Post your Rig Specs Here!

[Brandon Keenan]

yea want to see what skylake can offer for the price but may end up just splurging on an x99 haswell-e

 

[QwarkDreams]

yea want to see what skylake can offer for the price but may end up just splurging on an x99 haswell-e

Better Skylake or X99 than Haswell/Broadwell, since 1150 will be outdated next year with the release of Skylake (1151). Also, 1151 is said to support both DDR3 and DDR4 RAM, so you wouldn't need to upgrade your RAM immediatel.

 

[Brandon Keenan]

exactly but I have been eyeing the new corsair dominator platinums for video. also while the new 295x or gtx 980 have been impressive with power consumption and performance, I have yet to play a game I could not run with my gtx 590 on max settings or near max settings at 1080p so justifying an upgrade in that department is a stretch unless I get like an ultrawide 21:9 or 4k monitor.

 

[QwarkDreams]

exactly but I have been eyeing the new corsair dominator platinums for video. also while the new 295x or gtx 980 have been impressive with power consumption and performance, I have yet to play a game I could not run with my gtx 590 on max settings or near max settings at 1080p so justifying an upgrade in that department is a stretch unless I get like an ultrawide 21:9 or 4k monitor.

Your choice in graphics cards is better than mine. I think my 260X will get to it's limits soon when I start playing newer games. I get constant 60fps in all the games I play on the highest settings (it's not 1080p but closer to it than to 720p, and I'm also not playing the newest and most demanding games) but it IS a low-end GPU after all..... don't know what I should buy first: new GPU or a nice 1080p IPS monitor and wait for AMD's 300-series :-/

Do you mean the DDR4 version of them? Damn, those prices are surreal^^

 

[Brandon Keenan]

yea I got a good deal on my gtx 590 so I was happy. that's a tough call haha. the new displays look amazing especially at 4k and beyond, but it doesn't make a difference if you can't run at those resolutions. So personally I'd wait until you run into a bottleneck with the next generation of games before upgrading to a new gfx card. monitor I could justify if you do a lot with video/photo editing or watch movies/tv shows on your desktop.

yea the DDR4 versions of those are insanely expensive haha. I used to have some dominator GT which I was really happy with but ended up selling them to a friend and opting for these more discrete low profile sticks.

 

[QwarkDreams]

yea I got a good deal on my gtx 590 so I was happy. that's a tough call haha. the new displays look amazing especially at 4k and beyond, but it doesn't make a difference if you can't run at those resolutions. So personally I'd wait until you run into a bottleneck with the next generation of games before upgrading to a new gfx card. monitor I could justify if you do a lot with video/photo editing or watch movies/tv shows on your desktop.

yea the DDR4 versions of those are insanely expensive haha. I used to have some dominator GT which I was really happy with but ended up selling them to a friend and opting for these more discrete low profile sticks.

I kinda like being a little behind on games and tech generations because usually I get the stuff cheaper and still have a huge performance boost when I upgrade. This way I save money on great components (R9 290 now start at around €260/$260 and was ~$400 when it was released) and on games (40-60€ on release and I get them for 5-10€ some months later on Steam Sales). Plus, I can always max out the settings of the games I'm playing and still get almost constant 60fps without problems

The only time when I upgrade is usually when the components fail on me (that's the case for everything since I don't have money to throw around^^). Like some stuff right now. My monitor is about 5 years old and starts to show like temporarily burned-in lines. My mouse and keyboard are similar old and show some signs of age (buttons not responding 100%, maybe like 1 out of 50 clicks doesn't get detected).

Looks like the prices for RAM are this high because of the fire at that one memory oem (which seems to make the supply for everyone in the world^^).

 

[Brandon Keenan]

Exactly. If it ain't broke, don't fix it sort of thing.

If you are looking at a new keyboard, I couldn't recommend the corsair k90 higher. I absolutely love this keyboard and got it when it came out. If I were to purchase it again, I would probably go for a K75 since I never use the side macro keys but only got it because of the backlighting.

 

[QwarkDreams]

Exactly. If it ain't broke, don't fix it sort of thing.

If you are looking at a new keyboard, I couldn't recommend the corsair k90 higher. I absolutely love this keyboard and got it when it came out. If I were to purchase it again, I would probably go for a K75 since I never use the side macro keys but only got it because of the backlighting.

