaming it's going to have plenty of space for awhile. You can always pick up a new HDD (like the Seagate one you have in your cart) later down the road.
   
5. With the money that you've saved, I think that you could upgrade your graphics card from your 1060 (a GREAT option, don't get me wrong) to a 1070 like this one. (EVGA is a great company in my opinion, and I love their graphics cards.) It's a great contender for both 1440p and 1080p gaming!
   
6. Others have said to get a cheaper air cooler instead of opting for the water cooler that you've picked. If you decide to go that route (completely fine) I would maybe go with something like this if you want something extra beefy to keep your CPU cool, or this less beefy one. Either way, 8th generation CPUs run hot, so the water cooler you have would work great.
   
   So there ya go! I hope that you enjoy your new build, it's going to be amazing! If you PM me I'll add you on Steam and we can play some games together when your build is all set!

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

If you have headphones with a 3.5mm output that is the way to go.

Get one of these portable blowers.


An air tank small enough to be easily carried around the house will run out of air very quickly.

lil pricey, but worth it:
http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409800808&sr=8-1&keywords=metro+vacuum

Yes, you can go usb, and still use it after a couple of years. The quality is not prime, because one pays for prime.

Have a listen to an unfair comparison of $50 vs $1000.
TLDR: it's the room that does it. If you can pack yourself (and the mic) into something that absorbs the reflections, you will sound pretty good on something like the Blue Yeti. You can get cheaper mics too, or just used ones, but USB is a valid option to start on.

So what about that absorbing material? I made this, and it has done the job for quite some time.

Ask again if you have questions.

Get yourself this and take it outside. This thing cleans like nanobots on it.

STOP BUYING CANNED AIR!! But something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

I use mine on everything, especially the few large builds I keep for display. I also use it on the internals of my gaming rig. Had it for 2 years now and it still works great, definitely more cost effective than canned air in the long run.

Most likely they are sound whoring with headphones and attentiveness. When I play killer, sound is my greatest asset against the survivors. Things like running and breathing can be picked up by paying attention and having the sound system to do so.

I followed the advice on this post and got these headphones and this mic. Pretty cheap set up for quality audio and voice communication.

the EQing on your voice is way too bassy/muffled/boomy

also recording people off of VOIP is usually pretty bad. you'd have much better sound quality if you made everyone buy mics and record their own audio locally on either their computer or some kind of device and then send you their audio for you to splice in. the downside of this is it increases the chance of screwing up recording significantly if your friends aren't tech-savvy

https://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499611093&sr=8-1&keywords=zalman+clip+on+mic

It's also 49.99 on Amazon - if you have prime for the 2 day shipping.

EDIT: It's no longer $49.99 (~6 hours later) :(. Please disregard this link.

Ridiculous pricing on a laptop.
Update: you already missed it if you're reading this, $899 on a 1060 7700HQ laptop.

Found on buildapcsales

If you can add some money, buy this monitor instead which has FreeSync and is 144Hz.

Otherwise, if you can't spend 50$ more, check out this and this.

Don't buy a non-freesync monitor.

As for the 480, no it won't overheat, the node202 has a big grill right where the fan is, so it can take as much air as it wants. MOreover, since it's a blower style card, the volume of the case doesn't affect the cooling (cold air is taken by the fan and hot air is spit right out of the case through the rear. Hot air doesn't remain in the case)

Good for the rest ;)

I woke up last Monday morning and had the urge to build a gaming PC out of nowhere. I literally reached over to my phone while laying in bed at 5 AM in the morning and started ordering parts off Amazon and a couple days later here's the finished product. I had 0 PC building experience before this but thankfully Reddit and Google had all the answers I needed.

Specs:

MOBO: ASUS Prime Z370-A II (in case I want to upgrade to a 9th gen)

GPU: EVGA 2070 Super XC Ultra Gaming

Ram: 16GB Corsair Vengeance C15 3000mhz

Storage: 1TB WD_Black NVMe // 1TB Seagate SSHD // 128GB Unknown Brand NVMe (running windows on it)

CPU: Intel i7-8700

CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X62 (using the 2 NZXT 140mm fans that came with it as intakes)

PSU: Seasonic FOCUS Plus 850 Gold

Case: H500 (base model)

Rear Fan: NZXT AER RGB 2 120mm (exhaust)

Top Fan: NZXT AER RGB 2 120mm (exhaust)

Top/Bottom LED: NZXT Hue 2 300mm LED Strips

Monitor: Lenovo Legion Y27gq-20 27-inch WLED G-SYNC

Mouse: Logitech G903

Keyboard: Logitech G Pro

Headphones: Logitech G533

Cable Extensions: Asiahorse Customization Mod Sleeve Extension Power Supply Cable Kit

It's similarly priced.

Pay 12 dollars more for a laptop that's just been repackaged in new condition.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B015PYYDMQ/ref=dp_olp_used_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=used&m=A2L77EE7U53NWQ

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0149QBOF0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Had to resubmit due to the title being wrong, it actually has a TN display. As /u/HEROxDivine pointed out, there is the Acer Helios 300 on Amazon for $1050 before tax that is another option for a 1060 6GB laptop, it comes with a 256GB SSD and 7th gen CPU, as well as better build construction. It is a thicker laptop, however, the MSI is .69", the Acer is 1.05". Some reviews do say that this laptop does have some thermal issues after a while gaming under load. The build quality is also questionable, it's not going to fly apart, but it can feel a bit more flimsy than more premium laptops.

Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop, 15.6" Full HD IPS, Intel i7-7700HQ CPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD, GeForce GTX 1060-6GB, VR Ready, Red Backlit KB, Metal Chassis, Windows 10 64-bit, G3-571-77QK https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y4GZS9C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_T-U7BbHTDNZDC

This one seems good.

Just a note regarding sound quality: if you really care about it, even high-end gaming headsets are bad options compared to headphones by companies that specialize in audio, like Sennheiser (only brand I'd buy 'gaming' sets from), Audio Technica, AKG, Koss, Shure, Westone, Beyerdynamics, etc. For the same price, you can likely get way better quality by getting a mic-less headphone and attaching a ModMic or using a standalone mic.

I recommend a DataVac. It's a bit pricey at around $50, but you'll never need to buy another can of compressed air again and it works SOOOO much better than they ever did.

If you use it at all frequently, buy an electric one. I have this from Amazon, I've seen it as cheap as $40.

It's 100x stronger than compressed air, and since it's effectively free to use, you can use it all around the house to help dust or otherwise clean things. 100/10 would recommend.

Electric duster. You save so much on buying air canisters in the long run. It's also very powerful

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4ZOAW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mac Mini (2018 model), named NOSTROMO

• 3.2 GHz Hexa-Core Core i7 CPU
  
• 32 GB of RAM
  
• 256 GB PCIe boot volume
  
• 2 TB external rotating drive for Time Machine Backups, connected via Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C
  
• Dual 8 TB Western Digital Elements USB 3.0 drives for content, VOL1 and VOL2. VOL1 is replicated to VOL2, both are connected via Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C. These handy adapter cables allow you to connect a traditional USB 3.0 device into a Thunderbolt 3 port.
  
• Single 4 TB SeaGate Plus USB 3.0 drive which contains the majority of my media content, VOL5. It is a "floater" drive which I always carry in my backpack to have the majority of my content with me at all times.
  
• Running Mac OS 10.14.6 Server
  
• Dual 27” Apple Thunderbolt Displays connected to the Mac Mini, daisy-chained off a single Thunderbolt 3 port using a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter.
  
• This Mac Mini is what I use to host all of my iTunes content to the three Apple TVs in my home
  
  
  

  Mac Mini (2010 model), named SPUNKMEYER
  

  
  

• 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo CPU
  
• 16 GB of RAM
  
• 100 GB SSD boot volume
  
• 500 GB traditional drive for Time Machine Backups
  
• Running Mac OS 10.13.6 Server
  
  
  

  MacBook Pro Retina 15” (2015 model), named SULACO
  

  
  

• 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Core i7 CPU
  
• 16 GB of RAM
  
• 256 GB SSD
  
• Running Mac OS 10.14.6 Client
  
• Time Machine Backups are being taken both on the 2018 Mac Mini as well as the 2010 Mac Mini
  
  
  

  Mac Mini (2012 model), named FERRO
  

  
  

• This Mac is located at Mom & Dad’s about 1,000 miles away. It is a complete offsite backup of all of my content, it is also used for Time Machine backups of my mother’s Mac Mini and my niece’s MacBook Pro. I have both Remote Desktop and SSH access via the magic of port forwarding. Whenever I add a new movie, I place it is my Shared Dropbox folder, then about 30 minutes later it is available on the backup Mac Mini. I then move it over to VOL3, and all of my content is always in sync.
  
• 2.5 GHz Dual-Core Core i5 CPU
  
• 16 GB of RAM
  
• 120 GB SSD boot volume
  
• 500 GB traditional drive for Time Machine Backups
  
• Single 8 TB Western Digital Elements USB 3.0 drive for storing and hosting content, VOL3. It is a complete duplicate of VOL1/VOL2.
  
• Running Mac OS 10.14.6 Server
  
  
  

  Mac Mini (2012 model), named AURIGA
  

  
  

• This Mac is located at my sister's house about 1,000 miles away. It is a complete offsite backup of all of my movies and TV shows, it is also used for Time Machine backups of my sister's MacBook Pro and my other niece’s MacBook. I have both Remote Desktop and SSH access via the magic of port forwarding. Whenever I add a new movie, I place it is my Shared Dropbox folder, then about 30 minutes later it is available on the backup Mac Mini. I then move it over to VOL4, and all of my content is always in sync.
  
• 2.5 GHz Dual-Core Core i5 CPU
  
• 16 GB of RAM
  
• 256 GB SSD boot volume
  
• 500 GB traditional drive for Time Machine Backups
  
• Single 4 TB Seagate Backup Plus USB 3.0 drive (VOL4) for storing and hosting content, VOL4. As it is only a 4 TB volumes, it contains only the moves and television shows which are on VOL1, VOL2, and VOL3.
  
• Running Mac OS 10.14.6 Server
  
  
  Both the 2012 Minis and the 2010 Mini are completely headless. Unfortunately, this means that accessing them via remote desktop gives you a measly 800x600 resolution. I use this handy little gadget on both of them to replicate a 1920x1080 display being connected. So, when I connect via Screen Sharing I get a nice big display.
  
  
  

  MacBook Pro (2018 model), named APLC02XV5W1JGH5
  

  
  

• 2.2 GHz Six-Core Intel Core i7 CPU
  
• 16 GB of RAM
  
• 500 GB SSD
  
• Running Mac OS 10.14.5 Client
  
• This is my work-provided laptop, mostly used for remote access. It is pretty locked down, I am not a local administrator so I cannot even rename it to fit my naming scheme
  
  
  

  iPad Pro 10.5", named APONE
  

  
  

• 2.38 GHz Apple A10X CPU
  
• 4 GB of RAM
  
• 256 GB of storage
  
• Running iOS 13.0 Public Beta
  
  
  

  iPhone X, named RIPLEY
  

  
  

• 2.4 GHz Apple A11 Bionic CPU
  
• 3 GB of RAM
  
• 256 GB of storage
  
• Running iOS 12.4
  
  
  LG Blu-Ray reader/writer in connected to NOSTROMO via USB 3.0, used for ripping Blu-Rays and DVDs
  
  Sabrent USB 3.0 Dual-Bay Hard Drive Dock, also connected to NOSTROMO via USB 3.0
  
  The microphone is a Yeti Blue with a Nady Pop Filter, coupled with a Logitech HD C310, used for Google Hangouts and FaceTime calls with the fam, and the occasional podcast. It is mounted on a RODE PSA1 Swivel Mount Studio Microphone Boom Arm and a RADIUS II Microphone Shock Mount.
  
  The mousepad is an XTracPads Ripper XXL mousepad
  
  The chair is a Raynor Ergohuman ME7ERG desk chair
  
  I use Dropbox to expertly keep my content in sync. Due to the amount of content I keep in there, it is well worth the $100 per year for a Dropbox Pro subscription.
  
  
  Additionally throughout the house, I have...
  3 Eeros for my Mesh Wireless Network WiFi System
  2 Apple TVs (4K), named ASH and CALL
  1 Apple TV (4th Generation), named BISHOP
  1 Apple HomePod, named DIETRICH
  1 Nest Hello Video Doorbell, named HELLO
  1 Nest Learning Thermostat, named NEST (yeah, original af, I know)
  2 WyzeCam Pans, named WYZE-Kitchen and WYZE-LivingRoom
  4 WeMo Smart Plugs, named WEMO-Foyer, WEMO-SpareBedroom, WEMO-MasterBedroom, and WEMO-LivingRoom
  1 Amazon Echo Plus, named ECHO-LivingRoom
  2 Amazon Echoes (First-Generation), named ECHO-MasterBedroom and ECHO-Kitchen
  2 Amazon Echo Dots, named DOT-Office, and DOT-SpareBedroom
  4 Google Home Minis
  1 Brother HL-L2395DW Wireless Laser Printer, named LV426
  1 PlayStation 3 Slim 120 GB, named HICKS
  
  I have a total of 31 IP reservations according to my Eero app. This makes it a lot easier to manage my network, set up port forwarding, etc.

People keep telling me to purchase Philips SHP9500 when they go on sale for $50-$60 Currently $54.99

Then add V-MODA BoomPro Gaming, VoIP Headset Headphone with Mic for $30 and you're golden at about the same price range.

The downside is the mic is always in demand so they vary in whether they have it in stock.

If the air cushions aren't great you can follow this to make them better

Edit: Constructive criticism is more appreciative than down-votes alone

It's a little more than $100.

Here's an AOC Freesync monitor


Here's the exact same monitor but with gsync. do you think the exact same features in a monitor are worth twice as much?

Boom, 144hz 1080p baybee

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BV1XBEI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_aL5Zxb049RDS3

Yes, yes, yes. That assumes your video card is already putting out at least close to that amount of frames. It's a most for FPS games.

I have this one.
AOC G2460PF 24-Inch Professional Gaming LED Monitor Free Sync,144hz,1ms, Hght Adjust, Spk, VGA DVI HDMI DP USB https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BV1XBEI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_BbszzbYWPS1E1

Is this really considered a deal when there is the Dell S2417DG, which also is a 24" G Sync monitor at higher resolution of 2560x1440 and Overclocks to 165Hz for $399.99 on the Dell website, Amazon, as well as Best Buy who also happen to have an open box of it at $354.99.

Best bang for your buck in headphones these days in my opinion.

Couple things to note:

• These are open back, you will be able to hear what is going on around you and others near you will be able to hear what you are listening to (depending on listening volume and proximity).
  
  
• These dip under $50 frequently, don't feel pressured to jump on this deal. $160 is a ridiculous starting price.
  
  
• The bass will be lacking (in volume not quality) compared to a lot of popular headphones (looking at you beats).
  
  
• When paired with a V-Moda BoomPro (microphone) these make an excellent gaming headset, much better than standard gaming headsets you can get for the price.

Grab one of these: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1478567410&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+sata+adapter
Of course make sure it's the right connector for your HDD. You will need USB 3 for that one to work too, since it needs more power than USB 2 can deliver.

And then boot up a linux machine and see if it's recognized. If Linux is no good, I've had luck with Mac as well, Windows seems a lot more finicky about whether it will take a shot at figuring out a broken harddrive or not.

Getting data off a drive this way works a lot more often than booting the device, since you're just trying to get raw data off of it rather than needing it to boot first then get data off of it.

I only have a EVGA 500w 80+ certified PSU. That is too weak for the Fury, right? I can sell this PSU to my business (I need to build a new computer for it anyway) and use that money toward a better PSU if I wanted but what would be a good (and relatively) cheap PSU to run the fury. I prefer Newegg or Amazon Prime.

EDIT: Fuck it, I pulled the trigger. Was sitting on the money to buy XFX/Nitro+ 480 but I've been rocking this 6950 for too long and I'm tired of waiting at this point. This seems like a killer deal for $275 and free shipping (I used the Paypal promo). Here's to new GPUs!

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

https://www.newegg.ca/black-acer-helios-300-standard/p/1TS-000X-012R2


✓ 8th gen i7

✓ Can handle SolidWorks.

✓ GTX 1060 6GB, plenty good for those games and can play AAA titles at decent settings.

✓ 1 TB SSD NVMe + 1 TB HDD, plenty of space and speed.

✓ 16 GB memory, plenty for a laptop.

✓ 1080p IPS screen @ 144Hz (probably the best part). In my opinion, 1080p IPS @ 144Hz is way better than 4K TN @ 60Hz. Resolution isn't everything.

✓ $25 over budget, BUT, it's on sale at 30% off, free shipping and only 5% tax.

Reviews:

4.25/5 https://www.ultrabookreview.com/27055-acer-predator-helios-300-review-ph315-52/


4/5
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3341337/acer-predator-helios-300-review-the-bestselling-gaming-laptop-on-amazon.html

4/5 (1772 user reviews)
https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-7700HQ-1060-6GB-G3-571-77QK/dp/B06Y4GZS9C

Note: Some of the reviews have slightly different configurations, but it's otherwise the same model, i.e. Predator Helios 300.

