Favourite Tech of 2013

There has been quite a lot of interesting technology this year, from the basic consumer stuff all the way up to the enthusiast techy gadgets. Here are just a few of my favourite, and this includes stuff I want, stuff I've tried, and stuff that just seems cool to me. Just because I don't own it doesn't mean I have no idea if I like it or not. Keep that in mind.

1. The R7 and R9 graphics cards
Who didn't see this one coming from me? AMD told everyone back in September about their new line, and started some major trash talk toward their competitor Nvidia. Well, their talk wasn't to be cast aside, as not only did they prove that the R9 290/x was a Titan killer, but also made people consider price to performance with their more budget conscious items. My favourite cards in general? The R7 260X and the R9 280X. Both are the best of their categories in my opinion, since they don't give diminishing returns on your investment.

2. The Nvidia 780Ti
This one came from left field in my opinion. A lot of people thought Nvidia was going to announce a completely new line of GPUs like AMD did, but they just announced the 780Ti; a true Titan and 290X killer. This became the new king to beat, especially for gaming and especially since it doesn't cost $999.99 to buy.

3. SteamOS
Valve has stopped working on games I think. But seriously, the idea that a game maker for years would put their hat in the ring in console, hardware, and software in one go is crazy. SteamOS has been on everyone's watch list, and the first version of it is intriguing. I think people will really start utilizing it when it becomes more user-friendly, and allows dual booting.

4. Leap Motion
Leap Motion is like Oculus Rift for your hands. It allows the user to interact with things on their computers just by waving their hands and using motions. You can even play Half Life with it. That alone had me going gaga. I look forward to seeing more from it.

5. Oculus Rift
Despite being invented in 2012, Oculus Rift really didn't gain prominence until 2013. With massive Kickstarter backing and great demos, the developer kit was a huge success, and is even available to buy right now. There are a lot of games that use it, too, which is crazy since the average consumer can't even get it. But again, I hope this does well, because it is the next step for gaming in my opinion.

6. Next Gen Consoles Xbox One and PS4
Despite being a PC gamer at heart, I still enjoy the consoles. From my experiences with both of them, they definitely are fun to play, but the limited launch lineup on both had me wishing I could play the exclusives on my PC. But, 2014 will have a crap load of games, and the next gen consoles means a harder push for computers as well... hopefully.


So, there we have it. My favourite gizmos and tech of 2013. The list will definitely be bigger in 2014, and the fact that some of the most interesting tech comes out in 3 weeks is enough to get me giddy. AMD APUs, by the way.

Happy gaming.

My Games of the Year

My 2013 games of the year. These games are games that just need to be played by everyone. I love these games, I still play these games, and you should try these games. I’m going to be covering my favourite games, in no particular order, except my ultimate game of the year, which will be told. Everyone else is doing it, right?

Verdun

Verdun is what I like to call a history buffs shooter. It’s not Call of Duty. It’s not Battlefield. It’s a historic shooter made by people who love history and Red Orchestra. You can tell. This game is on Steam Early Access, and it is the most stable game on Early Access, which means you should buy it. Support indie devs like this. I love Verdun.

Saint’s Row IV

Arguably the best super hero game ever. The series may have started out as a fun, over the top gangster game, but it turned into one of the most over the top anything games of all time. If you haven’t already played it, go and get it now.

Grand Theft Auto V

The granddaddy of all open world games returned this year, and it was bigger than ever. Despite running on 7-8 year old hardware, the game still managed to look sharp, play amazingly, and have excellent online and single player games. The only thing that could make the game better at this point would be a PC release.

 FTL: Faster Than Light

A game that tests your smarts, speed, and skill, you take command of a ship in this amazingly fun and challenging roguelike. Your ass will be kicked, and nearly every decision you make can have you hitting yourself down the line. FTL is one of the best games of 2013, and everyone should play it.

 Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

This game takes everything that made Far Cry 3 good and puts it in a 1980s sci-fi action movie. If you aren’t epileptic and aren’t bothered by the neon lights and flashing of guns, this game should be given a try. Sci-fi references, movie homages, and the Robocop pistol. What more can you ask for?

And, for my Ultimate Game of the Year, I choose: Papers, Please.

Papers, Please is what indie gaming is all about. A game about a job that makes you care about people you don’t see; a game where the rules change constantly and adaptation is difficult but achievable. When you do something in this game, you think “is it skill or luck?” You don’t know when something could go horribly wrong. It’s a game that makes you contemplate your principles. If you go against your principles, you go to jail. If you don’t go against your principles, you go to jail. There are 32 endings in this game. I haven’t found a good one yet. Go and play this game. It’s a masterpiece.

And a lot more interesting than Gone fucking Home. 

So there are my games of the year. Some of the more mainstream games I didn’t really have a lot of time with, like Battlefield 4 (got it today/yesterday) or I talked about earlier like Call of Duty Ghosts. These are games that are either played daily by me, or have caused me to think. That’s why they made the list.

Stay tuned for more lists, such as my favourite tech of the year.

Happy gaming.

Gamefly Sale!

Hey guys, Gamefly is having a sale right now with 50% off a lot of stuff, from Mass Effect to Battlefield 3. I don't know how long this sale will last, but I do know that it is for Origin titles only, so pretty much anything done by EA and a few other companies.

Also, if you use the coupon GFDDEC20 (GFDDEC20UK for Brits), you'll get an additional 20% off, making many games 70% off. I picked up Battlefield 2 for $7.99.

I highly recommend the Mass Effect trilogy as well if you haven't played it, and Crysis 3 is a game to buy if you have an enthusiast build.

Happy gaming, guys.

GOG.com Game Recommendations

So there's still that awesome GOG.com winter sale happening. You don't need Steam or anything, it's all DRM-free. Take that, Consoles. I've got a few recommendations, picked up a couple games myself, and only spent about $20, probably less, actually. Here are just the games I bought today.

Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut
So I played the Ass Creed games when they were new and awesome. I actually beat the second one in a day or so. I never beat the first though, so I'm gonna replay it. It's a fun game, and was a really good tech demo for Ubisoft all those 6 years ago. Go check it out. I got it in a special gift box thingy for $5, but it's still a deal at $10.

Unreal Tournament 2004
The best Unreal Tournament ever. Yea, I said it. Better than Championship, too. This is another steal at less than $5, so go and get it. It's corridor shooting at it's finest. And maybe I'll even do some private games where you guys can get your butts kicked.

Red Neck Rampage
Red Neck Rampage is a game that is more nostalgic than a great game or anything. It is funny as hell, though, and shooting an alien with a double barrel shotgun has never felt more natural. Open a case of Budweiser, get wasted, and pick this up for $3.

Clive Barker's The Undying
Clive Barker is a master of horror, and his games really show it. Despite a shitty next gen game with Jericho, the Undying is really fun, has some awesome gameplay mechanics, and I think may have even been one of the inspirations for the plasmids in Bioshock. Go get it.

Here are a few other games you should pick up while they're on sale.

Street Fighter Alpha 2
Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena - Second best movie-game ever.
Beyond Good & Evil
Jade Empire
Divinity 2

Go and check out all these awesome games, and su

Where Nintendo Pooped on Itself

Nintendo... why?

I know. It's blasphemy, especially among gamers. No dissing Nintendo, and definitely no dissing Zelda. Well, I'm not dissing either. I'm going to point out where Nintendo went wrong in terms of this generation (Wii U).

