However, today marks the day where I make the switch to Razer gear.
I am now using a DeathAdder mouse & a Tarantula keyboard. Just from the look of these two products, you can see these come from the new generation of Razer.
The old Diamondback I've been using at work feels like a cheap peice of plastic. As soon as I made the switch, it felt like I was back home using my Logitech gear. Then after extended use it feels even better.
Technically speaking, its also faster than the G3/G5 mice, or overclocked MX3xx/MX5xx as posted on ESReality's Mousescore Guide.
Now the Tarantula keyboard. I think this is the best part of my switch. I am now using a gaming keyboard, which makes a very big difference. Most of us are using a keyboard that hasn't changed at all in the past 5 years, and even those changes have been to include media keys or extra hotkeys.
This keyboard has been designed for gamers. Every keystroke is easier & quicker thanks to the Hyper-response Keycaps & 1ms response time.
There are a few bugs to the keyboard though. The most annoying of the lot would be the headphone extension thats built into the keyboard's cable, has interferance, causing a high pitch noise thats easily audiable. This was a selling point for me, though in the end, a keyboard is for typing. I will be getting in contact with Razer to see if theres any easy way to fix this.
The palm rest is firmly built into the keyboard's structure. There is no way you can remove it. On a side note, the other keyboard they make, the Lycosa, can remove the palm rest. And to touch lightly on the Lycosa, its the same as the Tarantula. The only major difference is the design & the fact they've used Laptop keycaps instead of the usual. Those that are fans of Laptops can jump on this boat.
The other problem folks will have an issue with, is the size, its huge. I feel like im sitting down at a NASA control station.
In short, I recommend people have a look at the 'gaming keyboard' scene. Saitek has also been recommended to me, though I thought the Razer keyboards looked nicer & had a bit more of a brand name behind them.
I do think the new Logitech Wireless keyboards look nice, but once again, theres no corded model for gamers.
The mouse is also really good, I don't think I need to go over the importance of a high speed mouse. Most people have a G5 or a Microsoft V3, and are happy with the performance. If you are planning on getting a mouse, I recommend the DeathAdder highly, spec wise & for comfort.
Yeah totally agree, the Razer gear is great.
I have a Copperhead and it totally shits all over my G5.
I use a Mantis Control edition mouse pad, does well.
I'm very happy with the gear, and couldn't agree more
my Saitek Eclipse II keyboard is fucking win. i would recommend any gamer to upgrade to a gaming grade keyboard - if you're just using a standard keyboard you're missing out.
another thing too - after using... touching.. and, indeed, fondling noetix's new mouse.. i'm definitely getting one myself - and i have a G5 sitting at home. the death adder feels great, tracks great and looks great. did i mention it's great?
Yeah, no proof needed mike. :)
Well only hours after I got home, the DeathAdder is dead.
It might be compatibility with my motherboard, but I did install the latest drivers & firmware. I'll test it tomorrow on my work machine, but I'm betting the mouse is gone.
LOL
Tell me what their warranty is like.
I'm very interested :D
like i mentioned before, my deathadder has been flawless since I bought it.
I despise mouse drivers, haven't even updated the firmware and its still better than the diamondback, mx510/518, v3, g5 sitting next to be going unused, :>
I tried older firmware, and it was still broken.
However the mouse works @ work so im guessing its a conflict with my chipset (nForce4-SLI).
What do the updated firmwares actually provide? Does the mouse spawn more buttons or some shit? LOL
Apparently theres some issue with the mouse working with some mobos (their chipset).
Either way, they recommend that you upgrade the firmware to resolve any problems.
I've used both firmwares on my work PC, it does the same shit.
Can only conclude that its a hardware fault.
I think any mouse that requires firmware to work, or has compatibility problems should be chucked out instantly. That's simply rubbish.
p.s The keyboard looks awesome, but the $200 price tag from gamerzstuff is a bit steep :X
Copperhead is nice when it works.. which isn't often.
Trying to get use to a g5 atm, but the middle mouse button doesn't click well.
noetix, deathadder overclocks your usb ports to 1000 hertz by default, makes some mobo's go sadfase
tried installed mouse drivers and changing the polling rate back down to 500?
Yeah I tried 125/500/1000.
