19 replies to this topic

[CJ]

Alright, I've not been paying much attention to the tech news lately, so I'm kinda lost as to what mobo to get.

Here's my actual setup :

- Motherboard : HP Benicia
- Processor : Core 2 Quad Q9300 (2.5 GHz)
- AMD HD 6870 (1GB)
- PSU : Corsaire TX650 v2 (650 Watts)

Basically, I'm getting rid of the Benicia, so I'll have to get a new motherboard + CPU combo.

For the CPU, I'll probably be getting an i5-3570K, since it's much cheaper than the i7-3770K and the slight performance gain on the i7 won't matter for gaming.

For the motherboard however, I've got no idea what would be a good choice, so any advice on the matter would be welcome. All I know is that my case supports ATX and Micro-ATX formats, and I don't require a fancy mobo that would support 4 GPUs, 2 is more than enough

[Destiny]

Generally you should stick to ASUS. ASUS Sabretooth Z77.


Maybe you can get an i7-3570k, but meh

[CJ]

Destiny, on 10 January 2013 - 14:39, said:

Maybe you can get an i7-3570k, but meh

Get a whatnow? D:
If you're referring to to the i7-3770k, that's not very interesting considering it's 100$ more expensive. And if you're really referring to the i7-3570k, then I can't find that model on Intel's site D:

Destiny, on 10 January 2013 - 14:39, said:

Generally you should stick to ASUS. ASUS Sabretooth Z77.

Yeah, I was thinking about that one, but it does seem a bit overkill to me, I mean, who even uses quad GPU on their PCs? I only have one and am not planning to setup a crossfire any time soon

[CJ]

Ah well, so I did a some extensive searching on my own and here's what I'll be getting :

Logitech G710+ Mechanical Gaming
http://www.amazon.co...duct/B009C98NPY

Razer Mamba 2012 Elite Ergonomic Wireless Gaming Mouse
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B0054JGGGY/

Razer Vespula Dual-Sided Gaming Mouse Mat (Dark Grey)
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B0036WTBFY/

Razer Megalodon 7.1 Surround Sound USB Gaming Headset (Black)
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B002EVPBH0/

Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B007SZ0E1K/

AS Rock Z77 EXTREME4
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B007KTY4A6/

Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-1600 RAM
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B006EWUO22/

OCZ Technology 128GB Vertex 4 Series SATA 6.0 GB/s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B007R1FH3K/

Anyone here got any feedback on any of those before I order the whole thing? D:

[Destiny]

...do you have a HDD and CD/DVD drive already, I presume? 128GB isn't a lot. Not a fan of the Razer stuff, but if you want it, go ahead...


Not sure if 16GB is needed. You can save a lot by going 2 x 4GB. You'd rarely need to hit 8GB of RAM unless you're a render farm or whatnot

[ΓΛPTΘΓ]

Get a real pair of headphones. Here have some real one for less money:

http://www.amazon.co.../dp/B000ZJZ7OA/
http://www.amazon.co.../dp/B000CMS0XU/
http://www.amazon.co.../dp/B000ULAP4U/


Seriously, and dump a bit more into getting an ASUS board as well if you are looking to overclock and keeping this for long. Rest looks fine, 16GB is rather handy to be honest but 8 GB will save you a bit but not more than switch the mouse to something more sane.

Edited by ΓΛPTΘΓ, 13 January 2013 - 22:32.

[Alias]

I'm with Raptor on that point, get yourself some proper audio, not this surround sound nonsense. A wired mouse will serve you a lot better than a wireless one as well (I'm also with Destiny on this one, out of all the 'gaming' brands I think Razer is the worst).

16gb of RAM is good, I really don't understand how everyone calls it overkill. I run with 3x6gb triple channel and most of the time I'm using at least ~10gb or so when gaming + have other things open. Windows itself uses around 3gb to itself these days, so it helps to have more than an extra 4gb for your software. It is easily the cheapest way to improve performance.

For mobo, try to go Gigabyte or Asus, the little extra you put in will make a difference in the long run.

For the SSD I'd suggest you go for a Crucial M4 rather than OCZ, but that's just personal preference.

[Libains]

Alias, on 14 January 2013 - 04:55, said:

I'm with Raptor on that point, get yourself some proper audio, not this surround sound nonsense. A wired mouse will serve you a lot better than a wireless one as well (I'm also with Destiny on this one, out of all the 'gaming' brands I think Razer is the worst).

