Luxury peripherals, worth it?

[Deleted]

• Mechanical Keyboards - If you do lot of typing or want the keyboard to last more than 6 months without WASD-sector losing its feel, worth it. Albeit I'm against paying extra for the bling leds and such.
• 120 Hz monitors - If you have the kind of hardware to reach the fps to take advantage of 120hz monitor, you probably have money to buy one. One of those thing that you don't really need but can't go back once you have had one.
• 60+ Euro/dollar mice - Only if you need insane amount of buttons not found in sub 60e mice, yet again I'm against for paying for bling or maker logo. I think the sweet spot is 40-60, that gets you a decent gaming mouse.
• 100+ dollar headsets - Only if you're audiophile.
• dedicated soundcards - Same as above, you will want to get both though.
• Eyeinfinity - Gimmick, not fit for serious gaming and not very suitable for many types of games. Also requires tremendous hardware to run games smoothly. Yet I highly recommend having a second monitor.
• Nvidia 3D vision - Same as eyeinfinity.

[Forgettable]

When it comes to MMOs, the only thing on that list that is needed is a good mouse with extra buttons. So in that case it's worth it - For other types of gaming, I don't have experience so I don't know.

Everything else... People will pay what they think it's worth. It is just luxury after all. Are those things worth it to me? Mostly no. Are they worth it to you? I don't know. Personally I have a mechanical keyboard and a razer naga.

[Masark]

As gamers we have a wide range of "premium" hardware products marketed at us. I was wanted to hear your thought on which of the following are worth the extra money and which you consider useless "fluff":

• Mechanical Keyboards
• 120 Hz monitors
• 60+ Euro/dollar mice
• 100+ dollar headsets
• dedicated soundcards
• Eyeinfinity
• Nvidia 3D vision

1. Not necessarily mechanical, but a good keyboard,like my preferred ergonomic split keyboard, is beneficial.

2. Overrated. You're not going to be able to see the difference.

3. I'm spoiled for my G600.

4. Also spoiled for my Sennheiser headset.

5. Not needed for gaming, but a good soundcard is nice for other listening, if only because it gets your analog signal away from all the electrical noise on the motherboard.

6. I use dual monitors at work, but I don't have much use for them gaming.

7. No no no. 3D shit gives me an instant headache.

[vesseblah]

27" QNIX QX2710 Evolution 2 ll 2560x1440 WQHD Samsung PLS Monitor Matt Screen 350$ budget pls screen, and with luck 120hz pls screen. :P

And you need triple SLI of GTX780's to run at 120fps on that screen. Don't matter one bit if the monitor is $350 when the required GPU power costs five times more.

[MMKing]

1 - A good keyboard is important to me, doesn't have to be mechanical. In fact, i prefer it not to be mechanical.

2 - Professional FPS gamers (those who make money of it) benefits from a 120HZ monitor. I can't really tell the difference, and i don't play FPS games that often or seriously. But i do own an Asus 2560x1440 27 inch Monitor. Running two 7970s to power it

3 - Been sticking to my Logitech MX518, and later the follow up to that mouse.

4 - Using my Steelseries Siberia V2 headset. Comfort > sound quality / Mic

5 - Don't use one, not really a requirement. But if you need one, most people would know that they need one.

6 - I use two monitors. My current 2560x1440 and my old 1920x1080 don't really match well if i were to stretch them.

7 - 3D is shit imo. Bought 3DS a couple weeks ago, and i never use the 3D function.

Most of these are just luxury items. You could get away with less than 50USD for mouse, keyboard and headset. Then another 70 for a 21 inch monitor.

[Deleted]

27" QNIX QX2710 Evolution 2 ll 2560x1440 WQHD Samsung PLS Monitor Matt Screen 350$ budget pls screen, and with luck 120hz pls screen. :P

Only DVI-D, I guess they had to cut the cost somewhere

[tielknight]

Well you said headsets, for headphones yes you can find some somewhat decent ones fairly cheap.

Headsets/headphones are interchangable to me so anything that goes over/around your head is one of those and those little knobs that go into your ear are earbuds. To me, actual headsets have 0 use outside a call-center or those annoying bastards that call me asking if i want a free cruise for only $89.

The only reason I could see someone getting a headset for home use is for working from home and they need something light to keep on their head for long periods of time.

Sorry for the confusion!

[Masark]

Only DVI-D, I guess they had to cut the cost somewhere

Of course it's DVI-D. Why would you need the analog pins?

[Deleted]

2. Overrated. You're not going to be able to see the difference.

Gr8 b8 m8.

[Deleted]

Of course it's DVI-D. Why would you need the analog pins?

Displayport, HDMI?

