Whether you’re a casual gamer or a serious competitor, the right gaming gear can make all the difference. High-quality equipment improves comfort and playability, so you can focus on winning.
Choose from gaming essentials like a monitor, keyboard and mouse or extras that take your setup to the next level. These products have hundreds (or thousands) of five-star reviews from gamers who love them.
Keyboards
Gaming keyboards have special functions to help gamers perform better. Some have dedicated macro keys and adjustable RGB backlighting. Others feature ergonomic designs to promote comfort and accuracy. And they have fast response times to give gamers the competitive edge.
Keyboards may also have indicator lights, such as Caps Lock, Num Lock and Scroll Lock. When a typist presses a key, the keyboard encoder sends a code to the main computer to turn on the indicator light.
Some keyboards use gaskets to keep out dust, dirt and water. Keyboards with membrane switches often have key rollover, which means that three or more keys being pressed at the same time can’t cause a ghosting problem. Those with scissor switches or butterfly switches have different performance characteristics.
Headsets
Gaming headsets are a vital piece of gaming gear, as they can help gamers communicate with their teammates and opponents during online multiplayer games. They also provide high-quality audio to make the game more immersive and realistic.
A good gaming headset must have a great microphone that can clearly capture your voice, thumpy bass that can make gameplay feel more exciting, and a premium look. In addition, they should be comfortable enough to wear for long gaming sessions and compatible with multiple platforms and connection types.
The Audeze Maxwell headphones deliver all of the above in a stylish package. Their open-back design creates a spacious soundstage that feels wider than the closed-back options on this list, and they come with companion software that lets you customize their audio settings.
Mouse
Any mouse will work in casual PC games, but gamers need one that is built to last and responds the way they want it to. That means extra buttons that can handle reloads, special attacks or weapons swapping. It also needs to be a good fit for both right and left-handed gamers.
A gaming mouse’s sensitivity setting is another important distinguishing factor. This heightened characteristic of the sensor enables definite cursor motion, vital for gaming scenarios requiring quick reflexes and staying targeted.
Lastly, gaming mice have features that help reduce input lag. One example is angle snapping, which aims to correct small movements into straight lines that the software believes are intentional. This feature is polarizing, but some professional gamers prefer it for the added confidence of knowing they can trust their raw input.
Power Supply
The power supply (PSU) is the component that connects to every other piece of hardware in your computer and carries all of its electrical power. This makes the PSU one of the most important gaming gear components you can buy, especially if you want to play on a higher-end system with demanding GPU and CPU hardware.
When choosing a new PSU, be sure to consider the peak power capabilities and continuous power capabilities of each unit. Choose a PSU with a high continuous power capability to ensure your hardware will run at maximum capacity without reaching its limits, and avoid choosing units based solely on their peak power capabilities, which are only relevant for short periods of time. Also, be sure to look for modular and non-modular PSUs, as well as SFX and CFX PSU sizes to find the right model for your build.
Monitor
Gamers need high-quality equipment to get the most out of their gaming experience. This includes keyboards, headsets and mice. These pieces of equipment allow gamers to communicate with other players and help them react quickly. They also improve gaming performance by avoiding lags.
Monitors can be used for multiple purposes, including gaming, graphics work and general use. They can have different screen sizes, resolutions, refresh rates and features. Some have special anti-glare coatings and technologies to help them be more visible in rooms with ambient lighting.
Gamers typically want a monitor with a low response time and fast refresh rate. This minimizes motion blur and ghosting. It can also be helpful to have a high contrast ratio and wide color gamut. Some monitors have HDR capabilities that automatically adjust brightness and contrast for best results.