Too be fair, I have that exact mouse, and the wireless on it is very good, but it also comes with the option to wire it in too, so the versatility is quite nice. The form factor is very nice too. That said, I'm with Alias and Raptor, you're mad if you throw money at the headset, however I can understand if you do - everything that Raptor has recommended isn't a headset, rather a set of headphones. I use these at the moment, and going to be honest, I can't fault them much (sure Alias and Raptor could, though ): http://www.amazon.co...ils_o01_s00_i00

[CJ]

Destiny, on 13 January 2013 - 22:09, said:

...do you have a HDD and CD/DVD drive already, I presume? 128GB isn't a lot. Not a fan of the Razer stuff, but if you want it, go ahead...

Hehe yeah, I'm just upgrading my PC, not building a new one

ΓΛPTΘΓ, on 13 January 2013 - 22:31, said:

Get a real pair of headphones. Here have some real one for less money:

Alias, on 14 January 2013 - 04:55, said:

I'm with Raptor on that point, get yourself some proper audio, not this surround sound nonsense.

Thing is, I'm not ever going to listen to music on that, I only need it for games, and I already know from experience that 7.1 headphones (even virtualized) suit me better in that regard.

ΓΛPTΘΓ, on 13 January 2013 - 22:31, said:

Seriously, and dump a bit more into getting an ASUS board as well if you are looking to overclock and keeping this for long. Rest looks fine, 16GB is rather handy to be honest but 8 GB will save you a bit but not more than switch the mouse to something more sane.

Alias, on 14 January 2013 - 04:55, said:

For mobo, try to go Gigabyte or Asus, the little extra you put in will make a difference in the long run.

Is this one any good? I've been hesitating between it and the ASRock one personally.
http://www.amazon.co.../dp/B007RIFKTY/

Alias, on 14 January 2013 - 04:55, said:

For the SSD I'd suggest you go for a Crucial M4 rather than OCZ, but that's just personal preference.

The OCZ was actually a suggestion from Scope, so I'm not worrying about that

Libains, on 14 January 2013 - 09:44, said:

Too be fair, I have that exact mouse, and the wireless on it is very good, but it also comes with the option to wire it in too, so the versatility is quite nice. The form factor is very nice too.

That's why I'm getting it, Scope also said it was a good quality one btw, and so did another friend

Libains, on 14 January 2013 - 09:44, said:

That said, I'm with Alias and Raptor, you're mad if you throw money at the headset, however I can understand if you do - everything that Raptor has recommended isn't a headset, rather a set of headphones. I use these at the moment, and going to be honest, I can't fault them much (sure Alias and Raptor could, though ): http://www.amazon.co...ils_o01_s00_i00

Thanks for the suggestion, I'm gonna have a look at these

Thanks for the feedback guys

Edited by CJ, 14 January 2013 - 13:08.

[Libains]

CJ, on 14 January 2013 - 10:26, said:

Libains, on 14 January 2013 - 09:44, said:

Too be fair, I have that exact mouse, and the wireless on it is very good, but it also comes with the option to wire it in too, so the versatility is quite nice. The form factor is very nice too.

That's why I'm getting it, Scope also said it was a good quality one btw, and so did another friend

Libains, on 14 January 2013 - 09:44, said:

That said, I'm with Alias and Raptor, you're mad if you throw money at the headset, however I can understand if you do - everything that Raptor has recommended isn't a headset, rather a set of headphones. I use these at the moment, and going to be honest, I can't fault them much (sure Alias and Raptor could, though ): http://www.amazon.co...ils_o01_s00_i00

Thanks for the suggestion, I'm gonna have a look at these

Considering the RAM, guess I'll be going with 2x4GB then for now, and upgrading it if proves to be a bottleneck (Corsair RAM is easy to find here anyway)

Thanks for the feedback guys

I like it for three reasons - firstly, the weighting and general form factor in the hand are nice - you know it's there, but you don't struggle to move it around either. Secondly, it's uncomplicated - I have a friend who recently bought this mouse ( http://www.razerzone...er-naga-molten/ ) and it is quite possibly the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. Thirdly, it's still quite customisable in terms of sensitivity, lift-off, use of macros, etc. Not enough buttons to macro everything to them in something like Dota/LoL, but I do have /dance macro'ed in for shits and giggles

As to the headset, it's nice - it takes a little bit of getting used to as far as comfort goes - quite leathery so needs some wearing in time - and doesn't suit massively prolonged periods of use. However, the mic is high quality, the ability to flick the right ear upward is a nice trick, as is the ability to flick the mic up to mute it. Plus, it's not USB, which I think makes a difference. However, it does come with a USB adapter with a 'sound card' implemented within it. Frankly, it's up to you which sounds better, but like the mouse, I think the versatility is helpful.

