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The first section is devoted to notible hardware of every sort, detailing things which have caught my eye in the past few months as top-value or top-want items, as well as a few classics for everyone.
The second section will detail custom-built PCs in five catagories at three price points each; Price efficiency, sound efficiency, LAN, HTPC, and workstation.
The final section will detail my top 5 smartphone picks for this holliday season in the following catagories; Sub-$200, sub-$400, top performance, top comfort, and maximum durability.
Let us begin with the Hardware picks of 2013! (With more sections available upon request.)
Case:
Low budget
Corsair Carbide r200
One of the cases I most regularly recommend, and my favorite budget case to build in. The case cools well, has ample room for large tower heatsinks, is quiet, and has many features that make for an easy build, from factory mounted standoffs, tooless assembly, and ample cable routing room and holes. At $50-70 depending on vendor, this is a great buy for a case for any entry-level build.
High budget
NZXT Phantom 530
A step up from the original Phantom series for only $10 more, the Phantom 530 gives great options in both cooling, low-noise, and offering "more than just a box" aesthetics. High quality construction and a variety of features at a good value in comparison to other full sized towers makes this my top end choice as a non-excessive case, as anything more than this and it stands to reason you are spending money for little return.
GPU:
Performance
AMD R9 290 (non-X)
Offering the same performance as a Geforce Titan, and similar performance to a Geforce GTX 780 Ti with a proper cooler, the 290 is an amazing offer at $400. Add in the bridgeless Crossfire scaling and performance with nearly no microstutter found in the 290 series, and it is very hard to beat this card, though if you can, it would be best to either wait till OEM coolers are available, unless you want to buy an aftermarket cooler yourself, as the sub-par reference cooler is the only detracting mark for this GPU. While not holding the pure performance crown, the price and performance both with and without crossfire give it my top pick for performance oriented buyers.
Value
AMD R9 270
Offering slightly better performance for the same price as the older Radeon HD 7870, the 270 is a great card, with one added boon over the old generation, which is the bridgeless crossfire capabilities as seen in the 290 series, and something to note for anyone considering a multi-GPU config. If you play a lot of games with crossfire support, two of these may well be a better option for you than higher-end cards.
Heasink:
Low budget
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo
The go-to budget cooler for many, it offers great performance / price at a low cost.
Medium budget
Coolermaster TPC 612
My favorite cooler overall in terms of value, the 612 offers performance on par with many $80 and $90 coolers from other companies, and performing on par with single rad closed-loop watercoolers. At $50, it can't be beat, and if it can be afforded over the 212, I highly recommend it for anyone who is considering overclocking.
High budget
Phanteks PH-TC14PE
The air-cooling performance champion, this massive beast is also often on sale at various vendors for as little as $70 at times, and even at it's normal cost of $100, it offers color choice on top of performance that beats anything that isn't a dual 140 closed rad or a custom water loop.
TIM
GELID GC-Extreme
My go-to pick for thermal paste, at the top of the pile in thermal performance, it also has the pros of having no cureing time, lasting years on end with little to no loss of performance, and being non-electrically conductive.
Mice
Low-budget
iHOME FastTrack Laser
At $15, it is hard to beat this mouse. It is very comfortable, rugged, and offering many features that one may be suprised to find at this price. This wired mouse has a three-stage physical DPI switch on-board, which is it's most noticeable feature, aside from it's exceptionally low friction feet. From a personal review basis; It was my go-to mouse for quite some time (two years) and is very comfortable, although the red is only a thin coating and will wear off over time. Also of note for those living in the USA, this mouse has gone on sale for as little as $5 at Kmart in-store, and is $7 on a regular basis (usually one week each month.)
High-budget
Corsair Vengeance M65
This mouse is my go-to mouse in terms of performance, durability, and utility. While not offering the sheer number of buttons as many MMO-oriented gaming mice, the M65 is a better all-round option, with the sniper button being great for use in both shooters and when working in digital art or AutoCAD. The metal frame ensures it's durability, and it is comfortable for both claw or palm grip use. Corsair's great customer service and warranty also back this mouse as an added bonus, and at $70 average, is not excessively priced.
