Looking for a good mouse/keyboard combo for laptop

Hello fellow notebook entusiasts,

I am looking for a good keyboard/mouse or gamepad combo to suit my needs:

I program, but am also an avid gamer. I play various genres including Adventure, Platforming, FPSs, RPGs, and MMORPGs. I probably play FPSs and MMORPGs most and in equal amounts, so I am uncertain what type of set up I should buy. Please help me out.

Mouse:

Price: $30-$150

I prefer wired, but I will be traveling alot with my laptop, so would a wireless mouse be more preferrable for when not gaming?

Also I would prefer the mouse to not shout out "I am a gaming mouse", the laptop does this enough in its own right.

My hand is a little less than 7 inches tall from my wrist to the tip of my middlefinger and I can spread my fingers out the same distance (from my thumb to my pinky).

Keyboard:

Price: $40-$150

I have read only good things about mechanical keyboards so I think I would prefer one of those. Also, I would like a quiet keyboard, I sometimes stay up late, because it is the only time when I have free time (well it costs me some sleep so I suppose it's not free). Illumination would be nice, too, but not needed.

Other information:

The lower price the better. I will be buying these items for the Holidays, so not a big concern.

I do not know what claw/palm grip or what key binding or what ghosting means, as this is my first time setting up such an elaborate gaming set up, but I have seen how helpful these set ups can be, so bare with me.

Thank you~

 

Logitech or Razer come through my mind. Check their homepage for choices

cheers ...

 

Thank you. Been researching on both Brands, seems Razer is a bit unreliable, but I like their Naga/Mamba mouse design and Black Widow (Stealth) keyboard.

Logitech looks more professional and less gimmicky. The G700 looks like a nice balance point for my needs. Plenty of buttons and looks great. Just need to know how it feels. And, their G510 keyboard is on sale at the moment.

How do the Razer Nostromo and Logitech G13 Gameboard fair in games? I may just buy one of these and buy a cheaper more portable mouse/keyboard if its a viable option.

Edit: Meant G700 not G9x.

 

You might want to check Mionix products too: Mionix? - Light-Years Ahead Of The Game - Ultimate Gaming Experience - Manufacturer Of Professional And Ergonomic High-End Gaming Hardware. I'm currently using a zibal 60 and a Naos 5000 with my desktop. I got a second Naos for my laptop. Honestly, since i got the Naos, every other mouse feels awkward to use, but that is probably up to personal preference. My hand is about an inch longer than yours by the way and the naos is one of the rare mice i can palm comfortably.

The Zibal 60 is a loud keyboard though, i still like it a lot. Personally i like the stiffness of the MX black switches. If you don't want to spend too much on a keyboard, a low profile membrane keyboard might also work well for you. Something like the MS sidewinder or the razerr lycosa. There aren't a lot of backlit mechanical keyboards.

The XArmor U9BL, Decks Legend, Mionix Zibal 60 and Razer Black Widow Ulltimate are the only ones that i know of.

I'm also waiting to receive a Black Widow Stealth, but it's back order so i have no idea when i'll get it.

 

I am liking the look of the Mionix mouse, but am a little hesistant on the Zibal 60 since you mention it is a little loud.

Can you recommended any silent keyboards with good feeedback that don't have illumination?

I'll check out the sidewinder at a local retail store later today.

 

Mionix Zibal 60 looks just like my Qpad MK-80, only mines Cherry MX Blue and Blue backlit.
Oh how i love that keyboard. :3

 

is it even possible to have a silent mechanical keyboard?

 

No, but it is possible to minimize the noise with brown or clear switches. If you want as little noise as possible, you'll need a low profile membrane keyboard.

EDIT: There is also the topre switches that are almost completely silent. Good luck finding a sub $250 kb with those though. For the naos, if you can find a store where you could try it, it would be best, it's shape is unusual. It has two "bumps" on it's right side, one for each of your last two fingers. Customizable color is icing on the cake, i have two (yeah, i went and got a second naos, shows how much i fell in love with the shape. Not everyone does though.), one set to green to go with the zibal and one set to blue at the office to go with the G73 and black widow stealth for when razer actually ships the darn thing. If you want a black widow ultimate stealth, be prepared to wait, mine's been back order for three weeks and with no news yet, it is still listed as unavailable on the razer website.

Here's a topre kb, way out of your price range, but still nice looking: http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?pid=rf_se02b0. You could go the opposite approach of the backlit keyboard and get a das keyboard ultimate.

 

I went with a wireless illuminated keyboard from Logitech for regular typing/coding. It's quite silent and meets my needs.

I am also ordering a g700 Logitech mouse and Logitech g13 keypad for gaming.

I will be buying a mechanical keyboard later on (probably the Das Ultimate mentioned above) for when my laptop is stationary, but at the moment mobility and staying within a budget is what I need.

 

Instead of the Logitech G13, why not the Razer Nostromo (or Belkin n52te)? Feels more natural than the G13.

 

I have heard of the Nostromo, but not the Belkin n52te. I have also tried out the Nostromo at my local tech shop. It feels great, but I suppose I went with the g13 for the aesthetics. The Nostromo is, too...well, it stands out. I like sleek more than vibrancy, so the g13 fits me more as a person.

 

The Nostromo was originally the Belkin n52te. Razer basically re-released it under their brand, but the product is identical. Having used both the Nostromo/n52te and the G13, I prefer the n52te. The G13 has a few more keys, but it's not nearly as comfortable or natural, and it lacks a space bar, instead it has two buttons near the thumb.

As for a mouse, can't go wrong with the DeathAdder. It's got one of the best optical sensors ever made, it's inexpensive (around $45-50 on Amazon) and comes in a Black Edition that's less flashy than Razer's usual style.

 

If only I would have found this earlier. Would have helped with finding a smaller bag to fit a laptop, keyboard, mouse, and cooler/stand. I'll look into this thought for when I buy a mechanical keyboard.

 

There are quite a lot of tenkeyless mechanical keyboards out there that are fairly portable. The only thing that differentiates them from a full sized mechanical keyboard is that they don't have the numpad. I think they're a little bit bigger than the one in the picture shown above though.