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So first, I am going to say I bought a mouse.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826249049R
I got it for 28 dollars as an open box special. That's quite awesome. Although maybe it's not the best mouse possible, used mice of the same model are going for 40 on ebay  Unfortunately, it sold out in about 3 hours, so although I was going to blog about it I was too late.
Secondly I've been pestered more than ever to spendspendspend. Also grandma asked what I did with my 100 dollar birthday check. Answer is nothing
Thirdly, I have a large bestbuy giftcard that has yet to be spent But everything there is overpriced >.> It's making me lean towards a blackwidow keyboard because they carry it. So let me break down everything...
Mouse: Check
Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236112&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL052011&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL052011-_-EMC-052011-Latest-_-LCDMonitors-_-24236112-L0D (After all rebates it's 160 USD)
I would like a larger monitor than 19", ideally 1080p. I got my mom a 22" from Costco, but she wanted something from a retail store, so it cost more than it should have. A 24" that is 160 or less would be great. Although I might go for a 22" as well. For those of you who have upgraded, how does a 19" compare to a 22" compare to a 24"?
Keyboard: This is tough. I have never used a mechanical keyboard, and no store within 35 miles carries them. So deciding on the type of switch is tough. =/ Can't decide on what I want exactly. What have you guys observed in terms of resistance and loudness? I've read various forum posts, but it's hard to liken things. Looking at blackwidow (because of bestbuy value) blackwidow ultimate (depending on what exactly is different apart from cosmetics?), 6gv2, or any of the das keyboard stuff (although it's expensive)
If none of this pans out I'll just get a dt-35 ^^ Thoughts?
Earbuds: I already have a failheadset, need earbuds. Figure after most all of hte feedback was positive I'd get a steelseries headset. Question: does the mic detach? I can't seem to find that. Now the decision is between those two. Mic, or no mic. Does anyone have it. how is the mic quality? Does it detach?
Mousepad: Qck Standard? Good mousepad? Cheap? Any objections?
I think I'll order all (if any) steelseries stuff at once to minimize shipping.
 
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On May 23 2011 09:21 Froadac wrote:
Earbuds: I already have a failheadset, need earbuds. Figure after most all of hte feedback was positive I'd get a steelseries headset. Question: does the mic detach? I can't seem to find that. Now the decision is between those two. Mic, or no mic. Does anyone have it. how is the mic quality? Does it detach?
What are you referring to? You start talking about earbuds but switch to steelseries headest?
The siberia v2 (what myself, and many others including EG use) has a retractable mic so it can be 95% out of the way when you aren't using it. Sound and voice are very clear and its very comfortable.
I know nothing about earbuds though.
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Mousepad: If you don't want anything fancy, just a solid nice mousepad, go for a standard SteelSeries QcK. I use one and they are really good. It never moves even slightly on the table and the mouse glides perfectly.
Earbuds/Headset: The SteelSeries Sibera V2 are well worth their price. They're really comfortable and have acceptable sound quality. If you prioritize sound quality though, you shouldn't go for any gaming headsets since there are better ones. As for earbuds, I have no idea.
EDIT: Didn't see you meant those earbuds. The mic looks like the same one SteelSeries Siberia V1 had, if so, it's completely separate from the earbuds. It has a separate cord and everything.
Keyboard: I don't know if it's only the European version, but the SteelSeries 7G has a very weird key layout, so if you want a SteelSeries mechanical I would recommend 6Gv2. That's the one I use and it has great build quality (I've literally slammed my fist on it from losing and nothing happened haha), great feel on the keys and is overall a good keyboard. Can't comment on the BlackWidow, but from what I've heard the keys have louder click noises (the 6Gv2 actually doesn't have very loud click noises, just loud presses), and the keys are supposed to have less resistance. However, it's impossible to know which one you would prefer if you haven't tried both, so I'll just say that 6Gv2 is a really good keyboard which I recommend! 
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I know you already got your mouse but Lazer Mouse>>>>>>Optical Mouse. I mean, as long as you have a mouse pad that doesn't give you trouble then I guess it will be fine. I only mention it because it sounds like you want to get nice stuff and maybe you might want to exchange it.
The one thing that has really helped me is getting a mouse pad with a gel filled wrist rest, like this one. It stopped me getting a sore wrist and reduced RSI significantly.
