Opinions on gaming peripherals

[likwidneo]

was looking to pick up a few items to optimize my PS2 experience, specifically:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826436003

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104281

and wanted to get everyones thoughts on these 2 pieces.

not too familiar with the mouse brand but its got the best reviews on any mouse with 6K+ dpi res and 7+ buttons. also looking for a good gaming keyboard, but i haven't been quite convinced yet by anything i've seen. i'm not into the split keyboards or funky designs. some good anti-ghosting support and macro functionality is a good start, but what else i should be looking for? I have always loved my RF wireless keyboards, but I'm not sure how much of an impact that has on input lag. plus i haven't seen anything in that field from any brands that i trust.

closest thing I've seen so far was:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109191

any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Bags]

I got that headset for xmas, and it's very comfy with a good mic. Good sound quality. I also like it's built in voice changer, it's fun to use randomly and confuse people.

Also, if you get it, it's $90 on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-7-1-Channel-Surround-Sound-Headset/dp/B001O5CCQK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362903121&sr=8-1&keywords=logitech+g35

I read they're poor physical quality and break easily, but we shall see. I wear them and carefully put them down. So if they break, it's not my fault.

[Snipefrag]

I picked up a logitech g930 recently:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104399

its pretty awesome.. blows the previous headset by razer I had out of the water. The wireless is a big feature so me.. with volume control on the headset, voice modulation for when you want to piss around and you can configure a push button on the headset to talk on mumble/ventrilo/TS when you are walking around/making food !

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[ChipMHazard]

I would advice to go for a soundcard + headphone/headset setup. More expensive but it will give you far better audio.

The mouse seems like overkill. 6k DPI? When are you going to make use of that:p Before buying it I would advice to check up on the software that it uses.

I would go for a mechanical keyboard, they aren't all that more expensive than non-mechanical gaming keyboards. You could save some money on a cheaper mouse and put that into getting a mechanical keyboard.

[Bags]

If you get a sound card be careful of what headset you get, I know I read that Logitech's USB ones ignore soundcards other than what's built into the MOBO, for some bizarre reason.

Or more specifically, "The good (and the bad) of a USB headset is that it bypasses the amp in your computer soundcard"

[ChipMHazard]

Good point.

[likwidneo]

as for the mouse, i know i want at least 7-8 buttons, (1 Quick Grenade, 2 Ability, 3 Quick Knife, 4 TeamSpeak/Vent, 5-7 Primary-Tertiary fire, and maybe 8 for a side arm hotswap). and I want a mouse that performs well. money isn't much of an issue for me right now so I don't mind spending a little extra. don't get me wrong I've seen some $200 mouses that are ridiculous, but I don't mind shelling out a little extra for good gaming gear.

As for the headset, I don't care about wireless headsets, in fact I've had some pretty poor experiences with them in the past so I pretty much avoid them. Don't know about getting a sound card in my machine for the headset, like previously mentioned that can complicate things. If i were building a full surround sound stereo speaker system that would be a different story, but not for a headset.

[ChipMHazard]

Fair enough. Should note that a soundcard like the ASUS Xonar Essence ST/STX was made just as much for headphones users as the speaker setup users. It's a common misconception that soundcards aren't really necessary for headphone users. Should also note that headphones and headsets aren't the same thing, in the mind of an audiophile.
But if you would run into issues with say... lack of space in your case, then just go for a headset.

[Rbstr]

I've found that, most of the time, peripherals marketed as "gaming" tend to be lots of marketing fluff. You'll often find the same of better quality in cheaper products that aren't marketed in that manner.

USB headsets do not use the sound card or mobo sound. They're their own sound device.

I highly recommend getting real headphones and something like a clip-on mic. Even if you're just using the motherboard sound.
These are a great deal http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M40FS-Professional-Precision-Headphones/dp/B0002D03ZW
Then this for a mic
http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362940234&sr=8-1&keywords=clip+microphone

For keyboards have a look at this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823201044
Just a basic mechanical has PS/2 cord so you can basically press all of the buttons at once if you want.