The thing is it works.. then after 15 minutes or so it starts jerking around, hits the ceiling & then stops.
:O i have deathadder awesome mouse + steelpad havent really noticed the difference better steelpad and a A4 piece of paper =/
really?
mine is the nforce sli amd edition. Well actually in the nvidia drivers its in one category as the amd nforce series.
Never had a problem with mine.
Maybe you need a DFI Expert mobo ;D
logi ftw...
G15 gaming KB & G9 Laser mouse,
both comfy, and nice to use... :D
Well Altech replaced the mouse within a couple days, which is fucking awesome.
After a small amount of use, I think the DeathAdder is a tad too big. I use a Logitech G3 (MX300 Family) & I've gotten use to that. I'll give the DeathAdder some more time, but might find myself giving it to my brother. Hes using a pos Microsoft 'Gaming' mouse.
While I'm at it, heres an update for the keyboard. I'm still getting use to it, but its definitely staying. I do have a couple gripes about it though.
You'd think with a 'hyper sensitive' keyboard, you wouldn't have to put that much pressure down, but infact you do. Sometimes I find myself stopping & having to push harder.
The same problem occurs with the F1-F12 keys. They are actually harder to push down by design, which makes Alt+F4 a little harder. I find myself pushing F4 a few times before the window closes. Each time I do I hope its not my PC lagging & I end up closing some other important window.
The Play media key also doesn't pause, I can't set it up in WinAmp either. Most likely I have to bind the Play/Pause key to some other key on the keyboard & bind the Play Media button to that key.
Gaming hardware is moving in the right direction, but there are a few things to fix up before I go round preaching to people to by the product.
Does anyone use the additional keyboards? i.e. wolfclaw etc
still stoked with my gaming keyboard.. my only gripe is that it didn't grip the table well when i first purchased it. the rubber wasn't making proper contact with the table.. and the rubber itself wasn't "grippy".. more slippery. this has since been rectified with continued use.. the plastic has worn slightly on the bottom and the rubber has been "worn in". other than that it has been sheer pleasure typing and gaming on it.
I got mainly razer stuff as well. i had the original Razer Boomslang 2000 ball mouse years ago which i must say was the best mouse i ever used at that time and it suited me since i like a heavy weighted mouse. Eventually the rubber butttons started to come apart and collapse but i used it for gaming and doing art as well.
Tarantula keyboard is as noetix said is big, about 3 inches wider than the average keyboard, Takes a little while to get used to layout.And i get sometimes the interference in the phone jack but i think its fixed itself.
Copperhead mouse had some annoying problems with the right side buttons (dpi adjustment) being accidently touched but you can turn them off so no big deal.
Razer good gear better than MS crap by a long shot :P
Just bought an MX400 mouse.. don't ever do the same. Got an 800DPI laser (I used 400 with my MX518) but the packaging makes out the laser is the same as the G5. Damn thing spins out constantly with even medium-speed movement - will be taking it back tomorrow.
Will again try to drive around Sydney in hunt of MX518's, and failing that will go with Razer or the new MS Explorer V3 or Habu.
ps Razer as a company is on it's way out... or so a little birdie tells me
Hope not!.. they went bust before, made the mistake of going Direct sales through there websiite. There products are now available at alot of online/retailers. Tne cost of there "AC-1" Soundcard is too high, probably I end up getting a Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro.
microsoft comfort curve keyboard $40
logitech mx518 mouse $40
Victory lies in that setup.
logitech mx518 mouse $40
order form link thanks..
i got my 518 from EBgames for 20 bucks on sale- heaps of bargains round :P right place, right time is all
hm dunno how much people bang their mice (haha) but my previous intellimouse explorer worked for 5 years, then the new v3 is going strong on like, over a year now.
best mice ever tbh, perfect shape, handles any speed i can move it at, never skips never lags. combined with steelpad qck+, = win
yeah i see mx518s on Ebay for around the $40 mark uNhoLee, i haven't actually purchased one yet , mine is still alive ... somehow :o
SOZ4BUMP
I use a G7 and an Ultraflat keyboard and I love them.
It seems they didn't shield the cabling well enough on the Tarantula, hence the noise? Could be bad soldering as well. I can't believe that shit can happen with mass produced gaming hardware.
ssshh dont tell them that you will break our little secret ;)