General Gaming Article

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• Sound Supremacy: Six Gaming Headsets Reviewed
• Newegg Daily Deals: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti, AMD FX-8370 Vishera, and More!
• RadioShack May File for Bankruptcy in February
• Marriott Decides Against Jamming Personal Wi-Fi Devices
• Score a Reconditioned Das Keyboard 4 Mechanical Keyboard for $120
• Samsung Wins Race to 8 Gigabit GDDR5 Memory, Begins Mass Production
• G.Skill Scales Consumer Ripjaws 4 DDR4 Memory Kits to 3400MHz

Sound Supremacy: Six Gaming Headsets Reviewed Posted: 15 Jan 2015 02:11 PM PST Great sound is a gaming necessity—we put six hotshot headsets to the test For a gamer, top-notch sound is just as important as great graphics. Fancy, polygon-pushing GPUs may get all the attention in gaming, but if you pair them with a crappy pair of speakers or a low-rent headset, you're ruining the immersion and depriving yourself of a competitive advantage. Click here to read our last roundup of gaming headsets. And if you do want excellent sound, a headset is the most practical way to go. Speakers are great, but they take up a lot of space, and unless you're gaming in your own fortress of solitude, those window-rattling bass thumps might not be appreciated by your neighbors or family. A high-quality headset gets you right inside the game, keeping the outside world out and the gaming world in. We've rounded up six high-end units from respected peripheral makers, and put them through the paces. We evaluated each one based on the unique features it brings to the table, as well as the three criteria we value most: comfort, build quality, and audio performance. Roccat Kave XTD This big headset delivers true 5.1 surround sound German gaming-gear company Roccat has been on the scene for a few years now, but is still making products like it's got something to prove. Roccat's newest headset, the Kave XTD, is a remarkably solid entry into the fast-growing "true 5.1" market. Unlike "virtual 7.1" headsets, a true 5.1 unit such as the Kave XTD actually has multiple drivers in each ear, so that sounds that come from behind you in the game actually hit your ear from behind in real life. The result is excellent positional audio—easily the best of any of the headsets we tested for this article. For games as well as movies, the bass-heavy mix and convincing surround sound really enhance immersion. For music, the Kave XTD is acceptable but doesn't stand out from the crowd. The Kave XTD's earcups feature a small opening that widens on the inside, sealing you off from the outside world. The Kave XTD includes a nicely designed desktop mixer with a built-in "soundcard." The mixer allows you to adjust your equalization on the fly and, interestingly, can connect to your smartphone with Bluetooth. When you get a call, you just punch a button on the mixer, and you can take it on the headset. Our only gripe with the mixer is that the Kave XTD is permanently connected to it—there's no way to use the headset by itself, or even to take them apart to store them. Like many other true 5.1 headsets, the Kave XTD has a bit of a weight problem. It has a super-cushy padded headband to distribute the force from those maximum-diameter earcups, but it still started to feel a little oppressive during longer play sessions. We'd certainly prefer a slimmer design, but at this point in time, a little extra weight and size is just part of the trade-off for "true 5.1." The other part of the trade-off is price. You get a lot of headset for your money, but the $170 price tag makes the Kave XTD more expensive than a lot of great-sounding cans. Still, if you want a well-built pair, and prioritize surround-sound gaming and movies above music, the Kave XTD is a strong choice. Roccat Kave XTD $170, www.roccat.org We've got you surrounded! For a long time, surround sound and headsets were mutually exclusive. Headset manufacturers acknowledged the harsh reality that headphones, aka a pair of small speakers strapped to your dome, are by their nature a stereo experience. Even as 5.1 and 7.1 surround speaker setups started taking off in the home theater, and then with gaming PCs, nobody thought to market headsets as anything but stereo. All that has changed in the last couple of years, and now it's hard to find a high-end headset that doesn't claim to offer some sort of surround sound. Here's a quick primer on the surround configurations you're likely to encounter, and when they're the right fit. 7.1 Surround The hottest new trend in high-end headphones is being marketed as "Virtual 7.1" or even just "7.1 surround" headsets. Of course, these headphones still have exactly two drivers. The "7.1" label comes from the inclusion of built-in audio processing (these are always going to be USB headset or include a USB dongle or mixer) that takes a 5.1 or 7.1 surround signal from a game or movie, then mixes it down to two channels for the headset using techniques that create the illusion of three-dimensional sound. Of course, your game will do that by itself if you set it to output stereo audio, but the processing in a good pair of headphones will be better tuned to create positionality in a headset. The difference is noticeable, but not dramatic. 