Best microphone for gaming

Best microphone for gaming

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So, from my perspective, video games are a big part of our lives now, or at least the industry of computer entertainment is. Whether you like it or not, video games won’t go away. From numerous consoles and entertainment systems all the way to personal computers, video games have been in our lives for quite a long time now.

When you think about it for a moment, quite a lot of people have actually grown up alongside video games as one of the entertainment types. All the way from the simplest forms such as ping pong, to tetris and now, well, everything. If it weren’t for the entertainment video games have given me, I probably wouldn’t have a life I have right now, just like many others. Then, there are various types of video games and I’m sure in the future, there will be many more categories of them, but I just like to put them as following: singleplayer games and multiplayer games. It’s simple as that, if you ask me, because some of them are made to be simply played alone so you can get immersed in the story and just, enjoy it for a few hours, all by yourself.. and then you have those which are only made for multiplayer entertainment. That means you play it with other people from around the world. It can be your friend from the neighborhood or a random person from a different side of the planet.

Nonetheless, video games have created a brand new form of entertainment that will continue to grow and won’t go away for a long time, for sure.

 

Now, if you’re playing a multiplayer game, communication is a very important aspect of the game itself, so how do we achieve that? Well, in the distant past, you would have simple interaction dialogues with predefined messages. Then it moved onto an interactive chat interface, meaning you could type your message on a keyboard or using your joystick to communicate with other players.

Now, you have all of those combined, but there is a very big difference. We have voice communication now. I’m sure you already know of this as it’s been around for quite a long time now, if not since the 1990s, but it has since grown into an industry of its own. What do I mean by this? Well, let’s just say that the voice communication industry is a big part of not just video games and entertainment, but every other part of IT.

Taking that into consideration, sure, you could just call up your friend and invite him over to your place so you could play some games together, but imagine if that friend didn’t live near you, but rather in a different city, or perhaps even a different country? Say he was on the other side of the world, right. You can’t just call him up and invite him to your place so you could play some games. Sure, you could still play together online, but that’s not it, right? The laughter, the fun you have together, it’s just not right. Well, what you can do is tell your friend to get headphones with a microphone and say you will do the same. Now you can speak to each other almost exactly the same way as if you were in the same room. That’s perfect, right? Sure, there MIGHT be some drawbacks, but voice communication is very important not just for gameplay, but the entertainment itself.

Due to the fact that I have been in this ‘gaming‘ world for quite a bit now, over ten years actually, I decided to help out similar people around the world by advising them which products to buy in the whole gaming industry. In this article, I will go over some of the best headsets and standalone microphones for gaming. Some of them are inexpensive, some are not, but I can tell you for certain that all of them are good. Some more, some less, but whichever appeals to you the most, you won’t regret the purchase.

Content:

 

[BEST] ASTRO A50 Headset

 

 

  • compatible with PS4 & PC
  • amazing audio quality
  • adjustable microphone
  • Dolby headphone 7.1 Surround Sound
  • WIRELESS

Well, aren’t they beautiful? I mean, just look at them. Eye catching colors, beautiful design and the best comfort you can get out of headphones. What else could you ask for?

The Astro A50s are built and made with extreme care and precision because they’re made by people who know the industry extremely well and have spent years in it researching and developing the best headphones you could get so you can achieve the utmost gaming experience ever. As we all know, the audio in video games is one the most important things. Whether you’re playing Starcraft or Counter Strike, the sound is of great importance. No matter what game it is, without the sound, it is boring and in some cases, unplayable. That’s why you need great headphones, such as these.

I mean, just look at them. Other than the fact that they shine with elegance and coolness, you actually do get the top notch product out there. Of course, there are other really well made headphones out there which rival the Astro A50 very well, but as far as I have seen, I came to a conclusion that these, really are the best you can get right now. Other than the fact that they are wireless, they are also extremely light, which means you can have them on your head for a really long period of time and you wouldn’t feel any discomfort. Now, of course, video games might not be everything you like, perhaps you like music so you’re looking from that perspective as well.. In that case, these are also a good choice, however, due to the fact that they are wireless, there might be the slightest difference between the wired version and these.

The wired version is, obviously wired, but also half of the price of these. Why? Well, the obvious reason is because you don’t need the additional receiver/transmitter as they are wired so they’re just plug and play, but the other factor is that they’re a bit older than these, meaning you will get a slightly worse audio quality, but as far as I have seen, it’s really not that much of a difference, but if music is of the greatest importance to you, you should look at a different type of headphones then. Back onto the A50s from the technical aspect, honestly, you’re getting the best there is out there at the moment. The microphone on it’s own is a wonder when you see its quality, ability and everything else.

When I’ve tried this headset, I knew I was going to get really good results, but I really wasn’t expecting them to be THAT good. The microphone, not only is it directional, meaning it will pickup YOU and only you, but the quality it gives is absolutely astonishing. Alongside some of the software you can get from ASTRO, you can freely adjust the settings of the microphone using various settings, lowering its sensitivity and similar. You really are given all of the settings you can get so you can fully control this headset. Other than the glorious microphone, let’s not forget the audio you hear. The sound quality for video games is by far the best I have experienced, no matter what game you’re playing. I’ve tested it on Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Team Fortress 2, Battlefield 4 & 1 and really, it’s absolutely amazing.

No one complained about the noise in the background I intentionally made as no one could hear it. This headset truly is made for gamers. If you choose the wireless version, that means you can walk around your whole room, if not the whole home without any impairments to the sound. My friend from the UK did this test specifically for me over TeamSpeak as he has the same headphones. He would get up from his desk and just walk around his home while constantly talking to me. I could hear a bit of a quality drop when he was outside his home, but while he was on the inside, there were no problems whatsoever. So yeah, that’s why this headset is gilded with the BEST category tag.

