I recently built a gaming PC over this winter. You can check out my article on that if you’re interested in everything I learned from it. Since I was building my computer completely from scratch, there were a lot of things I had to learn along the way that I wish I knew before I started. I also had to purchase my own keyboard, mouse, and gaming monitor. I started my build with a lot of budget equipment but I wish I knew exactly what to look for in each piece of gaming equipment before buying.
How to Use this Guide
I figured that writing this article might be helpful to someone who is on the same boat as me. If you are planning to build a PC or are originally a console gamer, I’m sure you will find this useful. In this article, I’ll go over everything I’ve learned and researched about gaming equipment in the hopes of making your life easier. If you still want some more information after this, I’ll link below to some other related articles I think you would find helpful.
I made this a downloadable word document that you can use for reference whenever you’re looking at gaming equipment in a store or on the web. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or just want to give feedback, feel free to leave a comment or reach out at entertainmentden.ns@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to answer any and all questions.
Download the Guide Here
This guide is a shorthand checklist of the most important information found throughout this article. After some painstaking hours and looking through tons of content, this is a complete compilation of everything you would want to know about creating the best gaming setup.
Table of Contents
Choosing a Monitor
Choosing a Mouse
Choosing a Keyboard
Headphones / Speakers
Useful Accessories
Choosing the Right Monitor
For me, monitors are one of the hardest products to evaluate when searching the web. It seems like they all essentially do the same thing. Every company claims that their monitor is superior to the rest and their product image is a glossy 4k display. In all honesty, the best way to evaluate the quality of a monitor is to actually try it out. That means you shouldn’t be afraid to return an item if you’re not happy with it and should order from a retailer that lets you easily do that.
How to tell if a monitor is actually good
- Response Time is well under 10ms. I haven’t come across a monitor that’s anywhere near 10ms (most of them are 5 and below). The lower the number, the better. Most 1080p monitors are around 5ms response time. Even the budget Acer monitor ($89) I have has a 5ms response time.
- Its Panel Type is IPS. This stands for in-plane switching. Throughout the evolution of monitors, panel types have developed to display more colors, more accurately. A good 1080p monitor has to be IPS for it to be worth getting and I would recommend avoiding monitors that are of any other panel type.
- The refresh rate is 60hz or above. I mentioned this in my other article but I’ll reiterate: if you’re not a pro gamer, you don’t need a 165hz monitor. You can even have a smooth gaming experience with a 45hz. I would suggest you shoot for 60hz, as there are plenty of budget gaming monitors within that price range.
- Aspect ratio is 16:9. Again, most monitors will already come in this dimension but just double check when you’re looking at the specs so your game dimensions don’t get skewed.
- Monitors don’t need good speakers or any at all. You can save a good amount of money if you find a monitor that doesn’t come with speakers (like my Acer one). My guess is that you’re already prepared to game with headphones or have some external speakers that you’ll want to use. Either way, I would try to save some money on this quality and invest in a better, more dedicated sound system.
My Favorite Monitor: AOC 23 Inch
I’ll go through a synopsis of this video real quick if you aren’t able to watch it. This is me reviewing the AOC i23 monitor. It’s awesome because it’s a borderless frame, IPS, 1080p, and displays colors extremely well. It’s simple in design and you don’t have to adjust it’s settings at all once you get it. It also didn’t break the bank to make this purchase and it was a great find (my brother spent many hours trying to find the best one for a $140 price range and this was the one).
How I feel about my recent purchase of the $90 Acer monitor
Since building a gaming PC tends to break the bank if you want all the desired parts, it’s hard to invest in a great monitor shortly after. I should have planned for this in my overall budget so I could have purchased a second AOC but I didn’t. The Acer monitor that I have was labeled as “Amazon’s choice” but I was also impressed that it was a 5ms response time, IPS, 1080p and 60hz monitor for that price so I went for it.
Pros: Extremely affordable, easy to upgrade in the future, games look just as good on it as they do on an HD flatscreen, image display is awesome and has a borderless frame.
Cons: Its smaller than my AOC (21 inches compared to 23 is noticeable but not a huge deal). I think the render distance on Just Cause 4 is slightly worse on this monitor compared to my TV but I’m not sure. I also don’t like how it’s not easily adjustable in terms of being able to tilt it left, right, up, and down (I’m able to but naturally it doesn’t want to).
Deciding On a Gaming Mouse
Another quick synopsis if you aren’t able to watch:
There are some important questions you should ask yourself if you’re looking at a gaming mouse but aren’t sure yet. These questions are obvious, but it helps reassure your brain that you’re deciding on the right premises.
- How well do you want it to match the size of your hand? How big do you want it? I use a really small Logitech mouse for my gaming. It’s small enough to almost fit my entire hand over it but I like the minimalist design of it. Other people will find it more comfortable to have one that displaces their hand perfectly and uniformly over the top of it. This would be a good design if you plan to game for more than a couple hours at a time.
