rondocap

I'd like to share my impressions of the different headphones and headsets I have tried for gaming recently. Like many of you, I am always on the hunt for the "best" sound and experience, for gaming and music. 
 
First, the conventional wisdom is that a real headphone, like the Audio Technica m50x, will sound better as headsets are generally lower quality. I know the M50x are not ideal headphones because they are not open back for gaming, but they are very good all around headphones and provide a good comparison. 
 
For test purposes, I am running an X299 Aorus Gaming 3 motherboard, which has on board 7.1, but I also have a Sound Blaster ZX 5.1 card. 
 
Games tested include Battlefield 1 (Best audio experience IMO), Rise of Tomb Raider, CS:GO, Quake Champions, Doom, Witcher 3, Crysis 3, League of Legends, etc. 
 
I'll listen them from worst to best:
 
4th: Razer Tiamat 7.1 V2: This has just been released and is an update to the first Tiamat. Not much hype online or reviews about it, and I think I know why. Tested with onboard audio, which sounded terrible, and then used 2 recommend sound cards - Asus DSG 7.1 and Sound Blaster ZX. Messing with various sound and EQ settings did not produce any agreeable results. Positional audio seemed OK, but the audio quality was tinny, distant, and honestly very disappointing. Also the control unit it comes with is just a - big - mess - of - cables. 
 
Verdict: I returned this $199 headset for a refund. Other reviews from users also seem to indicate poor quality in audio, I suspect "real drivers" degrade actual audio quality while trying to boost positional audio. 
 
3rd: Razer Kraken 7.1 V2: For only $79 (Sale), I found this to be adequate and had decent (not great) sound for gaming and 7.1 virtual surround. 
 
Verdict: Can provide decent enough audio experience, but terrible for music. Gaming 7.1 is OK. Really dislike Razer Synapse having to be running in background. Build quality good, but decided to keep searching. 
 
1st and 2nd: Audio Technica m50x and Logitech G933: This is a tough one, why I have kept both. I have switched back and forth between both while playing a game, to test the difference. 
 
A few points: 
 
a:) For music, M50x is much better. G933 was surprisingly OK for music for a headset, though.
b.) m50x sounds best with SBX or similar virtual surround like from the Sound blaster ZX card in games, while G933 7.1 DTS sounds really good. 
c.) Positional gaming audio seemed better on G933, even if audio quality was slightly worse than M50x. 
d.) In open world games like BF1, tomb raider, G933 sounded better with DTS 7.1. In FPS games like Quake or Doom, 7.1 did not sound as good, where possibly the M50x may be slightly better.
e.) G933 is wireless, which is nice having that freedom. Battery life is only OK. RGB looks cool. 
f.) In terms of comfort, G933 can feel a bit tight after a while, but so can the m50x. 
g.) G933 blocks more sound than the M50x, but both are no where near close my Bose QC35 with active noise cancelling. 

No.  There will be no scenario where a 7700k will be able to hit 100fps @ 3440x1440 and your 7800x won't.

7800x is a lot better for gaming.

So I have an Intel 7800x, with an Aorus 3 gaming x299 motherboard. 
 
I upgraded from an i7 7700k and Asus Strix z270e. 
 
 So far, I am very happy with the 7800x - very stable and runs really cool. My 7700k would always hit near 80''s under heavy load, and idle around 27-30, the 7800x barely goes over 60 and idles around 19-22 with the same liquid cooler.
 
I'm using push/pull fans on a H70 - cools it very well.  
 
Only issue I've had so far is SLI, 2x GTX 1080FE were not performing in x299 - so I replaced them with a single 1080ti Asus Strix card. Shockingly good, I doubt I'll go back to SLI on 1440p unless I get a 4k monitor and they fix the SLI issues.
 
 
Ive been playing Tomb Raider and Battlefield 1, but I also use the computer for work so it's not only for gaming or else I would have kept the 7700k. (And of course, who doesn't like new tech!)
 
