Gaming keyboards/mice

[Hidden Hippo]

I've been thinking of treating myslef to a new keyboard, but I'm wondering whether it is worth spending £50+ on a Logitech G15 or whether it is really worth it. Does anyone have any experiences with this keyboard, and if so what do you think of it? The other one I'm looking at is the Saitek Eclipse II, which is around £30.

As for mice, I'd quite like either a Razer Copperhead or a Logitech G5. Again, does anyone have experience with these mice? What do you think of them if you have had experience?

Thanks in advance.

 

[merk]

No experience with gaming keyboards. I would say its usefullness depends on what games you play and what keyboard mapping the keyboard gives you. For the mouse, i would say the most important thing is the shape of the mouse and the buttons. A mouse that advertises super fast response time i think isnt as important because i think a decent midline optical mouse will probably give you just as good results as the one advertising the super fast response. The exception to this i think would be if you played a lot of first person shooters where you were doing sniper type stuff. Then i suppose the finer resolution of the gaming mouse might come in handy.

that all said, i use the logitech G7 mouse at home. Got it for a really good price, otherwise i would have gone with the non-gaming mouse. I dont have any real complaints about the G7 other then wishing it had some more buttons, and that the battery lasted longer. The battery tends to run out after less then a day of use if i am using it a lot. but it comes with 2 batteries so its not that big a deal to just swap them out and let the other one charge.

 

[KeithTalent]

I have the G15 and totally love it, though I have to admit I do not really do any key mapping on it. Overall I love the feel of it, the blue keys and the LCD display. Was definitely worth the price for me.

There are a tonne of key mapping options and profile settings if you need that stuff (I'm just too lazy).

 

[Zbox]

love my g15 except for the fact that the black paint on the keys is already wearing off... instead of glowing letters i now have glowing fingerprint holes

as for the mouse, i tried both the copperhead and g5. it's a matter of personal preference, but for me the choice was obvious. g5 hands down (i went with a g7 eventually which has battery life comparable to how long a dog humps a pillow before he's finished)

 

[benplaut]

@Zbox, since you've tried both --
Is the G5 suitable for 'fingertip' gamers (as in, your hand is on the mousepad, fingers on the mouse), or does your whole hand go on it? Trying to decide between a copperhead, diamondback, MX518, and G5

@Hippo --
If you're looking for the feel of the keyboard as apposed to the gimmicks (backlight, display, etc), then consider a Logitech UltraX. It has scissor-style switches, like most laptops. A few of us AT'ers are splitting a case (OEM only), so if you're interested drop a PM

 

[Zbox]

I use my fingertips

 

[benplaut]

Originally posted by: Zbox
I use my fingertips

So the back of your hand/beginning of your wrist is on the pad... interesting. I'm considering a G5 now

ok, you can have your thread back

 

[Hidden Hippo]

Interesting. I'm afaid I'll pass on the UltraX OEM split, just doesn't tickle my fancy that much. Besides, I don't do much (any) typing on my gaming rig, that's what my laptop is for . I'll probably go for the Eclipse II then and a G5, although I think the way I play (fingertip etc) must vary with game. I think I'm quite "tippy" with FPS games and fairly "entire hand" on strategy games. I'll still go for the G5 though I think, due to the overwhelming response from here and other boards. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[benplaut]

Spam post... Hidden Hippo, i beat you to 100 posts

 

[Hidden Hippo]

Well, aren't you "speshul" . I'm sure you must be delighted with yourself.

 

[benplaut]

yes, yes i am
Anyway, good luck with whatever you pick

 

[AndeeG]

Originally posted by: Hidden Hippo
Interesting. I'm afaid I'll pass on the UltraX OEM split, just doesn't tickle my fancy that much. Besides, I don't do much (any) typing on my gaming rig, that's what my laptop is for . I'll probably go for the Eclipse II then and a G5, although I think the way I play (fingertip etc) must vary with game. I think I'm quite "tippy" with FPS games and fairly "entire hand" on strategy games. I'll still go for the G5 though I think, due to the overwhelming response from here and other boards. Thanks for all the advice.

How can you possibly fit your entire hand on the mouse? I have a microsoft intellimouse explorer and it would have to be probably 50% bigger in order for my hand to fit on it. (probably a weird question, I know)

 

[benplaut]

the comparison i've found:

Many people cup the top of the mouse in the palm of their hand, with their thumb wrapped around the side.
Fingertip means that all you're holding the mouse with is your thumb and pinky--everything else is either on the pad, or in the air. it's often preferred by 'twitch shooters' in FPS

 

[Hidden Hippo]

I don't know whether I do put my entire hand on the mouse. Although, I've been playing with my tips a lot in Dawn of War recently and it's pretty comfortable to be honest. I'm now looking at the Razer Copperhead again, which chances are, I'll get.

 

[Hidden Hippo]

Just a quick update. After seeing it on offer at overclockers.co.uk, I decided to take the plunge and get the G15. I should have it on tuesday, so I'm looking forward to it. I'll wait until the end of the month and then order my mouse, which is likely to be a Razer Copperhead. I might see if I can get it at a shop though, as I doubt there is as much markup on peripherals as there is on internal hardware.