"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. 22nm+28nm, Tri-Gate, and reading the OP. [Part 1]

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Hey guys just looking for your opinion on something. I have a chance to buy some used parts for my future gaming build so I'm wondering if this is worth my time/money

This is what I can get for 250 euro:

620W Enermax PSU
Thermaltake Armor Jr. Case
DVD-ROM
Zalman CPU Cooler on a broken mobo
Samsung 24" LCD (1920 x 1200) Syncmaster 245B
Logitech G15 Keyboard
Razer Mouse 1600dpi
Creative T40 Desktop Speakers
Wired Xbox 360 Controller
Good Quality Office Chair
and possibly a 500gb Hard Drive

I plan on building an Ivy Bridge build on a z77 mobo.
 
hyduK said:
I'll probably pick up a 3570k + mobo this week. Waiting for the 670 to upgrade my video card (already have a 460gtx for the meantime). Will this PSU be sufficient? Or will the 670 likely require more power?

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?item_id=019984
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Should be fine. I'd tell you to spend another $40 to get a better PSU that will last probably longer and give you better power if you are picking up all that new hardware though.

Curious why so many people are buying Ivy. It's $30 for CPU, and $15 more for Z77 for no speed benefits. PCI-E 3.0 offers nothing unless you drop $1,000 on GPU and USB3.0 has been on boards for a long time.
Starfish_Oxide said:
Hey guys just looking for your opinion on something. I have a chance to buy some used parts for my future gaming build so I'm wondering if this is worth my time/money

This is what I can get for 250 euro:

620W Enermax PSU
Thermaltake Armor Jr. Case
DVD-ROM
Zalman CPU Cooler on a broken mobo
Samsung 24" LCD (1920 x 1200) Syncmaster 245B
Logitech G15 Keyboard
Razer Mouse 1600dpi
Creative T40 Desktop Speakers
Wired Xbox 360 Controller
Good Quality Office Chair
and possibly a 500gb Hard Drive

I plan on building an Ivy Bridge build on a z77 mobo.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a nice deal to me. Look into replacing the Enermax PSU when you can though.
 
Hazaro said:
Should be fine. I'd tell you to spend another $40 to get a better PSU that will last probably longer and give you better power if you are picking up all that new hardware though.

Curious why so many people are buying Ivy. It's $30 for CPU, and $15 more for Z77 for no speed benefits. PCI-E 3.0 offers nothing unless you drop $1,000 on GPU and USB3.0 has been on boards for a long time.
Click to expand...

I'm getting Ivy because I want the CPU to last ~4 years. When I do a GPU upgrade in 2 or 3 years though I don't want to be potentially limited. And for the small premium relative to the cost of a whole build it's nice to be on the cutting edge.
 
Now that they're out in the wild, has anyone confirmed what differences there are between the Asus P8Z77-V and -V Pro that could possibly warrant the $20 difference? It can't just be 2 extra USB ports and a serial port header.
 
Hazaro said:
Should be fine. I'd tell you to spend another $40 to get a better PSU that will last probably longer and give you better power if you are picking up all that new hardware though.

Curious why so many people are buying Ivy. It's $30 for CPU, and $15 more for Z77 for no speed benefits. PCI-E 3.0 offers nothing unless you drop $1,000 on GPU and USB3.0 has been on boards for a long time.
Click to expand...

Hm. Might just go SB then. I suppose by the time id take advantage of pci-e 3.0 I'd have bought a new mobo/CPU anyway.

With regards to the PSU, my old one crappes out last summer, took the video card with it. I hadnt really intended on buying a new computer so I just went with the 500w. I just don't like replacing stuff so quickly if it's still sufficient. But maybe I'll just get a 750w or something.
 
Hazaro said:
No one rates PSU's at peak anymore. That's a 610W supply.

IB problems imo start at 4.5Ghz area, but depends on your chip. It's going past 1.10/1.15V that hurts you.

Mobo depends on your budget, but from looking at your parts I'd say look at the Asus P8Z77-V as a baseline then decide if you need more or less features. Just running the hardware you are running and wanting a steady OC I'm a fan of more power regs, which they gimp on their lower models as you go down.
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4.4-4.5Ghz is fine for me, how does a P8Z77-V LK sound for my setup ?
 
