Rasier

How does the RAIJINTEK Pallas Black stack up against the Zalman CNPS8900? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA66Z28G9982&cm_re=RAIJINTEK_Pallas-_-9SIA66Z28G9982-_-Product http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118126&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

If you're still around, I'm switching cases from the Fractal to the Lian Li PC-05 (http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-o5/). It's just better than the Fractal, and can definitely be used horizontally if I want or need to. It can also be hung on the wall. I may be able to squeeze enough room for a mini-ITX build to go on my desk without being used desktop-style, but I want options. Besides, Lian Li Superiority. IMO. How does the RAIJINTEK Pallas Black stack up against the Zalman CNPS8900? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118126&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Curufinwe_wins, much respect you are on point in this market. Thanks for your help. Very useful info on the X99 ITX boards. I know, I'm hesitant on putting my LCD on my case, they aren't made like they were ~25 years ago when they had 30lb CRTs on them. But I do miss those days and would like to return to that arrangement because it's so convenient. My setup is attached, slightly outdated as I have a VESA stand on that middle LCD now to have it as high up as the LCDs on the side. This is my clean, presentable photo- usually there's books etc on the desk too. With my new build I'd like to remove the VESA stand off that middle panel (it's a very heavy metal contraption that I would never put on any case) and use the case itself to raise it up. The support beam in the Fractal looks like it would prevent it from being an issue- but I agree about airflow. I've read that the 202 when placed on it's side doesn't get a lot of air from the bottom (for the GPU). My other option than the Fractal build is to buy the new Intel Skull Canyon NUC with a DisplayPort splitter, I'm very interested in that. Basically it's Fractal for VR, Skull Canyon for no VR. I would be very impressed if you can mount a Fractal 202 to the back of a VESA LCD mount. I would assume that would cause my Asus LCD to fall over, it's pretty wobbly with the stock base. The reason I'm looking into all this stuff is because I'm moving to a standing desk and will be placing a treadmill underneath. It should be about the same size tabletop as what I have in the photo, possibly a bit smaller. But I need to have my docking station / laptop, 3 LCDs, 2 mice, room for books. I could downsize the QCK Heavy to a standard QCK and get some space back. This desk is about 5.2'x2.6'. I'm not too crazy about the ITX cube cases, as they're poor for placing on the floor and awkward on the desk. So I'd like to do something like that NUC or Fractal if I can make it work in a space-saving way. My current case is a Lian Li and I would simply place it on the desk if I could do that.

I like the Koss PortaPro sound sig in general. I'm not sure what that means, but I've tried dozens of headphones from $10-$300 over the years and keep coming back to them for various reasons. I did -not- like the Sony MDR-V6's when I owned them over a decade ago- if that helps? Those are cheap and fairly well-reviewed closed headphones. I'm not a fan at all, too flat, reference, and studioish... kind of like Snoozeheisers which I also never liked (too laid back, not up front enough with the bass and low impact). Be nice to find a set of cheap closed backs that I can use in different situations, that have that impactful sound I prefer without being recessed or Sennheiser style. Between the Monoprice 8323 and 8324, I was hoping they were the same exact headphone but the 8324 being more comfortable. That's not the case, the 8324 is bassier and less balanced. So I'd probably go for the 8323 just to play it safe due to being so well-reviewed. All else fails, I'll pickup the Cloud in town and return it if it fails compared to the 8323.

What do you think about these 2? The Monoprice 8323 is on InnerFidelity's Wall of Fame for cheap sealed headphones. Anyone done a comparison between these and the rebranded Takstar Pro80s? I don't have a pair of sealed headphones, I'm a 60ohm Koss fan and use UR40s and have PortaPros but looking to pickup a great bang for buck sealed set for work and gaming. Thanks!