Ever since the Zelda series started, there seems to have been at least 2 Zelda games per generation, either two on console, one of handheld, or vice versa. But now, Nintendo seems to have either forgotten about this, or just isn't even going to try anymore. If you don't believe this hypothesis to be true, look at the list on the Zelda wiki.

After the SNES Zelda game, Link to the Past, Nintendo did something that really made sense. They would have a Zelda game out at the start of the console generation (within the first two years) and then end with a Zelda game to close it out (the last two years). This made a lot of sense for them to do this. Get people yo buy the N64 with promises of Ocarina of Time, get them to keep the N64 with promises of Majora's Mask.

But this Generation, despite Nintendo only having their console out a year, seems oddly different from the previous three generations. We saw a pre-rendered teaser when the Wii U was announced, which was about 5 seconds long, and we haven't heard anything since. Ocarina of Time was announced in 1995, three years before the game was released. Wind Waker was teased to build hype for the Gamecube in 2000 and officially revealed in 2001. Twilight Princess, the last Zelda game on Gamecube and the first on the Wii, was revealed in 2004, and then released in 2006 when the Wii was launched. See what I'm talking about?

But then we come to the Wii U. Oh, you little, charming system with your iPad controller and barely any games we wanna play. The Wii U was given an HD remake of Wind Waker... a game we've already played. Why they thought that would make people buy consoles is beyond me. The people on Xbox and Playstation, and even PC aren't going to want to play a game they played 10 years before. Not when they can still play it on the Gamecube, which you can usually get for $200 with a bunch of games, a controller, memory card, and Wind Waker on eBay. Why they thought this was a good idea is beyond me.

What Nintendo needed to do to get to their 5 million consoles sold in 2014 Fiscal year would have been to get that proper HD Zelda out. Hell, I'm sure Wind Waker would have been better suited for the 3DS anyway, just like Ocarina of Time. Seriously, Nintendo, you had a whole YEAR to get ahead of the other next gen consoles, but you dropped the ball. You could've built up hype for Zelda Wii U for 2 years and released it in 2014, and everyone would have gotten a Wii U. But you didn't. And now you'll be paying for it.

You should release a new Star Fox game, though. I'd buy a Wii U just for it.

Happy gaming.

AMD Surprise on Jimmy Fallon - My Face When

Hopefully that face represents an "OMG" and a "WTF?!" to you.

I love AMD. You know this. But apparently, last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, AMD decided to give some free stuff away. The gave away a Radeon R9 270X Battlefield 4 edition GPU, a copy of the game, an HP Notebook, and a $500 voucher to be used towards a PS4, Xbox One, or Wii U.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mwe2FCxqJY

Now, I kind of get this; it's a good way to get your products out to people who wouldn't normally know about them. But the average person isn't going to know jack shit about nearly any of this, ESPECIALLY the GPU. Seriously, it makes me sad because 95% of the audience won't know what to do with the stuff when they get home, but the thing that makes me even more sad is the fact that of the 5%, only half of them will probably have a computer capable of running the R9.

AMD, I'm going to tell you guys how to make some money. I know, right? Stupid ass kid with a blog who thinks he knows stuff. Well, here's the thing: You have your foot in the door with all three video game consoles. You are starting to gain a following with budget builders. Your technologies are quite literally the most interesting thing I've seen in years, and a lot of the PC veterans are even wondering what you've got going on. To go on a talk show to try and sway some people over to your side is moronic. The people who give a shit about you aren't going to be found in a studio audience.

The people you're trying to pander to don't know you, don't care about you, and probably don't care about computers. Stop doing stuff like this to try and boost your popularity. You're already making money hand over fist by having your technology in the main consoles, you are already the budget conscious option for PC gamers, and yet you are still the company computer enthusiasts think of when they think gimmicky.

Want to get some credibility? Push your CPU technology forward, get Mantle out the door, help make computing better for everyone. If you're making a buttload of money, do you need recognition from people who don't care about you anyway?

I love AMD. I love everything they do. But I really can't support this that much. If you really wanted to be taken more seriously, don't just give people a graphics card and a crappy laptop and a console. Give them a PC powered by your technology. A gaming PC. One that will make them say "Wow, I can't believe how fast and easy this is!" Cause what you gave them yesterday was "Wow, I wonder how much I can get for this on eBay!"

Stop doing stuff like this. It hurts you in the long run.

Happy gaming.

Mini-ITX nVidia Build

Well, now that we have some more information on SteamOS, and we know it won't have support for AMD video cards right out of the gate, we might as well be fair and make an nVidia mini build. This one will be about the same cost, with the exception of the case and the PSU, since they're cheaper than the other ones I recommended. Let's get started.

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760k
We'll go with the Athlon 760k again because it's a good overall CPU, and will do just fine for gaming. Not much more you can say that hasn't been said before.

GPU: MSI GTX 660 2GB
We'll go with the GTX 660 for this build. It gives us slightly better performance than the R7 260X, but at the cost of being $45 more. The 660 is the minimum nVidia card you need in order to play Battlefield 4 at recommended settings, so it'll do us just fine here.

RAM: G.SKILL Ares 8GB 1600MHz
G.SKILL RAM is really good, and the Ares series has a nice aesthetic to it. It's cheap right now on Newegg, and it's got a good speed and latency to it, as we should expect from modern DDR3 RAM.

Mobo: ASUS A88XM-A
For the mobo, we'll use an mATX mobo in order to make use of the space inside this case. We don't really need to use a micro ITX board if we aren't using a micro ITX case, so points off me for that last build. This mobo will give us nice expandability, good specs, but no WIFI, which most mITX boards have. If you wanna spend a bit more money for WIFI, go with an mITX board.

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB
We'll go with this 1TB Seagate again. It covers the recommended specs for SteamOS, and that's what we want.

PSU: Corsair CX430
We're not going modular here. Sorry. But, we save a few bucks, and that's a good thing. This is more than enough power for this build.

Case: XION XON-560
This Xion case is surprisingly good for the money. The thing that's crazy about this is that you can mount a buttload of fans on it. One in the front, one in the back, and up to FOUR on the side. Or one really big one. But that's still pretty awesome.

Total Price:  $525 according to PCPartPicker

The reason the cost is so much lower than the AMD build is this: We're using a cheaper motherboard, cheaper case, cheaper RAM, and cheaper PSU. If you were to put the same components with the AMD GPU, it would be below $500. If you wanted, you could upgrade the AMD GPU to a R9 270 and get better performance. But, this was just to make sure the SteamOS will run with it, which is probably won't with the AMD build.

This rig is really good, though. It will be able to run Battlefield 4 well, as well as many games that will probably be native with SteamOS, like Half-life, Left 4 Dead, and even the higher end games such as ArmA and Red Orchestra 2, which I hope will be native.

Let me know what you think.

Happy gaming.

Game recommendation: Bioshock
The original Bioshock was one of the reasons people called 2007 the best year in gaming. An insanely atmospheric and interesting game, it gave us mechanics that are interesting, a story line that drew you in, and amazing graphics for the time. The water... oh man, the water. Buy this, it's $5 until tomorrow. And buying from my gamefanshop helps me and that helps you.

Steam Announcement - Steam Machines Have Left the Building!

