Best Gaming PC Build Mice Keyboards and Monitors - April 2016

Best Gaming PC Mice Keyboards and Monitors – April 2016

Gaming PC  Keyboard, Mice and Monitor Suggestions for April 2016

Here is the updated gaming pc peripherals article for April 2016, which showcases some of the top gaming pc keyboards, mice and monitors that can go hand in hand with the best of budget pc builds. This is also an attachment to the April 2016 Gaming PC Builds of the Month, so please check those out if you’re in the market for a new build.

The peripherals listed are arranged into three categories that best reflect a few general categories and are geared towards pc gamers. Since peripherals aren’t typical performance based hardware, they are categorized with both price and functionality in mind into either High End, Mid-Range or Basic categories. Generally, the categories are ranked by the type of hardware you have (such as a higher end monitor would most likely correspond to a high end gaming PC with a higher performing graphics card). But, some exceptions may be  gaming mice or keyboards, where a lot of its actual performance is a result of a gamers preference, playing style or types of games they play.

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Best Gaming PC Build Mice Keyboards and Monitors - April 2016

Higher End Gaming PC Peripherals – April 2016

The “higher end” peripherals are meant to showcase some of the more popular higher end / gaming specific peripheral hardware that one might consider to have the top of the line gaming peripherals or more of the “best” overall type of peripheral hardware – keeping in mind, these are not the most expensive gaming hardware peripherals one can buy, but a collection of the higher quality / more popular hardware for gamers in a few different categories. If you play specific types of games (MMO’S vs high FPS) then you might want to look into specific gaming hardware geared for those game types, either way the list below should still be relevant.

We have a different keyboard addition here – the Corsair Gaming K95 TGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with Aircraft-Grade Aluminum. This is a 100% mechanical keyboard with 18 G keys and RGB color per-key backlighting giving you the ultimate in customization and control. Check out corsair.com to learn more.

The mouse included as the “best overall” is the Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum RGB Tunable Gaming Mouse – the newer more polished version (now with programmable RBG lighting) of the previously included  Logitech G502 Proteus Core. This is a very comfortable all around gaming mouse with 11 large programmable buttons and easily one of the best mice out there, and is a great mouse for playing any time of PC game. [learn more at gaming.logitech.com].

There are a few monitors  included below. The first monitor is the Acer XB270HU bprz, which is for those who want to game at 2K resolutions while gaming (2560X1440) with 144Hz at 27 inches and also with G-Sync. If you want to read the full details on this particular monitor please visit acer.com. Keep in mind that this monitor is ideal for NVIDIA graphics card users to take advantage of G-Sync.

The second monitor is the ASUS MG279Q 27″ WQHD 2560×1440 IPS 144Hz monitor with FreeSync. This monitor is slightly cheaper then the  Acer XB270HU bprz, but has FreeSync technology, that AMD graphics cards can take advantage of.

The third monitor is the Acer XB280HK bprz, a 4K monitor with G-Sync and at 28 inches. This monitor is for those that want to crank that resolution up to a full Ultra HD 4K using an NVIDIA Graphics card – keeping in mind though that in order to max games out with a smooth 60fps, may be difficult to achieve unless you go SLI or Crossfire with your graphics cards (although a GTX 980Ti is definitely capable of 4K gaming, generally with some settings scaled back). Learn more about this Acer monitor as acer.com.

Hardware Link Price Image
Keyboard Corsair Gaming K95 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, Aircraft-Grade Aluminum (CH-9000220-NA) $189.92
Mouse (Best all around gaming mouse) Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum RGB Tunable Gaming Mouse $79.99
Monitor (2560×1440 / 2K @144Hz) OR (3840×2160 / 4K) G-Sync Monitor 1440p Option – Acer XB270HU bprz 27-inch WQHD NVIDIA G-SYNC (2560 x 1440) Widescreen Monitor (2K Gaming at 144Hz& G-Sync – For NVIDIA Graphics Card Users 


FreeSync Monitor 1440p Option – ASUS MG279Q 27″ WQHD 2560×1440 IPS 144Hz 4ms DisplayPort & Mini DP HDMI Ergonomic FreeSync Gaming Monitor (2K Gaming at 144Hz & FreeSync For AMD Graphics Card Users)


Acer XB280HK bprz 28-inch Display Ultra HD 4K2K NVIDIA G-SYNC (3840 x 2160) Widescreen Monitor (4K Gaming at 60Hz & G-Sync – For NVIDIA Graphics Card Users)

$740.05 (Acer XB270HU bprz)


$589.99 (ASUS MG279Q)


$699.99 (Acer XB280HK bprz

 

 



Mid-Range PC Peripherals – April 2016

The mid-range category is perfect for those that want to still have great gaming peripherals, but not necessarily the most expensive. The Mid Range peripherals are most likely geared more towards gamers that want a little more then the basic gaming necessities in order to have that slight edge while gaming in the specific games they may be interested in.