5.1 Surround 5.1 surround headsets, on the other hand, actually physically include multiple physical drivers in each earcup for better sound positionality. This can make a big difference, particularly with picking out whether sounds are coming from in front of or behind you. The trade-off with true 5.1 headsets is that they tend to be expensive, large, and heavy. Further, the multiple smaller speakers usually don't have quite the same dynamic range as the single large driver found in each earcup of stereo cans, making these inferior for listening to music. Plantronics RIG A gaming headset for the smartphone generation The RIG's main selling point is that it's a headset that does double duty—you plug your gaming hardware and your cell phone into a single mixer, then toggle between the two simply by flipping a switch. Unlike the Bluetooth connection found in the Kave XTD, the RIG connects to the phone with an audio cable. It's less convenient, but the physical connection makes switching back and forth feel a little more responsive. The mixer also includes a nice set of hardware switches for controlling both gaming and phone volume and other settings. The RIG can also be used as a straight-up phone headset, as it comes with an extra wire with an inline microphone, if you want to ditch the mixer and the boom mic entirely. It's a nicely designed product all around, with a simple look that favors clean, circular elements. The earcups and headband are plainer-looking than a lot of the competition, but they're comfortable and feel reasonably solid. The circular control pod is similarly attractive and feels nice and heavy on the desk. Its various buttons, toggle and sliders all feel durable and high-quality. The RIG can be detached from the desktop mixer for use on the go. The RIG mixer is an interesting hybrid in that it uses your onboard analog ports but separates the microphone into a USB input. The mixer has three preset equalizer levels, but the stereo sound quality on the whole is neither outstanding nor unacceptable. You can find headsets with better sound quality for $100, but we have to assume anyone buying the RIG is at least partially invested in its unique, phone-based feature set. Plantronics RIG $100, www.plantronics.com CM Storm Pulse-R This aluminum-clad headset fails to make an impression As a headset, the Pulse-R is pretty plain, aside from some nice-looking LED backlighting (which is not customizable, and necessitates an otherwise useless USB connection), and some removable aluminum cladding on the earcups. We're all in favor of metal on our gaming hardware, but the aluminum here looks super cheap, particularly compared to the exposed steel in the headband. CMStorm advertises these aluminum plates as customizable, and they do indeed feature prominent hex screws if you'd like to swap them out, but we're not totally sure what you're meant to swap them out for. The headset's construction feels solid, but we weren't crazy about the earcup design. The squarish cans are an in-between size—smaller than full circumaural cups, but a little larger than most on-ear earcups. We frequently found one or both ears getting bent out of shape while wearing the set. The leather earcups are nicely padded, but in all, we weren't impressed with the set's comfort. The Pulse-R also features a poorly executed inline control unit. It's surprisingly large, with a cheap-feeling mute switch and volume slider. Despite the control's huge size, the volume slider only has about 5mm of travel, making it pretty worthless for fine volume control. The aluminum side plates on the Pulse-R are removable, but what you replace them with is anyone's guess. Sound quality was toward the low end of this roundup, with bass that was powerful but not terribly clear. For music and movies, the sound quality was especially bad, producing muddled audio that sometimes made it hard to hear dialogue and higher parts. The CM Storm doesn't fall terribly short in any one area, but consistent quality issues and questionable design choices leave us unable to recommend this as a smart purchase. CM Storm Pulse-R $90, www.cmstorm.com Tritton Kunai A light-weight headset for gamers on a budget Selling for around $50, the