You know what I love about Steam? They tell you when awesome shit happens. Not 5 minutes ago, I got a little pop-up telling me that the first Steam Machines have left and are going to the 300 respective owners around the US.

This is pretty exciting for me, as it also marks the time when SteamOS is available. Unfortunately for me, I can't run it yet, since I don't have another hard drive available and I would never say "hey, go and put this brand new thing in your current system!" That's nuts. That's why I told you guys to build new systems for this, cause having it on your main, current rig is nuts. Build a new rig if you plan on using this in the next month.

The thing I'm most curious about in all honesty is the Steam Controller, that ugly thing in the picture with no analog sticks. It apparently will have the accuracy of a mouse and keyboard, or at least have better accuracy than a controller. It looks weird, but I wanna hold it before judging it. And trust me, I will get my hands on it the day it comes out to the public, and I will review it that same week. Just for you guys.

Stay tuned for more exciting news, dudes and dudettes.

Happy gaming.

Fallout 4 or How They Used a Hoax to Boost Curiosity

Many things have been happening with regards to Fallout 4. It's strange that thesurvivor2299.com would be labeled a hoax by the creator and Bethesda, but then three days later, more information about the game would come out, pretty much confirming that it wasn't just being worked on in the pre-production stages, but that storyboarding may be either in the works or completed, and that there's a lot more things finished.

Now, the stuff Kotaku discovered definitely shows that the game will probably be set in Boston, or even New England as a whole. The documents include a casting call, talk about how the player starts in cryogenic sleep, and other supporting characters. While it may be just info for the casting call, and could change later, it's good to note that this all came out just days after Bethesda told everyone that the hoax site was a hoax.

I think if thesurvivor2299.com was set up by someone, Bethesda may have paid someone to do it just to get some more hype behind the game (as if Fallout needs hype). It kind of makes sense too, because Bethesda needs to get some hype up for their non-Elder Scrolls game. Elder Scrolls Online is a big game, but that is one of the few games being developed by Zenimax/Bethesda Game Studios, so hyping up another game, even with false hype kind of makes some sense, then more info comes out about the next game.

And I'm fairly certain there's another games conference happening in January or February, so doing this now makes sense.

I just hope Nolan North doesn't play the male character.

Happy gaming.

GOG Winter Sale: FREE GAMES!

GOG is having a winter sale, and for a limited time, they're giving away free games! Right now, the Fallout games are free. This include Fallout 1, 2, and Tactics, all for the low low price of NOTHING.

My recommendations are thus:

Earthworm Jim 1 and 2
Duke Nukem 3D
Far Cry 2
Bard's Tale
The Witcher 2
FTL
Papers Please

All of these games are amazing, and they're all really cheap as well. Also, GOG is having special boxes, where you pick a box each day and reveal a game with a discount up to 90%! That's nuts!

So go over and check out some games. GOG has old classics, some newer games, a lot of indie games. A lot of these are exclusive to PC too, so check them out.

Disclaimer: A buttload of people are going to be on their server, so crashes and load times may be a hard thing. But it'll be worth it, trust me.

Happy Gaming.

Mini-ITX Build: An Awesome Steam Machine

Yours won't look like this.

So, in case you didn't hear, Steam said that SteamOS will be available when the beta Steam Machines go out on Friday. So, in anticipation, we're going to build a nice little Mini-ITX build that will look really nice around your TV. It won't be as sleek as a console, but it will be better. Also, since it's a Linux based OS, we will be able to dual boot Windows with it, and run any non-Linux/Steam OS games through Windows. Let's get started.

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760k
So for our CPU, we'll use an APU without it being an APU. The 760k has really good overclocking if you have a nice cooling unit, but you should be able to get up to 4.0GHz with stock cooling. That's a nice moderate overclock for a Mini-ITX build.

GPU: Sapphire R7 260X 2GB
So we'll use the R7 260X for a few reasons. This one is really small and it'll be able to use Mantle when it is available. Also, because well dual boot the system with Windows and SteamOS, it'll be able to play all the latest games and the older ones without issue (hopefully).

RAM: Patriot Signature 8GB 1333MHz
So we'll go with the cheapest single channel memory we can find. Why single channel for this build? Well, because the Mobo only has two RAM slots, so we want the ability to upgrade down the line. Buying a single channel will allow us to do that, and we won't have to buy a whole new pair of modules, spending more money at once.

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-FA88XN-WIFI mITX
So this is one of the two mITX AMD mobos on Newegg. But, that just means we get to save money compared to the Intel mITX builders. This one has built in Wifi, since we don't have a PCI slot to put in a network card. It's a good mobo for the price and helps our system be small, and affordable.

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB
What don't we know about this HDD? It's great for the price, so I suggest getting one for any system.

PSU: Corsair CX430M 80+ Bronze
We'll go with a semi-modular PSU for this build, because it's small. The semi-modular allows us to have better cable management, so that's always a good thing.

Case: Cooler Master N200 or Fractal Design Core 1000
So these two cases are mITX/mATX and allow this system to stay small. You could go with a smaller strictly mITX case, but you will have to find a different PSU. These cases allow a full ATX12V PSU and give us ample room for configurations. But, as always, cases are subjective and you should get what you like.

Total Price: $547.31 http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2iYdq

PCPartPicker didn't have the 760k, but it's just $10 more than the 750k. Oh well.

There you have it. My idea of an amazing mITX Steam Machine. This little system will be able to play anything you throw at it, with the except of maybe Star Citizen. I may even build it myself if I can get some more money.

Happy Gaming.

Game Recommendation: Borderlands 2
If you haven't played this game, you should. This is what modern RPGs should be. Pick from a variety of characters and set out to fight an evil corporation in order to bring a desolate planet to peace. Well, kinda. Meet awesome people on your journeys, kill crazy enemies, and use a bajillion weapons. Get this game at a reduced price by using my GameFanShop and help out the site.

Fallout 4: It's Real. Really Real.

NOT THE OFFICIAL LOGO OR NAME!

So apparently, the good people over at Kotaku broke the news that Fallout 4 is actually a real thing and is written down somewhere and not just part of our imaginations or wildest fantasies.

This is some excellent news following the hoax website being proven to be a hoax by Bethesda, and shows that the game is in fact in some sort of production. Maybe we'll even see an E3 2014 reveal, who knows. What is known is that the game most likely will be set in Massachusetts or the whole New England area, otherwise known as The Commonwealth in Fallout lore.

The leaked documents include to Fallout famous like "War. War never changes." and talks about the nuclear bombs used in World War 2 and how the narrator was surprised that it took until the 21st century to have the world fall to Nuclear Holocaust. It's very exciting, especially with the new technologies coming out. No one knows any other information other than the stuff found in the documents (except Bethesda employees and anyone working on the game).

What I do know is that I can't wait for this game. It's probably the most anticipated game since Skyrim and has had people waiting for it since 2008. Fallout New Vegas was great and all, but we want some more. Something more to do with the main Fallout areas further East.

We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

Happy gaming.

Why I Game on PC

Wanna know why I game on PC? I'll explain why and I won't even bring up graphics.

The reason I game on PC is because of quite a few reasons. The first being the cost. My PC costs as much as I want it to cost. If I don't want to play the newest, highest intensity games, I can build a $350 PC that will get me through a lot of games. If I have the money, I can build a PC that can play any game and be amazingly fast for $700.