MrBig said:
I'm getting Ivy because I want the CPU to last ~4 years. When I do a GPU upgrade in 2 or 3 years though I don't want to be potentially limited. And for the small premium relative to the cost of a whole build it's nice to be on the cutting edge.
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I can understand that. I don't think any card in 2-3 years will be hurt more than 2-5% by PCI-E 2.0 x16 if at all.
It's just when I look at same idle, same OC, same load draw OC'd, and a $50 'new' tax I get a bad taste in my mouth. If it was the same price or had lower draw or ran cooler I'd easily easily have no qualms about subbing it in.

I'm thinking of just leaving the budget ones as SB. Maybe as people find out that running IB at 80C load is okay I'll warm up to it, but CPUs haven't run that hot in a long time.
faceless007 said:
Now that they're out in the wild, has anyone confirmed what differences there are between the Asus P8Z77-V and -V Pro that could possibly warrant the $20 difference? It can't just be 2 extra USB ports and a serial port header.
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I think you underestimate them.
hyduK said:
Hm. Might just go SB then. I suppose by the time id take advantage of pci-e 3.0 I'd have bought a new mobo/CPU anyway.

With regards to the PSU, my old one crappes out last summer, took the video card with it. I hadnt really intended on buying a new computer so I just went with the 500w. I just don't like replacing stuff so quickly if it's still sufficient. But maybe I'll just get a 750w or something.
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It's not bad, but if you want something to last for 8 years I'd look at a Corsair like the TX650 V2. Canadian prices are pretty rough though. TX650M is on newegg.ca for not a terrible price.
TheThunder said:
4.4-4.5Ghz is fine for me, how does a P8Z77-V LK sound for my setup ?
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Should be fine
 
God damnit Newegg.

First I buy a 3770K from them and it goes on sale for $70 less at MicroCenter.

Now, I get an email with 10-15% off coupon codes for all memory, OCZ SSDs, and internal DVD drives. Guess what I just bought from Newegg last week?

Memory, an OCZ SSD, and an internal DVD drive. Would have saved me about $25 in coupon codes and $70 from the processor.

Fuck I'm tired of them trolling me and wasting money.
 
Thinking of upgrading from a Q6600/8800GT/8GB to an Ivy Bridge rig. Will be used for gaming, web, video encoding etc.

  • Case: Fractal Design Define R3 Arctic White
  • Board: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H
  • VGA: GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870
  • PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K
  • RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600
  • SSD: OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-128G SSD
  • HDD: SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB
  • SOUND: ASUS XONAR_DG
  • Misc: ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model BC-12B1ST
  • CPU FAN: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2
I don't want to have to go over $1,500. I'm going to sell my current setup to fund some of the upgrade. I'm flexible on the video card; not necessarily partial to ATI or Nvidia. Would have gone for 7970 but I figured I'd save a few bucks if 7870 is still serviceable.

Open to any suggestions.
 
TheThunder said:
Great, it settled then

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LK
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K
GPU: GTX 680
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 1600
CPU Fan: Hyper 212 EVO

Gonna place an order tomorrow

Thanks to mkenyon and Hazaro, really appreciate the help guys.
Click to expand...
Go 4x4GB to save a chunk of change?
Let me in said:
Thinking of upgrading from a Q6600/8800GT/8GB to an Ivy Bridge rig. Will be used for gaming, web, video encoding etc.

  • Case: Fractal Design Define R3 Arctic White
  • Board: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H
  • VGA: GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870
  • PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K
  • RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600
  • SSD: OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-128G SSD
  • HDD: SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB
  • SOUND: ASUS XONAR_DG
  • Misc: ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model BC-12B1ST
  • CPU FAN: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2
I don't want to have to go over $1,500. I'm going to sell my current setup to fund some of the upgrade. I'm flexible on the video card; not necessarily partial to ATI or Nvidia. Would have gone for 7970 but I figured I'd save a few bucks if 7870 is still serviceable.

Open to any suggestions.
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Not sure if Gigabyte fixed it's P67/Z68 boot loops, might want to go with another model mobo.
Vertex 4 is OCZ. I'd recommend getting a non-sandforce drive like the M4 or Samsung 830. If you need speed look at the Intel 520 or Corsair for their warranty imo.
Make sure the 650W is the V2 model
If you wait two weeks its possible there will be a 670 launch which HOPEFULLY should be the best value in that price range.
 