[BEST SELLER]SteelSeries Siberia 800

  • SteelSeries next-gen speaker drivers
  • closed ear-cups
  • Dolby cirtual 7.1 surround sound
  • Retractable microphone
  • WIRELESS

Simply said, this headset just shines with elegance, comfort and luxury. It looks sleek and simple, but it offers so much. First off, it’s wireless, which is a great addition, especially to gamers on the move as these headphones are very compact, so if you like to play games a lot, but you travel quite often, this headset is a very good option as you can rotate the speakers so it can be placed in a tight area, such as a bag or a briefcase. Other than that, the microphone is retractable and it basically disappears if you decide not to use it. All you have to do is push it inside the left speaker and that’s it. When it’s retracted, only its reddish tip is visible, so it’s really nice for various types of entertainment. Other than the luxurious look, the sound fidelity is astonishing due to the fact that the ear cups are closed inwards so you achieve total isolation from the surroundings and none of the sounds will leak out directly, but that’s not it. They are really, really comfortable on your head and ears. There’s no excess pressure being exerted onto your ears and due to their low weight, they’re pretty much perfect in that category. They come in black and greyish color which both fit nicely on this design of headphones. They’re somewhat similar to the older versions of the Siberia series, but they are more different than similar if you look it at from the greater perspective. You still have the round shaped speakers which are able to rotate. The additional full length padding on the arc which covers the head is there, as well, so yeah, the design is somewhat still the same, but they have certainly upgraded the specifications and abilities of the Siberia series. As always, due to the fact that these are wireless, you will always gain higher quality on wired versions, but as far as I have noticed, there isn’t a difference. You are paying for quality product, that is for certain, so if sound quality worries you, it shouldn’t as the Steelseries products have proven high quality over a lengthy period of time in the past and I stand behind this decision as both my friend and  me had a different version of Steelseries products, and there is no doubt.. They do deliver quality and luxury.

A unique thing about this headset is the fact that you receive two Li-Ion batteries. Not one, but two. You can charge the second one while using the first one, so when the first one is depleted, you just swap them out and continue gaming, no hassle in that! As per me, this headset really does deserve the BESTSELLER category tag as it’s not overly expensive and I’ve seen a lot of Twitch streamers and YouTube gamers use these. If you consider the pricetag of $240 and the quality this headset offers, it’s a very good trade off.

 

[BESTBUY] HyperX Cloud Revolver

 

  • Studio grade sound quality
  • Steel frame
  • Detachable microphone
  • 50mm sound drivers
  • Compatibility with PC/PS4/MAC/Xbox One

 

If you’ve ever followed up with HyperX products, then this one will look very similar to one of their most popular products ever, the HyperX Cloud II headset. We can say this is the version two of that headset as this one looks very similar to the Cloud II and obviously, it’s better. As stated previously, it’s built from a steel frame which makes it extremely durable and stiff while at the same time it provides comfort. Don’t let the steel frame worry you as this headset is actually very comfortable on your head. It’s not too lose and it’s not too tight, it’s pretty much perfect. I mean, it’s made from steel, there’s no way you can break this, so if you accidentally drop them on the ground or something similar, there shouldn’t be worry about them breaking or anything.

Of course, there’s the iconic red colour which braids the top part of the headphones, the headrest and in addition to that, the sides of the speakers are glowing in red as well, representing the HyperX logo alongside some stylish lines in a circle, as you can see in the picture. Other than the great design, they provide really good functionality as well. There’s an additional software you can obtain from HyperX for extra sound effects and adjustments, but it’s not necessary. The headset itself is plug & play so it’s pretty straight forward. There is one slight drawback though. They aren’t very compact as other headsets. They’re bulky and slightly heavy. The weight isn’t a problem as it’s countered by the huge amounts of ear and head padding which makes them very comfortable actually, but you can’t carry these around everywhere. I mean, you just can’t due to their size and inability to rotate and bend, but they are absolutely amazing for their price if you plan on using them at your home.

The microphone itself is the main part of these as it looks relatively small and simple, but in reality it really isn’t. The best thing about it is that you can detach it very easily and it will look as if it wasn’t there, so if you just want to chill in the evening hours while going through the gameplay of your favorite game, just detach the microphone and enjoy. The great quality of the microphone is just an extra cherry on the cake as well, as I personally had no trouble using it in communication with random players and my friends both in game and over TeamSpeak & Discord, so I can say with certainty that it is very good. Because of that and its great price, I decided to place it as the winner of the BESTBUY category. If you’re on a budget, but you’re also looking for great quality, then you wouldn’t make a mistake by purchasing this headset.

 

Blue Yeti Pro

  • Four different polar pattern settings
  • Cutting edge A-D converter chip
  • Built-in amplifier for zero-latency monitoring
  • 15 Hz – 22 kHz frequency response

Now, this microphone caught my eye with quite a few things. First off, it looks amazing. The vintage look really appeals to the user and it’s just, pretty. Reminds me of those old microphones in studios before the 2000s. There’s also the fact that this microphone has multiple outputs. An XLR output if you really want to use this microphone to its maximum potential, and an USB output, for the quick plug & play action.

I wouldn’t say it’s great for portability as it really isn’t, but if you really have to, you wouldn’t have much trouble moving it around, just be careful, because it is absolutely amazing. It is somewhat heavy, but when you see what it has to offer, you will understand why the extra weight.

The single greatest thing anyone has ever implemented onto dedicated microphones is the simple and separate button for muting it. And it’s there. You don’t have to unplug the cable, you don’t have to mute it in sound manager, you just press the button and it’s muted, so if someone walks into your room, just press that button and no one will be disturbed. There’s also a volume knob for, well duh, adjusting the volume of the microphone output and it’s that simple, really.

The additional XLR output on the bottom of the microphone is amazing as you can use an additional external amplifier or a different device for other uses and hook it up directly to the microphone using the XLR output, provided you have the necessary wiring. This means, that if you ever want to record music, instruments, vocals, anything that is very dependent on quality of the sound, you can achieve it with this microphone. I’ve heard numerous popular YouTubers claim that this is one of the best microphones out there and I can’t disagree. I haven’t encountered a better one so far.

