PERIPHERALS
ISSUE 380|COMPUTER SHOPPER|OCTOBER 2019 73
contact to completethe circuit in amore
decisive and satisfying manner.You can get
both ‘linear’switches, which feel fast and light,
or ‘tactile’switches, which add atangible
‘bump’tohelp let you know when you’ve
made asuccessful input.
Mice can usually get by on good industrial
design, but we recommend you payattention
to sensor resolution, measuring in dpi (dots
per inch). Mice with ahigher maximum dpi
allow you to be more precise with your clicks,
especially on large,higher-resolution monitors.
However,dpi also essentially determines
sensitivity,and you maynot appreciatethe
cursor jittering around to every tiny mouse
movement. Some users, particularly in games,
actually preferlower sensitivities; it requires
more sweeping movements, but can feel as if
you have greater control as the cursor or
reticule is less likely to overshoot.
Fortunately,most mice allow you to change
the dpi even on the fly,soit’s usually easy to
find asensitivity you’re comfortable with.KEYEDTO ORDER
Another thing we’ll be looking at in testing is
how each mouse and keyboard can be
customised. To some,this won’t be an issue,
but it can be surprising just how extensively
you can tweak the settings to make lifejust
that little bit easier.Both mice and keyboards can, forinstance,
have some or absolutely all of their buttons
and keys remapped. This allows lesser-used
inputs to be changed to something more
useful, like aWindows shortcut or amacro –a
pre-recorded combination of inputs that you
can activatewith asingle press.
To facilitatethis, many manufacturers
produce desktop software fortheir
peripherals. These utilities almost always
enable you to make an even greater range of
customisations, from manually setting adpi
value (instead of having to choose from
presets) to adjusting any integrated LED
lighting features, giving your mouse and
keyboard some personalised visual flair.CTRLALTCOMPLETE
Even if you’d rather your fully RGB-lit
keyboard only showed asingle solid backlight
colour,controllable lighting can be afun extra
feature.Such little bonuses come in many
different forms on peripherals –the Cooler
Master MM830 mouse even has its own tiny
OLED screen –but some can be more
practical, too. Keyboards, in particular,can
be made considerably more versatile and
convenient by the addition of dedicated
multimedia controls and onboard USB
connectivity,sowe’ll be looking out for
them in our reviews.The shape and contours of amouse are
just as important. Ideally,any digits that aren’t
naturally sitting on the main buttons –most
likely your thumb,ring finger and little finger
–should be supported in some way.
Otherwise,you’ll either have to drag them
across your desk next to the mouse,orgrip
it so tightly that you end up putting
unnecessary stress on your muscles.
TICTACTILE
Since the mice and keyboard are your primary
input tools, having them feel responsive is
crucial. Youmight also find yourself having a
better overall computing experience if your
peripherals simply have apleasant, satisfying
‘feel’ to them; something bargain-bin mice
and keyboards typically fail at.
Achieving this effect involves numerous
factors. On the keyboard, it can come down
to the shape and spacing of the keys,
although arguably the main determinant is the
type of keyswitch. This is the mechanism by
which your keypresses are converted intoa
signal and, resultingly,aninput: cheap boards
use a‘membrane’system where asheet
covered in rubber domes sits under the keys,
with apress collapsing the corresponding
dome and completing the circuit. We much
preferfully mechanical switches, which usually
contain aplunger that initiates metal-on-metal
MOUSE
COOLERMASTER MM830
This was one of the more expensive mice we looked at forthis round-up,but not by an
exorbitant amount, and you get an immensely varied set of features forthe money.
There’s the set of four side buttons, useful forboth gaming and productivity,aswell as
some brilliant companion software and aneat little OLED displayfor showing system
and mouse setting information. What really makes this atop-notch mouse,however,is
how comfortable it feels. The thumb rest makes abig difference,and the sloping
shape is almost perfectly judged.OFFICE KEYBOARD
RAZERBlackWidowLite
This has almost everything you’d want from aregular typist’s keyboard, with
Razer’s gaming expertise contributing to some excellent mechanical switches.
These have atactile bump forimproved feedback, without any noisy clacking
sound, so the BlackWidow Litecan keep the peace at home or in ashared office.
In fact, this is one of the quietest mechanical keyboards in general. There’s still a
small, audible tap,but you can fit the included sound dampening rings under the
keycaps to softenitfurther.It’s this kind of attention to detail that elevatesRazer’s
tenkeyless design from good to great, even if it is short on other features.GAMING KEYBOARD
ASUSROGStrixFlare
There’s tough competition here,including the striking and ultra-responsive
Roccat Vulcan 120 Aimo,but the ROG Strix Flare stands out. Its Cherry MX Red
switches are atried-and-trusted favouritefor gaming, and it doesn’t skimp on
extras such as dedicated media controls or USB pass-through connectivity.
Like Asus’s mice,it’s also highly configurable through the ROG Armoury
desktop application. This makes it quick and simple to remap keys, add macros
or customise the RGB backlighting.THE BEST PERIPHERALS
or this round-up,but not by an
of features forthe money.
ing and productivity,aswell as
displayfor showing system
top-notch mouse,however,is
erence,and the sloping