[Gerik]

If you consider the amount of time you sit at your computer, the payoff of "luxury" investments is enormous and easy to justify. The top of your list should have an ergonomic chair, above all else. If your headphones cost more than your chair, you're an idiot.

[Deleted]

If you consider the amount of time you sit at your computer, the payoff of "luxury" investments is enormous and easy to justify. The top of your list should have an ergonomic chair, above all else. If your headphones cost more than your chair, you're an idiot.

Or you have really good headphones. Calling someone an idiot for having a cheaper chair compared to your headphones is a little over the top. If you're that concerned and want to be healthy get rid of the chair all together and get a standing desk or minimize your time in front of the PC and no I'm not kidding.

[Masark]

Displayport, HDMI?

HDMI is just dual link DVI with audio (useless for this) baked into the cable and unwanted DRM crap piled on top.

Displayport brings higher resolutions (unneeded), audio baked in (again, useless), and newer unwanted DRM crap.

[Deleted]

When it comes to desk and chair the best possible thing you can do is variation. That's why most offices have desks that can be raised to be used while standing. When you pick out a chair the best you can do is adapt to the 90-degree rule and get a chair that will support your back, shoulders/elbows and neck. Going away from the computer (taking a walk, doing some exercises) 5-10 minutes every hour is an easy way to vastly reduce strain to neck and shoulders.

A really good computer chair costs somewhere around $800. A really good pair of headphones in the same type of enthusiast grade class costs $1200, excluding the DAC and amplifier you'd want with them. That said you can find a decent chair that gives ample support for $200-400 and you can find good quality headphones for $150-300 - it all depends on what needs you have and what kind of money you are willing to throw down.

On chairs though, don't get lured into the whole "gaming edition chairs". They are often not much better than your $60 IKEA chair. I'd recommend looking closer at something like the Malmstolen Model 4000, which is used (and tested/rated) for 24 hour surveillance sessions by the Swedish army.

[Klutzington]

Mechanical keyboard: yes
Expensive mouse: maybe -- mice w/ tons of buttons is a must for me (Razer Naga)
Sound card: hell no
120hz monitor: nope
Eyefinity: fuck no lol
3D: no, gimmick

[Deleted]

• Eyeinfinity - Gimmick, not fit for serious gaming and not very suitable for many types of games. Also requires tremendous hardware to run games smoothly. Yet I highly recommend having a second monitor.

Eyefinity/Surround is not a gimmick at all imo. Sure, it costs a lot to game over multiple monitors but the results are absolutely fantastic and it's certainly not a gimmick. Don't confuse gimmick with perception of cost.

[Deleted]

HDMI is just dual link DVI with audio (useless for this) baked into the cable and unwanted DRM crap piled on top.

Displayport brings higher resolutions (unneeded), audio baked in (again, useless), and newer unwanted DRM crap.

You might be surprised but some people actually need and/or prefer having more than one connection option, like for a consoles. Why are you so aggressive and defensive for no reason? It is cheaper for a reason, like few connection options. I never said it was bad.

I wouldn't buy a monitor that doesn't fit my needs, regardless of how cheap it is. There is nothing unwanted about the connections I use, which includes dual HDMI.

[Deleted]

Eyefinity/Surround is not a gimmick at all imo. Sure, it costs a lot to game over multiple monitors but the results are absolutely fantastic and it's certainly not a gimmick. Don't confuse gimmick with perception of cost.

Spend hundreds of dollars to increase peripheral vision with a stretched image that allows for a better immersion but no other real advantage to gameplay while taking a major performance hit unless GPU power is increased to match.

I can see why people call that a gimmick.

[tielknight]

If you consider the amount of time you sit at your computer, the payoff of "luxury" investments is enormous and easy to justify. The top of your list should have an ergonomic chair, above all else. If your headphones cost more than your chair, you're an idiot.

Paying more for one item over another does not make someone a idiot. If I get a $1000 couch and buy a $5,000 tv, would that also make me a idiot for not spending $6k on a nice couch? Certainly not.

Ergonomic chairs have a VAST difference in designs so you will have to do alot of searching to find one that might fit your body. Your better off finding whatever chair(ergonomic or not) that is the most comfortable and has a good warranty AND is made of some decent quality materials(bounce-test it if you can). And don't forget to look for one that will match with your desk so you won't be trying to cram a fat-chair into a small desk.

[Deleted]

Spend hundreds of dollars to increase peripheral vision with a stretched image that allows for a better immersion but no other real advantage to gameplay while taking a major performance hit unless GPU power is increased to match.

I can see why people call that a gimmick.

Worth every penny in my opinion, but I guess it's personal preference. I would never want to go back to a single screen now.