The coolest part about this one is the four different pattern settings. What does that mean? You can choose what type of monitoring (recording) you want the microphone to be in. It can be stereo, cardioid, omnidirectional and bidirectional.

The stereo mode means it will pick up sounds on both the left and the right channel and it is ideal for recording almost any type of sound. Cardioid mode is crafted for podcasts, vocals or game streaming. It captures the sound only from one direction, so positioning the microphone in front of you while live streaming and picking this mode is the perfect combination.

The omnidirectional mode is quite cool, to be honest as it captures audio coming from all directions. If you want to capture 3D sound or gain the 3D effect with sound, this mode will suit you the best. Last but not least, we have the bidirectional mode and simply said, it records from two sides, which is perfect if you are recording two vocals, or you’re playing with a friend in the same room.

This microphone combined with an adjustable stand you can also purchase is pretty much the perfect combination. It has all you want out of a microphone and it won’t disappoint you.

 

Audio-Technica AT2020 USB microphone

  • Condenser microphone with USB output
  • A/D converter with 16 bit, 44.1/48 kHz sampling rate
  • Internal headphone amplifier for clarity and musical detail

Now, the point of this article was to review microphones for gamers and so far it has been a great trip, but it was headsets only, meaning you would receive a microphone and headphones in one. However, as the primary focus is on microphones, I’ve decided to count in dedicated microphones as well because they really do stand out in that business as they are made for detecting and recording audio. Now, sure, it may not be very convenient to carry both headphones and a dedicated microphone at the same time, so this is a better option if you are certain you won’t be moving around quite of ten. Dedicated microphones are especially handy for live streams and YouTubers as they will always provide better quality than headset microphones. We also have to remember the fact that you can literally put this microphone on a microphone stand and position it anywhere you like, so there’s that. It can be above your head, it can be below your chin, on the side of your face, anywhere you like.

Now, onto the microphone itself. Made by Audio-Technica, an amazing audio-oriented company which not only produces superb microphones, but they’re also in the business of headphones and headsets, and they’re good at it. Previously, I have reviewed one of their noise-cancelling headphones with a microphone and honestly, I was left speechless. The stuff these people make is just amazing. When I was reviewing this microphone, I wasn’t skeptical about it whatsoever, because I simply knew that it would deliver what I wanted. Excellent sound quality without any issues and trouble.

The size of this microphone is very impressive as well because you would usually expect a dedicated microphone to be relatively bulky and large, but this model actually is not so big. You could certainly put it in your front pocket of your pants if you wanted to. Now, of course, the sound quality is the main thing about microphones and I can tell you with assurance that you would not regret buying this. You get a quality-made stand which can have its angle adjusted, so technically saying, you could have this microphone placed anywhere on the desk and it will pick up your voice. It is almost fully omni-directional, meaning it can pick up sound coming from almost all directions. The exception being its two sides which are covered with the frame and the bottom part. Other than that, you really do get an amazing product for the price you pay, which actually isn’t as high as you would expect for such a great product. Then again, even if you’re not a gamer, this microphone is still great for you. Say you’re an instrument player. Buying this microphone is a perfect product for you as it will record all of the sounds you create with your instrument and voice, no joke.

One last thing I would like to note about this microphone as seen in the title of it is that it is USB connected, which makes things even easier. You don’t need any other external adapters and/or converters. You just plug it into the USB port and it’s ready to go. It’s that simple!

 

Rode NT-USB Condenser Microphone

  • USB connectivity
  • On-mic mix control
  • Tripod stand, pop filter and ring mount included
  • Ultra-low noise

Very similar to the previous microphone from Audio-Technica, the RODE NT-USB microphone has a few more additional features at a slightly more elevated price, but the trade off is quite worth it. RODE is without saying, a great producer of quality and well made microphones and they offer numerous bonuses with their products. As you can see in the picture, just by purchasing this model, you receive a tripod stand, a ring mount and the most important of all, the pop filter shield which filters out those annoying ‘pop’ noises. Other than the great extras you receive with this microphone, there’s also one really useful thing on it and that’s the two mix wheels on it which lets you adjust the volume of the microphone itself and volume of the headphones you can plug into the microphone itself for realtime sound feedback.

The great visual aesthetic design is really pleasing to the eyes. The color is a perfect match and the USB cable is detachable so that makes this microphone quite portable, if you don’t mind disassembling everything every time.

It provides amazing sound quality, especially for instruments, but it is also great for gamers as it can capture even the slightest whispers, so you can truly get immersed into the video game you’re playing without yelling your heart out in an effort to signal your friend. The pop filter shield is a really useful thing, especially if you use the microphone on a daily basis as it filters out the ‘pop’ noise as previously stated, which can get really annoying in a very short time period.

The microphone stand is adjustable so you can place the microphone anywhere on the desk and just point it towards yourself and it will capture your voice without any problems. The additional volume wheels on the microphone are very useful, especially if someone walks into your room, you can lower the volume very easily without unplugging the microphone, so the usability of it is really good.

Other than that, it’s a really great piece of hardware for the price you pay.

 

HyperX Cloud II

  • USB Audio Sound Card
  • 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound
  • Noise cancelling microphone
  • Echo cancelling
  • 15 Hz – 22kHz frequency response
  • 53mm sound drivers

Bulky. That’s the main characteristic of this headset. But don’t let that put you down, they’re pretty good in my opinion. I already had a chance to review these some time ago, but I decided to give them another shot as they were pretty good and I wanted to test them out further. This variant comes only in color of black which makes them look pretty cool. One would think that with great size, great weight comes, but surprisingly, these headphones are pretty light. They’re made out of plastic, but I tested how strong it was by trying to bend it, and it didn’t break. I did bend it quite a lot, but it didn’t break, so it is some high quality plastic. The reason these headphones are inexpensive is because they’re made out of plastic I assume because the technicalities are really good. I had no problems with the sound quality of both the speakers and the microphone, so there’s that.