Perhaps my one exception to gamer branding is the Logitech current version of the MX500/518/G5 mouse. http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/optical-gaming-mouse-g400?crid=7

Not as many buttons as you seem to be looking for but it's a workhorse.

[Bags]

That keyboard has more 1 star than 5 star.

[likwidneo]

@Rbstr I'm sure those headphones/mic deliver higher quality output over all, but offer no surround sound, which i'm sure everyone knows gives you a huge advantage in-game. I doubt I would pick up a headset that didn't offer surround-sound.

That mouse actually has 8 buttons, but the DPI setting on it is substantially lower. I'll be honest I'm not 100% sure what I should be looking for in DPI ratings on the mice, if more is better or if there's a limit to that, but that mouse could be an option.

And the keyboard does look nice, but no macro support is a little bit of a turn off. The ratings and reviews on it though are attrocious.

[ChipMHazard]

@Rbstr I'm sure those headphones/mic deliver higher quality output over all, but offer no surround sound, which i'm sure everyone knows gives you a huge advantage in-game. I doubt I would pick up a headset that didn't offer surround-sound.

They do, through the software used. For example Xonar Essence makes use of Dolby. Basicly in the same way that USB headsets do. Personally I regard surround sound headsets as gimmicks. 3D positional sound is basicly just as good, and can be accomplished just fine in any headphones with a decent soundstage. You also have to consider that you'll get much better sound quality out of normal headphones with a similar cost.

However if you do not buy a soundcard capable of emulating surround sound, then yes your stereo headphones would remain as just that.

As a sign of good will, you might want to check out the Sennheiser PC 363D Headset. I've read very good things about it, well except for the price tag.

[Rbstr]

Do your "surround sound" headphones have multiple drivers?
The G930's "7.1 surround sound", for instance, boils down to marketing crap. It can decode surround sound, sure (which has its benefits, I guess), but it puts it out through two speakers like any set of headphones does. It's a software thing and all it's doing is dumping the 7 channels into the two speakers.

On the keyboard: Pretty much all of the negatives have to do with the connector on the keyboard breaking. I don't really understand why people are plugging and unplugging keyboards so often. Mine has shown no sign of the issue after several months. But, it also just stays in place on my desk all the time...I figure that's the typical usage pattern, but maybe not. Maybe it'll break on its own some how, until then, it's been great.

[Electrofreak]

Emulated (software) surround sound in headphones is simply a method of shifting the timing of sounds coming out of each earpiece so the brain calculates the sound source as being closer to one ear or the other. While it is 7 channels being dumped into 2 drivers, it's done in a matter that is very convincing, very immersive, and I personally find very beneficial to my game.

The true marketing gimmick are the "surround sound" headphones that brag about having multiple drivers for "true surround". Typically, they're just a way for the headphone manufacturers to sell you a bunch of cheap, small drivers in one headset instead of a nice, expensive quality pair (that take stronger magnets and more metal to make).

Mono-aurally, our eardrum cannot spatially determine a sound source based upon the location of the sound source as it doesn't have the benefit of bi-aural depth perception. Instead, a single eardrum makes guesses at to the location of a sound source by analyzing the quality of the sound. Unfortunately, when a sound source is in such close proximity to the head, it makes little difference to how well the ear handles spatial location.

Any pair of headphones can be made "surround sound" with a quality sound card. As previously mentioned, all the marketing crap really just sells you an inferior product for more money while making it cheaper for the manufacturer.

I really miss my Sennheiser PC151s. Pretty damn good headset; comfortable (though they can clamp you a little tight until they're broken in), pretty durable (mine survived a lot of abuse until I finally wrapped the cord around a chair caster as I zoomed across the room and forcibly tore it apart) and had good sound quality.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106157

Don't buy these: http://www.plantronics.com/us/product/gamecom-777

My brother and I have both bought pairs and they broke in the exact same spot. I like the Dolby Surround USB dongle that came with it however... I've kept that and use it with other headphones all the time now. My current microphone had a former life as a webcam I experimented on and lies on my desk, a bare circuit board with wires sticking out of it which I've soldered back in place more than once. Works great!