I played COD2 at a fairly high level, using a Razer Diamondback (you can pick one up on OC for £25) and an old skool compaq keyboard. Keyboard really doesn't matter but I am of the opinion that you will notice the difference with a half decent mouse.
What do I need to start pc gaming?
- Thread starter JonJ678
- Start date
Some of it.
Your monitors completely fine, probably optimal for fps gaming. COD4 is probably a good place to start for pc gaming, although i'd dive right into multiplayer to be honest. COD4 has a huge skill range, so you can start of with a lot of other new players and work progessively up to the people that have been playing the entire cod series - although if you want to play it 'competitively' or seriously give promod servers a go after you've got the knack of the game.
As for mouse/mousepad, it isn't hugely important till your pretty good, you can suffice with any while your a 'noob'. But if you want them, as they do help, purchase razer deathadder or mx518 for your mouse and the steelseries qck+ for your mousepad. As for headset, which is more essential, buy the creative fatality if your on a budget, or steelseries siberia or even seinheisser pc350 if you can afford them, the latter being very expensive.
I'd also suggest downloading xfire from www.xfire.com - a lot of fps players use it, particularly in the cod series, its an instant chat program used for gamers and it also can store your favourate servers, recently played servers etc if you get it feel free to add me - my usernames screamscream
As for mouse/mousepad, it isn't hugely important till your pretty good, you can suffice with any while your a 'noob'. But if you want them, as they do help, purchase razer deathadder or mx518 for your mouse and the steelseries qck+ for your mousepad. As for headset, which is more essential, buy the creative fatality if your on a budget, or steelseries siberia or even seinheisser pc350 if you can afford them, the latter being very expensive.
I'd also suggest downloading xfire from www.xfire.com - a lot of fps players use it, particularly in the cod series, its an instant chat program used for gamers and it also can store your favourate servers, recently played servers etc if you get it feel free to add me - my usernames screamscream
Reading this thread has pushed me to ordering a new mousemat as as I previously said my current one is well worn. I did a bit of research before I ordered and it was mostly between an Everglide Titan or Steelseries QcK+/QcK Heavy. In the end I went for a QcK Heavy as on average more people seemed to prefer it.
I've measured my desk out and it will just about fit. I will have to move my monitor and keyboard to the side a bit but I can just move my chair too so its all good!
I've measured my desk out and it will just about fit. I will have to move my monitor and keyboard to the side a bit but I can just move my chair too so its all good!
Some epic posts here. Special thanks to Tefal. Reminds me why I like these forums so much 
I'm in the process of sorting out a disk to play cod4 with, using a key from g2play. I'm either going to have to find a dual layer dvd recorder or work wonders with demon tools, I think I'll go down the diskless route if possible. I read through the entirety of the linked thread and decided it's worth a gamble, especially since the other games appear to be played through steam anyway. Worst case scenario I'll play cod4 single player until I stump up £30 for a retail copy.
Didn't realise you could speak to people. Probably should have guessed from the existance of gaming headsets. I have a logitech mic and some headphones which ocuk no longer sell.
Consensus seems to be that my system will play games well enough, which is good. I've been looking into mice, think I'll stick with my chair + £4 optical to start with. I shall play around woth cod4 once I get it running, then probably try l4d through steam. Cheers guys, I suspect you'll be shooting at me fairly soon.
I'm in the process of sorting out a disk to play cod4 with, using a key from g2play. I'm either going to have to find a dual layer dvd recorder or work wonders with demon tools, I think I'll go down the diskless route if possible. I read through the entirety of the linked thread and decided it's worth a gamble, especially since the other games appear to be played through steam anyway. Worst case scenario I'll play cod4 single player until I stump up £30 for a retail copy.
Didn't realise you could speak to people. Probably should have guessed from the existance of gaming headsets. I have a logitech mic and some headphones which ocuk no longer sell.
Consensus seems to be that my system will play games well enough, which is good. I've been looking into mice, think I'll stick with my chair + £4 optical to start with. I shall play around woth cod4 once I get it running, then probably try l4d through steam. Cheers guys, I suspect you'll be shooting at me fairly soon.
A man of my own heart!
Be careful of advice you get on enthusiast forums. They'll tell you you need this, that and the other...
So often the cheapest is the best. Most important thing you need is a nice comfy chair for those long hours!You already have everything you need to get started. In fact I think you have an awesome setup
Go off and buy a fancy mouse later on if you get into the gaming, and you really think you need it...You don't really need 'gaming' keyboard + mice (I say with a G15 and mx518 
). Just make sure you have a keyboard which you feel comfortable having your hand in the 'FPS position' for a long time, ie WASD and little finger on CTRL. Before I had the G15 I had a Z-Board and I don't think they were very popular but it was fantastic for CS:S etc, it felt so natural how the keys were placed. Its a shame that was fried when my PSU exploded really.
