Top products from r/gamingpc

Since you didn't say, I'm going to assume you're a palm gripper...and just in case (since some people get it mixed up), low sens = using a lot of mouse movement to turn around, whereas high sens = just needs a few inches to do a 360.

Mice:

• Razer Deathadder 2013 ($57): I haven't seen anything negative about this mouse's sensor, only praise...I'm assuming it's another Deathadder with a flawless sensor. You can't beat the Deathadder in design/ergonomics if you're a palm gripper - it has . Downside is having to use Synapse 2.0 drivers which I have heard are a pain in the ass...haven't used them myself though. Also, I feel that the braided cable is a downside too since it is much heavier and rigid than non-braided.
  
  
• Zowie EC1 eVo ($62): (Just got mine yesterday, I've used the Mamba (wireless Deathadder) for quite a while before this) Huge mouse feet for dat glide, non-braided cable, mouse is so freaking light that it feels wireless (especially with a cable bungee), absolutely no drivers - you just hold down certain buttons while plugging in the USB if you want to change settings. Flawless sensor and great for low sens gaming due to its lightness and optical sensor. Oh yeah, and it comes with a spare pair of mice feet, how can ya not love that?
  
  A wireless Mamba is gunna set you back $105 for the mouse alone, so I don't suggest that, even though this mouse has served me well.
  
  Keyboards:
  
  At that price ($110) for that Cooler Master board, it's just not worth it. Leopold is a better choice at that price range. Don't get me wrong, CM makes good stuff, but their niche is in the sub $70 range...that's when they are really good buys, but you'd have to wait for a sale, and who knows when the next one would be.
  
  
• Leopold: Mechanical keyboards are absolutely worth it and these guys make some of the best keyboards on the market (in our price range). You're going to have to decide what switches you want though. I went with red, they are incredibly light, but if I got to choose again I'd probably go with blacks (they are a little heavier to press). It all depends on what you mostly do...gaming or typing? If you type more than game then you'd probably be better off with browns or blues. These things are built like tanks though, really sturdy and heavy, also it's nice that there is a groove to route the cable to the left or right on the back, if you need that. This keyboard will literally last you forever.
  
  Mousepad:
  
  
• SteelSeries Qck Heavy ($21) or Qck+ ($17): The most popular low-sens mousepads around. The Heavy has a 6mm thickness and is good if your desk has an uneven surface. The Qck+ is just a skinny version of the same thing at 2mm thickness. I have a Qck+ but looking to buy a Heavy just because I want something thicker; the Qck+ does its job very well though. Btw, the Zowie glides amazingly on this pad.
  
  
• Xtrac Ripper XXL ($30): If you want something ungodly in size so that you can put your keyboard and mouse on it, then look no further than this desk pad.
  
  I don't know how you feel about cable drag, but it makes me want to do terrible things to innocent creatures. I mentioned earlier that I am using a mouse bungee ($17) from Razer and it works well enough. The Zowie's cable is a bit too thick to fit in the last clip closest to the base, but it fits in the other two just fine and does its job of no-drag. But, if you've got enough space for the cable to stretch out...Zowie's cable is so light that you might not feel it anyway.
  
  I went as close to the budget as I could/went over it a bit (depending on what you choose). If you're going to be dropping this much money on peripherals then you might as well get the best that will last you for years to come.
  
  Let me know if there is anything else...
  
  
  
  
  
  

The Sennheiser PC line, like the PC350, PC360, PC330... Blah blah, but I personally still think the AD700's out perform the PC line, maybe on par with the PC360's.. But the PC line is overpriced, but very very good. What I recommend is getting a clip on mic, the Zalman ZM-MIC1 and AD700 combo is quite popular. If you have the money, the AKG701/702's with a nice amp are probably the best known for gaming. Best thing about the AKG's, you can game, music and watch movies with amazing beautiful sound quality, the AD700's are quite bad for movies and music, depending on what you're already used to, they still sound phenomenal for some.. If you really don't want a clip on mic, look into th Blue Yeti usb microphone. It's amazing.

I've had razor death adder for over a year and it's fantastic. I've traveled with it extensively when I would game at other peoples houses on my laptop. There seems to be a air of disapproval on reddit about razor products but the reviews rarely show it. I have large hands and it conforms to my grip perfectly. The drivers come with customization software as well. The top of the mouse feels like velvet making it a pleasure just to use it. Price isn't outrageous either. And it looks sexy. Better than the pictures do it justice in my opinion. Link

Here's my copy/pasted response to this sort of question because it comes up so damn often.