Another reason is that it's a lot more customizable than consoles. I can pick what CPU I want, what GPU, what Hard drives, RAM, etc. as long as they all work with my motherboard, which I also get to pick. It's all my decision, and no one gets to tell me otherwise.

Furthermore, my computer isn't just for gaming. I can still use it like a computer. I can browse the web quickly, I can use it for writing, etc. I could never run this blog if I had a slower computer than this one. And I definitely couldn't do it on a console, obviously.

Lastly, it makes my productivity better because instead of buying a $500 console and a $400 Laptop, I can build an $800 desktop that will outperform both of them, or just buy a $1000 laptop that does just as much and lets me work and play anywhere. Having a faster computer means everything you do will be faster. Gaming and work.

Those are some of the reasons I game on PC, and prefer it over console. I still have a console, but if I had to choose between the two, I'd go with PC every time.

Happy Gaming.

Weksi Gaming Mouse: A 3 Dollar Review

So, if you follow me on my Facebook page, you'll know that I bought a really cheap "gaming" mouse about a month ago. I said I'd do a review of it after I used it for a while, and that's just what I'm doing now. The first thing I'll say is this: It hasn't broken yet. That's a good sign for a mouse that was $3 CAN from China. It has decent construction, despite the two buttons on the side being a little asymmetrical. Surprisingly, it has really nice main buttons, with a nice click and isn't very hard to push.

The overall build quality is pretty nice. There's even a DPI switch, that switches between something like 800 and 1200 dpi, I can't really remember. Most people don't need over 1200 or 1600 dpi, so this is just fine for that and allows you to switch from high sensitivity with no latency at all, which some of the more programmable mice have problems with, or so I've heard.

Some of the bad things include a really, really short cable. I don't even think it's 6 feet, and I had to get a USB extender in order for it to get to my regular mouse position and use it comfortably. If you have a Laptop, it's fine, but if you have a desktop, you may want to either find another mouse or get an extender. Another problem is that the scroll wheel seems to be messing up a bit when I scroll up, but that only seems to happen in my Steam library.

Overall, it's a pretty nice mouse for $3. I'd probably get another one if it breaks, but after that, I'd go with something else. It fits nicely in my rather big hands and has a long, sleek stealth look. Despite some small problems like the mouse wheel and the cord length, I would probably recommend this to anyone who needs a new mouse or who wants something with a dpi switch.

If you want one of these, just go on Ebay and search up Weksi Gaming Mouse. You'll find it rather quickly. For $3-6, you can't go wrong.

7/10

AMD/nVidia Build

I said I would do it. Today, our build is going to be an Intel and nVidia build. I'm gonna say this up front. I suck with both of these companies. There are so many variables it's not even funny. AMD has done an amazing job at streamlining their components, especially their CPUs, to make it a lot easier. Intel has something like 8 different i5 processors for Ivy Bridge ALONE. That's a lot.

That being said, this build will blow the next-gen consoles out of the water. Like, clear out. So far out of the water, you'd think it was a shark breaching the surface.

But anyway, let's get started.

CPU: Intel i5-3470 Ivy Bridge
The i5 series is pretty much known as the gamers sweet spot for Intel. Most of their i5 processors can handle heavy loads, and their unlocked processors are usually the ones that go up against the AMD flagship FX-8350. I didn't want to go with an unlocked processor though because it would have added more to the cost, so the 3470 should do us just fine for gaming.

GPU: MSI Geforce GTX 660 2GB
Once again, we're gonna go a little cheap. The GTX 660 is also a sweet spot, and is the recommended requirement for Battlefield 4. I would have gone with the 660Ti, but that's about $100 more. You could go for a 760 if you have the money, but I think this is good for us.

OR

PowerColor Radeon 7870 2GB
I couldn't just not give you guys a Crossfire enabled board without an AMD GPU option. The 7870 is about equal to the GTX 660, but with the mobo we're using, you can crossfire it but not the nVidia cards, sadly. You could opt for a different board though, your choice.

Mobo: MSI Z77A-G41
I know, I know. It's a Z77 mobo without an unlocked processor. But this is more of a recommendation for someone who wants to get the 3570k. It's sturdy, has all the bells and whistles, and will be good for this build. It's Crossfire enabled but not SLI enabled, which is weird to me, but again, I know nothing about nVidia and Intel, so whatever.

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X series 8GB
G.SKILL RAM. Can't really go wrong, especially for the price Newegg has it for right now. $55 for 8 GB. That's awesome.

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB
A 1TB HDD is needed at least for this build, cause you will probably be playing a lot of games on it. Seagate or Western Digital make awesome HDDs, so look into it.

PSU: Corsair CX430W
You guys know so much about this PSU already. It's $30 after a rebate, so if you are building a new computer at all that doesn't use dual GPUs or have a 79xx or GTX 770 or higher in it, get this PSU. It's the best PSU for the money.

Case: Rosewill Galaxy-02 or Fractal Design Core 3000
I like the Galaxy line from Rosewill, but you could also go with the Fractal Design Core 3000 if you have more money to spend. Again, it's all your choice.

Total price: $696 before tax (nVidia) or $681 before tax and after rebate (AMD)

If you go with AMD or nVidia with this build, you'll still be doing a lot better than the console enthusiasts. Also, Newegg.com is haivng a 12 Days of Techmas sale, so you should be able to find parts you want for cheap. Go wild, people.

Happy Gaming.

Game recommendation: Ghost Recon Future Soldier
This is a really fun game to play if you like tactical shooters. Set in the future (duh), you get to use amazingly cool gadgets, awesome weaponry, and smart tactics with your 4 man squad as you take on missions. You can then take the fight online, making the tactical combat last longer.

Avast Anti-virus

Okay, so I'm gonna recommend an anti-virus software that's free, updates by itself, and doesn't block Windows Firewall. Avast is probably the best anti-virus I've used in years after my Norton Internet Security expired. The best thing about Avast is that it's free.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend Avast if you're looking for virus protection. It updates by itself, it does scans in the background, and it isn't RAM heavy at all. Like, it uses 5MB of RAM. Norton used 60MB. So yea, the difference is clear.

If you don't wanna pay for virus protection or your current protection is running out, I highly recommend giving Avast a try.

http://www.avast.com

Happy Browsing.

Update: Future Rig

Hey guys, I'm gonna do a little build update that I plan on doing for myself. This could also help you in the future as well. Let's get started.

CPU: AMD FX-6300
I'm still going with the AMD six core for the future build. I prefer having physical cores for one, and the overclocking you can get from the FX series is really good.

GPU: MSI Radeon 7850 2GB
I'm still sticking with the Radeon 7850 because it gives me the most bang for my buck and even with the next generation coming, I shouldn't have to update it for a while. Also, Mantle is a big addition if it promises to do what it plans to do.

Mobo: ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0
This Asus mobo is relatively cheap for what you get. You get a premier North Bridge, two PCI-e slots, and 32GB max RAM. At this price, it's hard to beat when on a budget, and will allow me to upgrade to Crossfire in 4-5 years.

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws 8GB DDR3
For some reason, Crucial Ballistix Sport RAM is really expensive right now. All RAM is, actually, so finding this RAM for cheap (depending on where you go) makes me happy. I've used it in other builds as well, so it's good RAM.

HDD: Mine
I already have an HDD, so why spend money where I don't need it. I may upgrade to an SSD later, but that depends on how I feel.

