The best gear for gaming is a broad phrase, and in our case today, could mean a number of popular upgrades, such as headsets, mice, keyboards, laptops, computers, controllers and more. As we continue to delve into the gaming gear world and research the best of the best to help our readers out in their search for the perfect gaming setup, we’re met with a much larger guide here to serve a broader purpose — to help you either pick or choose which pieces of the best gaming gear you need next, or to buy an entire new setup all at once. Regardless of your specific needs here today, let’s get down to what we feel is not only the best gear for gaming to upgrade, but our top recommendations for each as well. Who knows, there may be a few picks in here you didn’t even thought you needed until today.
Recommendations for Gaming Gear Upgrades
When it comes to which gear for your own gaming experience and skills should be upgraded, it will ultimately come down to personal preference. We know a few of our friends who are just about professional gamers who prefer an old mechanical keyboard and beat up mouse pad; however, when it comes to their mouse, headset and overall PC rig, they’re constantly on the prowl for the latest upgrades. Others we’ve spoken to can get by with just about any gaming gear as long as it works, while some others we know are consistently trying to get that edge over their opponents in any way possible.
We think the following is gear gamers should upgrade if they’re able. Again, you can either do so systematically as you gather some cash, grab a few at once, or setup an entire new rig — it’s all on you! Or perhaps even start building your own gaming computer if you want to save some money as well. If there are some different recommendations or even gear you feel we left out, let us know in the comments. Click on the links below of the gear to jump to that specific section’s recommendation. We’ll also link you to some of our guides in case you want some more information or additional gear picks to compare and contrast.
The Best Gaming Gear
Gaming Headset: Kingston HyperX Cloud Alpha
Related Guides: Gaming Headsets | Wireless Gaming Headsets
To kick off our list for the best gaming gear, we have arguably one of the most important parts of not only hearing your opponents and teammates but communication, which can quite possibly make or break your win or loss column. The HyperX Cloud has received thousands of user reviews around the net to back up its reputation. Designed for pro gamers as it is specifically used by professional gaming organizations, It’s super comfortable with some nice and light weight leather memory foam ear cups. You’re also getting an extra set of velour ear cups in case you’d like to switch them out or you’ve already warn the previous out. The overall design is ‘over-ear’, which means they’ll be engulfing your entire ears to isolate sound and disallow from other ambient noise from the outside world in so it doesn’t cloud your experience. In terms of additional specs, it is equipped with 15-25k Hz frequency responses as well as 53 mm drivers, giving this headset superior audio performance, not to mention its enhanced comfort on top of it all.
If your game of choice entails consistent communication with a team or you’re one that likes to chat (nicely, we’re assuming!) with your live opponent, the HyperX Cloud comes with a detachable and adjustable high-quality microphone on top of it all. This is a headset that is HiFi capable and will allow you to enjoy optimal audio and pitch perfect tones so that you can exit reality and lose yourself in the moment and hear those footsteps that much clearer. All things considered, the Kingston HyperX Cloud comes at a reasonable price, and is great for PC and Mac as well as compatible with just about every console you can think of.
Gaming Headset: Sennheiser GAME ONE
Another headset recommendation here, the Sennheiser GAME ONE is presented to us next as an open-back light weighted design that is not only built for enhanced comfort but also provides a crystal-clear sound. Featuring a suitable volume control conveniently located near the headsets ear cups as well as plush velour covered XXL ear pads, these combine to make this one another addition to the best gear for gaming list for those with a bit of larger budgets than our previous headset pick.
With this headset, you will not only hear the sound, but you will feel the rush that comes with it. It has a The GAME ONE’s original transducer technology produces an incredible sound clarity as well as crystal clear accuracy, better articulating each individual sound. This innovative headset has a distinctive design in addition to upgraded accessories, making this one of the best gaming headsets for its price. If you take gaming seriously, the Sennheiser GAME ONE will without a doubt leave you impressed.
Gaming Mouse: Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum
Related Guides: Gaming Mice | Wireless Gaming Mice
Now let’s talk about another staple-point of gaming gear (if you’re on a Mac or PC) that can really up the ante when it comes to your overall game flow and precision. As one of the best gaming mice in the world today, Logitech has come out with a highly advanced, custom designed mouse that contains 8 programmable buttons with a versatile feel to it. Today gamers play to win the game, therefore it’s paramount to have a high-speed mouse that enables you to have the quickest access possible. You also have an option to keep it wired or go wireless if you’re ever in the mood, a feature that is quite simple yet effective in our opinion since what game you play will determine if you’re OK with sacrificing some latency in your mouse movements. We’re ones to always go wired, but if you do use your mouse for work or other computer uses, you can choose between the two freely.