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Get a pair of headphones and a mic.

If you want surround sound with your headphones, go for the Asus Xonar DG($24) as your sound card. It is very inexpensive and offers Dolby Headphone(ie, it allows you to have virtual surround sound on any pair of headphones - certain headphones work better with this than others, check out this thread at Head-Fi for a plethora of headphones reviewed with Dolby Headphone in mind).

As for the microphone, the common choice is the Zalman zm-mic1($9). Another great choice if you want a better microphone is the Antlion ModMic($33).

As for the headphones, this is a very personal thing. Do you want to be able to accurately pinpoint the location of footsteps in first person shooters? Go for something that is reviewed well by Mad Lust Envy in his thread. Good choices would be the Audio Technica ATH-AD700, the AKG K701/K702/Q701, the Sennheiser HD558/HD598. All of these are open headphones, which tend to be better if you want positional accuracy, but if you'd prefer a closed pair, the Beyerdynamic DT770/DT880(partially open) are rather good. Keep in mind that the Beyers and the AKGs should not be used without an external amp. The other ones should be fine to run off the sound card.

If you don't need pristine positional accuracy in first person shooters, you could go for a huge number of different headphones to suit your tastes. Here is a great thread on Head-Fi comparing many different headphones.

---

Also,

>USB if possible.

You win all of my why for the day.

Just something I think might be useful after you just bought that sound card: I'm pretty sure USB headsets don't actually use your sound card and instead have a built in one, so that 7H, while nice, wouldn't utilize that $185 sound card you just plunkered down for.

I've heard the AD700s are good, but I've not used them, so I can't testify from experience. Same goes for this mic.

Those would run you a little less than that 7h and, based on my understanding, actually utilize that sound card. Some might also say you'd get better sound since you're not paying a premium for a "Gaming" brand, like Steelseries, but of course, there's a lot of opinion in that.

Like I said, I'm pretty sure about that bit in the first paragraph, but if I'm wrong, I'd love for someone to correct me! (Or let me know if I am right, for sure. Haven't been able to find a definitive source.)

The bass is definitely still there, but because they are open-air you get much better mid and high range with somewhat subdued bass. You can still adjust your EQ and bump up lower frequencies if you desire though.

I definitely weigh having the increased clarity of hearing things like footsteps/gunshots over the lack of a booming bass that you would have in closed or earbud setups.


As for my mic setup, I opted for a Samson Go mic, which stands or clips onto my desk and has excellent clarity.

I can't compare the quality with the A40s, but if it seems to be similar and those are more in your $$$ range or the A40s have more bass that you'd want then go with those. But the AD700s definitely get my vote.

Great, yes I know. My headphones are only 50 Ohms, so I wouldn't really need an AMP. But when you get the DAC you pretty much should get the AMP! Else the poor DAC would feel pretty lonely.

Great I also listen to classical and metal, wich my HD598s are amazing for. So that's good to hear.

As for microphone. I would not suggest the Razer Seiren as there are better options out there such as the AT2020 for a lot less. The blue yeti is as well one to consider. I do suggest to also buy a pop filter with it, this will help a good amount to make your voice even more clear.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002Q4U5DK

If you still want a nice Razer mouse, but with less buttons, there's this DeathAdder. It has blue LEDs, two side buttons, and is extremely comfortable. I've had it for a few months, its extremely nice, very worth the money.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00A378L4C

As for a keyboard, this is the one I'll be getting soon. CM Storm Quickfire TK. Its compact, mechanical, blue LED backlit, and has Cherry MX Blue switches, which are supposed to be like heaven.

In my experience the Corsair Vengeance series are not a good buy. They don't sound any good at all compared with other headsets of that range at stock and even after you play around with the EQ settings for hours they're still lacking behind quite a way.

I had a pair of SteelSeries Serbia V2's as my last headset and they sounded very nice, and the mic was crystal clear. Unfortunately they broke after about 5 months (probably be just being heavy handed, though). But they're way below your price range.

I know you said you don't want a clip-on mic and if you really don't then don't read on, but there is simply no possible way to get the same ratio of quality/price with headsets. A very good and very common combination is the Audio Technica ATH AD700's with the Zalman mic. If you're still massively against clip-ons, the ModMic may interest you. Probably the best mic you've ever used in terms of quality and you can simply ziptie or sheath the cables together.