We have the Corsair Strafe Cherry MX Mechanical Keyboard. This is a great looking mechanical keyboard with cherry mx key switches (a very satisfying keyboard to game with and my preference), dynamic backlighting, endless programming with the ability to reassign any key or set up for extreme macros and more. Learn and read more at corsair.com.

This month I have included two mice in the mid range collection below (noting that they are around the cost if not more then the Proteus included in the higher end peripherals category above; this is because I’ve chosen the proteus as the best ‘overall’ and the following two mice as gamingh specific mice). The first mouse is the Corsair Vengeance M65 mouse would be ideal for FPS gamers, since it is built for precision and comfort. It has eight programmable buttons and one specifically for sniper mode – which simply slows down the dpi of the mouse in order to aim more precisely. Even though this mouse matches the cost of the high-end one above, it’s still a a great choice for a different type of gamer and you can also adjust the weight and dpi on the fly. To learn more about the Corsair Vengeance M65 please visit Cosair.com. The second mouse included is the Razer Naga Epic Chroma gaming mouse. This Razer Naga has a total of 19 MMO optimized programmable buttons for unlimited combos, chroma lighting that has 16.8 million customize able color options. Check out the full details at razerzone.com.

The mid range monitor for another month is the LG Electronics 24GM77 24 inch monitor. This monitor is really a fantastic gaming monitor for those gaming at 1920×1080 with super fast response times and 144hz refresh rates; highly recommended. This monitor is 24 inches,  has some of the best motion blur reduction and has Dynamic Action Sync, which reduces input lag by up to half.

Hardware Link Price Image
Keyboard Corsair STRAFE Cherry MX Red Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (CH-9000088-NA) $89.99
Mouse Corsair Vengeance M65 Performance FPS Gaming Mouse, Gunmetal Black (CH-9000022-NA) (FPS Player Recommended Mouse)


 

Razer Naga Epic Chroma Multi-Color Wireless MMO Gaming Mouse (MMO Player Recommended Mouse)

$85.97


 

$99.99

 


Monitor (1920×1080) @ 144Hz LG Electronics Gaming 24GM77 24-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitor (144Hz and 24-inches) $299.99

Basic PC Peripherals – April 2016

The “basic” peripherals are meant to showcase some of the more popular peripherals that are generally more affordable, but still considered gaming specific hardware. Just because these are labelled “basic” doesn’t mean they aren’t quality peripherals for gaming, but realistically it’s all you really need to get into any gaming without all the bells and whistles.

For the keyboard this month I have switched my selection to the Coolermaster CM Storm QuickFire Rapid – personally I really like this keyboard, which features mechanical Cherry MX switches (your choice of Brown, Blue or Red MX Switches), windows key disabling in game, laser marked keycaps, anti ghosting and best of all, this keyboard is tenkeyless; which makes is a great basic gaming pc keyboard in my opinion as this gets rid of necessary keys such as the number pad minimizing the overall keyboard size (so unless you really need those extra keys, this could be a very viable gaming keyboard option). Learn more about this keyboard at coolermaster.com.

The Turtle Beach Grip 300 Gaming mouse you see below, is essentially a gaming mouse that probably has all most gamers will fully utlize, such as a comfortable design, two big thumb buttons and three DPI settings. To learn more search for the Turtle Beach gaming mouse over at turtlebeach.com.

*A second mouse recommendation is also featured below this month as a “Reader Submitted Recommendation”. Alex commented out the site last month saying that the Redragon M701 Lavawolf gaming mouse is “amazing for the price” and  “you get way more than you pay for”. And with the mouse being only $16.99 at the time of writing this and reading the other customer reviews, I can see that he’s not alone. This mouse may be a worth while consideration for someone looking for a budget gaming mouse.

The BenQ RL2455HM monitor included may be all most gamers may need, a 1080p monitor with 60hz refresh rate and 24 inches – all for a great price for a gaming specific monitor. This monitor also has presets for specific RTS games like StarCraft II or DOTA 2. To read the full features list please visit gaming.benq.com.

