Off-Topic Thread V3.0

Overheal

Pangea wrote: »

Thanks , did you go for it in the end?
Is there any disadvantage to getting a wifi board if you are not going to use it?




Oh, I have Sony WHX buds. That would be handy.
Does many boards come with bluetooth?

I don't think it will have BT without an antenna, unless I'm mistaken. You can also buy an aftermarket BT adapter but you already want the board :pac: Wifi AX too I think, so future proof, and I'm consistently over 100 Mbps on 802.11 ac anyway

Foxhole Norman

Overheal wrote: »

With the Radeon R9 390 still. Attle get me by for a while - maybe even wait for RDNA3? Hmm!

(Full res photos)

The 40k spread around is a nice touch :cool:

Pangea

Overheal wrote: »

I don't think it will have BT without an antenna, unless I'm mistaken. You can also buy an aftermarket BT adapter but you already want the board :pac: Wifi AX too I think, so future proof, and I'm consistently over 100 Mbps on 802.11 ac anyway

Thanks, sorry for the noob question but where does the antenna go?

Say if you didn't want to use the WiFi, you could just use the ethernet cable right?

I have the X570 Tomahawk. They attach to the back of the board. You just turn the BT off if you don't want to use it. Solid board btw. You won't be disappointed.

errlloyd

I would like some fancy looking vanity psu cables. I've a coolermaster modular PSU.

I can only seem to find cable "extensions" around, which presumably just plug into the existing cables - which are already mostly too long.

Do people get replacement cables - or does every fancy PC out there have Extensions at the front, and a bowl of spaghetti at the back like below?

The full kits are usually very expensive. I got a nice set of shorter extensions from OCUK and the spaghetti isn't too bad with them.
They are the Phanteks set if you search for them.

JoyPad

errlloyd wrote: »

I would like some fancy looking vanity psu cables. I've a coolermaster modular PSU.

You can try the cablemod configurator. You can get straight up replacement cables (e.g. same as the original, but in mesh with custom colours), or customized cables (where you can choose length for each replacement).

I am working on my son's new PC, and I ordered a custom black-and-green set (24pin ATX and 3x 8pin PCIe cables) with combs. See attached.

Looking forward to getting a CPU and actually put it all together.

Samuel T. Cogley

Thats Simpsons picture exactly sums up my builds!

Squidgy Black

Think it sums up everyone's builds.

Apart from the sick twisted individuals who get cases that have glass panels on both sides of the case.

Samuel T. Cogley

Squidgy Black wrote: »

Think it sums up everyone's builds.

Apart from the sick twisted individuals who get cases that have glass panels on both sides of the case.

They're the same people who have glass topped coffee tables...

Homelander

Yeah mine looks like a snake pit at the back, but sure no-one gets to see that. Even though I generally buy high end builds, I personally just can't bring myself to "waste" money on stuff like custom cables when extenders are so cheap in comparison.

Samuel T. Cogley

TBH I'm finding more and more the default cables with decent power supplies and cases are grand - usually all black and pretty discrete.

Squaredude

Yeah I was all set on my gf buying me custom cables for my birthday but have decided against it. I've come to terms with the spaghetti junction in the back and will just get some extensions instead

errlloyd

Squaredude wrote: »

Yeah I was all set on my gf buying me custom cables for my birthday but have decided against it. I've come to terms with the spaghetti junction in the back and will just get some extensions instead

It's simply so insurmountable as to be pointless. I am a big fan of those Lian Li click together fans (no pun intended) to help with cable management, but I'd be scratching at the surface!

Squaredude

errlloyd wrote: »

It's simply so insurmountable as to be pointless. I am a big fan of those Lian Li click together fans (no pun intended) to help with cable management, but I'd be scratching at the surface!

Yeah I was looking to pick up a set of those but they've been sold out for months by the looks of it. Thankfully have plenty of space in the back of my case to stuff wires into

Overheal

Watching too much Linus not to have done some cable management.

I ended up not being a complete fan of the semi modular cabling on my PSU. It’s “fine” but the PCIe cabling is pretty much spaghetti at the end, even on the 2nd included cable. Lots of Criss crossed wiring.

This SSD caddy also made the cable runs a pain the ass, because the caddy can not be reinserted or removed unless all the cables are pulled back out. Who thought this was a good idea??

JoyPad

Anyone here still using ParcelWizard or similar for Amazon orders?