>When I first turned this monitor on, not gonna lie, it was very underwhelming. Colors were washed out and it was too bright. You HAVE to calibrate this in order to see its true potential. Here is what I finally landed on. Use this for yours or atleast a starting point. You should be able to play games without adjusting in game brightness. Here we go.

>Nvidia Control Panel>Adjust desktop color settings:

> - Brightness-50%

> - Contrast-50%

> - Gamma-0.60%

> - Digital vibrance-70%

> - Hue-0

> - CLICK APPLY

>DELL Monitor settings:

> - Brightness-26%

> - Contrast-75%

> - Color>Custom Color:

> - R-97%

> - G-99%

> - B-96%

>*Also, download the latest driver for this monitor on Dell's website.

>And you're welcome :)


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/cr/B0149QBOF0/ref=mw_dp_cr

Spent several grand building out this magnificent beast of a workstation/cockpit:

http://imgur.com/a/GAgVj

I had everything else but the monitors and the cockpit, which was about $1900 and $1500 USD, respectively. I got all but one accessory for the cockpit, and shipping was $200 cause it weighs over 200lbs :D

I already had the $400 wheel, $300 pedals, $200 shifter, $150 handbrake, and a PC that is nothing less than $2500-3k to drive such a setup.

That said, I can race around any track I want around the globe, do so without spending thousands on tires/gas/gear each race weekend, am not risking life or limb, and am on-hand at home to be a father to my 1yr old daughter.

Sure I've spent the price of a not-even-that-old Honda Civic on this setup over the years, but its good clean wholesome fun, and fantastic practice for later in life should I ever decide to buy a track car.

Most women see this "rig" and roll their eyes HARD, but only after scooping their jaw up off the ground. Men just get insanely jealous and beg to drive it after scooping their jaw up off the ground :)

Worthit to me!

Disclaimer: I am an IT Systems Admin and an avid gamer/sim racer for years...

• Intel G4560 Pentium Processor For around 4.5K to 5K in local market
  
  
• Msi h110m pro-vh plus approx 4K in local market
  
  
• Kingston 4GB DDR4 RAM for approx 2.5K
  
  
• WD Blue Desktop 1TB approx 3.5K
  
  It will not cost more than 15K rest of the money can be spent for Monitor or other accessories including mouse and keyboard.
  If you don't know how to build just visit a local shop and provide him parts list to assemble your Desktop.

Obviously you can use whatever, but these are what I used for this project. I bought the 2 pin power ports off of Ebay. For the NES case, try searching "Broken NES" on ebay and you should be able to find some. Or use an entirely different shell and post it!

• Bluetooth Dongle http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833340012
  
  
• Raspberry Pi Heatsinks http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HPQGTI4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
• Wifi Dongle http://www.amazon.com/Edimax-EW-7811Un-Adapter-Raspberry-Supports/dp/B003MTTJOY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1415036150
  
  
• 8in HDMI Male to Female http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=104&cp_id=10419&cs_id=1041913&p_id=2891&seq=1&format=2
  
  
• 1.5ft USB Male to Female http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030304&p_id=5431&seq=1&format=2
  
  
• Shutdown switch https://mausberry-circuits.myshopify.com/products/shutdown-circuit-use-your-own-switch
  
  
• 2 Pin IEC 320 C8 Screw Mount Inlet Plug Socket AC 250V 2.5A
  
  **edit updated bluetooth link

I will list all parts I used to get it in a functioning state along with the price I got them for.

• RPi - $35 + ~$10 shipping
  
  
• Broken portable DVD player (reader was busted, not screen) - Free
  
  
• Composite wire that came with DVD player - Free
  
  
• Cheap USB wifi adapter - $10
  
  
• SD card that came with my camera - Free
  
  
• Wireless keyboard/trackpad combo - $16
  
  
• My phone charger - Free
  
  Overall comes out to about $80 after taxes.
  

do you mind if i link your amazon referrals from youtube?

Raspberry Pi Model B Revision 2.0 (512MB) $42.88

WiFi Dongle $9.99

16 GB SD Card $12.98

also, would it be all right to link to your bitcointalk thread?

good luck with your project!

EDIT2: Só como referencia: iMac i7 comprado pelo governo, segue o baile comparando com o PC montado e este meu comentario US$1.200,00 de diferença.




O preço do iMac é exagerado até la fora: iMac top de linha i5

Quem entende de computadores sabe que você monta um PC MELHOR por um preço bem menor: Top de linha no MINIMO 5x mais forte, e o mesmo preço. Na verdade, um exagero, porque montei com as melhores peças no mercado atualmente. Poderia até ter poupado mais e aproveitado o quad-channel do ram na placa mãe, que seria melhor e mais barato, só quis ser overkill.

Os produtos Apple são overpriced em QUALQUER mercado, só ver a linha de ultrabooks deles por 2k dolares e os concorrentes pelo mesmo valor (Razer Blade).

EDIT: link talvez tenha problemas, então eis os itens:

• CPU
  
  
• Placa
  
  
• GPU
  
  
• RAM
  
  
• PSU
  
  
• Cooler
  
  
• Case
  
  
• Monitor 4k
  
  
• SSD
  
  
• HDD
  
  Somando US$2.100,30

Those first three games are likely CPU limited while Rainbow Six is probably GPU limited. My immediate thought is overheating. Use a temperature monitoring software to check the temperature on your CPU. If it's high, consider cleaning out your CPU fan or replacing the thermal paste on your fan.

If you don't have one, I'd suggest getting an after-market CPU cooler. The Cooler Master 212 is what I use and I've always been extremely satisfied with the results. With the 4590 you won't have much room to overclock, but it will guarantee you aren't running into any thermal problems.

Damn, it's 24" little brother just shipped for me and I paid $40 more. Welp, nothing 's leaving the box it shipped in until next week. Gonna take a lot of self control.

Edit: On second thought, I'll stick with the smaller one since it's 165hz refresh and closer in size to what I currently have.

For those interested: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IOO4SGK/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Another contender...

I have one and am pleased with it for a cheap solution. I clip it onto my shirt using a binder clip.

I have a mic, it works, but for some reason squad refuses to pick it up. Anyone have a fix for this? Squad is the only game that it doesn't work in.
EDIT: Turns out my mic was set to USB in steam, just had to change it. Thanks for all the reply's and willingness to help. The mic i use is this good quality mic, but the cord is insanely long.

Honestly, the best thing you can do is regularly clean the area and room you keep your rig in. The time between having to go in and clean the insides of your PC increases a lot.

Other than that I usually go in with an electronic duster instead of cans of compressed air.

It's a bit out of your price range, but it works well.

http://www.amazon.ca/Metropolitan-Vacum-ED500-Datavac-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

It's cheaper from US amazon...dunno about shipping or what not though.
http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

Do not buy a headset.

Buy a microphone like [this here] (http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374138699&sr=8-1&keywords=Zalman+ZM-MIC1+Microphone) and get some decent headphones from Sennheiser (dependant on budget).

You get a lot more quality for your money this way.

Non-mobile link: https://www.amazon.ca/V-MODA-BoomPro-Gaming-Headset-Headphone/dp/B00BJ17WKK/

Obviously these are not $160 headphones, more around $75-$85.

I've heard fantastic reviews about these, and you can even attach a V-Moda boom pro mic.

These are open backed so the sound will leak, so use them in a quiet environment. Open backed essentially just means they have more sound stage vs closed back, and sometimes less bass. These are not tight fit headphones at all either - in fact they slide around too much if you move your head too much.

I wholly recommend these- some of the best budget cans for $60. I don't own them, but this is a cumulative review from many redditors and reviews.

I'm using that one 144Hz asus monitor right now, with the Lightboost Hack, and its life changing

You need to do a bit of registry editing and fuck around with some icc profiles, but the output is so worth it

Asus 24" 144hz Right at your budget before taxes. I'm also an Asus fan boy.

I could be am wrong here, but the deal is that they have insanely low response time. 1ms.

It's not just BenQ monitors, my Asus VG248QE also has 1ms response time. BenQ is smart about getting into the esports scene early and sponsoring, so their name is very recognizable for gamers.

Note that a lot of the expense of my personal monitor choice comes from the fact that it's 144hz. Total overkill for Smash, but feels much better for games that actually support it (CSGO, Overwatch, etc).

One last anecdote, I switched from a 60hz 5ms response time to my 144hz 1ms response time and the difference was immediate and noticable. Colors are more washed out on the faster monitor but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

---

Pros: Assuming you mean this laptop, then there are quite a few. This is coming from someone who has a high-end dekstop (980Ti, i7 3770k, 16GB RAM, 1TB of SSD storage/3TB of HDD storage) and a mid-range gaming notebook (i7 4720hq, 960m, 12GB RAM, 1TB SSD)

• The laptop can run most games at medium/high settings, GTA V played at 45fps on a mixture of high/medium. Rome Total War 2 was 45fps on medium. Arma 3 got up to 60fps on ultra in singleplayer, but MP performance basically wont be affected by anything higher end.
  
  
• It's not terribly heavy, or big. It's very middle-of-the-road in it's form factor and weight.
  
  
• The model I linked comes with a 256GB m.2 SSD with an expansion slot for a 2.5" drive to go alongside it. That coupled with a 1-screw backplate make this the most upgrade-able unit in it's price range.
  
  
• According to LTT's video, the laptop has a decent battery, screen, touchpad, and keyboard. (with backlight!)
  
  
• Overall it's looks aren't too flashy, which is not a common trait of gaming laptops.
  
  
  Cons:
  
  
• The main components (CPU/GPU) are not upgrade-able. You will find yourself running games at lower and lower settings/framerates as the years go on.
  
  
• Unless you buy an accidental damage plan, you are SOL if you physically break the laptop. You will have to handle the machine with extreme car
  
  
• If you ever have to send it out under MFG warranty, your options are limited.
  
  
• You will need to be near a power outlet to play games. Period. It throttles too much and has too short of a battery life otherwise.
  
  
• Although this is always true, it's still an issue to consider; Nvidia will be releasing the 1060 supposedly this fall, with pascal-laptops probably coming soon after. If you can wait that long, do it, and save more for something better.
  
  
• Webcam/Mic aren't great.
  
  
• Although the speakers are decent, you will need headphones in public (unless you want to be a jackass).
  
  ---
  
  That's about the laptop.
  
  You also have to ask yourself:
  
  Do I have time to play games when I'm constantly out and about?
  
  Do I really want to use that time to play video games?
  
  Will I be in a place that's comfortable and has room for my gear? (Mouse, backpack, charger, you will basically be taking up a lot of space
  
  Do I want to have the distraction of being able to play games while I need to study?
  
  If you answer no to any of those questions, reconsider your options.
  
  ---
  
  I bought my laptop for the same reason - to use at college. It was, in my opinion, a mistake. I should have gotten either a Chromebook or a mid-range ultrabook. But my use case was a bit more different and YMMV.

No it is not, 55% sale is bullshit, in fact - regular price on amazon de is cheaper:


https://www.amazon.de/Corsair-Vengeance-3000MHz-Performance-Arbeitsspeicher/dp/B0134EW7G8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541974533&sr=8-1&keywords=corsair+vengeance+lpx+16gb

I think the one off of Amazon is a much better deal if you're willing to pay at 799.99 since it has a 256GB SSD instead of the 1TB HDD.

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-763BLK-Full-HD-GeForce/dp/B015PYYDMQ

I agree, this is a way better deal.

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-763BLK-Full-HD-GeForce/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1450001278&sr=1-1&keywords=dell+inspiron+15+7000

Y'all should watch this video if you're on the fence about buying this headset. I'm no audiophile, but I agree that they're the best headphones I've ever used. The guy in this video, however, is in fact an audiophile and is in love with them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aipXii-qWiQ

Also, if you're looking to use these for gaming and don't have a standalone mic, this VMODA BoomPro mic is the common recommendation. I use it daily and have no real complaints.

For people here after OP stops giving advice / wants to look themselves:

/r/headphones. Don't post a thread asking for purchase advice, it pisses them off. Go to this dedicated thread instead, or use their purchase advice tool here

Turning studio headphones into gaming headphones is as simple as buying a Modmic or a V-Moda BoomPro. The main difference is that the Modmic is a separate cable where the BoomPro is part of your normal 3.5" cable. If your headphones have a detachable 3.5" cable, I'd recommend the BoomPro

Some people on the sub will recommend DACs / Amps. If you're not an audiophile, ignore them. Amps are sometimes needed for high impedance headphones, but for the most part they're a waste of money. Your mobo's onboard DAC works fine.

Pick up a VMODA boom mic and BOOM you have a $88 headset that will put most gaming headsets to shame.

If it's the MacBook Pro 2012 13" non retina then you may be experiencing the extremely common hard drive cable failure as described here https://beetstech.com/blog/prevent-a1278-mid-2012-hard-drive-cable-failure.

If you happen to have a USB to SATA caddy/connector then you can plug your SSD into your Mac via USB, if it boots then that pretty much proves a hard drive cable issue.

​

You can buy the hard drive cable from Beetstech with a lifetime warranty https://beetstech.com/product/hard-drive-cable-923-0104.

Some people think it's cheating, but many hackintosh owners just skip the audio driver problem entirely and get a cheap USB-to-audio adapter. Plug it in, plug in a set of speakers, and that's literally all you have to do.

• SHP-9500s + VModa BoomPro

I have a few farms I run including my own and I have these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4ZOAW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

EDIT to add:

PLEASE make sure to shut down your rigs before you use it or you might damage a fan.

Or stop wasting your money on canned air, and get one of these bad boys.

My shop has one of those datavac units sitting on a shelf. It is worthless and has zero actual suction.

I understand your reluctance on the subject of blowers, I was right there with you a couple years back, but this is the way to go. Of course, you do have to take it outside.

I have a windowed case so I clean out my computer whenever I start seeing dust inside my computer which is about once a month. It's easiest to clean out my case using some form of compressed air to blow all the dust out. I personally use the DataVac as my form of compressed air and would recommend it to anyone that is currently using compressed air cans. The DataVac would be paying for itself after a couple of uses.
http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420416560&sr=8-1&keywords=data+vac

I've got that same one and can confirm it's excellent. Here's a much better price for it though (in the US, at least):

http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449761796&sr=8-1&keywords=metro+datavac

Well I see how it's convenient with an integrated mic, but a very standard desktop/clip on mic will do the job a heck of a load cheaper, and you can spend the excess money on better headphones or an audio card. Also. Less parts that can be broken on the rift.

Edit: actually I take that back. If it's an integrated mic with no sensitive parts (the bar that carries the mic) and if it would be more like a cellphone mic I would be OK with it. Although the voice quality might not be the best this way.

Edimax.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003MTTJOY/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Ji9Qub1C3DTAR

It's also this price on Amazon if you prefer them over Newegg. Have 5% back on Discover card for Amazon so I went with that

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-S2417DG-24-Inch-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B01IOO4SGK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511680171&sr=8-1&keywords=dell+g+sync

I actually prefer the 24" version of 1440. I have a Dell 24" with G-Sync and it's the best goddamn monitor I've ever used.

Edit: It also overclocks to 165hz which is exceptionally nice.

The dell s2417dg is an amazing monitor that checks all your boxes, but it 1440p. However, it is very cheap AND even better it goes on sale all the time. Lurk dealsource.tech and r/buildapcsales to find a good deal.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01IOO4SGK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520463341&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=s2417dg

https://m.newegg.com/products/9SIA24G62T0569

thanks man. appreciate it. this is the monitor https://www.amazon.co.uk/AOC-G2460PF-Response-Adustable-Speakers/dp/B01BV1XBEI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542215018&sr=8-1&keywords=aoc+g2460pf

​

The Acer XF240H is a newer panel and the only complaint I've seen about that is that its out of the box colors are worse than the VG248QE's. It's flicker free at all brightness settings where the VG248QE uses PWM at <100 brightness. And let me tell you that you will not use it at 100 brightness.

But if you don't like that one specifically, here's another 144hz from Amazon that's newer than the VG248QE at a price I'd definitely say is worth it over the VG248QE: https://www.amazon.com/AOC-G2460PF-24-Inch-Professional-Monitor/dp/B01BV1XBEI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499027011&sr=8-1&keywords=144hz+freesync

Ofertas previas al viernes afro:

• JBL Charge 3 (90 dólares)
  
• ASUS VG248QE 24" (170 dólares)
  
• AOC G2460PF 24” (180 dólares)
  
• Acer GN246HL 24" (192 dólares)
  
• GOPRO Hero 7 y Samsung 128GB 100MB/s (U3) (199 dólares)
  
• Logitech G933 (90 dólares)
  
• Samsung 860 EVO 1TB (128 dólares)
  
• Samsung 970 EVO 500GB M2 (117 dólares)
  
• WD 4TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive (90 dólares)
  
• WD 8TB Elements Desktop (150 dólares)
  
• WD 10TB Elements Desktop (200 dólares)
  
• Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz C15 (125 dólares)
  
• Xbox One S 1TB Console - Minecraft Creators Bundle (200 dólares)
  
• Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum (48 dólares)
  
• Logitech G600 MMO Gaming Mouse (35 dólares)
  
• Fire HD 10 Tablet (100 dólares)
  
• NVIDIA Shield TV | 4K HDR (140 dólares)
  
• Kindle Paperwhite (130 dólares)
  
• Xiaomi Mi Box - 4K (62 dólares)
  
• SanDisk 128GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 (20 dólares)
  
  De nada...