The microphone itself is detachable, meaning you can’t retract it upwards or downwards, but you actually have to detach it to move it out of sight. That is a great thing if you have to move these headphones around quite a lot because you can’t rotate their speakers, but you can detach the rather large microphone, which is a good thing. They are VERY COMFORTABLE on your ears and head when you put them on and as sketchy as it may seem, the material the padding is made of does not look cheap as it doesn’t rip apart, doesn’t come off and doesn’t give off that weird odor after a prolonged usage of the headphones.

It also has an active noise cancellation on the microphone, meaning you won’t be picking up a large amount of unnecessary sounds coming in from the background which makes this headset a great choice if you’re playing video games in a loud room. There is also a 7.1 audio mode which turns the audio into more realistic sounding audio, but I personally didn’t like it on any of the headphones, but that’s just personal preference, so it shouldn’t cause you any problems.

All in all, a great piece of hardware for avid gamers for a relatively low price.

 

Turtle Beach – Elite Pro

  • 50mm sound drivers
  • extremely soft ear padding
  • rotational microphone
  • 12 Hz – 22kHz frequency response

The orange color on these headphones is what makes them look cool, aside the amazing design of course. The customizability is one of the key characteristics on these as they were made for one specific audience.. and those are hardcore gamers. Sure, you don’t have to be a hardcore gamer, but a lot of professional teams in various popular video games use these in tournaments and live streams as they are really, really good. Oh and did I mention they look cool?

The extremely soft ear pads are so soft you could fall asleep with these without any trouble. They don’t cause any excessive pressure on your ears nor your head so there’s no worry in getting a headache or sweaty ears. I mean, of course, if it’s blazing summer and the temperatures are high, it will always be not so pleasing to wear headphones, but these are one of the most comfortable I’ve seen so far.

The microphone is relatively simple and straight forward. You can rotate it upwards and downwards, so lining it up with your mouth won’t be a problem at all. The quality of the microphone is pretty good, but in this case, they have focused more on quality of the sound you receive through the speakers, which I understand, as it is very important in the tournaments. Of course, we cannot ignore the voice communication between the players, but I believe they have prioritized the sound quality of speakers over the microphone.

Now, I’m not saying it’s bad, it is very good actually, but you can get better ones for somewhat the same price. Other than that, a really great pair of headphones in my opinion.

 

Conclusion

If you’re a gamer, and I believe you are if you’re reading this article, let’s be real.. you need good gear to perform well. Whether it be a mouse, a keyboard, in this case a headset, it has to be quality made. If you’re reading this segment of the review, you will get the general understanding of the best headsets there are in the market right now. Maybe, just maybe none of these suit you, and I’m sure that will happen as each gamer has their own and unique play style and requirements, and if that’s the case, feel free to contact me through the comment section and I will gladly help you out in picking the best headset for yourself.

All in all, this article was made in an effort to help out numerous people who seek the best voice communication device there is that they can afford and no matter what you are, a musician, a hardcore gamer, a casual gamer, I’m positive this article can help you pick your ideal microphone/headset.

 

Nedim SabicBest microphone for gaming
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Best motherboards for gaming 2016/2017

Best motherboards for gaming 2016/2017

The motherboard is the most crucial part of the computer and we at Geektick have chosen the best motherboards of 2016, after countless hours spent researching and my personal experience. All of that combined lead us to the best motherboards which we will carefully describe.

There are many motherboards out there, and when I was younger I never cared which one I would buy. But I could have saved a lot of money in the long run if I just paid the extra $100, but as a teenager that was not so important, so many mistakes have been made, but rest assured I learned from my mistakes and I am here to give you advice. So I collected the best and most reliable motherboards at the moment. Currently,  the best one which you can buy is the  Asus X99 Deluxe II, but besides that, we shall be looking at a few more motherboards that you might like. Keep in mind these are the best motherboards you can get in early 2017, and they definitely will not let you down, I can assure you. I know the pain when everything dies, and when your BIOS corrupts. Ended up wasting a lot of money.  We will also be looking at suitable processors that will maximize your performance.

Content :

BEST MOTHERBOARD – Asus X99 Deluxe II

This is definitely the best mobo of 2016. Powerful, fast and stylish- these are the main attributes describing this beast. The second generation X99 motherboards that have recently launched represent the very best that motherboard manufacturers can create when largely unrestrained from pesky PCI-E lane limitations. And considering the fact that there’s been an almost two year gap between the first generation models and these new releases, we expect them to be even better than their predecessors which were extremely good in their own right. The ASUS X99-Deluxe II motherboard that we are reviewing today is the model you buy when you want everything. It is the most feature filled model in the company’s LGA2011-v3 lineup. It is clearly a direct descendant of the original X99 Deluxe, and that’s a good thing due to the fact that the original Deluxe had no cons in its time, proving that the Deluxe II is the best motherboard in this current time. The only con to this motherboard is that it supports a small amount of processors but when you are buying this mobo you are not aiming to buy a processor which is used for casual users, this motherboard is made for gamers, you are looking to buy the i7 6950X, which I am going to describe better later on.

The deluxe II has five physical PCIe x16 slots, 3 way CrossFire and 3 way SLI capabilities, 1 PCI-E x1 slot, 1 M.2 x4 connector, 2 U.2 connectors, 1 SATA Express ports, 8 SATA 6Gb/s ports (plus the 2 on the SATAe port), 3 USB 3.1 Type-A ports and 1 USB 3.1 Type-C port, many people would be more than satisfied with the new X99 Deluxe II. It also has 4 USB 3.0 ports, 4 USB 3.0/2.0 header, 2 Intel-powered Gigabit LAN ports, a Thunderbolt 3.0 header, a dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi module with Bluetooth v4.0, Realtek’s latest 10 channel HD audio controller and diagnostic LEDs. DDR4 memory-wise, the Deluxe II can handle up to an incredible 128GB of RAM and memory speeds up to DDR4-3300.