PSU: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze
Just a simple EVGA 80+ Bronze PSU. It'll allow me to Crossfire the 7850 in a few years, though I'll most likely upgrade the PSU again anyway, but this is just in case game requirements skyrocket quickly.

Case: Mine or Rosewill Challenger-U3
So I will either go with my current case or with the Rosewill Challenger-U3. The Challenger comes with some fans and better ventilation, but the dilemma is whether to spend money or not. I'll have to wait and see.

Total price (according to PCPartPicker.com): $407.50 with case

There are some similarities in this and my other future rig from a month ago, but this one has a major difference: The price. It's a $200 difference, in fact, and will most likely drop after or around Christmas, so I'll probably chip away at the parts until Boxing Day.

Game Recommendation of the Build: Counter Strike Global Offensive
Take it from someone who actually legitimately likes this game. A lot of people play it and just like it cause of fanboyism. I hated Counter Strike with a passion. I found it stupid how it never changed with the times and stubbornly never change at all. But after a few hours with Global Offensive, I like this one. Sure, there are some gripes, but if you can find it somewhere for less than $10, I'd say pick it up.

Math Time: Why PC is CHEAPER Than Consoles

What time is it?! MAATHH TIIIMEEE! Today, kiddos, we're going to be learning how gaming on a PC is in fact CHEAPER than gaming on the next generation of consoles.

Now, this isn't going to be the math on that clock. No, it'll just be grade 4 stuff, so addition, division, multiplication. Let's just take some time to crunch some numbers and look at how much each system costs over the lifespan of 8 years (the expected lifespan of the Next Gen).

The criteria is this: One gamer with one console for himself. No added accessories, no fancy stuff. The PC comes with a pirated version of Windows 7 and a monitor found on Craigslist someone was giving away for free. This is the cost of the SYSTEM ITSELF. If you want to complain about how I'm not adding monitor prices, why aren't you complaining that I'm not adding TV prices?

PC: Gaming Rig = $700. Forty brand new games = $40*40 (average price on Steam)
$700 + 1600 = $2300
$1600/8 = $200 per year for games

Xbox One: Console = $500. Forty brand new games = $60*40 (average price of EVERY game when released). Xbox Live = $60*8
$500 + $2400 + $480 = $3380
$2400/8 = $300 per year for games

PS4: Console = $400. Forty brand new games = $60*40. PSN+ = $50*8 (Sony announced at E3 that PSN+ would be required to play games online that weren't F2P)
$400 + $2400 + $400 = $3200
$300 per year for games

In conclusion: PC = $2300 in 8 years. Xbox One = $3380 in 8 years. PS4 = $3200 in 8 years.
PC saves you a total of $1180 or $1000 before taxes. After taxes, the PC option saves you $1220 or $1017.

The money that you save can also be used to upgrade your system's CPU or GPU in 4 years, which would significantly boost your performance even further ahead of the consoles. So how about we take that into account as well?

$2300 + $300 GPU after 4 years + $200 CPU after 4 years = $2800 before taxes. $3164 after taxes.
Even after two significant upgrades to your efficiency, you will still be cheaper after taxes than the two consoles are before taxes and be ready for 4K resolutions, which will most likely be the norm in 8 years.

The math here doesn't take into account day-one deals that many PC games have.

I don't hate consoles. I hate seeing people spend money they don't have to spend. It's sad, especially in these hard times.

I'll let you decide what you want to choose, but for the average gamer, the person who spends a good deal of down time playing different video games, I personally and mathematically think the PC is the better gaming option.

Happy Gaming.

Brought to us by TNG Systems

AMD or Intel: What's better for you?

I hear this a lot when talking to non-uber computer users. What's better, AMD or Intel? Well, it's a tricky question. But there are three questions you can ask yourself to help you figure out which you should go for.

Question 1: What's my budget?
This should be the first question you ask yourself when figuring out what kind of computer you want, and it's probably the main factor in this discussion. If you have a budget of around $400-1000, you should probably go with an AMD processor. They give the best price to performance. If you have a budget of over $1000, I would recommend an Intel chip, because at the $1000 mark, you can afford to go with a higher range processor, not to say AMD processors are low-end, though. At $1000, you can go into the high end CPU category. You can get a high end i5 or low end i7 processor and still have enough money to buy the rest of the components. At $600, the i5 and i7s aren't really an option since they would take up about half of your budget.

Question 2: What graphics card will I be looking for?
When you are picking out a processor, you should think about what kind of graphics card you are going to use. If you are going to be using an i7 CPU, you don't exactly want a GPU that will die when the CPU isn't even running at 100% of it's ability. If you are buying a dual core AMD Athlon processor, you don't exactly want a GTX 780Ti, cause the Athlon will cause it to be slow. You want to find parts that fit into your budget and that work well with each other. If you are going to buy a high end graphics card, go with a high end CPU as well, such as a Core i5 or FX-8000 series processor. If you have a mid-range processor, you could go with a Core i3 or an FX-4000 series processor. It's all about finding parts that work together efficiently and don't choke each other out.

Question 3: What will I be doing with this machine?
This is a major question you want to ask yourself as well. If you plan on just having a basic web browsing computer which can play Minecraft, you'll most likely want to go with an AMD processor, cause you can get a quad core processor for under $100. If you are going to be doing some heavy gaming, you should most likely go with a higher end AMD, such as an FX-6300 or higher, or go with an Intel Core i5 processor, though they do cost a decent amount more, about $30 more than AMD's flagship FX-8350. However, if you are going to be doing video editing, high detail photoshop, or 3D modeling and stuff like that, you will most likely want to go with an Intel i5 or i7 CPU, because they do a lot of that stuff better than AMD processors because they have hyperthreading where AMD CPUs don't.

I hope this helps you make a decision on what CPUs you want. If you are still unsure about what CPU you want to get, I highly recommend http://www.cpubenchmark.net/. They have a bunch of charts showing which CPUs are better than others using different ways to benchmark. It's a really good tool to use.

Personally, I recommend two processors right now depending on a person's budget. For a $500-750 budget, I recommend the AMD FX-6300. For a $751-1000 budget, I recommend the AMD FX-8350. For a $1000+ budget, I recommend an Intel Core i5 3570K.

Happy Gaming.

Next Gen Graphics: How Good Are They? Part 2

Okay, so part two of the Next Gen graphics comparisons. Today, we're gonna find some graphics cards that are equal to the ones in the two high end next gen consoles.

For a little bit of a recap, let's look at what the consoles have for their GPUs.
PS4 = AMD Radeon 7870 equivalent, shared RAM with CPU, 8GB GDDR5 RAM
Xbox One = AMD Radeon 7790 equivalent, shared RAM with CPU, 8GB DDR3 RAM

Now, give an estimation of how much each card costs in their respective systems.
PS4 GPU = around $200. The entire console is $400, so the APU would probably be around $250 with RAM being $75, and the controller and such all amounting to $75 as well. Sony is obviously getting these at bulk prices, so they can sell them at a profit.
Xbox One GPU = Around $200. Yea, I said it. The extra money for the Xbox One pretty much comes from the Kinect.

So, let's look at how to get a PC GPU that gives you either better performance at a slightly lower price, or better performance for only a little bit more. This is price to performance.