Tritton Kunai sits right at the entry level for real, high-grade gaming gear. For products in this category, the question is always whether they're actually a good option for budget-minded gamers, or if they're just pretenders that managed to sneak out of the bargain bin. So, where does the Kunai land? First, let's talk build quality. As you would expect with a cheaper headset, the Kunai cuts some corners on construction. In all, it's all-plastic build feels perfectly fine, but two issues concern us: First, the headband is plastic throughout—there's no steel core to the band. Second, the audio cable that's attached to the headset is neither braided nor terribly thick. Both of these represent pretty easy ways the Kunai could wear out or break. The headset is very light, and surprisingly comfortable with its pair of well-padded, rectangular on-ear cups. Its flexible boom mic is removable, and the earcups swivel to more easily rest on your collarbones while not in use. Between the small, lightweight design, removable mic, and smartphone-ready audio cable, there's a pretty compelling secondary use case for the Kunai as a portable headset that's also good for playing games at home. The Kunai is marketed as a gaming console headset, but it doesn't have any console-specific features, other than audio-cable adapters. For this price range, sound quality on the Kunai is good. It can't get anywhere near the clarity and power that some of the other headsets in this roundup offer, but that's what the extra $100 or so buys you. For at-home gaming use alone, you can find alternatives with better sound and features in this price range, as well. However, if you value light weight, portability, and value, the Kunai's not a bad deal. Tritton Kunai $50, www.trittonaudio.com SteelSeries 9H A durable headset with excellent fundamentals The Steelseries 9H is, first and foremost, a well-built set of cans. The headband is built of steel, clad in an extra-rugged plastic. The earcups feature the same durable plastic as well as thick leather pads that are much suppler and less cheap-feeling than the leather found on even the most high-end models. Despite its solid workmanship, the headset is quite light for its size, and comfortable even after long sessions. Sound quality is similarly respectable, with bass that can be pumped up to head-shaking levels without drowning out the respectably crisp mids and highs. By default, it seems tuned for gaming, but with the software equalizer you can get solid music and movie performance out of it, as well. When retracted, the microphone on the 9H is flush with the earcup's surface. The 9H is flexible, usable either as an analog headset, or with an included USB dongle that offers the standard suite of audio processing, including the ubiquitous Dolby Headphone virtual 7.1. It comes with adapters for separate audio and mic connections or a single three-pole jack for use with phones and tablets. The braided cable includes a compact in-line remote with volume control and mic switch, as well as an optional extension that brings the total cable length to over 9 feet. When you're not using the flexible noise-cancelling mic, it retracts fully into one of the earcups. Steelseries 9H $160, www.steelseries.com   At $160, the 9H is very expensive for a wired stereo headset, but you get your money's worth in comfort and audio quality. Some PC-exclusive gamers might find the similar-but-wireless Corsair Vengeance 2100 a better deal at around the same price, but for those specifically looking for a wired or analog version, the 9H is an excellent choice. Corsair Vengeance 2100 This wireless headset gives you your money's worth Since its first entry into the headset market about four years ago, we've been reliably impressed with Corsair's gaming headphones. Corsair has consistently focused on build, comfort and audio quality, without tacking on needless features that send the price sky-high. The Vengeance 2100—the company's new top-of-the-line set, is no exception. Like previous Vengeance headsets, the 2100 errs on the side of "too big." It's heavy because of the built-in battery, but it's not uncomfortable. We'd prefer a lighter headset, but Corsair's designed the Vengeance 2100 to handle its bulk the right way—by spreading out the weight evenly with a broad, padded headband, and huge, cushy earcups. The Vengeance 2100 is a wireless "7.1 surround" headset. A lot of high-end headsets are calling themselves "7.1" these days, but that just means that they're stereo with built-in audio hardware for simulated 7.1 surround sound. As with most such headphones, the 7.1 surround in the Vengeance 2100 is an improvement over unprocessed sound, but it doesn't offer quite the same positionality as "true 