Buying New 'For Gamers' Keyboard & Mouse

TheMadGamer

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I want to buy a new 'for gamers' Keyboard and Mouse.

Two keyboards I'm mulling over right now are the Logitech G510 and the Razer Black Widow Ultimate.

Mice I'm mulling over are the Logitech Wireless Gaming Mouse G700, the Razer Naga Epic Gaming Mouse, & Razer Mamba Wireless Gaming Lazer Mouse (whew). I want to stick with a wireless mouse because I prefer the freedom over loss of some precision.

I'm having a hard time making a decision because I don't have any experience with Logitech or Razer products and user reviews on Amazon.com and several others consistently complain about product quality for both manufacturers for both device types.

So I'm turning to you guys for your opinions on these choices, or any other choices you may have hands-on experience with that you would recomend.

Thanks in advance!
 
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I can't say anything about the Razer products, but most of my many Logitech mice have been the bees knees. I like their feel. Mostly reliable, except for remapping of buttons using their SetPoint software on XP, and one defective mouse where a thumb button didn't work right.
 
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I own the g700. It's a good mouse although I have had problems with their software. The 13 buttons are nice. I like the feel of my mx1000 better though. If you get it I would recommend buying some rechargeable batteries and a charger to swap batteries. I get about 2 days of battery life. You can plug it in and still use it but then you have a wired mouse. I got almost 2 weeks on one charge with my mx 1000. Never owned any other brand of mice so I can't comment on others.

Never tried the 2 keyboards you mentioned. I would highly recommend the stealth merc gaming keyboard though. It has separate oversized wsad keys which are nice if like me you have big fingers also they are slightly tilted in and feel much more comfortable than the normal wsad keys. It has a large cluster of button around the larger wsad keys some of which are slightly raise and easier to locate. It's fully customizable software allows you to save all your game key layouts. So you can change keys even if the game doesn't support it. Anyway you can find it on the web if your interested in it.
 
I'm on my second Logi MX518 mouse in hmm... five or six years at least. I had a G5 laser mouse for maybe half a year in between but that one broke. Maybe laser is more prone to error than optical(?). The MX518 has been extremely reliable for me. Great bang for the buck.

For keyboards I've had a Logi G15 and G19 in the past few years. Both were extremely reliable up to now and I wouldn't want to miss the display. It's of great help in combination with the e.g. MSI Afterburner graphics utility to monitor the temperature of your GPU, the GPU fan speed, the clock speeds, memory usage and the FPS you are getting in games and which version of DirectX is being used. All at a quick glance down on your keyboard. It's not just a gimmick but actually really helpful.

Have zero experience with Razer so can't provide any input on those products.
 
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I second Moriendar's sentiments on the G19. I have that and will never go back to a 'normal' keyboard. The 12 macro buttons are a lifesaver for some games and the display is nice addition, but the macros are what I want it for. I haven't really messed around with the display to the extent that Mor has. Didn't realize it could do all that :)

I have a Logitech G500. Wanted a better one, but that was the best gaming mouse they had at the time. The speed setting buttons on the mouse are an absolute must. If I want to speed up or slow down the cursor or camera movement in a game I just have to click a button. Easy as pie.

I also have no experience with Razer. Always buy Logitech products.
 
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Logitech > everyone else

My last four mice have all been Logitech, and I'm currently using the Performance MX wireless. I've tried other name brands, but they never seem to feel right, and Logitech has always had the best drivers imo.

The G510 is nice, especially if you actually use all the extras. I used to have a G15 and it was great, even though I didn't use most of the optional gaming stuff. I've got a G110 now which I'm fine with. My only real necessity is backlit keys. Since I normally game with the numberpad, I rarely use the extra "gamer" keys on the far left.
 
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My wife has used two Razers. The first she got rid of after a year because of the infamous 'left click problem' (you can google for it). She got herself another Razer because she really likes how they feel and got rid of that one in a year because of the same left click problem. Probably not all razers have the issue, but I do not think she will get herself another Razer soon. She uses a Logitech now.
 