- Will you benefit from having weight adjustability? Some gamers like to exert a heavy amount of force on their mouse when moving around their hud or character. Some people do better when their mouse is sensitive to movement and they want more movement on the screen and proportionately less from the mouse.
- Does it come with the programmable features that you want (and driver compatibility)? Most people who get a dedicated gaming mouse will look at these features. I don’t personally use them so I can’t speak too heavily on them. I will say that after doing some research it’s important to make sure the driver software necessary to program the mouse is also compatible with the CPU you’re using. Watching a quick set up guide on the mouse you want on Youtube would be a good idea to make sure you won’t have problems with it.
A good example of a quality gaming mouse: Logitech G903
A lot of people think using a wireless mouse is bad because of latency (delay) issues and aren’t as accurate but in 2019 I think Bluetooth mice are a perfect option. The video below will help you understand why. I’m also not a pro gamer like most people so I don’t need to have a microsecond advantage in the response time of my mouse.
This is the Logitech G903 and it’s one of the most ideal mouses for a number of reasons.
- It’s priced at $109 which isn’t as expensive compared to some branded models
- Customizable button configuration on the sides
- Easy and convenient charging cord allows it to have a full battery every time you use it (since it’s wireless)
- Wheelock scrolling and smooth scrolling- can choose the difference. The need for each one can vary depending on what game you are playing.
A good gaming mouse ultimately won’t be insanely overpriced (though some are still expensive) and it will do it’s best to effectively implement features to accommodate the wide range of a gamer’s needs.
Choosing the Right Keyboard
If you’re already a super avid gamer or know a lot about gaming keyboards, I recommend skipping this section. This section is for people that are starting a brand new set up and don’t want to over complicate their research and guidance on buying good products. I’ll go over some of the basic components that make gaming keyboards different from regular ones. I also found a super helpful video that is helping me decide on gaming keyboard right now!
Membrane, Mechanical, and Scissor Switch Types
You’ve already seen all three of these keyboard types before. Membrane and mechanical keyboard keys have their buttons sit a little bit higher off of the board itself. They’re more old fashioned and make those satisfying click sounds every time you push a button.
Scissor keyboards are the ones that laptops have. The buttons are almost completely flat across the keyboard and they usually don’t give you much feedback when they’re being pressed. There is no “right” or wrong type of keyboard when it comes to switch types. Personal preference always wins in this situation and there are some important things to note when analyzing these three types.
Mechanical and Membrane keyboards will give you more feedback when you press buttons. You’re less likely to hit the wrong key in an important part of the game. But you do have to push a lot harder on the keys in order to trigger them. Scissor keyboards, on the other hand, don’t require as much pressure but it’s easier to mistype on them.
Ultimately, decide on how you want the keys to feel when you press them. There’s really no advantage to gain by choosing one or the other. I personally like the membrane keyboard because I like the sound of pressing buttons and my fingers won’t accidentally slip off the keys when I press it down. Every finger lands with a solid keystroke and I feel more accurate when using it.
Do you want customizable buttons for volume control and macros customization?
Everyone can find a lot of benefit from having a programmable keyboard. Having programmable buttons varies in significance depending on what type of games you’re in to. Games like Mortal Kombat can be made a lot easier when you can program a bunch of button presses into a single button.
Take a look below to see what some of the button programs are. “Keyboard macros” are programmed buttons that have certain features. Keyboards that come with programmable buttons have M1, M2 etc labeled on them somewhere.
Examples of useful keyboard macros:
Built-in macro software is the best. Logitech has an awesome program for their keyboards where you just have to drag and drop.
- Autorun for DayZ: program the double tap of the forward button to initiate a full sprint until pressed a second time (so you don’t have to hold down the button)
- Saving the last 20 minutes of a game: if you’re playing a game like Just Cause 4 and something epic happens, you can program a button to save the last 20 minutes of gameplay if you plan to upload them onto a computer. Most people use ShadowPlay to record games (also allows you to program your keyboard for these functions)
- Toggling Godmode and noclip in games like Fallout and Skyrim. If you’ve had any experience playing these games and implementing mods, you’ll know how useful this one is. It’s a lot easier to toggle this with a button instead of having to go through the command prompt
- Quick cut and paste buttons
- Initiating pre-programmed attack combos in one keypress. Programmable keys are especially useful in fighting games where you already have to press a lot of buttons
A final note on keyboard macros:
You don’t have to have a gaming keyboard to have programmable buttons. But from the research I’ve done, it makes your life a lot easier.
AutoHotKey is a free downloadable application that lets you program any keyboard for almost anything. BUT, you would have to familiarize yourself with script editing and some coding in order to really utilize it (which can be frustrating at times).
Choosing the Right Headphones
If you’re on a budget (under $100) for gaming headphones, it’s best to look at the reviews of the specific ones you want. As you go down in price range, you’ll find that microphone quality and bass quality proportionately change.