[CJ]

Libains, on 14 January 2013 - 10:43, said:

I like it for three reasons - firstly, the weighting and general form factor in the hand are nice - you know it's there, but you don't struggle to move it around either. Secondly, it's uncomplicated - I have a friend who recently bought this mouse ( http://www.razerzone...er-naga-molten/ ) and it is quite possibly the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. Thirdly, it's still quite customisable in terms of sensitivity, lift-off, use of macros, etc. Not enough buttons to macro everything to them in something like Dota/LoL, but I do have /dance macro'ed in for shits and giggles

Well, I didn't even consider getting a Naga, those things are horrible
The Naga Hex however looks nice and useful, but I need the wireless option more than additional buttons, and TBH LoL only requires you to bind attack move to a mouse button, if you're using those for casts then you're doing it wrong D:

Libains, on 14 January 2013 - 10:43, said:

As to the headset, it's nice - it takes a little bit of getting used to as far as comfort goes - quite leathery so needs some wearing in time - and doesn't suit massively prolonged periods of use. However, the mic is high quality, the ability to flick the right ear upward is a nice trick, as is the ability to flick the mic up to mute it. Plus, it's not USB, which I think makes a difference. However, it does come with a USB adapter with a 'sound card' implemented within it. Frankly, it's up to you which sounds better, but like the mouse, I think the versatility is helpful.

Well the USB soundcard is only going to sound better if one doesn't have a soundcard other than the inboard one.
Do you think it's really worth its 180$ price tag though? D:

EDIT : Watched a few videos of the thing, definitely won't be getting them. I've got a similar headset and I hate it because the ear cushions are as small as those on the PC 333D, Not gonna spend 180 bucks on a uncomfortable thing

Edited by CJ, 14 January 2013 - 11:24.

[CJ]

EDIT : I hit quote instead of edit :genius:

Edited by CJ, 14 January 2013 - 13:07.

[ΓΛPTΘΓ]

Good headsets out there, I can count on one hand. All are well out of your price range suggested. Getting a pair of headphones + a microphone will get you so much more than dumping it into over priced headsets, especially the "7.1" gimmicks. Choice is yours.

As a FPS player, I am rather happy with my Steelseries Sensei, the sensor is even better than first gen Deathadder. Mamba have Z-axis issue, so if you lift your mouse a lot (low sen gaming) don't go for it.

Edited by ΓΛPTΘΓ, 15 January 2013 - 14:19.

[CJ]

ΓΛPTΘΓ, on 15 January 2013 - 14:16, said:

Good headsets out there, I can count on one hand. All are well out of your price range suggested. Getting a pair of headphones + a microphone will get you so much more than dumping it into over priced headsets, especially the "7.1" gimmicks. Choice is yours.

I hate standing microphones and I play shirtless a lot of the time because it's so damn hot in this country (even during winter) so I can't get a clip-on mic either.
I don't see how I could get a standalone mic even if I wanted to

What are the cheapest headsets you'd consider as good btw? I still didn't reach my max budget, in fact I was even thinking of getting a GPU with what was left D:

[ΓΛPTΘΓ]

CJ, on 15 January 2013 - 14:38, said:

ΓΛPTΘΓ, on 15 January 2013 - 14:16, said:

Good headsets out there, I can count on one hand. All are well out of your price range suggested. Getting a pair of headphones + a microphone will get you so much more than dumping it into over priced headsets, especially the "7.1" gimmicks. Choice is yours.

I hate standing microphones and I play shirtless a lot of the time because it's so damn hot in this country (even during winter) so I can't get a clip-on mic either.
I don't see how I could get a standalone mic even if I wanted to

What are the cheapest headsets you'd consider as good btw? I still didn't reach my max budget, in fact I was even thinking of getting a GPU with what was left D:

Clip the mic on the cable?