Thanks! It's for gaming and programming. I use a lot of VMs and other fairly intensive stuff that sucks up memory (locks it in fact so I lose 4GB chunks here and there, which is why I'm going with max 32GB). I don't really need more CPU power than even an i5 though, but wanted to step up to at least the i7 if I'm doing this. I have 3.5TB of self-powered USB hooked up to my router for mass storage and network sharing. That's where I put excess stuff. I've looked at the 5820K many times, I kind of forgot about it. But I think I lose Nvme support and have to take a slight stepback on latest and greatest. I build once every -very- rare while, my existing build was a very high end build back in 2009. It still runs like a champ because I have a Intel X25-M 160GB SSD ($600 at the time) among other high end parts from yesteryear that have been flawless many after many moons. I'm going to think about the 5820K though. Any opinions on the case or better alternatives? My biggest concern is if my ~12lb/5.4kg LCD will cause the case to bend or be a problem. It's been very difficult locating a good looking case that can be used in desktop form. The 202 is just about perfect, though has some reviews pointing to -horrible- temp problems. I'm hoping that's because they used it stock, without 2 fans near the GPU. Secondary concern is keeping it quiet as possible.

Anyone else?

Thanks! I'm very much willing to spend more. So any suggestions such as those Venturi fans are welcome. My budget isn't limited, I'm more limited by my choice of case. Any reasoning on the motherboard swapout? While I rarely have looked as Asrock over the years, that one looks pretty good.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/T2gN3C edit out SM951 SSD for 950 Pro PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($411.88 @ OutletPC) CPU Cooler: Silverstone AR05 40.2 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Amazon) Motherboard: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($159.99 @ SuperBiiz) Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($194.99 @ Amazon) Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($297.49 @ Micro Center) Case: Fractal Design Node 202 HTPC Case ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz) Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($117.99 @ Directron) Case Fan: Scythe SY1225DB12M-P 74.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($11.89 @ OutletPC) Case Fan: Scythe SY1225DB12M-P 74.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($11.89 @ OutletPC) Total: $1320.10 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-02 04:11 EST-0500 Waited a long time to build a new rig and 2016 is the year. Looking for opinions. I'll be placing my 27" ASUS VS278Q-P on top of the case. It has a support beam so I don't expect any bending or component damage. Moving back from a tower config to desktop-style to better accommodate a standing desk and easier cable management to my peripherals and 3 monitors. PCPartsPicker claimed I could use a Scythe Mugen Max with this case but I picked the Silverstone cooler because I don't believe that. No GPU included because I'm waiting for Polaris/Pascal and will put in the highest performance single GPU card to power a HTC Vive.

R9 390 is THE value for the money. At equal pricing or below a 970, get the 390. Only MSI or Sapphire IMO, I prefer MSI due to general reliability reputation and 3 year warranty vs Sapphires 2yr. Sapphire's Tri-X is a little better but not by much, they both have top tier coolers. It's a good point that you shouldn't buy a game on day 1. But I'll always buy Valve games on day one. Most everything else, no. But NV's day 1 drivers are a pretty great perk for those who play lots of different games. I have buddies that play tons of weird titles, and NV does seem to work better there. As far as your luck with NV, I've been PC gaming since 1986.. and while I've had dozens of video cards in that time, I've owned 11 NV cards, 2 ATI/AMD and 2 3dfx. I use whatever makes the most sense at the time (for example when the 5870 came out it was an absolute no-brainer and I bought one that day / launch day). I'm not brand loyal but lately using AMD, and had a lot of driver problems with NV cards years ago. They both have strong and weak periods of time if you use a single vendor long enough IMO. Video drivers are HARD. I'm a programmer by trade and do it everyday (not drivers). But ya, NV is good- but lately I've been hoping for people to buy more AMD so they don't go under (and they're the legit bang for buck champion today with the R9 390 8GB cards). That said, my next video card won't be a video card. Since I run 1080P/60hz I should be ok for the games I play with Kaby Lake Iris Pro or maybe even Skylake. I'm only buying another standalone card if I buy a VR headset. The days of the standalone 3D accelerator are over for me, probably more will follow..

That's what I did tonight. I also disabled Win10's ability to download/install drivers through System > Advanced System Settings > Hardware > Device Installation Settings. Not sure if that's going to stop it but we'll see.

