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keyboard/headset recommendations
posted in Hardware
1
#1
0 Frags +

im in the market for a keyboard and a headset and want to get some recommendations from people who are much more experienced with peripherals than myself.

for the keyboard, i still want to have the numpad but i want the keyboard to be compact (similar to the cm storm quickfire rapid). i think i want blue keys but if you guys can give me your experiences with blues or reds and which you prefer that'd be nice.

for the headset, i dont really have any preferences (it can be a headset that comes with a mic, a headset + a mod mic, etc etc). all i want is good sound quality, thats not too bassy, and pretty good mic quality.

my budget is fairly flexible but id like to keep the headset and the keyboard together under $300.

thanks for the help in advanced.

im in the market for a keyboard and a headset and want to get some recommendations from people who are much more experienced with peripherals than myself.

for the keyboard, i still want to have the numpad but i want the keyboard to be compact (similar to the cm storm quickfire rapid). i think i want blue keys but if you guys can give me your experiences with blues or reds and which you prefer that'd be nice.

for the headset, i dont really have any preferences (it can be a headset that comes with a mic, a headset + a mod mic, etc etc). all i want is good sound quality, thats not too bassy, and pretty good mic quality.

my budget is fairly flexible but id like to keep the headset and the keyboard together under $300.

thanks for the help in advanced.
2
#2
1 Frags +

Headset: Sennheiser HD598s + mod mic 4.0 or 5.0

Keyboard: the corsair strafe with cherry mx red is really nice, and not that expensive.

Headset: Sennheiser HD598s + mod mic 4.0 or 5.0

Keyboard: the corsair strafe with cherry mx red is really nice, and not that expensive.
3
#3
1 Frags +

Well for the keyboard you can get a Leopold FC980M for around 120
https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_list&c=365
(legends are side print though)

It pretty much the same size as the Cooler Master but retains the dedicated arrow keys

Well for the keyboard you can get a Leopold FC980M for around 120
https://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_list&c=365
(legends are side print though)

It pretty much the same size as the Cooler Master but retains the dedicated arrow keys
4
#4
-1 Frags +

ve monk $5
rubberdome kb $0-10 (better than blues and reds)

ve monk $5
rubberdome kb $0-10 (better than blues and reds)
5
#5
0 Frags +

In general, a decent pair of normal headphones (audio technica m50x, sennheiser HD 598 etc.) and a modmic is probably your best bet, sound quality in "gaming headsets" is pretty bad when it comes to sound quality in my opinion (too much bass, not enough of everything else.)

Peripheral wise, corsair never disappoint. Though if you want something a bit less flashy, get a ducky one. One think I do suggest considering is whether you buy a 10 keyless. I recently started using the corsair k65 and I am so much more comfortable when gaming. It's worth thinking about :-)

In general, a decent pair of normal headphones (audio technica m50x, sennheiser HD 598 etc.) and a modmic is probably your best bet, sound quality in "gaming headsets" is pretty bad when it comes to sound quality in my opinion (too much bass, not enough of everything else.)

Peripheral wise, corsair never disappoint. Though if you want something a bit less flashy, get a ducky one. One think I do suggest considering is whether you buy a 10 keyless. I recently started using the corsair k65 and I am so much more comfortable when gaming. It's worth thinking about :-)
6
#6
0 Frags +

The headphones I mentioned are great for gaming and for listening music, also they are pretty light so they won't easily cause any fatigue or discomfort.

The headphones I mentioned are great for gaming and for listening music, also they are pretty light so they won't easily cause any fatigue or discomfort.
7
#7
1 Frags +

For keyboard: Ducky and Coolermaster are the two most recommended brands. Their mechanical keyboards are both pretty much the baseline for good quality for each of their pricepoints, though Ducky is arguably higher quality if just because their keycaps are significantly better. Other brands such as Leopold like Jacona mentioned, Varmillo, a Pok3r, Filco are all good and of comparable quality as well. On a budget, the Magicforce68 with Gateron switches / Outemu blues (Outemu blues are decent, but every other color of theirs is really bad and you should pay the extra for Gateron) or the Plugable TKL are about as good quality as you can get for a low price.

Compact + numpad isn't super common, but a 60% + separate numpad such as the Jelly Comb can be a good option (and lets you reposition / remove the numpad at will, and is arguably better since left-sided numpads are pretty nice to try out too). Alternatively, basically all 60% keyboards (or at least, most good ones) have function layers that should still support numpad use, and usually can be programmed to your needs anyway.

As for switch preference, get a switch tester (ones with decent switch options can be $20 and stick around as a nice desk toy) or go see if you can try some out somewhere. If you check out /r/mechanicalkeyboards there might even be a meetup near you at some point. There's a reason it's called preference after all, and depending on your preference, using a switch you don't like could feel pretty bad.

TrooperKeyboard: the corsair strafe with cherry mx red is really nice, and not that expensive.Gir_affeguyPeripheral wise, corsair never disappoint.

Corsair's keyboards are pretty meh. They aren't bad but they have a bunch of small issues that add up, while other keyboards of the same pricerange usually don't have anywhere near the issues like Corsair does.

Half of it is cutting corners; the LEDs die out fairly frequently and is a well known (and still unfixed) issue on all of their boards with RGB. The keycaps are basically as cheap as you can get to have transparent legends (thin, cheap ABS plastic, paint-and-etch printing) and you can feel it (low durability, starts shining and feeling permanently greasy pretty quick, the indent of the legends can be felt and I always mistook it for specks of dirt on my fingers). The backplate, as much as they advertise it, isn't actually that good compared to other boards, and isn't seated into the plastic base all that well. As well the switches themselves aren't seated perfectly in the backplate either.

