Gaming Keyboard & Mouse

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ellmo

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I just built a great PC to catch up with BF3. Now that's done and I need a keyboard and mouse. I started to pick up the cheapest thing I could buy and started to notice there is quite a selection of "gaming" keyboards/mice out there. Any advice / experience would be greatly apreciated!

Also, what features "should" I be looking for? Besides BF3 - I have played some Starcraft II - and notice the kids doing all sorts of shortcuts - maybe the right keyboard would help ME!

Thanks,

Elmo

Corsair 500R case, Corsair 750HX PSU
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Really if you want to go mechanical, Das Keyboard, the Filco Majestouch, and various other companies that you might not be immediately familiar with are the way to go. These companies are well known in their respective circles for quality products. Personally, I've never liked the macro keys from logitech (nor the mechanical razer with them), so for me I like just a plain style keyboard with the features I've been playing games with since the early 90's.

Regarding corsair, I think they are on the right path. Hopefully they cut some corners because they aren't sure they want to fully expand into gaming peripherals yet. If they do have some success though, you may see some well-rounded offerings from them in the future. I applaud their...
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HEXiT

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a lot of the time you will over pay for so called gaming grade parts. as far as mice go there is a great selection from logitech, roccat and razer, if your looking for something different then check out the cyborg rat.

keyboard are a different beast. often the best 1s are for office use and will cost half as much as gaming grade kit.. the das series from Metadot Corporation are top draw and have a good rep for build quality, although you will pay for what you get.

i have a logitech g11 and cant fault it. its over 2 years old and is as tight as the day i got it. i found logitech to be the most reliable from the gaming models, i would recommend you stay away from razer keyboards a lot of them have stuck on plastic letters that wear off after a short time.
 
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jaguarskx

jaguarskx

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I use a Logitech G500 mouse. I like it because it has a similar shape to the Logitech Performance MX mouse. It is large and feels comfortable in my hands. It does not have an excessive amount of buttons, it allows you to easily switch between 5 DPI setting, and you can adjust the weight.

As for the keyboard, I use an old Saitek Eclipse. The Das Keyboard is a mechanical keyboard and it is something I have been contemplating for a while to buy. It is not for everyone though. 1st it is expensive, 2nd it makes clicking sounds when you type even the "silent" version is "clicky" (this is a mechanical keyboard after all), 3rd there are no bells and whistles. The keyboard is designed for typists but it is also a capable gaming keyboard based on reviews by many owners.
 
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casualcolors

casualcolors

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The prices on "gaming" iterations of membrane keyboards is quickly approaching mechanical status. At that point, it really comes down to LED screens and abundant macro buttons vs. preference for mechanical key and different actuations. Good info though in your post, I'm interested in a logitech mouse myself but I am used to a claw grip style (I do not claw my mamba but I'd like to have a second mouse for clawing).
 
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mcnumpty23

mcnumpty23

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recently bought the corsair m60 gaming mouse

having used it for a few weeks now i would certainly recommend that for fps games and every day use

or the m90 for mmog

http://www.corsair.com/vengeance-gaming/vengeance-gaming-mice.html

i believe corsair are also doing gaming keyboards as well--if they are the same quality as their other products

then they would be worth looking at

though like jaguarskx i am still using my old saitek eclipse keyboard

http://www.corsair.com/vengeance-gaming/vengeance-gaming-keyboards.html
 
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casualcolors

casualcolors

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Corsair keyboards only have mechanical switches on the letters, and possibly shifts + enter. The peripheral keys are all membrane. The styling on the keyboards is great but I would stay away from them b/c of these cost cutting features personally.
 
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namelessonez

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I'll second that...from personal experience!! Bought the Blackwidow Ultimate and am pretty disappointed with it! First the left Ctrl key started getting stuck. Next, the 'D' key and so on. Got them all to work fine for now, but now I need to be very subtle with the keys, which basically defeated the whole darn purpose of going in for the Razer name! [:aford10:1] What about the new entries from Roccat?? Here's their mouse:
http://www.roccat.org/Products/Gaming-Mice/ROCCAT-Kone-/

And their keyboard:
http://www.roccat.org/Products/Gaming-Keyboards/ROCCAT-Isku/

There's some 'cool' feature where the said mouse and keyboard 'communicate' with each other.
 
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joedastudd

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Mice and keyboards are very much down to personal taste.
For mice in particular its best to go into a store which has mice on demo as they vary massively. Some are better for certain grip styles, others for people with small hands and so on.

