Accessories

What are gaming PC Peripherals?

Computer Peripherals are any type of extension to the PC gaming experience. Most often, these are split up into Required Peripherals, and Accessory Peripherals. Required Peripherals are any type of extension needed to navigate and utilize your computer effectively. These peripherals include a Keyboard, Mouse, Monitors, Headphones/Microphone & Speakers, and certain cables that allow you to connect these peripherals to your computer, most often included with the purchase of the products listed above. There are also Accessory Peripherals, which usually enhance the aesthetics of your desk space, functionality of other peripherals, or are nice add-ons. These Accessory Peripherals include products such as mouse bungees, mouse pads, RGB lighting, webcams, storage drawers, and products like the Elgato Stream Deck. 

How do PC Peripherals assist my gaming experience?

Most of the computer peripherals you buy are mandatory in order to use a computer at all. With a gaming PC specifically, it’s important to have good quality peripherals, as some can be made of cheap materials and break after only slight use. In general, the keyboard, mouse, monitors and headset are used to interact, visualize, and hear the games you are playing or friends we are talking to. Good quality keyboards often allow for better-feeling keystrokes. Good quality mice upgrade the customization of the DPI (or dots per inch) – which notates the speed at which your mouse cursor travels across the screen. Good quality headsets enhance acoustics and noise levels and good quality monitors offer larger displays and crisper resolutions and frame rate capabilities. 

What do the different PC Peripherals do?

Keyboard – A keyboard allows you to input keystrokes and print out letters/sentences on the computer. The keyboard also has many important functions and commands for everyday life, such as the CTRL button + C to copy something, and CTRL button + P to paste the selected text or image. An important factor in keyboards is the usage of mechanical vs membrane keyboards, which differ in the ‘feel’ of the keyboard, as well as the actuation % of the keystrokes, which prevents ‘double clicking’ or ‘non-responsive’ keys. Generally, membrane keyboards are less expensive, but of lower quality compared to mechanical keyboards.

Mouse – A mouse controls the movement and navigation across the computer screen. For gaming, many mice have a DPI ‘switch’ which allows users to change the velocity of the mouse moving across the screen. Many gamers spend a long time figuring out which DPI on their mouse is right for them to play competitively.

Monitor – The monitor is the display of your gaming PC. Most people start with 1 monitor and eventually buy a double monitor setup to have 2 different displays up at the same time. Monitors come in different sizes, with larger monitor screens usually being more expensive. Additionally, monitors display the frame rate that your computer outputs, with more expensive monitors being able to house more frames per second (fps) on the screen. Higher frames are more desirable and lead to a smoother experience while gaming.

Headphones/Microphone – There are usually two different configurations for headphones or microphones. One is a Headset, that houses headphones and a microphone in one, and is the most common while gaming. These devices allow you to communicate in voice chats, and also filter sound coming from the games you are playing. Oftentimes, these headphones have different adjustable sound levels, and different configurations with the brand’s software. Another configuration of headphones that some gamers opt for is having a separate microphone and speakers, which can provide head relief and often has better sound quality and microphone quality.

Mousepad – Mousepads provide friction for your mouse when moving it across the surface. These are often very helpful for competitive gaming, as with lower sensitivity, you will need more mousepad space to move the mouse across.

Mouse Bungee – One common concern with using a mouse while competitively gaming is the length of the cord. The cord from your mouse to the computer will not always be static across gaming sessions. A mouse bungee fixes this by keeping the cord of the mouse always a set distance, so that all of your play can be done in the same constant perimeters.

RGB Lighting – RGB lighting has evolved over the years, and now can be integrated into almost every single gaming PC peripheral or exist on its own as a lighting source. Many of the software programs that these peripherals are housed under (MSI / Razer / HyperX / etc) have their own RGB settings that sync all devices together, so oftentimes users like to buy all of their devices under one brand suite.

Overall, the world of peripherals exist to enhance the experience of gaming and browsing the computer. There are many different modifications and extensions, but at its core, some peripherals are needed to accomplish any task. Make sure to do your research on which gaming PC peripheral extensions you want to add to your setup, and have fun with trying out different ones!