5.1" surround like that found in the Roccat Kave XTD. The Vengeance 2100's extra-wide headband helps distribute its substantial weight The actual sound quality of the Vengeance 2100 is top-notch. The punchy base and defined mids are great for picking out noises on the virtual battlefield and in movies. Unlike many of the other gaming-tuned headsets, the Vengeance 2100 sounds great playing music, as well. The bass response is still excellent, without the indistinct highs that can make music sound muddy. A true audiophile probably won't be in the market for a gaming headset in the first place, but it would be difficult to find headphones that sound better than this in the price range. Of course, one of the main selling points of the Vengeance 2100 is that it's wireless. We found that the wireless worked perfectly, with no degradation of sound quality, good reception area, and an easy charging process. At $130, the Vengeance 2100 isn't cheap, but it's less expensive than most other high-quality wireless alternatives. With excellent sound quality, good comfort, and no major flaws, the Vengeance 2100 is a great deal and one we'd easily recommend. Corsair Vengeance 2100 $170, www.corsair.comm Audiophile headphones for gaming? Obviously, gaming headsets aren't the only game in town when it comes to head-mounted audio. There are plenty of cheapo earbuds and on-ear headphones available for those who don't care much about sound quality, but there's also a whole world of audiophile hardware out there—high-quality headphones designed for maximum-fidelity audio. Most audiophile-grade equipment is seriously expensive, but some of the "entry-level" models fall in the $100–200 range, along with most of the headsets in this roundup. With sets like the Sennheiser HD558 highly regarded and available for $130, are there reasons to buy a gaming headset at all? Here are the pros and cons of using an audiophile version for gaming. Pros An audiophile headset will almost always give you better fidelity for playing music, so if that's a major priority for you, you'd do well to consider going that route. Also, it's been our experience that build quality tends to be a little better. Finally, audiophile headphones are a lot more understated, design-wise. Whether that's a plus or a minus depends on your particular tastes, but we think there's something to be said for subtlety. Cons To be able to use voice, you'll have to buy a clip-on microphone. You can get one for next to nothing, but we'd recommend springing for one of the $20–30 models if you want good recording capabilities. Audiophile headsets don't prioritize big booming bass the way gaming varieties do, so if you like brain-rattling explosions in your games, or even if you're a fan of bass-heavy music genres like hip-hop or EDM, you might not see much of an audio quality boost from cheaper audiophile cans. Lastly, many gaming headsets offer built-in audio processing, which can be a great value if you don't have a dedicated sound card in your rig.

Newegg Daily Deals: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti, AMD FX-8370 Vishera, and More! Posted: 15 Jan 2015 11:25 AM PST Top Deal: Bringing a knife to a gun fight is the wrong weapon of choice, just as wielding integrated graphics at high end games will put you at a disadvantage. That doesn't mean we're telling you to go stockpile a bunch of guns (or knives), but you would be wise to check out today's top deal for an Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti Graphics Card for $120 with free shipping (normally $150 - use coupon coe: [EMCAKKS23]; $20 mail-in-rebate). Asus outfitted the card with a dual-fan cooling solution that's cools better and runs quieter than reference, and also high end components for enhanced durability. Other Deals: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory for $64 with free shipping Samsung 850 EVO-Series 2.5-inch 250GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive for $130 AMD FX-8370 Vishera 8-Core 4.0GHz (4.3GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Desktop Processor for $190 with free shipping (normally $200 - use coupon code: [EMCAKKS29]) Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit for $120 (normally $140 - use coupon code: [EMCAKKS68])

