New Keyboard + Mouse

I am 22 and have been a PC gamer and graphic designer for about 6 years now. I've been through two PCs, one custom built and one I built myself (the current one). Despite spending so much money on PCs I have always bought the cheapest possible peripherals. My Microsoft keyboard and mouse cost under £10. I've decided it is time to move up.

What are the advantages of a gaming mouse over a regular cheap one? How about mechanical keyboards? Would like to get something ordered soon so advice would be good.

I am currently looking at this mouse:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0055NBYOI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

and this keyboard:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Sidewinder-X4-Keyboard-Layout/dp/B0037KLSS8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1335854328&sr=8-9

Mice wise it purely what is ergonomic for me. That's I love my R.A.T. That's also why I find the new magic mouse unusable, which is too bad cause two finger scrolling is great on that. At this point I really only enjoying using a mouse that's used for the right hand only. Some extra buttons can be nice at times, but I only need like one or 2 on the side to map things to. Though being able to switch dpi on the fly at times is handy.

@BlatantNinja23: I've never really had an issue with DPI. I'm not sure why I'd ever want to change it, especially not on the mouse itself. I've seen people talk about changing it in FPS depending on the gun or range but... that just seems silly.

My Logitech G500 mouse and Razer Ultimate BlackWidow are the perfect combo for me.

@AlisterCat: For a gaming mouse you pretty much get a better mouse in ergonomics, quality, better response and precision. Like you, I used to think I would never need a gaming mouse because I was fine with the cheap free ones I could get. But that is like saying bicycles are suitable for you when you haven't even tried a motorbike.

If you really don't care about all the features and colorful lights then at least consider a gaming mouse for one thing: comfort.

Just a general question. Is a mechical keyboard worth it?

@Starfishhunter9 said:

Just a general question. Is a mechical keyboard worth it?

I'd like to know too.

@AlisterCat: Cool beans! They both look awesome.

I recently bought the most ordinary HTrust wireless keyboard+mice there was.

@AlisterCat said:

@Starfishhunter9 said:

Just a general question. Is a mechical keyboard worth it?

I'd like to know too.

I used to have one, so I'd say yes

@AlisterCat said:

@Starfishhunter9 said:

Just a general question. Is a mechical keyboard worth it?

I'd like to know too.

I have a Cherry G80 mechanical keyboard and it's one of the best things I've ever bought. It's really hard to describe, it just feels a lot more natural than a standard keyboard and makes typing at speed so easy. I can't see any massive reason why it would be better for gaming, besides the extra speed I've seen.

I would go with that mouse. Seems to be pretty solid, but I would definitely recommend a mechanical keyboard. I have the Razer Ultimate Black Widow and have never looked back.

I've got this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-910-001153-G9x-Laser-Mouse/dp/B001RQAMIG/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1336324541&sr=1-1

Except it's black, dunno why there is such a huge price difference so I linked that one.

Great mouse, 3 stage adjustable DPI button just below the left MB, can install custom weights, comes with 2 different grips, custom LED color settings too.

I've got a small form factor keyboard (no number pad) since I use the Logitech G13 gameboard so I don't have any advice there unless you'd want one of those.

Which is great as well.

The mouse is great, except for software issues.

I ended up getting the Razer Black Widow keyboard. Incredibly satisfying mechanical keyboard. Adjusting to the key placement a bit but I don't want to go back to a regular keyboard anymore.

Getting a good wireless mouse and keyboard is great if you want to play on the tv. You can hook games up with an xbox360 pad but these games are console ports and not sophisticated pc games like Shogun 2.

With a nice laptop table to go with them you can sit on the couch and have alot of fun.

@AlisterCat: Wait until we find out whether Diablo III is any good, if it turns out to be terrible then your stuck with a mouse that has the name of a bad game on it.

Just got a razer deathadder and a razer arctosa and am loving it

Steel Series makes some good products, personally I'm a Razer man my self. However I've been finding their customer support for replacing items quite lacking. (took over a month to get a pair of moray+ replaced.) I love my Razer Mamba and for a wired/wireless mouse its amazing. Virtually no input lag when wireless.

As for the differences between stranded and 'Gaming' mice, gaming mice generally tend to have better optics in the mouse for better control, have more customizable buttons to use, and some times can have a more ergonomic grip. This being said, they're usually more expensive because they are niche products.

The difference between a membrane switch keyboard (regular) and mechanical is usually the draw distance, or response, of the key presses. A mechanical keyboard is going to need less force to press down on the keys then a membrane one. This can make it easier to type faster and longer because of less pressure or power needed to hit each key. The trade off is mechanical keyboards tend to be louder or clicker than their membrane counterparts.

If your looking of other choices for mice, or just not a big Diablo 3 fan you might check out some of these mice as well, any of them should serve you well: (like I said earlier I'm a bit biased towards Razer.)