Review sites have begun to receive there GTX 690's. Both Hard Forum and Techpowerup received the cards in a wooden crate. For those not into the PR stunt, Nvidia sent sites a crowbar that had "for use in case of Zomies or..." then a Nvidia logo. Well today, the cards arrived in wooden crates to make use of the nifty crowbar.

Links to pictures and small write-up.

http://www.techpowerup.com/165149/A-Crate-at-TechPowerUp-s-Doorstep.html

http://hardocp.com/news/2012/04/30/geforce_gtx_690_on_our_doorstepafter_crowbar

Cards go on sale on Thursday....who amongst us going to crack first and go for it???
 
Was going to nab the Radeon 7950 from Amazon. The 7970 is just $40 more (includes a $10 rebate).

Is it worth the $40 more?

Both are the Sapphire OC models.

Thanks!
 
TheThunder said:
Is there any performance differences between using more or less RAM sticks ?

Also, are RAM manufacturers important, or just grab whatever you find at the best price ?
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2 sticks is slightly less work on the NB... at least from the older sockets. Not sure how much it matters now.

RAM manf. not really. Just get G.Skill or Corsair or Kingston for lifetime warranty. All are cheap.
 
I never knew why single monitor users cared about viewing angles until I used a VA panel and switched back to TN. I noticed I lean on my hand a lot when reading GAF and it affects the lighting uniformity a lot.

The day VA panels get their response times down to normal, I'm chucking this monitor in the garbage and picking one up. The whites were so unbelievably nice looking, my eyes melted on the screen, it was almost like looking at E-ink or something. This monitor in comparison strains my eyes. Blacks were the best blacks I've ever seen as well. All from a budget monitor. I'm wondering if there is a better TN display at my price range but I think they are all probably within the same quality (black levels in particular).
 
Arken2121 said:
Nice, this your last one?
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Yeah, I am staying with 2. Expensive as it is! I plan on taking some pics as I build it, etc. Dunno if people here care, but it will be fun to show you guys how much you helped anyways!

Anyone by chance have a comment on this desk? http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=219790762&sellerid=10773354

I am considering getting it. I have two monitors 27 and 24. And I was thinking glass because it makes the office feel a little better. I ordered a http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JMZXMA/?tag=neogaf0e-20 while will be where the keyboard and mouse are.
 
I like big heavy wood desks. For those wanting something a bit more modern yet well (partially) made, I hear constant rave reviews about the Ikea Galant, seems to be a special favorite over at OCN.
 
Hey guys, I'm looking to buy a new laptop for work/home use, but I've never really been in the laptop market so I don't know what's good value.
I work as a 3d Animator and sometimes compositor, so 64bit is a must. But mostly just for tinkering, so 3d software performance doesn't need to be stellar.
Gaming wise, it would be nice if it ran Diablo 3, other that that I don't really care much.
I was thinking an alienware m17x would be alright.
The Toshiba Tecra also looks good.
I've also heard good things about the upcoming Tegra ultrabooks.
Laptop size (thickness and weight) arent really an issue, but 13" minimum screen really...

Any suggestions?
 
Hazaro said:
Not sure if Gigabyte fixed it's P67/Z68 boot loops, might want to go with another model mobo.
Vertex 4 is OCZ. I'd recommend getting a non-sandforce drive like the M4 or Samsung 830. If you need speed look at the Intel 520 or Corsair for their warranty imo.
Make sure the 650W is the V2 model
If you wait two weeks its possible there will be a 670 launch which HOPEFULLY should be the best value in that price range.
Click to expand...
All noted, thank you. I'm not in any hurry so I can wait for the 670. Cheers.
 
Pixel Pete said:
Hey guys, I'm looking to buy a new laptop for work/home use, but I've never really been in the laptop market so I don't know what's good value.
I work as a 3d Animator and sometimes compositor, so 64bit is a must. But mostly just for tinkering, so 3d software performance doesn't need to be stellar.
Gaming wise, it would be nice if it ran Diablo 3, other that that I don't really care much.
I was thinking an alienware m17x would be alright.
The Toshiba Tecra also looks good.
I've also heard good things about the upcoming Tegra ultrabooks.
Laptop size (thickness and weight) arent really an issue, but 13" minimum screen really...

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

We have a thread specifically for gaming laptops! :D

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=386622&highlight=gamer+laptop
 
Just wanted to pop back in and say thanks again.