1. AMD R9 270 or Radeon 7870 GHz Edition - $180 to $200 Put into a $600 rig (Newegg prices)
So the R9 270 is pretty much the perfect card right now. For $180, you get a card that has insane overclockability. You can't overclock that 7870. Also, the R9 270 has a clock speed ranging from 900MHz to 1.1GHz. That's a lot faster than the 800MHz on the PS4's 7870 equivalent.

2. AMD R7 260X or Radeon 7850 - $130 Put into a $500 rig
Right now, this card isn't too amazing. But, if you remember my build earlier, this is what I called the Mantle Baby. When using Mantle, if it is as good as AMD says, this card will be as good as the 270 is now. Battlefield 4, Thief, and any other Mantle games will allow this card to run a lot better, probably better than the PS4's card. It also has higher clock speeds than the PS4 GPU.

3. AMD R7 250 or Radeon 7790 - $100 Put into a $450 rig
If you want to build an Xbox One equivalent PC, I think this would be a good card to use. Since the Xbox One's APU uses DDR3 for it's graphics memory, it will be about equal to this $100 card. Plus this card will also be able to use Mantle, meaning it'll run a lot better down the line (Yes, the 7000 series cards can use Mantle too).

4. nVidia Geforce GTX 660 - $185 Put into a $600 rig
The best bang for your buck card from nVidia is the GTX 660. At $185, you'll get about equivalent power to a standard 7870, which is better than buying a whole new console. You'll easily play most games with this card, and if you need more power down the line, this is the perfect card to use SLI with, because of the price to performance you get per card. Two of these is equal to a GTX 770 for much cheaper.

If you want to build a good replacement for the next gen consoles, I highly recommend these cards. They give you the best price to performance, especially when you take into account things that consoles can't do, like overclocking, Crossfire/SLI, and better cooling (better cooling leads to better performance). There's a reason why I prefer building a PC over buying a console. These are seven great reasons.

Happy gaming everyone.

Next Gen Graphics: How Good Are They? Part 1

Okay, so I got asked to do a comparison between the GPUs in the Xbox One and the PS4 compared to GPUs you can put into a computer. I'm not just going to look at raw power between the two. That's really not what we do here. I'm going to take the PC equivalent of console and compare it at a price-performance against other PC GPUs. This should give you a bit more perspective.

Now, let's quickly talk about the Next Gen GPUs. They're not dedicated graphics cards. They're APUs made by AMD. That means the memory is shared between the CPU and the GPU on the processor chip. Let's quickly look at the consoles.

PS4: AMD x86 8 core APU - CPU clock @1.6GHz, GPU core clock @800MHz, 8GB of GDDR5 RAM for whole system.

The PS4 has GDDR5 running the entire system. Personally, I don't think this was a brilliant idea, but it wasn't too dumb, either. Since the CPU and GPU share that memory, it's kind of smart. But GDDR5 is Graphics memory; that's what the G stands for. Graphics memory isn't as fast at processing data such as variables and such, so the CPU will suffer from the lack of low latency memory. It'll make your game look pretty, but expect some long load times and a few frame drops on non-scripted events such as random explosions.

Xbox One: AMD x86 8 core APU - CPU clock @ 1.75GHz, GPU core clock @853MHz, 8GB of DDR3 RAM for whole system.

The Xbox One also has fairly similar specs on the APU, except for they use two slightly different GCN devices with a different number of compute units. I'll explain after. The Xbox One uses DDR3 RAM. Personally, I think this may have been a good idea with an APU. Reason? The same reason GDDR5 RAM isn't a brilliant idea, but switched. The GPU loses a little bit of power from the memory clock (DDR3 RAM is slower than GDDR5 RAM on dedicated graphics, but evened out on APUs), but the CPU gains from having low latency RAM. Also, the CPU and GPU clock speeds are higher by a bit, but that may or may not make a huge difference.

Now, here's where the two consoles differ, other than clock speeds and memory. The PS4 uses a GCN device with 18 compute units, where the Xbox One uses one with 12 compute units. Each compute unit has 64 stream processors. So, basic math time: 18*64=1152. 12*64=768. The bad thing for both of these GCN devices is that they usually max out at 1GHz, but we already know the clock speeds for them.

Now, if we were to find equivalent GPUs on the PC by looking at all the data, we would get two different GPUs.

PS4 GPU = between 7850 and 7870.

Xbox One GPU = between 7770 and 7790.

Let's be fair and say that they use the latter of the cards. For our comparison, we will look at the price to performance and find a replacement or a better card and estimate a budget for an entire build.

Stay tuned for the comparisons (Part 2) tomorrow.

Happy Gaming.

Why the 2DS is a Logical Choice

No, this is not to hate on the 3DS. If you want to get a 3DS, and have the money to get a 3DS or 3DS XL, or are far-sighted and can't read stuff on screens that well, or actually want the 3D, get a 3DS or a 3DS XL.

This is for people who DO NOT ALREADY HAVE A 3DS. I'm making that abundantly clear. If you do not already have a 3DS or 2DS or any part of the 3DS family, this is for you. If you do, disregard this article. It'll probably make you angry.

Now, let's get down to some reasons why the 2DS is a logical choice for handheld gaming if you are on a tight budget and just want to play some of the fun offerings the 3DS library has to offer.

Firstly, the price. Right now at Best Buy, the price of a regular Blue 3DS is $150 before tax. That's not bad. But, compare it to the 2DS. The 2DS is $130. You're probably asking "Oh, that's not that much, the 3DS is more portable, so that's a nice price." Well, here's the deal. The Blue 3DS comes with a 2GB SD card, a 3D functionality, and a hinge. The 2DS comes with a 4GB SD card, no 3D functionality, and no hinge. That means you are paying $20 more for less memory, a function that'll hurt your eyes after 20-30 minutes, and a moving part that can break after extended use, and some portability. To me, that doesn't seem logical, especially when the $20 you save can go towards a game.

Let's continue on to the build quality. Every 3DS I've played with has had a floppy hinge, and been kind of awkward to hold on my adult hands. The build quality of the normal 3DS, and even the 3DS XL is equivalent to the first DS that came out in 2004. That's not to say it's bad, but it's not that good, either. You do get the added portability of cutting the size in half when you aren't using it, and you protect the screen too, but after a while, that hinge will start to become floppy, and eventually break. Trust me.

The 2DS on the other hand cuts moving parts to a minimum. Plus, since it's a complete slab of plastic, it adds much needed rigidity to the handheld. There's no flex at all. It feels more like the original Gameboy Advance, which could take a beating (I threw mine against a wall. It still works). It's build quality is amazing, and not having any moving parts means it'll last a lot longer, which is always a point when you are on a budget.

Lastly, we come to the games. Oh, wait, they play the same games! There's no difference in the ability to play games, other than some puzzles in a few of the pre-2DS games are harder to play without the 3D. They play the exact same games. The normal 3DS and the 2DS have the exact same size screens, so you aren't losing anything from playing on one or the other.

If you just want to play Luigi's Mansion, or the Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, or Pokemon, and don't care about 3D, having a stupidly big screen, or immense portability, I highly, HIGHLY recommend getting a 2DS instead of a 3DS.

And just to pound the fact home, let's do a little math:
3DS = $150. Pokemon X/Y = $40. $150 + $40 = $190.
2DS = $130. Pokemon X/Y = $40. $130 + $40 = $170.

