GiantWaffle has been building his Twitch channel since 2011 and has earned a name for himself due to his consistency and as an entertainer. He primarily streams Minecraft content, but also regularly ventures into other games, especially when he teams up with Lirik and shortyyguy. Although his content is generally clean, he does sometimes swear during his co-streams, but viewers are usually forewarned when they happen.
Due to his long-term commitment to streaming and his large subscriber base, GiantWaffle’s gaming setup up is pretty professional and pricey, with some of it being beyond the needs of a streamer who is just starting out. Nonetheless, we have provided you with a summary of the basic equipment that he uses, incase you are interested in upgrading.
WHAT MONITOR DOES GIANTWAFFLE USE?
GiantWaffle uses an ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q monitor. This 27-inch gaming monitor can also be found in B0aty and Danucds’ gaming setup, as well as in those of many other top streamers. It has a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1440p with a response rate of 4ms and a refresh rate of 165Hz. NVIDIA G Sync technology has been integrated into the screen to ensure that the refresh rate is synchronized directing with the PC’s GPU in order to reduce tearing, lagging and stuttering. Additionally, it also utilizes ASUS’ Eye Care Technology which provides four different settings of blue light so as to reduce eyestrain during longer gaming sessions.
The screen can easily click out of the stand with the push of the button, to allow for the VESA wall mounting feature to be implemented. Furthermore, while mounted on the stand, its height can be adjusted between 0 and 12cm (0 to 4.73”), it can be swiveled between +60° and -60°, pivoted 90° clockwise and also tilted between +20° and -5°, while its viewing angle is 178°(H)/178°(V).
Its overall dimensions (including the stand) come to dimensions of 61.8 x 55.3 x 23.8cm (9.4 x 24.4 x 21.8-inch).
WHAT MOUSE DOES GIANTWAFFLE USE?
The Corsair Sabre is a 100g (0.22lbs), wired gaming mouse that has been designed for right-handed users who use a palm grip. Its Pixart S3989 optical sensor allows for a range of up 10,000 DPI, which can be set in increments of 50 starting at 50 DPI. It also has selectable report rates of 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz and 1000Hz.
It has eight programable buttons with the right and left clickers being set with Omron switches that are meant to last for up to 20 million clicks. The buttons, as well as the 4-zone RGB lighting can be set through the iCUE software.
Its dimensions are 124mm x 80mm x 38mm (4.88 x 3.14 x 1.5″) and its chassis is constructed from hard plastic while the clickable scroll wheel is made from rubber. It also has a thumb and pinky rest jutting out slightly on either side to help with grip. Its braided fiber cable is 1.8mm long. It is compatible with Windows 7 or higher.
WHAT KEYBOARD DOES GIANTWAFFLE USE?
GiantWaffle uses both the Corsair K70 and the Corsair K65 keyboard. Although he states on his spec list that he uses both the K65 and the K70, it seems based on the picture of his setup that the K70 is his primary keyboard, so that is what is what we will discuss here. The K70 is also part of HusKerr’s gaming setup and there are options to select from any of their switches on the Corsair website, while only brown and red Cherry MX options are available on Amazon. GiantWaffle hasn’t specified which switches he has opted for, so we have linked that Cherry MX Brown ‘Tactile & Quiet’ version below. These have an actuation of 1.2mm with a report rate of 1,000Hz and can be swapped out for other cherry switches by using the switch removal tool that is included with it, although these will need to be purchased separately.
Its frame is constructed from aircraft grade anodized brushed aluminum, while the keycaps and switches are also made from plastic. It also comes with an extra set of MOBA/FPS keycaps that are textured and contoured to assist with grip, as well as a detachable, soft-touch wrist-rest. The keys have 100% anti-ghosting with full-key rollover. There is media control wheel and buttons in the top right corner and a Windows and Context Menu lock button towards the top left corner.
While there are no dedicated macro keys, the per-key RGB lighting can be set through the iCUE software, with full, non and custom options available.
WHAT HEADSET DOES GIANTWAFFLE USE?
GiantWaffle uses Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones. GiantWaffle uses the black, wired version of the ATH-M50x headphones, which are over-ear and closed-backed. The earphone cups have a leatherette padding to help insulate the audio outputs and can be rotated at 90° to allow them to lie flat around your neck when not in use. This allows for them to be easily transportable.