I know nothing about keyboards, but get a wired one FFS. What is the point of a wirelss keyboard other than running out of batteries at the wrong time?
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Since you're urged to spend, why don't you think about buying some *ahem* gifts? ;D
In terms of mousepads, I like ones with little wrist pads/supports--those feel amazing. Though if they supposedly impair gaming etc. then it's performance over comfort, I suppose. I just personally think they're ridiculously comfortable.
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Haha.
@rat Well, generally. I don't need a really high cpi though, and to be able to get that for 30 bucks is excellent.
I dunno, I don't care for the little support :/
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Hello
My preferences and opinion:
Mouse: Logitech G9X (I know you already have a mouse, but I would like to input this anyway)
Mousepad: If you prefer hard plastic/mesh surface, the Steelseries 4HD will suffice.
If you prefer cloth, then any of the steelseries QCK would be nice.
If you're like me and care about looks as well as usability, I personally like the SteelSeries I-2 Experience. It's the old IceMat which is acid washed glass essentially
Mousefeet - Mousetape.com, Hyperglide.com, or if you could find custom cut ones for your mouse, it will work fine too. It's just teflon so vendors may overcharge it when they specify for a certain mouse
Keyboard - A lot of people tend to like Blackwidow, but I personally have found Razer stuff to be cheaply made and flimsy. Moreover, the Blackwidow is basically and old iOne mechanical keyboard if I recall correctly, and it didn't receive that many great reviews. Also, it's a blue switch Mechanical, meaning that it will be noisy.
The steelseries 6gV2/7g is a black switch, for me, it's too "tiring" after a while, since you need to exert a lot of force when pressing down the keys.
You really have to try out the keyboards yourself if you want to find the one you prefer. Blackwidow has the arrow pad cut out for tryout. Try going to local bestbuys and see if they would let you to try it out.
I personally prefer Cherry MX-3494 and Filco Brown. But that's just me
Monitor - If budget allows, I would try to get either
1.) 120Hz - everything would be smoooooth
2.) IPS (Dell most commonly) - Dell UltraSharp, for prettiness in display quality
Headset - I don't like the Razer headsets, they weren't that comfortable for me. The steelseries Siberia v2 isn't that comfortable for me either. The steelseries 7H w/ the Mock Leather padding feels pretty good, but I think it's quite expensive. I personally like the Creative Arena Sound Blaster, it's comfortable and 40-50$ when you meet a sale
Hope it helped, again it has a lot to do with personal preference. I would really spend sometime in Bestbuy/Computer equipment stores to try some stuff out.
Edit: for the monitor, if you're looking for a "normal" one. I would recommend 24 over 22. 24 Feels right, 22 still feels a bit small. I would go with a Samsung one.
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I wouldn't buy a mechanical keyboard, they're just not worth the extra price. A cheapo 10 dollar keyboard from wal-mart is just as good if not BETTER than a mechanical keyboard. Tasteless has an article floating around somewhere where he talks about this.
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Get a QCK Mass instead of the standard, if you want a cloth mousepad.
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On May 23 2011 10:28 Arisen wrote:
I wouldn't buy a mechanical keyboard, they're just not worth the extra price. A cheapo 10 dollar keyboard from wal-mart is just as good if not BETTER than a mechanical keyboard. Tasteless has an article floating around somewhere where he talks about this.
I'd like to hear how a cheap rubber-dome keyboard is equal to or better than a mechanical keyboard other than you just saying it is.
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On May 23 2011 10:40 djcube wrote:Show nested quote +On May 23 2011 10:28 Arisen wrote:
I wouldn't buy a mechanical keyboard, they're just not worth the extra price. A cheapo 10 dollar keyboard from wal-mart is just as good if not BETTER than a mechanical keyboard. Tasteless has an article floating around somewhere where he talks about this. I'd like to hear how a cheap rubber-dome keyboard is equal to or better than a mechanical keyboard other than you just saying it is.
Just preference, I bought into the mech keyboard craze and got some blues, Idk why I ever left my old rubber keyboard it feels so much better.
In the end keyboard doesn't really matter though..its just the player.
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On May 23 2011 10:36 Zlasher wrote:
Get a QCK Mass instead of the standard, if you want a cloth mousepad.
