10 Terrific PC Accessories [Ps]

What PC accessories should put for your must-have list for 2011? The ones you want to borrow, beg for, and steal (ok, maybe not steal) from your whole tech-savvy friends? These ones.

For this mega-list of PC accessories (that you can acquire as soon as you’re done reading said article), we called in a smattering of objects across quite a lot of categories with a view to understand the entire scope of an ” awesome computing experience.”   We’ve painstakingly narrowed this list to an insignificant ten items-ranked-which you’ll find right after the jump.  And, after all , no list could be complete without the large losers to accompany the large winners-you’ll find the products that didn’t test quite in addition at the tip of the object!

Grab your credit card and/or sack of cash: Let’s get started.

10) Razer Megasoma

Let’s get this out of ways up-front: In case you’re the sort of one who honestly thinks that a pricey mousepad is going to be the cure toward your last-place ills inside the first-person-shooter of your choice, you’re crazy.

Now, I’m going to assert that I enjoy Razer’s Megasoma gaming mousepad, but for the executive reason that it presents me a smooth, easy-to-navigate surface that I will literally roll up with me and take into unknown environments. Is that definitely worth the gaming mat’s $50 asking price? Only one can really be the judge of that one-it sure beats slapping your optical mouse on the cut-off top of a cardboard box, eh?

In all seriousness, the sort of individual that would consider buying a gaming mat, period, is the sort of individual that likely cares just as much in regards to the look, feel, and status of his or her PC components as the actual performance thereof. So, with that in mind, the Megasoma is definitely pretty to have a look at. Shoot, even its packaging is simply as detailed and eye-catching as the silicon mat itself. You’ll be the belle of the LAN party ball whenever you’ve slapped this extravagant add-on next for your equally tricked-out keyboard.

However, a word of caution: Reckoning on how your optical mouse is constructed, this mat might do more to damage your performance than help. My current mouse, which uses a Philips Twin-Eye sensor to detect where it’s going, doesn’t work with the gaming pad in any useful capacity. I tested the mat with another mouse, based on a BlueTrack sensor, in finding that it performed in addition as a glove fits. No complaints whatsoever.

9) Corsair Flash Padlock 2

There are USB keys of all shapes, sizes, varieties, and novelties -so how about a USB key that’s essentially a bank vault in your information? Corsair’s Flash Padlock 2 is barely that: A USB stick that automatically secures your contents with 256-bit AES encryption without requiring you to install any additional software or fuss with any configuration screens.

But that’s hardly explanation why this USB key’s so cool.

Not only do you get the encryption on the drive side of the equation (in an eight- or sixteen-gigabyte capacity, mind you), but the USB key builds a locking mechanism right on the pinnacle of the device itself. This comes within the kind of a four-to-ten digit PIN code that you simply enter using five buttons on top of the main-without a successful combination entry, the drive won’t even take place in Windows Explorer. And if an unsavory individual tries to just button-mash to achieve access, the Flash Padlock 2 will lock said individual out from the keying mechanism for a period of two minutes.

And, whenever you lose the PIN… don’t freak out. Resetting the device wipes it forevermore, ensuring that your trusted files shall be seen by nobody’s eyes but your individual!

Razer Nostromo

When you play games, do you ever think one of several following questions to yourself: ” Man, I sure wish i’ll rearrange my keyboard?” Or how about, ” I sure wish I had more buttons?”

Razer’s Nostromo may appear like a little bit overkill firstly glance-I, too, was a piece suspect… and I play World of Warcraft for Thrall’s sake-but this hand-shaped keyboard extension is way easier on one’s fingers than a standard keyboard for taking part in most titles you throw at it.

Here’s why: Just what number keys do you utilize in a given game? What percentage of you’re running around a digital environment via a regular WASD setup? The Nostromo packs 14 different keys in a configuration that’s harking back to a claw-it’s a whole lot quicker and easier to head your fingers up and all the way down to access the parallel rows of keys versus a conventional keyboard’s design. Also, all in-game movements are now mapped to a directional pad that you simply control together with your thumb. It’s a wierd sensation firstly, but I already see myself enjoying it excess of WASD.

A quick-hit button within thumb’s reach toggles the eight different keymaps you may installation for the device, making for a total of 112 different commands that you’ll dial up with one hand-sized gadget. More, whenever you count the undeniable fact that the directional pad itself will probably be mapped based on the direction you’re pushing.

It defies logic that so much can also be orchestrated with, literally, a hand-sized device. But that’s the Nostromo-a deft keyboard replacement for true power gamers.

7) Microsoft Lifecam Studio

A stocking stuffer? Really? Aren’t webcams usually these big, behemoth devices that attach to the tip of your monitor corresponding to how a barnacle latches on to a crab? Well, yes. But you’ll be amazed by just how much power Microsoft has packed into its super-tiny (and super-light) Lifecam Studio. For starters, it’s among the many few webcams in the marketplace that basically runs a 1080p resolution. That’s right. You could now capture images in full 1920-by-1080 glory using a device that’s slightly larger than a tube of lipstick (not video, though!  Microsoft’s software limits you to an insignificant 720p resolution.  Sigh).