I've considered going back to 7 but didn't want to throw in the towel too quickly. For now I did what my link recommended in the first post (Device Installation Settings). We'll see how that works out. I don't really need my machine to reach out and install drivers often or ever since nothing is changing, so it seems like a safe way to disable this. My nightmare scenario would then begin with Windows10 installing CCC but not the driver portion. For me, this didn't encourage me to go back to a (someday soon) obsolete version of Windows, but rather see it as encouragement to migrate towards console gaming and whatever games run on Linux Mint. I've ran Linux Mint as a daily driver before for gaming, and it's ok but still a lot of bugs and general hassle that doesn't exist on Windows. If enough people complain, Microsoft will fix this even if they continue to force other updates. I hope my solution works out.

I'm using my computer today and messing around in RS (Radeon Settings), it crashes and I laugh to myself thinking "oh the curse of ATI remains".. then I look and see in my toolbar that CCC is there and discover that Windows10 auto-installed an older driver and CCC alongside. What's the best way to disable this from happening? I found this and seems like the most likely answer. http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/916373-pc/72313113 How do you guys handle this yourselves? I don't want to hide the updates because a new one will come and install later anyway. I wish MS would just have a simple, specific option "don't download any drivers without asking".

I tried to fix the wall of text to be more readable. My budget is "best bang for buck". I make good money and have a large savings after having been in the workforce for a decade+ now, and willing to spend whatever is required to hit the peak of the price/performance metric. In my headphone research that was always the Koss PortaPro->Philips X2->Koss ESP-950. At least those were my 3 entry/mid/high end picks based on the value perspective. With amps/dacs, I'm willing to spend whatever is worthwhile purchasing. I want to see the biggest improvement for my money. It's weird to hear someone say I probably don't need a DAC or amp! But I was thinking that in the back of my mind. Perhaps I need to learn more here about USB audio. Doesn't USB audio ensure a digital signal to the outside of the case, meaning no interference is possible? I've always thought for years that USB audio was the best way to go concerning signal quality from a PC. Outside of maybe SPDIF which is also a digital output and should be just as clean? That said, I did read once that a guy was getting interference/noise from his USB bus. So I'm not sure.

Or, do I ever need one? The X2s are arriving within a week, I don't have them here yet. Things I'm considering- E10K: I really like the lineout on the E10K so I'm leaning there already. Schiit stack: I've also considered a standard Schiit stack. Schiit Magni 2 + Schiit Modi 2 combo. I looked at the Schiit Magni Uber amp which auto-mutes the preamp output, but looks OOS on Amazon. SoundBlaster Z: I'm not even sure at 35ohms if I even really need to bother with an amp, I could probably use my onboard or get a SoundBlaster Z. It really depends on bang for buck. I'm probably as concerned with how to mute the speakers as much as anything. I use my LCD's built-in speakers when not using headphones and I just plug them in and it mutes them. Of course the X2s will work the same way, but not with many amps. My buddy uses a SB Z + Schiit SPDIF Modi dac + Schiit Vali/Magni amp to his Beyer T1s and Denon AH-D5000s. I was thinking I can start with the SB Z. But, if I'm going to bother with anything DAC/soundcard related I'm kind of an anti-EMI interference minded man, and prefer to just go with USB audio all the way. Right now I'm thinking just leave my speakers plugged into my onboard audio, then use a software switcher to go from that to a Fiio E10K. Seems like the best method until/if I buy some speakers that have a power button on them, at which point I'd use the preout. At first though, I'm going to just plug them in as I do now- the front port audio. No volume adjustment issues to haggle with there. Simple. And I think the X2s will be pretty decent anyway through that (even though $300 headphones through the frontport is embarrassingly laughable, I realize that but we'll see if I care). I'm not sure yet so just wondering what some of you guys do and use. Excited for my upgrade, moving up from the (amazing and wholly worthy) Koss PortaPros. Thanks!