....and if it gets the job done. Something that ain't broke but doesn't give you sufficient performance isn't really useful too^^

I really like the Corsair Vengeance K-series, even more since they switched to RGB backlight (read many complaints on the internet about the backlight LEDs dying fast). But they are quite expensive and rare here (actually every mechanical with RGB. 180€+ or ~$220).

But I think the monitor has higher priority (have a cheap, crappy spare-keyboard/mouse I can use if this one breaks but no extra monitor ;-) ).

 

[Zeroplanetz]

....and if it gets the job done. Something that ain't broke but doesn't give you sufficient performance isn't really useful too^^

I really like the Corsair Vengeance K-series, even more since they switched to RGB backlight (read many complaints on the internet about the backlight LEDs dying fast). But they are quite expensive and rare here (actually every mechanical with RGB. 180?+ or ~$220).

But I think the monitor has higher priority (have a cheap, crappy spare-keyboard/mouse I can use if this one breaks but no extra monitor ;-) ).

I was waiting for the new Logitech board. But after playing with the keys its way to soft for me. (not clicky enough.) I know they went home grown on there switches though. May end up just going with a corsair rgb.

 

[QwarkDreams]

I was waiting for the new Logitech board. But after playing with the keys its way to soft for me. (not clicky enough.) I know they went home grown on there switches though. May end up just going with a corsair rgb.

I guess Cherry MX switches have the big advantage of being well-known for their characteristics and people accustomed to them. Introducing a new type of switch is fairly tough. Razer is trying it with Kailh switches which imitate the characteristics of the Cherry switches with slight differences but quality might (don't quote me on that) be an issue, since it's produced in China. No idea what Logitech tries to accomplish with their Romer G switch (yep, only one type).
And it's absolutely beyond my mind what Cooler Master thought when they came up with the idea of their Topre switches. I mean, really? Mechanical + rubberdome combined? Aren't two of the advantages of mechanical keyboards their longevity and precise activation? IMO, rubberdomes nullify those advantages. If someone wants his/her mechanical keyboard to be less loud he/she can just use o-rings to prevent the keycaps from bottoming out so hard.

Until yesterday I was pretty turned off by the prices mechanical keyboards sell for (especially those with RGB backlight) but after watching a video from LinusTechTips about their tour through the Cherry MX Factory I can fully understand the cost of those keyboards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu1gP4PfqCQ&list=UUXuqSBlHAE6Xw-yeJA0Tunw

 

[QwarkDreams]

Little update of my desktop setup. Better late than never, I finally caught up to 1080p. Actually, might be almost too late for that with all the fancy new resolutions getting cheaper and more common.

 

[gedzum]

Nice, clean setup Qwark! How are you enjoying your new monitor?

Ooh and we have the same headphones :wink:

Edit: nvm saw your post in the other thread

 

[QwarkDreams]

Nice, clean setup Qwark! How are you enjoying your new monitor?

Ooh and we have the same headphones :wink:

Edit: nvm saw your post in the other thread

Now that I've figured out what the problems caused I enjoy it very much. Until now I've only read about IPS panels being superior to TN panels in terms of color reproduction but now I can confirm it myself. The difference to my old Samsung with its TN panel is HUGE. The whites were kinda yellowish on it and the colors were okay I guess but I would never want to go back to cheap TN panels^^

I only played The Wolf Among Us since I got the monitor but it looks so much better on it.
HDMI is okay too, but the color range with DP is even better. I would not recommend using HDMI with an IPS panel, makes it look like a TN panel.

Oh, you too have the M40x?

btw, the picture makes the monitor looks pretty small but I'm only about 2.5feet away from it and I think 27" would be too big (also, the price would be much higher^^). A second 24" monitor would not fit there. I mean it kinda would, but the view would be too angled and there would be no place for the speakers anymore. I'm thinkin of replacing them and regular sized 2.0 speakers (like the Audio Engine A2, just as an example for the size) would now just fit there.