Easily hitting 100+FPS on Tomb Raider and BF1 with the 1080ti with everything set to ultra, and higher scaled resolutions (BF 125%) at 1440p, at 175% I get around 70FPS on ultra) 
 
As for the Aorus 3 motherboard itself - I think it's great, no issues. It's simple, does exactly what I want it to. Not as snazzy as the Asus z270e board with the software and features, but I mainly uninstall all of that software anyway and just do fan control within bios. IMO these boards should come with at least 10 USB ports though. 
 
I know that Intel is getting a lot of heat lately, and Ryzen is definitely a better value - but the 7800x in context is a very good processor at $399. I will be doing a second build with threadripper eventually, as that is definitely taking the spotlight right now. 

So I have an Intel 7800x, with an Aorus 3 gaming x299 motherboard. 
 
I upgraded from an i7 7700k and Asus Strix z270e. 
 
 So far, I am very happy with the 7800x - very stable and runs really cool. My 7700k would always hit near 80''s under heavy load, and idle around 27-30, the 7800x barely goes over 60 and idles around 19-22 with the same liquid cooler.
 
I'm using push/pull fans on a H70 - cools it very well.  
 
Only issue I've had so far is SLI, 2x GTX 1080FE were not performing in x299 - so I replaced them with a single 1080ti Asus Strix card. Shockingly good, I doubt I'll go back to SLI on 1440p unless I get a 4k monitor and they fix the SLI issues.
 
 
Ive been playing Tomb Raider and Battlefield 1, but I also use the computer for work so it's not only for gaming or else I would have kept the 7700k. (And of course, who doesn't like new tech!)
 
Easily hitting 100+FPS on Tomb Raider and BF1 with the 1080ti with everything set to ultra, and higher scaled resolutions (BF 125%) at 1440p, at 175% I get around 70FPS on ultra) 
 
As for the Aorus 3 motherboard itself - I think it's great, no issues. It's simple, does exactly what I want it to. Not as snazzy as the Asus z270e board with the software and features, but I mainly uninstall all of that software anyway and just do fan control within bios. IMO these boards should come with at least 10 USB ports though. 
 
I know that Intel is getting a lot of heat lately, and Ryzen is definitely a better value - but the 7800x in context is a very good processor at $399. I will be doing a second build with threadripper eventually, as that is definitely taking the spotlight right now. 

So I have an Intel 7800x, with an Aorus 3 gaming x299 motherboard. 
 
I upgraded from an i7 7700k and Asus Strix z270e. 
 
 So far, I am very happy with the 7800x - very stable and runs really cool. My 7700k would always hit near 80''s under heavy load, and idle around 27-30, the 7800x barely goes over 60 and idles around 19-22 with the same liquid cooler.
 
I'm using push/pull fans on a H70 - cools it very well.  
 
Only issue I've had so far is SLI, 2x GTX 1080FE were not performing in x299 - so I replaced them with a single 1080ti Asus Strix card. Shockingly good, I doubt I'll go back to SLI on 1440p unless I get a 4k monitor and they fix the SLI issues.
 
 
Ive been playing Tomb Raider and Battlefield 1, but I also use the computer for work so it's not only for gaming or else I would have kept the 7700k. (And of course, who doesn't like new tech!)
 
Easily hitting 100+FPS on Tomb Raider and BF1 with the 1080ti with everything set to ultra, and higher scaled resolutions (BF 125%) at 1440p, at 175% I get around 70FPS on ultra) 
 
As for the Aorus 3 motherboard itself - I think it's great, no issues. It's simple, does exactly what I want it to. Not as snazzy as the Asus z270e board with the software and features, but I mainly uninstall all of that software anyway and just do fan control within bios. IMO these boards should come with at least 10 USB ports though. 
 
I know that Intel is getting a lot of heat lately, and Ryzen is definitely a better value - but the 7800x in context is a very good processor at $399. I will be doing a second build with threadripper eventually, as that is definitely taking the spotlight right now.