I placed an order for a Sabrent SSD when it was on sale, and had it delivered to DPD in Northern Ireland. I have had a pretty bad experience recently with AnPost and DPD delivering at home, and Parcel Wizard has the option to deliver my parcels to a Spar where I can pick them up, which suits me best.

For the first time ever, Amazon thinks my precious SSD needs extra protection, and they secure my delivery with a one-time password. See details here about this feature.

This morning, when they sent me the password, I tried to get it to DPD. The customer support guy asked me every possible detail, barely managed to get him to understand that I wanted to relay the password to the depot. Eventually (40 minute chat), he gave me the email address of the depot in Newtownabbey. I emailed them the password, they said they would give it to the store man. And then Amazon fails to deliver the parcel. They will try again tomorrow.

I asked Amazon support why did the delivery fail. I was told that there was nobody there. That must be an outright guess, and a bad one, considering that the whole purpose of the DPD depot is to accept deliveries. The password check probably failed, but the support person didn't know.

BloodBath

Back looking for some headphone recommendations from our resident audiophiles coming up to black Friday they can often be got around half price.

Had HyperX Cloud 2's. Pretty good for the money but don't mind spending a bit more for something better. Probably up to around £100. So say stuff that normally costs £150-200 that will hopefully be on sale and significantly better than the clouds.

Closed back with good sound isolation, frequency range, good bass, for games and music.

Anyone go from cloud/cloud2's to the new alphas? Are they much better?

Overheal

BloodBath wrote: »

Back looking for some headphone recommendations from our resident audiophiles coming up to black Friday they can often be got around half price.

Had HyperX Cloud 2's. Pretty good for the money but don't mind spending a bit more for something better. Probably up to around £100. So say stuff that normally costs £150-200 that will hopefully be on sale and significantly better than the clouds.

Closed back with good sound isolation, frequency range, good bass, for games and music.

Anyone go from cloud/cloud2's to the new alphas? Are they much better?

I'd *almost* recommend dropping the 'gaming' gear and go for a Sony WHX noise canceling BT headset, because for noise isolation, especially the higher end WHX, they're unbeatable. But, and I haven't fiddled with this much, but I have to switch in some games from "stereo" output to "headset" output, which is demonstrably lower sound quality optimized for min latency. But Wireless+NC is the grail.

I wouldn't use the Sony's for gaming. Music only.

The new Razer Blackshark V2's sound really good or if you want to go wireless i'd recommend the Corsair H70 Pro's.
Both priced reasonably well.

Or buy the Sound Blaster G6.

KillerShamrock

BloodBath wrote: »

Back looking for some headphone recommendations from our resident audiophiles coming up to black Friday they can often be got around half price.

Had HyperX Cloud 2's. Pretty good for the money but don't mind spending a bit more for something better. Probably up to around £100. So say stuff that normally costs £150-200 that will hopefully be on sale and significantly better than the clouds.

Closed back with good sound isolation, frequency range, good bass, for games and music.

Anyone go from cloud/cloud2's to the new alphas? Are they much better?

https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/dt-770-pro.html
and a decent sound card then thank me later. They are closed so will block out sound both ways, but there is I think the 990 or 880 that are open or semi open.

I have the Sonys love em best purchase for those kinda headphones as for gaming, na they pale in comparison to these.
The Sonys are great for commutes, flying and switching off from the world in general but for gaming you want a good sound stage these are highly rated and worth every cent.
Good for music too got some goose bumps listening to tracks on them for the first time when I have heard those tracks plenty of times on other headphones even the sonys.

Only down side I can think of is the clamping force can be a bit tight. Oh and you would need a separate mic.

Andrew76

JoyPad wrote: »

Anyone here still using ParcelWizard or similar for Amazon orders?

I placed an order for a Sabrent SSD when it was on sale, and had it delivered to DPD in Northern Ireland. I have had a pretty bad experience recently with AnPost and DPD delivering at home, and Parcel Wizard has the option to deliver my parcels to a Spar where I can pick them up, which suits me best.

For the first time ever, Amazon thinks my precious SSD needs extra protection, and they secure my delivery with a one-time password. See details here about this feature.

This morning, when they sent me the password, I tried to get it to DPD. The customer support guy asked me every possible detail, barely managed to get him to understand that I wanted to relay the password to the depot. Eventually (40 minute chat), he gave me the email address of the depot in Newtownabbey. I emailed them the password, they said they would give it to the store man. And then Amazon fails to deliver the parcel. They will try again tomorrow.

