Month: March 2018

Those looking for some sweet deals on PC hardware are in luck as Amazon has launched a sale that covers pre-built systems, gaming monitors, headsets, keyboards, mice, and core components (CPUs, a PSU, and storage drives). These deals offer deep discounts and you can check out everything that is included in this Amazon sale here.

While there aren’t any reasonably priced video cards, given their skyrocketed value due to cryptocurrency mining, there are other options to get your hands on a new gaming PC without breaking the bank. The Acer Predator Helios 300 packs a 6GB GTX 1060 video card with 16GB of RAM and an Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU for $950 ($150 off). MSI has its own offering with a thin profile laptop equipped with a GTX 1050 Ti, i7-7700HQ, and 8GB of RAM for $800 ($300 off). CyberPowerPC’s Game Master desktop comes with a Ryzen 7 1700X CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an AMD RX 580 for $800 ($230 off).

There are plenty of monitors to choose from whether you’re ready for 4K resolution or want to go with a high refresh rate panel. ViewSonic has a simple 22-inch 1080p monitor for $95 ($25 off), a 27-inch 1080p 144Hz monitor with FreeSync for $280 ($60 off), and a very fast 25-inch 1080p 240Hz FreeSync monitor for $320 ($130 off). Acer is offering a 27-inch 1080p 144Hz FreeSync display for $220 and 28-inch 4K monitor with FreeSync for $280 ($70 off).

If you’re in the market for new peripherals, a Ffew of these headsets, keyboards, or mice might catch your eye. Logitech’s G233 Prodigy is going for $40.37 ($39.63 off) and G633 Artemis Spectrum is at $70 ($80 off); Razer has its Kraken 7.1 V2 headset at $75 ($25 off). The HyperX Alloy Elite RGB keyboard with Cherry MX Blue switches is at $130 ($40 off), and Razer’s Blackwidow X Chroma Mercury Edition with clicky Razer Green switches are going for $120 ($30 off). Logitech is offering the G610 Orion Red keyboard with Cherry MX red swithes for only $60 ($60 off) and the wireless G613 mechanical keyboard with Romer-G switches for just $70 ($80 off). The Corsair M65 Pro RGB mouse is currently $40 ($20 off) while the Razer Lancehead Tournament Mercury Edition is $60 ($20 off).

Last but not least, a few core components are also cheap right now. The high-end Intel Core i7-7700K CPU currently is currently on sale for $280 ($70 off) and the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 six-core CPU is at $150 ($40 off). Asus’ ROG Crosshair VI Hero motherboard for AM4 CPUs is going for $200 ($60 off). EVGA’s 650-watt SuperNOVA 80+ Gold power supply can be snagged for $70 ($40 off). M.2 NVMe solid-state drives tend to be quite expensive, but both the 256GB and 512GB versions of the WD Black SSD are $80 ($28 off) and $153 ($47 off), respectively. If you’re looking for a portable hard drive, both WD 2TB MyPassport X for $63 ($57 off) and WD 4TB MyPassport $120 ($10 off) are good options.

In addition to systems, monitors, peripherals, and core components, the Elgato Stream Deck is currently $100 ($50 off); this device is a handy tool for streamers and video producers. Plenty of high-end routers can also be seen in the full sale page on Amazon. You can see all the items laid out in the listing below:

Systems

• MSI GL62M 7 Rex Laptop – $800
• CyberPowerPC Gamer Master Desktop – $800
• Acer Predator Helios 300 Laptop – $949

Monitors

• 22-inch ViewSonic 1080p VX2252MH – $95
• 27-inch Acer KG271 1080p 144Hz with FreeSync – $220
• 28-inch Acer KG281K 4K with FreeSync – $280
• 27-inch ViewSonic 1080p 144Hz XG2701 with FreeSync – $280
• 25-inch ViewSonic 1080p 240Hz with FreeSync – $320

Headsets

• Logitech G233 Prodigy – $40.37
• Logitech G633 Artemis Spectrum – $70
• Razer Kraken 7.1 V2 – $75

Keyboards

• Logitech G610 Orion Red – $60
• Logitech G613 Wireless Mechanical – $70
• Razer Blackwidow X Chroma Mercury Edition – $120
• HyperX Alloy Elite RGB, Cherry MX Blue – $130

Mice

• Corsair M65 Pro RGB – $40
• Razer Invicta Mercury Edition mousepad – $50
• Razer Lancehead Tournament Mercury Edition – $60