Just a heads up these are selling for $270 used on Amazon Market

have you considered one of these?

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-763BLK-Full-HD-GeForce/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459094475&sr=1-1&refinements=p_n_intended_use_browse-bin%3A9647497011

Not sure why my links came out all fucked up? Too lazy to try and fix it.

His.

Monitors: [Dell S2716DGR] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0149QBOF0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Triple Monitor Mount: [EZM Deluxe Triple Monitor Mount] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006JG7G2E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s06?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Keyboard: [Corsair K70 Cherry MX Reds] (https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-K70-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B01ER4B8C8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1526665446&sr=8-2&keywords=corsair%2Bk70%2Bcherry%2Bred&th=1)

Mouse: [Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB] (https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Gaming-SCIMITAR-Mechanical-Buttons/dp/B013KK9JOO/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1526665487&sr=1-2&keywords=corsair+scimitar+pro+rgb)

Mouse Pad: [Razer Goliathus Overwatch Mouse Mat] (https://www.amazon.com/Razer-Goliathus-Overwatch-Mouse-Professional-Grade/dp/B01DXVKEJY)

Wireless Headset: [Steel Series 800 Wireless] (https://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-Lag-Free-Wireless-Transmitter-Surround/dp/B016YGMH9U/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1526665568&sr=1-3&keywords=steelseries+h800)

Speakers: [Audioengine A5+] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005OSR1C8/ref=twister_B00L3KRZS6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)

Speaker Mounts: [Audioengine DS2 Desktop speaker stands] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005STCILC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s04?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Desk Surface: [Ikea EKBACKEN countertop 98in] (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80274864/)

Desk Drawers: Haha who am I kidding everyone knows that those are!

Lamp: [IKEA Hektar lamp] (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40349376/)

Cable Management

[Raceways] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015EDVVU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s06?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

[Velcro zip ties] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E1Y5O6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s05?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

[Desk Grommet ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MX5TH4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s05?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

[Cable clips] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075WWCN1K/ref=detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Pc build specs

Case: NZXT H440

Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus IX Hero Z270 LGA1151

CPU: i7 6700k

RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 32GB

Power supply: Corsair RM series modular 1000W 80plus Gold

Power cables: Corsair custom sleeved in blue

CPU cooler: NZXT Kraken X52

Boot Drive: SAMSUNG 750 EVO 2.5" 500GB

HDD: 2TB Western Digital

GPU: EVGA 12GB Titan black

Hers.

Monitor: [Asus ROG Switft 34in ultra wide] (https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-SWIFT-PG348Q-3440x1440/dp/B01C83BE6U/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526666082&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Asus+-+ROG+Swift+34%22+IPS+LED+Curved+QHD+GSync+Monitor+-+Armor+titanium+Plasma+copper)

Monitor Mount: [VIV duial mount] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CUW5HDU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Mouse: [Razer Naga Chroma] (https://www.amazon.com/Razer-Naga-Chroma-Programmable-Adjustible/dp/B01798WKTY/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1526666200&sr=1-4&keywords=razer+mmo+mouse)

Keyboard: [Corsair K70 Cherry MX Reds] (https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-K70-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B01ER4B8C8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1526665446&sr=8-2&keywords=corsair%2Bk70%2Bcherry%2Bred&th=1)

Mouse pad: [Razer Goliathus Overwatch Mouse Mat] (https://www.amazon.com/Razer-Goliathus-Overwatch-Mouse-Professional-Grade/dp/B01DXVKEJY)

Wireless Headset: [Steel Series 800 Wireless] (https://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-Lag-Free-Wireless-Transmitter-Surround/dp/B016YGMH9U/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1526665568&sr=1-3&keywords=steelseries+h800)

Speakers: [KRK Rokit 5 ](https://www.amazon.com/KRK-RP5G3-NA-Generation-Powered-Monitor/dp/B00FX7MMRO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526666262&sr=8-1&keywords=krk+rokit+5)

Desk Surface x2 : [IKEA Linnmon] (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S39932699/)

Cable Management

Cable Rack: [IKEA Signum rack] (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30200253/)

PC Build specs

Case: Corsair crystal series 460X

Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus IX Hero Z270 LGA1151

CPU: i7 7700k

RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 32GB

Power supply: Corsair RM series modular 1000W 80plus Gold

CPU cooler: NZXT Kraken X52

HDD: WD 1TB

GPU: GTX 1080 ti SC

You can get everything you're looking for in the Dell S2716DG. 1440p, 144Hz and G-sync for $599. It is however a TN panel if that matters to you, but I hear it's a great one. Some tweaking can make it look really nice, and you won't have to play the quality control lottery of the new IPS monitors out right now. http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DG-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0

> Not in this case. 3kMHZ just aounds like you don't know your prefixes.

Well considering that it is industry standard to use MHZ instead of GHZ...

Edit: Your flair says "32 GB DDR4 3000[MHZ]". Do you not know your prefixes?

Yeah it'll help https://www.computerbase.de/2019-03/amd-ryzen-cpu-ddr4-ram/2/
You can imagine where 2133 would be. Should be roughly the same difference between the 2666 and 3466 results.

Get any 3000MHz+ kit that people've said works, or is said to work in your mobo's QVL which you can find on its site.
This's great value: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820164137
Or, if you want something more muted: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233852 or https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0134EW7G8

Especially when the Corsair Vengeance C15 3000mhz kit goes for $10 less

Amazons matching this now(with $10.00 coupon): https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0134EW7G8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have this ram over a year now, it works great. For the money its a steal.

It depends on what your preferences are on bow you like to experience games. Both comments so far have the two of the best options: a Korean 27" 1440p or a 24" 1080 that runs at 144hz. If you enjoy the look of the game more, with arguably better colors, go with the Korean monitor, such as this one; if you enjoy a smoother experience, go with something like the ASUS VG248QE or the BenQ XL2420TE (If you're partial to FPS games, this is the better choice IMO).

Or just buy larger hard drives to store their copy of the block chain.

My home internet connection could easily tolerate a significant block size increase.

The block chain stands at a whopping 91GB however for ~$50 I can buy a device that can hold that ten times over.

additionally the fee does not have to be large, by increasing the block size (which was satoshis intention from the start) the miners would be able to accept transactions with a much smaller fee attached to them as there would be no competition for block space.

I don't get the centralization argument at all. Nobody is talking about TB sized blocks and if we ever get to a point where they are, 1Pbps connections will exist.

That was a mic I looked at but it seems like they're heavily backordered and a $40 price tag is fairly high.

I ended up getting this mic and I'm satisfied with the audio quality.

Only thing is I have to go mount it on my HD598s because there's no 3.5mm port on the side and I haven't had time to do that yet.

Just wanted to share another perspective for any potential buyers.

Parts List:

Power Adapter

Raspberry Pi

USB Super Nintendo Controller (This is the best one I have found so far)

HDMI Cable

WiFi Dongle

Other Items you will need:

USB Keyboard

Monitor or TV with HDMI Support




Now you dont have to use these parts exactly, there are plenty of other parts you can use. I am pretty sure that you can play Roms up to Playstation 1.



There is also a new Raspberry Pi 3 that is compatible with the RetroPie software which has WiFi and Bluetooth integrated into the board.

Helpful Video's to tackle technical issues with your RetroPie:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtht1mv6ty8xMBwgHX9RCkplqeSRxyHiC




Here is the Case I found on Etsy. There are plenty of other sellers but this guy was great!

There are USB wifi adapters for Raspberry Pi that cost less than half that:

http://www.amazon.com/Edimax-EW-7811Un-150Mbps-Raspberry-Supports/dp/B003MTTJOY

The items used:

Raspberry PI Zero <- Bougth mine at local store.

http://amzn.com/B00S82B0VA <- Karaoke Mixer

http://amzn.com/B00SNLIG5O <- 128GB SD Card for storage

http://amzn.com/B001MSS6CS <- USB Audio Card

http://amzn.com/B003MTTJOY <- Wifi Adapter

http://amzn.com/B005HKIDF2 <- Usb Hub

A total of around ~$90



Edit

If a mic is needed that add $20
http://amzn.com/B003GEBGA0 <- Mic

never overclock on the shitty intel cooler

https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-RR-212E-20PK-R2-120mm/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1495367377&sr=1-1&keywords=cooler+master+hyper+212+evo

$25

This is how it breaks down from parts from ebay. Includes shipping. I'll even include links

Base Desktop - $50

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 -$30

EVGA 600W 80+ Bronze PSU -$50

16GB DDR2 - $20

WD Blue 1TB - $45

Sandisk 240GB SSD - $40

MSI Twin Froze GTX 770 - $83

Windows 10 Pro License -$7.50 since its so valuable to you. Also its 2018, be real. No one buys full keys or they buy them off eBay. Yes I know they are not legit but once again 2018 no one cares.

Total: $325.50

Even comes with a spare CPU, drive, and 8GB DDR2. Also, you could probably buy most of these parts for less. These were pulled from quick ebay searches. For example, the PSU could be closer to $20 in reality, the card would be closer to $70 and the drive would be around $25 for the HDD and $35 for ssd. That would be $257.50. Still could probably get lower than that. Get real with your prices.

You can get a cheap usb condenser mic. Not ideal over a more expensive xlr mic setup (watch the video I linked at the end, it explains a lot there), but for just gaming it's better than pretty much any headset. If you don't have room on the desk, there's the Antlion Modmic. Overpriced for the sound quality imo, but it should still be better than most headsets. I'm not sure if the a40s have a detachable cable, but if they do you can also get the V-moda boompro. I've used mine for a few years before upgrading to the ATR2500, and it sounds almost as good as the standalone mic and I like the sound signature much more than the Antlion. The only downside being some hiss that the condenser doesn't have, and it needs power from one of the channels for the mic to work, so you need to adjust the center for the headphones. Ideally if you're just using voice chat in games and in programs like Teamspeak, Discord, Mumble or whatever, the most you should be spending is around $50.

Here's a video if you wanna take the plunge and get something more professional for voice overs some time in the future.

You're looking for this adapter this adapter.

Edit: The hard drive is probably formatted as NTFS. If that's the case, then basically, all you can do on it is copy things from it to your Mac (which is what you said you wanted to do, so you should be fine). You can't actually change anything on the hard drive unless you get some software to fix it (you can also fix it yourself; I'll link you to a tutorial for that if you run into the issue). If the hard drive is formatted as FAT32 or exFAT, then you shouldn't run into any problems.

You could take off the plastic case and use something like this: StarTech.com SATA to USB Cable - USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA III Hard Drive Adapter - External Converter for SSD/HDD Data Transfer (USB3S2SAT3CB) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_zMPYDbY41HJJ5

Many people report issues with low volume on this mic. I've owned two and can confirm it is very quiet on some systems. From what I can tell, this is caused by some motherboards not supplying sufficient voltage to power this unit. A cheap usb sound card like this one fixes that problem. Definitely a good mic for the price if you're just using it for voice comms.

Typical 16gb 3000mhz price.

CAS15 is $65 on amazon.

Might want to pcpartpicker stuff before you post it here.

DD DOES NOT MATTER, ALL YOU NEED IS STEREO You're better off with this:

• [These Headphones] (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-518-Headphones-Black/dp/B0042A68R8/ref=pd_sim_e_13?ie=UTF8&refRID=196X6Q76SFWTCDKEXB8T)
  
• [This microphone] (http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_38?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1406253103&sr=1-38&keywords=microphone)
  
• [This converter] (http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=101&cp_id=10114&cs_id=1011412&p_id=10251&seq=1&format=2)
  
  Edit: use [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-PC-Headset-Adapter-PC35-Xbox360/dp/B0035AMM76)

Honestly, any headphone marketed as "gaming" will be a rip-off, and pretty much every Xbox 360 headset is crap compared to headphones designed for music listening and production.

You'll get a better deal if you get one of the generic adapter plugs that let you use any headphone and microphone combo with the Xbox. Then get this microphone and a good pair of headphones or IEMs. Here are some threads on head-fi to help you select a pair:

http://www.head-fi.org/a/buying-guide-headphones-by-price-range

http://www.head-fi.org/t/433318/shootout-96-portable-headphones-reviewed-v-moda-m-80-added-11-27-11

http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-208-iems-compared-clear-tune-monitors-ctm-200-added-12-10-11

While people are recommending headsets that come with the mic. I'm going to recommend something else. Get a high quality set of over the ear headphones. I'm talking something like the Audio Technica ATH-M50S, Audio Technica ATH-AD700, Sennheiser HD555/595 (The 595's are very similar to the 555's but sound better, there are links around that you can mod your 555's to become 595's), or Sennheiser HD380 Pro. And then attach a Zalman Mic to it.

I have a pair of HD595's and absolutely love them, I can wear them all day and not feel it. They are built like tanks and have amazing sound quality. With my Zalman mic, I not only have a headset that has much higher sound quality than any gaming headset, but I can also use it for VOIP.

I used to have a pair of Creative Fatal1ty MKii, but after picking up my Sennheiser's I can't go back to them. The comfort and sound quality is literally night and day.

Although slightly out of your price range, the two companies make extremely high quality audio equipment. If you look through their offerings you'll definitely find a pair of headphones that will fit your budget. If you watch Amazon you can find that they cut prices dramatically from time to time, I picked up my 595's for around $150, and now they're almost $250.

I use this computer 'vacuum'. It blows all the dirt/dust/etc out of the PC. You'll never have to buy compressed air ever again. It's really loud and sounds like a vacuum, but it's really just an air blower/pusher/mover.

Just ordered this one. Is this what you are talking about?

http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ Not an air compressor, but a lot more portable for $49. I love it.

Nope. Any device with an inductive load can cause severe electro-static discharge (ESD) across the computer. This is why things like the Data-Vac exist. Stick to compressed air if you're unsure if your vacuum is ESD-safe.

EDIT: In a pinch, last resort sort of thing, use the longest plastic hose attachment for our vacuum. The goal being to isolate the computer from any conductive contact with the vacuum as much as possible.

I always try to link - https://www.amazon.com/Metro-ED500-DataVac-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479510803&sr=8-1&keywords=datavac

Because I've had one for 3-4 years, and It's completely paid for itself by now.

If you're going to continue making these, which I think you should, you should absolutely invest in a better microphone and learn some sound editing. Take a look at how to do Dynamics Compression and other sound editing tips. You'd be surprised at how much that can improve the overall quality of your videos. You can find really good professional mics for under $150, my recommendation is the Yeti Blue, which they sell pretty much everywhere.

Watch some more "In Under _ Minutes" videos on YouTube, and you'll find they're talking much faster than you. Break up each line and do it as fast and as clear as you can, and pick the best ones and create a Frankenstein's monster mash up of the best takes. Since it's just audio, it won't be jarring as if it were video.

I would also add in something at the end where you recommend to the viewer to check out a specific match/matches, tell us his highest rated Meltzer match/matches or maybe even a personal favorite.

Thumbnails are also key. I know you're a new channel and they won't let you upload your own until you're verified, but that will help you out a lot. Make sure you're consistent with them and your video titles.

Other than that, very cool video and great concept! If you ever need help with them, let me know!

Hmm, missed that.

One of these:

http://i.imgur.com/FDKeNvN.png

http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-ZM-MIC1-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ

http://www.modmic.com/collections/frontpage

Maybe?

>Get a working microphone, or if you already have one, use it

Here is a great inexpensive mic that you can add to a regular stereo headset: Zalman Zm-Mic1 High Sensitivity Headphone Microphone

Samson SR850s + Zalman Mic. The samsons are amazing and blow every other headset I've heard out of the water. They are the same headphones as the Superlux 668Bs, so perhaps you can find them on ebay more cheaply than amazon.
Here's a head-fi review of the SR850s.

If you want something more expensive, see this Head-fi thread.

Instead of getting a headset I would recommend a Clip-on mic and a pair of headphones as headsets generally have pretty shitty quality compared to getting headphones and a microphone separately. Head-Fi is an excellent resource for finding good ones.

> I'm in the market for a headset

I highly recommend buying a nice pair of headphones (ATH AD700 are a favorite for gaming) and then a mic like this clip on zalman or the antlion modmic. You almost always get better sound quality (playback and recording) for the money and a wider choice of headphones.

