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TombstoneTV’s “Siege Engine” Build

Posted on by yetieater in Projects

TombstoneTV wanted to build a gaming rig primarily for Rainbow Six Siege. This was TombstoneTV’s first build: he received significant input from Rainbow Six Siege gamers on the /r/Rainbow6 Discord server.

He initially approached me with a build list totaling $921.21, inclusive of a Logitech G303 Daedalus Apex (Amazon.com)

I offered my feedback for his consideration, details of which accompany the final parts list provided below:

Final Parts List

CPU: Intel Core i5-7600

Intel’s Core i5-7600 (Amazon.com) is a Kaby Lake processor built on the 14nm manufacturing process. This part was retained from initial parts list to final build.

Motherboard: MSI B250 PC MATE

The MSI B250 PC MATE (Amazon.com) made it from initial parts selection to final build. I considered cutting it for a cheaper board if needed. Note that the Intel B250 chipset is designed for Kaby Lake processors

RAM: 8GB Kingston HyperX Fury Black DDR4-2133

Initially, TombstoneTV’s build was specced for 16GB (2*8GB) Team Dark DDR4-2400 with timings of 14-16-16-31 (TDGED416G2400HC14DC01, Newegg.com).

I advised TombstoneTV to right-size his build. I suggested 8GB (2*4GB) of DDR4-2133 with tight timings, and found a suitable kit from Kingston (HX421C14FBK2/8, Amazon.com, Datasheet).

He ultimately selected a single 8GB module (HX421C14FB/8, Amazon.com), losing the benefits of running dual-channel šŸ™ Live and learn, I supposeā€¦

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5″ 7200RPM HDD

TombstoneTV’s build sheet initially featured a PNY CS1311 120GB SSD (Amazon.com) in addition to a Seagate FireCuda 1TB 7200RPM Hybrid HDD (ST1000DX002, Amazon.com). I knew that he would be better-served by a higher-capacity SSD. The only question was finding the room to upgrade the SSD given budgetary constraints, and I eyed the Seagate FireCuda for the chopping block. I asked whether the FireCuda could go, given that TombstoneTV wasn’t intending to use the rig for media storage (he streams most of his content).

Fortunately, TombstoneTV told me that he already had a 2TB external drive hooked up to his Xbox One, and that he could pull the drive for use in his build. He was certain that his external drive was an SSD (I thought it highly implausible).

His rig is running on spinning disks only at this point, but so be it. An SSD and a clean OS installation can always come later.

Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

Not much to say on this one – the PNY GeForce GTX 1060 6GB (VCGGTX10606PB, Amazon.com) came recommended to TombstoneTV, and I left it alone. If I were selecting a graphics card for personal use, I’d research more deeply into which GTX 1060 6GB were best – at this time, I don’t know how PNY’s GTX 1060 6GB compares against the field.

Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case

TombstoneTV picked out the Deepcool TESSERACT BF (Amazon.com) in his initial parts listing. I’ve never used Deepcool in the past, but it looked alright from the pictures, so I didn’t push him towards any of the established players. I personally feel that a solid computer case is worth investing in, because it can always be recycled for a future build.

PSU: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular

The SeaSonic G 550W (SSR-550RM, Amazon.com) power supply made it to the final parts list. Given that the build is going into a mid-tower case, I didn’t push for a fully-modular PSU.

Post-Build

TombstoneTV reported, “I’m genuinely happy. This runs Siege in 100fps on high”

The machine is outputting to an ASUS VG248QE 24″ 1080p 144Hz monitor (Amazon.com).

I asked that TombstoneTV run 3DMark – he came back with 3DMark Time Spy results:

3DMark Time Spy Results

Graphics Test 1: 33.45 FPS
Graphics Test 2: 30.43 FPS
Graphics Score: 4027

CPU Test: 22.10 FPS
CPU Score: 3951

Reminder to Self

Posted on by yetieater in Thoughts

I wanted to be a streamer’s streamer – the SayWallahBruh to GernaderJake

I’ve got to show them how to do the things that they do regularly, so that the fitness of all streamers increases

That means that I need to work with weaker members of my fireteam and gently shape their in-game behavior, helping them to break their habits

Need to break my own in-game habits in order to keep developing as a player

How to Record Your Twitch Broadcasts for Later Review

Posted on by yetieater in Guides

Take advantage of Twitch’s Videos On Demand (VOD) system and automatically archive broadcasts

By default, Twitch doesn’t save your previous broadcasts. To enable automatic archiving of broadcasts:

  1. Visit your “Channel & Videos” tab
  2. Tick the checkbox next to Archive Broadcasts

Twitch will retain your past broadcasts at https://www.twitch.tv/USERNAME/videos/past-broadcasts

Regular broadcasters will have their broadcasts saved for two weeks, while Turbo subscribers (Twitch Prime included!) and Partners enjoy 60-day storage. During this time you can create highlights from your broadcasts and export your VODs directly to YouTube by visiting the Video Manager at https://www.twitch.tv/USERNAME/manager/

and/or record locally

Beware that working with video is resource-intensive.

Sources
https://help.twitch.tv/customer/portal/articles/1575302-videos-on-demand

Consoles Should Offer Native Support for Mice and Keyboards

Posted on by yetieater in Opinions

I get it – console gamers who swear by their controllers hate on guys like me. They think that using a keyboard and mouse in console gaming is cheating, and that everyone should use controllers.

However, these same individuals often agree that the mouse and keyboard are the more competitive choice for FPS games. “Precision aim with a mouse is easy; controllers,” they say, “take skill to master.” Why they choose to hold onto their controllers with sweaty palms when it’s so easy (and affordable!) to upgrade to the more competitive option is beyond my comprehension.

I like that consoles feature standardized hardware for a more consistent experience, and the wealth of options for modifying controllers is astounding. It’s all done with an eye toward making a better experience for the end user. Console developers should go all the way by offering native support for mice and keyboards. I mean true 1:1 support across all titles.

Consider this: consoles already offer native support for driving wheels, like the Logitech G920 for Xbox One (MSRP $399.99, Amazon.com) and the Logitech G29 (MSRP $399.99, Amazon.com) for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

Such a move could benefit console manufacturers and game developers alike by swinging PC gamers over to console gaming, driving up sales of titles and hardware.

It would also increase the skill gap in competitive games.

Gamers with accessibility needs might fare better, too.

Finally, it would provide an environment for competitive gaming where it would be technically infeasible for the real cheaters to cheat.

The best part? Console manufacturers have been signaling that native mouse support is in the pipeline.

Microsoft has been making moves to open up the Xbox to do just this. In an interview with PCGamesN at E3 2016, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer had this to say:

When we enable PC and mouse on console it’ll be interesting to see how many of those creators think about running their PC and mouse-only game on console, and then this idea of Play Anywhere might get even more interesting for those guys

Sony’s PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 also support mouse and keyboard as evidenced by Final Fantasy XIV. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any first-person shooters on the PlayStation that offer native support for mouse.

It’s only a matter of time, but mastery waits for no one. If you game on a console, you can start using a keyboard + mouse setup today.

Need more convincing?

Check out my article: why mouse and keyboard?