What also makes this mouse unique is they’ve combined different sensory technologies together enabling the user to reach never before seen speeds. The Chaos Spectrum features a ‘Delta Zero technology‘ as well as an exclusive Fusion Engine Hybrid Sensor that allows you to reach speeds of 500 IPS or higher. For us, a mouse to upgrade for must have additional programmable buttons for quick access to hot keys as well as fast response time to keep our movements precise. The Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum is just that — a highly advanced mouse that is considered one of the best solutions for gaming equipment in the market. It’s a great choice for gamers but can also be effectively used for work purposes, making this a well-worth it upgrade.
Gaming Mouse: Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury
Similar to the G900 Chaos Spectrum, the G402 Hyperion Fury is another high-speed mouse and one of our favorite picks as the best gaming gear out there. This mouse contains optical sensor technology and combines it with Logitech’s custom built Fusion Engine hybrid sensor that will track speeds up to 500 IPS. Though this high-tech mouse is great for gaming, it is often highly regarded as a multi-use product. The Hyperion Fury is getting high praise for its built-in accelerometer and gyro which augments the capabilities of the optical sensor. If the optical sensor fails to produce due to the mouse’s high speed, this feature allows the mouse to make up time just in case.
Logitech’s goal while creating this mouse was essentially to replicate more than enough movement and speed of the gamers arm, making it a mouse that is able to keep up with those short burst arm movements without causing a delay in speed. With this mouse, the Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury allows you take your gaming capabilities to the next level. We recommend this one if the previous mouse was a bit too expensive for your budget and you wanted to upgrade yet save a little more cash at the same time.
Gaming Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Chroma V2
Related Guides: Gaming Keyboards | Wireless Gaming Keyboards
As we move on to gaming keyboards, it is no secret that Razer Mechanical switches are some of the highest quality we’ve seen — Razer claims you can attain up to 80 million keystrokes with each key (no, we haven’t been able to fully test that yet). Designed specifically to take your gaming to the next level, this award-winning keyboard operates at ideal speeds with optimal responsiveness. It’s designed to be used with both PC and Mac and comes with a free USB port to make your transition a little bit easier. What makes this an addition to the best equipment for gaming is that the keyboard comes with wrist rest features, ergonomics that allows the user to play comfortably for endless periods of time and an overall very stable build with pro-grade material all around the unit.
Specifically designed to meet the needs of gamers, the Chroma V2 comes with 5 additional dedicated macro keys for easy-access as well as an advanced Chroma configurator adding for special effects as it lights up at the press of your keys — you can choose the RGB patterns or individual keys to light up (this may come in handy if you program it alongside your hot keys for a particular game). All in all, if you are looking for a state of the art mechanical keyboard (we do not recommend anything that isn’t mechanical, especially gaming) that provides all of the necessary functions, as well as contains a refreshingly cool look, the Razer BlackWidow Chroma V2 just might be for you.
Gaming Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70
Also featuring key-by-key customized back-lighting, the Corsair Vengenace K70 brings a new style to gaming. Designed to meet the needs of the gamers style of play, the keyboard itself is mechanical (we’re at the point where we saw mechanical keyboards or bust, to be honest), easy to use, has six dedicated multimedia keys, is made of high-quality material (a nice black brushed aluminum chassis) and of course, color coordinated facilitating the users immediate access to whatever key they desire. It can be easy to have a terrible gaming day by missing your mark, so for those of you who are looking to enhance scores or just get better at the game, the Vengeance K70 will create an immediate upgrade.
What makes this one a pick for the best gaming gear however, is the keyboards full-key matrix anti-ghosting mechanism that is perfect for enhancing your accuracy and making sure you’re safe of sticky-keys. Not only does this keyboard look great on your PC or laptop, but its light-weight and can be durable for as long as you need it to be. Sometimes it’s the little things that can thoroughly improve your game, so let the Corsair Vengeance K70 do it all, and get it for quite the reasonable price since it’s a bit cheaper than our previous Razer pick if you wanted to save some cash.
Gaming Computer: Corsair One
What’s the best gaming gear upgrade without a sturdy backbone to handle it all? Cue your PC, and since gaming computers are consistently evolving while at the same time games are increasing in the demand for RAM, processing as well as video card capabilities, you need to make sure your rig can support it all, otherwise these smaller gear upgrades are basically moot. Here’s one of our favorite gaming computers out there at the moment. These PC’s are super quiet, 4K and VR ready, overclockable, and are built like tanks. Now before we list the exact specifications, do know that there are quite a few combinations and versions they offer in order meet the demands of certain price-points, which we love so all readers can fine-tune their cash flow into which Corsair One is best for them.