I fucking love my build. Really haven't been pushing it too too much, but compared to my old PC, this is light-years better. I had no idea that youtube could stream HD with no problem before this past weekend haha. I messed around with Crysis this weekend too, b/c it was $5 on Amazon. Everything on ultra with no problem (I know it's a really old game, but it still looks better than anything on console by far with all the bells and whistles going). Got Dolphin going yesterday, and maxed out Wind Waker and Mario Galaxy (both games I have never finished) and was blown away. I love fucking around with this PC, and I'm probably converted back to PC gamer after my old PC becoming completely useless except for internet browsing around 5 years ago. Just got my 25ft hdmi cable in today, and it's time to get this going on my living room big screen!
 
nocode said:
Just wanted to pop back in and say thanks again.

I fucking love my build. Really haven't been pushing it too too much, but compared to my old PC, this is light-years better. I had no idea that youtube could stream HD with no problem before this past weekend haha. I messed around with Crysis this weekend too, b/c it was $5 on Amazon. Everything on ultra with no problem (I know it's a really old game, but it still looks better than anything on console by far with all the bells and whistles going). Got Dolphin going yesterday, and maxed out Wind Waker and Mario Galaxy (both games I have never finished) and was blown away. I love fucking around with this PC, and I'm probably converted back to PC gamer after my old PC becoming completely useless except for internet browsing around 5 years ago. Just got my 25ft hdmi cable in today, and it's time to get this going on my living room big screen!
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nJvCf.jpg
 
I have a big glass Galant desk with a 24" and a 22" at the moment without breaking a sweat. The desk feels very solid and I love the space and look of it. I recommend it if that's the style you're looking for.
 
So I just picked up 2 more case fans to add to my current setup which is only running 1 rear exhaust at the moment. What would be the best setup for these 2 new fans to maximize cooling? My GTX 460 gets occasionally hot but never gets over 70C. My CPU gets to 50C idle with the 4th core unlocked but I since dialed it back to 3 cores.
 
Hi guys! First of all thanks to the thread starter for an amazing OP and all the others who are contributing to this thread!

I've decided to build my first PC and after looking at the OP and one of the guides linked in the OP this is the build I've come up with. Please note that where I live ordering stuff online via newegg or amazon wouldn't be worth it. I'll be using this PC for gaming.

CPU: I5 2500K
MOBO: ASROCK Extreme3 Gen3
RAM: 8GB 2x4GB Kingston DDR3@1333
GPU: GTX 560 Ti or HD7850
HDD: WD Black 500GB
PSU: XFX 650W
CPU Fan: Cooling Master 212 Evo
SSD: OCZ Vertex3 60GB or Intel 520 60GB
Case:NZXT Source

I've browsed the prices of each of these parts and the build would cost 1080$.

Right now my biggest question mark is the SSD as I've never used one. I compared both on Anandtech but I have no idea what to make of the benchmark results. Any advice would be greatly appriciated!
 
Building a htpc soon, need help selecting a case.

Cpu: i3 2100
CPU Cooling: Noctua NH-U9B SE2
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Pro3-M Motherboard B3
RAM: G.Skill F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ (2x2GB) DDR3
HDD: Western Digital Green 2TB WD20EARX
SSD: Intel 520 Series 60GB SSD
PSU: Seasonic X-400 Fanless Gold 400W
Optical Drive: LG CH12LS28 12X BD-R Blu-ray DVD Combo Drive
TV Tuner: Hauppauge HVR-2210 Media Centre Kit

Plus a couple of fans if I really need them.

Whats a good case I could fit all this in and could I use the onboard gpu.
 
faceless007 said:
Anybody have experience with the OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W? Cheap after rebate but reviews are kind of mixed.
Click to expand...

I have the 700 W version. It runs my 2500k/560ti without a problem, had it for ~1 year now. Can't really say anything beyond that, it works and hasn't died! I seem to recall the cables being a tad on the short side, so they're sort of snug fitting from the PSU to the motherboard and I had no real way of running them around my graphics card... so they're just going directly over it. Not ideal by any means, but I got the damn thing so cheap I can't really complain.
 
If any of you find a really good deal on a bluray drive, can you please let me know? I try to check this thread every once in a while but forget, but I want a cheap one to try with 3D. I'm in no hurry and I'm waiting on a good deal.
 