Hope it helps.

I was going through one headset every 6-8 months. The mic would either crap out or snap off or the headband would break, etc.

I'm about 3-4 years into my AD700 + dedicated mic combo and don't see any signs of failure/wear on either. Most people opt for a clip-on mic like these Zalmans instead of the bulkier type I got, but that's just user preference speaking.

EDIT: The AD700 actually sounds like a good fit for you. They're both light on the head and have HUGE enclosures for your ears. The large headphone cups are amazing for positional audio in games.

Big Picture is just an interface - a different way to view the same list of games. If you are running the Big Picture steam client beta, you can access Big Picture on your desktop PC by launching steam and clicking the Big Picture logo in the corner. So yes, you need a dedicated PC attached to your TV if you want to use Big Picture on your TV. The performance of the games accessed via the Big Picture interface should only vary if your tv or cabling has greater latency than your PC monitor.

Personally, I bought a 50 foot HDMI cable to connect my PC to my TV when they were in separate rooms and it worked great. This is the first I've heard of HDMI over ethernet - that sounds pretty cool! I suppose it's really only useful if you plan on exceeding 50 feet of HDMI or if you have in wall Ethernet cabling already installed in your home. No idea how it would effect latency.

As for controllers, if you are exceeding 10 feet, going through walls, etc, then you are going to have trouble with many bluetooth devices. This is a problem I was never able to fully solve, and now my PC is next to my TV so it's no longer an issue for me. When it was, I usually used my 360 controller as my primary input device while on the couch, as I typically only played on the couch when I wanted to kick back and mash some buttons. I'd recommend getting a wireless 360 controller receiver. Mine worked fine traveling about 20 feet through 2 walls with no noticeable performance issues.

I use the Blue Yeti

It's a great mic and you can use it as an output for sound as it has a 3.5mm audio jack. It has excellent sound quality and a few different options when it comes to gain control. I use a pair of Sennheiser HD25's and its a pretty great setup for Skype, podcasting, teamspeak or even recording live music.

I have a big head and stretched ears. So finding a comfortable set of headphones is a challenge. About a year ago I picked up a refurbished pair of Sennheiser HD558s on Amazon for 100 dollars. They are perfect. Open ear, comfortable and great for gaming.

Here is a link if you are interested: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B004FEEY9A/ref=dp_olp_refurbished?ie=UTF8&condition=refurbished

Buying yourself some stand alone headphones and a mic like the Zalman Mic1 would be a good idea. It's the path I have taken.

I am getting myself some HD558s and I have heard some good things about the ATH-M50s if you like the closed back style. A good friend of mine went with the Audio-Technicas and the Zalman Mic, he says he is really happy with the choice

why USB connected?
this type of post gets repeated OVER and OVER again, here's what i've learned.
Generally, the best "gaming" headset would be to get a regular set of reliable headphones from sennheiser, anywhere but bose really.
then add either a zalman external mic or get a modmic.
unfortunately modmic is going through some updates at the time apparently, so you can't really buy them until July 10th, they say.
In addition, it's a good point to add that like gokudude said below, headphones are only as good as the sound output. your best bet would be to invest in a sound card.

I've heard nothing but good about the deathadder and the naga. The naga is great for the sheer fact of its size and the number of buttons. Price wise the naga is about 75 bucks after shipping and the Deathadder is about 55. Both go for the allegiance to razer and are around 75.

IF you're willing to stray from razer I personally have the logitech mx518. I've had it for years and it's one of the best mice I've ever had the chance of holding. It works well for large hands and has most all of the same buttons as that of the death adder. It's been replaced with the g500 which also had weight control (something neither razers have). It too runs around 50 or so dollars.


Links to all 3:

Razer Naga

Razer Deathadder

G500

You think you did PRETTY well on your build?! Your pc is sick man be proud of it! If you have a large budget I'd go with this for your gaming monitor:http:http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VE278Q-27-Inch-Integrated-Speakers/dp/B0043T34RK/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1344951432&sr=1-2
It's not 1440p but its still pretty large and 1080p.

For a smaller browsing monitor I'd get a slightly smaller one:http://www.amazon.com/VE248H-24-Inch-Full-HD-Integrated-Speakers/dp/B0043T7FHK/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1344951551&sr=1-5&keywords=Asus

Btw, I do like Asus a lot so that probably influenced my picks. Regardless, I hope I helped.