Headsets are normally just a sub-par headphone with a mic sold at higher price than it ever will as a normal headphone, nothing more.

If you insist on headset look on decent headphones: http://www.modmic.com/

Edited by ΓΛPTΘΓ, 15 January 2013 - 15:07.

[Kaido]

CJ, on 13 January 2013 - 15:31, said:

Ah well, so I did a some extensive searching on my own and here's what I'll be getting :

Logitech G710+ Mechanical Gaming
http://www.amazon.co...duct/B009C98NPY

Razer Mamba 2012 Elite Ergonomic Wireless Gaming Mouse
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B0054JGGGY/

Razer Vespula Dual-Sided Gaming Mouse Mat (Dark Grey)
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B0036WTBFY/

Razer Megalodon 7.1 Surround Sound USB Gaming Headset (Black)
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B002EVPBH0/

Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B007SZ0E1K/

AS Rock Z77 EXTREME4
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B007KTY4A6/

Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-1600 RAM
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B006EWUO22/

OCZ Technology 128GB Vertex 4 Series SATA 6.0 GB/s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive
http://www.amazon.co...uct/B007R1FH3K/

Anyone here got any feedback on any of those before I order the whole thing? D:

For the keyboard, there are other options as well like Flico, Das Keyboard or WASD Keyboard.
For the mouse, I would recommend Logitech G400, G500(There are some reports that G500 has mouse acceleration that you can't disable), R.A.T.3 and SteelSeries mouses. I would not recommend Razer mouses since their 2013 versions apperantly have DRM on their mouses.
I'm sure there are better mousemats as well than the Razers.
For the motherboard, that is a good board as seen here compared with other boards.
I also suggest a CPU cooler like Hyper EVO 212+
I myself bought Citiscape Uptown headphones and AT2020 USB microphone, but I let Raptor and Alias speak more about headphones since they obviously know more about it

[CJ]

I appreciate the input Drag, but I just so happen to have placed my order yesterday (getting them from France after all)
The things that I've changed in that list since then were the motherboard (ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS), the headset (Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Rage) and the mouse (Roccat Kone XTD)

Drag#!, on 28 January 2013 - 12:13, said:

For the keyboard, there are other options as well like Flico, Das Keyboard or WASD Keyboard.

Yeah I've had a look at those brands, but honestly most of them don't have media/volume controls, and are not backlit, which are two things I've noticed I could not do without since I got my actual logitech keyboard which has neither...

Drag#!, on 28 January 2013 - 12:13, said:

For the mouse, I would recommend Logitech G400, G500(There are some reports that G500 has mouse acceleration that you can't disable), R.A.T.3 and SteelSeries mouses. I would not recommend Razer mouses since their 2013 versions apperantly have DRM on their mouses.

The Mamba 2012 runs straight out of the box, the only thing that requires the Synapse 'DRM' is setting up the mouse buttons, and since you have to install a software suite for any mouse to do that I don't really see the problem D:
Still opted for a roccat kone instead because I didn't like the shape of the Mamba personally (too slim for my hand)

Drag#!, on 28 January 2013 - 12:13, said:

For the motherboard, that is a good board as seen here compared with other boards.

Yeah, it's a great board according to various reviews, but I found out it lacked 4pin fan connectors, and my case has a lot of fans in it
Which is why I've gone to a slightly cheaper edition of the Asus P8Z77-V instead.

Edited by CJ, 28 January 2013 - 15:22.

[CJ]

EDIT : Goddamn quote button...

Edited by CJ, 28 January 2013 - 15:22.

[Libains]

Not the SoundBlaster. Bought a pair a little while ago, and they're a fair bit more uncomfortable than the Seinheissers I previously had.

Not recommended I'm afraid mate - the cushions on the ears feel cheap and don't really do much cushioning, leaving almost nothing between your ear and the hard plastic speakers

[CJ]

Libains, on 28 January 2013 - 15:20, said:

Not the SoundBlaster. Bought a pair a little while ago, and they're a fair bit more uncomfortable than the Seinheissers I previously had.

Not recommended I'm afraid mate - the cushions on the ears feel cheap and don't really do much cushioning, leaving almost nothing between your ear and the hard plastic speakers

Kinda late for me to cancel the order, but if I'm not satisfied I can always swap them for something else