I asked Amazon support why did the delivery fail. I was told that there was nobody there. That must be an outright guess, and a bad one, considering that the whole purpose of the DPD depot is to accept deliveries. The password check probably failed, but the support person didn't know.

Parcel Wizard (DPD) is my default address with Amazon - never had an issue with them thankfully (they're cheaper than Parcel Motel and deliver to your house which suits me better). I've never used that Amazon OTP feature however.

Ironically enough the last couple of orders from Amazon I decided to send direct to my house and one package went awol, easy enough to request a refund thankfully but maybe should've stuck with Parcel Wizard. :rolleyes:

JoyPad

Andrew76 wrote: »

Ironically enough the last couple of orders from Amazon I decided to send direct to my house and one package went awol[...]

Yeah, same here, and more than once. The local AnPost delivery is a joke. I constantly receive mail for other people, and some times my mail arrives at other people's house. Including parcels.

Squidgy Black

BloodBath wrote: »

Back looking for some headphone recommendations from our resident audiophiles coming up to black Friday they can often be got around half price.

Had HyperX Cloud 2's. Pretty good for the money but don't mind spending a bit more for something better. Probably up to around £100. So say stuff that normally costs £150-200 that will hopefully be on sale and significantly better than the clouds.

Closed back with good sound isolation, frequency range, good bass, for games and music.

Anyone go from cloud/cloud2's to the new alphas? Are they much better?

Would scrap looking at any "gaming" headsets and look more at higher end headphones with a sound card, and maybe a modmic if you need a microphone on them. The DT770s are class, or else the likes of the M50X are really highly rated too.

BloodBath

Squidgy Black wrote: »

Would scrap looking at any "gaming" headsets and look more at higher end headphones with a sound card, and maybe a modmic if you need a microphone on them. The DT770s are class, or else the likes of the M50X are really highly rated too.

KillerShamrock wrote: »

https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/dt-770-pro.html
and a decent sound card then thank me later. They are closed so will block out sound both ways, but there is I think the 990 or 880 that are open or semi open.

I have the Sonys love em best purchase for those kinda headphones as for gaming, na they pale in comparison to these.
The Sonys are great for commutes, flying and switching off from the world in general but for gaming you want a good sound stage these are highly rated and worth every cent.
Good for music too got some goose bumps listening to tracks on them for the first time when I have heard those tracks plenty of times on other headphones even the sonys.

Only down side I can think of is the clamping force can be a bit tight. Oh and you would need a separate mic.

That seems to be the way to go. Those DT770's seem to be great value. Minor design concerns like non removeable cables which is always an issue for longevity. All it takes is 1 good accidental yank of the cord to potentially damage the connection. Has happened to me with multiple headphones in the past.

Does it have a mic connection? Is it worth getting a DAC for those down the line?

KillerShamrock

BloodBath wrote: »

That seems to be the way to go. Those DT770's seem to be great value. Minor design concerns like non removeable cables which is always an issue for longevity. All it takes is 1 good accidental yank of the cord to potentially damage the connection. Has happened to me with multiple headphones in the past.

Does it have a mic connection? Is it worth getting a DAC for those down the line?

Yeah the cable is a little annoying but they have been in production so long spares are abundant and there is modding possible apparently they are easy enough to fix/mod if you wanted to go that route. I use mine on a sound blaster g6 and it's all good, past that I don't know much about dac/amps but there is no way they would be worse if used with a dedicated one they would only get better.
Just watch the impedance level you get as there is like 3 or 4 different sets starting at 32ohms going up to 250 I think. I have the 80ohm ones as they stay on my desktop with the sound blaster.

No mic connection but as said earlier mod mic or desktop mic, or just be an anti social billox like myself and don't talk :pac:

Be careful or you might go down the audio rabbit hole like what happened to me a few years ago. So many sets of headphones.

Overheal

I mean, you could go the DAC route

Overheal

Overheal wrote: »

I mean, you could go the DAC route

If you go for the amp/dac route and then a decent pair of cans then you're up to the €200 mark and that's without the mic part of the equation if you want that end of it.

Don't get me wrong. I use an amp/dac stack but things can get pricey. Just something to be aware of.

BloodBath

Mic and Dac can be got down the line so I don't mind that. Just want a good set of cans for now.

What's the max ohms that can be powered by the PC connections?

Headphones are definitely the hardest thing to decide on. A lot of the info is subjective with hard to test scientifically variables and a lot of complex science going on behind the scenes.

Any good audiophile sites that test these things?