None, 5.1 and 7.1 headphones are a scam.. or at the very least redundant.

http://www.overclock.net/t/640943/why-5-1-headphones-are-a-scam-with-pictures

If you have to go for a traditional headset, Sennheiser's usually a good bet.

Otherwise you can just buy a pair of high quality headphones and a clip-on mic like this one:

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

As long as you avoid koss, bose, logitech, turtlebeach, beats, skullcandy, steelseries, razor and creative, you should be fine. USB headphones are usually pretty bad, as well.

http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-buying-guide

(As for which of these you can use on consoles, I guess that depends on the console.)

this is all you need.

Datavac and never look back!

Standard version: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4ZOAW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ESD version: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00U01YVYK/ref=psdc_3012916011_t2_B001J4ZOAW

We have a little blower at work that we call the mini leaf blower, it's the most awesome thing ever.

http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1459197169&sr=8-4&keywords=electronics+duster

TL;DR I ended up using this lavalier microphone, with the TASCAM DR-05 recorder, putting my equipment total cost at $110.

I conducted some sociolinguistic fieldwork over the summer and I researched fairly extensively to find something within my budget but with the technical specifications I required. I took extensive notes on my thought process, so here's a summary.

So, getting a bit techy here, you're going to need a microphone and a recorder. Those are two separate pieces of equipment. The microphone is what captures the sound and turns it into an electronic current, and the recorder is what turns that current into something the computer understands. Some recorders have a built-in microphone, but you don't want to use that for phonetic studies, so you'll have to get separate pieces. Also, if you have any technical requirements (Hz requirements, for example), both the recorder and the microphone will need to be able to handle that. So you'll need a good one of each.

Even though I already have a decent microphone (the popular Blue Yeti), I felt like I needed something different for several reasons. The Yeti requires a power source: it's meant to be plugged into a computer. But I didn't like that setup. Not only would it be a bit intimidating (not to mention the microphone itself is intimidating), but it's bad acoustically since the noise from my computer would surely get captured. The Yeti ideally also should be about a foot from the speaker's mouth, which, again, makes people a bit nervous. If I move it further, I could turn the sensitivity up, but it would capture ambient noise (fans, AC, fridge, etc.). I considered a setup that didn't involve my computer, but that requires a different power source and special equipment, and that's a pain (and it's expensive).

I also considered just using my iPhone as a recorder, and buying a microphone specifically designed to work with it (they exist). The quality is decent enough for most people, but not for phoneticians. Also, they are not compatible with any other piece of equipment. Either they plug into the lightning connector or the headphone jack, but the 3.5mm headphone thingie has 3 stripes instead of 2, making it incompatible as a microphone with any other recorder (that's all I know on that topic).

I decided the TASCAM DR-05 was the best recorder for my purposes. They have bigger and better ones (like the DR-22WL or the DR-40), but they were too much for me: I didn't need to record multiple tracks simultaneously, or a huge memory, or a separate iPhone app, or a guitar tuner or anything. A very similar family of recorders is the Zoom family, and the Zoom H1 is comparable to the TASCAM DR-05 and is also a very popular. I ended up turning to youtube and found this video as well as this comparison chart. It's a bit long-winded and technical, but it did help me decide on the one I wanted.

The next task was to find a microphone. I decided a lavalier would be the most unobtrusive. There are tons of cheap microphones on Amazon, but you need to look carefully at the technical specs to make sure they aren't garbage. Tip: if they don't list the technical specs, it's probably not what you want. The best video I found for comparing the lavalier mics was this one.

I'm pretty satisfied with the recording quality. I found that the microphone caught the speech pretty well while blocking out background noise. I recorded a mono track at 48kHz and 20-bits instead of the standard 44.1kHz and 16-bit. Turned out to be about a gigabyte per hour of speech. As I'm going through these though, I realize they're a bit quiet, probably because I turned the sensitivity down in an attempt to filter out background noise. Also, I noticed people would fiddle with the wire while talking, though I haven't noticed this affecting the recorder yet. It did pick up noises if people scratched their shirt near the microphone or if they had a long beard.

I will say that I brought my Yeti as a backup, and ended up using it twice. Luckily it was a very quiet room we were in, and the quality was superior than my other setup. But, the speech was a bit stilted and people were a bit more formal with me as we sat at a table with a giant microphone sitting between us. So if you're interested in a conversational speaking style, a big set up wouldn't work.

My project mostly dealt with generally-lower-middle class white folks in the US, and I'm not particularly interested in super fine-tuned phonetic information. So the setup I had was sufficient for my project, though laboratory phonologists would probably want something better quality.

I would say to do some research on technical specifications of this equipment and decide on what you absolutely need. This will depend on your research question and the field site. If you're going to be in the middle of the jungle, you'll need something to really block out background noise. If you're sitting middle-class homes, you don't need that as much. If you want discourse and conversational data, you'll want a recorder that can handle multiple tracks simultaneously so you'll need either one fancy recorders or two separate ones. Then look at the equipment available on the market, set a budget, and find out what you can get. Just don't skimp on anything because you'll regret it later.

The end. Hope that helps.

If you have the money, I'd suggest investing in a Blue Yeti or a similar condenser microphone, or one specifically tailored for podcasting. The audio quality isn't terrible, but given this already very-well edited video, the audio quality should match the video quality.

Definitely look into a Headphone + Attachable Mic Combo

I recommend the JVC HARX900's With a Zalman mic that you can clip on the headphones

If you do end up pushing your budget, I don't really recommend the G35's like the other guy (No offense, really) I do on the other hand recommend the Audio Technica AD-700's, if you get these for gaming they will last you a lifetime, they are built very well too, I love Audio-Technica for that

Heads up man, this is super high for what you have. You can buy 16gb 3000 speed for $58 on Amazon

This is my new Dell Gaming S2716DG 27".

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0149QBOF0/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Even moving the mouse on the desktop is a new experience :)

If you can save another $100 I'd check this one out
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-763BLK-Full-HD-GeForce/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457042105&sr=8-1&keywords=dell+gtx+960m

Has an SSD for quick load times, the i5 should be hefty enough, and a 960m is great for most games nowdays.

On the other hand, you could really build a decent desktop with that money.

Dell S2716DG: 27" 1440p 144hz Gsync TN

Here, get this https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DGR-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0

I have it and its amazing. 4k is not worth it. More frames on 1440p is the way to go.

If you can spare another 100 bucks you should seriously consider this laptop: http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-763BLK-Full-HD-GeForce/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1453642122&sr=1-1&keywords=Inspiron+7559

I don't think you can find another laptop with similar specs for that price.

AOC G2460PF 24-Inch Professional Gaming LED Monitor Free Sync,144hz,1ms, Hght Adjust, Spk, VGA DVI HDMI DP USB https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BV1XBEI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_BpTNzbP4892DH

Basically the same monitor with freesync for $20 more

Go ahead and get the Acer Aspire E 15 laptop .It is in your budget range and will do an excellent job at playing those games you listed above. It has a nice 6th generation i5 processor, 8 GB RAM which is great, a 256 GB SSD which is great as it provides some much needed speed, and of course it has a NVIDIA 940MX dedicated graphics card.

I think this one for $50 more is a better deal:

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-NVIDIA-Windows-E5-575G-53VG/dp/B01DT4A2R4

Basically the same, but it has the 6200u instead of the 7200u and a 940MX instead of the iGPU. And Free shipping.

They make a 24" version that is several hundo cheaper if you're looking for max affordability. But the 27" is great.

24" on Amazon

I'm looking at buying it as well. $1049

Link

No1 selling adapter on Amazon. #2 is the metal cased version for a little more.

Did you ever plug it into one of those USB adapters? I've noticed a massive sound quality increase when using one with my Omni MM4. I didn't expect it since I have a decent motherboard and it's such a cheap piece of equipment, but it worked.

Yep. They're way more durable and pretty much just as fast as an internal SSD. I use this connector:

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84

120gb SSDs are cheap these days. I recommend going this route.

That's awfully expensive for what you get. You could buy any 480GB 2.5" SSD on the market, and replace the HDD with that. I've replaced several unibody MBPs and MBs with standard SSDs with very good results.

Since average SSDs of that size are on average around $130, you're practically paying $90 for an enclosure for the old HDD and some cheap tools. You can get all of those off Amazon if you really wanted to, and also pick up a USB to SATA cable for $10 to transfer your old stuff, and still save money.

As for reliability of SSDs like the Sandisk or Crucial, I have SSDs ranging from a few cheap Sandisks SSDs to Samsung 960 EVOs, and unless you're constantly transferring GBs of files you won't see an appreciable difference, from boot up times to load speeds. Hope this answered any concerns you had.

Just buy a SATA III to USB connector, plug it into your Xbox, and install Destiny on it. Crisis averted.

Philips SHP9500S on sale for $51.99 for the next 4 days.

V-moda boom pro Mic is $30. I know it's not 20.. but one of the best for connecting into a pair of headphones that has a removable cable.

In response to the person who has been using it for 5 years, I'd recommend against it. There are better headphones available if you don't specifically search for a 'gaming headset'. I've said before the hyper x cloud sounds horrible from experience and I stick by it.

If you don't search by the gaming headset moniker and instead look for a separate headset/microphone combo you'll be a lot happier.

Personally I enjoy these headphones and microphone, but I've been using them for 2 years so I'm also probably a bit biased/out of the loop. If anyone recommends better, definitely chime in!
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00ENMK1DW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JaVYDbZ82YWRP

Along with this microphone:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00BJ17WKK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_1cVYDbZRR7BN2

They are overpriced right now (headset was ~80 when I bought it, microphone was $35) so I'd wait until black Friday or look for a cheap alternative, but regardless I wouldn't go for the hyper x cloud. These are also open back so you'll have a nicer sound but others around you will be able to hear if you've got the volume up.

Trying to back up a hard disk after it fails usually ends up in partial or complete data loss.

Your best bet would be to buy an inexpensive external hard disk adapter, plug it into the usb port of a working computer, and run a program to attempt to recover any data off the drive. You'll have to hope for the best, but expect the worst. If you're lucky (read: very lucky), only boot partitions of the drive have failed, and your data is mostly untouched.

You would need an adapter similar to this one, but of course make sure that the HDD adapter is for your hard disk in particular, i.e. 2.5" v.s. 3.5"

If you're still interested I did a project once that used all the hardware and software this would require and I could give you some pointers.

e: I used a raspberry pi and one of these rather than what he used. One advantage of doing it this way is you could do internet control so you can have a button on your smartphone instead of a combo.

e2: you'd also need a sound card for sound input on the pi to do combo input. I also used a rc filter for noise reduction/DC isolation, and a mechanical relay to hang up the phone.

You really need a better power supply. Drop the Hyper 212 EVO and get this PSU instead. Most budget builds stick with the stock heatsink anyway. I would not put a $10 PSU in anything, you risk frying every component of the build.

This bad boy has that functionality built into it.

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VG248QE-24-inch-Ergonomic-Back-lit/dp/B00B2HH7G0

Got one of these a couple days ago. I'm happy with it.

Don't buy that AOC, the panel is awful. I returned mine within a week

ni hacerle el servicio a los mercadovergas.


Ejemplo basico ya que hable de monitores antes.

http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA-628288027-monitor-led-24-gamer-asus-vg248qe-1080p-144hz-1ms-tricubo-_JM

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-VG248QE-24-inch-Ergonomic-Back-lit/dp/B00B2HH7G0

somthing like this could help depending on your need. All the fun of having ethernet in the wall except for cutting of drywall.

Here are some things you can try if you haven't already:

1. Use ethernet the whole way. If you do this, there will be almost no latency or noticable compression. This may not be feasible for the steam link itself, but you can likely pull it off for the PC connection. The less Wifi you use, the better the picture quality is.
   
2. If you can't use ethernet, try using a Powerline adapter. Essentially these things send super small electrical signals through your house's circuit (unnoticable to any of your appliances) to replace ethernet. It's not quite as fast as ethernet, but It's a hell of a lot faster than wifi and should be fine for the Link. You can only use this if your PC and Steam link are on the same circuit.
   
3. If you can't use powerline either, use a 5GHz Wifi connection if you can. It has smaller range but much higher bandwidth so you won't have as much latency / compression
   
4. If you're using Wifi move your modem, PC, and steam link away from large metal objects (think about what's behind your walls!). Note that the material is important here - wifi signals can travel through wood and drywall pretty easily but not aluminum.

I'm using these.

The way they work is quite simple. Plug one into an outlet near your router and insert an ethernet cord into it. Plug the other into an outlet near your ps4 and connect an ethernet cord to it.

Now you have wired internet access. No other settings required.

Unlike the other PC gamers in this thread, I'd say that rig for a PS4 is a decent deal - if you do plan on replacing your PC with something a little more powerful, as you say in another thread.

Once you pick up the PS4, what you need first and foremost is a PS+ subscription, which I think is $50 a year. Multiplayer is more or less dependent upon it (except where noted, in certain games). With the service, you also get two free games every month. So far, they've all been smaller indie titles, though the PS3 is seeing some older AAA releases. You can still make a PSN id to buy games and suchlike off the PS store.

Next, you'd probably want a second controller, especially if you're into fighting games like Mortal Kombat or Injustice. Sportsfriends, one of the free PS+ games this month, is also local MP only, and I've really enjoyed it so far.

If your WiFi is not ideal, and you don't have a LAN connection direct to the PS4, you could look into one of these.

Finally, you could look into upgrading the hard drive. 500 GB doesn't last long, since the PS4 installs all games, even ones on discs, to the hard drive. With each title clocking in between 25 and 40 GB, not to mention the two free PS+ games every month, it's gonna run out fast.

Thankfully, it's really easy to replace, as detailed here. I've heard good things on /r/PS4 about a certain 2TB Samsung hard disk, but I cannot find it right now. Or you could go for an SSD, which is faster but more expensive.

That's about all I can think of at the moment. Now for the disclaimer:

If your primary motivation for the PS4 is Destiny, you might want to hold off. I'm enjoying the game, but I would not recommend it to anyone who hasn't already tried it and decided if it's the game for them. I played the open beta for between six and eight hours before deciding to buy it. If you can, play for at least an hour or two on a friend's system before taking the leap.

I know unsolicited advice is often unwelcome, so feel free to skip the following paragraph if you want to:

UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOLLOWS

You could upgrade your GPU and get a PS4 for cheaper than assembling a new rig from scratch. I'm pretty sure you could sell just the GPU for between eighty and a hundred bucks.

UNSOLICITED ADVICE ENDS

Cheers, and welcome to the PS family!

These usually work: https://smile.amazon.com/TP-Link-Powerline-Adapter-Starter-TL-PA4010KIT/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494949588&sr=8-1&keywords=network+electrical+outlet

Just use a powerline ethernet adapter to move between those locations. You won't have full gigabit speed, but they have come a long long way.

This link is for the 500Mb speed, but the 200Mb (which is fine for most stuff) is only $20! http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-PA4010KIT-Powerline-Adapter-Starter/dp/B00AWRUICG/

I can't believe that after 173 comments, no one has the explanation as to why this is the case. I guess it's finally my time to shine. Simply put, the PS3 uses a wi-fi standard that's currently in most homes today. The PS4 uses a newer, faster standard. So why is it slower then? Because most people's routers aren't upgraded to this new standard yet. Sony made the PS4's wi-fi module more future-proof, but as of now it's definitely too future-proof. There are two work-arounds to this issue. You either A) buy a router that uses the new wi-fi standard or the better option IMO, B) buy one of these genius little network powerline adapters. Why do I think the powerline adapter is better? It's cheaper than most routers that use the new wi-fi standard and it's a wired connection. You ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS, want a wired connection with your gaming devices. Save the wi-fi for your phones and tablets. Wire connections are faster and more stable than wi-fi. The network powerline adapter allows you to have a wired connection even if you don't have the ethernet wire routed to the room with your PS4.



"But wait u/IVIajesty, how does this marvelous machine pull off such a magical feat???"



It's simple young padawon. You connect the first module into the outlet and into your router. It sends the ethernet connection throughout your homes circuiting. You connect the second module into the outlet by your PS4 and into your PS4 via ethernet cable, and alakazam! The internet signal is transferred over through the rooms. It's like having a wired connection, without having a wired connection! Woo!



Bonus LPT: If you have an electronics store like Best Buy or Fry's by you, you can buy the device from them and make sure it works. If it doesn't, they have 15 day return policies. This device works in pretty much 99% of home circuiting layouts. There are a few cases where the circuiting of the home isn't compatible with this device, but it's rare. If it doesn't work, you can always return it.



Bonus-Bonus LPT: Best Buy and Fry's both price check, so if it's cheaper on Amazon or any other reputable online vender, make sure you take advantage of that to save a couple extra bucks.



