What keyboard/headset to get?

[JKim]

Hey guys I'm looking for a mechanical keyboard and a nice headset to buy.

Keyboard: I was looking at the Razer blackwidow ultimate 2013 (Green) but some of my guildies tell me Razer isn't a great company and something about Cherry blue/red/brown switches... I didn't understand too much. I've played on a normal Razer Blackwidow ultimate (blue) and the keys were super loud. Any other good suggestions?

Headset: I currently have a Steelseries Siberia V2 but want to upgrade to Astro gaming A50 or A40. I can't make up my mind on which I want. There seems to be a few negative reviews for the A50 so I'm not really sure. Again, any other suggestions?

[Uncle Julian]

Stay away from Razer imo, every single product I've purchased from them has had problems and I've needed to return them only to get refurbished items back. You pay a premium for a low quality piece of hardware and for the brand name ($2800 for a piece of shit that has a 555? LOL)

I have a logitech g510 keyboard and it's pretty nice, but a little on the over kill side in terms of features. I might pick up a logitech k120 to hook up to my laptop so I don't have to game with hot hands. It's simple, practical, and cheap (I think $35 or less). Hope that helps

[Deleted]

Since you're looking into a black widow keyboard I'm assuming you're already interested in a keyboard with mechanical switches. Let me start by saying this comes down to what you feel is comfortable. There's Cherry MX blue & red (there's brown too but don't use that for gaming).

Personally, I went with the QPAD MK series and choose the MK-85 which uses red switches (again, it's all about what YOU feel "feels" best).

[JKim]

How about for headsets? Astrogaming

[Cyanotical]

How about for headsets? Astrogaming

that really depends on how much you want to spend,

the best is a toss up between the Beyerdynamic MMX-300 and the Sennheiser PC-360, depending on your preference, both need amps and a good soundcard

[Thelxi]

I don't like to spend much on either one of those, since I like to replace them every few months. You can't go wrong with cheap logitech stuff.

[Deleted]

Imo a VERY nice and cheap headset is the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000.
Its quiet cheap and amazing.
If you listen to music, this thing has amazing bass performance and just sits on your head very light weight.
Its a great deal.
Probs 19 pound.

*Edit, Not all razer gear is shit. Got my naga almost 3 years now, works fine.

[Seezer]

I love the naga. But that's about it. I wanted a mechanical keyboard, so I bought the black widow ultimate. A year into owning it, certain buttons don't work properly, and some create duplicates, and it's annoying. I think Razer is overrated.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

Cherry Brown are perfectly fine for gaming. They are like blues, but without the click. Reds/blacks are the normal choices for gaming otherwise.

I personally have a Corsair K90 board and am quite happy with it. The K90 utilizes Cherry MX-Red switches.

As for headset, have you considered going headphones with a clip on mic? I went that route and am quite happy with the sound quality.

[Berserker Cronus]

I recently decided on getting a Zalman ZM-Mic1 clip-on mic and a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M30 headphones in lieu of a new headset. I figured it was worth getting better quality in both pieces for a lower price than settling for lower quality, more expensive parts just to have them together. You should definitely take that option into consideration.

[llDemonll]

I will chime in on the A40s; they're the most comfortable headsets I've ever worn. If you're a big audiophile, there are better (A40's are open-back, they let sound in from outside), but they're hands-down the most comfortable headset I've owned. My brother has A50's and likes them more than the A40's

[Slayman]

Here are my 2 cents:
As far as mechanical Keyboards go, I'm fairly new to them but I got myself a Zowie Celeritas. It has Cherry MX Brown switches, they don't click like the blues. And since you already have a mechanical Keyboard you should be familiar with the fact that by design the button presses are more notable. So all in all I find the Celeritas to an exceptional piece of hardware, and can only recommend it.
However the print for the letters on the keys is fading fast, WASD are of a discerningly different color then the rest after just 3months. And the keys are not backlit, which actually makes them a lot harder to read than one realises.

[Deleted]

What's your total budget for this purchase? Do you want to prioritize typing and input experience through a better keyboard or do you prefer a better output through more immersive sound experience?

I would recommend that you check out the peripheral section in my sample builds:
http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...1#post13403306

[Icebear]

For headset I've been using Sennheiser PC 350, which has served me great the past 3 years. The mic is starting to break a bit, but is still working and the wire protecter has broke off. But for at ≈$150 I don't think it's bad. The sound quality is also excellent.

[Deleted]

Cherry Brown are perfectly fine for gaming. They are like blues, but without the click. Reds/blacks are the normal choices for gaming otherwise.

I was just trying blues, browns, reds and blacks side by side the other day, and I'd say browns are reds but with a slight tactile bump. Blues are significantly different feeling than browns, not just missing the sound.

The best choice is browns for a first mechanical, unless you've gone and tested them all and know exactly what you want.