In summary this motherboards features are:

  • Supports Intel Core i7-5960X Processor Extreme Edition – Intel Core i7-5930K/ i7-5820K Processors – Intel Core i7-6950X Processor Extreme Edition – Intel Core i7-6900K / i7-6850K / i7-6800K Processors
  • Quad Channel DDR4 3300 MHz (128 gbs max)best1-1
  • Includes extensive upgrades including onboard U.2 / M.2 slots that tap into 32Gbps of PCIe bandwidth
  • 3 USB 3.1 Type-A ports and 1 USB 3.1 Type-C ports
  • 4 USB 3.0 ports
  • Thunderbolt 3
  • 10 SATA 6GB/s
  • ASUS Aura Features controllable RGB onboard lighting 
  • SafeSlot 
  • 5-Way Optimization : Fan Xpert 4  Elevates customized cooling to new heights, with the ability to detect PWM/DC fans on all headers, utilize high-amperage fans and control water cooling pumps in software and UEFI
  • Crystal Sound 3 

The best motherboard for any gamer out there, it can be used to make the best new generation PC and many more things. Taking all the things in consideration this motherboards price is justified as it is $399.99.

BEST BUY – Gigabyte X99P SLI

Another great high end Gigabyte motherboard. This motherboard is similar to the Z170X UD3 Ultra, in many aspects it is a LGA1151 socket package, structure wise it is the same, with the main difference being that this motherboard supports Intel’s extreme processor edition. The X99P SLI motherboard has M.2 connector, one SATA Express connector, six  SATA 6Gb/s connectors, eight Dual Channel DDR4 slots(up to 128 GB), 1  PS/2 keyboard/mouse port, 1 USB Type-C port, with USB 3.1 support, 1  USB 3.1 Type-A port, 3  USB 3.0, 4  USB 2.0.

The most important feature it shares with the Z170 X UD3 is the Thunderbolt 3, providing swift 40gb/s speed.

In summary this motherboards features are:

  • World’s First Intel Thunderbolt 3 Certified X99 Motherboard
  • Supports Intel Core i7 6950X Processor Extreme Editionbestbuy
  • Support Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0
  • M.2 interface with up to 32Gb/s Data Transfer 
  • Supports New Intel Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition
  • Quad Channel DDR4 3400 MHz (128 GB max)
  • 4-Way Graphics with Premium PCIe Lane
  • Realtek ALC1150 115dB SNR HD Audio 
  • Independent Right and Left Audio Channel PCB Layers
  • High-end Nichicon Audio Capacitors
  • Audio Noise Guard with Multi-Color Choices of LED Trace Path Lighting
  • All Stainless Steel connectors on rear panel
  • SATA Express support for up to 10 Gb/s data transfer
  • Gigabyte UEFI DualBIOS
  • Long lifespan Durable Black Solid caps
  • APP Center including EasyTune and Cloud Station utilities
  • Safer Design Around Screw Mounting Holes

A mobo that made it’s reputation as the best buy mobo of 2016 as it supports up to 128 GB of ram, is quality made and costs $234.96.

BEST SELLER – Asus Z170 PRO Gaming

This motherboard supports the LGA 1151 Socket.  Many motherboards with this socket only support DDR4 ram, and so is the case for this motherboard. But truly this is a great motherboard as it has many features that can prove useful to a gamer of a high caliber. This motherboard can boost the performance of your DDR4 RAM which can be useful for running games like Rust as it is a game that requires a lot of ram to run, due to the bad configuration of Rust. This motherboard has 4 RAM(up to 64 GB) slots. The Z170 PRO Gaming supports crossfire/SLI(3x PCIe 3.0 x 16 slots). This board from the back has a PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port, 3 Display ports(HDMI, VGA, DVI) a USB 3.1 Type-A + Type-C, 6  USB 3.0 ports(2 at the front and 4 at the back), 8  USB 2.0 (6 at the front and at the back), Intel Ethernet GameFirst IV LANGuard.

The board contains 6  SATA 6.0 Gb/s, 1  M.2 slots (PCIe 3.0 4 and SATA 6 Gb/s) and one SATA Express port.
In summary this motherboards features are :

  • LGA1151 socket for 6th-gen Intel Core Desktop Processorsbestseller1
  • Dual channel DDR4 3466 (OC) support(64 GB max)
  • Easy and stable overclocking
  • SupremeFX 
  • Sonic Radar ll: Scan and detect your enemies to dominate
  • LANGuard
  • GameFirst IV
  • RAMCache
  • USB 3.1 Type-A/C & M.2
  • 6 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s, 1 x M.2 slots
  • 3x PCIe 3.0 x 16 slots(2 CPU, 1 PCH), 2 Way SLI & CrossFire Multi-Graphics Support

It’s the most sold motherboard and offers many new ways to make a PC, probably one of the best cheap motherboards as it costs $157.95.

Asus Maximus VIII Ranger

Maximus VIII Ranger is obviously equipped with an LGA1151 socket, and supports only DDR4 ram (4 slots supporting up to 64GB of Dual channel RAM with speeds up to 3400MHz). It supports crossfire/SLI (3x PCIe 3.0 x 16 slots). There’s also a single M.2 socket supporting both SATA and PCIe with support for speeds up to 32Gb/s. The board features Intel Gigabit LAN and the latest version of Asus’ SupremeFX. This board has many ports: PS/2 keyboard / mouse combo port, 8 USB 2.0 ports(4 at the back and 4 at the front), BIOS Flashback Button, Intel Anti-surge LAN, HDMI port, 6 USB 3.0 ports, USB 3.1 (Type-A)Port. USB 3.1 (Type-C)Port and Gold plated Audio Ports.And contains 6  SATA 6Gb/s port(s) and 2 SATA Express port

In summary this motherboards features are :

  • LGA1151 socket for 6th-gen Intel Core Desktop Processorsranger
  • Dual channel DDR4 3400 (OC) support(64 GB max)
  • Easy and stable overclocking
  • LANGuard
  • RAMCache
  • GameFirst IV
  • USB 3.1 Type-A/C & M.2
  • 6 USB 3.0 ports
  • 8 USB 2.0 ports
  • 3x PCIe 3.0 x 16 slots(2 CPU, 1 PCH), 2 Way SLI & CrossFire Multi-Graphics Support
  • 6  SATA 6Gb/s port(s) and 2 SATA Express port

Another great motherboard that is cheap considering how many pros it has. And costs about $199.95.

