COMPETITIVE HARDWARE

Desktop vs laptop
A desktop build is a must for performance
Although new laptops have come a long way, they still thermal throttle
Laptops also have limited bios settings most of the time

Motherboards
I highly recommend a good top end motherboard with good vrm and cooling
Check real reviews of boards from experts so you know what the motherboard is capable off
Never trust the manufacturers advertising, below are some reviewers I trust

Actual Hardware Overclocking

Gamers Nexus
https://www.youtube.com/user/GamersNexus

Der8auer
https://www.youtube.com/user/der8auer

Many motherboard manufacturers claim to be high end nowadays are just not capable.
I have been burnt in the past by false advertising and quite possibly my lack of research.
A perfect example of this is the money I have wasted in the past on boards trying to get the
advertised memory speeds of 4000mhz. My ram kit and the board I had at the time was
“supposed’ to be supported it was just not capable of doing so because of bad design, bad vrm
cooling and bad vrm. It’s a tough subject but as a rough guide at this time many z390 boards
have good vrm and cooling.

You also want to consider the possibility of being locked out of options or simply BIOS options
being hidden from you. Things like High Precision Event Timer among many other things tend to
be excluded from user view and hidden in your BIOS. Without HPET option in bios you are
unable to try out ACPI Power Management Timer. You can get your bios unlocked and modified
like I did. There is a high risk doing this.

I was able to get my microcode flashed to remove spectre and meltdown patches, HPET option
unlocked, Intel Management Engine Interface option unlocked and TCO Timer unlocked. These
are all things to consider and worth talking about, I’m sure there are others.

Hard drives
Nvme or sata ssds for quick load speeds, boot times and no game stutters
I highly recommend steering clear of mechanical drivers unless you want them for storage
 Processor
Intel "K" CPUs for overclocking
Most games only are really using 4 cores at this stage
New games are not optimized for more than 12 max threads/cores currently
Games most of the time perform better on just the cores, with hyperthreading disabled
INTEL recommended for lower overall latency
AMD CPU’s typically have higher latency and can’t run high end speed memory
AMD CPU’s are typically clocked lower and require more cycles to access memory or I/O

Graphics card
Nvidia XX80ti series GPU's
EVGA for older series
Cheapest “A” card for 1000 and 2000 series (bios can be flashed later)
Titan series GPU's are a waste of money
Only run one graphics card as sli or nvlink causes input lag
Sli or nvlink are only good for benchmarks and usually do not benefit game performance
Avoid AMD GPU’s, there are less options typically to remove input lag

Memory
At least 16gb of memory 3200hz DDR4 is the sweet spot for windows and most motherboards
High hz memory such as 4-4500hz DDR4 can help top end fps although only a little
Top end motherboards with good memory controllers are needed to run high hz memory
Low timing is crucial for memory at least 10 nanoseconds or lower is best
Try to pick something with solid speed and low latency
I highly recommend anything B Die at this stage
https://notkyon.moe/ram-latency.htm
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fXhkcVexz0YaLLc7dlm_WXfAqqY4ldxScKFxNFxeNg
A/edit#gid=0

Cooling
Closed or custom loop water coolers for CPU and GPU recommended
There are some really good air coolers out there, I will always recommend/prefer water
I recommend closed loop systems, they are easy to work with and install
Lower GPU and CPU temperatures will perform and overclock better
https://alphacool.com
https://noctua.at/en/products/cpu-cooler-retail

Monitor
Run only one monitor to avoid input lag
Go for high refresh rate and low response time
I highly recommend a TN panel that is NOT freesync or gsync compatible
This is so you can set scaling to “display” NOT “gpu”
TN panels are worse for quality but have much lower latency
144-240hz refresh rate and 1ms (gtg) response time
Stick with 1920x1080p as higher resolutions kill frame rates
Displayport cable mostly recommended (ideally shorter the better)
Never use wireless devices
Do not run splitter or port boxes
Do not run extension cables

Keyboard
PS2 keyboards are debatably better for key rollover and latency
Although recently I have found the ps2 windows i8042prt driver to be a latency hog
If your getting a USB keyboard be sure to get NKRO (n-key rollover)
Mechanical switches are best (most gamers like cherry reds)
New optical keyboards have debatably lower latency
Never use wireless devices
Do not run splitter or port boxes
Do not run extension cables

Mouse
Anything over 1000hz polling is unstable unless we are talking about the WMO mice
Don't buy into the higher hz marketing, the stability isn't there yet
1000hz polling rate
Lightweight
No acceleration
No angle snapping
A shape that's comfortable for you
Decent sensor such as the new hero or 3366 sensor
Never use wireless devices (logitech are an exception)
Do not run splitter or port boxes
Do not run extension cables
Links worth looking at
https://teamliquid.net/forum/tech-support/333648-an-overview-of-mouse-technology
https://overclock.net/forum/375-mice/1607990-click-latencies-compiled.html#post_25414692
https://geekhack.org/index.php?
PHPSESSID=o780ih46rejjrmlb5tjkmac2mp1aluvl&topic=56240.0
http://www.test-gear.pl/testy-i-recenzje/myszki/szybkosc-kliku/#szybkosc-kliku
http://esreality.com/?a=longpost&id=1265679&page=4
http://www.test-gear.pl/testy-i-recenzje/myszki/
http://rocketjumpninja.com/top-40/
https://sensor.fyi/list/

Regarding wireless mouse, I have found in my testings with mouse tester that wireless mouse
can sometimes go into a “sleep state” while in full use. I have confirmed this with the g900 and
logitech wireless pro. Due to this, I now use these mice in wired mode.
See MICE TESTING below.
 Mouse bungee
Get yourself a mouse bungee

Para cable
A new trend for mouse modding, it has been a nice upgrade from a factory clunky mouse cable

Mouse skatez
Worth mentioning here, many reddit users are on the skatez trend

Mouse pad
Ideally a cloth and large pad
Glass pads are becoming a new trend, I am unsure of how the sensor can read the mouse pad

External audio interface

Headphones
Gaming and normal headphones are not recommended
Studio monitoring headphones are best for true sound
Never use wireless devices
Do not run splitter or port boxes
Do not run extension cables

Clean power
Your house may have a bad earth or bad neutral connection.
This affects everything! Including latency, mouse input and PC performance.
Consider a power conditioner or UPS System that backs up and conditions power.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_conditioner
djdallmann’s github a good read
https://github.com/djdallmann/GamingPCSetup/blob/master/TROUBLESHOOTING/
ELECTRICALINTERFERENCE.MD

Pc build tips
Delid your CPU
Lap your CPU’s IHS
There are kits to run your CPU without an IHS
Repaste your CPU IHS with thermal grizzly conductonaut
Repaste your CPU cooler with thermal grizzly kryonaut
Repaste your GPU cooler with thermal grizzly kryonaut
Replace your GPU thermal pads
Replace your MOTHERBOARDS vrm thermal pads
Be aware of your case air flow and cooling
Lower GPU and CPU temperatures will perform better and overclock higher

I should mention, there are measures that need to be taken and risks to be considered using
liquid metal for cooling. Liquid metal can short circuit components the materials can corrode
copper heatsinks. Do your research. I personally only use liquid metal under the CPU’s IHS.