Any Advice for Choosing a Gaming Keyboard/Mouse?

Does anyone have any tips/advice for choosing a gaming keyboard & mouse?  I'm a noob to PC gaming but I plan on playing shooters (Crysis, Unreal Tournament 3) and MMOs (Champions Online, Star Trek Online). 

Originally posted by Prator I use the Logitech G15. You'll see alot of reviews have this keyboard as well. Personally I've never had any good fortune with Microsoft keyboards and I have a bias against Razer products. I've had the G15 longer than any other board and it has yet to dissapoint me.

Thanks for your reply, Prator!

Originally posted by Prator B5, 1. The palm rest is removable. Lift the keyboard, bend 90 degrees and apply a moderate amount of pressure and it'll disconnect. No need to really worry about breaking anything as the attachments looks like this  .-.  with little tinny nubs on the sides of the connector. 2. Approximate Size is 19.5" x 10.5" x 2.5" 3. Don't be concerned with the incompatibility problem - most forum post are before the retail copy was released. I don't know why the list doesn't show this keyboard or its newer variants - too lazy to update the web page maybe or just pushing the G19 as it's on their? This is the link to this keyboards Windows 7 driver page. Just select 32 or 64 and you'll see the driver. If anything I'll let you know in 2 weeks or so when I get my rig :-) 4. If you want to be absolutely crazy you can buy the G19 Gaming Keyboard. I equate it to buy a 965 when all you really need is a 920 I7. You can change the keys led color, has a color LCD, and the ability to depress 5 buttons at once. Personally i think its overkill, but it's an option nevertheless. Full review found here Keep in mind is these high end keyboards usually boil down to a personal preference. Any one of them could do the job adequately - Logitech or not.

1) That is very good news because I already have a very comfortable palm rest that is part of the keyboard drawer that slides out from under my desk.  I'll definitely be removing the palm rest.

Diesel is right make sure its the v2. Diesel said he uses the G9 is actually an excellent choice. I'm getting ready to upgrade to that mouse. I'm currently using the G5 v1 (good mouse - stupid single back button). If you don't want the G9 I would get the G5 v2 found here.

G5 is a great mouse; I've used it for years.

I'm personally not a fan of the G9 and it's odd shape, but plenty of people have liked that one.

Everyone has made good points concerning the logitech mouse and keyboards. and I currently have the G15 and G5 mouse. but i must chime in here and say although i find the hardware aspect of Logitech very good. In the last year I have seen there customer support and software go to the wayside. Mostly concerning the Gaming mice. and when I decide to get new stuff I will be looking elsewhere.  I recommend you take a look around the Logitech forums and just see how others there like there Gaming Mouses and Keyboards. That way you can make an Informed decision. The only reason I keep this G5 around is because of my very large hands. I'm currently trying out the Razer Mamba, but am having a hard time getting used to it . Maybe because I have been using the G5 for so long, I don't Know? I tend to switch between Palming and clawing my mouse. the razer seams to be to low profile for me to palm it good and its to narrow to be able to claw it without getting fatigued also I found the software/utility buggy sometimes. I guess you can say I'm still on a quest for my ultimate gaming mouse. Love the Keyboard though. haven't had any issues with that so far.

Edited by titusmckieus - 03 Nov 2009 at 1:33am

I have the G15 keyboard and G5, and I absolutely recommend them to you especially G5 if you play FPS.  G5 has a quick access button to increase/decrease sensitivity without the need to go into menus and settings.  I bought them 6 months ago and I am still happy with them.

The G19 is only better than the G15 if spending extra 100$ means nothing to you.

Thank you very much everybody for your comments & advice.  I'm pretty sure that I'll be getting the G15 keyboard.  I spoke to a Logitech sales support person on the phone a few days ago.  I was curious about the dimensions because I have a small keyboard tray in which the G15 must fit & the information that I received has confirmed that it will indeed fit. 

Originally posted by Agnt If you buy the mouse at Best Buy and don't like it, you can exchange it. I had the same problem since they don't really display the mice. I initially bought the G9x. I really wanted to like it, but it was just too odd of a shape. I exchanged it for the G500 (which seems to have replaced the G5 cause I can't find a Best Buy that carries it anywhere near me). Again, I just wasn't a fan of the comfort. I play WoW almost exclusively and I just use a regular palm grip so comfort is #1 for me. Then I exchanged it for the Razer Death Adder. Unbelievable. In terms of natural comfort, it absolutely blows the doors off anything from Logitech. It takes zero "getting used to." It just feels right. So if a natural feeling, comfortable mouse is what you are looking for, I say go with the Death Adder or Mamba (if you want wireless). I absolutely love Razer now.

Thanks for sharing your experiences, Agnt.  I'll look for the Razer Death Adder & Mamba at my local Best Buys or J&R.

No problem. Glad to help. I hope you find a mouse that is comfortable for you. You will find a minority of people who have an admitted bias against Razer, but who are unable to explain why. As a result, I don't know the roots of that bias. All I can say is try them all for yourself and see what you like. I did that. Quite frankly, I expected to like the G9x and/or the G500 based on all the glowing reviews. However, I hated both Logitech mice and fell in love with the Razer Death Adder, which was the third and final ouse I tried. Just try them all for yourself if comfort is important to you. Good luck.

One thing that I'm sure we all agree on. is when it comes to mouses it's just one of those things that you need to try out for yourself. and for me it is still a quest to find that ultimate mouse. and has been for about 7 years.

Each person has different needs as far as features and each person has different hand , grip styles. So it makes finding a mouse difficult. especially when manufactures are trying to make everyone happy. It tends to make them more universal than custom.

 Fortunately I have 2 children that have computers, and I have 3 myself.  If I end up not liking it, it gets moved on down the line as a hand me down. and then I try again.

Hmm so I went looking for the Death Adder and I think I've changed my mind to Mamba. Going to have to see what works best. Would be really interesting if I ended up back at the G9  I'll still have to get back to you guys on that one. I'm unsure which one the poster of this thread said he was going to try and how it went.