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My MX510/MX518 was the undefeated king of my mouseboard for ages. I actually bought new mices like the MX1000 but moved back to the MX518. I played three of those until they died. It wasn't until the G500 came along that I was finally able to replace the mouse and now I enjoy the G500 like I loved the MX518. It have higher accuracy, better feet and left/right scroll. The ability to unlock the mousewheel to freeroll feels like a gimmick though, never felt the need to use it. I also do not use added weights.

Personally I do not use the DPI buttons at all, I tend to disable them in favor for keypresses instead. Having 8 buttons and left-right side scroll gives me more than enough buttons to easy control even advanced titles, often assigning things like grenade, custom powers, dodge, jump and sniper scope to the extra buttons.
 
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For mice I'm a Logitech man. Haven't seriously used anything else in decades, apart from giving it a try. I demand my mice to be symmetric though, because I like to do some browsing with my left hand. This probably means I'm not in the market for gamer mice.

Keyboards are one of my pet peeves. 20 years old Cherry gold contact keyboards still have a much better feel than most of the stuff you can buy nowadays. Although the situation got better over the last 3 years or so (before that 90% of all keyboards were crap), it's still hard to find a good keyboard. Even if you're willing to spend some money on it.
The Logitech keyboard I'm using now is barely tolerable, but it's cordless and I got it for free. ;) Honestly, I wouldn't have spent 5 bucks on it.

Generally my advice would be to go to the biggest electronics market you can find and try all mice and all keyboards they have. The differences are enormous. Then go with what you like best.
 
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So far, I'm reasonably happy with the Razer Naga - and it performs very well. My main issue is that it has a lot of tiny "cracks/spaces" underneath where dust and stuff can get to. After a while, it's a pain to keep clean.

My own personal favorite mouse is the MX1000 - except they don't last long. I've had 3-4 of them over the course of the same amount of years. Clearly not good enough.

Now, as for keyboards - I'm truly cursed. I've owned 10-15 keyboards in the last 5-6 years, and I've never been truly happy with any of them. I did love the very cheap "laptop" keyboards from Logitech - but they only last around 6 months. Then keys start getting stuck or fall off.

Recently, I thought I'd finally found my baby with the Solar keyboard from Logitech - only to find that it's incredibly inconsistent when charging and keeping the charge. It has also started to loose the connection every once in a while.

So, I'm using my Razer Tarantula at the moment, and it's ok. I'm a big fan of flat keys - so it's not ideal, but at least it seems to be built better than many others.
 
I knew I could count on you all for great feedback. THANK YOU EVRYONE WHO RESPONDED!

It's going to be a good bit of cash buying these two peripherals and while I liked the asthetic appeal of the razer products, it just seems like they have too many issues. I'm going to follow the consensus here to stick with Logitech.

I'm mulling over all the models pointed out so far in this thread! Again, thank you very much!
 
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Yeah I always go with Logitech and haven't been disappointed.

Been using the G500 Mouse and a G15 keyboard for at least a few years now and never had any problems. Good customizability and solid drivers with lots of tweakable settings.
 
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Keyboards are one of my pet peeves. 20 years old Cherry gold contact keyboards still have a much better feel than most of the stuff you can buy nowadays.

I agree. I still have my very first IBM PC 8088 model B with its original keyboard, coil wired and all.

This is why I was drawn to Razer's Blackwidow Ultimate with its mechanical keyboard - I really miss the tactile response of a mechanical keyboard. But I just can't get past the immense amount of negative user feedback on Razer products that I have come across on multiple websites.

Right now, based on the comments here and my own research I'm leaning toward the Logitech G700 Mouse and Logitech G19 Keyboard.
 
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Well I pulled the trigger - I ordered the Logitech G700 mouse and G19 Keyboard directly from Logitech. Should get it in 7-10 business days. Can't wait I've really needed to upgrade these items for a while now.
 
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Well my Logitech G19 Keyboard and G700 mouse arrived today. I have hooked both of them up and using them right now! Loving them both so far and very satisfied with this purchase. Thanks to everyone here who gave their opinions and feedback, I really appreciate it.
 
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