Edit: Used some bolding and italics to make my comment sexier.
Edit 2: It seems as though I might've have confused standard with a different word or I might've gotten my info from an unreliable source. Crossed out the wrong info. Guess I'm not a savior after all :'(

Following is my configuration built 2 years back.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor

Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB DirectCU II Video Card

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler

Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer SGC-1000-KWN1

Dell S2240L 21.5 inch LED Backlit LCD Monitor x 2(Got these two for a steal at the Flipkart Big Billion Day Sale)

Cooler Master Keybord & Mouse Devastator Combo SGB-3010-KKMF1-US

Right now playing SOMA.

http://www.amazon.ca/Cooler-Master-Hyper-120mm-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451446229&sr=8-1&keywords=cooler+master+hyper+212+evo

128.99$ regular price for a 212 EVO eh Amazon? Wow I'm saving 86$ what a steal! How is this allowed....

I just replaced this card last night after it died on me after 2 months, I'm using this one now by tp-link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007GMPZ0A

It's working very well so far. My wifi situation is challenging due to that the direct line of sight to the router has 4 walls, 2 of them being brick, but so far this is the best wifi adapter i've used.

http://i.imgur.com/UuoRtxW.png

I haven't seen it drop below 450mbps and my old linksys AC usb adapter never got that high, it would spike up to 300mbps or so every now and then but only for a second or two then drop back down. I ran a ping google.com -t for an hour and had 0% packet loss.

GUYS!!!!!! IT'S HERE!!

I HAVE WORKING INTERNET ON MY COMPUTER!!!

For anyone interested, I bought this.

Motherboards: MSI Enthusiastic Gaming Intel Z270 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard x2

Ram: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz C15 Desktop Memory Kit - White x2

Processors: Intel 7th Gen Intel Core Desktop Processor i7-7700K x2

3 of the Monitors (1 is a Benq): ViewSonic VX2452MH 24" 1080p Gaming Monitor HDMI, DVI, VGA

GPUs: GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1060 DirectX 12 GV-N1060WF2OC-6GD 6GB 192-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Video Card x2

Coolers: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2) x2

Speakers: Logitech Z313 Speaker System x2

Cases: Corsair Carbide Series Air 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black (and 1 white)

Keyboards: SteelSeries Apex 300 Gaming Keyboard, White LED Backlit and CORSAIR K55 RGB Gaming Keyboard

Mouse: Logitech G600 MMO Gaming Mouse (and don't ask what my cheap ass mouse is, but I love it)

Cat: Pain In The Ass Model

​

I've got one and it was recognized immediately with no issues.

http://www.amazon.com/Edimax-EW-7811Un-Wireless-Adapter-Wizard/dp/B003MTTJOY

[bear in mind, this is long winded mostly cuz i'm trying to explain the reasoning for what i'm suggesting rather than just throwing parts at you]

well for that much you're not gonna get a whole lot of power, /r/buildapc (also useful as a source to help with costing the build) has a handful of useful tools (in the form of links on the sidebar) for determining what parts match what other components (though most components have universal designs and so all fit the same slots).

that said, the cpu should be the first thing you decide on (also the one thing you should not skimp on), then the motherboard with the same socket as the motherboard in the desired size. it will have a specified label you can type in, ie mine is an lga1150 cpu and the motherboard is the same, but the actual cpu itself is an i5 quad core thingy which shares that lga specification with a handful of other grades of cpu. it also is a bit biased to say but i would suggest going intel over amd, if only because the pins will be on the motherboard instead of the cpu and since the cpu is decidedly far more expensive than any motherboard you would get for it, it's better to have the easily bent pins on the motherboard in case something goes wrong. the aforementioned cpu has yet to be forced to meet the needs of the two gpu i have so something below i5 will probably work for your intents. (you'll also want to get cooling for it eventually, the stock fans work but are pretty bad)

once you decide on the cpu, you need to decide what size tower you want (there's a few, though micro atx and atx are the two i'm familiar with. this will define what size motherboard you would get. depending on how you want to go with the computer in the future, you may want smaller or larger. if you would eventually put more money into the computer to boost its power via SLI or crossfire (meaning, running two of the same graphics cards at the same time with a wire "bridge" between them), then atx would be a solid choice. i would not suggest going that route if you can help it as cooling the top gpu can be a bit of a pain (though they sell hybrid gpu which have liquid cooling pre-installed that mitigates that issue) along with multiple games not supporting that functionality and not using it anyway (overwatch is one that does support it, for whatever that's worth) however, the power you can get out of them is better for the price and doesn't require a huge immediate investment (ie, can buy the second card later, doubling your power). however, if you don't mind upgrading and replacing the gpu as needed, then micro atx is fine, too. (bear in mind, you can do sli in micro atx but they will be seriously cramped and you won't have any room for any other pci slotted device like an audio processing unit or a wireless card). my personal recommendation would be to go for the atx size and try sli/crossfire out once you could afford the second graphics card.

once you've got the size of the computer, go find a motherboard which can socket the cpu you chose (amazon/newegg are good choices for shopping for these, new or used, btw) and then a tower/case of the appropriate size (if you're interested in liquid cooling, look for towers with grates on the top and sides. corsair does a pretty good set of these but they're also kindof expensive. easy as pie to work on, though). after that, go find some ram (i would suggest 8gb at least) which match or are lower than the motherboard's specifications (ddr3 is pretty common atm, but ddr4 is better if you can afford it. ddr3 is probably best to go for for price and availability.)

gpu! the funny little powerhouses that make graphics run really well. you don't strictly speaking need one to run a game, but i would highly encourage one (even if it's a basic little bitch like this $20 one as onboard graphics of most motherboards are only good enough to run basically low res video. these are the filling to the sandwich and can be added and removed with relative ease (also one of the components with universal specs so any graphics card will fit in any motherboard, more or less). both the cpu and the gpu are going to be where you're spending most of your money along with your monitor and operating system coming in close behind. that said, with the 10 series of nvidia graphics cards being released recently, you can probably get a used 960 pretty cheap (for the record, i can run overwatch with two 960 ftw's at 135~fps solid on high settings at 1920x1080 so one would get you a solid 60fps on most games at decent levels of prettyness. you could get 700 and 800 series cheaper but will not last as long or be as effective. a 1050/1040 might be a better option but you'd have to get use one of those tools from /r/buildapc to compare effectiveness and price cuz there's way too many for me to spew all the data here)

last but not least, the power supply unit! (aka psu) once you have all other components selected, you need to go find out the wattage ratings for all the components and add them up. that will determine the amount of wattage your psu should be, choosing a psu with more wattage than is required as having too little can cause problems (750w should probably be fine unless you go for much heavier stuff). you also need to make sure it's the right size for the tower and has all the plugs you need (modular are good as they have a lot of everything and can add/remove cables fairly freely).

once you have those picked out, there are gallons of peripherals you can choose from (ie, monitor, keyboard, mouse, headsets/speakers, etc. i personally like my keyboard to light up/glow cuz i work in the dark more often than not.) as well, you will need a hard drive or two and an operating system cd and key (windows 7 is probably best for price and usage for gaming. definitely do not get windows 8 it was made with tablets in mind and is total crap, windows 10 isn't a bad choice if you can get it cheap. maybe student versions? idk.) hard drives are fairly cheap and easy to upgrade and install (nother one of the universals). i would suggest a 1TB HDD as that is a large amount of space and fairly cheap (that one's $50) considering they go up to 6tb now. another option if you are willing to shell out for it is to get an SSD to load the os from (makes your computer start up stupid fast) and have an extra hdd for larger files like movies music and games. the only problem with this is that most things want to use C: for downloading and storing files so if the ssd isn't big enough you can run out of space pretty damn quick. that said, i'm using a 128gb ssd and only just recently started running out of room. 256gb would probably be better for longer term and for storing maybe one or two games on it for fast loading or maybe just using that if you're not a game hoarder like i am (i like having all my steam games installed for nostalgia purposes).

also as a sortof rant/general rule i would suggest avoiding asus if you can, not cuz their stuff is crap but because their rma department is crap. i've sent things to them which were horrifically broken or otherwise obviously damaged that they sent back to me unchanged. on the flip side, they sent back a new motherboard when i sent it in the second time after i said i would prefer they do that, so they've got that going for them.

with all of that said, there are likely pre-designed pcs for that range somewhere but i could not immediately find them on /r/buildapc so i'm not sure where to find them. if you'd prefer that, i can go find it. i just think of it as more fun to do the aforementioned abomination of planning and minmaxing. in all cases, building the pc yourself will be cheaper than buying one from a store or a laptop.

Cause I am dumb and didn't realize that Amazon lists this drive as one item with two options. First time I looked it up it said 7200, second time it was 5400 but I didn't realize til I opened the box.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Cache-Desktop-Drive-WD10EZEX/dp/B0088PUEPK

My poor boot times :-(

$69 is the MSRP, but this always hovers around $50-60 (http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Desktop-Hard-Disk-Drive/dp/B0088PUEPK). Still a good deal at $44.99

Dell S2417DG

I got it on sale for ~$325 a few months ago. There's some backlight bleed on the bottom edge and the colors are only so-so (coming from an IPS display) but the gaming performance is unreal.

Dell 2417dg is one of the best choice (I just got mine).

165hz - G-sync - 24" 2k (1440p) - 1 ms (of course) -

TN panel ---> but check some reviews it as one of the best color accuracy and viewing angles compared to shitty Benq 1080p monitors.

399$ in amazon US atm this is honestly the best monitor fast and optimized for gaming, but still great for movies.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-S2417DG-YNY1D-24-Inch-LED-Lit/dp/B01IOO4SGK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1483041803&sr=8-1&keywords=dell+2417dg

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-S2417DG-YNY1D-24-Inch-LED-Lit/dp/B01IOO4SGK

Link for those interested: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-S2417DG-YNY1D-24-Inch-LED-Lit/dp/B01IOO4SGK/

At this price point you can get 165hz 1440p gsync, which is way nicer


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01IOO4SGK/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526218777&sr=8-1-fkmr0&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=dell+165hz+1440p

If anyone here is looking to buy it for the specs alone, then you can get the EXACT SAME CPU/RAM/GPU in this acer for $550 https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-NVIDIA-Windows-E5-575G-53VG/dp/B01DT4A2R4

EDIT: Of course youre sacrificing build quality, screen resolution, possibly thermals.

The average consumer buys around a 700 dollar laptop, so this is the area in the market where most price gouging is.

Laptops are incredibly low margin to sell, single digits in many cases, so manufactures try to save as much on BOM costs as possible.

However, I don't agree they haven't moved. Yes ram amounts and harddrives are the same but there are improvements on the whole. 1080 screens are increasingly becoming the norm at $500, these laptops are getting much thinner with lower wattage CPUs, which are typically faster than six years ago by a large margin.

Also, remember six years ago the Canadian dollar was worth more than the US dollar. However, now buying the equivalent $700 dollar laptop in Canada is around a $500 laptop in America.

Here is a $550 laptop with SSD, Dgpu and 1080p screen

Here is entry level gaming at regular consumer purchasing price

Thursday was my last day. It wasn't the worst thing ever, but goddamn I am so sick of fucking drive thru.

In other news, I'm finally moving to Duluth next Wednesday. I think I'm pretty comfortable with job stuff, but if anybody knows of anything good I'd love to hear about it.

Also, I got some money from amazon for sending in textbooks and I think I'm going to get a new monitor and possibly some speakers for when I'm not using my headphones. After doing a bit of research, I've landed on the AOC G2460PF and Logitech Z323. Anybody familiar with either of those?

Amazon model for $199 doesn't include freesync. The $195 model does

There's no way you can be on a team without a mic.

Price an issue?

• This Clip On Mic is only 8 dollars and is pretty high quality too.
  
  
• If you can afford to go higher I can recommend a Blue Snowball for $60.
  
  
• Also, maybe a CAD U1 for $30.
  
  Even a headset will do. Make sure you enable push to talk and are using headphones.
  
  Are you afraid? Get over it. Sorry for the bluntness, but consider your team to be friends. People you'd play any game with and still have a good time. If they aren't people you can relate to, don't join their team. It's that simple. Find people you can relate to easily. Find people that won't yell at you. Find people that will crack the occasional joke and laugh at stupid/amazing plays. You will create incredible bonds with these people, and have lifelong friends. These people must be more important to you than a random lobby player, so talk to them!
  
  And to be honest... most teams don't take people who can't/won't talk. Even if you were Clockwork or Ruwin.
  
  So, get a mic.

Audio Technica ATH-M30x seem to be a good entry-level enthusiast headset but coming in at £60 at amazon I figure you could find better prices elsewhere for that headset. Personally I think it sounds pretty similar to the ATH-M50 while being loads cheaper in my area.

Or the Sennheiser HD 202, it's quite decent for cheap. Also comfortable.

Edit: Here's some cheap clip-on mic in case you game:

• Neewer - Cheap as dirt and has fairly good reviews.
  
• Zalman - Heavily recommended by some but I've heard complaints that it picks too much background noise or such.
  

Standard recommendation for high quality headphone/microphone combo is a Sennheiser HD555 with a Zalman Clip-on Mic.

I have them both and I find they work well and that they work well together.

• 1. The best headset is not a headset at all. A good pair of headphones and a good microphone is much better than any headset out there. I'd recommend something like a pair of Audio Technicha ATH-AD700X (or the 700s basically the same thing, just different colors) As for a mic, the best option is the Mod Mic 4.0, a Zalman ZM Mic 1, or a USB Mic. If you must get a headset, the Hyper X Cloud is the best option, though there are a few nice Sennheiser options.
     
     
• 2. Horror games are not my expertise, but I'll find some that I've heard are good:
     
     
• Amnesia Dark Descent
  
  
• Alien Isolation
  
  
• And from other sources:
  
  http://www.pcgamer.com/best-horror-games-pc/
  
  http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/07/27/best-horror-games/
  
  http://www.pcworld.com/article/2838314/software-games/15-terrifying-pc-horror-games-to-play-with-the-lights-off.html
  
  
  

You're going to be doing your ears and the ears of the people you're talking a disservice to by getting a "Gaming Headset." I've owned a Steelseries Siberia v2 for a couple years now and I regret it every time I use them.

Average is the greatest compliment I can give them. Average soundstage, average bass, average highs and average mic quality. And if you're going to be spending ~$90 on a head set you want something that will be more than average.

This is what I wish I went with years ago and what I still wish I could justify buying while my Siberia is functioning:

• $95 Audio Technica ATH-AD700 - "Good for Gaming, Movies (very open soundstage). Good bass response but not bass presence (not thumpy). Comfortable and very very very large." -HeadFi
  
  
• $190 Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, 80 ohms - "BASS!!! Great soundstage for a closed can. Very good movie and gaming can.+ -HeadFi
  
  
• $10 Zalman Zm-Mic1 High Sensitivity Headphone Microphone - Clip on mic that attaches to your headphone cable. Everything I've heard about this mic have been glowing reviews, amazing sound and fantastic sensitivity.
  
  By going with a pair of headphones that are high quality and feature an exceptional soundstage, which basically means how far around you you can hear (good for picking up footsteps and locating bullet shots), and top of the line sound reproduction you're setting yourself up to have the best of both worlds, gaming and music.
  
  This is all coming from someone who wishes they had more money to spend on audiophile gear. Make sure to check out /r/audiophile as well, they have a lot of good information there as well.
  
  [http://www.head-fi.org/a/buying-guide-headphones-by-price-range]

I recommend a Yeti.

It's not what I use but my setup doesn't work for what you're looking for. This is a solid mic, in my opinion.

My dental work is finally done. Complete. Finished. I'm not going back for a while. Good riddance.

So, my church has been trying to get into streaming for the last year. Just a basic type of stream with a single camera pointing at a couch, with some live music and a reading of that week's sermon. The church board allocated $3000 to the project, their blessing, and then nothing happened for months.

A couple weeks ago, they tried their first stream. The camera "broke" so they streamed on a cellphone with a bitrate resembling pre-2000 internet videos. The next week was the same thing. Then, they got the camera "working" but the framerate was low, the image was stuttery and it was blurry like it was zoomed in and not in HD. The audio was also really echoy, and the lighting was just light coming from the pastor's office window.

I'm a media guy, and while my specialty is mostly in radio/audio tech, I've done work with streaming and video production in the past. Knowing that the budget would be tight, I came in with a list of recommendations to vastly improve the quality of the streams and to teach basic broadcasting procedures. What I walked into was a bit of a trainwreck.

The church administrator was tasked with acquiring the streaming equipment. After a false start with a video camera that couldn't stream video, he ended up getting a DSLR camera. The image quality is actually quite nice, but it has to be fully charged before the stream, whatever. He bought a USB 3.0 video link cable for the camera, which actually works brilliantly, but nobody involved knew that a USB 3.0 cable goes into a USB 3.0 slot. They were putting it into USB 2.0 slots and wondering why the video was absolutely terrible.

My church has an absolute wealth of microphones of all different styles for many different purposes. Instead of buying a cheap XLR interface or splurging on a USB soundboard, the admin bought a Blue Yeti. Aside from being useless as a room mic, it not only cost more, but the audio quality is vastly worse than even the cheapest stage mics we have on hand. I'm sure one of the pastors can find a use for this (I know that they record stuff for people), it has no place anywhere near someone's streaming setup. I have to lend/give my current XLR-interface from home to rectify this.