The earphones have 45mm drivers that offer a frequency response range of 15 – 28,000Hz with a sensitivity of 98dB and a nominal impedance of 38Ohms.The head band is adjustable and clamps firmly onto the user’s head to ensure that they do not fall off, which some users might find uncomfortable.
They are mainly constructed from lightweight plastic so that it weighs about 286g (10oz) and are somewhat delicate. It also comes with a detachable 1.2 m – 3.0 m (3.9′ – 9.8′) coiled cable and a detachable 1.2 m (3.9′) straight cable, as well as a carry case that can store both cables and the headphones.
WHAT MICROPHONE DOES GIANTWAFFLE USE?
GiantWaffle uses a Sterling Audio ST55 microphone and a Audio Technica BPHS1 headset microphone. The Sterling Audio ST55 is a large diaphragm condenser microphone that offers a frequency response range of 20 – 18,000Hz, has a sensitivity of 32mV/PA and has a nominal impedance of 200Ohms. It also has a high-pass filter and -10dB pad.
It utilizes a cardiod polar pattern in order to reduce background noise from filtering into the recording. Its body is constructed from brass that is plated in black nickel, while its head is made from stainless steel. Although it comes with a HM2 hard mount and zipper case, you will need to buy an XLR cable and an audio interface with 48V phantom power capabilities separately.
As for the Audio Technica BPHS1 boom microphone can only be bought with the BPHS1 headset itself, so it probably better to buy either the ATH-M50x or the BPHS1, if the BPHS1’a specs look decent to you.
WHAT WEBCAM DOES GIANTWAFFLE USE?
GiantWaffle uses both a Sony a7R II and a Sony a6000 camera. As GiantWaffle hasn’t stated which camera he uses as his primary camera, we will just provide a brief overview for both. Both cameras are mirrorless with the capacity to receive interchangeable lenses, which makes sense given that he also uses them with the Sony FE f/2 28mm and Sony 24-70mm f/4 lenses. They lSO both have a base ISO range of 100 – 25,600, but the a6000 can only be expanded to between100 – 51,200, whereas the Sony a7R II can be expanded between 50 – 102,400.
Some of the primary differences between them are that the a6000 is based on an APS-C sensor and provides a resolution of 24mp, while the A7ZR has a full frame senor and offers 42.2mp. Furthermore, the a6000 can record at up to Full HD 1920 x 1080 at 24p or fast-paced action shots at 60p and 60i framerates, while the a7R II can shoot at up to 4K at 30p. The sony7R II is also bigger an heavier than the a6000, as its dimensions and weight is at 127 x 96 x 60mm (9.61 x 6.10 x 5.67”) and 625g (3lbs) respectively, whereas the a6000 is at 120 x 67 x 45mm and with a weight of 344.73 (0.76lbs). There are other difference as well.
Both of these are high-level cameras that will require additional expenses for capture cards, connectors, stands and so on, and have features that are not necessary for the basic needs of a gaming streamer who his just starting out. For a clearer idea of the difference between ‘real’ cameras and webcams, you can check out this article.
WHAT MIXER DOES GIANTWAFFLE USE?
GiantWaffle uses an Allen & Heath ZED-14 mixer with a Behringer MDX4600 4-Channel mixer compressor. This is another gratuitous table-hog at 464.8 x 386 x 98mm (18.30 x 15.2 x 3.86”), but very useful if you need it. At the bottom, it provides 6 mono inputs, 4 stereo input and left and right inputs. Each of these, except for the left and right inputs, come with a full row of control knobs and sliders. These controls include a standard gain knob, a low cut-of button, 3-band EQ with a sweepable mid, 4 auxiliary knobs, a pan knob, mute button and PFL.
In the top right corner, it has USB 2-chanel send and return. At the top left, it has 6 XLR input ports and a row of TPRS ¾” inputs. There are also routing buttons and knobs above the left and right inputs. As you can see, this is more suitable for those who are planning on hosting in-house podcasts with multiple guests than for a dingle or dual stream setup.
The MDX4600 is an extra feature that many streamers don’t have, which helps to reduce the louder sound inputs so that the light sounds can become more audible.