AD700X reviews: http://www.head-fi.org/products/audio-technica-ath-ad700x-audiophile-open-air-headphones
HD 558 reviews: http://www.head-fi.org/products/sennheiser-hd-558/reviews
Both headphones have really good sound stage (good sound positioning, something vital in competitive FPS), I think...
The Microsoft Lifechat LX-3000 has a super nice mic and the sound is alright. I've also heard good things about the Koss SB45, but there's not much I can tell you about it.
So I read that you should use an amp for AKG K712s...will the Creative Sound Blaster Z be enough? Is there a cheaper solution that would sound the same? - seriously, who doesn't want cheaper stuff that performs the same?
And how do you do all this amping?
I'll be primarily gaming and...
Games aren't using more than 6GB of RAM and 99% of games aren't going to use hyperthreading, so an i5 would be fine.
I'd also like to see a source on an ASUS ROG overheating less than a Lenovo Y50.
Lenovo Y50! It's very popular for that price range: http://www.amazon.ca/Lenovo-59418222-15-6-Inch-Notebook-I5-4200H/dp/B00K6ZIO2K
My only concern is its display - it has great interiors, but the screen doesn't look as good as other laptops I've seen - it might just be the pictures actually.