It’s all very well having the major components of your dream gaming PC delivered and installed, but it’s equally important not to forget the smaller items. Keyboards, mice, speakers, headphones and even optical drives are crucial items that, despite recent advances in technology, are still absolute requirements for a modern gaming rig.

With the advent of touch-screen technology, iOS, Android and Windows 8, everything appears to be moving towards poking things directly with your finger, as opposed to indirectly with your mouse. Some consoles seem to be going a step beyond this, requiring you to simply dance around like an idiot in front of your telly to play games, without touching a thing. As fluid and intuitive as touch interfaces can be for selecting and organising windows, apps or data, there’s really nothing that’s come close to the precise control offered for just about everything else that a mouse and keyboard provides.

 

Along a similar vein, we have seen a move in recent years away from the use of DVDs to distribute games. Blu-ray is still young and hasn’t been adopted by the majority of PC users, who have instead either stuck with the good old DVD or moved to digital distribution. The split lies somewhere near to the centre at the moment, but you can expect a bigger exodus to download-only titles as our shelves fill and our broadband improves. For the moment, however, an optical drive is still very much a necessity. You don’t buy Windows on a USB drive, nor can you install some of your favourite classics over the internet (unless GOG.com has been on the case, of course).

As for sound, there really hasn’t been much change in the last few decades. PC sound is still divided, for the most part, into two categories; speakers and headphones (or headsets). For gamers, both can be important, since you will likely come across different requirements based on which game you are playing. If you’re after some cinematic immersion, some high-quality surround-sound speakers can make a game seem much more visceral and exciting. Alternatively, you can swap the epic sound scape for a more personalised bubble of acoustics with a decent set of headphones. If you play MMOs or any other game that requires voice communication from time to time, you’re going to want to invest in a pair that have a microphone, too; no matter what the purported benefits, there’s still no substitute for a good headset when it comes to avoiding unnecessary feedback and noise.

So with all this in mind, what do you choose? More so than anything else we’ve covered in previous articles, there’s a literal plethora of peripherals out there and it can be a bit bewildering having to choose between them. We’ll start with something simple: your optical drive.

This is your easiest decision and you can resolve any dilemma by asking yourself one question: am I going to be watching movies on my PC as well as playing games? If the answer is yes, you want to invest in a fairly decent Blu-ray drive, since that’s where legitimately purchased movies are heading towards. As HD only gets H’er in D, the humble DVD just isn’t going to be able to cope with the rising capacity requirements for much longer. I would advise you to seek alternatives to watching movies at your PC if you can help it (why not get a PS3, for example?), but film fanatics who want to be able to tab out and check Facebook every now and then would be best served with a Blu-ray drive. Otherwise, all you need is a DVD-RW drive; something that can read DVDs and, if you really need to, burn one as well. Make and model for either of these don’t matter, but some good brands to go for are Samsung, Sony and NEC.

Next up comes keyboards and mice, for which I’d strongly recommend you do some preparatory reading of two of my earlier articles, found here and here. In them, I discuss the trials and tribulations of finding out exactly which keyboard and mouse were right for me. To put it bluntly, a lot of this decision is down to personal taste and need. There’s not much more I can advise on this matter aside from a few key points.

First, if you can, always buy a mechanical keyboard. Do some research on which type of switch you prefer and – if possible – get out to a shop that sells them and have a feel. Perhaps pester your gamer friend who’s already got a mechanical keyboard and ask them if you can have a go. The general consensus is that mechanical keyboards are vastly superior in almost every way to the standard, rubber-domed models. They aren’t to everyone’s liking, are usually quite a bit louder and more expensive than normal keyboards, but the responsiveness, feel and reliability more than make up for this.

When it comes to mice, some of the same rules apply. It’s down to preference; if you feel confident after reading my articles that you’re still going to use a mouse with extra buttons or an extremely high DPI, then the options are there. Crucially, you should always try to get a laser mouse where possible. Whereas optical mice will certainly suffice, the precision and reliability of a laser mouse can make all the difference when playing your favourite FPS or MOBA. They also tend to be more adjustable, often coming with their own software with which you can tweak certain settings like DPI, button function and suchlike.

For both mice and keyboards, I can’t recommend Logitech enough. They have seen me through many years of typing and clicking. They also have great warranties and customer service, which is always a plus if your device happens to develop a fault. Some other good manufacturers to check out are Razer, Cooler Master or Ducky.

Finally, we come to the issue of sound. This is where it becomes a little less PC-oriented and therefore my knowledge is less extensive. Audiophiles will go on incessantly about how to achieve “crisp”, “tight” or “premium” sound, whereas I can be happy with some fairly mid-range equipment. For my own desktop sound needs, a pair of stereo speakers is perfectly adequate, but that’s mainly for listening to music or watching television shows. For movies and games with surround-sound capabilities, you’ll want to invest in something like a 5.1 surround system. This involves a lot of extra cost external to your PC, however; not to mention the logistics of getting those speakers mounted and wired up, which can prove challenging in the best of circumstances. Tailor your decisions based on what you believe you need and feel you can afford. Some good brands to check out would be Creative, Bose and – once again – Logitech.

For headphones, it would be best to invest in a single pair which also act as a headset, meaning that they have a microphone as well. Voice communication is a big part of a lot of PC games nowadays, but this will also serve you well for use with Skype and suchlike. While you can spend quite a lot of money on headsets that emulate 5.1 or 7.1 surround-sound, often all that is needed is a high-quality brand to perform adequately. For myself, I bought a Creative “Fatal1ty” Gamer Headset for two specific reasons: the detachable microphone and the superior bass sounds. I have always found sound from PC speakers to be a little too tinny, so when I really want to experience music, the headphones go on. The same could be said for some games, where particularly emphatic sounds could be better experienced with a little more bass. The advantage of the detachable microphone is simply that it doesn’t get in my way; that, and I can always be sure of when I’m transmitting my voice. For those interested, this very same headset is still available for purchase today (and I highly recommend it), but otherwise look to the same brands as the speaker manufacturers listed above.

That’s all for this instalment of Easy PC. Check back next time for a look into what you’ll be looking at most of the time: your monitor.

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