Section 2: (In Progress - Have patience while this section is being worked on)
Value
$600
Case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811147159
Power Supply: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817153172
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813130679
CPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819113286
GPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814131524
RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820104360
HDD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136769
ODD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827106289
OS: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16832116986
Heatsink: stock
TIM: stock
Combo Deals: http://www.newegg.co...4791.13-130-679 , http://www.newegg.co...t=Combo.1488953
$900
Case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811139025
Power Supply: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817153172
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128519
CPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819113285
GPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814127685
RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820104360
HDD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136769
ODD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827106289
OS: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16832116986
Heatsink: stock
TIM: stock
Combo Deals:
$1200
Case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811139025
Power Supply: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817139051
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128514
CPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819113285
GPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814202060
RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231548
HDD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822148840
ODD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827106289
OS: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16832116986
Heatsink: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835103185
TIM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835426020
Combo Deals:
$1500
Case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811146127
Power Supply: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817139051
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157358
CPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819113346
GPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814202060
RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231548
SSD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820147247
HDD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822148840
ODD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827106289
OS: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16832116986
Heatsink: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835709004
TIM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835426020
Combo Deals:
Sound
$600
Case: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811146075
Power supply: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817182261
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157448
CPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116950
GPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814131481
RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820104360
HDD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136769
ODD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827106289
OS: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16832116986
Heatsink: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835226049
TIM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835426020
$900
Case:
Power supply:
Motherboard:
CPU:
GPU:
RAM:
HDD:
ODD:
OS:
Heatsink:
TIM:
$1200
Case:
Power supply:
Motherboard:
CPU:
GPU:
RAM:
HDD:
ODD:
OS:
Heatsink:
TIM:
$1500
Case:
Power supply:
Motherboard:
CPU:
GPU:
RAM:
HDD:
ODD:
OS:
Heatsink:
TIM:
Section 3:
Sub-$200 (off contract): Alcatel Onetouch Fierce
The Alcatel One Touch Fierce is a easily-available smartphone, for a price of $120-150 at most vendors. With it's quad-core A7 low-power processor, it is the first budget phone I could buy at any old Walmart, Target, or other common retailor that I didn't notice much lag of any sorts on. While not a match in performance to on-contract phones of a similar price, it holds it's own with overall performance on par to early 2012 flagships. The camera is good-enough for day to day use, though the quality of such photos is overall lacking. The phone itself is lightweight and the battery lasts for 14 hours with moderate use. (defining as following; all antennae and services on, as well as skype continually updating, 1 hour internet use, 10 phone calls each lasting five minutes or less. Texting throughout the day.) The 4.5 inch screen is comfortable to use one-handed while still offering a good media experience with it's mildly oversturated qHD screen.
Sub-$400 (off contract): LG-Google Nexus 5
Well, Google did it again. A low-cost off-contract fully flagship phone, now available in 32GB of chocolaty KitKat flavor. With it's on-board Snapdragon 800 processor, it sits near the top of the performance charts, much as last year's Nexus 4 did. It is however, a large phone, and difficult to use purely one-handed. Screen, battery, camera, and speakers are also all a step-above last year's budget champion. Though unfortunatly, it is hard to get your hands on them like the initial case of the Nexus 4, at least at Google's pricing.
Top performance: Oppo N1
A relative newcomer to the smartphone market, Oppo has enetered a partnership of sorts with Cyanogenmod, and on this phone, of note is said modified OS available from factory. This aside, the N1 is a top-end Phablet, with a Snapdragon 800, top-end 13MP camera that swings for front-facing use, a steel frame, and large battery. The speaker is also of above-average quality. Overall, this is the phone to beat in the near future in terms of raw power, though the sheer size of the phone prevents any notions of using it in only one hand, and the price tag of $750 off contract for no noticeable performance boost in areas outside of battery life and camera quality over the Nexus 5 leaves it in the realm of luxury, as for $500, you could get a Nexus 5, external battery, and stand-alone camera which would leave the N1 in the dust in terms of overall performance at a discount of $250.
Top comfort: HTC One Mini
With soft-touch easily gripped plastic sides, and unibody aluminum construction with a near-gapless frame, the HTC One mini is a joy to hold, fully useable with a single hand. Stereo speakers are a nice touch by HTC, and the camera is a great camera in the terms that it will relieably take a clear picture in nearly every situation with it's exceptionally fast shutter time and low-light clarity, though outside of it's reliability the quality of images can best be described as just "good-enough." The screen is clear with great quality, however, and the media experience and battery life are both above average.
Top Durability: Kyocera Torque
While not matching any other phone on this list in terms of performance or comfort in any field, if durability is what you're looking for, this is the phone to go to. In my research and personal testing, this phone can simply put up with more punishment than any other smartphone I have yet to see.
Edited by Vulpesveritas, 22 November 2013 - 03:02 PM.