Never used the Razer gamepad but I can vouch for the xbox 360 controller. The build quality is time tested and Windows has excellent support for it... most games have all the controls mapped correctly by default.

I already had wireless xbox controllers so I just picked up one of these and it has performed perfectly

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Wireless-Gaming-Receiver-Windows/dp/B000HZFCT2

The biggest difference for me is the thumb buttons and the size. The size is important because gaming mice (at least the logitech ones) actually fit an average adult male hand comfortably without cramping during long gaming sessions. The thumb buttons are nice because it gives you more control during a game (I like to hotkey one of my thumb triggers for melee for shooting games like BF3 and Mass Effect). That being said, regular mice aren't going to make your gaming life hell but I really do recommend this mouse: it's cheap and it's great.
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Optical-Gaming-High-Precision-910-002277/dp/B0055QZ216/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348451982&sr=8-1&keywords=logitech+g400

Thanks for the quick answer. I'm definitely going to look into those ATH-AD700, the review sounds very promising. Which microphone do you use?


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

I've already got the Xonar DG and it is amazing, thank you!

If you want to buy a set be happy and not have to buy another set of cans I recommend the Sennheiser HD 598 for gaming. You can get a microphone to attach to the set of cans. Here is a decent list of reviews on the subject. I currently use the 598's for mine and the sound stage on these things is beyond amazing. Currently I am using crap onboard (limitation of current build) and the sound is stellar so you using a decent Xonar card with the dac/amps on those will sound even better. I can't wait to build my other ring and get the STX pumping out the audio to my cans.

I needed to get a new mic and I searched around forums and people talking about headsets. Many said it may be a bit more expensive, but getting a nice headset with a clip on mic or desktop mic is the best quality you may ever get.

http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333573436&sr=8-1-spell

the zalman zm-mic1 will be perfect for your needs. it clips on to the cable of your current headphones, and has clips all along the microphone cable so you don't have a messy tangle of wires. i use it all the time when playing bc2 and killing floor, works perfectly. best $5 i've spent on a mic ever.

Buying a gaming mouse is all dependent on what you are playing. RTS? FPS? RPG? MMORPG? There are different things about each mouse that tailors to a certain type of game. On-the-fly DPI switching is mostly for RTS or FPS games. Also, gaming mice are more geared towards the super high DPI ~5000. Even then, if you aren't that competitive, I would stick with a regular $5-10 laser mouse. As long as it's accurate, it shouldn't matter. Just turn up the sensitivity in control panel->mouse. If you are going to be serious, then maybe you should save up more serious money. Personally I have a G9x, but I also really like the G500.

I used sticky tac to mount this to the top of my monitor http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ and the sound quality was awesome. Convinced a couple friends to get one and they all sound crystal clear when we chat on teamspeak

Unfortunately mine seems to be giving everyone some strange buzzing noise. I want to blame my sound card or something but I can't figure it out. I was looking for a good USB replacement...possibly with noise-cancelling. My ears have never really been able to deal with a headset

If you get headphones you can get a cheap mic like this that will provide audio quality that is good for skype/vent/ts3/game chat

edit: modmic is awesome

To be honest, in my personal opinion, no. I myself like the 23" monitors. I find that they are the best size for my taste.

This is the one I currently own.

Edit: This is a TN panel not the IPS as previously stated.

Haha. I got this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00029MTMQ/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

And it works surprisingly well. Just as good if not better than those on the previous headsets I've owned

I've previously owned a wide variety of headsets and in the end have given up on them.

• Cheaper logitech sets: broke in various ways
  
  
• Razer carcharias: mic started cutting out, then left earcup, then the thin cord split
  
  
• Tritton set (can't remember which, $50): Cracked bridge with light use
  
  
• The G930s burned batteries so fast, then after a few months the right earcup started cutting out.
  
  Overall the headsets build quality was low, across all the brands. Finally decided on a pair of JVC HARX-900 cans and this Zalman clip-on mic. The wires can be annoying but the difference in sound/build quality was pretty staggering. I started hearing details in games that I never heard before, on any headset, for me it added a new level of detail to games. I've been using this pair for about a year and had no issues at all. Total cost is about $65 + shipping, wish I would have just done that from the start =(
  
  As far as your cord fetish, the JVC cans have a pretty thick cord that would be very difficult to pinch. The mic is thin but it's only $9 so if you have to buy one a year I still think you're coming out on the winning side.