CPUs, Motherboard, PSU

• EVGA SuperNOVA 650-watt 80+ Gold power supply – $70
• AMD Ryzen 5 1600 – $150
• Asus ROG Crosshair VI Hero AM4 motherboard – $200
• Intel Core i7-7700K – $280

Drives

• WD MyPassport X 2TB External HDD USB 3.0 – $63
• WD Black 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD – $80
• WD MyPassport 4TB External HDD USB 3.0 – $120
• WD Black 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD – $153

Miscellaneous

• Elgato Stream Deck – $100
• Linksys AC1200 MAX WiFi Range Extender – $60
• Linksys AC1900 Dual Band Wireless Router – $105
• Netgear R7500-200NAS Nighthawk X4 Router – $140
• Linksys WRT AC3200 Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Router – $180

Far Cry 5‘s release is upon us, and like its most recent predecessor, it’s available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. While the game features PS4 Pro and Xbox One X enhancements, as always the top-tier visual experience will be had on PC–though you’ll need some high-end hardware to make that happen.

In the video above, you can see Far Cry 5 running at Ultra settings on PC, which is as high as you crank things up. (We’ll have a 4K version coming soon for those with a display to check that out.) You’ll get to see a wide range of gameplay, as we deal with an outpost, do some driving, and then take part in a story mission where you have to defend a prison.

Far Cry 5 supports a broad range of hardware on PC; Ubisoft provides a set of minimum requirements that will let you run the game at 720p on Low presets with an i5-2400 or FX-6300 and a GTX 670 or R9 270. However, for a 4K 60 FPS experience, you’ll need far more (which is a pricey proposition, thanks to cryptocurrency): Ubisoft recommends an i7-6700K or Ryzen 7 1700X and a GTX 1080 SLI or RX Vega 56 CFX. You can see the full list of required and recommended specs below.

For more on what to expect from the new FPS, you can check out our Far Cry 5 review-in-progress. We’ve also got a set of tips you should know before starting and a breakdown of the game’s microtransactions, which are fairly innocuous.

Far Cry 5 PC Specs And Requirements

Minimum Configuration

• OS: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only)
• CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 @ 3.1 GHz or AMD FX-6300 @ 3.5 GHz or equivalent
• Video Card:: Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 or AMD R9 270 (2GB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0 or better)
• RAM: 8GB
• Resolution: 720p
• Video Preset: Low

Recommended Configuration (60 FPS)

• OS: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only)
• CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 @ 3.4 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 @ 3.2 GHz or equivalent
• Video Card:: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or AMD R9 290X (4GB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0 or better)
• RAM: 8GB
• Resolution: 1080p
• Video Preset: High

4K 30 FPS Configuration

• OS: Windows 10 (64-bit version only)
• CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 @ 3.4 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X @ 3.6 GHz or equivalent
• Video Card:: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 or AMD RX Vega 56 (8GB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0 or better)
• RAM: 16GB
• Resolution: 2160p
• Video Preset: High

4K 60 FPS Configuration

• OS: Windows 10 (64-bit version only)
• CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K @ 4.0 GHz or AMD Ryzen 7 1700X @ 3.4 GHz or equivalent
• Video Card:: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 SLI or AMD RX Vega 56 CFX (8GB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0 or better)
• RAM: 16GB
• Resolution: 2160p
• Video Preset: High/Ultra

Supported Nvidia cards at time of release

• GeForce GTX600 series: GeForce GTX670 or better
• GeForce GTX700 series: GeForce GTX760 or better
• GeForce GTX900 series: GeForce GTX950 or better
• GeForce GTX10-Series: GeForce GTX1050 or better

Supported AMD cards at time of release

• Radeon 200 series: Radeon R9 270 or better
• Radeon 300/Fury X series: Radeon R7 370 or better
• Radeon 400 series: Radeon RX 460 or better
• Radeon Vega series: any Radeon Vega series

Anyone who pays attention to the PC world knows that there are so many new games that release on computers every week, and aside from the really huge releases, it’s hard to tell whether you might enjoy something or not. That’s where STEAM PUNKS comes in–we’re taking some of that guesswork away, and showing you the best hidden gems we find.

This week, Edmond takes a look at unforgiving shooter Synthetik, a rougelite where firing your gun is the hardest, and most satisfying part of the game. He also throws some spare change at mech strategy/shooter hybrid Armed to the Gears, and we ponder the perceptions of cost being an indication of quality.

