Holiday Gaming Survival Guide

Christmas just happened and for many of us we have at least a week or so off of work. Now what to do with that time? Well for us here at ThinkComputers and most of the PCMasterRace it means hours upon hours of gaming! For that reason we have decided to compile a list not only of games, but some pretty awesome gaming hardware that you can pickup to make the most out of your time off!

Graphics Card – AORUS GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Edition 11G (Review | Buy on Amazon)
AORUS GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Edition 11G Graphics Card
If you are looking for a way really jump into PC gaming the best way to do it is with a brand new graphics card. With the release of the Titan V the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is not the most powerful graphics card out there anymore, but it is the one we still would definitely recommend. Gigabyte’s AORUS GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Edition 11G is a beast! It comes with two different factory-overclocked modes, one of the best cooling solutions out there, and awesome RGB lihting throughout. We used this card in our Ultimate RGB Build and couldn’t be happier with its performance.

Keyboard – Corsair K95 RGB Platinum (Review | Buy on Amazon)
Corsair K95 RGB Platinum Gaming Keyboard
When it comes to gaming keyboards one of the best out there is Corsair’s flagship K95 RGB Platinum. This is a full-size keyboard built on an aluminum frame which features true Cherry MX mechanical key switches, a set of six macro keys, a full wrist rest, large volume wheel, awesome RGB lighting, and great software to back it up. This is one of those keyboards that you’ll buy once and have for years. No matter if you are playing MMO’s, FPS, or MOBA games they keyboard will get the job done!

Mouse – Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB (Review | Buy on Amazon)
Corsair Scimitar PRO RGB Gaming Mouse
I never thought I would actually use a MMO mouse as my main mouse, but ever since I reviewed the Corsair’s Scimitar Pro RGB back in February it has remained on my desk. Most non-MMO and even non-gamers really don’t look at MMO mice, but this mouse really changed my opinion. This mouse features a total of 12 side buttons, which seems like a lot, but once you get used to using them they really come in handy, even in applications, not games. The shape of the Scimitar Pro RGB is perfect and is extremely comfortable to use. On top of that you have a Pixart 16000 DPI optical sensor and of course RGB lighting.

Headset – HyperX Cloud Alpha (Buy on Amazon)
cloudalpha 1
My favorite headset of all time was HyperX’s Cloud II, I’ve used it ever since I reviewed it back in 2015. When I heard HyperX was coming out with a new version I knew that it had a lot to live up to. I was actually skeptical, but I’ve had the Cloud Alpha for a couple of weeks now and I am just in love with it! HyperX was able to make it just as comfortable, if not more comfortable than the Cloud II. On top of that you have great sound and that aluminum frame, which insures that it is going to last a long time. Stay tuned for a review version soon!

Mousepad – Corsair MM800 RGB Polaris (Review | Buy on Amazon)
corsair mm800 rgb 15
If you are looking for a new mousepad and want to add some extra bling to your setup the Corsair MM800 RGB Polaris is just the thing! While many people see RGB lighting as gimmicky, this mousepad really makes a difference on your desk and stands out. Corsair offers it in both hard and cloth versions and is more than large enough for most game types. On top of being a great mousepad and having RGB lighting it also gives you an extra USB port which is perfect for plugging in a mouse, keyboard, or headset.

Lenovo Star Wars Jedi Challenges (Buy on Amazon)
jedi 1
Lenovo sent us something really cool recently, their Star Wars Jedi Challenges kit. With the use of your Smartphone this kit gives you a augmented reality Star Wars experience. Being a huge Star Wars fan I wanted to check this thing out and see what it was all about and I was actually pretty impressed with it. It offers different game types like Lightsaber battles (with the included Lightsaber), strategic combat (RTS), and Holochess all of course with Star Wars characters. If you are looking to try something a little different this just might be the thing for you.

Now that you’ve loaded up on hardware check out page 2 to see some games worth checking out…

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