RadioShack May File for Bankruptcy in February Posted: 15 Jan 2015 11:13 AM PST A series of 'missteps' Any nerd over the age of twenty can probably remember a time he or she would frequent the local RadioShack. It was the go-to shop for electronics and geek fare, though we're talking a lifetime ago in tech years. Fast forward to today and there are reports that RadioShack is headed for a bankruptcy filing, perhaps as early as the first week of February. Sadly, we can't say we're surprised. Citing "people familiar with the matter," The Wall Street Journal says RadioShack found itself short on cash after spending funds on a failed turnaround effort. As the chain prepares to file for bankruptcy, it's reaching out to potential lenders that could keep the company afloat. The sources also say that RadioShack is in talks with a private equity firm about buying its assets out of bankruptcy. No deal is imminent, however, and the chain may prefer to go the traditional route of reducing its debt and restructuring its business through bankruptcy court. RadioShack has posted losses for the past 11 quarters. In a filing, the company revealed it had $62.6 million as of November 1st, including $43.3 million in cash and $19.3 million in borrowing availability. That's not much for a chain with around 4,300 stores in the U.S. It's sad to see RadioShack reduced to irrelevancy after getting its start with a store in Boston 94 years ago. It did well for many years, though began to fizzle in the Internet era. A Star-Telegram article written last September offers a great read on what went wrong, or more precisely, the many things that brought RadioShack to this point. In particular is a quote by Ed Fox, who teaches marketing at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business. "Call it a death by a thousand cuts. RadioShack is left with all these stores and not much differentiation" from big box competitors like Best Buy, Fox points out. Image Credit: Flickr (Nicholas Eckhart) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Marriott Decides Against Jamming Personal Wi-Fi Devices Posted: 15 Jan 2015 10:37 AM PST The Marriott hotel chain issued a statement saying it has decided not to block guests from using their personal Wi-Fi hotspots at any of its locations. It's a decision that comes three months after the chain was fined $600,000 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for jamming personal Wi-Fi networks at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, which Marriott manages, while at the same time charging travelers and exhibitors as much as $1,000 per device to access its own Wi-Fi network. "Marriott International listens to its customers, and we will not block guests from using their personal Wi-Fi devices at any of our managed hotels," the hotel chain said in a statement. "Marriott remains committed to protecting the security of Wi-Fi access in meeting and conference areas at our hotels. We will continue to look to the FCC to clarify appropriate security measures network operators can take to protect customer data, and will continue to work with the industry and others to find appropriate market solutions that do not involve the blocking of Wi-Fi devices." Prior to the fine and subsequent reversal of policy, Marriott argued that blocking personal Wi-Fi hotspots was in the best interest of its customers over security concerns. In a statement provided to CNet, Marriott said the ban was intended to protect visitors "from rogue wireless hotspots that can cause degraded service, insidious cyberattacks, and identify theft." Marriott's stance didn't fly with guests, some of which have accused the hotel chain of simply wanting to protect itself from lost revenue that it generates from its wireless network. Image Credit: Flickr (Mike Mozart) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Score a Reconditioned Das Keyboard 4 Mechanical Keyboard for $120 Posted: 15 Jan 2015 10:09 AM PST This is one plank you won't mind walking When it comes to keyboards, there are two types: mechanical planks and everything else. I can say that with complete confidence after having gone through and used or otherwise tested a number of keyboards over the years -- for the most part, squishy membrane keyboards just don't compete (though the Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 is a valiant effort). In case you're interested, my daily driver these days is a Das Keyboard 4 Professional, which you can pick up today in factory reconditioned form for $120. Like anyone else, I'm a sucker for a good deal, so on occasion I'll poke my head at Woot to see what's up for grabs. Today was one of those days, and it just so happens that it's featuring the Das Keyboard 4 in Professional or Ultimate form at a discount, which takes into account that it's factory reconditioned. That means different things at different places, and for what it's worth, this is Woot's description: "A 'factory reconditioned' item was returned, inspected, and returned to fully working condition by the original manufacturer or a certified partner. And the original manufacturer stands behind it with a warranty. It's as close to new as you can get without technically being 'new,'" Woot