When it comes to actually choosing which exact version of the Corsair One is best, we recommend sticking with a few necessities (feel free to browse around what they offer to see which price-tag is justified for your budget). Keep in mind the following: 16GB of RAM, at least an i7 processor with 3.0 Ghz+, as much hard drive memory as you need (1 TB should suffice, and we do recommend a portion being solid-state drive at that), and a video card to hold it all together (something like an NVIDIA GTX). The Corsair One is going to keep you going for not only the present but for many years to come, even as the demand games ask for better internal builds of PC’s continues as well since it’s currently ahead of the curve.
Gaming Laptop: HP Omen
Related Guides: Gaming Laptops Under $1,000
If a PC computer or Mac aren’t your thing and you prefer to game on a laptop (whether you’re traveling or just prefer the sleek and versatile build of them), we have one of the best right here. The HP Omen is a gaming laptop that’ll give some PC’s a run for their money when it comes to capabilities. We remember back in the day attempting to game on a laptop but couldn’t come close to getting the quality we needed — it was barely recommended to try doing so (and keep in mind we were running Counter-Strike 1.6). Nowadays however in this year, times have definitely changed.
With gaming laptops, you’re also able to customize what features and specifications are important to you and line it up with a preferred price-point. You can choose a specific screen size (we like 15″ and up), processors (grab a 3.0 Ghz or higher), video card (again, the NVIDIA GTX series is top-of-the-line right now), and a hard drive capacity to your liking (stick with at least 500GB and with some portion of it to be a solid-state drive, please). The HP Omen is a top laptop pick recommended by not only use but those online gaming mags as well — for a reason.
Gaming Monitor: Dell SE2417HG
What’s a gaming gear upgrade if you’ve gotten a new PC but still have those same old monitors? You may be catching our drift here — if you upgrade one piece of your setup, others may then ask to be changed as well. Ultimately, it’s up to you; a screen is a screen, however there are a few aspects of gaming that should be taken into consideration when looking at a monitor to give us an edge. Originated to function at peak performance in terms of speed, the Dell SE2417HG is compatible with just about everything you can think of. It is crafted with 1920 x 1080 resolution at 60Hz as well as containing 2ms response time and TN Panels, enabling the user to not only have superior vision and clarity, but also with incredible resolution.
This monitor is referred to as a ‘gaming monitor’ due to the specialized response time and refresh rate. With that ‘gaming’ label, it of course can work for other uses with a computer. It can be used on all platforms aside from a PC as well — enjoy the SE2417HG with your PC, XBOX or PlayStation console because you can also conveniently switch your game play using its dual HDMI ports. If you are a serious gamer, this monitor allows you to customize your style of play, allowing you to access your screen in just about every way possible. Very few high-tech components of gaming are a necessity, but if the screen that you play on surely is one of them for you, and the Dell SE2417HG is our pick as the best.
Gaming Controller: Razer Wildcat
Related Guides: Gaming Controllers
Now let’s get into some console gaming. The Razer Wildcat is simply going to take your Xbox gaming or computer via USB to the next level. Fully equipped with multi-function buttons, this is a controller that has the ability to remap other controls that are within it. Whether you are fighting combat on the battlefield or juking your opponent on the gridiron, one thing is for sure, the Razer Wildcat is built for additional control as well as reliability when compared to stock controllers.
Designed with an ergonomic shape as well as enhanced weight features, this is a controller that is growing in popularity among tournament players as well as been given high praise by some of the best eSports athletes in the world. When the going gets tough during your game, the comfort of playing with the Razer Wildcat’s optimized weight proportion is going to without a doubt give you an unfair advantage over your opponents. There’s no refuting that this is one of the best gaming gear picks in the market for those console junkies.
Gaming Controller: Logitech Wireless F710
Next, we have a controller that is perfect for multi-platforms. The Logitech Wireless F710 features dual vibration feedback monitors allowing you to literally feel the game in your hands. In addition, the F710 impressively comes with a wireless connection that allows you to cut the wires entirely so that you can play with the utmost convenience. The gaming world is endlessly growing and advancing your equipment is always important. If you are a competitive gamer, you certainly want a controller that can adapt and be unique to the user. The profiler software that is specifically designed by Logitech’s brand enables play with an unsupported title, allowing all controls to become programmable.