Hardware Link Price Image
Keyboard Coolermaster SGK-4000-GKCL1-US CM Storm QuickFire Rapid $69.99 Blue Cherry MX) $75.50 (Brown Cherry MX) or ($99.99 Red Cherry MX)
Mouse Turtle Beach Grip 300 Gaming Kit Including Optical Gaming Mouse and Medium Drift Mouse Pad for PC/Mac (TBS-4835-01) $49.00
Monitor (1920×1080)

BenQ RL2455HM 24-Inch LED Console Gaming Monitor (24 inch 75Hz / 1MS Response Time/ 1080p) – Also available in 27 inches.

$179.00

Operating System Options

If you don’t already have an operating system for your new gaming pc build, then you’re going to have to either invest in purchasing a standard OS such as Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10. Otherwise, there are some free alternatives that you could consider below as well. Keep in mind that you will need an optical drive should you decide to purchase the install DVDs, however you can also purchase Windows online or as a USB stick and install it that way – this would be the process for installing your OS without an optical drive.

The following are some operating systems you can consider installing upon putting your Gaming PC build together. The first three will cost you and are either Windows 7 or 8.1, or 10 – I have no opinions here so I’ll leave the purchase of these up to the discretion of yourself, but do keep in mind that either way you do have the option of upgrading to Windows 10 for now. I have also included two other operating systems that are both currently free. Ubuntu is a Linux based operating system. The last OS is SteamOS, which is also a Linux OS being developed by Valve Corporation and is being made to be used for a Steam Machine game console.

OS Link Price Image
Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 System Builder OEM DVD 64-Bit $99.99  
Windows 7 Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit, System Builder OEM DVD 1 Pack (New Packaging) $87.00  
Windows 10 Upgrade Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit System Builder OEM | PC Disc $86.86
Ubuntu Ubuntu – Desktop Free Ubuntu Logo
SteamOS SteamOS Beta “Build your own Steam Machine” Free Steam Operating System OS

Comments 10

  1. Hi Corey – is it unorthodox in the gaming community to simply use a wireless mouse/keyboard option and go with an HDMI / 3.8mm-to-RCA out to an HDTV? I was looking at the June 2016 $1000 build, wondering if it would be a good way to go.

    1. Post
      Author

      Hello Dean,

      As a collective gaming community – it would generally be unorthodox to recommend a wireless mouse / keyboard option, but in the end it comes down to the tools you like to use. The benefits to non-wireless is in some cases lessened input lag or the change of not having precise movement in a high fps game. But, I for example I have no problem wirelessly gaming in situations where I’m using my television in a media room since mice and keyboards don’t extend 9 feet across the room. Also no problem with the 3.8mm to RCA cord for audio and the HDTV should work fine for normal 1080p gaming. The only downside to television gaming is that you may not be taking full advantage of see the crisp high refresh rates and frames, but it works just fine – and I game on my tv or even a projector for a more immersive experience time to time and don’t mind it at all.

      If you were saying going for the $1500 build, I would say it probably wouldn’t be worth it for your needs as there wouldn’t be much of an advantage – so all in all I would say go for it and you’ll be able to probably max most of any game out there right now without difficulty – and if you are gaming at a far length away from your pc, you can also use a wireless controller depending on what games you play. Let me know if you have any further questions an best of luck!

    1. Post
      Author

      Hi Jerry,

      Cheapest could be any generic branded 1080p monitor of any size. So coming from a recommendation of something still good, 1080p and at say something like the BenQ GL2460HM 24-Inch – http://amzn.to/1V4SphX which is around $140 would be a good budget choice. If you want cheap cheap, then something like the Acer G226HQL 21.5-Inch could suffice at around $89 – http://amzn.to/1RX7L5E

        1. Post
          Author
  2. Hi Corey,

    what is the best bang for the buck 1080p 144hz monitor? Asus 24 (VG248QE) , BenQ 24 (XL2411z) , BenQ 24 (XL2430T)
    Thanks!

    1. Post
      Author

      Either the Asus 24 (VG248QE) or BenQ XL2411Z would both be the best for buck options for sure. As per which…well they are both so similar haha, so it would just be up to you. I do tend to lean BenQ though.

  3. Post
    Author

    Hi Joey,

    In terms of ultra wide for both, you’d probably be best to stick with standard aspect ratios. So I’d say stick with 4K 16:9 as you said, or even 2K / 1440p as it does take quite a bit of hardware to achieve 4K, and consoles aren;t even there yet.

  4. Hi Corey,

    What would you suggest for ultra wide monitor for gaming in pc and console? Is is worth it ? or still go for 4k 16:9?

    Thanks!

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