I have reviewed high end motherboards Gigabyte released, including the Gigabyte Z170X Ultra Gaming and the GA X99 Ultra Gaming. The thing these boards all have in common is support for upcoming technology, such as devices that connect via U.2, USB 3.1 Type-C, and Thunderbolt 3. Gigabyte also has made some notable aesthetic improvements with LEDs that illuminate. The Gigabyte Z170X UD3 Ultra offers nearly identical hardware support to the Gigabyte Z170X Ultra Gaming. But where the Ultra Gaming uses red LEDs, while the Gigabyte Z170X-UD3 Ultra lights up blue. So the Z170X UD3 Ultra is probably one of the best releases from gigabyte. This motherboard has a USB 3.1 Type-C port that can also serve as a Thunderbolt 3 port after you install a simple firmware update. Thunderbolt 3 offers a bandwidth of 40Gbps, a significant boost over USB 3.1’s 10Gbps. The Thunderbolt 3/USB 3.1 Type-C port also supports Power Delivery 2.0, which allows it to provide 100 watts of power to connected devices. Gigabyte made sure that anyone can utilize Thunderbolt 3 to it’s fullest extent.

The rear panel also features a USB 3.1 Type A port, 4 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports, and a PS/2  keyboard / mouse combo port. Beyond the good looks of the Gigabyte Z170X-UD3 Ultra it also has all the tools you will need to build an outstanding gaming rig. There’s support for SLI and CrossFire setups, and you can install up to 64GB of DDR4 3866 memory.

In summary this motherboards features are:

So overall this is great motherboard that can be used to make a high end tier PC, which can run any game out there. The good part is that it isn’t that expensive as it is $166.99.

Asus Rog Maximus VIII Extreme/Assembly

The Rog Maximus VII Extreme/Assembly comes with improved looks and a lot of features compared to it’s predecessor. It is one of the best Z170 motherboard out there at the moment if you ask me. As it has 4 USB 3.1 ports, multiple M.2 slots and many more features. Multiple M.2 slots and the fastest DDR4 support, the product will shock the socks of your feet. These motherboards are paired with new Skylake-S series processors. The best Skylake processors are the Core i5 6600K and the Core i7 6700K processors for the desktop, I have tested both of the processors. Both of these processors are Socket 1151 and perfect for gaming. The quad core CPU has 8 MB L3 cache and an integrated memory controller that supports both DDR4 and DDR3 memory. The Z170 and H170 motherboards only support DDR4. For the gaming community these two processors are the most important, the Core i7 6700K has four CPU cores with Hyper Threading, 4.0GHz frequency, 4.20GHz maximum Turbo Boost frequency, then there is the Core i5 6600K with four cores, 3.50GHz frequency and a 3.90GHz maximum Turbo Boost frequency, both are based on the new LGA1151 socket package.

In summary this motherboards features are:

  • LGA1151 socket for 6th-gen Intel Core Desktop Processorsextr
  • Dual Channel DDR4 3866 (OC) support(64 GB max)
  • Easy and stable overclocking
  • Bundled gaming gear – SupremeFX Hi-Fi & 10G Express
  • 4 PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (3CPU and 1 PCH)
  • LANGuard
  • 8 x SATA 6Gb/s (4 shared with SATA-E), 2 SATA Express, 1 U.2
  • 4 USB 3.1 (3 Type-A and 1 Type-C)
  • Best gaming performance 
  • Best gaming protection 

One of the best motherboard out there at the moment as it has so many advantages then the others out there at the moment. If you are making a high end gaming build then this is the motherboard for you and it costs $487.12.

Gigabyte X99 Ultra Gaming

A great release from the Gigabyte crew, an extremely good mobo that is described as being one of the most stylish mobos out there. There’s dual M.2 ports, U.2 support, USB 3.1, a USB Type-C plug, Dual LAN,6  USB 3 ports 10 SATA 6Gb/s connectors and the list of the features goes on and on. Thankfully, Gigabyte’s X99 Ultra Gaming is a little more affordable compared to the triple SLI focused Gigabyte X99 Designare Ex. It’s one of the cheaper X99 boards around at the moment too, because of the price increases from Asus and MSI, making this a go to mobo.

The PCI-E slots are clad in steel covers, with a smattering of chrome and white and red colored shrouds and heat sinks making it a really attractive motherboard. But it still has some cons as there is no on board Wi-Fi, although there is a dedicated M.2 slot for an M.2 Wi-Fi card. LED lighting is of course one of the  main features of the X99 Ultra Gaming as you can switch the colors to your wish.

In summary this motherboards features are:

  • Supports Intel Core i7 6950X Processor Extreme Editionasdf
  • Support Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0
  • Quad Channel, Registered / Non-ECC Unbuffered 8 DDR4 3600+MHz (OC) slots
  • USB 3.1 with USB Type-C Support
  • Best 3-Way/ 2-Way SLI & CrossFire Support Spacing
  • NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 22110 M.2 Interface & U.2 Interface for Intel SSD 750
  • SATA Express Connector for Up to 10Gb/s Data Transfer
  • Killer E2400 and IntelGbE Gaming Networks
  • Supports up to 10 SATA 6Gb/s
  • Ambient Surround LED with RGB Multi-Color Choices
  • Ultra Durable Metal Shielding over PCIe and DDR Slots
  • Ultra Durable Anti-Sulfur Resistors for Longer Lifespan
  • Ultra Durable Anti-Rust Rear I/O Connectors
  • Dual Hybrid Fan Headers with Precise PWM / Voltage Control for Water Pump & Fan
  • Gigabyte UEFI DualBIOS with Q-Flash Plus USB ports
  • APP Center Including EasyTune and Cloud Station Utilities

Great structure, awesome LEDs and more features then you can imagine a mobo to have. It is quite a nice mobo and costs $267.89.