If that, in itself, isn’t enough to whet your whistle, do that on for size: the cam’s built-in microphone actually does a reasonably great job of capturing audio from a customary monitor distance’s worth away. I’d be very happy to the built-in recorder for things like Skype calls, or Youtube videos, or any other such reason that might cause me to need to bust out in full 1080p/720p glory.

The camera also comes with a built-in, silent autofocus. No head-tracking, however, as the Lifecam Studio sits wherever you happen to glue it-which, to Microsoft’s credit, may be a tripod. Yes, the company has even built support for a tripod mount directly on the cam itself-you hear that, budding filmmakers? Your path toward HD cinema has arrived.

6) Antec Digital PSU Power Tester

Your system won’t activate. You swear up and down that you simply haven’t actually done anything to offend the gods and/or deserve this treatment, but the truth of the matter is that you simply’re observing a enormous brick that used to preferably be a totally functioning desktop PC. Nuts.

Antec’s Digital PSU Power Tester is the ideal such device to eliminate (or pinpoint) a potential problem within your system build. Or, for the more hardcore Maximum PC readers, it’s a handy tool for checking a few of the power supplies that litter your workspace/basement/garage. The very last thing you might want to must take care of is undoing a really perfect wiring job as the end result of your careful efforts to stuff a dead PSU into your newly minted system.

Antec’s tester requires but two things from you: a connection to the PSU’s 24-pin connector and its 4/6/8-pin connector (both, obviously the two connections that go into the motherboard itself). Firing up the ability supply-assuming its working-will cause the tester to display the several voltages present on the +3.3V, +5V, and +12V rails. In case your PSU is churning correctly, it’s also possible to use Antec’s tester to ascertain its various molex and SATA connections in addition. If there are any problems during your experiments, the tester itself will emit a loud beep to warn you that each one will not be well in power supply land.

5) Zalman ZM-MH200 Hub

For the build-it-yourself geek, there’s little more awesome than having the ability to pull up the contents of a difficult drive on-the-fly. Now, the conventional process for doing so is a laborious task: You must pop open the side of your case, you might want to slap the drive in place and screw it to the side of some type of retention mechanism or bay, you should connect the drive for your system and gear supply, that you must boot into Windows and assign the drive a letter, et cetera.

Well, your favorite deity of choice has done much to ease your life by creating the thought of external drive enclosures to accelerate this task, but even these may be complicated reckoning on the express brand you’ve picked up. Not every drive enclosure is as smoothly operating as, say, a hot-swap bay.

That’s where Zalman’s ZM-MH200 Hub comes into the picture, because there isn’t any enclosure to accommodate on this product. Just flip your 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drive vertically and glide it gently onto the associated connectors inside the device. It’s as easy as that, provided you don’t mind having a bare drive just reaching to the heavens, as it were.

Not only can you mount two drives instantaneously, but you can too connect two other USB devices to the ZM-MH200 at any given time. The device also comes with a built-in reader for SD, SDHC, and microSD cards. Overall, the ZM-MH200 connects for your system via a straightforward USB or eSATA cable.

Although Zalman does make a USB 3.0-friendly device, I opted for the ” lesser” ZM-MH200 simply because it supports more connections straight away. With the capability power of eSATA fueling its connections, I’m much more worried about what I will be able to stick into the ZM-MH200 than what its transfer speeds will likely be like.

4) Bluelounge Refresh

I’ve been jumping backward and forward on this one, because I even have two similar products on-hand, both designed to somehow ease your means of recharging the 10 various handheld devices you own. Each has its own set of strengths and weaknesses but, after all, I had to rule in favor of Bluelounge’s Refresh over Idapt’s I4-here’s why.

Idapt’s I4 is a difficult-shell design that uses a solid base station for the basis of its recharging. You plug this into the wall, and you then slap three of six different plugs into three modular connections on top of said charging station. The device supports various, er, devices, including those based on mini-USB or micro-USB connections, iPhones, Nokia phones, et cetera. Turning the total platform on and stale is as easy as hitting a button on its top.

I’m a fan, but there’s something just a little less elegant about Idapt’s setup (plus, I hate that I need to turn my phone on its side if you want to get it to recharge overnight). Bluelounge’s Refresh, having said that, is a piece more of a soft design than Idapt’s charging station. A removable cover conceals a hollow area underneath which, itself, is home to 5 different cords-USB, micro-USB, mini-USB, and iPhone/iPod connections. Whenever you want to use one, you simply slip it through a spot between the Refresh’s top and base, and then you definitely gently place your now-recharging device on the rubberized cover. Easy as pie.