Speaking of audio, the office they chose to stream in has a reverb problem. I get that they don't want to spend a lot of money or convert the room into a studio (I mean, it is a pastor's office), but the echo is too distracting for the average person. If the audio sucks, nobody is going to want to watch this thing. I get to talk with the property team this Sunday to get some hooks installed along the walls to hang some old, heavy blankets from. They can hide them away when they're not filming, and it will make a massive difference to the echo issue. If we somehow don't have blankets on hand, that's probably the easiest donation to ever ask for.

When the blankets go up, I need the office window covered, because the natural lighting is absolutely terrible. It makes everyone look flat, kinda washed out, and casts shadows on people's faces. I'm gonna try to wrangle up the ~$150 required to get a basic 2-box lighting kit that can be stored when not streaming.

So, they decided to stream with OBS, which gets my approval, but there are issues. They're using a 4-year-old laptop, which surprisingly isn't the limiting factor here. Nobody knew what they were doing with settings, so they were streaming in 733p and outputting at an even worse resolution. They also couldn't figure out how to remove the camera overlay that showed up on the screen, so they had zoomed in to crop that out, and tried streaming like that. Despite using the USB mic, they were only taking in laptop microphone audio. They turned the program on, figured out how to get the camera to feed, and then hit stream. I have no other explanation.

Simply said, I am taking over this project. Everything I said here is fundamental to basic broadcasting, and is the cheapest professional-quality setup I can currently imagine that won't be total jank. I hope there's budget left, but I think the entire $3000 was spent on the streaming couch, camera, usb mic, the camera cable and other nonsense.

I've got a lot of work to do. I told people involved in the project that I'm experienced with streaming and broadcasting production and offered insight throughout, which was ignored. I can't believe how out of hand this whole thing got.

More lies to keep the propaganda machine burning.

Oh no, the Black Yeti Mic on amazon is more expensive than the Silver Yeti Mic. They're clearly being racist!

Or, you know, companies have MSRPs and buying things in bulk can reduce the price. Which do you think sells more, the gender neutral scooter, or the pink one?

It's a free market, ladies. Companies wouldn't charge you more for pink shit if you didn't fucking buy it. That's not sexism, that's the difference between an informed consumer and a useful idiot.

Occam's razor is the quick death of most misogyny claims. "Is this a global conspiracy against half of the population?!" .. No, it's just you being a fucking tool.

DataVac, literally a hurricane in your hand.

Link

The Blue Yeti will set him back $100 and will improve his sound to near-studio qualities. I don't know why he doesn't get one.

First, let me say this: all headphones are surround sound. You only have two places that you can hear from and headphones literally surround them. Surround sound (5.1, 7.1, etc.) in speakers is nice since in order to hear from all directions without getting too technical you need speakers around you. If you see 5.1 or 7.1 headphones, that means they just stuffed a ton of low quality drivers into their phones and is a good sign they are nothing but marketing and that you should avoid them.

Also, if you see a headset that is usb that means it uses it's own sound card essentially, which may be good or bad for you depending on your setup.

For gaming specifically you want headphones with a good sound-stage. There is no gaming headset on the market that compares to getting some good phones plus mic. Sony MDR-V6 and Creative Aurvana Live (rebadged Denon AH-D1001) are a decent choices for your price range. You can always get a desktop mic, a clip-on mic, or better yet find a Labtec LVA-7330 on ebay and do some simple modding and you have yourself a headset with removable mic.

I got this one and it's great considering I already had awesome headphones.

I personally chose the 558s, but I'm using them exclusively on my desktop so I don't have to worry about noise leaking out at home or carrying an amp around with me.

Also for gaming I use this.

Much cheaper and excellent audio quality.

I'm gonna be that guy, and say something like Sennheiser HD558 or Audio Technica ATH-M50s with a Zalmann clip on mic or standard desktop mic.

Not as elegant but will sound MUCH better than most, if not all, of the mic + headphone combos.

Forget compressed air, get something like this

Buy one of these and contact me in a week.

DO NOT BUY CANNED AIR.

Get this puppy: http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323500794&sr=8-2

IT BLOWS!

A data vac will solve ALL your problems.

I have one of THESE, and it's pretty awesome.

get yourself a datavac if cleaning PCs is part of your job. canned air is too expensive for how much you get.

Give this a look: Metro Vacuum ED500 DataVac

I have a can of air duster that I try to dust the vents on the sides/back once a month. I'm really thinking about getting one of these so I don't have to buy those cans that freeze up after 10 seconds.

here you go. 1440p, 144hz, 1ms g2g, and Gsync for $500.

Amazon has some "very good" (for $465) and "like new" (for $491) in their warehouse deals as well if you're looking to save a little more money.

Additionally, the street price per camelcamelcamel for this monitor appears to have settled at $599, so bear that in mind when considering the savings.

I got these for $73 in October 2015 NOT on sale. I didn't know how to look for computer part sales then, so I just got them because I wanted an upgrade from my 6GB of RAM I had before that.

Then when I made my new build, I got these for $80 this past Black Friday.

Amazon currently has it for $535 and it's been as low as $489.99, which I bought it at about a month ago. So THIS is the lowest it's ever been.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DG-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0

Its TN but ive seen this and the predator side by side at microcenter and the difference is only noticeable if you're 2 feet away and nitpicking

Dell 27" G-Sync 144hz (S2716DG). Great monitor and doesn't look like a carnival ride. If you're into that, you can always paint the base red or copper and run some LEDs along the back. Stock image settings are terrible, but easy to adjust. Take a look at the first review here for settings:

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DG-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0

I have this and its awesome

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DG-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0

This is my go-to choice for games under $1000: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015PYYDMQ

NVIDIA GTX 960M, 15.6" 1920x1080 IPS display (The MSI and ASUS laptops with this GPU for this price use low-quality TN displays), and 256GB SSD (not a 1TB HDD unfortunately, that's the only thing)

EDIT: There's also this for $794 with an 960M and IPS display http://www.newegg.com/Special/ShellShocker.aspx?cm_sp=Homepage_SS-_-P4_34-331-904-_-11302016&index=4 Not sure how long the deal will last.

EDIT2: fixed link

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series is $800 (US) on Amazon and has a Skylake i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and an NVIDIA GTX 960 w/4GB GDDR5.

Those are some pretty demanding requirements. My first thought is an XPS 15, but the price is really cutting it close for the i5 configuration (don't forget the coupon code 10%OFFXPS), and significantly over if you want the SSD included. You could always get a HDD configuration though and swap the SSD yourself.

Doing some quick searches if you want it to stay cheaper, this Dell looks pretty nice. Or this Acer Aspire V Nitro.

I don't think you're going to find a 15.6" laptop that weighs much less than 5 lb, unfortunately.

Both suggestions by Shopineer are excellent. The Acer is good if you want a longer battery life but isn't quite as powerful, and the Lenovo Ideapad is a fine mix (but not quite a great battery).

If you think you could push your budget a bit, you could get the even more powerful Dell Inspiron 7559 for $700. It comes with a quad core i5-6300HQ processor, 8gb of ram, 256gb SSD and GTX 960M dGPU. The 960M is probably more what you're looking for and can play most games on the market pretty well. The dell also has a long battery (advertised up to 10 hours), but it weighs a bit more at 5.7 lbs.

The cheap gaming laptop that actually has decent specs is the Dell Inspiron 15 7559, found here: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ

$700 for:

Quad Core 3.2 GHz (turbo) Intel Skylake CPU (i5-6300HQ)

NVidia GTX 960M 4GB

8GB Memory

15.6" 1080p IPS Screen

256GB SSD

and actual usable ports. It's not exactly thin like the Asus K501UW-AB78, but it's cheaper, and has a much better CPU (albeit more power hungry). The Acer would be if you valued thinness and lightweight over performance, while this Dell I'm talking about is more performance oriented with components that put out more heat, and therefore require a larger battery and better cooling.

With this kinda thing.

Get a powerline. It uses the outlets and runs the signal across the electrical wires. My xbox gets about 5mbs down wifi but about 75 mbs Wired.

TP-LINK TL-PA4010KIT AV500 Nano Powerline Adapter Starter Kit, up to 500Mbps by TP-LINK http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_pJTWtb1PBK8A4

My wireless connection was too poor for the Steam link, and I rent a room so I couldn't run ethernet through the walls. Instead, I found a good solution in using this powerline ethernet adapter.

I would say it is sligthly better than a chromecast. Rather than only being able use a couple streaming services from an appstore. With the steamlink, you can basically stream whatever is on your desktop.

A ethernet connection is highly recommended though. I've use these with some success.

Buy a Tp-Link I bought one a while ago and it fixed all my problems I was having.

I just figure since most people want nice headphones for listening to music you should probably get a pair of nicer ones and use a separate mic.

Also try this.

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

If your headphones have a removable cord w/ 3.5mm jack then the Vmoda Boompro is really where it's at. Cheaper and from what I've seen better sound quality. You also don't have to stick anything on your headphones in order to make it work when compared to the ModMic. I own a ModMic 4.0 and have been kinda kicking myself for not getting a boom pro.

You'll get better sound quality for a better price buying a good pair of regular headphones and adding a mic. Specificially I would suggest getting a pair with a detachable cord and adding this mic.

As for the wireless route, that's a bit more complicated, but you could still pair a set of wireless headphones with an external mic and getting something nice. I have this set of wireless headphones from Sony and really like them, although you could probably do better for $300. For the mic, I would get something like the Blue Snowball.

Philips shp9500 headphones with vmoda boom pro mic.

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-SHP9500-Precision-Over-ear-Headphones/dp/B00ENMK1DW

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

I bought this mic that works well for me:

V-MODA BoomPro Microphone for Gaming & Communication - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJ17WKK/

I have the ASUS VG248QE which is 144hz and only like $270 from amazon. I've used both lightboost and just flat 144hz and I like the 144hz more, but it's definitely capable of doing either. I love it. http://www.amazon.com/VG248QE-24-Inch-Screen-LED-lit-Monitor/dp/B00B2HH7G0

I don't think so, but you can always get something like https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01IRCXC9S

or even the V-Moda BoomPro mic

but you'll need a 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter as well. (e: and some modding due to the twist-lock, Youtube has guides)

edit: Looks like there is bundle @ $79 which includes a mic, not many details on it though. See my post here.

I have this one and I love it: ASUS 24" 144hz 1ms

http://www.amazon.com/VG248QE-24-inch-LED-lit-Monitor-response/dp/B00B2HH7G0/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I've been researching, and this looks pretty great to me.

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VG248QE-24-inch-Ergonomic-Back-lit/dp/B00B2HH7G0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453507213&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+144hz

TP-LINK TL-PA4010KIT AV500 Nano Powerline Adapter Starter Kit, up to 500Mbps https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_zQYFwbA7ZNW41

Sorry, posted right b4 bed

The mount is an [Ergotron dual stacking arm] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036RDOT8/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1411569894&sr=1&keywords=Dual+stacking+arm)

And the monitors are both Asus vg248qe 144hz displays


The ergotron arms are an absolute dream. If need be I can easily adjust them to a horizontal or side by side monitor setup. Make sure you have enough of a lip on your desk for the base to clamp onto. My desk is really just a dining room table and it's 3'' lip was just barely enough to secure the stand. If you done have a sufficient lip then be prepared to drill a hole for the alternate mounting method.

Either this one http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-XL2411Z-24-Inch-LED-Monitor/dp/B00ITORITU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411654861&sr=8-1&keywords=benq+xl2411z

or this one

http://www.amazon.com/VG248QE-24-inch-LED-lit-Monitor-response/dp/B00B2HH7G0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1411654884&sr=8-4&keywords=asus+24

Both are 1080p/144hz

This is on Amazon prime for the same price right now

Seems like WD's slashed prices on their Blue desktop hard drive line, at least on Amazon. Was personally following the 3 TB for a while but here's some other drive info, going off of Camel^3:

• 1 TB: $37.99 = $44.99-$7 (all time low)
  
• 2 TB: $49.99 = $54.99-$5 (all time low)
  
• 4 TB: $71.99 = ~$86-~$14 (all time low)

> Safe to say I blew it out the water in terms of value.


To be fair, not really, you got the case and HDD for free + 4GB less RAM

Motherboard looks like a Gigabyte
GA-78LMT-USB3 + £8

Cheapest 8GB 1333 Mhz I could find: Geil Enhance Corsa + £15

HDD: WD Blue 1 TB + £50


PSU: Corsair VS450 - about the same price, couldn't find one.

Case: Aerocool X-Warrior + £50

Videocard looks like it's got some custom cooling solution on there, so maybe + £5

£222 + £128 = £350 + 3 "free" games

Doesn't seem THAT bad. And apparently the system was £372 at some point. Although not crystal clear if it's a 6300 or a 6100 in there, even so, not much price difference.

Edit: It's actually a FX-6100, but the whole thing is only £360 on their website. However, it also includes a Wi-Fi adapter and a DVD-RW drive, so definitely a fair deal price-wise.

Since you aren't going for anything art related you won't need a screen with an amazing color gamut to do what you want then.

I'd take a hard look at this to start with: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y4GZS9C/ref=psdc_13896615011_t1_B01N9SSQ9E

A very good price/performance tradeoff, if you can stomach the somewhat questionable aesthetics. The only real downside is that you've only got 256gb of storage. You will likely want an external drive for anything large such as movies (if you get one, make sure it is USB3).

Note that when gaming your battery life is going to tank, and your fan noise is likely to be high. There isn't any getting around that regardless of what device you choose.

I know it's not that helpful. But I struggled with sound out of the laptop's headphone jack for a couple months. I eventually broke down and just bought a small USB DAC and that fixed it right up and even sounded better than Window's did.

Something like this: Sabrent USB DAC [Amazon]

The audio output on the Pi is super low quality, you will hear a lot of noise from your stereo. A cheap USB sound adapter will make a big difference. This one worked for me
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IRVQ0F8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.CX7AbFTRWR18

I'd recommend taking the hard drive out to see what size it is and then ordering a SATA to USB connector lead online. You can then plug the hard drive into any computer. That way you can have a look for yourself to see if there is anything 'dodgy' on there, and if you don't find anything, you could put back the hard drive and get it computer fixed with out worrying about it.
I picked up this SATA to USB lead recently off of Amazon for $12 and it works great: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJZJI84

Is it possible to use the V-moda boom mic with this?

These are always on sale for about $58 but figured the $46 was a pretty good deal. I bought the open box deal a few weeks ago and there was nothing wrong with them, aside from the box being torn up, but that is just my own experience, yours may differ.

So far these things are fantastic! I have them paired with a V-Moda Boompro and everything works and sounds great. There is a large community for these and a lot of tutorials on how to change out the pads and whatnot.

 

 

Here are a few links for you all

 

---
---

 

New ---> $57.99

 

---

 

V-Moda Boompro ---> $29.98 + Free Shipping

 

---

 

Review

 

---

 

Modded

 

Thingiverse

 

Replacement pad adapter for sale on Ebay.

 

Replacement pads without pad adapter

 

---

 

Tuning

 

---

 

Discussion Thread

 

---

 

 

 

You should state your budget.

Anyway,

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ENMK1DW + http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJ17WKK

Ooooh misinterpreted the replacement suggestions lol I'm looking at the Sennheiser HD 598 open back here but the closed back are cheaper and might suit you better, you can buy something like this if you need a mic.

It's very solid. I enjoy it quite a bit for voice chat, and it's directionality means my mechanical keyboard doesn't get picked up quite as much.

That being said: if you've got room in your life (IE your headphones utilize a standard 3.5mm jack at the headphone end) for something like the V Moda mic it's a little cheaper for close to the same thing.

I don't know what OP's pricerange is, but I would HIGHLY recommend avoiding any kind of "gaming" headphones, and go for a solid pair of audiophile headphones with a mic attatchment for when playing games. Anyone looking into headphones should definitely checkout the weekly advice threads on /r/headphones.

You should probably buy the V-Moda BoomPro as it does exactly what you want.

That particular setup (SHP9500 + BoomPro) is pretty popular on r/headphones.

I had something similar until I upgraded to the Fidelio X2 (Phillip's really nice higher-end set of headphones)

Don't get a gaming headset.

Get a nice pair of headphones with a removable cord and this:

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

It seems like you're on a pretty tight budget from the comments. This is what I would do.

Used ebay optiplex ($120) - This isn't new tech by any means, but for $120 you're getting a quad core sandy bridge cpu, 8 gb of ram, a 500gb HDD and a Windows license. You can't beat that value.

PSU ($40) - EVGA 500w - Cheap, stable, reliable.

GPU ($105) - XFX RX 460, suitable for most newer games at medium settings at 1080p. If you can spend a little over $300 for your build I'd highly suggest upgrading this to an rx 470.

Overall this system will do what you want for under $300.

I completely forgot you mentioned the store credit... Go for it! But, Try to get a beefier PSU. Anything around 500-600 watts is decent. You're going to want a certified power supply like this! Most GPU's will labeled their recommended amount of watts to drive the GPU.