If you have the ability to go to a Best Buy and have $210 in your pocket, get a 3DS. If you are on a budget, are asking for a handheld console for Christmas, or just want to play the exact same games, get a 2DS. If you want a larger screen and have no budget get a 3DS XL.

But I think as budget gamers, we're going to go with what makes us happy and not poor. So I recommend you buy a 2DS, AS LONG AS YOU ALREADY DON'T HAVE A 3DS CONSOLE. Don't be stupid.

Happy gaming.

Awesome Newegg Cyber Week Deals

Hey, there are some really awesome Cyber Week deals at Newegg that I think might be good for some people.

G.SKILL RipJaws 8GB DDR3 RAM
So this G.SKILL RAM is only $50 right now, and it's a hell of a deal. I highly recommend it if you have an APU, or if you just wanna upgrade from 4GB, since 8GB of this right now is about as much as 4GB of most RAM anyway. Go get some.

Gigabyte GA-970A-D3P
Okay, this is an awesome Mobo for the price, and a really good component if you're gonna start a new build. It has a great North Bridge to work with, and it'll be really fast with an FX processor.

AMD FX-4130
Right now, this is $80 with a promo code. That's really, really good for this CPU. If you need an upgrade, get this one.

HIS IceQ Radeon 7870
This is an amazingly good deal. Get this card for $140, and be playing AAA titles with good frame rates at 1080p. The 7870 is gonna be gone soon, too, since AMD is bringing in new cards, so buying this now would be smart.

Gigabyte GeForce 650Ti
This isn't too stellar of a card usually, but with the current deals on it, it could be a cost effective card. It would definitely stay cool with those fans on it, too.

Those are my favourite component deals right now. You could probably find some cheap HDDs and SSDs as well, so go and hunt for those prices.

Happy Gaming.

A Fistful of Deals

So here are a few more deals I thought would be good from Steam.

Tomb Raider
In this reboot to the original (read: popular) adventure franchise, you play a young Lara Croft as she has to struggle to survive on an island inhabited by pirates and smugglers. You play a younger, more vulnerable adventure, and must use your tools and smarts to survive.

Shadow Warrior
Also a reboot of a classic FPS franchise, Shadow Warrior is an amazingly good looking game filled with blood, violence, shooting, swords, and violence. If you like Duke Nukem, Doom, or the original Shadow Warrior, get this game.

Scribblenauts Unlimited
For the puzzle crowd, Scribblenauts lets your imagination go wild as you use words to make creations to solve puzzles. No, swear words don't work, so you can't have a giant blue penis killing Godzilla. I was disappointed too.

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon
In this standalone expansion to Far Cry 3, which has NOTHING to do with it, you play as a 1980s super soldier who has to save the world. It plays like Robocop mixed with Predator and Die Hard. In other words, it's awesome. Did I mention they're cheap?

Verdun
This is a Steam Early Access game, and it plays like Red Orchestra 2, the best FPS game ever other than Goldeneye. That means it's good. It's 50% off right now, and it's the most stable Early Access game in the entire Greenlight library.

Killing Floor
Made by the same people who made the Red Orchestra series, you and your mates have to survive zombie London in this wave shooter. It has excellent shooting mechanics, tons of updates and mods, and is still being supported after 4 years. Oh, and it's cheaper on Amazon than it is on Steam, so use that link. The download code is for Steam, anyway.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
If you haven't played this game, what are you doing with your life, and your loving kids, and your good job? Slack off a bit, ya loser. But seriously, this is probably the best Elder Scrolls game, YES BETTER THAN SKYRIM. It's got great set pieces, two worlds to travel, and some awesome DLC. It also has Captain Jean-Luc Piccard and Sean Bean. So yea, it's awesome. It comes with the two major expansions, as well.

There you have it, some awesomely awesome games for some awesomely awesome prices. Again, all these games are less than $10, so buy them. And buy them from Amazon, cause then you can help support me and I can get more content to you, and do giveaways and stuff for hardware and games and all sorts of awesome stuff. So use the Amazon links, please and thank you.

Happy Gaming.

Ultra Affordable, Ultra Enthusiast

So because I don't want to do the R9 290/290X builds until aftermarket coolers are released, I've decided to do an ultra affordable gaming rig on Cyber Monday. This rig is for someone who wants to get into PC gaming, but thinks it costs too much to get good performance. Pretty much the reason I started this blog.

So, how about we set a budget? Say $500 before tax? The same price as an Xbox One. That sounds fair. You'll get similar performance out of this rig, plus the added functionality of a regular computer. So let's get started.

CPU: AMD FX-6300 Six Core
So since we're going with a good affordable rig but with good performance, we're gonna use an FX-6300. This is a six core processor and has really good price to performance. It's perfect for this rig, and is more powerful than the CPUs (coughAPUcough) in the PS4 and Xbox One.

GPU: PowerColour Radeon 7850 2GB GDDR5
So we're gonna use a Radeon 7850. Now, if you buy this card on Amazon or Newegg, you might be able to get the card for cheaper than the list price because of rebates, but even at list price, you can't go wrong with this card. You're getting really good power out of it, and has one of the best price to performance rations out. You'll really love this card. You could also go with an R7 260X if you want a smaller card with similar performance.

Mobo: ASUS M5A97 LE
So for the Mobo, we'll use the Asus M5A97 LE. It's not a top of the line Mobo, but it gets the job done for right now. Plus, it has Crossfire and USB 3.0, so it's very upgradeable.

RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB 1333MHz
Going with 4GB of the Ballistix RAM. This RAM will do you well for gaming and will get you in good shape for the next wave of AAA titles. Most games never recommend more than 8GB of RAM, so you will still be fine, even with this. You can always upgrade later, cause this is really inexpensive RAM.

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB
So we'll use the Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD right now, cause it's literally just pennies more than a 500GB HDD from the same manufacturer on Amazon. It'll be able to hold all your games easily.

PSU: Corsair Builder Series CX500
So we'll use the Builder Series CX500 cause it's quite literally the exact same price as the CX430. It's an 80+ Bronze Certified PSU, and you know I don't recommend anything but 80+ Bronze Certified because don't want you computer to EXPLODE! So get 80+ Bronze! Sorry, someone bought a 400W normal PSU in a store the other day and I told them not too, but they did anyway... idiots.

Case: Gigabyte GZ-PD ATX Case
We'll go with a Gigabyte case, cause it's the cheapest one that isn't ugly. Cases are subjective. I usually recommend the Fractal Design cases or the Rosewill Galaxy cases. They're inexpensive, but not as inexpensive as this. But I'm sure you probably have a case lying around, or can just gut your current one if you want this build.

Total Price: $515

I went a bit over budget, but I didn't go overboard. For $15 more than an Xbox, you can get better performance, better functionality, and more games than on the consoles. Why wouldn't you just spend the $15, learn a new skill and get a better computer? You could even save some money by getting a four core CPU, since six cores isn't a necessity right now. You could easily get below $500.

Happy gaming, everyone.

My game recommendation of the day is Dust: An Elysian Tail. This game is a really awesome side-scroller beat 'em up. It's super fun, has really awesome visuals and gameplay, and has a really interesting tail. And it's $3.74 on Steam now.

Steam Deals of the Day

Let's just dive in.