As for the keyboard I would personally go with a generic keyboard and use a keypad like Steelseries Fang for gaming.

At the moment I use a ideazon (Steelseries brought them) Merc which essentially is a standard, albeit a compact, keyboard with a gamepad on the side. The game pad is great for gaming, but the keyboard is a little too compact for me.
 
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AntiZig

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I've been gaming a long time, and funny thing is I've only recently purchased a gaming brand mouse.

I've been ok with regular generic mouse from logitec (2 button + wheel) for 5 years, sadly it started falling apart from being dropped quite a few times now. previous I've used generic stuff too, but I haven't done any intense gaming until college. But here's the funny part and call me weird, but I've played around with dpi settings and sensitivity settings on my razer and I've settled on 450 dpi setting (the mouse is capable of 3600).

So, am I weird? am I wasting $60 mouse on using it at settings that is comparable to a $10 mouse?
I don't know, but when I set it to 3600, I had to turn my windows sensitivity all the way down to quater. Ok that got it to my comfort level, but then I went to play League. In there the mouse suddenly got very slow. Alright, turned it up, seemed normal, until I had to tab out, back on windows desktop the mouse was too fast... came to conclusion league is using the windows setting of the mouse for sensitivity but interpreting the input differently?
ok not the end of the world, launched skyrim, I run it at lower resolution, again mouse all over the place. Adjusting sensitivity in-game yields no workable solution :(
I tried a few more things, but in the end I set the mouse to lowest dpi, maxed my windows sensitivity (like I always used to do for over 15 years of my gaming career) and am using it like that so far.

I like the grip and feel of the mouse, it's definitely got style in that sense over a generic mouse, but so far I'm not impressed with the more "technical" aspect of it. It claims godlike precision and such. I've played fps with my generic mouse just fine, this mouse I'm not seeing any difference. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. But in reality I wish I could just replace my generic mouse with the same thing and keep gaming instead of being $60 out.

This probably isn't too helpful if you're set on buying something, but I was in the same boat as you when I bought my new mouse. I guess I was expecting too much. but saying that doesn't make it feel any better.
 
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jay2tall

jay2tall

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Keyboards and mice are such a personal preference you will get a different answer from everyone you ask. I personally do not buy into the whole "Gaming brand" devices. If it happens to be "made for gaming" so be it, but it does not swing my choice. Below are the deviced I purchased, each of which was a shell shocker on Newegg and got them at a really good price. For mice, you will want at least 2 side buttons besides the typical left and right mouse buttons. Also, I don't think there are many mice without a scroll wheel anymore. A DPI button comes in VERY handy with alot of FPS games. I use mine alot when I get in vehicles in BF3. It allows me to turn the turret and guns on tanks VERY quickly and is a HUGE advantage.

Keyboard:
(OLD) Saitek Eclipse (Now called Cyborg V5): I got this for $25 and free shipping. It is very basic and works very well. My PC has a red led theme so this was nice. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823175012

Mouse:
iDeazon Reaper Mouse (discontinued): I got this mouse for $25 on Newegg as a shellshocker and is the best mouse I have ever used. I like it better than even the Logitech gaming mice. iDeazon was bought by SteelSeries and this mouse is discontinued.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826161004
 
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casualcolors

casualcolors

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What kind of mouse is it antizig? And really if you like the feel of it and if you're good at gaming with it, I don't think it's a waste. Everything is a matter of preference. Maybe you could have bought a cheaper mouse, and maybe it could start falling apart in a year. Or maybe that one does. But who is to say? =)
 
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HEXiT

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well im a firm believer in using the rite tools for the job. its why i have a 360 controller, a logitech g11 keyboard, a logitech dual action controller, a logitech 3d pro extreme joystick, a nitrus racing wheel and pedals, a bamboo pen and tablet and last but not least the rat 7 contagion...

i use them all for different things although you can interchange most of them to do the tasks of others, its just not the same... try drawing a straight line with a mouse and you will see why a pen and tablet is a better choice.
my next purchase will be a track ball to compliment my pen when i do my 3ds max just because it will help me fly around the scene with accuracy and speed...
my m8s think im daft for spending so much on peripherals but im the 1 whos laughing when i see them struggle trying to do things that i do with ease.

so yeah selecting the rite controller/keyboard is a personal choice, so taking your time and finding the rite product is essential.
 