Since this is a controller that can also work specifically with Android TV’s, Logitech provides the user with standard Android controls as well as instructions so that you will never have any issues navigating. When it comes to superior equipment, as well as enhanced control features, the Logitech Wireless F710 has got you covered. Not to mention allows you to steer away from those pesky wires if you’re OK going the wireless route in a gaming environment.
Gaming Chair: Steelcase Gesture
Related Guides: Gaming Chairs
Is a chair just a chair? Is a ‘gaming chair’ really a ‘chair for gaming’? We’re getting pretty philosophical here, sorry. We do have one question, however — what’s an optimal gaming flow and experience without sitting on something comfortable? We all know those long days and nights, no shame at all! Although this is one of the last items listed as the best gear for gaming and one that you may upgrade later down the road, you never know when it’ll come as a need, especially with how much time we spend sitting down to game. The Steelcase Gesture is a high-end chair that is designed with a few advancements that not only make it comfortable with a platinum metallic frame and leather all around, but will certainly help improve your posture. Equipped with adjustable arms that move like a human arm, it allows the gamer to obtain support no matter what position they are in. Our long-term health should be taken into consideration, no?
This is a chair that is specifically designed for those who work day-to-day with technology as the Gesture comes with ergonomic 8-hour support (we know, game sessions go longer than that!). The chair is quick to make adjustments and molds to the user, no matter the body type. People have various preferences in the way that they sit, but what makes the Gestures so great is the type of person you are isn’t really relative as it comes with great versatility. If you sit for long hours a day whether playing online games or for work, the Steelcase Gesture comes in as premium and high-end. In our opinion however, it is worth the price if you want to be free of that well-being, long-term posture and physical health guilt.
Gaming Desk: Arozzi Arena
We were debating on including this in here, however ultimately we thought, “we need to put all of this gear on something, right?” Desks were probably the most difficult to choose ‘just one’ as a recommendation, since we actually prefer L-desks for not only gaming but office work and leisure computer use. This particular model however caught our eye for a few reasons. For one, it’s relatively affordable as compared to some higher-end desks that cost almost a grand or more. The Arena also has a nice amount of space to it at 14 square feet, and what’s even more nifty is the fact that the entire surface is a ‘custom mouse pad’ so you can have as much space as you need to move your mouse as opposed to relying on a more limited external mouse pad.
The overall construction is quite sturdy and its light weight in case you need to move it around or travel with it to LAN parties. Underneath the desk you’ll also find a little cable management contraption to help with organization. Lastly, it comes in quite a few colors to fit your personality — red, black, blue, green, and white. The Arozzi Arena is awesome because of the color choices to match your style, portability, special and large surface designed strictly for gaming and overall affordability.
Gaming Accessory: Logitech G13 Gameboard
Related Guides: Gaming Accessories
There are quite a few different gaming accessories we’ll recommend. But first, is there such thing as too many programmable keys? Perhaps for some, others no. This here is one of our favorite gaming accessories since we’re huge fans of increased game flow. The G13 by Logitech give us one need — buttons. You have 25 fully programmable G-keys to configure up to 75 functions (three different modes) using three macros per key. If you’re in LUA scripts you can also do so on the fly. There’s also a nice little LCD to give you data (real-time stats, information of your system, VoIP communication, as well as timers).
Aside from the buttons and programming galore, the G13 also includes a mini joystick that you’re able to program as well. The keys are backlit with custom colors and it has on-board profiles to save your keys, functions and settings in case you have different preferences per game, or even per level or environment. The small size of the Logitech G13 caps it all off with one of the best gear for gaming verdicts you may have not even known existed or that you needed. The Logitech G13 Gameboard is an amazing add-on to give you even more control over your game flow with more than enough hot keys available to program — we just hope you can remember them all.
Gaming Accessory: Cable Management Sleeves
Last but not least, here’s a cool little spin to what some would consider a ‘gaming accessory’. This is more of a why not than a perhaps. If you’re into organization or are like us and really just aren’t a fan of cables (especially the annoying clutter you have underneath your setup), then these are not only cheap but super effective as well. We’ve seen quite a few different spins to ‘cable management sleeves’ but through research we’ll link you to one of our favorites and most reviewed.
Grabbing some cable management sleeves help keep all of this gaming gear organized and in our opinion, a clean and neat setup allows for less stress and better head space to keep your focus on the most aspect of this all — gaming as hard as we can.
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