 

[Zeroplanetz]

Now that I've figured out what the problems caused I enjoy it very much. Until now I've only read about IPS panels being superior to TN panels in terms of color reproduction but now I can confirm it myself. The difference to my old Samsung with its TN panel is HUGE. The whites were kinda yellowish on it and the colors were okay I guess but I would never want to go back to cheap TN panels^^

I only played The Wolf Among Us since I got the monitor but it looks so much better on it.
HDMI is okay too, but the color range with DP is even better. I would not recommend using HDMI with an IPS panel, makes it look like a TN panel.

Oh, you too have the M40x?

btw, the picture makes the monitor looks pretty small but I'm only about 2.5feet away from it and I think 27" would be too big (also, the price would be much higher^^). A second 24" monitor would not fit there. I mean it kinda would, but the view would be too angled and there would be no place for the speakers anymore. I'm thinkin of replacing them and regular sized 2.0 speakers (like the Audio Engine A2, just as an example for the size) would now just fit there.

I keep thinking about ips and 1440p but on the other hand I know i want 144hz for gaming and 3d ability. Its why I haven't changed my monitor setup yet. Sad times.

 

[QwarkDreams]

I keep thinking about ips and 1440p but on the other hand I know i want 144hz for gaming and 3d ability. Its why I haven't changed my monitor setup yet. Sad times.

Unfortunately it looks like TN panels will dominate the market for "gaming" monitors for quite a while until IPS displays with 120-144Hz and high resolutions are a thing and affordable.
The Asus ROG Swift is the only monitor I know of that offers both, 1440p resolution and 144Hz. And it supports G-Sync and 3D compatibility. But the price is a bit much for not even 4k.
On the other hand, Logan from TekSyndicate is usually an advocate for IPS panels but he praised the Swift for having the best TN panel he's ever seen (in terms of color accuracy).

I hope IPS and MVA will kick TN out of the game soon. They may be much cheaper but quality wise....good TN panels are almost on the same level as mid-tier IPS panels.

Also, with a GTX 970, you could wait for monitors with G-Sync to become cheaper and for new models to arrive.

 

[Zeroplanetz]

Unfortunately it looks like TN panels will dominate the market for "gaming" monitors for quite a while until IPS displays with 120-144Hz and high resolutions are a thing and affordable.
The Asus ROG Swift is the only monitor I know of that offers both, 1440p resolution and 144Hz. And it supports G-Sync and 3D compatibility. But the price is a bit much for not even 4k.
On the other hand, Logan from TekSyndicate is usually an advocate for IPS panels but he praised the Swift for having the best TN panel he's ever seen (in terms of color accuracy).

I hope IPS and MVA will kick TN out of the game soon. They may be much cheaper but quality wise....good TN panels are almost on the same level as mid-tier IPS panels.

Also, with a GTX 970, you could wait for monitors with G-Sync to become cheaper and for new models to arrive.

Yea, patience is a virtue haha. I'll most likely wait a bit though. I also plan on getting another msi gaming 970. Then for me after my monitors ill be set for a good while. Minus maybe a keyboard and mouse upgrade.

 

[QwarkDreams]

Yea, patience is a virtue haha. I'll most likely wait a bit though. I also plan on getting another msi gaming 970. Then for me after my monitors ill be set for a good while. Minus maybe a keyboard and mouse upgrade.

SLI so soon? I was under the impression that the 970 is already a beast and that - according to benchmarks - SLI will only be beneficial on higher resolutions (1440p and 4k).
As far as I've read, SLI also most times comes with some hiccups (less stable). A faster single GPU is always recommended.

In general, more fps are only beneficial when it comes to higher resolutions (since they require more performance power for the more of pixels).
1080p @ 60Hz -> no advantage
1440p @ 60Hz -> more pixel = more performance needed -> advantage
1080p @ 144Hz -> more fps = smoother experience -> advantage

You can have all the performance and fps you want but when your monitor can't take advantage of them it's pretty much wasted money until you upgrade your monitor (higher res or higher refresh rate or both).
The performance boost with two 970s IS huge (in some games fps are almost doubled) but keep in mind that you monitor might not be able to take advantage of that. For most things 60fps is perfectly fine (except when you have a monitor with a higher refresh rate. looks still perfectly fine but you wouldn't be taking advantage of a feature you paid for).