PSU is an easy choice for your build, go with an EVGA 500 Watt PSU. It's not overpriced and has more than enough power for you system

PSU here.

GL, and happy gaming!

PS: obligatory " should've gotten an r9 390 "

Here's a cheap 500W Tier 3 power supply.

http://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Gaming-Headset-Headphone/dp/B00BJ17WKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452554901&sr=8-1&keywords=vmoda+boom+pro+mic

Do you have any pair of headphone at all? If so I would recommend this VMODA boom mic

Phillips SHP9500 + Vmoda BoomPro

After searching through a ton of thread I settled on the [Philips SHP9500s] (https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826138190&cm_re=philip_shp9500-_-26-138-190-_-Product) and a [vmoda boom pro mic] (https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Microphone-Gaming-Communication/dp/B00BJ17WKK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1517508626&sr=1-1&keywords=v+moda+boom+pro). This was a super popular option for those that wanted a solid set of headphones that weren't just for gaming. All around great sound, though not that bass heavy. Build quality is amazing for the price, and versatile since the (very good) mic can be removed. Also, You'll need to jack up the volume and it's a little big for small heads.

You might want to consider getting a USB to 3.5mm converter so you can continue to use your current headphones.

Not sure why they'd throw a 9900K with a 2070... i mean the price isnt God awful... but if you want to save some money I'd go with THIS ONE... quite a bit cheaper and still has a 2070... will fare just fine for the greater majority of things.

​

Edit: the one thing that I'd be careful with on this one is the RAM that it comes with... seems to come with 2400mhz ram... not sure how much you know about RYZEN but RAM speed matters a lot more for them compared to Intel... If you go for this computer... I'd probably take the ram out and sell it and throw in something like this. The processor will run MUCH better with that ram and youll probably only have to spend about $40-$50 more after you sell the ram that the computer comes with

> Metro ED500 DataVac

Link for the lazy

How about the DataVac Metro ED500? It's very popular with IT folk, and it's perfect for your intended usage.

http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

Bonus -- it's half the price of the compressor you suggested.

Seriously, just buy one of these and never worry about it again.

http://www.amazon.com/Metro-ED500-DataVac-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463028631&sr=8-1&keywords=duster+electric

That eventually happens to any filter. It happens faster in a high dust area like in my case.
I would rather the dust get caught on the nylon ped than be inside my system.

Every few weeks I clean the ped by blowing it with a Data Vac and rubbing the dust off with my hand. Dust still gets inside but it takes much longer for the heat sinks inside to get to the point where the dust needs to be peeled off like a dryer sheet.

If you're looking for a solution that doesn't cost money forever, I might suggest a DataVac. It works wonders cleaning electronics, air purifiers, fans.. basically anything that collects dust.

Link for the lazy.

You need one of these:

> http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/259157-REG/Giottos_AA1900_Rocket_Air_Blower.html

Now why use that when there's this:

http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412301341&sr=8-1&keywords=computer+blower

https://www.amazon.com/Metro-ED500-DataVac-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/

I use this! http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW

Tis why i use this: http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451945541&sr=8-2&keywords=datavac+vacuum best electric duster ever

Use compressed air or something like this.

Make sure you don't spin the fans super fast, and if you use canned air make sure you keep the can level and spray in short bursts.

I got sick of buying compressed air, so I made a long term investment.

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

I bought one of these that clips on to my headphones cable fine. You can also just fold the collar of your shirt over as well. Might want to get a sleeve to keep it together with your headphone cable. I don't really use a mic often though so I don't mind 2 cables when using it too much.

http://www.amazon.com/Superlux-HD-681-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00BWUHHYE

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

Really good headphones for an excellent price. 7.1 is just a fancy marketing technique and a good pair of headphones is more than you'll need.

Mic is excellent as well, it clips on the cable of the headphone.

There is a white version of the headphones if you want, http://www.amazon.com/Superlux-HD-681-Professional-Monitoring-Headphones/dp/B00CAG1ZG0/ref=pd_sim_MI_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=00MCGHWWKXXYERJ2ZWW6

I wouldn't recommend any traditional gaming headsets, you would do better to get a good pair of headphones and a separate mic. Gaming headsets have good mics, but the speakers are almost always lacking compared to similarly priced headphones.

I've used many headsets from Logitech, Steelseries, Razer, Turtle Beach, and a few other companies, and anything from Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Beyerdynamic, Denon, AKG, or the multitude of quality audiophile manufacturers, will give you far better audio.


Sennheiser makes the only really good headsets in my opinion, the PC350 and PC360, but they are expensive at around $200, and don't sound as good as the HD598's for about the same price.

Steelseries makes okay headsets, but are over priced for the audio quality. The 5Hv2 and 7H are incredibly comfortable, and the Siberia v2 are quite comfy as well (not if you have a large head though, I have 7 7/8 hat size and was fatigued in an hour). Also their build quality is very good. They produce very accurate locational noise, but be warned as Steelseries headsets have no bass at all at the cost of having very clear footstep identification.

I wouldn't even consider Razer products as their build quality is sub-optimal.

Check out: reddit.com/r/audiophile and reddit.com/r/headphones for all the info you want on good headphones.

Also www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-buying-guide is a good place to start.

For gaming I use Audio Technica ATH-AD700 and Zalman Zm-Mic1. The AD700's don't have a large bass presence, so bass thumps don't interfere with footsteps and important locational noise (which they produce very accurately). These are by far the most comfortable headphones I have ever had on. The ModMic is also a very good mic option for any headphone.


Do a little research on the audio sub-reddits and you will find the perfect solution for your needs.

Sorry, it's over budget but here is my setup:

Headphones (Really quite amazing for the price):
http://www.amazon.com/JVC-HARX700-Precision-Sound-Headphones/dp/B0013OWPV4

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

If you shop around, you may be able to find them cheaper. I wouldn't have bothered mentioning my setup knowing it's over budget but I researched and scrutinized for a solid month when I made these purchases and these seemed to be as good as it gets under $50

Edit:
Looks like there are cheaper mics with good ratings here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007792%204024&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=REVIEWS&PageSize=20

The same headphones I would recommend for anything. ATH-M50s. If you shop around you can find them for ~$100.

http://www.headphone.com/selection-guide/top-picks/audio-technica-ath-m50.php

I spent a lot of time shopping around and comparing before settling on those & I have to say there really isn't anything that compares for a comparable price.

Then just get a cheap clip-on mic (like this) and you're good to go.

Whatever you do don't waste money on a "gaming headset". You'll be happier in the long run if you buy a decent set of cans & a separate mic. And DEFINITELY don't be suckered into a pair of "5.1 headphones" that have multiple drivers per ear. A good set of stereo headphones + virtual surround will kick the shit out of them every time.

how about just a microphone?

Zahlman Zm-Mic1

much cheaper, good sound. Should serve you just fine for VOIP

Beater headphones and get this Mic. Zalman ZM

I have a nice set of Audio-Technicas that I use for music but needed a mic. This satisfied ALL my needs.

For question number one, PLEASE get a headset and a microphone BEFORE you start playing. Here is a link to a good mic for a cheap price

No, do not buy surround sound headsets, even if you play CSS. I spent around $100 for my pair of 5.1 surround sound headphones (Tritton was the brand -- the audio division of Mad Catz), and while they were a very blatant step up from the shitty generic Logitech headsets I'd used in the past, they are not even close to the quality you get when you just purchase a normal pair of high-quality headphones, especially considering how much more expensive they were.

Immediately after going through two different pairs of surround sound headsets, I decided to just buy normal headphones and a separate microphone for voice chat. I currently use a JVC HARX900 and a Zalman mic, which will cost you about $70 altogether, but it's well worth it in my opinion. The sound quality is fantastic, and most FPS games are made well enough that you can get distinguish sound coming from different directions, even with stereo headphones.

Surround sound headphones are entirely unnecessary, and I wish someone had been there to tell me that before I bought mine.

As a side note, listening to music on stereo headphones vs. a surround sound headset will make no difference, as pretty much 99% of music is 2 channel anyway, so having 5 speakers makes no difference. Yes, it can be upmixed to 5.1, but if you just buy a good pair of stereo headphones, it will sound equal to, if not better, than the surround sound headphones.

Audio Technica AD700 are pretty much the standard audiophile reccomendation when it comes to sub-$150 gaming headphones. Pair it with a Zalman Zm-Mic1 and I can pretty much guarantee you that you will never touch a gaming headset again. The AKGs are a good option but I would opt for the AD700 if you can spare the extra $15. They offer a better soundstage which is critical for gaming as it gives you a better sense of your surroundings.

i'm using a pair of audio technica ath-m50's (which are used primarily for listening to music but works as a headset just fine) along with a clip on zalman mic.

i understand that this might be a little more expensive than you are looking to spend, but buying a headset for gaming only seems kind of inefficient to me. in reality you can just pick up that clip on mic (which is super high quality) and pair it with some ear-buds you have lying around.

$8

Zalman Zm-Mic1 High Sensitivity Headphone Microphone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_9rSpxb0W2PRGG

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

Skip coffee for a couple days and bam, you've got a solid microphone equivalent to those that are installed in many combination headsets.

Monoprice headphones and the Zalman clip on mic. It's the best setup you can do in your budget. It's the only pair of super cheap headphones that I've actually seen the people at head-fi.org rave about. No headsets are going to be all that great on your budget...or in general for that matter, so go for a separate mic and headphone.

He has some good advice. But for the love of all that is holy. Please do not buy a "gaming" headset.

Invest in a good pair of headphones and attach something like a Antlion Mod-Mic to it. You'll end up with far better sound, a similar if not better mic, for around the same or cheaper price as those "high end gaming" headsets.

Something like this: Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 $99 + Antlion ModMic $32 or Zalman Zm-Mic1 Clip-On Mic $6.99

Gives you a set of incredibly good sounding headphones for both music and gaming, and a mic comparable to the one you are going to find on any headset out there (no matter how expensive, unless you want to go super high end).

If you don't like the look of the ATH-AD700s, then browse through this wonderful thread/font of knowledge on headphones at Head-Fi.org: Link.

As for mechanical keyboards, the Steelseries 6Gv2 Cherry MX Black is a good choice.

In terms of mice, I suggest you go to your local computer shop and try out mice there with your hand. You need to find one that fits the way you like to grip your mouse and one that is fit for you. I'd even recommend the same with the mechanical keyboards. A place like Frys is a great place to test them out as the regularly have the mechanical keyboards out on display to test.

Only the uber gamer has a mic and headphones?

My mic cost 8 dollars, it is the size of a quarter and provides perfectly serviceable audio quality, despite the fact that it is currently hidden somewhere under the mess that is my desk.

My headphones are cheap earbuds. My bet is the average household has three of these things, they cost less than a burger and I've had this pair long enough to have forgotten when I acquired it.

One doesn't need an overpriced neon gaming headset to talk to people online, whether it is playing games with friends who've moved out of state or geographically distant family. And it certainly doesn't have to be integrated with the device. If I buy a VR headset today, I would need to make zero changes to my $15 audio input and output to play with friends immediately.

I think you must not have seen this type of mic, otherwise I don't understand how you can hold the view you do.

Not a headset... but I went with headphones and mic.

Most people would recommend a Blue Snowball but I really like the concept of the Modmic. Honestly though, I used a three dollar desktop microphone I got from Microcenter and, while I wore the headphones to get rid of background noise, I was getting compliments on the microphone quality.

Edit: I forgot about the Zalman clip-on but that seems like such a pain.

Razer makes good mice, not headsets. Get a Sennheiser
Lower priced
Higher Priced

And just use this mic. It works great, and is very clear. I have never heard of pulsewave as a competitive brand, and that headset doesn't look as sturdy as most Sennheiser's.

>Headphones

I'm tempted to get a pair of Axent Wears, but I'm nowhere stylish ^^nor ^^cute enough to pull off the look.

Honestly, "gaming" headphones aren't renowned for sound quality. IMHO, it's better to get an affordable pair of audiophile high quality earphones like the MylarOne Bijous/Westone UMPro10s/Shure SE215s and then get an attached microphone (Zalman and Modmic are good choices for those). This is purely my opinion though :)

Regardless, Black Friday is coming up, so keep a lookout on Amazon for good deals!

I believe they currently use something like the sE2200a which has been discontinued. If I'm not mistaken, Lewis uses the sE2200a II and the same mic was used to record Simon's vocals on Diggy Diggy Hole (based on the live-action video).

I personally use the Badaax UM900 (not to plug, but you can find an example of me using it here) which isn't exactly studio quality, but certainly gets the job done nicely. If you're looking for something that's more entry-level, there's always the Samson CO1U, the Blue Yeti, the Blue Spark Digital, or the Blue Spark.


All of these are very good microphones, and you should be able to find various tests of them on YouTube. Hope this helps. :)

There are actually a few great ones for less than $110!

• Samson Meteor.
  
  
• Blue Snowball. I highly recommend this one! It's great quality and picks up your voice very nicely.
  
  
• Blue Yeit is an excellent alternative. Better than the two above mentioned mics, but is $110...

No. XLR to 3.5mm really only works for pluging 3.5mm out into a mic preamp.

But you can get a USB mic that will sound better for cheaper than that.

while I don't have a specific sub for you, I can highly recommend the following product: Metro Datavac

don't worry, it's not an affiliate link. It's way more economical then buying canned air, it's made in the USA, and it's got stellar reviews. I'm quite happy with mine.

EDIT: I should note that it is not a vacuum, despite the name. It blows air.

Not free, but will save you money after a while instead of buying cans of air:

The DataVac:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001J4ZOAW?pc_redir=1396810604&robot_redir=1

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.

DataVac $60. Over time it pays for itself.

Silver is also the same price. (Other colors are $89.)

The microphone you have is a blue snowball non ice version. The Blue yeti is a completely different mic.

1 TB hdd for $32 shipped....really don't want to sully my IBM-PC compatible with moving parts though lol

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Cache-Desktop-Drive-WD10EZEX/dp/B0088PUEPK

Overall it's a great build. I would suggest getting RAM which cost a little less for the same capacity and use the funds to go to a 1TB drive instead of 500GB. It'll work out better in the long run.

It is also in amazon if someone is interested

I think you can do a lot better for your money.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor | £77.99 @ Aria PC
Motherboard | MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | £32.17 @ Scan.co.uk
Memory | Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | £58.96 @ Amazon UK
Storage | WD 1TB 3.5 inch Internal Hard Drive - Caviar Blue | £43.49 @ Amazon UK
Video Card | MSI Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card | £96.78 @ Aria PC
Case | NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case | £38.65 @ Scan.co.uk
Power Supply | Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | £36.73 @ Amazon UK
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | £384.77
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-16 15:24 GMT+0000 |

Changed to a far superior CPU. Motherboard is nice and cheap but I have one and it's absolutely fine. Doubled the RAM to 8 GB. Doubled storage to 1 TB. Semi-modular PSU (you'll thank me when you build). Removed the disk drive because nobody uses them very much these days but of course it'll still come in under budget if you want it.

Your father is VERY good with computers? You are basically screwed unless you can dramatically up your game.

Basically, a knowledgeable person can upgrade a router with open source firmware, and give himself god-like powers over the network. Your every move could be tracked.

Your father, if sufficiently skilled, could give you access to Internet that is upside down, or only directed to Kittens, or he could make every single image blurry or missing. More subtlety, he could just log every single thing you do on the 'net.

And it isn't even that hard, it just takes knowledge of what is possible, and the use of Google to figure out how to do it.

There are things you can do. Get a cheap USB WIFI adapter first. So you won't show up on your father's router with your current WIFI adapter. Then, tether to your Android phone, or piggyback off of a neighbor's WIFI.

Last, keyloggers are a possibility - they could be hardware or software related. It is possible to install a hardware keylogger inside the case of your laptop if the installer is sufficiently technically talented. A keylogger, or other software or firmware would completely compromise your computer and prevent you from hiding almost anything that you do.

These are $10 and the work right out of the box.

The best solution for using WiFi on your desktop would probably be to get a PCI wireless card, like this one.

If you aren't comfortable adding a PCI card, or don't have any space for one, you can get a USB wireless adapter, such as this one.

Finally, if you want a better solution that's not running a long cable, buy power line adapters. You plug one into a socket near the router and connect it via Ethernet to the router, then you plug another one in beside your PC and run Ethernet from it to your PC. It uses the wiring in the house to carry data, and is often better than WiFi.

Personally, I would go with the power line adapters then the PCI wireless card.

I don’t think OpenBSD supports Broadcom WiFi at all. Your best bet is probably to get a supported USB adapter. I have a couple of these that live in my OpenBSD laptops that have junky onboard WiFi. Mostly old Macs with Broadcom WiFi.

I have this usb adapter that I use from time to time, and this which I use pretty much all the time and have had for about 2 years. I like being able to move the antenna to get a better signal, right now it's velcro'd to the wall behind my bed.