Thanks for the post. Is this because it actually has some sort of weight to it?
Also what do you think about a cloth vs synthetic MP.
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On May 23 2011 10:28 Arisen wrote:
I wouldn't buy a mechanical keyboard, they're just not worth the extra price. A cheapo 10 dollar keyboard from wal-mart is just as good if not BETTER than a mechanical keyboard. Tasteless has an article floating around somewhere where he talks about this.
What? Are you referring to Tasteless' keyboard articles on Gameriot? Because I'm pretty sure he never made that claim. Either way, it's pretty well known that mechanical keyboards are far superior to rubber dome keyboards, and whether or not the high price is worth it is subjective.
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Tasteless just says "a keyboard is a keyboard, having a mechanical keyboard doesn't make you better by default"
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Wait so do you want a headset or earbuds? If you're looking for a headset just get a nice pair of headphones (think sennheiser, audiotechnica, akg, grados, etc) and a zalman clip mic, you'll get way better quality for your $. What's your budget?
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On May 23 2011 11:27 decafchicken wrote:
Wait so do you want a headset or earbuds? If you're looking for a headset just get a nice pair of headphones (think sennheiser, audiotechnica, akg, grados, etc) and a zalman clip mic, you'll get way better quality for your $. What's your budget?
Earbuds. I have some nice senns and a desk mic.
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Mechanical keyboard are worth the price if you find yourself spending a lot of time in front of the computer gaming and working and the feel is a world's worth of improvement over standard rubber dome keyboards. Spending that much money on a keyboard won't make you a better gamer or anything, but in the end it's all about the feel and comfort if you find your fingers getting tired easily. I highly recommended a mechanical keyboard if you can afford it, make sure to make it last.
Here is a really extensive guide to mechanical keyboards: http://www.overclock.net/keyboards/491752-mechanical-keyboard-guide.html
However, the switches that are probably most available to you are Cherry MX Blues, Browns, and Blacks. Cherry MX Blacks are the switches offered by Steel Series, Razer, and Thermaltake. Blues and Browns you have to check online retailers for, but are the more popular kind that people usually look for.
Blues have the clicky sound and a strong tactile feedback (you can hear Destiny using Das Keyboard Ultimate with Cherry MX Blues). People relate these to the oldschool IBM Model M keyboard with the loud clickiness, though they are a bit lighter.
Browns don't have the clicky sound but feel extremely smooth whille still providing a decent tactile feel. IMO Browns are the best for gaming as Blues tend to feel "heavier" when you have to be tapping buttons at 100+ APM. Blues feel really smooth to type on so your hands glide over each key while playing StarCraft
I haven't had much experience with blacks but I believe they're similar to browns, but IMO browns are probably the better choice as they feel good both typing and gaming.
Some people use Cherry MX Red switches but I have no exp with those at all and I heard they're pretty hard to find outside of Asian providers.
So the cost:
For blues or blacks you're usually looking at a $100 minimum. A full size keyboard will usually run you at least $130, while a tenkeyless keyboard will be $100 ish.
www.daskeyboard.com
The best place to find a cheap full size keyboard IF you have a student discount. Blues are the standard model while browns are the "silent" model. They've sponsored some SC2 tournaments in the past as well. They also have a 30 day money back guarantee if you're unsatisfied IIRC.
www.elitekeyboards.com
There tenkeyless keyboards carry the browns and blue switches from Leopold (same build as Filcos) but they don't carry any full size keyboards with browns or blues and there full size keyboards are like $245 topre switch keyboards. However, the build of the tenkeyless Leopold's are solid and if you don't mind not having a numpad, I highly recommended them.
I'd suggest looking up some reviews on youtube to see if you like the sounds as well. However, with whichever one you pick, you will definitely feel the improvement over a cheapy $10 keyboard. I actually can't stand the regular keyboards anymore!
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Be a man, get the DT-35, PM me if you wanna know where to get them.
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On May 23 2011 10:28 Arisen wrote:
I wouldn't buy a mechanical keyboard, they're just not worth the extra price. A cheapo 10 dollar keyboard from wal-mart is just as good if not BETTER than a mechanical keyboard. Tasteless has an article floating around somewhere where he talks about this.
lol....maybe better in regards to comfort, but in terms of quality and longevity the mechanical keyboards usually trump the $10 cheapos. I use a mechanical keyboard and I can't go back to the regular stuff anymore.