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AntiZig

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It's a razer abyssus. I guess time will show whether this was a good purchase or not. Thanks for the good word. :)
 
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casualcolors

casualcolors

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Oh well an Abyssus is reasonably priced and it looks like a nice piece of hardware. Good looking shape and I bet it's a dream for claw-grippers. I'm actually about to purchase a second mouse because I prefer claw-style gripping in certain genres and my current mouse (razer mamba) is definitely not for claw grips. Well, not unless you're Andre the Giant anyway. So I definitely think having 1 nicely shaped mouse with a nice feeling click is a far cry from a bad purchase.
 
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ellmo

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Wow - quite a chunk of input - thanks to all!
Well, I think I like the Logitech G510 and either the Corsair M60 or M90 mouse. I have to admit I like the looks of the M90, but need it for FPS, so maybe th M60 is a better choice.
I like the "click"y keyboard in a way, but it stops there - I am not a typist and it is kinda nice to feel when a key has registered. I like the idea of the 18 keys on the left for gaming as the "crooked" layout of QWE-ASD-ZXC screws me up when gaming.
I'll check back for any more thoughts but will probably place an order Tuesday.
Thanks again!
 
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jaguarskx

jaguarskx

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Yeah, for a mouse it is generally a good idea to go to a store to find out how good it feels in your hand. I went to Best Buy just to feel the Logitech Performance MX first before I ordered it from Newegg. I also read many reviews about it too. I did the same thing with the Logitech G500 too.
 
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casualcolors

casualcolors

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I saw a review on the corsair m60 that I thought was very informative. It was on youtube and I'll post the link. The person talking really addresses issues that I think are critical, one of them being that the precision mode sniping button on it is positioned too far forward to be comfortable unless you have very long thumbs. I just think you should check this out because it actually changed my decision slightly for buying a new mouse, away from the corsair (even though I think it looks spectacular).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaHZZxG_8D8&feature=related
 
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HEXiT

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well after a shakey start with my rat 7 contagion (defective so returned for a replacement) i have finally got round to using it properly and after a week of use i can safely say it is a top tier mouse.
switching from a lachesis i immediately noticed the glide is much smoother over my desk (i dont use a pad as hard mats just aren't that different to my desk surface anyway). the accuracy is great as i can adjust it to match my monitor rez almost perfectly as it has a 25dpi stepping. the sniper button works and it to has its own variable adjustment that you can use if you want to slow down a bit or a lot (has to be configured outside the game). the rest of the buttons themselves are firm but responsive and the only thing that lets it down is the side scroll wheel. in games its just to hard to get to... over all a definite 9/10. its everything you want in a mouse. adjustable if you have larg or small hands, smooth and above all accurate...
it did take some time to get used to but now i feel its probably the best mouse i have ever owned and that is saying something for me... my previous fave was the logitech G5 and this new rat 7 just smokes it.

is it for every 1? well i would find it hard to recommend for the price, especially as there are just as accurate mice out there for half the money, but none of them have this amount of configuration, which is what you get it for anyway...
it really does set itself apart from other high end products like the mamba and naga and is easily a match for the corsair, roccat and logitech mice.
build quality seems good, certainly better than razer as the mouse really does feel robust (it really does look it too) but i would have to have it a few months to say if the build quality stands up to my punishment...

so like i say if you can spare the cash i cant see any reason not to buy 1, but if you just want accurate and usable then there are plenty of cheaper alternatives...

 
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ellmo

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Interesting indeed... Since the mouse was the thing I was most concerned about, I think this ices that decision. If I don't like it, I'll buy another one. :)
If nothing else, it sounds like I don't need to worry too much about the sniper button as that reviewer ended up not using it anyway. Otherwise he seemed pretty thrilled. (improved scores and all!) btw, being about 6-7, my thumbs are probably over-average. (I hope the mouse is big enough?!)

Cheers!
 
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ellmo

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Almost feeling like this horse is dead, but I made the mistake of going back through and rereading some posts. I settled on this one since I am about to hit "buy" on the Corsair FPS keyboard and mouse. At least the letter keys are mechanical and that's what I need for BF3. I know this doesn't give me the 18 "G"keys, but it feels like the right direction at the moment. I say all this because I do tend to stay with "name" brands - usually better stuff and better service (not always), and Corsair recently going for gaming peripheral stuff means to me they might have some heart in it. I like the Logitech 18 "G"keys, but finding out it wasn't mechanical and then a lot of reviews stating the flimsy feel of the keyboard finally pushed me away from that. (this is a case where Logitech is a big company, but may be losing their "heart".)

I'll keep my eyes open for a good heavy-duty kb that is either mechanical or seels me on a new and improved substitute with the left bank of FPS keys, :)

Thanks again,

E
 
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