Overview

Many of these motherboards are considered to be gaming motherboards. Saying so, you will need a gaming processor. The current 6th generation processors are beyond many people’s expectations. So depending on which motherboard you choose to buy, we will give you the appropriate processor choice. We will be looking mainly at four processors the Core i7 6700k, Core i7 6800k , Core i7 6900k and the best for the last the core i7 6950X. Besides the processor you will need another thing which we have included down below. It’s a liquid cooler which is pretty much the most recommended type of cooling currently out there. Granted many people know what processor they will buy but this is our guide and advice to you. So you can make a better choice in choosing the perfect setup for yourself.

Intel Core i7 6700K

This processor is number one seller on Amazon at this given time.core Thanks to our knowledge of Skylake architecture, we can make a detailed review of the i7 6700K. The i7 6700K is a quad-core, eight-threaded processor with 8MB of L3 cache, much like the older generations. Skylake parts are manufactured on Intel’s 14-nm fabrication process with tri-gate transistors. Skylake  brings a new CPU microarchitecture. As usual, this architectural refresh is meant to improve clock-for-clock performance through various clever enhancements to the processor’s efficiency and throughput. Intel claims the 6700K is 10% faster than the Core i7-4790K.

In fact, the Core i7-6700K replaces the 4790K at the exact same price. The 6700K’s peak clock speed is down a little bit, at 4.2GHz instead of the 4.4GHz Turbo peak on the 4790K, but the 6700K can run all four cores at 4.2GHz under load. Intel has pushed a little on the power front in order to deliver higher performance in recent generations. The top Ivy Bridge quad core topped out at 77 watts, while Haswell moved up to 88 watts, however, Skylake nudges the limit up to 91 watts.That added CPU power draw could be offset at a platform level by the transition to a new memory type, DDR4. Skylake supports both DDR4 and DDR3L type memories, for lower voltage operation and power savings.

If you are a gamer with a budget looking for a new rig this is the right processor for you, this processor is supported by all of the motherboards named (except the X99 Deluxe II) above and costs $319.99.

Intel Core i7 6800K

The Core i7 6800K is the best value six asdfgcore processor currently out on the market. The extra $60 you’d be spending on the 6800K over the 6700K actually makes sense. For high end gaming rigs, sporting multiple graphics cards, the Broadwell-E chip is a great choice especially in terms of extra future proofing for your build. When you’re talking about a full system build, with a pair of Nvidia Titan x’s doing the graphical work, that six-core price premium becomes far easier to swallow.

If you have any interest in video editing, or other creative exercises requiring a lot of CPU power and memory bandwidth, the 6800K is worth the extra 60 dollars, even if you don’t do such thing, it is still worth it. X99 motherboards are generally more expensive than their Z170 compadres, though the price of DDR4 memory has dropped in recent times. When you want something a little more special from your gaming rig, or want to build something seriously high-end, with multiple GPUs and memory performance, Intel’s 6800K is an extremely viable solution. This processor is supported by all of the mobos above.

If you want your build to last a bit more then this processor is perfect for you, as it is worth the extra 60 dollars. This processor is of course better then the i7 6700k and is useful for animators. It costs $379.99

Intel Core i7 6900K

The biggest issue with the i7-6900K is thati7-6900k it’s not really all that different from it’s predecessor the i7-5960X, a processor that was released over two years ago. That was Intel’s then best Extreme processor, with a starting price of $1000. Two years later, the i7-6900K is slightly faster and still includes most of the same features, and if you were hoping prices would come down you will be disappointed. On the contrary actually, as the price is increased, even though they are really similar processors. So if you bought the i7-5960X when it launched, this isn’t the upgrade you’re going to be looking for- that would be the 10-core i7-6950X, or wait for Skylake-X. But if you are in need of an 8 core processor with 16 threads which is fast as hell then look no further.

The average clock of this processor is 3.2 GHz, while in turbo mode you get up to 3.7 GHz. It is a beast to say the least as probably the best part of this processor is the fact that it’s gonna be viable for the next 5 years or so, perhaps even more. This processor is supported by all of the mobos above.

If you want the best rig out there, then this processor should be considered as it satisfy all of your needs and more. It costs $1,049.99.

Intel Core i7 6950X

One of a kind processor, 10 core CPU, goldthe i7 6950X, this processor should be considered one of the best of the latest gen of processors. But this is the first 14nm HEDT part and should be smaller than an equivalent Haswell-E design. Intel will state that enthusiasts have been asking for more in the overclockable high end consumer space, so here it is. This processor has 10 cores, 20 threads a base clock speed of 3 GHz and a turbo speed of 3.5 GHz.

The 10 core i7 6950X costs $634 more than the 8 core i7 6900K. We all know that once you reach the high-end, the price/performance curve goes off in a somewhat foolish direction. The i7-6950X also gets a unique retail box compared to the other processors, in a sleek black box with gold lettering. This combination of colors tends to go down well with whoever loves gold, perhaps indicating that Intel is looking at a new kind of premium customer. Basically if you got the money you got the honey.

This is the end tier processor and it is extremely expensive and extremely good. It can out perform anything. It is supported by the X99 Deluxe II, X99 Ultra Gaming and the X99P SLI(these are the mobos we covered). It costs a whooping $1,579.99.

H100i v2 240MM Liquid Cooler

This is just a simple cooler. It is also the number one seller on Amazon.

The features of this cooler are :cooler

  • 240mm dual fan radiator
  • Improved cold plate and pump design
  • Advanced SP120L PWM fan design
  • Built-in Corsair Link: monitor CPU and coolant temperature, adjust fan speed
  • User replaceable inserts: Change the color of your cooler

There is no review for this item as it is just a simple liquid cooler. It is simple and it is necessary for your PC. It costs around $102.89.