). Just make sure you have a keyboard which you feel comfortable having your hand in the 'FPS position' for a long time, ie WASD and little finger on CTRL. Before I had the G15 I had a Z-Board and I don't think they were very popular but it was fantastic for CS:S etc, it felt so natural how the keys were placed. Its a shame that was fried when my PSU exploded really.
![[TFU] Thegoon84](/styles/overclockers/avatars/6.png){kind=avatar}
Soldato
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i7 with a 8800GT? Surely thats like sprinkling glitter on to dog ****te?
I think getting a good mouse and mousepad is one of those things that you can't really appreaciate until you buy them. For example an MX518 is much more comfortable then a regular shaped ambidextrous mouse for me. It allows my ring finger to place in a much more comfortable position which is great for long gaming sessions and even just for the odd 10 minutes here and there. A good mouse surface while not as important as a good mouse in my opinion is still a worthwhile investment. If you have the right combination of mouse and mousepad, the mouse will literally just glide across your desk. So much better like this in my opinion. And as far as my aim in FPS goes, the one thing that has helped me more than anything rather than just lots of practice is to lower my mouse sensitivity so turning requires more movement. It might feel awkward at first moving your arm a lot to move the mouse, but you quickly get used to it. You will want the biggest mousepad you can get for this.
All this considering, the cost of a MX518 and a decent mousepad won't set you back that much considering the cost of other computer hardware. Plus Logitech for example have a fantastic RMA service so if your mouse breaks in the three year warranty period (I think it's three) , they will just send you a new one for free without much hassle. So you can be sure that depending on exactly what you buy, it will most likely last you a good few years.
All this considering, the cost of a MX518 and a decent mousepad won't set you back that much considering the cost of other computer hardware. Plus Logitech for example have a fantastic RMA service so if your mouse breaks in the three year warranty period (I think it's three) , they will just send you a new one for free without much hassle. So you can be sure that depending on exactly what you buy, it will most likely last you a good few years.
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I would stick with the mouse and keyboard you have, untill you actually notice it is limiting you.
Then relish some pc peripheral goodness with some Razer products.
Gonna be nice to upgrade the GPU in that rig too.
O and b.t.w. couldn't disagree with you more on this.
My Razer Deathadder looks, functions and still feels like the quality product I purchased a year ago.
It is just such a solid part of my rig now and never ceases to be good to grasp.
Then relish some pc peripheral goodness with some Razer products.
Gonna be nice to upgrade the GPU in that rig too.
O and b.t.w. couldn't disagree with you more on this.
Maybe if you had said razer feel a little cheap for the price increase over a MX518, I would disagree with you less severely.
My Razer Deathadder looks, functions and still feels like the quality product I purchased a year ago.
It is just such a solid part of my rig now and never ceases to be good to grasp.
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dont forget the Lengendary Battlefield 2!!!Once tou play this you probably will not play anything else
So you got l4d yet
Am I the only person who doesn't find L4D that entertaining. I mean, it's OK but I'd much rather play TF2 or CS:S
Man of Honour
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Meh. I play at 1280x1024 as my monitors don't support anything higher. 1680x1050 is fine.
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1680x1050: fine
8800GT: fine for moderate gaming; as you're used to Morrowind/AOE I suspect you won't need to be playing games with all the settings cranked up to be impressed.
Keyboard: Pretty much anything you are comfortable with is fine, I games on £5 keyboards for years. Only thing to watch out is some PS2 ones can't handle certain multiple keypress combinations.
Mouse: Personal preference, if you want to spend a bit maybe look at the new logitech offerings, otherwise a secondhand MX518 would be a good starting point. It may be worth visiting local shops to get a feel for difference mice to see what they are like, if they've got a returns policy you could even use it for a trial.
Bear in mind however that FPS tend to be pretty demanding on the video card so a second 8800GT in SLI (or at upgrade to say a 4890) would help out for modern titles like Crysis, Far Cry 2, STALKER:CS etc.
8800GT: fine for moderate gaming; as you're used to Morrowind/AOE I suspect you won't need to be playing games with all the settings cranked up to be impressed.
Keyboard: Pretty much anything you are comfortable with is fine, I games on £5 keyboards for years. Only thing to watch out is some PS2 ones can't handle certain multiple keypress combinations.
Mouse: Personal preference, if you want to spend a bit maybe look at the new logitech offerings, otherwise a secondhand MX518 would be a good starting point. It may be worth visiting local shops to get a feel for difference mice to see what they are like, if they've got a returns policy you could even use it for a trial.
Bear in mind however that FPS tend to be pretty demanding on the video card so a second 8800GT in SLI (or at upgrade to say a 4890) would help out for modern titles like Crysis, Far Cry 2, STALKER:CS etc.
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I think unless you really want to max out the graphics settings on the very recent games the 8800GT should do at that resolution.