Asus on Amazon for $279.99

The Asus has rave reviews everywhere and is a fantastic 144hz monitor for the price as well as an awesome 1ms response time.

As for the QNIX, these are much tricker, the prices fluxuate all the time (daily) from $280 to $320. The QNIX QX2710 and X-Star DP2710 are literally the exact same monitor under different branding. Cheapest QX2710 I see currently (by a seller that is well known and I trust) is $319.99. This DP2710 is $279.99 and the seller (Dream-Seller) is very well known and will have your monitor stateside insanely fast from south Korea (2-5 days usually)

The QX2710 is also available on Amazon for $339.99 if you wanted to go that route.

Also things to keep in mind with the QX or DP. Screens come in 3 different finishes; Matte, Glossy, and Tempered Glass. Also the plug will be for non-US sockets, but should come with the adapter.

I've had a Logitech MX518 for nearly a decade and it still performs great. They might be a little bit tougher to find; Logitech has newer models that have slowly phased out the MX518's market.

Edit: Looks like they consider the G400 the new MX518

There sure is! People recommend this thing all the time for any computer. Hopefully I will get to build in this case soon, and I'll be adding one of these dusters to my arsenal.

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.

Something like this would be great

Headset come with microphone already and also some advertise 5.1 or 7.1 surround. Most of the time, I'm pretty sure the 5.1 and 7.1 isn't true 5.1 or 7.1(where there are multiple speakers) but artificial surround sound.

I have the ATH-M50s as well. I bought a Zalman Clip and use them for TF2. They work fine.

Please, at least tell us your budget. Also, headphones + standalone mic (this zalman or the modmic) is almost always the best option.

If your 360 controller is wired, just plug in and go. They're excellent PC gamepads. If it's wireless, you'll need something like this.

You'll get another 40-50% from the third card. The 2Gb will be a minor setback, but as I can see you aren't too fond of the idea of moving up to 7970s. $500 isn't enough to move up in monitor quality (Three catleaps would set you back $990) and two 670s wouldn't handle 7680x1440 anyway so sticking with the 5760x1080 setup you have is all you can do at the moment. You could alternatively spend that $360 on a nice monitor mount instead of a third card. Something like this would do the trick.

You could also mount multiple monitors on a single stand, like this, or get a mount that uses a clamp, like this. Those are just the first examples I found, there's a ton of other options on amazon, or newegg, or wherever.

I'd personally get a set of Sennheisers/AKG/Panasonic headphones for about $100 - $150 and then buy a Zalman Clip on Mic. You'll get much better audio performance from a good set of cans than any "gaming" headset.

In that case it is certainly not worth getting a soundcard/external DAC. If you want better quality sound ditch the Turtle Beach headphones and have a look at this guide. I use some Sony MDR-V6 Studio Monitors for gaming and they sound incredible, especially in BF3. If you want to use it as a headset use a cheap clip on mic.

Just have to throw this in after seeing a yellow dot...

I'm playing Alice Madness Returns right now... It's pretty linear (brings back memories of crash bandicoot) and the puzzles aren't really brain busters, but the visuals are STUNNING, and the storyline is kinda an odd, freaky but somehow intriguing mystery as to who killed your family. The game is obviously aimed at giving you these phenomenal views and scenes, as there are places where you could easily walk right by a gorgeous vantage point, but there will be a little icon that shows up. Press the required button and the camera changes to frame the scene. And boy, are there scenes. Every level has places where you'll stop to do a double take without the aforementioned camera-button-thing. The detail that goes into each level is incredible.

The fighting system seems repetitive at first, but that's purely because as the game goes on you get hit with much harder combinations of baddies and the early encounters are there to prepare you for fighting certain combinations of enemies. The game uses physX so there's some nifty effects, for instance when you use your ranged weapon, a pepper grinder, there's pepper smoke that come out of the barrel and there's cracked pepper shells that disperse all over the ground. There's a lot of enemies who appear out of this black ooze that leave a big puddle of black when you kill them - a big puddle that you can kick around. PHYSX! Oh yeah, and when you die, you explode into butterflies.

Not exactly the hardest game, but It will take you a surprising amount of time to get through the game - its pretty long and some of the fights are just plain tough. It's no BF3, but it is a good game to play if you're looking for a trippy/pretty/steampunk/asian-y/dark creep-out fest.

This game has 360 controller support, so I suggest if you want to get the full experience to find one of these. I really enjoy using the 360 controller for games like Alice, Batman and Red Faction: Guerilla.