says. The Professional model comes with labeled keycaps while the Ultimate version sports blank keys. Both models are available with choice of Cherry MX Blue (tactile response with a clicky sound) or Brown (tactile response without the loud click, though still not completely silent) key switches. Other features include an integrated two-port USB 3.0 hub, dedicated media control with oversized volume knob, sleep button, and a detachable footbar/ruler on the bottom. It's a quirky addition, but view it as a consolation prize for the lack of a backlight. In any event, consider this a heads up on a great deal (sells new for $169+ online) for what I consider a fantastic keyboard, and nothing more (there's no benefit to Maximum PC or myself if you purchase one). If interested, head over to Woot and walk the plank! Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Samsung Wins Race to 8 Gigabit GDDR5 Memory, Begins Mass Production Posted: 15 Jan 2015 06:03 AM PST Denser memory solution could lead to larger frame buffers Samsung today announced that its has started mass producing what it claims is the industry's first 8 gigabit (Gb) GDDR5 DRAM, which is being built on the company's 20nm manufacturing process. This is the same type of memory that's found on scores of graphics cards for PCs, along with onboard graphics solutions in game consoles and some laptops PCs, though it's a denser solution. It takes combining just eight of the new 8Gb chips to achieve the same density at the 8GB needed in the newest game consoles, which could lead to higher capacity solutions compared to the company's own 4Gb GDDR5 DRAM. The newer chips also sport faster reads at 8Gb per second per pin, versus 7Gb per second for the old stuff. That's four times faster than the DDR3 DRAM found in most notebooks today, with each chip being able to process data at 32-bit I/O rate. According to Samsung, 2GB of graphics memory can be created with just two of the new chips, which together can process up to 64GB of graphical images per second -- that's enough to process about 12 Full HD 1080p DVDs (5GB) in a single second. "We expect that our 8Gb GDDR5 will provide original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with the best graphics memory solution available for game consoles as well as general use notebook PCs," said Joo Sun Choi, Executive Vice president of Memory Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics. "By expanding our production of 20nm-based DRAM products including the new GDDR5, we will meet increasing global customer demand and take the lead in accelerating the growth of the premium memory market." Therein lies the real takeaway for consumers -- more efficient production should lead to somewhat lower pricing, giving graphics cards makers even more flexibility to wage price wars. We're not saying that video card pricing is set to plummet, but in theory, this should give vendors a bit more wiggle room. It should also allow for graphics cards with larger frame buffers, which could be of importance as the industry shifts to 4K resolutions and beyond. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

G.Skill Scales Consumer Ripjaws 4 DDR4 Memory Kits to 3400MHz Posted: 15 Jan 2015 05:37 AM PST Comes with their own cooling fans There have only been a few RAM kits we can recall that came with cooling fans, or that were recommended to pair with an active cooling scheme. Of course, those were back in the early days of DDR memory, when buying a kit of overclocking RAM could you make late with your mortgage payment that month. In any event, much as changed since then, though apparently we haven't seen the last of RAM and fan combinations -- G.Skill's new Ripjaws 4 DDR4 3200MHz and 3400MHz memory kits both with active cooling add-ons. G.Skill bundles its Turbulence III Memory Cooling Fan with each kit. The apparatus consists of dual 50mm fans spinning at 3,500 RPM to cool your RAM while remaining quieter than a whisper from a five-foot distance (22dBA), according to G.Skill. On a standalone basis, the Turbulence III runs about $20. Getting back to the RAM, the 16GB (4GBx4) 3200MHz kit (F4-3200C15Q-16GRKD) sports 15-15-15-35 timings and requires 1.35V, while the same capacity kit in 3400MHz (F4-3400C16Q-16GRKD) features 16-16-16-36 timings at the same voltage. According to G.Skill, both kits are made from hand-picked ICs and go through the company's "highly selective binning process." They've also been tested for compatibility on the Asus Rampage V Extreme and Gigabyte X99-SOC Champion motherboards, though they should work with other X99 boards as well. No word yet on price or availability. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

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