Shambles said:
I have a big glass Galant desk with a 24" and a 22" at the moment without breaking a sweat. The desk feels very solid and I love the space and look of it. I recommend it if that's the style you're looking for.
Click to expand...

Do you have a link to the desk? Maybe on their site? I looked at those desks and I do not see a glass one. My current desk has 4 single legs and it is very wobbly. I had gotten it a few years ago when to match the wall shelving unit from the Container store.

EDIT: Oh wait, you pick the pieces you want. Is it sturdy? I ask because my biggest gripe with my current table top desk is that it wobbles something bad.
 
Ok I just went to MicroCenter last night. Finally started my new system build. First one in over 10 years so no old parts.

Got a I5-3570K and a AsRock z77 Pro 4.

I had no clue what to get for the mobo but is this a decent mobo? I don't really plan to do any major OCing.

Also I5-3570K or I5-2500K. I plan to do minor OCing like to 4.0-4.3 Ghz. Which one is better? Also can I do this on the stock coolers? I heard you can get the I5-2500K to 4.0 Ghz easy on stock coolers. Can you do the same for the I5-3570K?

Still hearing a lot of mixed details on the heat issue with the I5-3570K. Is it always hotter than the 2500K or is it just hotter when you OC past 4.5 Ghz?

Also can the integrated graphics of the I5-3570K (Intel HD 4000) hold me over on D3? I'm waiting for the mid range 6xx nvidia cards to come out.

I probably should have asked these questions yesterday but I could always just return the products since Microcenter is 10 minutes away.
 
ccbfan said:
Ok I just went to MicroCenter last night. Finally started my new system build. First one in over 10 years so no old parts.

Got a I5-3570K and a AsRock z77 Pro 4.

I had no clue what to get for the mobo but is this a decent mobo? I don't really plan to do any major OCing.

Also I5-3570K or I5-2500K. I plan to do minor OCing like to 4.0-4.3 Ghz. Which one is better? Also can I do this on the stock coolers? I heard you can get the I5-2500K to 4.0 Ghz easy on stock coolers. Can you do the same for the I5-3570K?

Still hearing a lot of mixed details on the heat issue with the I5-3570K. Is it always hotter than the 2500K or is it just hotter when you OC past 4.5 Ghz?

Also can the integrated graphics of the I5-3570K (Intel HD 4000) hold me over on D3? I'm waiting for the mid range 6xx nvidia cards to come out.

I probably should have asked these questions yesterday but I could always just return the products since Microcenter is 10 minutes away.
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I don't know much about Z77 motherboards, but I'd guess that ASRock is fine.

However, I would say the HD 4000 graphics are going to be very underwhelming if you try to put them to any use for gaming.

Cimarron said:
Are dual video cards better for 3D gaming? Or will one powerful card like a GTX 580 1.5g be suffucient?
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A single 580 will be sufficient for the vast majority of games, if not all, on a single 1080p display.
 
Just ordered my parts yesterday and everything should arrive tomorrow. This is my first attempt at a proper gaming rig, How did I do? BTW, I know I could have downgraded things to save money, don't care about that, just want opinions on how it will perform and if I chose good brands/parts/quantity. Thanks!

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 ...

MOBO: ASUS P8P67 DELUXE (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE 11196-00-40G Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B

SSD: Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F120GBGT-BK 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Monitor: ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor

PSU: COOLER MASTER GX Series RS650-ACAAE3-US 650W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

CPU Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...

I also grabbed a few 200mm fans, another matching fan for the other side of the CPU heatsink, optic drive, and speakers but figured that would be too boring to get specific about ha
 
Building an HTPC with existing parts (5770 and 4gb of RAM):

CX430 v2 430W @ 54.99
WD5000 500gb @ 69.99
ASRock H61M-VS Micro @ 64.99
Intel G859 SB 2.9Ghz
(all above from OP)
+
TP-Link pci-e wireless card @ 44.99
total: 327.95 + taxes

I already have a 5770 and 4gb of RAM for the machine. I guess my main concern is the PSU and being strong enough. I also think I might be able to downsize the HDD a bit since I don't plan on storing much media locally on this machine. Mostly streaming..maybe just get a 64gb ssd instead?
 
What do people use for a mic when playing online games/teamspeak/etc?

Do you like a table top or something attached to a headset? Any examples?
 
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