Speaking of cost and quality, Jess plays free adventure game Traum and has a great, if not horrifying, time. She then gets slothful with her own hybrid pick of Lazy Galaxy, an RTS/idle clicker mashup that is taking unattended computers across the galaxy by storm!

Have you been playing any fantastic new PC games that we missed? We want to hear about them! Let us know on Twitter: @EdmondTran + @JessMcDonell

Steam store links: Synthetik | Armed to the Gears | Traum | Lazy Galaxy

Each month, Netflix’s original programming library grows by leaps and bounds. However, with the good comes the bad. As streaming agreements end, a long list of movies and TV shows is pulled from the service every month.

April is no different, and some of these movies leaving Netflix are going to hurt. The most notable titles departing the service are Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin. Though the four films encapsulate the law of diminishing returns perfectly–with 1997’s Batman & Robin widely considered the worst film adventure for the Caped Crusader yet–having them all in one place for a massive binge is comforting. Instead, you’ll just have to make due watching Tommy Wiseau’s Joker audition tape several dozen times.

Other titles leaving Netflix include 30 Days of Night, American Pie, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Pursuit of Happyness. Additionally, the comedy special John Mulaney: New in Town will be departing on April 1, with the Banksy documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop disappearing on April 22.

You can take a look at everything leaving Netflix in April below. After that, take a look at everything the service is adding for the month, as well as what Amazon Prime Video is bringing to the table.

Leaving Netflix in April

April 1

• 30 Days Of Night
• 88 Minutes
• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
• Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
• American Pie
• American Pie 2
• Apollo 13
• Batman
• Batman & Robin
• Batman Forever
• Batman Returns
• Caddyshack
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Cool Runnings
• Death Sentence
• Dolphin Tale
• Eagle vs. Shark
• John Mulaney: New in Town
• Never Let Me Go
• Set Up
• Small Soldiers
• The Dukes of Hazzard
• The Men Who Stare at Goats
• The Pursuit of Happyness
• The Shawshank Redemption
• The Whole Nine Yards
• Wild Wild West

April 3

• Starry Eyes

April 5

• The Hallow
• The Nightingale

April 12

• The Emperor’s New Clothes

April 15

• Happy Tree Friends
• Leap Year

April 16

• Son of God

April 17

• Z Storm

April 20

• The Exorcism of Molly Hartley

April 21

• The Prestige

April 22

• Exit through the Gift Shop

April 26

• Kung Fu Panda 3

April 27

• Begin Again

We kick off our list by honoring Final Fantasy VII, Super Mario Odyssey, and many more!

Nintendo, EA, and other companies have already confirmed a few games that’ll be at this year’s E3.

Far Cry 5 has a crazy number of physical and digital goodies spread out across several different collector’s editions. We’ve broken them all down right here.

At the end of the March 19 episode of Raw, WWE debuted one of the best and weirdest things the company has ever produced: The Ultimate Deletion. For those who watch Raw on a DVR, you may have missed the entire event, as Ultimate Deletion ran almost 15 minutes after the Monday night show was supposed to end. Luckily, WWE has finally posted the entire segment, uncut, on YouTube, which you can see below.

In the video, Bray Wyatt heads to the Hardy compound to fight Matt Hardy. However, Wyatt must deal with Vanguard One, a drone that can project a holographic image of Hardy; the Mower of Lawns, a lawnmower; and Skarsgard, a dilapidated boat that’s painted gold. The insane match took place in numerous locations throughout Hardy’s property, two of which had wrestling rings. All of this happened over the span of 17 minutes.

Believe it or not, the segment, which wasn’t nearly as slick or polished as the rest of WWE’s productions, tied together the past couple of years of Bray Wyatt’s storylines. Wrestlers and fans alike loved the piece, which helped give Bray Wyatt a push in the right direction.

The Ultimate Deletion was a new spin on the Matt Hardy/Jeff Hardy segment Final Deletion from 2016, which originally aired on TNA Impact. Playing off the once “broken” now “woken” Matt Hardy character, both segments take the viewer on a trip through his bizarre world. Essentially, these videos are pure fun and a breath of fresh air to the wrestling industry, which–at times–can take itself a bit too seriously.

There is no news yet as to what’s going to happen to Bray Wyatt or if we’ll get more Deletion videos, but the March 26 episode of Raw should shed some light on what’s to come, leading into Wrestlemania.