Advice

My personal advice for all of you is the following- if you are just a simple gamer and want to play the new games that are coming out, get the X99P SLI and the i7 6700K, as you will be able to run any game out there, and can freely upgrade your build any time you want as you have 8 ram slots and multiple VGA slots, which enables you crossfire/SLI. If you are a hard core gamer and want the absolute best and want to have 999 FPS on each game, then you should get the i7 6950X, because let’s face it, this is going to be a processor which will be able to run any game you wish for the next 5-10 years, I can guarantee you that for certain. Alongside that, you should get the X99 Deluxe II motherboard, due to it’s many features, you will be able to get the most out of each game. And that can be extremely useful if you have a 144Hz monitor, or perhaps something even higher. Looking on the opposite side, the i7 6950X and the X99 Deluxe II build alongside some Titan X’s is ideal for a designer as it provides rendering speeds out of this world.

You could render a 10 hour video with extreme edits in less then 60 minutes. My point is that this processor and the mobo are just overpowered and can be useful to other people besides gamers. It can also be used to host servers and similar. Nevertheless, you can buy the Z170 PRO gaming and a 6th generation processor which would let you get more then enough FPS in these days, but it is not worth it due to the following. It might be cheaper, but processors that are locked are not worth your money, simply said like this I went on a game with my friend same configuration on the game everything to high. Similar VGA and similar, but different processor I had the i5 2500k overclocked to 4.5 GHz and he had a i5 6600 3.3GHz , a generation 2 processor vs a generation 6 processor. Sad to say this, but his generation 6 processor had a worse performance then my generation 2 processor. How, you might ask yourself? Heck, you might even say that I had my cores unparked and he didn’t. That wasn’t the case though. I had around 330FPS on the game while he had around 280 FPS. Which game was that, you may wonder? Well it was CS:GO granted not the game to go to, but nevertheless, everything was set to high and my processor beat his. So all in all, the unlocked version from the second generation could still preform pretty decently compared to the locked versions of the 6th generation. However, this processor is pretty good overall. It is nowhere near to give you the best possible experience out there because it will only be able to run the newest generation of games on medium or so at best.

Spend the extra dollars on the i7 6700k. It is pointless to buy a locked generation 6 processor as you will see later on, when you will need a new processor which will cause you to spend another $300 plus the new motherboard $100 and the new power supply and similar, which will make you end up losing money then staying in the positive. So spend the extra money if you have it, if not, I guess other generation 6 processors can do or even consider buying an older generation with an older motherboard.

Why didn’t you include any AM3+ socket motherboards?

Well that is a long story. With the addition of the AMD processor supporting motherboards it gets a bit tricky to define what motherboard you should buy for what purpose. Granted the AM3+ socket motherboards and the processors are pretty powerful and in many cases are cheaper then the rivals. A quick summary of AM3+ motherboards would be as following: AM3+ motherboards are quite good like the ones I named today, but it gets tricky mostly due to the fact I have been using only motherboards that support Intel processors and because of that I can not give you a detailed description about them or suggest what you should do. However, if you are considering of getting a motherboard which is AM3+ I will not stop you but I can not help you either, as I lack the experience to help you out.

If you want to build an AMD oriented PC, then I can give you a few suggestions. To get the maximum performance out of your PC you should get a high end AMD processor no matter what. It is much cheaper then Intel processors, but it can do a lot of damage. When buying an AMD processor you should look up the detailed review on that processor as it could not satisfy your needs. As for motherboards, you should get a motherboard that supports 3 way crossfire/SLI as you will need it later on, mostly because if you wish to run the newest games on the best possible experience you will need it. But you probably already know this.

Why didn’t you include any ASROCK or MSI motherboards?

Well this is a long story to say the least. Many years have passed since I last used a product used from MSI. When growing up, MSI is the easiest way to go as it is cheap due to that fact the products can be quite.. bad, to put it nicely. They lasted up to a maximum of 1-2 years and would either explode or die over time(many things do die overtime but only 1-2 years is not enough). So how do I know this? Well I used a lot of MSI products from power supplies to motherboards. In the most cases, it would do OK at the period when I bought the product, but after 1-2 years it would break or even worse, explode. A personal friend of mine had many issues with his MSI products. He had a lot of MSI power supplies and his main motherboard was an MSI. His power supply unit exploded which caused many issues regarding the price of the computer he had to change out and the fact that he had to actually re-paint the wall because it was black. OK, so he changes out the parts and once again bought another MSI power supply unit. The best part is this time it did not last for 1.5 years now it lasted for 3 months and exploded as well. Now, what are the chances of that happening? Well, they’re actually pretty high as MSI to PCs is the Notepad 7 to phones. This is only my personal experience though. I did check the reviews though. The MSI mobos are starting to improve and become better. They are getting good reviews but on an aspect of truly being the best, they are not even close to Asus or Gigabyte.

You might have an MSI motherboard or products and they are preforming extremely well, but personally I trust Asus and Gigabyte more and deem them to make better products than MSI.

ASRock has pretty well made products and I did own a few of them they performed nicely, but the reason they couldn’t get on this list was the fact that these are the top boards currently out there. And there was no more place remaining to place in an ASRock mobo. You might disagree with this, but lets face it, if I put five mobos that are legit the same motherboard but different makers, what would that look like? Granted I could be wrong though, it is mostly due to personal experience.

So basically there was no more place to put Asrock products and I still stand strong on the fact that MSI is not good enough to make it to the best motherboards out there at the moment. Will it change?  Maybe, but I can not say for certain.

Conclusion

So whether you use a Gigabyte, Asus, ASRock or similar produced motherboard, it is important to keep in mind that you might want to upgrade it at one point in your life. There are many motherboards which can future proof your build,  and many of these motherboards do fit in that category.

To put everything in perspective. These motherboards and processors are all top of the line at this given time and if you wish to buy one go ahead I am merely trying to give you suggestions and to guide you what to do.

I hope this article helped you out and made you pick the right motherboard for yourself. Good luck on your build and may Talos be with you.

Nedim SabicBest motherboards for gaming 2016/2017
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