Metro: Last Light - $13.59
Metro: Last Light is a really, really good game, but you'll need a hell of a system to run it at super duper settings. But, to run the game and have fun, you just need a decent computer. This game is a post-apocalyptic game set in Russia, but unlike Stalker, it's not open-world. It's still a really fun game, and you should check it out.

The Witcher 2 - $4.99
The Witcher 2 is beautiful, fun, and really, really awesome. Playing as Geralt, (Grr-alt) you are The Witcher, a master swordsman and fighter. The game plays as a medieval murder mystery, but you slay bad guys, kill giant monsters, and try to find the assassin of kings.

Surgeon Simulator - $4.99
This game is summed up in the title. If you want to piss your pants from laughter, go get it.

Brutal Legend - $4.99
If you didn't get this game in a Humble Bundle, get it now. It's a badass rock opera, and it has Jack Black when he was funny. If you like rock and roll, or good games, or killing things, get it on the cheap.


Remember guys, these deals don't last forever. If you see something you like, get it ASAP. Better to spend a little money now than have to spend a lot later.

Happy Gaming.

Steam Recommendations for the Day

Hey guys, I'm gonna do a few more Steam Recommendations, and might just do some everyday the Autumn sale is still going.

Deus Ex - $2.79
Deus Ex is a classic game that takes place in a dystopian future. The start can be a bit weird for newcomers, but you'll get the hang of the game and start to like it soon after. And at $2.79, what do you have to lose?

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive - $3.74
The latest entry in the Counter-Strike series pretty much doesn't change a thing except for the graphics and some maps. You should still check it out.

Stalker: Clear Sky - $4.99
The Stalker series is a really good open-world series of games that takes place in nuclear wasteland Russia/Ukraine. Clear Sky is the prequel to the original Stalker, and it's almost like a survival horror game when you really get into it.

Jet Set Radio - $2.49
An acid trip if there ever was one, Jet Set Radio is a semi-futuristic rollerblading game. It's Tony Hawk in a weird setting, and that's not a bad thing.

Hope you guys get a chance to play some of these games. They're all really good. If you have any other games, list them, or let me know. If you wanna get the best out of the Autumn sale, only go for items 66% off or higher. They give you the most bang for your buck at higher prices.

Happy Gaming.

Radeon R9 280X: A True Beast

The R9 280X. Man, that's a really nice card. Look at the card PRISM! Okay, here's the card. It's awesome. You get 3GB of RAM. It's better than anything in the next-gen consoles, and should not be used for budget building. But, for the next two days or so, screw budget, let's get a bit crazier.

GPU: HIS iPower IceQ X2 R9 280X - http://amzn.to/180lv8K
If you want absolute beastly power, but don't wanna blow half of a thousand dollar budget on a graphics card, get this. If you do wanna spend half a thousand dollars on a graphics card, nVidia has a bunch of options for that that offer similar power, or you can wait until tomorrow to see the true beast. This is still an amazing card for an enthusiast gamer, or even a video editor.

CPU: AMD FX-8350 - http://amzn.to/IvwAFR
This is, in my opinion, is the best AMD CPU you can buy that doesn't make you look like a power hungry PC crazy man. It's amazing for gaming, I know a lot of people who have it, too, and mix it with a 990FXA mobo (which we do), it really packs a nice punch.

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master TPC 812 - http://amzn.to/1iZCUms
One of the best air coolers you can get, the TPC 812 allows you to overclock your CPU decently without spending an arm and a leg. If you want true overclocking power, you obviously go with a water cooler, but that's for another build.

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 - http://amzn.to/18rGW5p
This Gigabyte Mobo is one of the most affordable 990FXA mobos you can get. It's fully featured, gives you everything you need, and helps punch the 8350 forward. Get this mobo at least if you plan on getting an 8000 series FX processor.

RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB 1600 - http://amzn.to/1fOj663
Ballistix RAM as always. Upgrade if you want with another 8GB.

HDD: Western Digital Blue 1TB - http://amzn.to/1b5J4dl
Using this one again. I highly recommend getting an SSD as well, but it would only be an optional extra.

PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 850W - http://amzn.to/1cQq5Gf
This Cooler Master PSU is an 80+ Silver PSU, so you're gonna get really good power efficiency under heavy load, and these components might push above 500W, as well as any case fans and Crossfiring your already beast of a card. Especially down the line in 5 years or so.

Case: Rosewill Galaxy-01 - http://amzn.to/1jQmRoT
The Rosewill Galaxy series is really, really good, and comes with some awesome features. You can put up to 4 fans in it, and comes with 3 already installed. It's a great case, but if you want something a little more minimal in look, go with a Fractal Design Define R4. They're really nice cases.

Total Cost: Approx. $1000 before taxes.

This build is not for someone who wants to play FTL. This is for the hardcore gamer that wants to break out in us all, but doesn't have the budget. If you want a beast gaming rig and have $1000 laying around or saved up. It's a great rig.

Happy gaming.

My game recommendation of the day is XCOM: Enemy Unknown. If you like sci-fi, you'll like this game. If you like strategy, you'll like this game. If you want to do something other than shoot everything that moves, you'll like this game. It's $10 too.

Best GPUs for the Money

Wanna know how to get the most bang for your buck? Well, since Black Friday is tomorrow, I decided you might as well let everyone know what you want for Christmas while at the dinner table. These are the best value graphics cards you can get.


Gigabyte Radeon 7770 - http://amzn.to/1evaTQq
This is a great GPU at $100, especially when coupled with a quad core CPU. It should be able to play most games at 1080p on medium settings if you want really good framerates, but you could push the details to high without AA if you were to go 720p. It's a nice card, and you should think about picking it up for a budget rig.

Asus Radeon 7850 - http://amzn.to/1caZtBA
This 7850 is $125, but it doesn't have a great cooler on it. However, this card will get you great framerates at 1080p in many games, and will run Battlefield 3/4 at really nice settings where it'll look as good as next-gen consoles. The prices will go down as the 7000 series cards get discontinued, so pick one up soon if you really want an upgrade.

Asus GTX 660 - http://amzn.to/1hlHoVh
The GTX 660 is a really good card when compared to some other cards, in my opinion. This Asus card is $70 less than their 660Ti, but it's only about 10% slower. The card is more than 10% cheaper, so the 660 is much better value than the 660Ti right now for your money.


These three cards will get you the most bang for your buck, in my humble opinion. The reason is because they're last generation cards, but the next generation cards are only about 50% faster for twice the price. You shouldn't pay twice the price for a card that's not twice as fast. So buy smart, and buy reasonable. Also, all these cards work with 450W PSUs, so you won't have to spend a bunch of money in that area, either.

Happy gaming.

Deals on Newegg.com

Hey, there are some awesome deals on Newegg.com for components, here are some you should check out.

Western Digital Black 2TB HDD - $110
http://tinyurl.com/kbw3rnx

G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2x4GB) RAM - $50
http://tinyurl.com/llwxgtt

Sapphire Radeon 7870 GHz Edition - $130 after rebate
http://tinyurl.com/m389fqy

Asus GTX670 - $200 after rebate
http://tinyurl.com/mqm26lh

ASUS M5A78L-M Mobo - $45 after rebate
http://tinyurl.com/ndpldsp

All these deals are really good, and they all come with free shipping. You could even get started on a really nice build if you pick a GPU and go from there.

Happy gaming, everyone.