Good luck!

Logitech G9X
this is the mouse i currently have and its great!

It's comfortable, you can also use it to play card games on. I've been using a Xtrac XXL for a couple years now. Even though it sounds dumb, it isn't as cold as a glass tabletop which is nice.

I love the keys on the keyboard. I personally couldnt give up the numeric pad so went with quickfire TK: http://www.amazon.com/CM-Storm-QuickFire-TK-Mechanical/dp/B00A378L4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381461169&sr=8-1&keywords=coolermaster+storm+quickfire+tk

http://www.amazon.com/XArmor-U9W-wireless-mechanical-keyboard/dp/B004S862FW

This is what I found quickly, it's got Cherry Browns which should be fine. It's kind of silly to ask for 'cheap as possible' when asking for 2 features (mechanical and wireless) that drive up the price considerably.

Also, wired is better. Sorry, I know you don't want to hear it, but it is 100% true.

What is your price range? As a general rule, it is better to get a cheap stand alone mic and a good headset. I use sony MDR-V6 headphones, and a cheap clip on mic.

http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408301184&sr=8-1&keywords=Zalman+clip+mic

Zalman makes a great clip mic for under 10 bucks. I have a audio technica set of headphones and use the Zalman clip mic

Dude buy this now: CLICK ME

Seriously dude, don't stop and think about it. THAT is the headphone you want. Buy any cheap microphone to hook up to it. But trust me, for sub $100, there is NO BETTER HEADPHONE.

Here are the specs:

Type|Item|
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-4820K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler | Corsair H105
Thermal Compound | Prolimatech PK-1 5g Thermal Paste
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard
Memory| Corsair Dominator Platinum 2133MT/s C9 4x 4gb
Storage | SAMSUNG 840 EVO 250GB
Storage | SAMSUNG 840 EVO 250GB
Case | Corsair Graphite 760T in White
Power Supply | Corsair RM1000 80+ Gold
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (64-bit)
Monitor | Asus PB278Q 27" 2560x1440 PLS
Monitor | Asus PB238Q 23.0" Monitor
Keyboard|Filco Ninja Majestouch-2 w/MX browns
Keyboard | Keycool 84 (white body) w/MX black
Keyboard | KBT Pure Pro 60% w/MX blues
Keyboard|KBT Pure 60% w/MX reds and blue LEDs
Keyboard|Leopold FC660M (gray keycaps) w/MX greens
Keyboard| KBT Pure 60% w/MX whites
Mouse | Mionix Naos 5000 Wired Laser Mouse
Video Card| XFX 290 DD Black edition
Video Card| XFX 290 DD Black edition
Headphones| AKG K702
Headphones| Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250Ohm
Headphones | Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250Ohm
Headphone stand| Woo Audio HPS-HB
Headphone stand| Just Mobile Aluminum
Microphone|Samson Meteor Studio Mic
DAC| Schiit Modi
AMP|Schiit Magni
Speakers|JBL LSR305 5-inch Two-Way Pair
Fan| 3x Corsair SP120 Quiet edition PWM
Fan| 3x Corsair AF140 Quiet edition
Router|Netgear AC1750 R6300v2
Modem|Motorola SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem
Custom Cables|Made by /u/Lavins

Big thanks to Corsair for sponsoring most of this rig.

Here's the review of the case I released a couple of days ago

Zalman Clip-On Mic. This little thing is amazing.

Antlion Modmic, $30, or a Zalman Clip-on $10. Slap one of em on your nice headphones and you've got a gaming headset with much higher quality than anything for a similar price.

I use one of these to clean my pc and I've never had a problem. Just watch out for your fans.

at less than $400 for a pair I would recommend a couple of ASUS VE248H 24-Inch LED Monitors as these are what I'm currently using and I can't complain.

For mousepad if your a low sensitivity gamer and need a large surface area I would get the mionix sargas 460, it's a little bit bigger than the steelseries qck+ and just a little bit thicker. For mouse I would go with the logitech G700, its $70 on amazon right now. For keyboard I am not quite sure, I could only find one wireless but people seem to like it. It's the xarmor u9w by ione.

What switches do you want, If you want some tactile feedback than Cherry MX Blues or Browns are a good bet. This CM Storm QuickFire might be the perfect board for you. I would definitely head over to /r/MechanicalKeyboards, but be warned: Wallets that enter that place seldom return full.