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823204017
try finding this keyboard. the click clack is not as loud as it is a MX Brown. Also, it has a large CTRL key for easier grouping and no windows key to worry about (you can still map a windows key). Also everything is compact so more keys are in easier reach.
imo best gaming keyboard i have ever used.
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On May 23 2011 12:23 shindigs wrote:
I haven't had much experience with blacks but I believe they're similar to browns, but IMO browns are probably the better choice as they feel good both typing and gaming.
Blacks are actually not really similar to browns at all. Blacks have high activation force and are non-tactile, while browns are tactile and have low activation force, which is actually the exact opposite.
I guess I can agree with the other people, though, that mech keyboards somehow got way over hyped on TL like the past year. They feel good to type on, but it somehow turned into this "mech keyboards magically make you awesome at SC" or something.
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On May 23 2011 12:56 djcube wrote:Show nested quote +On May 23 2011 12:23 shindigs wrote:
I haven't had much experience with blacks but I believe they're similar to browns, but IMO browns are probably the better choice as they feel good both typing and gaming. Blacks are actually not really similar to browns at all. Blacks have high activation force and are non-tactile, while browns are tactile and have low activation force, which is actually the exact opposite. I guess I can agree with the other people, though, that mech keyboards somehow got way over hyped on TL like the past year. They feel good to type on, but it somehow turned into this "mech keyboards magically make you awesome at SC" or something.
true it wont make you better at SC unless you are comfortable with the keyboard. it's all about comfort.
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I'm not falling for that misnomer. Just nice, and I have the money.
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I'll say this: having a comfortable mech keyboard has improved my mentaility. My fingers get less tired from playing and my thoughts translate into the game a lot more smoothly.
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Does anyone have a blackwidow? It has blues, and they sell it at bestbuy. ANd i don't know what to use the card on.
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Alright, I've established I"m going to get a QcK mass, the steelseries headphones, and the blackwidow. Does that sound reasonable? Any advice on the monitor?
Also what is the sound quality like on the steelseries microphone?
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On May 23 2011 13:25 Froadac wrote:
Does anyone have a blackwidow? It has blues, and they sell it at bestbuy. ANd i don't know what to use the card on.
Blackwidow has a lot of issues I believe. If you don't want to Google them, here are some that come from the top of my head:
1. Many BlackWidows have their spacebar touching the right alt key. When you press down spacebar, there is a high chance of right alt also being pressed down. Some people don't have this problem, but you can YouTube videos of it.
2. I think it only supports 2KRO. This means that there are certain key combinations where the maximum amount of keys that can be pressed down and recognized by the computer is limited to two. If I'm dropping $100+ on a keyboard, I expect better (there are $30 gaming keyboards that support 6KRO+).
3. Glossy surfaces attract fingerprints. This probably only bothers me though....
I also hear horror stories about them failing quickly in general.
One of the clerks at MicroCenter really tried to get me to buy it, he even opened the box to let me try it out. He swore that it was the best keyboard he ever used.
Despite all this, I think the BlackWidow is still one of the only mechanical "gaming" keyboards around though. If you REALLY need macro keys and all that stuff and have to have a mechanical keyboard, I don't think you have much choice unless you go into the $150 range. I'd do some research first.
Edit: I'd stay away from headsets or headphones marked as "gaming headsets." There's a whole thread on TL about headphones. I've used several different gaming headsets - Razer Barracuda being one of them, and they don't sound nearly as good as my current Audiotechnica AD700s. I used to play CS at a high level as well, and I have a much easier time distinguishing footsteps with the AD700s which are stereo (people say it's due to a better "sound stage") compared to the Barracudas which are 5.1 surround. They aren't even comparable when it comes to listening to music.
NEXT, if you don't mind spending ~$5 more, and if you have the space, I would recommend the PureTrak Talent mousepad. I've heard nothing but good things about it, and I'm planning on getting one myself once my current SS QcK+ retires.
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Thanks.
Alas I'm getting one because I have a huge bestbuy giftcard, and I don't know what else to spend it on >.>
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EPT