If you go the usb route I'd probably buy a larger one that I have that has external antennas, like http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN722N-Wireless-Adapter-External/dp/B002SZEOLG/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1421374210&sr=8-8&keywords=usb+wifi. But I'd still go PCI if you use it a lot, probably last longer and have a better quality connection.

I bought THIS. I use it exclusively with openELEC and when I hooked it up my router was about 40 FT from my box.

THIS is running on my Raspberry pi openElec box that is right now about 15 feet from the router (on a different floor)

I haven't tested the range on either, but both work great.

I suggest doing a virus scan that's completely outside of Windows. That way any malware that might be there will have less chance to execute and interfere with the scan. It's also useful just as a second opinion.

1. Download Xubuntu or Lubuntu and follow their instructions ( Windows USB | Windows DVD | Mac USB | Mac DVD) to put it on a flash drive or DVD. Or you could use your preferred Linux distro, if you have one. Lubuntu is more lightweight, while Xubuntu has a nicer interface. The reason you may want to burn a DVD is that some computers are unable to boot from USB.
   
2. With her computer off, plug the drive in (so that Windows has no chance to modify the drive), and boot her computer from it. Choose the "Try without installing" option.
   
3. If you're not using Ethernet, connect to WiFi (probably the default password on the side or bottom of the router). If her WiFi card doesn't work out the box, use Ethernet (perhaps via Powerline Ethernet adapters) or a well-supported USB WiFi adapter.
   
4. Look in the app menu (similar to Windows start menu) for the package manager / software center / app store / whatever they call it.
   
5. Once there, search for ClamTk. ClamTk is a GUI for an antivirus program called ClamAV. If you prefer, you can use ClamAV from the Terminal, but you'd need to look up the commands yourself.
   
6. Open ClamTk, make sure it downloads the latest virus definitions, and then tell it to do a recursive scan of a directory: the top level of her hard drive.
   
7. Let it run. It may take a while to go through all the files.
   
8. If it finds anything, look through the list to check for false positives.
   
   When finished, click on the app menu (same one as step 3) and tell it to restart. When prompted, remove the flash drive / DVD and then press enter.
   
   These are NOT complete, step-by-step instructions. They're only enough to sort of convey the general idea, so some of these may require a little trial & error or Googling. If this is new to you, try it on your own machine first before doing it on hers. VirtualBox is a free program for using virtual machines, and you could use that for practice.
   
   Keep in mind that no work or settings will be saved while booted from the flash drive. Everything is kept in RAM unless you save to a disk. Linux doesn't get installed to her machine unless you deliberately run the installer program.

People buying on Amazon, be careful: the 5400 RPM one is $45, but the 7200RPM is $54 (was 49 until this morning).

Good work, your cable management is excellent!

I have a couple of recommendations for you build:

I'd recommend buying a new CPU cooler when you can. The Intel ones are good, but there are so many better ones on the market.

Try this one - I used it in my build for like 3 years. Keeps temps down and fans quiet.

Another thing you may consider is an SSD. You'd be surprised by how cheap they are right now. Here is a 480Gb SSD for only $118 USD.

And as /u/nolo_me said, definitely flip that PSU if it's not too much trouble. Better performance, better sound, better temps.

Ever heard of saving your money? $40 is quite a bit and adds up quickly if it's a recurring amount.

For $40 though, it's more of being able to upgrade parts that you might get. an i5-7500 vs an i5-7600k is a $40 difference.

Upgrading from a regular cpu fan to watercooling is <$40.

Although mining has ruined the prices, upgrading from a gtx 1050 to a 1050ti is <$40

8GB of ram is just over $40.

How does his compare to the AOC G2460PF

24" Dell S2417DG with G-Sync, 1440p, 165 Hz Refresh, 1ms response for $350 on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Monitor-S2417DG-24-Inch-Response/dp/B01IOO4SGK

I’m in a similar situation, and I was actually looking at the Dell S2417DG YNY1D. It’s not an IPS panel (I believe), but since you have an Nvidia card, you’ll be able to utilize Gsync.

I found it for ~$400 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-S2417DG-24-Inch-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B01IOO4SGK

$550 with no dedicated gpu and no ssd? I like what I got for $50 less. Still an i5, had a dedicated gpu, a 250gb ssd, and expandable memory slot avaliable.

Acer Aspire E 15 E5-575G-53VG Laptop, 15.6 Full HD (Intel Core i5, NVIDIA 940MX, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, Windows 10)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT4A2R4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_xaUpyb6SA9NCW

Runs Aion with no issues.

$250 budget means you can also go for this one which I read good things about.

$240 Viewsonic
https://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-XG2401-24-inch-Response-FreeSync/dp/B01A0ZRR50

$250 LG
https://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-24GM77-B-24-Inch-LED-Lit/dp/B00P0EOX1S

I've also looked at:

$200 AOC https://www.amazon.com/AOC-G2460PF-24-Inch-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B01BV1XBEI

I read that the AOC one has driver issues? Not sure if they're fixed. Install beta drivers for full freesync range.

$170 ACER http://www.costco.com/Acer-XF240H-24%22-Full-HD-Monitor-with-AMD-FreeSync.product.100316061.html

This is the best deal I've seen.

Probably between the AOC G2460PF and Acer XF240H. The AOC looks like it has average color for a TN, not sure about the Acer. They have most of the same features from the look of it: adjustable stand, flicker-free, free sync, speakers, vesa mount...

The Acer XF240H is still on sale at costco for $170.

AOC G2460PF is $199 at Amazon.

Edit: One sale is over and the other looks to be out of stock... So the Acer GN246HL seems to be the only option atm. I'd suggest you guys wait for the price to drop on something else, check pcpartpicker and /r/buildapcsales.

Never heard of that company, so I can’t really recommend. BUT here’s a link to a pretty good monitor, 144hz 1080p 1MS by AOC : AOC G2460PF 24” Gaming Monitor, FreeSync, FHD (1920x1080), TN Panel, 144Hz, 1ms, Height Adjustable, DisplayPort, HDMI, USB https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BV1XBEI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_EKRUCbRMYG0TB

Since you want this laptop to be somewhat future proof getting a a good GPU is vital, check out the *Dell i7577-5241BLK-PUS**

• 15.6" FHD IPS
  
• 7th Gen Intel Core i5-7300HQ,
  
• GTX 1060 6GB Graphics,
  
• 8GB Memory,
  
• 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD,
  
• 5.76 lbs
  
  A powerful gaming laptop which provides great value with a powerful GTX 1060 and a quad core CPU for below $1000. The system will boot quickly with the OS on the fast SSD and videos, pictures and large files can be stored on the HDD. Alternatively, if you want to use your max budget you cant beat the Acer Predator Helios 300
  
  

Short answer: yes, it is VR Ready.

Suggestions: Acer Predator Helios 300

I assume you'd be paying about $900 for the one you posted. For $150 more, the one above has a 1060 6b, which has about a 10% boost in performance, and 6 gb of vram will be good for years to come. It has a 7700hq instead of the 6700hq. This is about 10% boost in performance and is the latest generation of Intel processors. Probably the most notable improvement however, is the 256 gb ssd. This will make a drastic improvement in boot times. This laptop is only $1050, and I think those three improvements are well worth the upgrade if you have a little bigger budget.

Edit: The one I posted also has 16 gb of ram, while yours has 8 gb. This is also a nice improvement and a little future proofing.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465828421&sr=8-1&keywords=dell+gaming

Best deal out there. Please note the track pad is garbage but the rest of the system is very nice. Just bought this for my wife knowing I would inherit it in four years or so..

See decent review here ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJPQfWCuxAo

Dell Inspiron 7559

Think about this; vanilla was released in 2004. Hardware since then has evolved drastically, to the point where it's very hard to find hardware from 2004. Even the worst hardware, as long as it's modern, would run vanilla just fine, even with integrated graphics.

Do you need that for school? Its price tag is beyond a ripoff.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1481783440&sr=1-4&keywords=gaming+laptop

cheaper, better, it'll run current gen. If you need the drawing portion, I recommend just buying an art tablet with it. My only problem with it personally, the only company I've come to trust is Asus. Had bad experiences with MSI and HP, dell is kinda iffy. Now if you are really willing to spend in the 1000$ area, I recommend buying a laptop from Origin PC. Not cheap, but the equivalent to a desktop.

https://www.originpc.com/gaming/laptops/

or if the extra 600 is too much (back to the 1k you were planning to spend)

https://www.amazon.com/K501UW-AB78-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Gaming-Glacier/dp/B01DT49XN8/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1481784540&sr=1-6&keywords=gaming+laptop

Tablets: (don't let wacom fuck you on prices, they're assholes, their shits made in China yet they still charge out the ass because their brand is well known, you can get another better Chinese tablet for a quart of the price. Doesn't seem to be an escape from buying Chinese tablets unfortunately, I have yet to find a US manufacturer).

https://www.amazon.com/Huion-H610-Pro-Graphic-Carrying/dp/B00ZWRSQ4I/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1481784853&sr=8-10&keywords=art+tablet

https://www.amazon.com/Ugee-M708-Design-Graphics-Drawing/dp/B00VUHQECU/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1481784964&sr=8-17&keywords=art+tablet

also the i5 version is $660 on amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0134EW7G8/ref=twister_B07DPGX5CV?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

The additional £20 is worth it for 3000MHz those on Ryzen Systems

If you don't mind Tn that much I would suggest this. It is 1440p 144hz G-sync display that has a decent stand and good build quality. If you are willing to buy refurb/open box/used my recommendation changes a bit.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DG-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DG-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1473937801&sr=1-1&keywords=dell+s2716dg

https://www.amazon.com/PG278Q-27-Inch-Display-Refresh-Monitor/dp/B00MSOND8C/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1473937837&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+rog+swift

https://www.amazon.com/SWIFT-PG279Q-27-Inch-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B017EVR2VM/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1473937837&sr=1-2&keywords=asus+rog+swift

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-XB271HU-27-inch-Widescreen/dp/B0173PEX20/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1473937867&sr=1-2&keywords=acer+1440p+144hz

to name a few

I have a broken Dell LINK and was wondering if I could do this. My wife dropped it when cleaning my desk. Would they know it's a different Serial Number?

Also, where can I get a new wife?

That's for the 23in - here's the 27in for $475: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DG-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0

craigslist that monitor for -$50 less than you bought it and pay the G-sync tax on a used craigslist monitor. It is a ~$150 loss all around, but then at least, you won't ever have to worry about being let down on a GPU release.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Gaming-S2716DG-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B0149QBOF0 is avail on my craigslist for $100 under retail.

Been wanting to do a new computer build for a while now, but decided to start with a new desk and monitors.

3xASUS VG248QE 24" 144Hz monitors
Desk/side table/file cabinet/shelves from Ikea.

Still have some cable management, light blocking, shelf filling and general maintenence to do, but for now I'm just relaxing and enjoying it.

Thanks to this subreddit for helping me collect my thoughts for what I wanted to accomplish.



Edit to link included items:

KRK Rokit 5 Powered Studio Monitors

3xASUS VG248QE 24" 144Hz monitors

LED Kit

Wall Mounts

Cable Management Wrap

Desk

Screensaver (Solar Winds)

The only recommendation I might make is to consider a 144hz monitor. The card you are looking at can handle 4K out of the box.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B2HH7G0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Picked this beauty up when I built my rig this past November and it is a killer. Keep in mind the trade off, you won't get a much color saturation on this monitor as you will with most 60hz, but the performance excellent.

Skimping on monitor is like putting tires from a Civic onto a Murcielago. Do yourself a favor, drop another $100 and go big

nVidia LightBoost 2D is a poorly-advertised feature of many new 120Hz computer monitors, that is normally hard to activate (without using 3D). For relevant information, see LightBoost FAQ and the LightBoost HOWTO.

Apparently, it is profitable for nVidia as evidenced by the posts in this thread. People buy nVidia equipment just to get LightBoost working (since LightBoost is limited to nVidia). You will notice that about 20% of amazon.com customer reviews for the ASUS VG248QE monitor (popular LightBoost monitor) have rave reviews about the LightBoost motion blur elimination. Go check out the rave LightBoost reviews on Amazon.com -- within that webpage, hit Control+F and find "LightBoost" in all the Amazon customer reviews.

For this reason, people have been asking nVidia to make LightBoost an easy feature to turn on/off!

Take those K7XX's, throw in a 3 pin mini xlr to 3.5mm and a boompro mic, and baby you've got yourself a stew a top-tier gaming headset.

^If ^you ^don't ^have ^an ^external ^mic, ^which ^I'm ^just ^assuming ^you ^don't ^since ^you ^were ^coming ^from ^the ^Game ^Ones.

Ill give you my setup. Great for games and a nice set of headphones for day to day music. You can shop around for better prices.

Headset

Mic

Dude. Go for the ethernet through power lines adapter first(btw this is more commonly called a powerline adapter).

This one has 500 mbps, which is considerably higher bandwidth than wifi. It will also give you lower latency, and a generally more stable connection. Take it from me, I have had some TERRIBLE experiences with wifi repeaters. Powerline ftw.

Or you could go all out and get the best of both worlds. Buy one of these, another router, and a powerline adapter. Then what you do is you set it up downstairs (where you normally have your router), and have it go, modem -> ethernet switch -> old router. Then plug one end of the powerline adapter into the switch.

Then plug in the powerline adapter into the wall upstairs where you want wifi. Plug in your new router to it. Set the SSID (the wifi name of your router), as the same name as the router you have downstairs. BAM. You now have STRONG wifi anywhere in the house. Devices will automatically connect to the router with the stronger signal. It will only appear as one wifi network on phones, tablets, etc.

Had this same issue - still can't stand Wifi due to dropouts and latency, so bought an Ethernet over Power adapter instead. Uses your AC line to provide a solid connection to your router anywhere in the house.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AV600-Powerline-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ethernet+over+power&qid=1569066338&s=gateway&sr=8-3

if the ping is the same either way, then i guess it doesn’t matter. but you should look into getting one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Powerline-ethernet-Adapter-TL-PA4010KIT/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=mp_s_a_1_3/138-4569046-3886957?ie=UTF8&qid=1541919341&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=powerline+ethernet+adapters&dpPl=1&dpID=41SIVgLUmaL&ref=plSrch

i use it to get a wired connection in my room far from the modem

Boom Pro might have been easier ;)

If the modmic hasn't put you off getting another mic, I'd highly recommend the [V-MODA BoomPro] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/V-MODA-BoomPro-Gaming-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00BJ17WKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468155613&sr=8-1&keywords=vmoda+boompro).

If you're tight on money, no. It's a nice feature to have, but its really just icing on the cake.

Go for a nice medium priced 144/120hz monitor. The frames are still buttery smooth, even without the G-Sync.

The Asus VG248QE and Ben Q version seem to both be decent purchases.

Well, if you're using the 60Hz monitor as your secondary, ie. putting random stuff onto that monitor it's not really that big of a deal.

However, depending on your budget, why not just get best of both worlds?

Pick up a 27" 1440p 120Hz ($317) monitor for general purpose/gaming use and a 24" 1080p 144Hz ($270, link here for hardcore gaming.

If you want to see my write up of the aforementioned 27" 1440p 120Hz monitor for $317, you can click here.

That way you'll have buttery smoothness all the way through.

The acer linked by /u/maddog1994 is really popular for the price. I have this one and it is also really popular. Looks great as well and has an awesome swivel mount built in.

This one.

I'm curious for a source too, but it's not at all far fetched. Scanners are tiny nowadays and could easily be put into the feed chute of a shredder. The guts of this would do nicely. Data over power lines certainly isn't a new technology. Hell. You could use a wifi scanner and not even screw with that.

I could cobble this together in my garage over a weekend probably.

Edit to fix link.

What is in this picture?

Topre Realforce RGB bought from Amazon Prime.

EnjoyPBT white caps w/ black English and red Hangul lettering bought from AliExpress.

Colored PBT modifier keys from Amazon Prime.

Logitech G PRO mouse bought from Amazon Prime.

Steelseries QCK+ mousepad from Steelseries.

ASUS VG248QE 144hz monitor from Amazon Prime.

I have the ASUS VG248QE and its absolutely amazing. The height adjustment and VESA compatibility are also huge pluses. On Amazon the cost is a bit steep, but I got mine on eBay for $150 with the original box and wires.
P.S Make sure you use DisplayPort and change refresh rate in Nvidia Graphics settings.

You can probably try a powerline adapter. This one will run you about $40.

So you're essentially using wifi because the extender is wirelessly connected to your router and that's the most likely culprit here. If you can't pull a direct cable from your PC to your router then the next best thing is powerline ethernet.

TP-Link TL-PA4010KIT AV600 Nano Powerline Adapter Starter Kit, up to 600Mbps https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_sFmWDb503BQ0H

I'm not saying you should do this. I'm saying you might have an option you weren't aware of.

Eh, they're cheap enough just to try it. This is the set I went with. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWRUICG/

2 story house? id forget about wifi and get a bunch of powerline adapters like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AWRUICG/