For the higher range of headphones, there are some important things to consider. This section will help you identify your preferences to gaming headphones and what features are the most important to you.
Questions to ask yourself
- Are they comfortable enough to where you don’t feel fatigued wearing them?
- How good does your mic quality need to be? Is the mic location easy to adjust and get out of site when you’re not using it?
- Are they simple and portable? Does it come with too many cords?
Liking the quality of the headphones is personal preference but it’s also easy to tell when the headphones are working for you in the way you want them.
The best way to determine which headphones you want is to try them out. I won’t overcomplicate what material is the most comfortable or anything like that. Earbuds also work for people but it still comes down to personal preference and reviews which is why I’ll talk about the ones that I have.
My gaming headphones: Sennheiser Momentum
These aren’t strictly for gaming I just got these when there was a sale going on. These are the old Sennheiser Momentums. I’ve worn these for a couple years now and it’s nice to finally be able to use them for gaming. You can get a couple different versions of these but I’m pretty sure the ones I have went for about $85 on Amazon.
They’re extremely comfortable to wear for hours on end. I workout in these all the time and have abused them enormously (but they’re still holding together very well). If these break, I know for a fact I’m just going to buy a replacement pair of them.
I think these are better than noise canceling headphones because the muffs fit tight enough around the ears to cancel out background noise. But it’s also the perfect amount of tension and won’t isolate you from the rest of the real world.
The bass and treble are balanced perfectly and I like how they didn’t even bother to give users the option to adjust them. The cord isn’t too long and it comes with a built-in mic next to the audio adjustment buttons on the cord. It’s easy to adjust the headphones up or down depending on how tight you want them.
For me, I’m basing my next set of headphones off of these ones. They strike a perfect balance with canceling out noise without being too tight or making me nauseous, have fantastic audio/bass quality and have proven to be ultra durable over many years for purposes more than just gaming.
What about external speakers?
If I had the budget right now and wasn’t saving up for an overseas trip, I would be saving up to get some good external speakers. At the end of the day, I really don’t like wearing headphones because I don’t like feeling blocked out from the rest of the world. If my roommate is going to jump me, I want to be able to hear him coming.
There are a couple of different ways you can go about setting up external speakers. You can mount them around the room and do it like a home theater if you have a dedicated room or you can get a unit that sits on top of your desk like you would imagine them to be.
The best external speakers I came across were about $150 and up. You can always go to a salvage unit and find $30 speakers that look just like desktop ones you see in a classroom. If you want to save up and take it a step further, you can get gaming speakers that also connect to an amplifier / subwoofer to give you the best sound quality.
The example I’m thinking of would be the Klipsch Promedia 2.1. They’re simple in design but they pack a punch with their quality. Last time I checked they were about $200 on Amazon.
Gaming Pads and Accessories
The single biggest tip I would recommend following is to not read up on how to buy the best mouse pads or wrist support pads! Feel free to call me out, but I sincerely think that these kind of things are such a completely personal preference to appearance and shape design that it’s not necessary to have a buyers guide on this.
As long as the mouse pad works and looks cool, I say go for it because that’s what I would do.
You can get wireless charging mouse pads if you have a mouse that supports that feature (QI Certified). The Logitech G Powerplay is a perfect example but there are a couple other ones on Amazon like the Gazepad Qi. This pad will charge anything that is Qi certified.
They’re not as expensive as you would think (you can get pretty big ones for $40). It makes the most sense to buy a charging pad that corresponds with the dedicated wireless mouse (but not necessary).
If you’re interested in a couple more accessories, I wrote another article called gaming accessories that are actually useful.
It’s an older article but some people might still find it useful.
Anything on Gaming Chairs?
This is another article I wrote after doing a lot of research trying to find a gaming chair myself. None of them impressed me because they didn’t look comfortable or practical. I also realized that a lot of these chairs were overly expensive and just knock off brands of each other. In conclusion, a plain black, comfortable office chair was a better pick for me. Feel free to check out the article for a more in-depth look.
Gaming Chairs and Why I Haven’t Felt the Need to Get One
Conclusion
Trying to gather the gaming equipment that works best for you can be difficult with the abundance of information. I put this article together for you and frankly for myself because I’m in the exact same place of looking for gaming equipment (since I recently finished building my PC). The ultimate goal of this article was to clear up all the jargon and information overload that surrounds a lot of these topics. If I failed to do that or would like to give some feedback that always helps me out!
At the very least, I hope this reminded you to stick to the value you ultimately want to get from your gaming set up vs someone on Youtube who claims “these are the best headphones ever and nothing else is good enough.” From my experience, I’ve made purchases to gaming equipment that initially didn’t jazz me nor did I totally love it when I first got it (like my gaming monitor).
But once I stopped comparing it to the next best item on my wishlist and just used it, it didn’t feel like a sacrifice to get a monitor more within my budget.
As always, feel free to leave a comment or reach out at entertainmentden.ns@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to respond. Thank you for reading!