Razer Abyssus

Razer Deathadder

Razer Mamba

SteelSeries Sensei

@Hizang: I played the beta. It's a good game. Even if it wasn't the mouse is great. It has a pulsing red light that shines through the wheel and the logo.

@AlisterCat: I'd go for the Sensei if I were you, It's basically the same mouse as the Diablo 3 edition, looks better (IMHO) and is a couple of quid cheaper. http://www.ebuyer.com/341589-steelseries-sensei-mouse-62029

The Xai is almost identical too and a lot cheaper to boot, but the rubberised coating doesnt age too well.

I use a Xai at work, and a sensei at home so if you've got any questions about them ask away.

Cherry make fantastic keyboards, it's worth giving them a look.

I wouldn't get any gaming branded mouse personally as you end up paying more for the name of the game on it in a lot of cases. I'm happy with my 'standard' 3.5G Deathadder.

@Agrammon said:

@AlisterCat: Cool beans! They both look awesome.

I recently bought the most ordinary HTrust wireless keyboard+mice there was.

@AlisterCat said:

@Starfishhunter9 said:

Just a general question. Is a mechical keyboard worth it?

I'd like to know too.

I used to have one, so I'd say yes

I just bought a trust wireless keyboard mouse as well, it was like 18 bucks... With 2 AA's for the keyboard and 2 AAA's for the mouse included. Wtf... Thats insane, two packs of batteries in Denmark is more than the entire combopack... That's got to be some business level: Asian bullshit right there...

@Lorbst:That's nuts! I paid my combo 20$, but a battery pack in Croatia is like 1$

I'm pretty happy with the high-end wireless products Logitech pumps out. I previously used a Logitech Dinovo Edge and felt the build quality was EXCEPTIONAL, from the scissor action of the buttons, to the battery life (MONTHS of heavy use) and materials, touch disc with scroll built in, crazy Star Trek light up panels with buttons and volume control, ultimately I couldn't get over the lack of a number pad. Downgraded to the K800 and I'm very happy with it, although there was a learning curve with the much cheaper feeling plastic on the buttons.

Similarly, I previously used the Logitech MX Revolution which I felt was nearly perfect, but they stopped making that and mine finally gave up the ghost after a few years of use. Logitech to their credit shipped me out a new Performance MX mouse free of charge. There are some changes to the mouse, many for the better, my only problem with it is the scroll wheel tends to slip back a bit when trying to accurately scroll. Still, the wheel has a toggle button that allows you to flip from notch-based scrolling to free-motion scrolling (tick tick tick vs free spinnnnnn), and that's pretty cool.

I'm sure enthusiast options are way fancier, but this seems fine for now.

Gaming mice are completely useless. But they do look cooler and if they are not too expensive, i would buy one. A mechanical keyboard is worth it, though.

@InternetCrab said:

Gaming mice are completely useless. But they do look cooler and if they are not too expensive, i would buy one. A mechanical keyboard is worth it, though.

Funny, I was always of the opposite opinion. A good mouse just has a nice feel, but I've never seen the point of a flash keyboard. I'm currently running a MX518 and a 10 dollar keyboard.

5$ mechanical cherry keyboard, jank out windows key - as good as it gets (if you aren't some Macro-Abuser). Plus a Logitec gaming mouse of my chosing.

That's what I go with.

@AlisterCat said:

@BlatantNinja23: I've never really had an issue with DPI. I'm not sure why I'd ever want to change it, especially not on the mouse itself. I've seen people talk about changing it in FPS depending on the gun or range but... that just seems silly.

It seems silly but it isn't. If you're playing normally you want a relatively high DPI, but if you're sniping or doing precision shots a lower DPI makes a fairly large difference. It's hard to explain until you actually get into a game and do it consistently for a couple of hours then you really notice the difference. However that said always get something with proper ergonomics over something that has 20 buttons and a ray gun. If you're holding a mouse for an extended period of time it's an absolute must that it be comfortable and it conforms to your hand in a natural way to avoid muscle strain or carpel tunnel. I personally use a Mionix Naos 5000, and while it's more money it is a perfect natural feel for my hand. The 7 buttons or adjustable weight mean absolutely nothing if it feels like shit, which it doesn't in my grip. That's what matters. But there's also the Logitech G500, Razer DeathAdder, Saitek R.A.T., SteelSeries Ikari, and on and on.

As for mechanical keyboards being worth it, in my opinion yes. Depending on the switch you get it can have a tactile and audible feel, meaning that there will be some resistance on depression of the key and an audible click when you press on the key. It can be louder, but there's a variation in the mechanical switches so it's fairly easy to pick what you want. Gold plating doesn't really matter all that much and neither does inkeep rollover, unless you constantly depress more than 6 keys at the same time. Also you might want macros on your keyboard, so certain ones have that. Just buy a Razer BlackWidow though, it's probably one of the best ones out there without being ludicrously expensive for the sake of being expensive. It's kind of hard to explain why mechanical keyboards are better, but when you use one for an extended period of time all other keyboards feel remedial and retarded in what they do.