The other half is design choices that I still don't understand; the bottom row is nonstandard and limits keycap replacement options heavily (which really sucks considering their stock keycaps), and the spacebar being wider means the stabilizers aren't going to stabilize as well either. The cable is incredibly bulky and makes the board a complete pain to reorganize, kills portability, isn't removable, and for some reason takes up two usb ports to plug in if you want to use the software with it.

I wouldn't recommend them for those reasons (however small they are, they are there and cheaper boards usually don't have those issues), but if you have one and enjoy it then that's all you need to know. It is still genuine Cherry switches with a fairly solid backplate (even if it could've been implemented better) and you can't go too wrong with that.

wonderlandrubberdome kb $0-10 (better than blues and reds)

This is something you need to try out. Mechs are a pretty different feel from rubber domes, and while most people who try them end up preferring mechs, there are some people who end up not liking them. Usually because either the switches they tried aren't suited for them, and a switch tester helps with that a lot. I can't stress how this is pretty uncommon though and I wouldn't be worried about it, even if the switch isn't optimal, the overall increase in quality is still there.

I didn't mind rubber domes too much when I was using Cherry reds, but I'm now on Gateron browns (more tactile than Cherry browns, but less tactile than Cherry clears) which I feel are much more suited to me and I actively avoid rubber domes whenever I can to type on it instead.

For keyboard: Ducky and Coolermaster are the two most recommended brands. Their mechanical keyboards are both pretty much the baseline for good quality for each of their pricepoints, though Ducky is arguably higher quality if just because their keycaps are significantly better. Other brands such as Leopold like Jacona mentioned, Varmillo, a Pok3r, Filco are all good and of comparable quality as well. On a budget, the Magicforce68 with Gateron switches / Outemu blues (Outemu blues are decent, but every other color of theirs is really bad and you should pay the extra for Gateron) or the Plugable TKL are about as good quality as you can get for a low price.

Compact + numpad isn't super common, but a 60% + separate numpad such as the Jelly Comb can be a good option (and lets you reposition / remove the numpad at will, and is arguably better since left-sided numpads are pretty nice to try out too). Alternatively, basically all 60% keyboards (or at least, most good ones) have function layers that should still support numpad use, and usually can be programmed to your needs anyway.

As for switch preference, get a switch tester (ones with decent switch options can be $20 and stick around as a nice desk toy) or go see if you can try some out somewhere. If you check out /r/mechanicalkeyboards there might even be a meetup near you at some point. There's a reason it's called preference after all, and depending on your preference, using a switch you don't like could feel pretty bad.

[quote=Trooper]Keyboard: the corsair strafe with cherry mx red is really nice, and not that expensive.[/quote]
[quote=Gir_affeguy]Peripheral wise, corsair never disappoint.[/quote]
Corsair's keyboards are pretty meh. They aren't bad but they have a bunch of small issues that add up, while other keyboards of the same pricerange usually don't have anywhere near the issues like Corsair does.

Half of it is cutting corners; the LEDs die out fairly frequently and is a well known (and still unfixed) issue on all of their boards with RGB. The keycaps are basically as cheap as you can get to have transparent legends (thin, cheap ABS plastic, paint-and-etch printing) and you can feel it (low durability, starts shining and feeling permanently greasy pretty quick, the indent of the legends can be felt and I always mistook it for specks of dirt on my fingers). The backplate, as much as they advertise it, isn't actually that good compared to other boards, and isn't seated into the plastic base all that well. As well the switches themselves aren't seated perfectly in the backplate either.

The other half is design choices that I still don't understand; the bottom row is nonstandard and limits keycap replacement options heavily (which really sucks considering their stock keycaps), and the spacebar being wider means the stabilizers aren't going to stabilize as well either. The cable is incredibly bulky and makes the board a complete pain to reorganize, kills portability, isn't removable, and for some reason takes up two usb ports to plug in if you want to use the software with it.

I wouldn't recommend them for those reasons (however small they are, they are there and cheaper boards usually don't have those issues), but if you have one and enjoy it then that's all you need to know. It is still genuine Cherry switches with a fairly solid backplate (even if it could've been implemented better) and you can't go too wrong with that.

[quote=wonderland]rubberdome kb $0-10 (better than blues and reds)[/quote]
This is something you need to try out. Mechs are a pretty different feel from rubber domes, and while most people who try them end up preferring mechs, there are some people who end up not liking them. Usually because either the switches they tried aren't suited for them, and a switch tester helps with that a lot. I can't stress how this is pretty uncommon though and I wouldn't be worried about it, even if the switch isn't optimal, the overall increase in quality is still there.

I didn't mind rubber domes too much when I was using Cherry reds, but I'm now on Gateron browns (more tactile than Cherry browns, but less tactile than Cherry clears) which I feel are much more suited to me and I actively avoid rubber domes whenever I can to type on it instead.
8
#8
0 Frags +

i dont like my blues cuz i dont like that bumpy clickity feel

i could see it as a good thing in other games but i would prefer reds in tf2

i dont like my blues cuz i dont like that bumpy clickity feel

i could see it as a good thing in other games but i would prefer reds in tf2
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