January 2005 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 6

Mouse: Logitech MX1000 Cordless Mouse

Cost: $63
Months on list: 2
Price Change: -$7

Here at SE we are firm believers that a good mouse and keyboard combo can either make or break an otherwise excellent gaming system. A quality mouse controller should be transparent to the user and not a bottleneck in the way one communicates with a computer. The Logitech MX1000 Cordless laser mouse is our current fave, and is the first model to feature a laser rather than an optical sensor. This means it can track to a much finer precision and is not restricted to only a few surfaces.

A highly efficient mouse, the MX1000 features a tilt scroll wheel and a total of 8 programmable buttons. With a built-in lithium-ion battery that can be recharged through its base station, there is no need to keep tabs on your current supply of AA batteries. The MX1000 also delivers a lot of value for the money, and at less than $65, this is certainly a great buy for our high-end system.

Make sure you have a proper mousing surface with an optical mouse. Although the laser sensor improves tracking, you will still have the best luck on darker non-solid color surfaces, especially checkered or rough patterns, and specialized mouse pads from fUnc, Ratpadz, or Everglide are a good bet.

Keyboard: Microsoft Natural Multimedia Keyboard OEM

Cost: $20
Months on list: 16
Price Change: -$1

We have been using split design keyboards for years here at SE, and with good reason. These types of keyboards are more ergonomic and much more comfortable than standard keyboards, as they allow your hand to rest in a natural position. The only viable choice in natural style keyboards has been Microsoft, and as a result we have been recommending the Natural Multimedia Keyboard. The OEM version can be found for about $20 online with a similar hardware purchase, making it a great bargain.

Some would rather use a standard keyboard, and that is understandable. For you we recommend the Microsoft Multimedia keyboard. Microsoft keyboards are our favorites, and we have been using them for quite some time without incident.