Just my $0.02 ;-)

Edit: Point of View of my desk 27" will fit just in there but at this distance it's probably too big at this distance. It looks farther away than it actually is (the monitor is exactly as wide as my desk is deep; ~54cm).

 

[gedzum]

Now that I've figured out what the problems caused I enjoy it very much. Until now I've only read about IPS panels being superior to TN panels in terms of color reproduction but now I can confirm it myself. The difference to my old Samsung with its TN panel is HUGE. The whites were kinda yellowish on it and the colors were okay I guess but I would never want to go back to cheap TN panels^^

I only played The Wolf Among Us since I got the monitor but it looks so much better on it.
HDMI is okay too, but the color range with DP is even better. I would not recommend using HDMI with an IPS panel, makes it look like a TN panel.

Oh, you too have the M40x?

btw, the picture makes the monitor looks pretty small but I'm only about 2.5feet away from it and I think 27" would be too big (also, the price would be much higher^^). A second 24" monitor would not fit there. I mean it kinda would, but the view would be too angled and there would be no place for the speakers anymore. I'm thinkin of replacing them and regular sized 2.0 speakers (like the Audio Engine A2, just as an example for the size) would now just fit there.

Great to hear you were able to fix your problem and that you are enjoying the new monitor.

And I have the M50x..they look really similar!

 

[QwarkDreams]

Great to hear you were able to fix your problem and that you are enjoying the new monitor.

And I have the M50x..they look really similar!

The M50x's earcans swivel both ways (180? in total) and are said to have a bit more bass. They should also come with 3 cables (2x long - straigt, coiled-, 1x short straight), while the M40x only comes with the 2 long cables (bit of a shame, the short cable would be very handy but I didn't want to pay ~50-60€ more just to have that. need to get that some way).

Yeah...it was kind of a strange problem. Very glad it wasn't permanently.
Played some other games to see how they look in 1080p on an IPS panel....well, I don't really have the latest games (I think the newest are The Wolf Among Us and Batman Arkham Origins) and my GPU has pretty limited performance but so far everything looked fine. Kingdoms of Amalur, NfS Hot Pursuit and The Wolf Among Us look amazing so far. I didn't notice any blurring, ghosting, corona effect; even in faster paced games like NfS. Gonna try some other games to see how much they can push the monitor to its limits.
I think 2D games, especially very colorful ones (just like The Wolf Among Us, Deponia, Guacamelee, etc.) will benefit the most from an IPS panel.

 

[Zeroplanetz]

SLI so soon? I was under the impression that the 970 is already a beast and that - according to benchmarks - SLI will only be beneficial on higher resolutions (1440p and 4k).
As far as I've read, SLI also most times comes with some hiccups (less stable). A faster single GPU is always recommended.

In general, more fps are only beneficial when it comes to higher resolutions (since they require more performance power for the more of pixels).
1080p @ 60Hz -> no advantage
1440p @ 60Hz -> more pixel = more performance needed -> advantage
1080p @ 144Hz -> more fps = smoother experience -> advantage

You can have all the performance and fps you want but when your monitor can't take advantage of them it's pretty much wasted money until you upgrade your monitor (higher res or higher refresh rate or both).
The performance boost with two 970s IS huge (in some games fps are almost doubled) but keep in mind that you monitor might not be able to take advantage of that. For most things 60fps is perfectly fine (except when you have a monitor with a higher refresh rate. looks still perfectly fine but you wouldn't be taking advantage of a feature you paid for).

Just my $0.02 ;-)

Edit: Point of View of my desk 27" will fit just in there but at this distance it's probably too big at this distance. It looks farther away than it actually is (the monitor is exactly as wide as my desk is deep; ~54cm).

View attachment 91185

Yea I'm aware that my monitor(s) are currently lacking for sli. My thoughts though are to just get it to have it. So when I do choose my choice of either 1080p 144hz with 3d triple setup or 1440p at 60hz (even the 120hz models from Korea) ill be set to go. At least I know what graphics card I want lol. Either way though I will sli, with a total of 4 monitors, 3 for NVIDIA surround playing and 1 for info. But this will all wait a little longer as I've just bought a Maxnomic leader black chair. I chose this chair because I didn't like any of the chairs in the office stores and the few in the furniture stores are really crazy pricey. But I'm excited for it!