Simply put, the Refresh just does a higher job in a prettier fashion. That you may charge more devices (though admittedly, less of numerous devices) and you don’t ought to orient them in strange ways to simply get them to power up. There isn’t anything to snap inside and outside per se, although you’re welcome to take out cords you aren’t using to trim down the clutter inside the Refresh itself-although you won’t see it one bit!

3) MadCatz Cyborg R.A.T.9

I’m unlikely to waste some time, nor mine, in looking to recap Alex Castle’s glowing review of the RAT 7 gaming mouse from MadCatz. If his perfect, ten-out-of-ten, couldn’t-be-better Kick Ass score awarded to the device doesn’t speak for itself, I don’t know what is going to. In brief, the RAT 7 is the top-all, be-all of gaming mice.

So what the heck is the RAT 9? In brief, it’s the wireless version.

That’s right. Nothing’s changed in design or format between the RAT 7 and RAT 9 mice, save that the former has a cord and the latter doesn’t. The latter also comes with a wireless adapter that doubles as a charging station for the two batteries that MadCatz includes with the mouse. Although I’d normally gripe that the battery life on said device isn’t very strong-you’ll get about a day and a half with the device under decent, evening use-the undeniable fact that you are able to instantly swap out the tiny, life-giving package for a fresh new pack is a feature that’s absurdly wise of MadCatz to implement.

My only other criticism with the device-a minor one, at that-is that its Philips Twin-Eye sensor doesn’t work with the Razer gaming pad mentioned earlier in this newsletter. So, to extrapolate that, you might want to test out the RAT 9 before you go purchasing $50 hunks of silicon to stick under it. A small quibble, but it had to be said! Other than that, it’s hard to think of a better, more feature-packed, or more comfortable mouse.

2) Logitech G19

Amongst all the keyboards that one could purchase-especially those with a gaming slant to them (extra buttons / macro support / blinky lights / etc)-there are none more impressive than Logitech’s G19. Why’s that? Because while plenty of keyboards build some kind of monochrome LCD display directly front-and-center on the device, none come with a freakin’ full-color screen, a super-mini-monitor, as it were, for displaying all sorts of interesting things as you type.

The layout of the G19 is similar to Logitech’s other G-series designs, so I’ll touch on it but briefly: Twelve function keys can be assigned across three different categories, giving you 36 total buttons of customizability that you just can program on a per game setting. You can change the backlighting of the keyboard to any color your heart desires, and built-in volume controls, media playback controls, and a start-key-blocking switch do much to trick out one’s general gaming experience.

Now, onto the display. To call it elegant or eye-catching wouldn’t really do it justice. This 320-by-240 resolution screen pivots up and down to assist you in finding the perfect viewing angle. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for its options-laden operations: a directional pad and buttons give you easy access to any of the built-in profiles that customize the display to whatever game you’re playing.

You can also use the display to watch videos (yes, full-fledged videos) or jump between pictures in any folder on your system. Heck, you can watch YouTube videos on your keyboard. You can also instantly connect your Webcam’s input up to the display to, well, watch yourself. Or, if you’re a bit shy, you can set up the keyboard to just give you a read-out of your system’s CPU and memory performance.

Does this keyboard rock? Can you type D-U-H? Simply put, I would never go back to any other keyboard after using the G19 after just one day.

1) Logitech G930 Wireless Gaming Headest

This was a tough one, as I found a compelling case for both the Logitech G930 and Creative’s World of Warcraft headset-specifically chosen for its initial ” cool” factor above all other models.

The trade-off goes something like this: Both headsets are wireless, which is awesome if for nothing else than the ability to jam to tunes (or listen to yourself being shot at / stabbed / etc) while making dinner in another room. Or, perhaps more practically, sitting on your bed or couch from a decent distance away. There’s nothing more important to a great PC that the sound it emits, which is exactly why a killer wireless headset rests at the top of our must-have list.

I preferred the sound of the Logitech G930s slightly more than Creative’s headset-I felt the low-frequency booms and general crispness of noise in both games and music to be a bit stronger on Logitech’s device. As well, I didn’t really like the emulated three-dimensional positioning found in Creative’s headset. It just never felt like very strong surround sound for me as compared to the more enveloping feel of Logitech’s headset.

Feature-wise, the ear-enveloping G930 comes with four buttons right on the headset-one to mute your attached microphone, and three that can be customized to whatever you’d like (I have mine set to control music in my media player of choice). And don’t forget the volume control. Running your finger up and down your ear to raise and lower your system sound is even easier than doing it on your keyboard.

I didn’t quite care for the G930′s attached microphone, in the sense that it kept on falling from a vertical position (automatically muted) to a standard, time-to-chat positioning (muted no longer). Creative’s detachable headset solves this on the World of Warcraft headset, howevers only other accompanying features besides volume controls are the LEDs that illuminate your ears with whatever colors you’d like. A watch-catching feature, without doubt, but I’m a sucker for feature over form.

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This post is tagged: cardboard box, first-person-shooter, gaming mousepad, optical mouse, pc accessories, pc components, savvy friends