If you're considering spending $200 on a monitor stand, I will recommend this: http://www.amazon.com/Ergotech-Triple-Horizontal-Monitor-100-D16-B03/dp/B001NPEC5A/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1404837802&sr=8-4&keywords=triple+monitor+stand
The company I work for purchased 4 of these for our new computers and they are sturdy. Linustechtips just did a review for the "wing arm" varient. He does also mention a DIY or community made solution but I have not looked into this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-raKOW9LUc

I just got the G500 and I absolutely love it. I moved to it from an mx518, same feel but customized weight.

You can always Get something like this and it should run with your wireless controller without much fuss at all.

Someone recommended the XTrac Pads Ripper XXL here once. Had it for a while now with zero regrets, its nice to have all that space!

http://www.amazon.com/XTracPads-Ripper-XXL-Desktop-Gaming/dp/B000HTDBWI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1372647898&sr=1-1&keywords=xtrac+pads+ripper+xxl

If you want a LED for the same price-point of the Acer, Asus has a 144Hz LED for usually around $10-20 more.

Link

Also has DisplayPort as well as DVI for 144Hz so you don't need an active adapter if this will be your second monitor at 120+Hz / 1440p+

I've got a CM Storm QuickFire TK, looks very similar to this and I love it.
$92 on Amazon.

Satay away from gamer brand headsets. Listen to LynkDead and get yourself some high quality earphones and a cheap mic.

Most people go with this. http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320962407&sr=8-1

I understand completely, most people prefer quiet or have to. I just went for raw air cooling. Side note I got some DT 770 Pros today.

I use an electric high-power blower instead of buying those disposable and toxic compressed air cans.

link here

one of these - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4ZOAW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Use this

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!

Mechanical Keyboard - Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid

Mouse - Logitech G9x

Headset - AD700

Try looking into the Samsung Go Mic Compact

Logitech G500 or Logitech MX 518 There's also a less expensive plastic model. (It's the one I use, got it for about $35 on sale) But I couldn't find it.

Logitech G500

If you haven't ordered yet, that Asus is $180 at Amazon.

As far as I am aware, this is one of the only, if not the only wireless mech:

http://www.amazon.com/XArmor-U9W-wireless-mechanical-keyboard/dp/B004S862FW

Backlights eat power which means shorter time wireless. Unless you mod you won't find one. Check out /r/mechanicalkeyboards

less expensive model

I also have two of these already: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005BZNDS0/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just ordered blue! CM Storm QuickFire TK - Compact Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with CHERRY MX BLUE Switches and Fully LED Backlit by Cooler Master http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A378L4C/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_2uM0tb1SDGZAR

So I will be able to compare red and blue tomorrow!

24" 1080p 144hz 1ms

Im picking one of these up for the wife for her battlestation this week.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B2HH7G0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Oh, right. Sorry.
You'll need a wireless gaming receiver.
Drivers can be downloaded from here.

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

This is the mount :Bunion Corrector and Bunion... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MTCTGVX?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Main gaming monitor: ASUS VG248QE 24" Full HD 1920x1080 144Hz 1ms HDMI Gaming Monitor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B2HH7G0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ib15CbRBTB8XD

Second monitor: ASUS VE248H 24" Full HD 1920x1080... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0043T7FHK?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Vertical monitor: (I believe this is the third, I have lost the link) Acer G276HL Kbmidx 27" Full HD (1920 x 1080) VA Zero Frame Monitor with Built-in Speakers (HDMI, DVI & VGA Ports) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075D5NDFZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_hh15CbRT2RJQ9

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

It is under $10. So far no one has complained about it when I am on vent so I guess its not bad?

Corsair k95 Wish they had mx blues, but dang are the k95 and k70 sexy.

Samson Meteor Mic

This is the Yeti.

Shitty lighting is because, well, shitty lighting :(

WTF, vga is horrible. You need at least dvi to vga or plain dvi to get decent image quality.

You want 5ms or less/2ms GTG or less.

You will probably want a higher than 60hz monitor as well. Here are 2:
http://www.amazon.com/VG248QE-24-inch-LED-lit-Monitor-response/dp/B00B2HH7G0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1412294444&sr=1-1&keywords=ASUS+VG248QE

http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-XL2420Z-24-Inch-LED-Lit-Professional/dp/B00HE61SOA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1412294494&sr=1-1&keywords=BenQ+XL2420TE